Selwyn_Times: August 23, 2023

Wednesday August 23 2023 Selwyn Times
OUR PEOPLE 19
of dedication to pipe banding
times, and I retired not long after
that in 1990.
What was your reaction to
receiving the Queen’s Service
Medal?
It was a surprise and a shock.
I received an email from the
Governor General’s office saying
I’d been nominated and was
happy to accept the nomination
and they would let me know if I
was successful. I thought it was
nice to be nominated, I had no
idea who nominated me. The
girls (her bandmates) came clean
after I got it. I never thought I’d
get it. When I did, I was very
humbled. The pipe band has been
my life and if I had my time over
again, I wouldn’t change it.
What did you do after you
stopped playing in the band?
I was appointed to the national
panel of judges in 1993. I was
the first female judge on the
national panel and things have
just carried on from there. From
1995 to 1999 I was the assistant
contest advisor for the nationals
and in 2000 I was approached
by the national president and
was asked to be the national
supervisor. I was very hesitant
– it was a huge responsibility. It
involved communicating with
local and overseas bands, making
decisions on dispensations, time
scheduling, looking after the
BAND: Jillian Vincent (back row, far left) in her drum major kit when she was in the Christchurch
metropolitan ladies highland pipe band.
local and international judges,
and generally making sure the
nationals ran smoothly. One of
the reasons I was hesitant was
whether the bands and other
judges would accept a female in
the top job, but I needn’t have
worried because everyone was so
supportive.
What was it like to be the first
female judge to be appointed?
It was very special and once
again it wasn’t easy to get on
because I was nominated, but
I was worried what they would
think of me, as a female. “How
am I going to get on judging with
all these males?” But it was fine. I
call them all my boys.
Are you still judging today?
I am, and I am also a convener
of the non-music judges and take
applications as the chairperson
of the panel, I’ve got five other
national judges and assess the
ability as a national judge. I’ve
judged bass drumming and
solo tenor drumming. I’ve
drilled about every band in
Christchurch, which is teaching
them to march and dress so they
know what we are looking for as
national judges.
Have you gone anywhere to
watch pipe banding overseas?
I have been to the Edinburgh
tattoo and the world pipe band
championships and dragged Noel
(her late husband) along.
He was not a pipe band person
at all, he was a yachtie and the
poor old thing came along to the
world pipe band championships
and sat there all day listening.
At the end he said, “I don’t
mean to be smart, but were they
all playing the same tune?”
“No,” I responded.
Did you ever go out on the
yacht?
Oh yes, but I didn’t like it.
Our yacht was set up so we
could use it like a caravan and
stay on it for a week and that was
fine.
But if the wind got up, I’d ask
Noel to drop the sails and use
the motor. I didn’t go pleasure
sailing.
Did any of your children take
up piping?
My daughter (Sharlene Irvine)
is a very good piper, and she also
plays the tenor drum.
My son (Nigel) went to indoor
basketball and taekwondo.
I have six grandchildren but
none of them are involved in
pipe bands.
CONTEST:
Jillian
Vincent
judging
a drum
major.
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