OGDEN LEGION PIPE BAND

In addition to providing financial assistance to several sports and youth organisations in Calgary, Branch 154 President George Coupland thought it would be a good idea to initiate a youth project that would involve the local Ogden youth as well as youth from other areas of Calgary.

Steve Kelly was approached with the idea of forming a local youth pipe band. Steve received his pipe band training as a member of The Royal Scots Regiment in Edinburgh, Scotland where he attended the Army School of Piping at Edinburgh Castle.

The word was put out in the Ogden area and the response was very encouraging with over 30 people showing up for the first information meeting in March 1974.

The President of 154, George Coupland, approved the wearing of the Royal Tartan (Royal Stewart) as the bands official tartan. 

Pipe Major/Instructor Steve Kelly realized that as fifty per cent of the fledgling pipe band members were girls, he would need a female chaperone/instructor and enlisted the help of his wife Christeen to fill the role. Christeen decided that as she had to be at all the practices she may as well learn to play the tenor drum. She also took on the role of Drum Major for the bands participation in the 

Calgary Stampede Parade and the bands first trip to Scotland in August 1977.

It was not long before three year old son, Stephen, wanted to get into the action but due to his age he had to be content with acting as the band mascot.

Running a youth pipe band was a challenging affair and would not have succeeded without the dedication of  band parents like Ken and Marg Shortt,  Ken Price and Pearl Eade to name a few.

Marg Shortt taught music theory to the band members, Christeen’s mother, Mary Green, made the first kilts for the band including the one she made for Dana Eade which she feverishly worked on to complete just several hours before Dana needed it for our first Church Parade July 1974 in Ogden. 

Ken Price made all the sporrans and was the first Drum Major.

Before the first Remembrance Day Parade in 1974 Christeen tailored all the band jackets to highland pattern and helped Pipe Major Steve Kelly make all the short plaids.

The highlight of those first formative years was the bands first trip to Scotland. This trip would not have been possible were it not for the tremendous support of the branch executive, band members and parents who worked feverishly to raise the funds to go. 

We ran bingo every Sunday night after practice for a year. The band members set up the tables before going home, Marg Shortt ran the bingo while Christeen Kelly sold Nevada tickets and Pearl Eade ran the kitchen.

We had fund raising dances where the band performed and the members of the branch came out in full force to support them.

Finally, on August 5th, 1977 the band left Calgary for Scotland. Their first engagement was at George Square in Glasgow then off to a benefit concert in Kirkcaldy. The next day they left to compete in Aberdeen at the World Championships and being their very first competition did very well. The band also played for Queensferry and Roslyn Legions as well as toured Robbie Burns Cottage and attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  

The next competition was at Rothesay where they won the shield for the Best Overseas Band and Christeen Kelly won 2nd place in the Drum Majors Competition.

The final competition was at the Cowal Games in Dunoon and what a great day and then on August 28th, 1977 the band bid farewell to Scotland to return home after a very successful and fun trip.

There were a few characters and talented members in the band. Characters of note in terms of their contributions to the pipe band community were Neil and Mack Shortt.

Neil was ten years old when he joined and Mack joined him 2 years later when he too turned ten. Neil and Mack went on to play leadership roles with the Calgary Police Pipe Band.

Some members that come to mind when recalling the branch members who assisted with the development of the band: Ruth Deimuth, Toppy Toporowski, Orry Yaholnitski, Ev Hornby (who made the band banner), Red McFadden, Bruce and Julie Johnson, Hazel and Johnny Egan just to name a few.

After the Kelly family moved to Victoria, B.C. in 1978, Steve was asked to take over as Pipe Major of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, Christeen served as Band Officer/Instructor for the Canadian Scottish Cadet Corps and young Stephen went on to become a piper with the Cadet Corps.

Currently, Stephen is Pipe Major of the Royal Canadian Air Force Pipe Band in Victoria. Steve and Christeen are also instructors’ and playing volunteer members of that band.