100 Pipe Bands Events

[lightning jnr]

hold it at the airport. less chance of them bursting my ear drums. where would the plane land though?

[general jack o'niell]

first, general george sell carpets, not wisdom

second, i am not on the committee for KSPB therefor it was not my place to speak as i wasn't being asked to help, the committee were!!!

third, it took me all my time not to laugh at the look on Mr McKerral's face when it dawned on him what was being asked of him, i don't think shearer has a spare moment to crap, nevermind organise an event that he thought he was just turning up to perform at.

fourth, i heard finlay wylies name mentioned towards the end of the mumblings, if finlay is involved already all may not yet be lost, as he has connections throughout the piping world and the local community.

lastly, i'm not one for public speaking, being in reallife of a shy and retiring nature, in fact most people wouldn't even have known i was there (i was sitting in front of the kids who were giggling at the shocked expression on shearer's fissog)

i'm not knocking the idea, i just always thought that next year would have been a better idea, this year could have been used to visit all the other events, make contact with bands and organisors and cherrypick the best of the ideas, then next year present an event which would go into the calender as unmissable. thats all.

i said so when i first heard of the plan, again once i stopped spluttering when the date was announced and ok i mumbled it under my breath at the AGM, but then, Mr. Martin was doing the same with his presentation, he never even stood up to address the gathering, most of his comments were directed at the floor

anyone who came up with an idea would no doubt have been immediately installed as chair of his committee, to be honest, i felt sorry for him and decided that since he was so unprepared to put his point across, it would have been embarressing to ask him questions he couldn't answer

oh PS.

parking outside my house on the day will still not be available, i will of course be at the event, but i will have placed landmines in the area and cameras in the treehoose, donald kelly gave me that road in return for me not voting for him at the last election, and telling everyone i didn't vote for him (i did for a laff!!!, or did i?)

damn, its not a joke if everyone knows.

it's a fixed wormhole you know!!!!!

[John S]

Good luck to Jim and Co, Events & Festivals are an important aspect in turning around the local economy, particularly if they extend the visitor season and occupancy levels in hotels and b&b's. Typically for every visitor pound spent on accommodation two or three pounds are spent on local food & services.

[Buzz Lightyear]

Well general custard i am disappointed & i certainly would not say you have wisdom....in fact far from it you come on here & slag everyone & everything....hardly wisdom....too much time on your hands me thinks.

you always have that much to say on everything, yet you couldn't open yer trap to voice your opinion at the meeting or even raise your concerns through committee member?.

if you feel that strongly about this, which by the reading of your posts you do, i certainly would have thought you would have voiced an opinion or is that just me thinking that???? not everyone involved reads the kintyre forum you know!

Why does it have to be Mr Mckerral that gets involved, can the army of followers not take on this task?

As for the organisers, & i do know them, i wish them every success with this.......it pisses me off when you come on here & guys like you knock them for trying, maybe if more people were like this doing work, free of charge & in their own time the towm on the whole would be a better place. Oh yes & before you have a go, which you no doubt will, i have been involved in organising events & the likes in my own time.

i certainly hope that you will be one of the first on here with congratulations if the event is a success, because i can guarantee that you will be the first if it is not, with the 'told you so' comment.

Well if you can do better go ahead, or assist. Please do not come on here & mock, bitch & gripe.

We've got to start somewhere.

[general jack o'niell]

why is my opinion not as worthy as any other? is it only valid if it compliments?

the reason i was at the AGM was because my son is in one of the bands, thats all, i wasn't there to contribute or offer my services, if i had been i would have offered them to the KSPB committee, i don't want to be part of a committee running anything in campbeltown, i pay my membership, go on all the trips i can manage and help out during these trips when it's needed, which is a thing of the past as now theres a whole police check KGB thing for any adult involved, doesn't matter that i've known most of these kids since they were in nursery and their never clear of my house most days, you can't be seen to be helping without having first been cleared, i understand that as its a school activity and the school is responsible for the kids while with the band. therefor let those that feel the need to put themselves forward do so, if they want extra help, they know it will be given freely.

it wasn't me that expected ian to organise anything, he does what he does, which is produce world class pipers and pull together champion bands, if he stopped tomorrow he would have done more for this town than every local and community councillor put together in the last 100yrs. as for the committee, they have more than enough to do organising all the trips this year for three, correction, four bands, including trips to ireland and france, the fact that two of the bands have to miss this years worlds makes that plain to see.

