James Center

J. A. Center Obituary - Port Melbourne Standard 29th November 1919: ‘Champion of Champions. Late Pipe-Sergeant J. A. Center. Won Over 300 Trophies. Piper James A. Center, sergeant of the South and Port Ladies' Pipe Band, up till the time of his death (October 20), was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1875, but his parents were natives of Donside, Aberdeenshire-the home of the Gordon Highlanders. He first received lessons from his father, a well- known piper and bagpipe maker. He afterwards studied under James Mauchline (Edinburgh), Lieutenant McLennan (Edinburgh), D. C. Mather (Lochcarron), the famous piper and dancer, and later under J. MacDougall Gillies, the recognised champion pibroch player of the world. Lieutenant McLennan is an uncle of Pipe-Major McLennan, of the Melbourne Highland Pipe Band. James A. Center first competed at an open amateur competition at Edinburgh, winning second prize in a strongly contested competition. This, however, proved to be his first and last appearance as an amateur. We next find him competing as a professional at all the leading games in Aberdeenshire, with varied success, and later on throughout Scotland. His crowning achievement was the winning of the Highland Societies' (London) Champion Gold Medal, the Blue Ribbon of the Northern Gathering at Inverness in 1902. He was also in the front rank as an all-round Highland dancer. In 1895 he toured the United States of America in company with Farquhar Beaton and Robert Ireland, late of the 93rd Highlanders, the champion piper of America. He then returned to Scotland, and competed annually at all the leading games, and defeated in turn all the leading pipers of Scotland, finally winning the Clasp to the Blue Ribbon, with the title of Champion of Champions, at Inverness in 1904. He was the possessor of over 300 gold and silver medals and cups. In 1907 he visited New Zealand, and carried off every first prize which it was possible to win. He repeated this brilliant success on a later occasion. He came to Australia and carried off the Australian championship. He then went home to Scotland. Twelve months later he returned to Australia with his wife and family to take up his abode here. He competed at all the principal games with unvarying success. He took deep interest in the Ladies' Pipe Band, and assisted to train these players for the recent Ballarat competitions. He accompanied the band on several occasions on country engagements, and it was at one of these, at Loch, where he got a chill, which caused him to take to his bed. He gradually got worse day by day until October 20, 1919, when he passed away. He leaves a wife and family to mourn his loss.’