Big Ronnie’ Bridges the Generations

PROFILE ‘Big Ronnie’ bridges the generations Ronald Lawrie of Oban ONALD Lawrie of Oban isn’t called were related to us because my father’s uncle slack in the stock, his tongue would come out ‘Big Ronnie’ for nothing. was a MacInnes and all the MacInneses were like a serpent and wrap around the bottom R But his broad-shouldered, six- more or less second cousins to me. And we of the drone joint to wet it because he didn’t foot-five frame and imposing, square-jawed were all in the one street. have time to waste hemping up; that was up presence are almost incidental to his consider- “I remember playing the chanter as a young to you. able stature in piping — and an involvement boy: I had one tune, The Brown Haired Maiden, “He’d set the chanters and after 10 or 20 that began with direct influences from the just the notes, from memory. Then my father minutes you’d have a sound you’d never heard 19th century and continues into the 21st began to teach me. before.” century. “He was taught by Pipe Major Willie Ross Surrounded by piping, the young Ronald Born in 1927, Ronald Lawrie remembers who’d made trips to Oban to teach piping Lawrie grew up believing everybody played being awed, for example, by the playing of the through the Piobaireachd Society. And my pipes. “And, as I got older, I wanted to play great Pipe Major John MacColl (1860-1943) father was responsible for bringing him to and play and play. and taking lessons with the legendary Pipe Oban to tutor the band and teach young “John MacColl from Oban, although he Major William Ross (1879-1966). boys, so I joined Willie Ross’s class when he was actually born and spent his early years Ronald Lawrie won the Highland Society came to Oban. in village called Kentallen, near Appin, had of London Gold Medal at the Argyllshire “He had fingers so crisp it was unbeliev- held a piping class in Oban and taught the Gathering in 1961 and led the Glasgow able… a birl, a doubling, they just flew out Boys’ Brigade band, and a number of pipers Police Pipe Band to its first Champion of of the chanter, sparkling. got tuition from him. My father was one of Champions title win in 1967. His many “As a teacher he wasted no time. He’d take them. Some of John MacColl’s top pupils also students have included such distinguished a big yellow HB pencil in his fingers and say, carried on teaching when John left to go to players as Hector MacFadyen, the late Pipe ‘this is how you hold your fingers straight’ then Glasgow. So it all came from there, my inter- Major Angus McDonald of the Scots Guards he’d go right round the class and, if you didn’t est in piping.” and double gold medallist Angus MacColl. get it right the first time, he didn’t waste too Ronald Lawrie was 12 when he came by his He now serves as a distinguished and highly much time with you. first set of pipes, a “spare set” his father had in respected adjudicator. “After his lesson, he would take his pipes the house. “The printing on the box was ‘Peter His father was Angus ‘Old Toasty’ Lawrie out and strike them up, give them a quick tun- Henderson Limited Glasgow’ but they weren’t who, with his brother, Kenneth, founded the ing and go straight into a march, strathspey actually a Henderson set. I don’t know what Oban Pipe Band in 1925. and reel… a fascinating piper. He was a great make they were but they were ebony and real “The street I was born and brought up object lesson in how to tune pipes without silver and a good set of bagpipes.” in was called Tweedle Street,” said Ronald messing around.” He joined his father’s Oban Pipe Band, then Lawrie. “Its real name was Happy Valley but Ronald Lawrie recalls watching William the local TA Pipes and Drums, the 8th Argyll it had been changed to Tweedle Street, and Ross set up the Oban Pipe Band. “Light brown and Sutherland Highlanders. This was the it was just full of pipers: MacInneses, Mac- plus-fours, he wore… he would go around same battalion with which a talented piping Farlanes, Lawries… we were related to the the pipes in the band, take a set of pipes up, relative from Ballachulish, William Lawrie, MacInneses, and the MacInneses were related look at them, blow a drone, throw it onto his served as Pipe Major during the First World to John MacColl because the legendary John shoulder, take out a knife and you’d see flashes War. A double gold medallist and composer MacColl’s mother was a MacInnes, so they