Since then countless men and women have experienced some of the biggest thrills in the art of blowing… bagpipes, that is.
Dainfern’s Simon Carter is the man responsible for bringing the SA Tattoo to life every year, where bagpipes and drums stir emotion, as if played in the Scottish Highlands.
Carter visited the Edinburgh Tattoo five years ago, and said the pipes and drums stirred incredible emotion, and that he knew South Africa was missing out on international music offerings.
The same year the SA Tattoo was born. The International Association of Tattoo Organisers now consider it one of the world’s premier Tattoos for its ability to showcase South African culture and tradition, alongside instruments celebrated by the Scots.
It is also a significant event in the annual Montecasino social calendar.
“The castle wall backdrop of the outdoor events arena is ideal for the show,” added Carter.
With the show’s enormous growth over the last few years, Carter would rather have longer runs than change venue.
The big attraction, however, remains the pipe and drum bands.
“They play a unique and appealing sound, especially en masse. I had a sense that traditional musical scores would have the same appeal to South African audiences.”
But there was always a risk to the show, with the pipes and drums community in Africa’s most southern country being small, that might have been part of the excitement.
“The financial risk is massive, and without a well supported show it would have a big effect on my personal life,” he said.
But the executive producer thrives on looking for new acts and planning the event, and being a Virgo perfectionist has helped for the detailed build up to the musical masterpiece.
Over 600 local and international performers are scheduled to appear in the Tattoo this September.
“They have to arrive from around the country and the world: accommodated, fed, transported and seamlessly co-ordinated and rehearsed in less than three days into a 90-minute spectacle.”
On top of this, lights and various equipment also needs to be in tune to the perfectly timed beat of drums and marching steps.
“Every move taken needs to be precise,” he added.
With Carter at the helm, it is no wonder the event has such magnitude, enough to fill Witkoppen Road with the seductive sounds of instruments being blown, starting even more affairs in its wake.
