Alisdair, from Perth, Western Australia, began piping at 13 while attending Trinity College, Perth, where he was taught by June Corcoran, John MacMurchie, and Malcolm Brown. In 1996, his final year of high school, he was appointed Pipe Major of the Trinity College Pipes & Drums, leading the band to multiple juvenile championships. That same year, he was also a member of the Grade 3 Armadale City Pipe Band when they won the Australian & South Pacific Pipe Band Championships.

In 1997, Alisdair joined the Western Australia Police Pipe Band (WAPOL), playing a key role in its success, including winning the 1998 Grade 2 World Championships, the 2001 Grade 1 American Championships, and achieving 10th place at the 2004 Grade 1 World Championships as Pipe Sergeant.

In 2005, while still based in Perth, Alisdair became the first fly-in guest player for the renowned Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, 12-time winners of the World Pipe Band Championships. In 2006, he was appointed Pipe Major of WAPOL before relocating to Glasgow in 2007.

In 2008, he joined Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band (FMM), where over nine years, he won 38 major championships, including five World Titles. He was part of the band’s historic Grand Slam victories in 2011 and 2013, winning all five major championships in a single season—an achievement only accomplished four times in pipe band history.

In 2018, Alisdair was appointed Pipe Sergeant of the Glasgow Police Pipe Band (formerly Strathclyde Police) and was promoted to Pipe Major at the end of the 2019 season. He held this position until returning to Perth in 2020.

Beyond competition, Alisdair was Director of The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland for over a decade, shaping the next generation of pipers and drummers. Under his leadership, the band performed 18 major concerts across Scotland, toured internationally in China, Switzerland, Germany, and Spain, and played by royal invitation at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family. He also initiated outreach workshops across Scotland to support grassroots piping development.

As an instructor at The National Piping Centre, Alisdair taught at seasonal schools and international programs in the USA, Germany, and Switzerland. He also contributed to the HNC teaching team, developing the Live Performance curriculum.

As an adjudicator, he has judged competitions such as the Glasgow Highland Club, Boys’ Brigade Contests, Inveraray Highland Games, CLASP and Army School of Piping events.

Alisdair is currently the Pipe Major of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Pipes & Drums, leading the band in performances at the Tattoo from 2017–2024. In 2017, he was honoured to be one of the lone pipers for the event. Additionally, for the past three years, he has been a soloist in the featured “Electro Pipes” performance. Internationally, he has led the REMT Pipes & Drums at major festivals in Germany, Norway, China, and Australia. He continues to oversee the band’s annual audition process while living in Perth.

Upon returning to Perth in 2020, Alisdair was reappointed Pipe Major of WAPOL, where he helped establish the WA Police Youth Development Pipe Band, fostering future talent.

In 2023, he was invited as the international guest piping instructor at the Royal New Zealand Piping and Drumming School in Christchurch. Later that year he taught at the South Australia Piping and Drumming School in Adelaide.

Currently, Alisdair is Head of Pipe Band and Piping Instruction at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Perth, and will once again return to Edinburgh to perform as Pipe Major of the Tattoo Pipes & Drums at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, marking the event’s 75th anniversary. Whilst in Scotland Alisdair will also be competing with People’s Ford Boghall & Bathgate Pipe Band at the 2025 European and World Pipe Band Championships.

Martin learned piping at the John McGlashan College in Dunedin New Zealand from the age of 9, and was taught primarily by Airdrie Stewart. He now resides on the Central Coast of New South Wales with his family.
He has competed in bands and solos regularly, ultimately serving as Pipe Major of the Auckland and District Pipe Band in grade 1 for 9 years. In solos, he has won most New Zealand open solo prizes, as well as success in competing in Scotland and Australia.

7 x New Zealand Grade 1 Championship titles
Grade 2 World Championship title
Performed with Inverary and District at World Championships and Ascension concert
Winner of Gold Medal and Clasp at both Hastings and RU Brown Adelaide events
Runner up in Silver Medal at Oban
Many open solo light music and piobaireachd prizes across NZ, Australia, and Scotland

Martin has tutored at piping schools and bands over the years, including the New Zealand Youth Band and many New Zealand Summer schools.

Dean Hall picked up a pair of drumsticks at the age of 11 and has never put them down!

Introduced to the art of pipe band snare drumming by his father, Robert Hall—himself a drummer with the City of Box Hill Pipe Band in Victoria, Australia—Dean was first taken along to band practice one evening. Instantly captivated by the snare drum, he began lessons under the tutelage of Leading Drummer and teacher Philip Howell.

