It was a truly international affair at the Maclean Highland gathering with competitors travelling from as far as Scotland, Canada, and New Zealand for the 121st event.

Rain showers on both Friday and Saturday added a touch of Scottish ambience, said Lower Clarence Scottish Association Secretary Alister Smith, as people travelled from as far as Melbourne to enjoy the annual spectacle.

“We did have a few heavy showers…I was with the Maclean band and ourselves, and the first three or four bands got through unscathed, then it came down pretty heavily.

“We are an event about the Scottish culture, so the wet weather actually adds a bit of authenticity.

“When we started the band competition on Saturday it was under a fair bit of cloud and some rain, then it turned out to be a majestic day.”

A magnificent rainbow over the Maclean Showground on Saturday signalled the clearing of the wet weather.

“I’m not sure where the pot of gold landed, it wasn’t quite in the showground,” Mr Smith said.

During the solo piping competitions on Friday there were a few showers, but this didn’t stop a highly successful event.

Judges sheltered under marquees so the competition could continue, and by 1pm the fine weather returned.

“Bagpipes sort of excel in that type of humid weather, it’s almost ideal for them because it is what they’re used to,” Mr Smith said.

There were 125 competitors overall in the piping events, while a competitor from Mackay and another from Sydney didn’t attend due to the fuel crisis.

“We still had some people driving up from Victoria to compete,” Mr Smith said.

Social media has expanded the reach of the Maclean Highland Gathering, helping to promote the event and attract international guests.

“We had Highland Dancers who came across from Canada, Pipers who came across to compete from New Zealand and one or two from Scotland,” Mr Smith said.

An international “exchange” type program exists among the Scottish Band community, where Australians go overseas during the Northern Hemisphere summer to compete and are hosted by international bands, which is reciprocated when international bands come to Australia to compete.

“The bands overseas will pay for Australian band’s flights and put them up when they go overseas, then when they come to Australia, our bands pay for their flights and put them up,” Mr Smith said.

One of the strongest fields ever assembled in Australia competed in the A Grade Piping on Friday evening.

The Maclean Highland Gathering A Grade Piping is a qualifying event for the Australian Clasp, the Australian Championship to be held for the first time in March 2027.

“The winner was Jamie Hawke who now lives in Brisbane but is from New Zealand, second place was Chris McCarten from Scotland, and third was Craig Sked a South African, who lived and worked in Scotland…and eventually moved to Australia,” Mr Smith said.

McLachlan Park came alive on Friday night for the Ceilidh in the Park where a crowd of more than 800 people enjoyed performances from a lot of local dancers, singers, Scottish folk performers and pipers.

“The Maclean Scottish Town Dancers performed, and locals Duncan and Isla North sang,” Mr Smith said.

People lined River Street for the traditional Saturday morning parade of the pipe bands, not worried about the inclement weather.

“The showers didn’t seem to deter anybody and the bands soldiered on,” Mr Smith said.

“We did wonder how much of an effect the fuel issue would have, because we did get a lot of calls asking if the event would still go ahead, and if we had any fuel at Maclean.

“We were marginally down on numbers on last year, but last year was a record year.”

The showers cleared revealing a magnificent day, which was embraced by the crowds at Maclean Showground watching the Highland Games, Scottish dancers, and the Massed Pipe Band display.

Another successful Highland Gathering concluded with the International Piping Recital at the former Maclean Services Club featuring internationally renowned Willie McCallum who wowed the crowd with an unforgettable performance.

“Willie McCallum is probably the most prolific prize winner in solo piping history of anyone from any generation,” Mr Smith said.

“It was mesmerising and he really gave a great performance in a long show.”

The Lower Clarence Scottish Association thanked their hard-working volunteer staff, who worked for weeks and months to enable the event to go ahead, all their local sponsors and Clarence Valley Council for their support, the Maclean Show Society, and all the people who travel to Maclean for the Highland Gathering.

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 10 April 2026.