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This weekend I missed band because I was in Winnipeg. I did a workshop with the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band, and one with the Cameron Highlanders. Both of these bands are great Winnipeg traditions, and both have a unique culture and history. The Winnipeg Police have had many excellent pipers in the ranks over the years. Perhaps the best-known was Neil Sutherland, who was equal to many of the great players of the day, and who also founded the Regina Piobaireachd Society when he was in the police here in the late 1920s. Don Morrison was P/M of the Winnipeg Police for years, and they have had many fine players from the top bands in the area. They still have a good band, and we had a great day of working on their sets and music, and getting into the pipes.

There have been Cameron pipers active in Winnipeg at Minto Armoury since 1913, before there were any houses around the Armoury! There is a great photo on the wall in the band room taken in aboout 1917, with a fully kitted pipe band--12 or so pipers, tenors, bass and several snare drums. The guys in the band joke that they can recognize pieces of their uniform in the photo, and there's not a little pride in the history. The band is making strides in Grade 4, and will be challenging up soon. They have a strong program, good leadership, and intensity.

Both of these bands made me think a little about our band, and where it will be in 5, 10, 20, 50 years. In the 14 years the band has been around, we have done some amazing things. We have built, developed, and maintained an organization that turns out good bands year after year [yeah, some years better than others], finds the money to do things, and makes an impression on the larger pipe band world. This is all good, but maybe it's time to do some long-range planning and development? There will be a "post-Iain" band. What will it look like? Might be time to start thinking about that.