AD de Blocq van Scheltinga (Pipe Major)
Andrew began learning the pipes during his first year at St Andrew’s College. From the beginning he displayed the drive and determination that has characterized his contribution ever since, and he learnt quickly as a result, forging ahead of others who began at the same time. (He is in fact the first piper for many years to make his way into the band in less than a year.) He was soon a reliable piper, learning the required tunes quickly. He has now developed an extensive repertoire, far in excess of the requirements for Colours level. He has been Pipe Major for the last two years, and was awarded Colours in 2008.
Unfortunately changes made to the competition calendar by the Pipe Bands Association of Southern
Africa have made it very difficult for St Andrew’s boys to compete, either as a band, or individually.
Andrew's competitive experience, compared to that of his peers, has been severely limited, yet he has
made a great effort to compete wherever this has been possible. His first experience was in the
Western Cape Highland Gathering, in 2007. He played in the novice section, and was placed 3rd in
the Novice March, and 1st in the Slow March, the Piobaireachd (pronounced: peebrog guttural 'g'),
and the Strathspey and Reel. In 2008 he was able to play in the Junior Hundred Guineas, where he
achieved a 4th place in the Piobaireachd (the classical music of the bagpipe). Later that year Andrew
competed in the South Coast Highland Gathering, where again he featured in the prize lists.
In 2008 Andrew also travelled to Scotland where he took part in a number of small Highland Games, with some success. In 2009 he competed in the Sandy Mallen Memorial event, which attracts most of the best players in the country. Here he came second overall, and in the process was placed ahead of the competitor who went on to win the Junior Hundred Guineas a couple of weeks later. On Saturday
Andrew competed in the George Ackroyd Memorial Gathering where he was placed first in the
Piobaireachd. Thus, while his competitive experience is somewhat limited, he has been successful
virtually every time he has competed, and has been up against players with far more experience, who
compete regularly-perhaps 10 times a year.
As a driving force in the band Andrew is impressive. His quiet enthusiasm is infectious, and he has
been a great motivating force the last two years. He has undoubtedly been one of the best Pipe Majors
we have had over the last 35 years. He leads by example, and has done a great deal of behind the
scenes work. For example at the end of last year he was given a list of over 50 possible tunes for the
band's repertoire this year. He spent many hours during the holiday going through these, in many
cases actually learning the tunes, before making recommendations.
Pipe Band Honours have been awarded only twice before. The first recipient, Thomas Fuller, now
leads one of the top pipe bands in the country, and has won many of the top senior solo events. David
Springer, the second recipient, has also continued to make his mark, both as a bandsman and as a solo
competitor. There is no doubt that Andrew will similarly continue to bring credit to the school in the
future, and will continue to make his mark in piping circles. @
CI Terry & SJ Ellis
