THE Hamilton and Districts Pipe Band celebrates, this year, 120 years of continuous service to the Hamilton community.

The sound of bagpipes and drums have been synonymous with Victoria’s western plains since the earliest Scottish and Irish settlers sought to continue their own ancient culture in a new land.

In 1904 the Hamilton Pipe Band was formed through the merger of the existing Caledonian Pipe Band and other players.  

To celebrate this amazing milestone, on Saturday, October 26, the Pipe Band will be reviving what was once an annual event and holding the Hamilton Highland Gathering 2024 in the Botanical Gardens.

Following the theme ‘Clubs Make Community’, the Pipe Band will be reaching out to the Hamilton community to join in the celebration.

“The Pipe Band is just one of the many clubs and volunteer groups that make Hamilton a great place to live, work and play,” band president, Richard Murphy said.

“We want to use this occasion to draw attention to the incredible diversity of clubs that exist in Hamilton and celebrate the opportunities they create to meet new people, learn new things, and have fun”.

The Pipe Band would like local clubs to use the event to show off what they do and recruit new members.

“We want to honour the contributions all these clubs have made, and are making, to build connections and create community,” Mr Murphy said.

The Pipe Band is working to begin the event with a Street Parade made up of visiting pipe bands and local clubs.

“We’ve already had five pipe bands tell us they are coming, and pipe bands love street parades,” Mr Murphy explained. 

“We would love to have Hamilton clubs join the procession and show off what they do within the community.”

Southern Grampians Shire have sponsored the Pipe Band performances in the Botanical Gardens.

Further sponsorship is being sought to help cover the cost of a Street Parade.

“We are inviting clubs to set up a table along the Botanical Gardens pathways or put on display so people can learn about them and maybe chose to get involved,” he said.

“The pipe band competition will create a real festival atmosphere that will make the day a great success.”

The Pipe Band would like to hear from past members who would like to be involved or have old photos or memorabilia that could be included in a display.