Coastal Scottish Pipe Band
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| Established | 1898
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| Location | Western Australia
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| Grade | 3
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| Pipe Major | Maureen Barnett
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| Drum Sergeant | Graeme Gurney
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| Tartan | Ancient MacLaine of Lochnuie
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| Notable Honours | 1st place, New Zealand Pipe Band Championships: 2007 (Grade 4); 1st place, Western Australian Pipe Band Championships: 2007 (Grades 3 & 4) |
| Website | www.coastalscottish.com |
The Coastal Scottish Pipe Band, also known simply as 'Coastals', is a grade 4 pipe band based in Perth, Western Australia. The band was formed in 1898, and alongside the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band is one oldest pipe bands in Australia. Their many recent successes include winning the New Zealand Pipe Band Championships (Grade 4) held this year in Dunedin.
[edit] History
The Coastal Scottish Pipe Band was formed in 1898 by a group of expatriote Scottish men working at the old Fremantle Railway workshops. As one of the only other pipe bands in Western Australia at this time the band called themselves 'The Gay Gordons' and adopted the Gordon tartan in their uniform. From this point they continued to grow competing in their first competition at the WACA Ground in 1928. An event which was, among other festivities, organised to coincide with the Centenary of the foundation of the Swan River Colony.
The economic depression of the coming year was to have quite a large impact on the band and the coming years were to ultimately be ones of rebuilding. In the years following World War II, Coastals regained its full strength and by the 1950s and 60s the band was actively performing at many notable social turnouts such as the first visit to WA in 1954 by the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. It was also around this time that Bon Scott of AC/DC fame was a snare drummer with the band.
The band was renamed the City of South Perth Pipe Band in 1975 and it was around this time that the band adopted the Ancient MacLaine of Lochbuie clan tartan which continues to be part of the current uniform. It was also in the coming years that the band produced the first known recording of Pipe Band music in Western Australia.
In 2001 the City of South Perth council reviewed their sponsorship of the band, and on the 28th August of the same year the band officially readopted their former name "Coastal Scottish Pipe Band WA". Since this time the band has had success at both state and international levels of competition - most recently winning first place in Grade 4 at the 2007 New Zealand Pipe Band championships where they placed first in the following elements: MSR, Musical Selection, Drumming, and Street March (Music) thereby winning the overall Grade 4 trophies. The band also dominated at the Western Australian Pipe Band Championships which were held on 25th March 2007, winning Grade 3 & 4 champion bands, best drum corps, as well as the dress & drill trophies.
Throughout the years Coastals has had a fairly exciting history, one which will no doubt continue to develop. The current goals are regrading to Grade 3 level, winning the Australian Pipe Band Championships, the World Pipe Band Championships, and perhaps attaining Grade 2 status. Currently the band performs regularly throughout both country and metro Western Australia.
As of early October, the APBA WA branch upgraded Coastals to Grade 3.
