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Me, Rhiannon & Frazer
at Palmerston North 2001.
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Stephen Pimley
My time at Blacktown.
I have good memories of my time at Blacktown PB for
a few reasons. In particular the openness and support
shown by the members of the band to newcomers. I played
in the drum corps, around good players (I think 3 world
titles having been taken by members of the drum corps
alone) who freely gave their time and help in getting
me adjusted to the material, and playing style of the
corps. There is a good work ethic in the band, and they
enjoy their music but I would say the members also know
how to enjoy themselves after events.
The band has a fair history in using foreign players;
indeed their current D/S joined the band as a playing
guest from Ireland and subsequently decided to settle.
In my own experience they took care of everything, including
arranging travel, immigration issues (they organised
my one year visitors working VISA before I had even
arrived) and initial accommodation. All that was left
to me was to find work, something that band members
also supported me with until I found something myself.
What a great introduction to the country and its people.
Sydney is a pretty dynamic city with nice parks, blazing
sunshine and lots of entertainment / activities on offer.
It is also strikingly multicultural, which reminds me
of the Butcher's shop I saw in a chinese part of town,
which proudly stated (beside a suitably impressive display
of various large sausages) that the proprietor was a
man named "Hung Long".
If you fancy the idea of going and having a year out
in a great country, playing some music and just having
a grand time, I would encourage you to grab this opportunity.
Anyone wishing to talk to a past guest player can freely
contact me at sfrancisp@onetel.com
or on 0044 1360 550599 (Scotland).
^Top
Mike Gillis -Minnesota, USA
I've been over there twice!! Once for the millenium
season 99-00 and then for the 01-02 season. I lived
off the busking both times!!
Blacktown is a great band! Definitly Grade I quality!
They are very dedicated and run a tight ship. After
business is done everyone kicks back and socializes
with a beer. (It's true, they work hard and play hard)
If you're only looking for a cheaper way to enjoy a
long holiday in OZ think again. There are lots of tunes
to learn, two practices a week(one's on friday), many
competitions and solo events to take part in also. If
all that doesn't scare you off then by all means try
out! If you get accepted it will be one of the greatest
and most memorable experiences in your life.
Besides the pipe band there are tons of things to do
in Sydney. Surfing, The bars and nightclubs are great,
biking, rollerblading, etc. I was into the surfing.
The trains will get you close to a couple of beaches.
After that you have to take the bus for a bit. It's
sort of a pain but worth it if conditions are right.
If it's windy in the suburbs don't waste your time going,
it's even windier @ the beach. The weather is brilliant
there though. 90%sunny and only 10% rain in the summer.
You'll get a about a month to yourself for travel during
christmas break so check out melbourne, brisbane, etc.
You won't be short on cash as you travel because you'll
be busking!
All in all I really enjoyed it there! Great people,
superb beaches, and a very active nightlife. The trains
go most everywhere. You only live once! Go and do it
before you find a reason why you can't!
Mike Gillis
mailto:mgilliss@yahoo.com
^Top
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Me and Dave Thorpe -
Fellow guest player
& MacDaddy from Saskatoon...
Out on the town!
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Tim Perkin - Chicago
The City of Blacktown Pipe Band is a highly competitive
and successful grade one band. Let me begin by stating
that fact. For many that alone should be reason enough
for wanting to do the guest player scheme, and therefore
I don't want to squander your attention in this short
testimonial about my time with the band by telling you
about the band's accomplishments. They have another
section of the web-page that will do that for you. I
will say that playing with a band of Blacktown's caliber
was an experience, but if you can distill Blacktown
as a band down to its core it is good people, and that
made all the difference for me. From the day I stepped
off the plane at Sydney's Kingsford Smith International
Airport I was welcomed into one of the most open and
friendly piping environments I have ever experienced.
Basically the band is a big family, in more ways than
one. Sydney does not have a large number of grade one
players in its immediate area and the band has for many
years of its successful life brought players from across
the globe down to the Australia/New Zealand pipe scene.
Make no mistake, supporting guest players is not easy
for a band to do, but Blacktown has done it consistently
now for a number of years. The program would not work
if people didn't have a great time in Sydney playing
with the band, and at the end of the day enjoying what
you are doing with the other people involved is the
name of the game. Everyone in the Blacktown band is
focused on the same goal, which is making great music,
but who you do it with makes all the difference.
As the other former guest players will not doubt express
in their testimonials Sydney is an amazing city, and
Australia is an amazing place to spend a year. Once
you have figured out how to monetarily support yourself
in this new environment you will find that life can
be pretty easy. After living with several members of
the band near Blacktown Dave Thorpe (the Mac Daddy from
Saskatoon) and myself moved into a place near Bondi
Beach. If you know anything about Sydney then you probably
know something about Bondi, but for those who don't
it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places
in the world and a pretty hip place to be. Sun, sand,
waves, and lots of beautiful people. Come on, this is
Australia we are talking about here, the ads don't lie,
but they also don't tell you the whole story either.
I have many fond memories of my time in Sydney, ranging
from the sublime to the ridiculous, and if you would
ever like to hear about it in detail then feel free
to contact me, but I promised to keep this short so
I hope it has been enough to whet your appetite and
pique your curiosity.
Tim
mailto:taperkin@hotmail.com
^Top
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