to expect parents at the meeting to jump up and volunteer for something they have no knowledge of at a moments notice is a bit steep. i can only speak for myself, the whole presentation dumbfounded me with it's mediocraty and i didn't speak because i hadn't anything positive to say, the man was floundering enough without me sticking my oar in, that and i'm not in the habit of making public statements of any sort, so Mr. martin had my sympathies there since he isn't either. several present did voice questions, and since they were all directly involved and were in effect the ones being asked to help, i like the 70-80 other adults that didn't speak, stayed silent. the poster seems to think i'm in the habit of going to public meeting, sitting silent and then coming in here and bitching, i'm not, they seem to think i want it to fail? i don't, i hope it grows to rival cowal, the amount of money that gets squirrelled away there every year is obscene.

we have a family motto for such occasions "now don't you go saying anything, their doing their best" that applies to this site too but ach well i can't help it, i'm more reserved in print.

the fact that not everyone uses this forum is not my concern, i thought a forum was for opinion, good and bad. i think it's a good idea, just the timing is bad, i know nothing of their previous successes having never been to the airshows, so on them i have never commented, the fact that this event has to all intent been organised by three people and only now do they try to get more involved shows a lack of planning, maybe on the day it will be a roaring success? i hope so, if it's not, then nobody will remember the names of those organising it, they will remember campbeltown and for that they will think KSPB, who until about 7:45pm last thursday night thought they were just another three bands that would be competing at the inaugural campbeltown pipeband championships, or whatever its to be called?

there will be another meeting with the committee of KSPB and the piping society and the events lot, maybe they will make it clearer what is required, maybe they will have at least made up their minds about simple things like, will it be free? or an entry? which he was unsure of, it appeared the subject had never entered his head.

if your that concerned about it, ignore my comments, all made with the best intentions, i want a massive turn out of bands and i want KSPB three bands to wipe the floor with a highclass field, i know winning is a dirty word but i care not, and yes after the event i may well be back on here bitching about judges and the cost of a burger or something, but i also hope i will be congratulating the bands on a great start to 2007.

if i've missed anything out,it's because i lost interest in your opinion after the first line, and my own after the first paragraph, so boo hoo if you don't like my opinion, your just a name on here that in my eyes doesn't exsist in the real world, and i won't join the welcome wagon just because its local, i've read the emporers new clothes postings on here, thats whats so great about opinions, the last time i looked i was still allowed to have one and still at liberty to express it as i saw fit(within reason) if we listen to the previous poster then everyone who supported the gulf war should be in iraq just now, because you can't just say your for it, you have to go and fight it too!!!!

on a personal note, i'm going to miss john broon this year, i wish him every success with strahclyde police and he knows he'll get a piece at any door should he needs it, he is afterall now immortal, he wouldn't believe me on august 12th last year when i told him, but he is, and if i wasn't such a lazy bastard i'd be out getting a form to nominate him and ian for citizen of the year, an honour to be held for life, in fact they should bring back the position of provost for them, except that after a year you'd have some in the community council muscling in to get their mitts on it!!!!


I AM the only true voice, look into my eyes, you have no need of worldly goods

thats a nice jumper, can i have it? you want to give things to me, yes you do

yes you do!! yes you do!!!

YES, YOU, DO!!!

[Buzz Lightyear]

Just for the record & so that everyone knows on this,

there was a full committee formed for this event in September 2006, which KSPB & the piping society are already part of, i believe the representative from KSPB is Mr Casey, & Mr Wylie from the piping society.

The committee has met on a few occasions now & they have also had a gentleman down from the group that organise judging, etc. They are also fully supporting this event.

They have been advised by the guy that came down that the best date to have a new event on the calender would be the date in May, they were also advised that they would be doing well if they got 8 pipe bands in total at the event, i believe they have already exceeded this with 14-16 bands being mentioned.

The group have also written to the McCartney family to see if they could get Sir Paul or a family member to present or donate trophies at the event.

I am surprised Mr martin was left hanging out to dry at the AGM as i was informed Mr casey was also present who has been fully involved.

I am not part of this group but i was talking to one of the members who is. I pointed out the comments on this forum to them & yes while this is an area for opinions, they were disappointed that the event was being seen in such a light as it is, especially when they are working so hard to make it a success.

i wish them good luck for this & hope it goes well.

[Ship called Dignity]

I am not part of this group but i was talking to one of the members who is. I pointed out the comments on this forum to them & yes while this is an area for opinions, they were disappointed that the event was being seen in such a light as it is, especially when they are working so hard to make it a success.

I don't think they need worry about comments on here Buzz Lightyear. I, for one, read most of the postings under local news but chose not to even bother when I saw Gen Jack going off on one. Only stumbled on it tonight and even now I can't be arsed reading the 3000 worded one sentence!

