210

A Dynamic Return Down Under for Edinburgh Tattoo.

Following the resounding success of the Edinburgh Military Tattoos visit to
Australia in 2005, the Tattoo again marching down under, this time to launch the
shows diamond jubilee year with its largest ever production.

With more than 1,500 performers from around the world set to descend on
Sydney in February, The Edinburgh Military Tattoo Celebrating 60 years of
Valour, Mateship, Glory, promises to be an explosive start to the Tattoos
birthday celebrations.

Australia has always been good to the Tattoo, said Tattoo Producer Major
General Euan Loudon on taking the Tattoo back to Sydney. I can think of no
better way of kicking off our diamond jubilee year in 2010 than by returning to
the city and country which opened their hearts to us so warmly when we visited
last time round.

Once again the show will be held at the Sydney Football Stadium , and will
feature 17 pipe bands including six from the UK. A key theme for the event
reflects the history and camaraderie between the British and Australian Defence
Forces.

Along with the acts like the New Zealand Army Band, His Majesty The Kings
Guard and Drill Team from Norway, Switzerlands Top Secret Drum Corps and
The Band of the Moscow Military Conservatoire from Russia, 2010 will also mark
the first Australian visit for the 100-strong Military Band of the Peoples
Liberation Army of China.

OzScot Australia has fielded the country and has 100 highland dancers
journeying to Sydney from every state and territory. The Edinburgh Tattoos
Dance Director Billy Forsyth will also be bringing 24 highland dancers to
compliment the Australian team.

The choreography for the highland dance segment has been undertaken by
OzScot Australia Dance Director Cheryl Roach. With dancers spread around the
country and others over in Scotland, DVDs are sent out to the dancers in advance
of the group rehearsals at the end of January so when the team meets for the
first time, the dancers can make the most out of the intense pre-show practice.
For Roach the challenge will be to design a performance that combines traditional
steps with a modern creative edge.

The choreography reflects a unique blending of traditional Highland Dancing
with every contemporary segments, Roach said. The dance is physically
demanding, fun and challenging for the dancer and therefore provides a fresh
211

experience for the modern audience who expects to be entertained often by
both the traditional and the new.

With a record number of performers taking part in the event, the production
team in Australia has been working with the government agencies to secure
lodging, food and transportation for the cast members, their luggage and their
instruments.

Sydney and New South Wales are clearly thrilled to have secured the Tattoo
again and it has been a great challenge and pleasure to work with the team from
Edinburgh to prepare for the arrival of so many Australian and international
performers and fans, said Linda Geddes Production Manager for the Tattoo in
Australia.

Along with the challenge of organising the transportation of vast amounts of
freight, the Sydney logistics team is working closely with the Australian
Government regarding quarantine laws for unusual items such as furs and
weapons.

Initial production plans also included the re-installation of the life-sized
facsimile of Edinburgh Castle used in the first production in 2005. However a
warehouse fire in the spring destroyed the replica and left the production teams
the daunting task of rebuilding the $1 Million AUS structure.

Despite the trial to start the dramatic backdrop from scratch, Maj. Gen. Euan
Loudon said that when he stood beneath the newly created replica of the castle
drawbridge, he was amazed at the detail the design team had achieved.
I felt like I had been beamed back to the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle it was
so realistic.

The design of the castle replica is being guided by Art Director Viviane Wilson,
who said one of the biggest challenges in recreating a giant structure that is not
only thousands of miles away, but also has never been seen in person by many of
the team members.

It is most rewarding when we have visit by the folks from Scotland and they are
so complimentary, Wilson said. It is very reassuring and just reinforces the
fact we all feel privileged to have the opportunity to reproach such an icon. The
entire team says its one of the best jobs they have been lucky enough to be
involved with.

For his part, Maj. Gen. Loudon sees the Sydney event as a way to both celebrate
the Edinburgh Tattoos Anniversary and offer a hearty thanks to one of the
shows biggest supporters. For decades Australia has provided regular and loyal
212

bands of musicians that have brought so much to the show. For that we are
eternally grateful.



































213

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo A Salute
to Australia

Brigadier Melville Jameson, Producer of the Edinburgh Military
Tattoo, considers A Salute to Australia to have been one of the
best Edinburgh Military Tattoos ever staged and hes seen a
few. That was my aim: to bring the best from overseas to join
with Australias best, he says. There were so many other groups
who would have loved to come but werent able to but I was very
pleased with the programme and delighted with the capacity
crowds.

Leo Schofield, Creative Director of
the event, says that it surpassed his
expectations. I always knew that
Sydney would take to the show. We
know the annual broadcast from
Edinburgh that there is a loyal
audience but I didnt expect quite the
huge, all-encompassing appeal that it
had. As for the 160,000 people who
saw A Salute to Australia, Schofield
believes that their expectations were
also surpassed. Even though theyve seen the broadcast I dont think they were
prepared for the scale of it, the beauty of the castle, and the drama of lighting
and music.

