The AFP Pipes and Drums Band has an eclectic mix of professions – not all sworn officers as you may assume – and the best part is that the Pipe Major is a Police Inspector and the Pipe Sergeant is a criminal defender. You can’t make this stuff up.
Criminal lawyer Andrew Fraser, who used to play at the Burns Club, heard about the AFP’s shortage of pipers and asked if he could join their band.
“They asked, ‘What do you do?’. I said ‘a criminal defender, I hope that’s not a problem’ and we had a bit of a yarn,” Fraser says. “We pretty quickly came to the conclusion it’s part of the great system and the system generally gets it right. The two basic rules are to play pipes and have fun. That’s what we do.”
AFP Detective Inspector Stephen Ladd says they still have a bit of a laugh about it, but they never discuss the cases they’re involved in. “I can assure you we don’t divulge any secrets to each other.”
“And I don’t cross examine him,” Fraser pipes in.
Jokes aside, the AFP Pipes and Drums (which apart from the black sheep also boasts a CSIRO scientist, a retired firefighter, uni students, Defence personnel and public servants) is a special band of musicians, having recently received an invitation to attend the prestigious Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2024.
You can’t ask to attend this time-honoured ceremony; you must be invited. It’s so sacred that the band doesn’t even know what music they’ll be playing until a month out. It’s top secret.
“We’re not allowed to divulge the information and we sign an agreement,” Detective Inspector Ladd says. “We can practise beforehand, but we’re not allowed to perform it before we get to the Tattoo because they want to keep the sanctity of the Tattoo.”
This may sound like a nice little perk of the job, but the Tattoo is gruelling – a performance every night over three weeks and two shows on a Saturday. A massive 8,500 spectators cram Edinburgh Castle each night, a total of 220,000 people throughout the month and about 300 million watch it on TV.
Royals are usually in attendance, including Princess Anne, who is patron of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
“I never imagined when I was playing at the local RSL club that I’d be on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle – something you watched on black and white TV on New Year’s Eve,” Fraser says. “For ceremonial, there’s no bigger show – I reckon it’s the greatest show on Earth.”
With about 300 players on the esplanade, Inspector Ladd says the sound is magnificent, “you can still hear it hours later, your ears are still ringing”.
Despite the pomp and ceremony that usually accompanies bagpipes, it’s hard to attract new players.
“The trick with pipe bands is trying to get the young people involved,” Detective Inspector Ladd says. “Trying to keep the young people coming in, it’s hard to recruit. Picking up bagpipes isn’t exactly a bass guitar.”
Fraser has a different take on it: “Where else can you go and make a lot of noise and not get in trouble, you can do dress-ups and no-one cares, and the ladies love it.” A lawyer’s spin.
For more information, visit afp.gov.au/about-us/our-organisation/ceremonial-events-and-functions/afp-pipes-and-drums
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