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Title: Interview of Donald Sinclair
Description: August 24 2004 Donald Sinclair – Tape 1, Side B; Tape 2, Side A; other recordings missing. Recording starts abruptly, in the middle of a sentence. Mother’s siblings: Peggy (married Tim MacLean), Marjorie (married Ronald Laing) came to Vancouver, Canada with her husband. Allister, settled in Winnipeg. Ronald – was a police officer in Glasgow, was
Show moreAugust 24 2004 Donald Sinclair – Tape 1, Side B; Tape 2, Side A; other recordings missing. Recording starts abruptly, in the middle of a sentence. Mother’s siblings: Peggy (married Tim MacLean), Marjorie (married Ronald Laing) came to Vancouver, Canada with her husband. Allister, settled in Winnipeg. Ronald – was a police officer in Glasgow, was pipe major of the Glasgow Police Pipe Band. Badly wounded in WWI. He was quite short and called “wee Ronald”. Donald Ewan - Superintendent of largest insane asylum in Scotland, also wounded in WWI. John – served in WWII, became sergeant major. Had to leave the army to take care of the family farm after his father fell ill. He later became an Inverness City Counsellor. Youngest sister Marg (married a Morrison). Several first cousins in Ontario, Manitoba and B.C. Mother: Maiden name MacDonald – passed and buried in Vancouver. Went out to service in Glasgow after she left school (around age 13 or 14). There were 10 girls in her class at school with the name MacDonald. The teacher couldn’t speak any Gaelic and they couldn’t speak any English. The teacher named them “Doll 1, Doll 2, etc.” nicknames which stuck – Donald remembers meeting “Doll 10”. They tried to “put down” the Gaelic in school, encouraging students to read & write in English. His mother couldn’t write any Gaelic but spoke it fluently. She was a great baker, taught by her sister Marjorie. Grandmother: Mary Cameron. His grandmother spoke virtually no English and had never gone to school. Her brother came a Minister of Divinity in Edinburgh. She was “a tough little cookie”. Uncle Allister immigrated to Canada in 1912. Donald went to look him up while in Winnipeg at one point, calling the local police for help (a common practice in that time). They told him to call “The Voice of the Red River Valley”, CKNY, the local radio station to put out an ad. He went down to the station and they put a call out on the air. A woman phoned in, who turned out to be his cousin (Allister’s daughter). She picked him up from the station and took him to his uncle’s house. Donald remembers she said, “Dad, one of your relatives from Scotland is here to visit”, and he immediately reverted to Gaelic, asking, “Who’s that?” Donald replied (in Gaelic), “Donald Head Dottie Moore” (his name, his mother’s name, his grandfather & great-grandfather’s nicknames). To which Uncle Allister said, “Mo ghradh, mo ghradh” (my dear, my dear) and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. His wife had a thick accent. Wife: Iris. Children: Two daughters; one who lives in England, and another who lives in B.C. Siblings: Ian, Lexie, twin brother Stuart. Donald’s mother hosted boarders for the Glasgow Police Pipe Band. His grandfather’s house in Scotland was called “the doctor’s house”. It’s located on a hamlet called Kyle’s Peible - “a beautiful machair (low-lying, grassy plane)”. He recalls a time when his mom asked if he would like a wee drop of “Polly” – whiskey from ship the SS Politician, which had famously run aground in Eriskay. His mother was a tall, good-looking, gentle woman. His parents never “strapped” or struck him or his siblings as discipline. Both parents spoke Gaelic, but couldn’t write it, and had thick Hebridian accents. The Depression was a tough time on the family, and there were times growing up when his father was out of work, but he never went on the “parish” (welfare). Donald was manager of a life insurance company for a