Piping is in Janette’s blood

BAGPIPES have been part of Janette Page’s life for as long as she can remember – the traditional Scottish musical instrument part of her DNA.

She has continued a family tradition and at 85 years old is still an integral part of the Mount Gambier Blue Lake Highland Pipe Band.

Janette’s first foray into Scottish heritage was taking up highland dancing as a six year old and three years later she picked up the bagpipes for the first time.

She learned the instrument at the feet of her father, who was a pioneer and icon of the local pipe band landscape with her mother also having a strong Scottish flavour – she was a Cameron – arguably the most well known Scottish name in this region.

Janette started in the Blue Lake Ladies Pipe Band and while she continued with her dancing, eventually she could not combine the two and when she was 13, the bagpipes won out.

“Piping has been a lifelong journey for me,” Janette said. “It has been such an important part of my life and I have loved sharing that passion and passing on my knowledge.

“I got to travel so much with the band. We went to national championships, State championships and I did a lot of solo piping.”

Her piping took her all over Australia, including Goulburn, Port Lincoln, Port Augusta, Shepparton, Melbourne and Tasmania and both danced and played alongside her sisters.

“Being involved in not just the local pipe band but getting to know bands from around Australia is just so rewarding – the camaraderie is amazing,” Janette said.

She is all too aware that people view the bagpipes as a difficult instrument.

“It is not as hard as people are inclined to think,” Janette said, and she should know, she has spent decades passing on her knowledge to generations of pipers – the step-by-step process of mastering the instrument one she is happy to walk through with potential new pipers.

And the good news is the Mount Gambier Blue Lake Highland Pipe Band offers free tuition as they look to future-proof the operation.

“You can’t get that kind of offer to learn many musical instruments and the instruments are provided,” Janette said.

The pipe band faces the same challenges as many regionally based sporting clubs and community groups find – they lose so many young recruits to university and employment opportunities in metropolitan centres.

“At the moment we have three or four young boys who are really keen and we want to keep recruiting and also trying to attract some younger girls,” Janette said.

Arguably the most impressive statistic about Janette’s piping career is she was part of the first Mount Gambier Christmas Parade and has not missed one since – more than six decades of being a key part of one of Mount Gambier’s most beloved events.

She remembers fondly when there was upwards of nine pipe bands that were part of the festive performances down Mount Gambier’s Commercial Street.

Of course, it was never just about the piping – there was the necessary fundraising efforts to ensure the band could not just survive but thrive.

“We used to cater weddings just so we could go on all those trips,” Janette said.

As things stand now, there are around 11 pipers in the band, which has 16 members and also includes drummers.

“We really need more drummers and pipers so hopefully people might decide to give it a try,” Janette said.

There are still many community events where the band is called into action, with Glencoe, which was a predominantly Scottish settlement, a popular destination for the band, as well as ANZAC commemorations and other special historical celebrations across the region.

Some members have even travelled internationally, most recently Pipe Major Ross Anderson and Piper Brodie Fennel joined the South Australian Pipes and Drums band last year to be part of the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland.

Having spent years as drum major, Janette is now all about training the current and emerging generations of pipers and she is keen to see any new players at the band’s Wednesday night sessions at the Alex Roberts Centre at Vansittart Park.

For more details contact the band at [email protected]