Jamie Barkley, Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground
Trust, the man who convinced SCG Trustees to take on the huge responsibility of
underwriting the event, also believes their faith was rewarded. In fact, he
214

considers A Salute to Australia to have been a better Tattoo than the one he
saw in Edinburgh last year, certainly bigger. Its been widely acclaimed as one of
the most successful entertainment events ever staged in Sydney and in
Australia, says Barkley. All credit to Leo Schofield and Mel Jameson for
bringing the event to Sydney and staging it so successfully.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo A Salute to Australia took four years of planning
and preparation such were the logistics involved in lining up the programme and
getting approval from the various Government Ministries and Defence Forces.
Just getting all the performers to Sydney from different parts of the world
Cyprus, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland was a small
miracle in itself, says Brigadier Jameson. The Promoter, the Sydney Cricket &
Sports Ground Trust, did a magnificent job.

Its too easy to say that it was a logistical nightmare, says Schofield, But it
was certainly a challenge. But we had unprecedented support at every level: the
Federal Government, the State Government, the Australian Defence Forces and
the Police. Everybody became excited by the event and wanted to be part of its
success. It was carried along on a wave of collegiality and co-operation and,
unusually, met no stumbling blocks.

With just three days rehearsal in Sydney, the production Down Under came
together rapidly. On Wednesday 2 February a full dress rehearsal was planned
for 3pm in advance of a public preview that night. Then at around 4pm the
heavens opened and Sydney was lashed by a ferocious summer storm. At 4.15pm
the rehearsal had to be
abandoned because of the
torrential rain. In its 55-year
history, the Edinburgh Military
Tattoo has never once been
cancelled and had the rain
continued the performance would
have gone on. But the heavens
were with the Tattoo. By 6pm the
rain had stopped and at 8pm the
performance began as scheduled.

Because its a sporting arena, it is set up to drain very quickly and the ground
was not at all squelchy, says Schofield. The Channel 7 cameras, already in
position to film the preview, were undamaged and even the stunning replica of
Edinburgh Castle, which took a savage drubbing in the storm, emerged unscathed.

The Preview was a great success, bar traffic problems intensified the storm.
Channel 7 was apparently ecstatic about the quality of the footage and next
215

morning talk back radio was abuzz with people ringing in to say how much theyd
enjoyed the show.
Opening night on 3 February was huge. From the traditional Australian welcome a
lone digeridoo to the Finale featuring the entire 1200 strong cast, the evening
ran like clockwork. There were lovely changes of pace and tone throughout the
night as pomp and ceremony shared the bill with the heart-warming and
humorous. From the stirring sight of the Massed Pipes & Drums from Scotland, to
the delightfully unexpected humour of the New Zealand Army Band with its haka
and Austin Powers dance, to the awe inspiring precision of the Queens Colour
Squadron of the RAF, to the spectacular drumming of Switzerlands Top Secret
Drum Corps, to the musical ride of the mounted New South Wales Police, to the
Highland Dancers, to the young men of HM The King s Guard, Norway, who had
only begun their national service two months earlier, to a moving rendition of
Waltzing Matilda by the bands of the Australian Armed Forces, it was a
programme full of surprise and variety.

Each of the five performances elicited the same delighted response from
audiences. At the Saturday performance, Her Excellency the Governor,
accompanied by Sir Nicholas Shehadie, took the salute. And then, after the last
performance on Tuesday 8 February, it was all over. The extreme heat had been
hard at times for the performers particularly those used to British summers!
and there were plenty of exhausted cast and crew members. But everyone was
thrilled by the fantastic response.

Brigadier Jameson professes to be delighted on a number of levels. We were
invited to Australia with the aim of reproducing a replica Tattoo and I hope we
have more than lived up to expectations, he says. We have raised a significant
sum of money for various Australian and British Service charities. And I am told
that the Tattoo generated around A$60 million for the economy of Sydney
during our stay. Most important for me has been the opportunity for us to
develop a closer association between the British and Australian Defence Forces.
Despite the fact that we come from the other side of the world, we have fought
alongside each other in many conflicts and we hope this will draw us together and
enhance our close relationship for many years to come.

Brigadier Jameson, Leo Schofield and Jamie Barkley are of one accord that the
four years of preparation were well worthwhile. Will it ever happen again in
Australia? Not in my lifetime I dont think, says Schofield (now approaching 70).
It is one of those things that, like the Sydney Olympics, is something hugely
memorable to be talked about for years to come.





216

Bibliography & Acknowledgements.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo A History Roddy Martine

Edinburgh Military Tattoo - Graeme Wallace

Music of the Scottish Regiments David Murray

Colonel Alasdair Hutton OBE Tattoo Narrator

Captain Craig Hallatt Director of Music, Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment
of Scotland

Lieutenant General John Cooper DSO, MBE

Pipe Major Jim White

Drum Major Ian Brown

Sergeant Andrew Smith

Miss Eleanor Bennett

Captain Brian Alexander

Piper Euan Stewart

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Programmes 1950-2010



With thanks to all members of the Tattoo production team and all people
connected with the Edinburgh Tattoo.