In conversation with two local legends
Siân Swinton
This summer marks the end of an era as two long-standing stalwarts of the South Uist Games and Piping Society committee retire from duty.
Angus MacDonald, Chairman since 1973, and Ruairidh MacDonald (Poker), Treasurer since 1978, have a combined service of more than 100 years on the committee and have seen the games evolve and grow over time.
Am Pàipear sat down with Angus and Poker to talk about the past and hear of their hopes of some fresh young faces to breathe new life into the committee.
Angus recalls that when he joined the committee in 1965, the Flora MacDonald Piping Competition hadn’t yet become the responsibility of the Games Society. The Competition became in danger of grinding to a halt when there was no one able to organise it and the Games Society took it on, growing it into the phenomenally well attended competition it is today.
“It was a senior-only event at the time but we took on a junior event too and that grew to 70 or 80 junior competitors. We had to start getting extra judges in to keep up.”
The piping and dancing competitions at the Games themselves are also incredibly popular, said Angus: “If we’ve got about 28 competing pipers on the day and each piper has about 20 minutes you can see how we’d need so many judges!”
The Games have always been self-funded, with the Committee raising money themselves rather than having to access any public funding.
Poker spoke about the changes on the logistical side of organising the Games over the years as health and safety regulations became stricter: “We used to just organise a Games and run it but then we had to start rummaging around for health and safety plans, applying for entertainment and drinks licences and the emergency services needed to be aware. The only phone around then was in the Factor’s office, so we would have to run all the way there if anything happened!”
The behind-the-scenes organisation of such an event can often be overlooked but it’s no mean feat, as Poker explained: “We couldn’t really set up until the morning, when we knew the weather and wind direction so we could make sure the heavy events wouldn’t put people in danger!”
Getting everything organised in time has always been an important part of the Games as the day it falls on – the first Wednesday of Glasgow Fair – slots into a long list of events in the competing pipers’ calendars.
“The pipers would compete in Inveraray on the Tuesday, come here for the Wednesday and then up to North Uist for the Friday.”
It’s serious business for the professionals. “Now that EDF is also the week after it makes it a great time to come to the island.”
The other events at the games are equally as important too, says Poker: “If it doesn’t have athletics, heavy events, dancing and piping it isn’t a Highland Games.”
The heavy events have been less subscribed to over recent years.
“There’s one guy from Lewis who comes down and no one can beat him! He runs away with all the prizes!” says Angus.
Classes and training for heavy events, such as the ‘weight over the bar’ and ‘throwing the hammer’ have been set up in the past and hopefully these can continue in the future to bring more people into the events.
Angus talked about the atmosphere and sense of community at the games and how it’s a day people look forward to all year:
“The numbers have never really gone down. For some people it’s the one time to meet friends that they haven’t seen for years!”
When asked about changes to the Committee itself Angus said that when he joined there were around 30 people involved:
“But we would be lucky if there were 15 or 16 people at a general meeting because the pubs closed a lot earlier back then! You’d have folk saying ‘I’ve got to shoot off’ part way through so they could get to the pub on time!”
After a few years, the Committee was whittled down to 11 people to make planning meetings and casting votes that little bit easier.
Both Angus and Poker spoke about how keen they are to see some young people with fresh ideas join the Committee and they are excited to see where the Games can go next.
With Angus also stepping down from the Community Council, where he has been a fixture for many years, it was important to ask: “What are you going to do with all your free time now?”
“Oh don’t worry! I’ve always got plenty to do!”
In the next issue, Am Pàipear will be featuring some of the people behind the North Uist Agricultural Show.
