Tasmania’s David Doyle elected president of Pipe Bands Australia
Pipe Bands Australia, the collective body that manages the vast country’s six state pipe band associations, elected a new national leadership team, including David Doyle as president, at its annual general meeting on October 18th:
- President: David Doyle, Tasmania (succeeds Ainsley Hart, 2020-’06)
- Secretary: Joel Solak, Tasmania (Phil Weber, 2020-’26)
- Treasurer: Tim Bodey, Victoria (Michelle Haysom, 2020-’26)
- College Representative: Scott Nicolson (Victoria)
- General Committee Member: Alisdair McLaren (Western Australia)
Doyle is the first president in the association’s history from Tasmania, Australia’s southernmost state.
Originally from Ireland and a piper with Wexford’s then Grade 4 New Ross & District, Doyle immigrated to Australia. In Tasmania, he is a member of St. Andrews Caledonian, competes with Grade 2 City of Melbourne, and is pipe-major of the Tassie Spirit Pipe Band. He is vice chair of Pipe Bands Tasmania, a piping instructor at Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, and previously served as chairperson for Pipe Bands Tasmania with PBA.
“David Doyle’s leadership style, approach to organizational development and the outcomes of his work with Pipe Bands Australia, Tasmania branch, contributed to the confidence expressed in his ability to lead the national Association,”
“[David Doyle’s] leadership style, approach to organizational development and the outcomes of his work with Pipe Bands Australia, Tasmania branch, contributed to the confidence expressed in his ability to lead the national Association,” a PBA spokesperson commented.
Doyle succeeds Ainsley Hart after Hart’s six years as president. Hart assumed the role in 2020, when PBA was experiencing or emerging from several challenges, including a financial scandal, a defamation lawsuit, several high-profile suspensions, and a world in pandemic flux, and successfully led the organization into an era of improved transparency, accountability, and communication.
“Pipe Bands Australia acknowledges Ainsley’s contribution to the association and his commitment to supporting its members throughout his presidency,” PBA released in an official statement. “The incoming National Management Committee will seek to build upon this foundation while progressing opportunities to modernize the Association’s operations, strengthen communication and ensure its services remain accessible and relevant to members throughout Australia.”
Among the objectives Doyle outlined at the AGM were “placing particular emphasis on strengthening relationships across the movement, improving communication, and ensuring that Pipe Bands Australia remains responsive to the needs of its members,” as well as increased recognition of “the diverse roles pipe bands play within Australian communities, from competitive performance and musical education to cultural celebrations, community events and the preservation of our culture and musical traditions.”
PBA also announced appointments and re-appointments to the Australian Pipe Band College, a fundamental mandate of the collective organization:
- Principal of Piping: Scott Nicolson
- Principal of Drumming: Andrew Wormersley, Victoria (succeeds Dean Hall, 2017-’26)
- Principal of Ensemble: Harold Gillespie, Victoria (Rob Bennett, 2019-’26)
- Principal of Drill & Dress: Tony Coen, Tasmania
- Principal of Rules & Administration: Jamie Robinson, Queensland (Peter Felton, 2025-’26)
Unlike comparably-sized countries like Canada and the United States that have multiple disparate regional associations, Australia maintains state associations to manage piping/drumming-rich regions, but brings them together via the formal Pipe Bands Australia national network comprising:
Pipe band competitions have been held in Australia since at least 1907, making it one of the world’s oldest jurisdictions.
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