New leadership for Ontario society

Two of the more active branches of the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario have new leadership after long-time presidents stepped down.

Karine Mayers and Dylan Whittemore are the new heads of the Ottawa and Toronto branches, respectively. Mayers replaces Jacob Dicker, who stepped down after seven years in the role, and Whittemore comes in after Ellen Mole served 10 years as Toronto branch president.

Both Mayers and Whittemore had served with their branches as co-vice-presidents, and Whittemore was in the middle of his two-year term. The presidents of each of the PPBSO’s five branches serves on the parent organization’s board of directors.

Whittemore is an accomplished piper, competing in the Professional grade. He was a pupil of the late Ed Neigh and plays Neigh’s pipes today. Mayers is a tenor drummer with the Ottawa Highlanders Pipes & Drums, and was a member of Grade 1 Ottawa Police Services until that band stopped competing.

Mitchell Arnold was acclaimed into the co-vice-president role with the Toronto branch that Whittemore vacated. He serves with Danial Carr, and, like Whittemore, both are active Professional-grade pipers.

The Ottawa and Toronto branches are the PPBSO’s largest, each with more than 300 members aligned with them. Only nine Toronto branch members attended its annual general meeting on November 20th, held on Zoom and lasting about an hour. Whittemore was acclaimed after being the only nomination. Mitchell Arnold was acclaimed as co-vice-president.

At the Toronto branch meeting, Mole reported that the Toronto Indoor Games, normally held in April at Toronto Moss Park Armoury, are unlikely to be held due to ongoing Covid-19 regulations that prohibit non-military personnel from entering the venue. The branch’s More Ceol Mor workshop is slated to go ahead, and its series of knockout competitions are already underway.

The PPBSO’s annual general meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 4th, once again being held online.