Interview of Therese McErlean

April 25 2012 Therese McErlean Born: Therese MacInness, June 11th, 1949 in Vancouver. Five siblings (2 brothers & 2 sisters), Therese was the fourth. Father: Micheal MacInness. Born in Eriskay, Scotland in 1904. He was a master mariner, and when he came to Vancouver, he ran an icebreaker in the north, and was a longshoreman in the offseason. He was a quiet man, and Therese regrets that she didn’t get to know more about him or his family. He spoke Gaelic, but didn’t read or write it. He didn’t talk much, but she knew he was proud of her piping accomplishments. In Eriskay, he was a fisher and always on the water. Travelled the world as a sailor. He “jumped ship” in Vancouver around 1926-28. Therese’s paternal grandparents passed when she was born, but she was later told by family members in Scotland that her grandmother was “away with the faeries” – a term for being in an asylum. She remembers the funny stories told about when the ship Politician ran aground. Mother: Born in 1908 just outside of Glasgow. Came to Canada for a better life with her parents when she was 18. Second oldest of her siblings, 6 brothers and 2 sisters. Came to St. Brides (outside of Edmonton), in what was an Irish settlement. The family farmed. She worked in house service in Edmonton, which was her profession from age 14 on in Scotland. She was always trying to get her family to come to Edmonton from St. Brides, because their life there was “dismal”. “They were poor in Scotland, but they weren’t that poor”. The plot of land was almost “unworkable”. Her mother was a Highland dancer for years. She told many stories from her career of housekeeping. She retired once she was married. She did not speak Gaelic. Therese’s parents met in Vancouver. When she was born, they were living at 13th & Commercial. They moved to Burnaby when she was 6. They played $13 000 for the house around 1956. She attended Edmonds School from grade 1-10. It was a nice school & area, which has become impoverished in recent years. She later attended Burnaby Central. Her mom always told her she would be a teacher, and she attended SFU for general arts. She began University in 1967, when protests and riots were happening at campuses like Berkeley. SFU had a lesser version of this, with sit-ins and such. She was less interested in these politics, and lost a few friends because of it. “Every prof was a radical”. The school didn’t have a great reputation at the time, and she had many friends at UBC. She met her husband Willie when she was 21. Her father’s first ship was called the “Great Bear”, which took people on northern fishing excursions. He struggled with depression and would spend some time off work or in clinics. They always lived well despite the fact that there was no disability payments for him. He lied on his birth certificate, so he worked until he was 69. Therese’s siblings, Duncan, Donald & Rae-Marie were all enrolled in bagpiping by her mother. Donald was also in Highland dancing. By the time Therese was born, it was expected she would take up piping. She started around age 6 or 7. She has the trophy from her first novice competition, at age 9. It was at the annual gathering at the Seaforth Armouries. She remembers being amazed by the Powell River Pipe Band. Her first teacher was Malcolm Nicholson. Her sister, Rae-Marie, was a great player, and began training with Jimmy MacMillan. Therese was 15 at the time, and went along with her sister. She remembers training with Jack and Terry Lee at times. She stopped competing around age 20. In those days, in order to play in the Ladies’ Pipe Band, you had to memorize around 100 tunes – particularly to play the Burns Dinner. In 1964, Therese had to get her “badge” and memorize these tunes within a month or two. She played with Norma Nicholson, Marie McDonald and her sister Rae-Marie. They played several times in Scotland, staying in Edinburgh. The band recorded a record together. Therese played solo & in bands. She did many quartet performances around B.C., which are less common today. She is still friends with many members of the band. She was asked one time to dance in a Tattoo. She rarely played the pipes for dancers. Therese talks about playing pipes with her husband Willie on drums, who plays so fast she feels “like Ben Hur holding the horses back”. Many of her parents’ friends in Vancouver were Scottish, and spoke Gaelic. Her feelings of “Scottishness” comes from her parents. Her father didn’t have many habits and spent his days working. Her family was very Catholic and church was a large part of their lives. Politics weren’t often discussed. Therese was close with her Aunt Rae. The family’s holidays revolved around the Highland Games. Her mother was a great cook, but her father preferred plain food, like boiled cod. Therese always identified more as Scottish than Canadian and loved her trips to Scotland. Therese met her husband Willie at the Santa Rosa Highland Games. They have 3 children: Calum, Rachel & Shannon, and 4 grandchildren. Her son learned piping, but didn’t follow up as much. The girls were in Highland dance and had a lot of fun. Therese discusses the Scottish Nationalist Party, in the news at the time of the interview. She hears about the politics in Scotland through friends who visit. She says the competitive world of piping and dancing can be hard on those who expect to win all the time. Her inspiration was always to find the best piper, and try to beat them. She took some lessons from Ian MacLeod while in Scotland. Her favourite thing to do is to watch the SFU Pipe Band tune up. Willie & Therese recommend Reid Maxwell for interview.

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