Warrnambool pipes and drum band leader to step down from role as major

And while he will still volunteer his time to teach the instrument and play with the band at community events, stepping down from the top job will leave big shoes to fill - or perhaps big lungs to fill.

At 85, Blair has devoted more than 60 years to the pipe band after being invited to join in 1961. His passion for the instrument has shaped his life, and perhaps even his lungs.

"I had a CAT scan once and the radiologist said 'My God you've got big lungs. They go right down below your rib cage'. I don't know whether they do normally," he said with a laugh. "It's a very physical instrument. There's nothing quite like it."

Blair said he could have played with the top bagpipe bands but he didn't want to leave the farm he loved and the lifestyle it brought.

While playing the pipes is his passion, riding his bike long distances is his hobby and something that he still loves to do three or four times a week - and probably once a fortnight he clocks up 80 kilometres on a single trip.

He is currently building a small caravan that he can tow with his bike and sleep in. "I don't know how far I'll tow that," he said. It is not usual to see Blair on a ride out to Laang, Panmure or Garvoc.

"Other times I do 40km and 50km around Wangoom and Hopkins Falls. I love having my breakfast at Hopkins Falls, on the bike, be out there about 8.30am," Blair said. "I just love the outdoors.

"When I was on the farm I'd put a tent up in the backyard. Just the night air, it's beautiful. I love it. Hearing all the night life - the possums and birds."

Blair was just eight when he first learnt to play the bagpipes from his father who had come to Australia from Scotland. And just like his father, he has been teaching young children how to play the bagpipes for years.

All three of his children learned to play the pipes, their talents noticed by others at solo competitions and prompted requests from people across the region for him to teach their children.

It went from teaching students from out of town on weekends and during school holidays to some moving in and becoming part of his family for months or even years so they could learn how to play the pipes - even if it meant conducting lessons while he was working in the dairy or out in the paddock.

His three children have all pursued music - his two daughters teach music and his son has developed products for piping such as tuners, cases and what Blair calls a "magical digital chanter" which is sold all over the world and used to practice pipes on.

He said teaching youngsters music was something they could enjoy all their life. "I'll always teach. I've just got a passion for music," he said. "I find it an absolute joy. I've produced some beautiful pipers."

He has seen many of his students go off to play at the world championships in Scotland, join some of the top bands or perform overseas.

In the early 1990s, the Warrnambool band rose through the ranks of band competitions to reach grade two. "The band had quite a name for itself," he said.

Before the pandemic, the band played at community events, but since restrictions have eased there have been fewer events to play at.

A celebration will be held at the Botanic Gardens on Saturday at noon to mark his four decades of service to the community in the role as pipe major.

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