Hilton's POSH Market on the 21st March 2012 will be opened by The Athlone Highlanders at 9:00am at Jacaranda Centre. Our local ActionCOACH, Patrick Greenaway is one of the pipers in this band. Patrick (pictured on the left with his son) comes from a long line of Scottish pipers and when he was studying in Edinburgh he decided it was time to explore this family tradition. This was during the 80's when piping was at an all-time low, Patrick enrolled at the Glasgow College of Piping where he had lessons.
Patrick continued to play the bagpipes once he returned to South Africa with bands including the Durban Caledonian Pipe Band and he was a founder piper of the well-known 1 Medical Battalion Pipe Band. Then Patrick and his wife Glynis went to Europe for eighteen years and the bagpipes were never unpacked.
Returning to South Africa again Patrick went to the Fort Nottingham Highland Games where, much to his shame as a proud half-Scotsman, he discovered that the piping in our province had diminished to a single, small KZN Pipe Band.
This compelled Patrick, along with much encouragement from Ian Turnbull, to haul out his pipes once more and along with his commitment to practice regularly he set his sights on playing in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, which he duly did on the 13th of August last year.
Patrick now plays regularly with The Athlone Highlanders, made up of Hilton's Ian Turbull, father and son team Andrew and Steven Pitchford as well as their newest member Granton Law. All will perform pro-bono at Hilton's POSH Market on the 21st of March 2012, their single request being that if you enjoy their music please give a contribution towards their new drum set for which they are saving.
Patrick shared that the standing joke is Men in skirts behave like girls, but only men in underwear wear skirts while men without underwear wear kilts!
You can expect to hear traditional Scottish tunes and ancient Irish tunes, including Molly Darling, Maggie, Silver Threads among the Gold, Scotland the Brave and Patrick's favourite at the moment, Cullen Bay. See you at Jacaranda Centre and remember to bring your family, bring your friends, bring empty shopping bags and come hungry!