time. He lived in Edmonton. When living in Toronto he was President of the Toronto Scottish Rugby Football Club. His first job was for a florist/fruit-seller in the Glasgow Foot Market, preparing orders and managing inventory. He would take the streetcar up Argyle St. He worked for a few years before moving onto construction and labour jobs. He worked for a rubber company which supplied motor parts to the Army. His twin brother had been drafted in the Army, and he was anxious to do the same, but learned his boss had declared him as a “reserve occupation”. He wrote to the War Office in Edinburgh and ultimately joined the Seaforth Highlanders, serving in WWII. Both he and his twin were short-sighted in one eye, which gave him the classification of “A4”. He was sent from training to York, then transferred to Nottingham. He applied to be commissioned as an officer like his older & twin brother had. When the Atom Bomb was dropped, they were shipped to Singapore, where Donald met his wife Iris at “Lord Louie’s Headquarters”. They were both shipped back to the U.K. after the War. He came to Toronto, Canada in spring 1947; his wife followed in spring 1948. Although they considered South Africa, the immigration officer in Glasgow told him, “You have to go to Canada – Canada is more Scottish than Scotland”. They initially planned to stay for a few years. He travelled by airplane, and Iris came by ship. Donald spent his first 3 days in a hostel on Jervis St. in Toronto, where lists of lodgers were provided. He lodged with Jesse & Tommy Reid. Canada had a great reputation in Scotland and everyone had a relative who lived there. He remembers feeling excited to see the bears and trees. Iris was still with the Army and was stationed in Chelsea when he came over. His first job in Canada was washing cars for several days. He then got a job with a manufacturing company making golf clubs, tennis rackets and golf balls. Donald applied to Sunlife Insurance, and was a salesman for several years before moving to Standard Life Insurance Company. It was this job which transferred him between Edmonton, Toronto, and eventually Vancouver. He worked for them until his retirement, after which he took a brokerage contract. Donald and Iris married before he came to Canada, in 1947, at St. Columbus Gaelic Church in Glasgow. He recalls people “presenting” in Gaelic at church. He remembers when he first arrived in 1947, Canada was entering an economic recession of sorts, and people worried of another Depression. One particular individual told him, “Jobs are for Canadians”. There was also a girl he met who felt jobs were being taken by Canadians. He found less and less of this sentiment as time went on. Donald’s feelings of “Scottishness” increased in Canada. He got involved in the Robbie Burns Club in Edmonton, which he hadn’t known much about in the old country, aside from visiting the Burns cottage one time. He remembers the dinner hosted Tommy Douglas at one time. He spent 10 years in Toronto, 10 years in Edmonton, before moving back to Toronto. He wrote the Burns Club in Edmonton for assistance to put on a Burns Supper in Toronto with his Scottish Rugby Football Club, which the Mayor attended. He recalls the story from this night. It’s since become a major event. He still feels a sense of belonging when visiting Scotland. Donald recalls the “crofting” life in the Hebrides, and the strictness of the Presbyterian faith in the area. Sunday was the Sabbath and he wasn’t allowed to play music. Looking back on his life, Donald may have gotten more education; both he and his mother were proud of the fact that despite this, he and his brothers finished as Captains in the Army. His biggest satisfaction is still being with his wife, as well as being involved in Rugby, as he had never had the chance while growing up in the tenements in Scotland. He learned to play while in India during his time in the Army.