As I mentioned before, if it is like anything that this group have been involved in before (Airshow etc) then it will be exceptionally well organised. Like John, I wish them all the best and they need all the support the get.

[Buzz Lightyear]

I am not part of this group but i was talking to one of the members who is. I pointed out the comments on this forum to them & yes while this is an area for opinions, they were disappointed that the event was being seen in such a light as it is, especially when they are working so hard to make it a success.

I don't think they need worry about comments on here Buzz Lightyear. I, for one, read most of the postings under local news but chose not to even bother when I saw Gen Jack going off on one. Only stumbled on it tonight and even now I can't be arsed reading the 3000 worded one sentence!

As I mentioned before, if it is like anything that this group have been involved in before (Airshow etc) then it will be exceptionally well organised. Like John, I wish, them all the best and they need all the support the get.

Aye & never even went to the airshow

[general jack o'niell]

lets make it short and sweet, for those that have the attention span of a gnat!!!
and prefer the three mokeys approach, or are first in line for the prestigue of a place on a committeee

MR.A (not his real name) went to a meeting of B, gave talk of sorts, appeared to be news to B and all present.

B is supporting A and will be on the day, but A had asked B to organise day.

B not got time, suggests C, A goes away.

now you say that A, B and C have been meeting since september, funny!!! from where i sat, A hadn't a clue, B hadn't a clue what A wanted. and C name was just thrown into the ring.

all the while you say that D was involved with A on behalf of B yet sat at the back of the hall and said nowt.

meanwhile E could not attend, tho if he had, then all this would have been a lot clearer.

ach frick it, i never said i didn't approve of or was against this whole sh!tfest, i'm looking forward to it, i just thought it wasn't very well organised, from what i've seen.

now you say that the people who sat and said nothing and left everyone scratching their heads have actually got everything in hand and have done for months.

hurrah!!! tho all this expert testimony about band numbers has a hint of hearsay about it.

all i ever said was that if there was such an event in campbeltown it should rival cowal and could, given a few years, my concerns were based on the performance of one man at one meeting, bit presumptive perhaps, but he did put himself forward as being experienced in these kind of things.

i'll frick off now, you probably not get as far as here to read this bit, since i obviously bore you, sorry for not being a sycophant, maybe you should replace your monitor with a mirror, then everybody would be happy, oh for freedom of speech and freedom of expression, i wonder whatever happened to it?

i really am off this time, i'll be back the day after the event, hopefully to thank the organisors for a great day out and look forward to next year

[Sweltered]

So if C&A can't manage, should we call on the services of M&S

[kintyre 84]

As someone who know nothing about anything, I was present at the above meeting and agree with General Jack in what he says.
It appeared to me that A was asking for help with the organisation of the competition. a competition which is taking place in less than 3 months time. I was flabbergasted at the faces of those on the top table who did not seem to be in the loop at all.
I am sure everything will be sorted out, and the day will be a huge success with plenty of willing helpers but it WAS an embarrasing moment and I think General Jack is being unfairly blasted for expressing his concerns. I had the exact same ones and it was not until I spoke to others in the know that I realised that the majority of the organising has been done.
I admire all these people who give their time freely to organise such events. In this case I just think a bit of pre meeting preparation was lacking.

[judge roy bean]

exactly!!! nobody wants it to fail, everyone wants it to succeed and i'm sure that if KSPB are as has previously been stated, already part of the team organising the event, then iain ferguson will get round to informing the parents about this. it seems surprising given the opinion that mr casey has been representing the KSPB since september, that not once in any newsletter has there been any mention of it, nor had it been discussed at any meetings, other than the bands participation.

if as has been stated previously by third hand chinese whispers, KSPB have been involved for many months, a newsletter will be sent out, and parents asked for support, previous newsletters have informed about band activities right up till september of this year, the town event was merely mentioned as yet another activity, nothing more. thats why i as one, didn't believe they were part of the team organising the event, the faces of those at the top table at the AGM was another!!!! i haven't seen anything in the local press asking for help and support for all the little tasks that will need attending to on the day, events like the half marathon and soccer centre festival had volunteers in place months in advance.

i still think there would have been no shame in taking a year or so to organise things and securing all the funding needed and the presence of 40-50 bands, that hasn't happened, so when KSPB ask for volunteers, if they do? i and many others will of course give up a day to help out. at the end of the day it doesn't matter if theres 10 or a100 bands there, as long as everyone who comes to the town goes away planning to return.