PIPE BAND

“Ayubowan”
Sri Lanka 2010

Some people went to extraordinary lengths to avoid the end-of-year arctic conditions – 5500 miles to be precise, for 5 members of the Dollar Academy Pipe Band who travelled from Dollar to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka as guests of the Caledonian Society of Sri Lanka.  Accompanied by Pipe Instructor Mr Wilson and Mrs Morrison, pipers Ross Geddes, David Barcroft and Nicole Abel, together with drummers Louise Carson and Ruth Clarke, travelled halfway across the world to participate in the St. Andrew’s weekend celebrations in Colombo, the highlight of which was the St. Andrew’s Ball.  On the evening of Friday 26th December more than 200 guests were welcomed out of monsoon rains into the Grand Ballroom of Colombo’s Galadari Hotel by the Pipes and Drums of Dollar Academy.  Later they were piped through to a traditional St. Andrew’s dinner featuring haggis smuggled all the way from Scotland. 

During the evening the Dollar Academy Pipe Band was presented with a dance in honour of their achievements in becoming World Juvenile Champions.  “The Salute”, created by Chieftain and our host for the trip, the Reverend John Purves, previously of this Parish, was performed for the very first time by eight members of the Caledonian Society accompanied by lone piper, Mr Wilson.

Further engagements followed at St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk and the Ceylon Motor Yacht Club at Bolgoda Lake, south of Colombo.  The group travelled out of Colombo to visit a village community project in Rosythe supported by proceeds from last year’s Sponsored Walk, but were sadly unable to reach the village due to the washing away of the roads after recent monsoon floods.  However, they did manage to feed orphan elephants at the world famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and observe paper being created from elephant dung at the nearby Millennium Elephant Foundation.

After a final haggle in the street markets, a nail biting ride in a tuk-tuk and a taste of colonial life at the former Governor’s Residence, now the Mount Lavinia Hotel, the group left behind the 30 degree monsoon heat and cacophony of sights, smells and sounds that is Sri Lanka to return to the rather eerie, silent snowscape and sub zero temperatures of Scotland, warmed nonetheless by many vivid memories.

Ayubowan – May you be blessed with a long life.

Mrs A Morrison

January 2010