JACKSON/SMITH family

In 1936 Beryl Robertson, a shy fifteen year old Scottish lass from Calgary was given private piping lessons in exchange for babysitting services from Mr. Alec Oliphant.  

In 1940 Beryl met Joseph (Joe) N. Jackson, a member of the Calgary Highlanders.  Beryl Robertson was a member of the Calgary Blue Bonnet Pipe Band and later joined the Canadian Women Army Corp. (CWAC) Pipe Band.  In January 1945 the CWAC Pipe Band was shipped overseas to do an extensive tour in Europe.  Beryl (Robbie) married Joe, (who was also serving in Holland with the Calgary Highlanders), in Apeldoorn, Holland on November 16, 1945.

After the war the couple returned to Alberta and moved to Brooks, then Taber and started a family.  The young family eventually settled in Calgary.  Upon his return to Calgary, Joe Jackson rejoined the Calgary Highlanders and served with the Pipe Band for several years.

From 1955 through 1959, Joe Jackson was the tenor drummer and distinguished Drum Major with the 19th Medium Pipes and Drums of Calgary.  In the early sixties the Calgary North Hill Lions Club sponsored a youth pipe band with weekly drum practices held in the basement of the Jackson’s family home.  Beryl and Joe Jackson were strong supporters of the youth pipe pands in Calgary.  

The Jackson family consisted of three daughters and four sons.  With the three daughters and three grandsons involved in pipe bands, they always found ways to encourage and support their endeavors.

Margaret, the eldest daughter played the side drum with the North Hill Lions Pipe Band and was the 1963 Alberta Champion 16 and under.  She also started piping at the age of twelve and played with the Brig O’ Doon Girls Pipe Band, the Calgary Scottish Pipe Band and eventually, the Clan McBain Pipe Band.  

Beryl and Joe’s second daughter Gwen was a tenor and bass drummer and also a member of the Kinsmen’s Brig O’ Doon Girls Pipe Band.

While piping with the Calgary Scottish Pipe Band, Margaret met and married Doug Smith, also a piper.  They, in turn, produced three very talented pipers, Ian, Andrew and Stewart Smith, grandsons of Beryl and Joe Jackson.  

The eldest son Ian Smith was heavily involved with the Old 78th Fraser Highlanders (Calgary).  He rose through the ranks of the 78ths, from corporal in 1980 to Sergeant Major in 1985.  

During this time, Ian spent his summers in Montreal piping and highland dancing at the Old Fort.  Ian was an “Open” or “Premier” Highland Dancer, instructed by Laureen McLaren of Calgary.  Ian has piped with the Clan McBain Pipe Band, the 78th Fraser Highlanders (Montreal), Ottawa Police Pipe Band and the Ogden Legion Pipe Band.

Next in line, Andrew Smith has been playing since the age of ten.  Like his older brother Ian, he also piped with the 78th Fraser Highlanders (Calgary).  Andrew progressed to the rank of Pipe Major of the Ogden Legion Pipe Band from 1989 to 1994.  Following the family footsteps, he also played competitively with the Clan McBain Pipe Band.  

In 1999 Andrew joined the Grade One Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band (ALCAL).  ALCAL competed at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2000 placing 10th and the following year, 2001, moving up to 7th place.  Andrew remained with ALCAL until 2007.  

In 2008, Andrew and his brother Stewart joined the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (SFU) – Grade One.  That year, SFU won the World Pipe Band Championship.  Andrew competed with SFU for one more year in 2009 when again SFU won the World’s.

In 2010 Andrew returned to the Alberta piping scene rejoining Alberta Caledonia Pipe Band as Pipe Major until 2013.  He has since been playing in the Rocky Mountain Pipe Band serving as Pipe Sergeant.  This Grade Two band won the North American Championships in Maxville, Ontario in 2017.  

Among his many accomplishments, Andrew is a six time Alberta Provincial Piping Champion.  He also competed (as a guest piper) with St. Thomas Alumni Pipe Band from Houston, Texas in 2019.  This Pipe Band won the Grade Two - World Pipe Band Championship - marking the 3rd World Championship feather in Andrew’s cap.

Stewart is the youngest of the Smith family, started his piping career at the age of 9 with the 78th Fraser Highlanders.  He was a quick learner and progressed to play throughout his teens with the Ogden Legion Pipe Band and Clan McBain Pipe Band.  Stewart has competed in both solo and band competitions across North America and has travelled to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow many times. 

Some of Stewart's highlights include competing at the World Pipe Band Championships placing 7th in the Grade 1 competition (2001) with ACAL, winning the ultimate prize of World Champion with Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (2008), and winning the Grade 2 World Championship with St. Thomas Alumni Pipe Band (2019).  Stewart currently plays with the Rocky Mountain Pipe Band that won the North American Grade 2 Championship in Maxville (2017). 

Stewart is an accomplished composer of pipe tunes and has contributed his music to several published books.  He enjoys traditional Irish and Scottish folk music, and can be found playing the Uilleann and Border pipes at weekly sessions in pubs around Calgary.

Beryl and Joe’s third daughter, Norma, took up piping at the age of twelve.  Norma was the Pipe Major of the Bonnie Lassies Pipe Band.  Norma competed individually in piping and tenor drumming.  In 1994 Calgary hosted the Canadian Highland Dancing Championships.  Norma, a graduate from the Alberta College of Art, produced the posters and program for the Canadian Highland Dancing Championships.  Through her business, Creative Tartan Images, Norma Siegle (Jackson) travelled the Highland Dancing and Highland Games circuits selling T-shirts and artwork with a Scottish flare.  

She was also privileged to produce the Canadian Highland Dancing awards for 2006 and 2018.  Norma served with the Calgary United Scottish Games Association (CUSGA) from 1993 to 2013.  She was awarded “Honorary Life Membership” in CUSGA in 2003.  That same year Norma joined the Cochrane Men of Vision Pipe Band, now known as the Cochrane Pipe Band, as a tenor drummer.

Following in the family tradition, Norma’s daughter Lindsay began Highland Dancing in 1987.  Lindsay went on to earn her Associates in Highland Dance.  Two other granddaughters of Beryl and Joe Jackson, Christy-Lynn and Kathryn also were involved in Highland Dance.

For the past 86 years and counting, there has been a member of the Jackson/ Smith family involved in the Scottish/Highland community in Alberta.