Police to support Legion Pipe Band

Cobourg Police are continuing to expand their community work and they wanted a Pipe Band.  Who better than the Cobourg Legion Pipes and Drums?  At an awards dinner at the Lions centre last Wednesday, Chief Kai Liu announced the new partnership.  Police will provide the band with new kilts in the recently approved Cobourg Tartan (see link below) and will provide other ongoing assistance. The Band will retain their affiliation with the Legion but will have two official names: The Cobourg Legion Pipes and Drums (and as band member Lorrie Krebs put it) “but when needed, we are Cobourg Police Services Pipes and Drums”.  Apart from a new tartan, they will also use a newly labelled drum with the new name.

Two Pipe Bands in One
Two Pipe Bands in One

The Band expects that depending on the event, they will wear current kilts and use the current drum or the new kilts and the new drum (photo at right) – same faces and players, different look and affiliation!

In 2015, the Band asked Council for support but was turned down (see link below) so the help from the Police will be welcome.  The Town often asks them to perform – e.g. on November 11 each year and for the visit of the HMCS Goose Bay – and they also provide entertainment independently.  I particularly liked their Flash Mob on August 28, 2017 on the Cobourg east pier.  See the video below.  They started with Highland Cathedral and finished with the old favourite Amazing Grace.

They also provided a piper to “Pipe the Sun Down” in the summer of 2016.

A great asset to the Town and now “Two bands in one”.

Video of Flash Mob

Links

Notification of Change from Ian McFarlane

Ian McFarlane, representative of the Band, said in an email to me:

The pipe band has extended its reach in the community by becoming, in addition to the Legion Band, the Police Services band. This was made public at their [the Police] Annual Retirement and Recognition dinner last Wednesday.

He provided a report he wrote on the subject.

Download it here

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Wally Keeler
5 years ago

Perhaps the police should spend their money for extra beach patrols in search of the dreaded diaper dumpers to placate the whiney Geriatric Grump and Groan Association who are constantly soiling their Depends at the sight of a money-bearing tourist.

Kyle
Reply to  Wally Keeler
5 years ago

“Their” money? Oh right, you don’t have any skin in the property tax money

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

You’re correct, I don’t have any right to comment on municipal affairs. PRZT!

Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

Police Pipe and Drum bands are common throughout Canada and the US.
Some bands have only sworn policemen as members, some are mixed volunteers and police, some are civilian entirely.
But all – or so it seems – are funded by their respective police departments.
Some are in the process of transforming themselves from civilian into police bands.
For example, last year “the Kingston Pipe Band of Kingston, Ontario, has finalized a transition to be aligned with the Kingston Police force to become the Kingston Police Pipe Band beginning in early 2018.”
https://www.pipesdrums.com/article/kingston-calls-police-for-new-identity/

Kyle
Reply to  Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

Toronto, Durham Region, Niagara Region, Otttawa, Windsor and Cobourg? I guess our police and taxpayers have the same monetary resources.

Walter L. Luedtke
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

Smiles!
I get your point, Kyle.
Maybe a Police Piccolo Fife And Bongo Drum Corps would be more appropriate for Cobourg, yes?

Kyle
Reply to  Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

It is your money

Tim
5 years ago

Anyone interested in the history of Cobourg or who has grown up in Cobourg knows that the Cobourg Kiltie Band is an integral part of our culture and should be funded by the Town it represents and has given so much pleasure to. Some of the $150,000.00 the Town is about to flush down the toilet in the form of CIP grants and interest-free loans to encourage well-off owners of empty downtown properties to finally do the right thing and renovate could be used for this purpose. As for the Cobourg Police, I would much sooner see them spending more time and money on solving crimes and less on self-promotion.

Tim
Reply to  Tim
5 years ago

Writing too late at night and too quickly. Third line omission. I had meant to say: …so much pleasure to and so should the Cobourg Legion Pipes and Drums. Some …

Mrs. Anonymous
5 years ago

Knowing that it is very expensive to kit out a pipe and drum band, I confess that I am finding it difficult to understand how this makes any sense. It seems quite wasteful, distinctly un-frugal and therefore most un-Scottish for a small town to dress the same pipe band in two different uniforms.

Kyle
Reply to  Mrs. Anonymous
5 years ago

Not if you have an unregulated criminal records fund you can use for self promotion.

Mrs. Anonymous
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

I suppose a cynical person might speculate that the band will eventually turn into solely the Police band. The police will continue to use their funds to kit out the band with their new uniforms and the Cobourg pipe band outfits won’t be replaced for new members or worn out components.

Bill Thompson
Reply to  Mrs. Anonymous
5 years ago

That suggestion of the Cobourg Pipe Band becoming the Police band is not cynical.
As the town will not provide them any support even though they represent the town in functions elsewhere including the US etc, it would make sense.
The Cobourg Concert band has no problem getting funding from the town so what is the rationale for denying the Pipe Band ?
Does anyone know ?

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Bill Thompson
5 years ago

In 1920, as a result of a leadership disagreement in the Cobourg Citizens Band, an offshoot band was formed, The Cobourg Concert Band. A year later the disagreement was resolved and the two bands reunited under the name The Concert Band of Cobourg (Kilties), adopting the highland dress for its uniform. The Cobourg Concert Band (Kilties), eventually better known as the Cobourg Kiltie Band, was an important cultural part of Cobourg’s heritage for many years but disbanded in the 1960s due to lack of interest. In 1970 the band was reestablished under Mr. Roland White and eventually renamed the Concert Band of Cobourg. The kilts were soon discarded in favour of the present day military uniforms.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Bill Thompson
5 years ago

In 1947, the Cobourg Kiltie Band / Cobourg Concert Band organized a “monster Calithumpian” parade for the Civic Holiday weekend, partly to celebrate the installation of the Victoria Park Gates. They have participated for decades in Cobourg’s meaningful events. Perhaps tradition provides the momentum for them getting the grants.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Bill Thompson
5 years ago

The Cobourg Concert Band si the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Association – Ontario. Last year the Band celebrated 175 years of bringing music to the Town of Cobourg.

Bill Thompson
Reply to  Bill Thompson
5 years ago

https://www.northumberlandnews.com/news-story/5515721-cobourg-legion-pipes-and-drums-seek-town-funding-for-new-uniforms/?s=e
Reading this article from 2015 indicated that the request was deferred by the council to the budget of 2015 but no further information mentioned.

Dubious
Reply to  Mrs. Anonymous
5 years ago

As a resident deeply interested in history, perhaps Wally can tell us more about the Cobourg Citizens Band that was active around 1900. Did the police participate in that group?

Wally Keeler
5 years ago

Which band gets to march in the Canada day Parade?

cornbread
5 years ago

Nice to see The Chief has a healthy slush fund available to him…I guess he likes to beat his own drum. What next for Cobourg?

Kyle
5 years ago

I guess all the community groups can now line up at the Police Services Board meetings for funding.