The band has eight students on bagpipes and six on drums. Pipes Major Donald Blair said more were taking drum lessons and there were six other students on practice chanters. “By this time next year we will have 12 or more on pipes,” Mr Blair said.

The school’s bagpipes are handmade in Geelong from African blackwood, the hardest wood in the world, and are worth about $2000 each.

“It’s unique for country Victoria to have a pipe band, and this is the type of school that pipe bands are developed in throughout the world,” Mr Blair said.

“This is the first time a school in country Victoria has taken on having a pipe band.”

Mr Blair and drum sergeant Peter Moir volunteer up to 10 hours a week at the school teaching the students.

Mr Blair also volunteers his time to give the pipers extra lessons during the week outside of school hours.

King’s College received about $40,000 from four different trusts including The Uebergang and Gwen and Edna Jones foundations as well as two others from Melbourne.

It has funded the purchase of instruments and the uniforms. The uniforms were ordered earlier this year and the tartan – which is the same as that worn by the Royal Air Force of Canada – was made in Brisbane.

The kilts cost about $8000 to have made and it cost about $2000 to purchase the sporrans, the small pouch that is worn around the kilt.

The aim is for the school band to join in Anzac Day marches and perform at community functions. “The plan is to have them operating as a pipe band identity, King’s College Pipe Band,” Mr Blair said.

“It takes quite a time to become established. It just doesn’t happen overnight.”

Mum Anne Van Zyl said her two daughters loved the bagpipes, which were very difficult to learn, and spent up to three hours a week playing.

“Bagpipes are not something you just play for a hobby, you can travel the world with them,” she said. 

Mum Janine Ryan said when her daughters played the pipes at home, the neighbour’s dog would sometimes bark. However, she said they were not as loud as the drums and preferred the pipes over the recorder.

Grade four pupil Amy Ryan recently competed in a solo piping competition in Melbourne and came fourth in the state. Carla Van Zyl also picked up a placing at a Camperdown competition.

Mr Blair also said pipes could be chosen as a VCE subject and he has already tutored 14 students for that purpose. The drums have also been added as a VCE subject in the past two years.