Dean progressed rapidly, entering solo competitions and steadily moving up through the grades until reaching Grade 1. He then joined the City of Melbourne Pipe Band under the direction of Leading Drummer Brett Staley.

After gaining years of competition experience, Dean moved to Warrnambool, where he took on his first role as Lead Drummer and teacher of the local Grade 3 pipe band under Pipe Major Donald Blair. During his tenure, he worked with students ranging from absolute beginners to advanced players. Within three years, the band was promoted to Grade 2, and Dean’s corps won the Grade 2 State Drum Corps title.

During his time with the Warrnambool Pipe Band, Dean’s passion for teaching snare drumming grew. He developed a deep desire to contribute to the art by raising both skill levels and awareness of pipe band snare drumming.

In 1990, Dean rejoined the Grade 1 City of Melbourne Pipe Band—this time as Lead Drummer. He was responsible for teaching drummers across multiple grades (4, 3, and 1). During his time in Melbourne, he also played as a guest drummer in 1993 with the Victoria Police Pipe Band under Leading Drummer Paul Turner, performing at the now-famous Ballymena Pre-Worlds Concert.

In 1994, Dean migrated to Dublin, Ireland, and joined the St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band under Leading Drummer John Keogh and Pipe Major Terry Tully. When Keogh retired, Dean was invited to take over as Leading Drummer. He ensured the band’s continued presence at the World Championships in Scotland, helping to grow the drum corps from two snares, one tenor, and a bass drummer to a competitive size of six snares, two tenors, and a bass.

St. Laurence O’Toole later merged with another local band, St. Joseph Clondalkin. As part of this transition, top drummer Stephen Creighton joined, and Dean handed over the role of Lead Drummer to the more experienced Creighton. During this period, the corps won the All-Ireland National Best Drum Corps prize in two successive years and regularly competed against some of the world’s top drum corps.

Following his time in Ireland, Dean moved to Sydney, Australia, where he took on the role of Head of Drumming at The Scots College, teaching up to 150 students. His commitment to teaching and his experience at the highest levels of pipe band drumming have made him one of the most respected figures in the drumming community.

Nicola, originally from Auckland, New Zealand, began tenor drumming in 2002 under the mentorship of her father, Tony, with the Auckland and District Pipe Band. She has since played with numerous Grade 1 bands, contributing to four New Zealand Champion Bands, eight NZ Champion Drum Corps, and nine NZ Champion Bass Sections.

In 2007, Nicola relocated to Scotland and performed with the Clan Gregor Society Pipe Band and the Fife Constabulary. In 2011, she was invited by Reid Maxwell to join the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, where she played for four years and participated in the “Live from New York City” concert at the Lincoln Center.

In 2016, Nicola returned to Scotland to join the reformed Spirit of Scotland band under Jim Kilpatrick MBE, achieving the Drum Corps Championship at the UK Championship. She later joined the Scottish Power Pipe Band in 2019, where she contributed to multiple top-six finishes and the Best Drum Corps prize at the British Championship. The band also performed at the pre-Worlds concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Most recently, Nicola performed with the Hawthorne Pipe Band, securing a third-place finish at the 2024 New Zealand Championships.  With 20 years of teaching experience, Nicola has instructed tenor drumming globally at various schools and workshops. She currently resides on the NSW Central Coast with her husband and two children and teaches in the Knox Grammar Pipes and Drums program.

Ainsley Hart’s involvement with Pipe Bands dates back to 1978 when he started practice chanter instruction at school.  An active pipe band career spanning more than forty years has seen him play with a number of New Zealand, Scottish and Australian bands and culminated in appointments as Pipe Major of two Grade 1 bands.

Ainsley was involved for many years with the New South Wales Pipe Band Association. In this role he championed grass roots piping and drumming initiatives at the national level across a variety of issues and activities.

Following a number of years as a small business operator Ainsley took up an appointment to the Knox Grammar School Pipes and Drums in 2010. It’s a position that he still holds and one in which he has met with remarkable success, taking the band to a 2016 Grade 4 Australian Pipe Band Championship win. Still an active competitor at the top levels of solo piping, Ainsley remains a regular competitor at most Australian benchmark competitions.

Ainsley’s thirty five years of business experience and tertiary qualifications in business have allowed him to bring invaluable leadership and management experience to the role of PBA President. Ainsley’s relaxed and affable manner belies his keen intellect and a burning desire to see the Pipe Band movement grow and flourish.