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Date: 2004-08-24

Title: Interview of Hal Senyk
Description: Hal Senyk Nov. 10 2012 Born: Anthony Harold “Hal” Senyk, March 4th 1950 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Youngest of 3 siblings. Siblings: Older sister was a Highland Dancer, which is how he became involved in bagpiping. His brother was not involved in Scottish dance or music. Sister became involved in dance through their maternal grandmother, and took
Show moreHal Senyk Nov. 10 2012 Born: Anthony Harold “Hal” Senyk, March 4th 1950 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Youngest of 3 siblings. Siblings: Older sister was a Highland Dancer, which is how he became involved in bagpiping. His brother was not involved in Scottish dance or music. Sister became involved in dance through their maternal grandmother, and took lessons from Liz Merrimen. Hal also took dance lessons starting from age 5. Attended Lord Nelson School for primary years. The family moved to Montreal in the late 1950’s, and continued to be involved in the Scottish dancing & piping community. When Hal was about 10, he became fed up with dancing, and had fallen in love with the bagpipes. He took his first lessons from Adam Annandale, from the City of Montreal Pipe Band (grade 1), for several years. George Grant was the Pipe Major of the band. Hal also had sporadic contact with Alec MacNeill, studying piobaireachd (genre). They lived in Montreal until 1963, when they moved to Victoria. A lot of his mother’s family lived there, which influenced the relocation. He moved to Vancouver in the early 1970’s. Father: George Senyk, born in Winnipeg in 1919. Ukrainian background. Served in the Airforce during the War. Was a gymnast in his younger years, and worked in physical recreation & education. If the War hadn’t interfered, he would have been destined for the Olympic team. Paternal Grandfather: Emigrated from Ukraine in 1903 (left from Galicia), and settled in Winnipeg. He worked with the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was involved with the strike in Winnipeg. Mother: Maiden name Watt. Family roots in Fife. This side of the family encouraged involvement in Scottish dance and piping. Nobody in the family spoke Gaelic. Maternal Grandmother: Maiden name Reekie; immigrated & settled on the west coast of Canada. Maternal Grandfather: Originally from Aberdeen. Hal has had many influential bagpiping instructors at different points in his life: In Victoria, he joined the Canadian Scottish Cadets. Frank “Dink” Knight was the Pipe Major at the time, and was very helpful. He was well-decorated from his time in the Second World War. Ian Duncan also taught Hal for a time. Archie Cairns, Pipe Major of the Airforce, was posted to Victoria for a few years when Hal was in his late teens; he really helped to launch Hal’s career, and left a large impact on his playing. The development of the Couer d’Alene Summer School of Piping and Drumming in Idaho also tied into his development. Col. John MacEwing founded the Couer d’Alene School. He was a well-decorated veteran. He originally started a school in Spokane, Washington, around 1967-68. It took off, as there were few piping schools around at that time. The school shifted to Couer d’Alene to make use of the university campus. John MacLellan ran the school for a time. Seamus MacNeill was brought out, and requested Bob Hardie as an assistant. Bob played for Muirhead, which was very successful at the time. Hal attended his first year at the school along with Jim Troy. Hal was amazed by Bob Hardie’s playing. Bob Hardie took over the school, and it took off from there. The school had a professional piping competition each year, which players travelled across North America for. Hal won a banner in the competition 1971, and got a trip to Scotland as a prize. He had dropped out of the University of Victoria in favour of bagpiping, and linked up with Bob Hardie while in Scotland. Bob offered Hal the chance to play with the Muirhead & Son’s Pipe Band for a year. He worked as a labourer in a lumber mill while in Scotland – Muirhead & Sons was a lumber mill itself. It paid him 14 pounds per week. At the same time, a large number of players had “aged out” of their previous band, and decided to form their own. Their goal was to beat the Vancouver Ladies. Malcolm Nicholson was the leader, and they named it the Triumph Street Pipe Band after the street he lived on. Some notable members included Angus MacPherson, Rob Abel, Willie MacErlean. He was requested to join the band as Pipe Major; he agreed and moved to Vancouver in 1972, living here ever since. Hal competed at a professional level, which was a point of pride for him, as there were not many Canadian pipers in Scotland at the time. He won a prize at age 22 at the Northern Meeting in Inverness. Another significant event was when Bob requested Andrew Wright to join the trip to Couer d’Alene, who remains “a constant thread” in the school to the time of this interview. Hal describes Andrew as a talented, “intelligent” player – he recalls one evening when