Orange piper Richard Cummins returning to Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 50 years on!

When Richard Cummins marched out the drawbridge gate onto the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle as a young 18-year-old school piper back in 1973, he never imagined that 50 years later he would once more be returning to take part in the world-famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

“It was very exciting! It was my first time overseas for a start,” recalls Richard of his 1973 trip to Scotland with the Scots College Pipes and Drums band.

“We stayed in Edinburgh Castle,” he continues, “which we thought was going to be exciting, but it was pretty much the same as the boarding school: inside there was a bed, a locker and a chair – that was it!”

Richard, now a chartered accountant based in Orange, has long had fond memories of that trip with his school band and was thrilled when, 50 years on, the opportunity to return to the Tattoo arose.

Richard has been selected to play with the Scots College Old Boys Pipes and Drums, who will be part of the massed pipes and drums at the 2023 Edinburgh Military Tattoo, August 4–26.

“I feel thrilled that I was in the band back then and now I’m in the Old Boys band, 50 years later! I actually never thought something like that would happen,” says Richard, who is one of four band members who took part in the 1973 Tattoo.

The Scots Old Boys Pipes and Drums have been rehearsing weekly, with Richard either travelling to Sydney for the practice or taking part via Zoom. The band will also be in Edinburgh for a week prior to the Tattoo to train and drill with the pipes and drums bands from Scotland and all over the world who will be taking part.

“The whole exercise goes for about a month,” says Richard. “Also, as well as the Tattoo, we're actually performing in three Highland gatherings in Scotland: one in Sterling, one in Perth, and we're going to be playing in the Pipe Band World Championships in Glasgow. So that'll be a wonderful experience, regardless of the result.”

Richard developed a love for the bagpipes at an early age, his father having also been part of the pipes and drums band when he attended Scots College.

“When I was a kid in Moree I used to march behind him,” recalls Richard. “I just liked them. And then when I went away to school I had the opportunity to learn.” 

But not everybody is as fond of the sound of bagpipes in the morning, as Richard found out early in his music career.

“When I was learning the pipes, I played them in the backyard and neighbours would scream out and tell me to shut up,” says Richard.

“My friend, who lived next door, used to throw oranges at me and he got me in the head once! So you've got to be brave when you're learning because there's a bit of abuse that can come your way!”

But it has now been 56 years since Richard first picked up the bagpipes, and his enjoyment of the iconic Scottish instrument has never waned in that time.

“I've always played. I play in the Scots College Old Boys Pipe Band every year on Anzac Day and have been doing so for decades. When I was a student, I used to take them everywhere,” says Richard.

“Learning them was a wonderful decision for me, it’s taken me places and I’ve met people that I wouldn't have otherwise met. So I'm very grateful that I made the effort.”