Australian Ladies much more than a great march this July

“The Australian Ladies” by Willie Fergusson is one of the most popular 2/4 marches in the piping repertory, and the inspiration for the great tune will be suitably commemorated with a world record attempt in July in Melbourne.

The piece was named for the Australian Ladies Pipe Band’s 1925-27 world tour, a group comprising Australian-born women who had each lost a close relative in the Great War. Remarkably, the band’s formation was criticized by some macho sectors, yet it persevered and went on to perform for more than a million people worldwide.

Organizers are encouraging women and girls worldwide to participate in the milestone on July 5th, which they hope will set a certified world record for the largest performance of female pipers and drummers.

After the Tartan Day Parade, participants will perform “Scotland the Brave,” the Australian song “Waltzing Matilda,” and “The Australian Ladies” in Melbourne’s City Square.

“The event seeks to inspire girls and women to take up piping and drumming and carry forward a legacy of excellence and innovation.”

Organizers want to hear from anyone who wishes to participate, as well as from relatives of those who were members of the Australian Ladies a hundred years ago.

“The event seeks to inspire girls and women to take up piping and drumming and carry forward a legacy of excellence and innovation,” the organizers said. “Participants of all levels are welcome . . . and a uniform is not required to take part.”

Female pipers and drummers can register or contact the organizers for more information here, and walk-up participants on July 5th are also welcome. Kilt outfits are not required.

The Melbourne Tartan Festival, the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band, and the Victorian branch of Pipe Bands Australia are managing the event.

Since pipes|drums in the early 1990s became the first to draw attention to the challenges faced by women and girls joining and staying in the piping and drumming world, more solutions have been sought. The National Piping Centre launched the Maket Collective in 2024 with the objective of raising awareness, inspiring, and addressing gender discrimination.

Last August, the seven percent of female pipers currently playing in Grade 1 bands performed at Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia’s “Solas” Pre-Worlds Concert in Glasgow

Red Hackle was the first Grade 1 band to welcome a female piper in 1970, when Jennifer Hutcheon became a competing member of the band.