The band would like to give special thanks to the following people who worked for many years to ensure the cadet pipe band program was as successful as it was.

They are:

• Major Archie Cairns, MMM, CD. Archie retired from the Canadian Forces as the Senior Pipe Major. He took early retirement to form, and command, the Cadet School of Pipes and Drums in London, Ontario. He wrote all the instructional manuels from scratch, and built a world class program from nothing. If it wasn't for Archie's work, we wouldn't be here.

  Major Archie Cairns is a world-renowned Pipe Major, judge, instructor, director and composer. He was a soloist at the Queen's Coronation Ball. In 1966 he won the North American championship. He was only the fourth person in the world to receive the diploma of piping and senior teacher's certificate from the Institute of Piping in Britain. He was the first North American to be appointed by the Piobaireachd Society in Scotland to its judges panel. He was the first Regular Force musician to receive the OMM and I believe at the time of his retirement he had five clasps to his CD for a lifetime of service to his country. Thus was the standard of our teachers.




• Major John Cairns, CD. John took over from his Father upon Archie's retirement from the Canadian Forces. John continued to build the program to the point it was recognised by the RSPBA as being 100% equivelant of their own program. This program was the only one, outside of Scotland, that the RSPBA recognised. Unfortunately due to reductions in the available military budgets, John's contract was cancelled in 2000. This was the death of a true piping and drumming program in the Canadian Cadet Movement.

  In the autumn of 1999 John Cairns became the 11th person ever and the first from outside Scotland to have won the Highland Society of London's Gold Medal in Piobaireachd at both the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban and the Northern Meeting in Inverness in the same year.

  The work John and Archie did has been thrown away by people who know not what they do or talk about. The appointment of a military band musician as the national music program administrator was the final nail in the pipes and drums coffin. Empire building and politics has killed 20 years of outstanding work by two of the finest Pipers we ever had in this country! Thus was the standard of our teachers.




• Major Teena Wilkes, CD. Teena retired from the Canadian Forces to do a much harder job: being a mother! Teena Wilkes was the Regional Music Advisor for Pacific Region, and came to us knowing very little of the pipes and drums world. A woman of incredable energy, she build the pipes and drums in British Columbia, from two small bands, to more than twenty in less than ten years.

  Teena paid attention to what the to the experts told her, and treated the pipes and drums as equals to the military bands. Teena even understood that pipers and drummers have their own time zone, and was given a watch to prove it!




• Major Don Rodger, MMM, CD. Don started piping in Winnipeg as a Cadet with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in the early 1940's. He joined the regular force as a Field Engineer, and rose from Sapper to Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Combat Engineer Regiment. Don played in many regular force volunteer pipes and drums during his thirty odd years service.

  After Don retired from the regular force he joined the Cadet Instructor's Cadre and started teaching cadet pipers with the CFB Chilliwack Cadet Corps. Don was the OC Pipes and Drums and OC Band Company at Vernon Army Cadet Camp for several years. He spent many of his weekends and holidays teaching cadets at workshops, clinics, and promoting the pipes and drums program. His efforts have produced many quality pipers and bands over the years.
  
  
  

  We miss them!!

  Tog Orm Mo Piob!