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Gary was born in Ottawa, Ontario but raised and schooled in and around Vancouver. He retired from the Vancouver Police Dept. in 1997 with the rank of Sergeant, after 30 years service. His first experience with pipe bands was as a young constable marching behind the Vancouver Police Pipe Band in numerous PNE parades. This exposure sparked an early interest in pipe bands, their music and culture, and resulted in the collection of a large number of Scottish military and police pipe band LP's and CD's. |
Upon
his retirement Gary vowed to join a pipe band and to become an oil
painter, and has succeeded in doing both. In 1998, Gary moved to
Comox BC, took up art lessons and joined the Courtenay Legion Pipe He
has paraded with the Courtenay band throughout Vancouver Island,
the Lower Mainland and Washington State, and has participated in
many military events at CFB Comox. He has competed locally in numerous
open bass drum competitions and has been on the medals list on several
occasions, while his Grade 4 band’s drum corps has taken |
Gary's
only formal instruction occurred in 2000 at the SFU Pipe Band’s
Summer Drumming School at Silver Star in Vernon, BC, and at the
2001 Pacific Institute of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts at Shawnigan
Lake, BC. His instructors have included John Fisher, Dan Bist, Kurt
Watts, Eric Legere (RCAF Pipe Band, Trenton), and Gary joined the RCMP "E" Division Pipe Band in January, 2006, and in October of that year he played in their inaugural performance at the Scottish Cultural Centre in Vancouver. He still plays with the Courtenay Legion Pipe Band along with fellow "E" Division members Gary Usher, Ralph Burton and Stephan White. Gary currently lives in Campbell River with his partner, Lenore. To send an email to Gary, |
