Approximately 230 people descended on the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch on Saturday night to celebrate the birthday of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Burns Nights across the country have become a celebration of Scottish culture as well as Burns’ famous poems and songs.
Burns Nights stared in Estevan in 1978 and having been going strong ever since.
Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist who was writing during the Enlightenment Period and his place in history occupies the mid to late 18th centaury in Scotland. He was born on Jan. 25, 1759, and is most well known for contributing to Scottish culture with such pieces as his famous song Auld Lang Syne.
Although he could have written his poems in the more common Queens English, Burns wrote everything he produced in various dialects of Scottish. Burns, like other Scottish writers of the era such as Sir Walter Scott, were a part of a sub-movement in art, history, storytelling and literacy know as romanticism.
The No. 2901 Estevan Elks Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Cadet Pipes and Drums Band were the main musical attraction, playing songs such as Scotland The Brave, Rowan Tree and Bonnie Dundee Steamboat. The Kilted Wind Pipe Band played the opening songs such as Pipe in the Flags and Pipe in the Haggis.
There were various dances that were performed, such as Earl of Errol and The Irish Jig by approximately 30 members of the Drewitz School of Dance.
The night also featured an address to the haggis, lead by Corporal Brayden Renkas of the army cadets, and the haggis was available to anyone who wanted to try it. Dyana Wright read the Immortal Memories of Robert Burns, highlighting his various achievements and why he has been remembered for so long.
Cadet Corporal Brayden Renkas read the Selkirk Grace, which was written by Burns in an old dialect of Scottish. Grace did a good job or reading the grace word for word. While Renkas was reading the grace, he had an sgian dubh, a traditional Scottish knife, in hand, which may not be the way most prayers are read but it is in Scotland at traditional ceremonies.
The event ended with the song Green Hills of Tyrol When the Battle’s O’er being played by the pipe and drum band.
Captain Robert Rooks, who was a part of the South Saskatchewan Regiment (SSR) before it was disbanded in 1968, is an instructor of the pipes and drum band.
Rooks started the band in the early 1970s, and had the SSR not been disbanded, he would have liked to see the pipe band represent the SSR.
“People get into the band very young,” said Rooks. “We usually start them at nine or 10 years old, learning how to play bag pipes properly is very difficult.
“We had two instruments pipes and drums at the begging and we thought it couldn’t be that hard. That was quite the misconception having bagpipes and drums work together and sound good is very difficult.
“We got some help from Weyburn and before we knew it we were marching around playing bag pipes and drums.”
Rooks has been grateful for the help the Estevan Elks Lodge has provided to the pipe band over the years. They have played a very big role in getting them the right equipment such as drums and various bagpipes.
“The cadet core was started in 1972 and the South Saskatchewan regiment had been disbanded in 1968. Sgt. Major Slater from the SSR knew there wasn’t any point in having a pipe band for a disbanded regiment so him, myself and few others thought the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry would be a good alternative to have a pipe band for,” said Rooks.
“The officer that was in charge of army cadets in Saskatchewan was a part of the Patricias and said the Patricias are not sponsoring any cores in Saskatchewan so he thought it be a good idea for the pipe band to be apart of the Patricias,” he added.
The attendees who went to this year’s Burns Night really enjoyed the festivities.
“It was awesome I have a granddaughter here that was dancing tonight so it was very enjoyable,” said James MacDonald. “I came once before to the Robert Burns night about 10 years ago, but that was because I had another granddaughter that was dancing in the event.”
Estevan Legion president Lyle Dukart also enjoyed the event and was happy that the legion was picked to host the event.
“Yes, most definitely we at the legion are very happy to hold Robert Burns nights, there has been a long tradition of having them here and we want to continue it,” said Dukart.