several of them gathered in a room with a tape recorder, and requested Andrew to play various piobaireachd tunes; they went on for hours, and there wasn’t a song he didn’t know. Andrew was with the Red Hackle Band for a time, as well as many other bands. He has left a huge imprint on bagpiping on the west coast. Jim McMillan was another notable player. He took a lot of instruction from the Blind Piper, Archie MacNeill, and was considered the “real guru” of west coast playing. Hal would go over to Jim’s house frequently to go over tunes and have a glass of scotch. Jim was a “professional learner”, which Hal tried to model himself after. Hal considers G.S. MacLellan & Donald MacLeod to be the greatest composers of the past; he doesn’t have a particular modern favourite at the time of interview. He feels the trend of entertainment-focused pipe bands will continue to expand. He thinks there is no problem with fresh approaches or varied types of music. Hal went to the World Pipe Band Championships 5 or 6 times with the Triumph Street Pipe Band, starting in 1976; he competed twice while a member of Muirheads, which was his first involvement. He feels they were “robbed” in the 1976 competition, as he feels it was one of their best performances. The Triumph Band continued to improve with each trip to the Worlds, and won 5th prize in 1979. Hal stepped down as Pipe Major of Triumph Street for a short time in the 1980’s to finish his University. Triumph Street disbanded for various reasons in the 1990’s. The most memorable performances for him were not necessarily winning ones. He moved on to work with the City of Abbotsford Pipe Band under Pipe Major Ian MacDougall, which also disbanded in 1995. A few years later, he played with Angus MacPherson in the Maple Ridge Pipe Band. He stopped competing in bands or solo competitions in the 1990’s, as his fingers began to slow. Hal’s youngest daughter became a drummer with the White Spot Organization, and so Hal became an instructor with them. He also teaches at the professional level. Hal always considers the tune he is learning at the given moment to be the most interesting. He points out that every judge has a natural bias based on their own preference. He feels a greater danger in a judge is incompetence. Canadian bands were outsiders in early on in the competitions, and so were the Irish bands – Hal feels there is a strong affinity between them because of this. He points out the nature of bands has changed, so that their membership is no longer regionally based. A strong leader will attract players from around the world to a given band. Hal attended his first BC Piper’s Association Annual Gathering at age 14 (around 1945); he was terrified of travelling alone to the big city of Vancouver, coming from Victoria. The events were held at the Seaforth Armoury at the time, with large crowds. There was a different grading system: Novice, Juvenile, Junior Amateur, Senior Amateur. Hal was a Novice at the time, and couldn’t win a prize in his first year. He promoted himself up to Juvenile anyways, and ended up winning the Aggregate. Memorable recitals at the Annual Gathering included Jim Burgess and Donald MacPherson. The Gathering always brought in a high-profile judge from Scotland. Hal has won the Cairn for Piobaireachd in 1975 and 1976. John A. MacLeod was a major competitor at the time, along with Jimmy Troy. Theresa McErlean & Theresa MacKinnis won many prizes. There were very few competitors from other areas of Canada at that time, which has changed. Hal feels that he plays the Piobaireachd with more understanding as he has gotten older. He has always had an interest in researching old tunes. He would go to the library and look over old manuscripts to try to understand the music better. One of the most astonishing performances he ever heard was by “Wee Donald” MacLeod on a BBC broadcast. Competing with a band brings Hal more satisfaction than solo, as you can share the pleasure with other people. Hal worked most of his life taking jobs around his piping schedule, before getting his law degree in the 1980’s. He has been practicing general law ever since. He has opted not to join large, downtown firms. The term “Piobaireachd” has always bothered Hal – it is unclear whether it is a Gaelic or English word originally, and doesn’t appear in the literature until the late 18th century. The term means “Pipe Music”, which Hal finds foolish, as it would just be called “music”; this leads him to believe it is a newer construct, now used to describe the classical genre. Hal doesn’t have any feelings of “Scottishness”. He identifies as Canadian, and enjoys playing the bagpipes. As an observer, he thinks the Scottish Nationalist Party may result in constitutional reform. He thinks there is room in the union for Scottish independence. Looking back on his life, his greatest satisfactions came from performing with the various bands, as well as solo performances, regardless of whether they were prize-winning. He finds satisfaction from teaching young people.
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Date: 2012-11-10