On October 12th, our band had another fundraiser. It was at this one I got to meet Norm Smith. I don’t know a lot about him, but let me tell you what I do know.
Norm used to be a piper, but doesn’t anymore because of a throat injury. He went to High School with Timothy Brenton’s Mother. His father was a piper with the Canadian Seaforth Highlanders…and he wants to donate the use of his father’s 1917 Henderson Bagpipes to our band.
I was exceptionally touched by this generous offer. Norm is a truly wonderful guy and I had quite a bit of fun visiting with him. He’s on the board for the Special Olympics, and has a big heart. He told me that since he can’t play anymore, he would love to see them used in something as meaningful as what our band is about. He’s offering them to specifically honor Officer Brenton and also to honor the Seattle Police Officers who have participated in the Special Olympics Torch Run.
My understanding is these pipes have been carried by a Seaforth Highlander up until his father’s separation with the unit.
They are beautiful.
Yes, they’re very musty smelling. The bag cover has moth holes. They are scratched and some of the ivory mounts are chipped. All of which just speaks to the history of these 93 year old bagpipes.
I took them to Neal and he was very excited about them. He said that they would need restoration before they could be played, and sent me an estimate.
Sadly, the estimate came in around $1000. While these pipes are certainly worth it, I don’t know of too many pipers who would be willing to lay out that kind of cash for pipes they wouldn’t be able to keep.
I sent Norm the bad news. He agreed it was more of a financial outlay than he was willing to make. So sadly, I will be returning the pipes to him at his convenience.
But none of that should dim the generous offer he made. It was wonderful just to handle the pipes for a short while. I felt like I was truly holding a piece of history.
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