Fred W Hansford

It is Glasgow, 1997, and the Abbotsford Police Pipe Band is competing in the World Championships in Scotland. Among the police are members of the Bar, and they too pipe with vigor and pride. One such piper is Fred W. Hansford (78) of the Chilliwack firm of Thome, Jesperson, Hansford.

A fellow lawyer and piper in the New Westminster Bar Association All Star Pipe Band, Hal Senyk of Surrey, says that piping “has been part of our lives since we were very young.” Fred has been piping since 1971, playing in numerous bands at many public events, including local parades, functions, and tattoos.

In 1998, Fred became the Pipe Major of the Chilliwack and District Pipe Band. Classified as a Grade 4 band, the group participates in many parades and community functions in the Upper Fraser Valley. As Pipe Major, Fred is responsible for the musical direction of the band, and is the band’s “conductor” and instructor. The band practices twice per week, and Fred teaches piping to band members and beginning pipers of all ages. Fred’s piping activities are a service to the community says Hal, because “any kind of music or arts enriches our community.”

Fred’s enthusiasm for piping is shared by his wife, Laurel, and their children. When speculating on Fred’s future piping activities, Hal laughs and says, “It’s a bad disease. I expect Fred will be actively involved for a long time to come.”

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This article was published in the February 1999 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2006, all rights reserved.