THE New Zealand Police Pipe Band will play in Lisburn City Centre on Tuesday 12th August to publicise the Ulster New Zealand Trust and the Ballance House at Glenavy.

While here they will be playing at the Graduation Parade at the PSNI Training College and the RUC Memorial Garden.

The band will be playing in Lisburn from 1 - 1.30am on Tuesday at the Sunken Gardens. They will then march down Bow Street and play outside Woolworths and Easons before returning to the Sunken Gardens for a final programme followed by a reception in their honour by the Mayor of Lisburn Councillor Ronnie Crawford in the Museum's Assembly Room.

The Pipe Band is playing in Lisburn at the invitation of the Ulster New Zealand Trust and the Ballance House Trust. John Ballance was born on a farm in Glenavy which is still owned by the Ballance family and after attending the local National School he emigrated to New Zealand in 1866. He went on to became Prime Minister in 1891 until his death in 1893.

The Grade 1 band is flying from New Zealand to take part in the Ulster Pipe Band Championships in Bangor on Saturday 9th August and the World Championships in Scotland a week later.

Ulster Star
08/08/2008