A piping hot honour

At 3pm on Saturday November 28 Manning Valley Pipes and Drums were joined by members of the Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival committee, including chairman Dr Wade King, as well as MidCoast Council mayor David West for a special ceremony.

The occasion was to mark the installation of Bonnie Wingham street banners in Wingham's CBD.

The banners serve as a reminder of the long standing event which was cancelled this year - it's 16^th year - due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We wanted the public to know we still exist," said Dr King.

Mayor David West, who the BWSF committee has bestowed the title of the Earl of Munro, gave a brief speech in extremely hot conditions.

He was piped in by chief piper John Andrews.

Mr West made reference to the long standing tradition of the festival as well as Wingham's Scottish heritage.

When discussing the banners, Mr West spoke of the contribution made to the festival by piper John Andrews.

Mr Andrews learnt to play the pipes when he was 11 and is now a respected member of the local Manning Valley Pipes and Drums as well as member of the BWSF committee.

He is instrumental in organising the pipe band section of the festival each year which sees bands attend from all over NSW.

An image of Mr Andrews is depicted on the new street banners to honour his contribution to the festival.

Though the gathering had not been advertised to the public due to COVID restrictions, a cricket match was taking place in Central Park at the time of the ceremony.

Players enjoyed a chat with the visiting clansmen and were happy to discuss their own Scottish heritage.

The ceremony was only short - around 30 minutes - due to the extreme heat.

Dr King said when he returned to his car the temperature gauge in the vehicle read 54°C.

Plans are in place for the 2021 Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival which is set to take place on June 4-6.

The Clan of Honour will be Macpherson with John Macpherson named as chieftain.