of cane coming off. Then, if something was of note before the war, William Lawrie fell ill PIPING TODAY • 26 PROFILE RONALD LAWRIE with some of his trophies… “If you get your pipes going well and you think you’re achieving a high or reasonably standard, well, that’s the big reward for me: the enjoyment of playing. That’s what my father did, my uncles and my relations… they got sheer enjoyment from their playing. And if you look for that, I don’t think you can look for anything higher.” Photo: Mike Paterson PIPING TODAY • 27 PROFILE in France and was invalided back to Britain, and I went down to London once or twice,” he could ever hope to hear. Robert Reid would play but died in hospital of meningitis in 1916 at said. “I enjoy Oban, Inverness, Cowal and I was every week and you always got a piobaireachd,” the age of 35. quite successful most of the time.” said Ronald Lawrie. When Ronald Lawrie joined the battalion in One of his most cherished trophies, however, “Most people latterly have stuck to the John 1945 at the age of 18, the end of the Second is an insignificant-looking cup he won at a TA MacDonald of Inverness styles but you can’t World War was in sight. “I joined because the camp in Scarborough, England. “They held a condemn other styles; they’re quite authentic. adjutant said ‘we want to start a pipe band’ but company piping competition and I won this John MacDonald was a great admirer of the they didn’t have enough pipers or drummers. cup: the first cup I’d ever won. Cameron school and was going to go there He asked for help to get it started with Pipe “I also won the ‘best dressed piper’ that day himself. Major Johnnie (John M.) Mackenzie (who because I’d switched belts with one of the best “It was the Cameron side of piping that later became piping instructor at the Robert Reid went for, and there are famous Queen Victoria School in some real differences between that Dunblane). John MacKenzie was a and the style of John MacDonald good piper and a good composer… of Inverness. But Bob Brown, for a very intelligent, interesting man, a instance, a first class piobaireachd good pipe major. player — one of the best I’ve heard “At our first camp in 1946 there — was a pupil of John MacDonald were only three of us. But towards of Inverness but he didn’t play like the end of the following year, we John MacDonald of Inverness. On had a pipe band from different parts the other hand, his pal and colleague of Argyllshire. Bob Nicol played exactly like John “We went away to camps all over MacDonald. Yet Bob Brown was the place and I thoroughly enjoyed it. probably the better player. We competed and I met interesting “They were both very good teach- characters from all over Argyllshire, ers and, with that John MacDonald and very good pipers too. We had of Inverness influence behind them, Mackenzies from Campbeltown, lots of pipers wanted to learn from MacEacherns from Islay — people them. But you had others with good who, like myself, came from piping knowledge in Glasgow: Robert Reid families and were very much into and his pupils. the piping. “It wasn’t as prolific as the John “Neil MacEachern and I became MacDonald of Inverness influ- particularly close friends. He went up north and THE EAGLE Pipers’ Society 1965 Glen Medal for ence but, if you heard Robert Reid playing a got tuition from R. U. Brown at Balmoral. Neil piobaireachd … “a tenor started to go a bit funny— not off but, but I could feel it not pleasing, it was irritating. I looked piobaireachd, it was outstanding; you couldn’t was a natural player and a lovely singer, which at that medal and I remember thinking, ‘I’ve as much ask for better.” would suit Bob Brown because he sang a lot of chance of winning you as a fly in the air’.” the tunes, and Neil could sing them as well. THROUGH the Scottish Pipers’ Association, “Then there was the Oban Pipe Band. We spit and polish bullshitters there. He thought Ronald Lawrie had come to know a number were the ‘dirty dozen’ because we’d tackle any- he was polishing his own kit. Then I said, ‘ooh, of the Glasgow Police Pipe Band players: the thing: Donald Cameron, the Atholl Cummers Tony, you’ve polished the wrong belt’ and put band’s then pipe major, John MacDonald and and Pretty Marion… never mind the crossing in on.” his brother, Roderick, John Garroway, Major noises or the difficulties, we just crossed them.

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