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New Year’s day in Maryborough has long been associated with the annual highland gathering. This year was the 150th celebration – and to mark the occasion, the Highland Society decided to hold a Scottish Tattoo.

The tattoo was preceded by a parade down the main road. Because I was behind the wheel of one of the SES rescue trucks I don’t have photos of the parade, but we certainly had fun being part of it. The kids lining the route loved seeing the trucks with flashing lights and blaring sirens.

Tattoo

The tattoo itself was fantastic. It kicked off with the Maryborough brass band playing a few introductions and was followed up by some re-enactment actors who played out a scene depicting the discovery of gold in Maryborough. Regular readers might recognise a few of the actors.

Next up was a ensemble of pipe and drum bands (something like 7 or 8 bands combined) that sounded fantastic. They played for 10 or 15 minutes and the crowd enjoyed every second of it.

Celine

Once the band left, a small stage was setup for Celine Toner, a Celtic singer. Her set of 5 songs were great and left a lasting impression on the girls. Because they shared a changing room with Celine they spent a bit of time with her and her band. We’ve got a personally signed CD and some great memories.

I’m afflicted

Peter, Diane and Terry (an acting friend of Peter’s) played a second set as a snake-oil salesman. They needed an audience plant who would be afflicted by some terrible disease and then miraculously cured. Cue Big Girl:

Marching Girls

No highland event would be complete without marching girls and sword dancing. There were two groups of marching girls – one group called The Originals who was made up of older women who have been marching girls at earlier highland gatherings. They weren’t as mobile as they used to be, but you could tell they were having a great time marching in front of a crowd again.

Next up were the modern day marching and sword dancing girls. There were four different groups and they all did pretty well – they were another crowd favourite.

The Windy Kilts

An actor played the role of audience warm up and MC early in the event. Later, he slipped into his role as leader of The Windy Kilts. They were great – very funny stuff. Completely unsophisticated slapstick humour, but I loved every minute of it.

Finale

The event closed with the whole arena filled with the Maryborough brass band, the massed pipe and drum bands, the marching girls and the actors. The bands played a few final songs including Auld Lang Syne (it is New Year, after all) and finished the only way the possible could with Scotland The Brave.

Next year

I’ve been told that if this year’s tattoo was a success they’ll make it a regular part of the new year’s event. I haven’t yet heard whether they’ve made a decision (it’s a little early to know) but given that Princes Park was full of people who loved every minute of what went on, I can’t see how it could be considered anything other than a success.

Bonus photos

A few more random shots from yesterday…