McCartney Times

YOUNG Warwick pipers had a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the weekend when they shared a stage with Sir Paul McCartney in Brisbane.

Scots PGC College students Jordan Simmers and Abby Dalziel as well as teacher Grace Peterson and former student Dominic Andersen-Strudwick joined the band to play the smash hit Mull of Kintyre.

Waiting by the side of stage was nerve-wracking for Jordan, but once on the stage he said it wasn’t as daunting as he expected.

“As soon as we struck the pipes up, everyone in the crowd got really excited,” he said.

Jordan said Sir Paul was down to earth.

“He was joking around but also at the same time he knew what had to be done to make sure it all went ahead,” he said.

“I respect him in the way he started his career in the 60s and can still fill up Suncorp stadium with fans.”

 

 

The talented students prepared for the performance in five days, after Scots PGC Pipes and Drums master Sandy Dalziel generously passed his position onto the students.

Mr Dalziel said the students still have to prove they deserved a place when they arrived at the stadium.

“If they had arrived and not been able to perform they would ave been scratched from the performance, so there was quite a bit of pressure on them to use their prior experience so they secured their own place,” he said.

Mr Dalziel said it helped showed the talent lying in regional areas.

“We have proven ourselves to be just as worldly as anyone else, and that’s really important,” he said.

Piping is like an international passport to the world, Mr Dalziel said.

“It gives context and reason and meaning to the other students that are involved, who can now see that the strategy we’ve got at Scots PGC can lead to and open up many opportunities,” he said.

Source: Warwick pipers play with Sir Paul McCartney | Warwick Daily News