The Delta Police Pipe Band held its annual Burns’ dinners last Friday and Saturday marking the 15th straight year it has sold out both nights with a total of 870 guests this year. This number of tickets sold lays claim to being the largest traditional Burns’ Dinner celebration in the world. This event is held over two nights at the Sacred Heart Church hall in Ladner, B.C. and an internet check of Burns’ celebrations internationally could not find any other organization that could match these attendance totals.
Led by Pipe Major Cliff Fournier and Drum Major Bill O’Donnell (both in their first year in these positions) and consisting of 26 pipers and 20 drummers the band played three sets of tunes with one of the highlights being the singing of “Scotland the Brave” by the band’s own singing and guitar group, “The Deltones”. The band played many of the tunes they played at the Netherlands International Tattoo last September which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Holland by Canadian forces. As usual, the band’s own Regimental dancers brought down the house with a traditional sword dance and Highland fling combination.
Other acts included the Shannon highland dancers, master piper Alan Walters, who was accompanied in a duet with band piper Zhongxi (“Jonesy”) Wu playing the Chinese double reeded horn, the suona. Delta mayor Lois Jackson and Delta Police Department Chief Constable Neil Dubord were given the unique band toast for their support throughout the year. The crowd then danced the night away with the music of “The Earthmen” until the wee hours of the morning.
The Delta Police Pipe Band wishes to thank the Delta Police Department, the Corporation of Delta, the two South Delta Royal Canadian Legions (Ladner and Tsawwassen) and its many guests and friends for their continued support of the band over the years.
Sgt. Colin Abel
DPPB Media Relations
Photos: Trevor Black
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