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Bruce Campbell with acknowledgement to the late, great Bill Shankly
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Delete (0) when phoning from overseas, delete 0044 when phoning in the UK
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Prenton, Wirral
CH43 7ZH
UNITED KINGDOM
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ru brown championship: ‘ex-pat’ takes fourth win
THE RU Brown Championship in Adelaide has now firmly secured its place as Australia’s number one solo event.
That comes largely on the back of excellent administration as well as a large entry from both inter-state and overseas competitors.
But this year it was an ex-pat Victorian who won, Ross Campbell - now ‘retired’ to the hotter climate of the Gold Coast and forsaking the cafe culture of Melbourne.
This year was Ross Campbell's fourth Gold Medal win.
The former tutor of Haileybury College had previously won in 1986, 1992 and 2003.
This year saw the introduction of a new policy not to allow pipers to play up into Open or Gold Medal events from lower grades in an effort to keep the numbers to a manageable level.
Despite that 18 pipers still competed for the Gold Medal this year - a sure sign of the standing of the competition.
The winning tunes in the Gold Medal event were;
1st Ross Campbell ‘The Vaunting’
2nd Brett Tidswell ‘Too Long in This Condition’
3rd Stuart Easton ‘The End of the Great Bridge’
Tam McGirr was delighted to win the silver medal after having competed now for several years.
Tam, who is an ex-pat Fifer, played the MacCrimmon-composed ‘Too Long in This Condition’.
He described his trip to the premier event: “On Sunday 9 May I caught the first flight of the morning from Brisbane to Adelaide at 5am.
“Its approximately a three hour flight.
“I got to the Regal Park Motel where all the action is, had a quick shower and dressed and then I was off to the college for the annual RU Brown.
“In my opinion it is one, if not the best, solo piping gatherings and competition of the year in Australia.
“This year, like so many others, there was an entourage from New Zealand, with some of their best players - many of whom often secure top prizes in Scotland.
“This year was a change in the rules, namely for the Gold Medal Piobaireachd.
“A competitor was only permitted to play in one element of the three medal events, Bronze Silver or Gold.
“As I had never actually won a medal I chose the silver.
“I was drawn as the final competitor of some 12 in the very strong pool of players and submitted ‘The Clan MacNab’s Salute’, ‘Too long in This Condition’, ‘The Big Spree’ and the ‘Lament for the Only Son’.
“Ian 'Og' Young (father of Sam Young) was the adjudicator and selected 'Too long in This Condition."
“I learned the tune through hearing it being played many times by good pipers but was fine tuned at times with one-on-one tuition from John Hanning and the late Lewis Turrel, both of Wellington, New Zealand.
“I tended to play not so much the ‘Balmoral’ style but a significant way of expressing the tune given to me by Lewis.
“I still have his recording played on a pipe to die for.
“My pipes were going very well and I played a G1 pipe reed from my mate Jock Elliott from Fife on a new wooden Peter Henderson Chanter given to me by Alistair Dunn of RG Hardie.
“Piobaireachd is not my stronger element, and I prefer of course to enjoy light music and pipe band music.
“Having only been playing Ceol Mor for some five years I threw all my eggs in the one basket on this performance and came away with the medal.
“The comments from Ian Og were stimulating - ‘Sterling bagpipe and good knowledge and adaptation of the tune.'
“In line with winning the world pipe band championships back in 1978 (when Tam was a member of Dysart & Dundonald) I think this was clearly the second most memorable win of my career.
“Of course, nothing was stoping me having a tune in the open MSR and H&J.
“This field was as tight as it gets and even to play amongst some of these other pipers is an honour.
“I was just outside the minors in the MSR but again a really good sheet from (judge) Brian Niven, and a placing of 3rd in the H&J just made my day.
“As always the meal and a few drams in the evening in the company of all others was priceless.”
Later this summer Tam will be making the long trip back to Scotland where he will be part of Fife Constabulary’s challenge in the year’s Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship event.
“Next year is the 40th Anniversary of Bob Brown's visit to Adelaide,” says Brett Tidswell of the RU Brown Society organising committee.
“Steps have been taken to bring Bob Brown's daughter out for the competition.
“Also we are looking to move the Gold Medal from the chapel into the drawing room which is smaller and a nice room to play in and more bagpipe friendly.
“The chapel has many angled surfaces and for many years competitors and recitalists have been commenting that it is hard to tune pipes in that room.
“The introduction of a clasp competition for former winners is also being considered.”
THE RU Brown Championship in Adelaide has now firmly secured its place as Australia’s number one solo event.
That comes largely on the back of excellent administration as well as a large entry from both inter-
The former tutor of Haileybury College had previously won in 1986, 1992 and 2003.
This year saw the introduction of a new policy not to allow pipers to play up into Open or Gold Medal events from lower grades in an effort to keep the numbers to a manageable level.
Despite that 18 pipers still competed for the Gold Medal this year -
1st Ross Campbell ‘The Vaunting’
2nd Brett Tidswell ‘Too Long in This Condition’
3rd Stuart Easton ‘The End of the Great Bridge’
Tam McGirr was delighted to win the silver medal after having competed now for several years.
Tam, who is an ex-
“Its approximately a three hour flight.
“I got to the Regal Park Motel where all the action is, had a quick shower and dressed and then I was off to the college for the annual RU Brown.
“In my opinion it is one, if not the best, solo piping gatherings and competition of the year in Australia.
“This year, like so many others, there was an entourage from New Zealand, with some of their best players -
“A competitor was only permitted to play in one element of the three medal events, Bronze Silver or Gold.
“As I had never actually won a medal I chose the silver.
“I was drawn as the final competitor of some 12 in the very strong pool of players and submitted ‘The Clan MacNab’s Salute’, ‘Too long in This Condition’, ‘The Big Spree’ and the ‘Lament for the Only Son’.
“Ian 'Og' Young (father of Sam Young) was the adjudicator and selected 'Too long in This Condition."
“I learned the tune through hearing it being played many times by good pipers but was fine tuned at times with one-
“I still have his recording played on a pipe to die for.
“My pipes were going very well and I played a G1 pipe reed from my mate Jock Elliott from Fife on a new wooden Peter Henderson Chanter given to me by Alistair Dunn of RG Hardie.
“Piobaireachd is not my stronger element, and I prefer of course to enjoy light music and pipe band music.
“Having only been playing Ceol Mor for some five years I threw all my eggs in the one basket on this performance and came away with the medal.
“The comments from Ian Og were stimulating -
“Of course, nothing was stoping me having a tune in the open MSR and H&J.
“This field was as tight as it gets and even to play amongst some of these other pipers is an honour.
“I was just outside the minors in the MSR but again a really good sheet from (judge) Brian Niven, and a placing of 3rd in the H&J just made my day.
“As always the meal and a few drams in the evening in the company of all others was priceless.”
Later this summer Tam will be making the long trip back to Scotland where he will be part of Fife Constabulary’s challenge in the year’s Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship event.
“Next year is the 40th Anniversary of Bob Brown's visit to Adelaide,” says Brett Tidswell of the RU Brown Society organising committee.
“Steps have been taken to bring Bob Brown's daughter out for the competition.
“Also we are looking to move the Gold Medal from the chapel into the drawing room which is smaller and a nice room to play in and more bagpipe friendly.
“The chapel has many angled surfaces and for many years competitors and recitalists have been commenting that it is hard to tune pipes in that room.
“The introduction of a clasp competition for former winners is also being considered.”
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