A bit about me…

My name is David Wilmott and I am Pipe Sergeant of the Canterbury Caledonian Society’s grade one pipe band. Music has always been a huge part of my life. I started playing the violin at just 5 years of age and then started learning the bagpipes when I was 9.

By my early teens I was piping in a Grade One pipe band, playing violin in the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, had started up a punk/alternative rock band with my skater mates (I played guitar, bass, keyboard and violin), and was studying music at school. Something had to give and first to go was the orchestra. I continued to dabble in folky ensembles but with my classical violin training, I never quite caught on to the genre.

Eventually, my primary musical focus settled on the bagpipes.

Born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, both of my parents were playing members in the two bands of the Canterbury Caledonian Society. Dad was a tenor drummer in the “Men’s band” while Mum was a piper in the “Ladies band”. It was only natural that my piping career would revolve around “The Cale”. After having had early tuition from Airdrie Stewart, Don Gannaway and Ian Blackie, I was tutored by the then Pipe Major of the Cale, Neville Burney. Finally, I was tutored by Chris Stevens who later went on to be Pipe Major of the Cale during one of it’s most progressive and successful eras.

Initially, I just played parades and some small contests with the band but in 1979 I competed with the band in the Grade One National Championships held in Dunedin. I was 14 years old.

As a 13 year old, I met a young Lass named Katherine who was a piper in the Ladies band. Unfortunately we went our separate ways for many years, but eventually we met again at a band reunion in 1998 and were married in 2002. Together we have 2 children – Anthony my 13 year old stepson (a very good ice hockey player but with no aspirations to play in a pipe band) and Evelyn who turns 5 this year. Wee Evie is very musical and hopefully she will play an instrument one day. 

Until 2003 I had only ever played with the Cale. That year I was lucky enough to be asked to have a tune with the Manawatu Scottish at the Worlds in Glasgow. A fellow Cale piper George McEwan was also given the same opportunity. The ‘Tu went on that year to qualify for the final and ended up a respectable 13th in the world!

Our relationship with the ‘Tu has continued to flourish with George and I doing the Worlds thing with the ‘Tu in 2005 and again in 2007 along with the Cale’s bass drummer Grant Fitzgerald. In 2005 we improved our World’s placing to 10th overall and in 2007 we recorded 2 wins in leadup competitions (the first ever wins for the band on Scottish soil) and finished 9th at the big one! Although only one place higher, the band improved dramatically to achieve this result.