|
Wally was born and raised in Toronto, a fact he doesn’t usually admit to. After joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1962, he was awarded his aircrew wings as a navigator in 1964 in Winnipeg. Although his first operational tour was flying Search and Rescue out of Winnipeg in Grumman Albatross, the majority of his military career was in the Anti-submarine Warfare role (flying the Canadair Argus and Lockheed Aurora) during the Cold War. Primary duties involved tracking, observing and reporting on |
Soviet ballistic missile submarines as they transited to and from their missile patrol areas, and while they maintained their operational patrol sequences. After 29 years of primarily East Coast duty, he was transferred to CFB Comox in 1991 as the Base Operations Centre Director. His last tour was as the CO of the Air Force Reserve unit at Comox, from which he retired in 1998. Wally joined the piping
fraternity later than most. Although he was from a strongly Scottish
family, he did not attempt to learn to play the bagpipes until 1986.
He started with the Clan Farquharson pipe band (which played out
of the Dartmouth and later Bedford Legions) while he was employed
at CFB Halifax. |
He now plays with the Comox Valley Pipe Band as well as the RCMP “E” Division Pipes and Drums. The Comox Valley band initiated and organizes the annual Comox Valley Highland Games held in Courtenay on the Saturday of the Victoria Day weekend. The band competes in those games as well as the BC Legion Highland Gathering each year. Wally’s hobbies, besides piping, are golf, fly-tying and as well as salt and fresh water fishing. He also participated in the community as a member of the Comox Valley Citizens on Patrol assisting the RCMP in spotting and reporting suspicious or illegal activities on the streets of Courtenay, Cumberland and Comox. This is where he met his wife, Lynn. Wally is the father of two sons and between he and Lynn there are six grandchildren. To send an email to Wally, |
