GASS   

        The Gentlemen's Ale Sampling Society

        1982-2017  35 YEARS OF BEERS

NEXT MEETING

JANUARY

BURNS NIGHT

Learn the Bagpipes

The Roffen Suite

TUESDAY 9TH JANUARY

The second Tuesday - not the first Tuesday!!!

7.30 arrival please -  Upstairs in The Roffen Suite.

DRESS - KILTS

No wimping out!

We start with a Piper, Pipe Major Alex Burt, giving us our first and only GASS Bagpiping lesson.

We then sit down for the full BURNS BOLLOCKS dinner. 

And yes, I know this is not the right date!  Just roll with it!

Haggis, neeps, the works! 

There will be a selection of Whiskeys to savour.

There will of course be readings and songs by GASS members

(volunteers step forward please)

During dinner our piper will play the good old Scottish tunes, some English pub tunes and for the older gentlemen, some WW2 ditties.

A bit about Pipe Major Alex Burt

My name is Alex Burt and I started playing the bagpipes in 1962 when I joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as an Army Apprentice at Arborfield in Berkshire , where I was taught by Pipe Major Ronnie Carver who served with the Highland Light Infantry. Over my 25 plus years service I played in practice with several army bands including The Black Watch , The Gordon Highlanders , The Scots Guards , The Royal Air Force , and the Royal Tank Regiment. When I left the army I joined the Maidstone band in Kent which eventually became the City of Rochester Pipe Band and I played with them for 25 years. In 2013 I left them and joined The Southern Highlanders , an international composite band who play all over the continent and south of England. I played with the St Andrews Pipe Band from Hamble - le - Rice near Southampton on a trip to the D-Day celebrations in Normandy in 2013. In 2014 and 2015 I played with the Centenary Pipes and Drums at the Birmingham International Military Tattoo.   I also play at the 1st Greenhithe Highlanders Pipe Club where the aim of the organisation is to learn and play with passion and clarity. Through them I have also recently started to write my own pipe tunes and with some success. In 2016 I reformed the Army Apprentices Pipes and Drums - TAAPAD - to play at reunions etc. Well received at the first reunion in July and great to get all the ex-apprentices bqack together playing for their comrades

During my piping career , I have played at many prestigious events both in the UK and abroad and I have taken part in tattoos and Beating retreats with military bands including the Band of the Royal Marines and the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers. I have also played with bands from overseas including Polish , French , German , Swiss , Dutch and Swedish. Also played at the Waterloo parade in London as well as the Queens Patron Lunch parade back in June 2016

REMEMBER

Dress - KILTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FEBRUARY

Tuesday 6th Feb

TBN

MARCH

THE END OF AN ERA DINNER

at THE ROFFEN

Tuesday 6 March

Probably a Black Tie Slap UP with entertainment

(Len, a good chance for your comedians?)

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