|
Frank first began taking bagpipe lessons in 1963, at the age of 8, in Prince George, B.C. He progressed to the point of just starting to play on the pipes when he gave them up. In 1968 his family moved to the Lower Mainland area, eventually settling in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
In 1970, Frank again took up the bagpipes and under the tutelage of Pipe Major Archie McAffer he started to play with the Haney Legion Pipe Band. He played and competed with this Pipe Band until 1975 when he | joined
the R.C.M.P. and went off to Regina for training. His first posting after finishing training was to Sicamous, B.C., and in 1976 he joined the Shushwap Pipes and Drums in nearby Salmon Arm, playing with this group only a short time. In the spring of 1978, Frank’s R.C.M.P. career took him back to Prince George. He joined the Prince George Legion Pipe Band and in the years that followed, received tutoring from Pipe Majors Alan Walters, Mark Christie and Peter Peebles. During the many years of playing with the Prince George Pipe Band, he competed at various venues in B.C. and Alberta. In 1984 he traveled with the Prince George Pipe Band to Honolulu, Hawaii and competed in the Highland Games they were hosting.
The highlight of Frank’s piping career was in 2004 when the Prince George Pipe Band | traveled to Scotland, where they competed at the Inverkeithing Games, the Bridge of Allan Games and the World Championships in Glasgow. Competing at the Grade 3 level they surprised many, including themselves, with a 4th place finish at Bridge of Allan and a 5th place finish at the Worlds.
In August 2006, Frank and his wife Donna, were transferred to Langley and presently live in Chilliwack, B.C. Frank joined the “E” Division Pipe Band in November of that year, and has found the new music both challenging and enjoyable. He has 32 years of service with the R.C.M.P. and intends to make this his last posting. Frank and Donna have found new friends and enjoy socializing with this new group, now, and in the years that follow.
| ||
