John Ryan - who joined the Lismore Pipe Band in 1952 and became drum major in 1961- recently passed on the baton after announcing he was retiring from the role earlier this year. He's been a significant figure in the community over the years, winning numerous awards for his service. He spoke to the Lismore App this week about how he got into the role, what he got out of it and how the band - and Anzac Day - has changed over the years.

On Anzac Day this week I went down at 8am and watched the march from outside the Civic Hotel. Afterwards, I went in with the boys and had a chat to them when they finished. It was the first time in 67 years I haven't marched and sat on the sidelines and watched instead.

It was different. Let's put it that way. It was sort of sad. Yes and no. I knew the time would have to come. The road was getting longer and I was getting older.

I was born in Coraki. Mum and dad were at Lismore but then I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother on the other side of Coraki. When I first went to school it was at the East Lismore school, which is Lismore Public now, and then I went to the old high school in the CBD.

I got a job as a joiner when I left school at Lardner and Jones, just across the two bridges, which burned down. Then I was 43 years at Dayal Singh's. I was in charge there when I retired. People today change jobs like they're changing shirts these days but I had two jobs. That's all.

Apart from that my life has been soccer - I helped found the Lismore Thistles Soccer Club - and the pipe band.

I had mates in the band, when I was about 17, so I decided to join as well. After I was in the pipe band for a while, I joined the 31st army band as well because we got paid there. I think it was once a week we got two pounds or a pound. You got paid every three months and got six or seven pounds, which was a lot of money back then.

We used to get the bags from Scotland and they were made out of sheepskin, but they used to rot out in the climate here so we got kangaroo hides instead. They used to have to fill them with honey which would seep into the seems to seal them, but then you had to watch that the cockroaches didn't get into them, or the ants.

Bagpipes are hard to learn because other instruments you've got the music in front of you but with bagpipes you have to learn and memorize all the tunes. The circular breathing is tricky too, because when you take a breath you have to push the bag to get the same pressure going through all the reeds; you have to coordinate it. Once you get it, you're right, but it takes a while.

I was a piper for about nine years before I became the drum major. Our old drum major McPherson, he got older and left, and the guy they put in to replace him didn’t last long.

We were going to a highland gathering in McLean and we had to have a drum major so they put me in and I had it since then.

A fresh-faced John Ryan at Coffs Harbour in 1961, not long after being made drum major. PHOTO: Supplied.

To be a good drum major, you've got to have a good voice - your drum major is there to drill the band - and the band follows you when you march. In the army, they dress to the right and in the pipe band you dress to the centre, which is the drum major. So when I go that way, they go that way. When I go into the pub after the Anzac Day ceremony, they go into the pub.

The band used to have engagements, I'd say at least twice a week, years ago. Every weekend you'd be playing at something. They used to have the garden parties for the church, all that stuff. We didn't charge, it was always a bunch of flowers or a cake or something, but then we had to start charging.

John Ryan carrying the Haggis at the 1974 Highland Ball. PHOTO: Supplied.

We used to have the Chincogan festival, the Fairymount Festival at Kyogle, all those, but the insurance became too expensive. The band's insured for $20 million, which costs a lot of money. That's the minimum. That's the killer.

There are other costs as well. Only 12 months ago, we got new drums and it cost $13,500. People don't realise the money that's in it. When we used to have full dress, mine would be worth over $2,000. The kilt alone is $500 and it's nearly $500 for the jacket, and then your sporran is $200 or $300. It soon adds up. It costs a lot to keep a band going.

Today the pipe would do Anzac Day, Beef Week, the Billy Cart Parade at Bangalow at the Lantern Parade and probably the Lismore Show, that's it. We might only do six events a year.

I always enjoyed being in the band. I made a lot of friends. You meet a lot of nice people. You travel a lot. The band was like one big family. Two or three of the members, their daughters or sons would be in the band too. So it was sort like a family in itself.

My wife Barbara and I made some of our best friends in the band. Us and two other couples have been to New Zealand together, and trips in Australia. Our closest friends would all be in the band. We're booked to go to the tattoo in Sydney in October. We've been two of them, this will be the third.

In 2007 at the McLean gathering. PHOTO: Supplied.

Years ago, when I first started in the band, on Anzac day we used to start at the Presbyterian church and it would go right around the block. It also used to start at 10 o’clock instead of 9 o’clock.

There's less diggers today. There's not as many of them now. If you took the school kids out there wouldn't be very many in the march now at all.

They used to have a brass band in Lismore. A good brass band. You had the Salvation Army band, the South Lismore school had a band, Woodlawn had a band and they were all along... now there's just a pipe band and there's a band that sits in the middle of the street that plays.

The Catholic schools used to practice marching before Anzac Day but the kids today just sort of walk along. Woodlawn had a drummer to try and and give them a bit of a beat this year. He was beating the Christ out of the drum.

But the number of people who come along hasn't changed much. There's always been a good crowd. And they're letting Vietnam Vets march now, which they should have earlier.

Membership of the band has fallen off over the years since I first started. We have a lot of young ones come in but when they leave school they go away for uni or jobs.

We have a ladies auxiliary who do a terrific job raising money, doing lamington drives and everything and their membership is dwindling too.

But that's an issue everywhere, for all community organisations.

John Ryan at the 2014 Glen Innes Celtic Festival. PHOTO: Supplied.

We've got two or three learners that are coming now. If you get young ones, we find they're in there for a while and then they either get boyfriends or girlfriends or jobs and they go, whereas if you get someone who is 25 or 28 you're more likely to keep them for a while. The two learning are up around 30. So they should be good.

I think there always will be a pipe band in Lismore. We had our 70 years reunion a couple of years ago. The band, we've had our ups and downs, we’ve been down to six pipers and we've had it up to 14 or 15 pipers. At one stage we had a girls band for a little while. We had too many in the band so we started a girls band but it didn't last long.

The new band leader Glen will go alright. You've got to give him a go. It's something that if you're in the band you're following someone, and when you're in front you’re out there by yourself and if you make a boo boo or you make a wrong signal, they'll follow you. It's lonely out there.

Anzac Day was his first day. He's got a lot to learn, but he'll learn. We all have to start that way. Every job you can never criticise them because if you don't have a go you'll never learn and never go anywhere.