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The Scots in Hawaii

The Scots in Hawaii: Episode 3: Pipers and Plant Collectors

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Pipers and Plant Collectors

Episode 3

Episode 3: Pipers and Plant Collectors

BBC Radio Scotland - The Scots in Hawaii, Pipers and Plant Collectors

Billy Kay explores the role of plant collectors and Scottish culture in Hawaii.

Billy Kay celebrates the contributions made by Scots in Hawaii. He tells the story of botanists Menzies and Douglas and celebrates Scottish culture in the islands.

Billy Kay explores another major area of Scottish influence in Hawaii and celebrates great naturalists such as Archibald Menzies and David Douglas, who collected more than 2000 plant specimens on the islands. He actually died in a bull pit while botanising on Hawaii - we will visit the monument at The Doctor's Pit, a Scottish cairn placed there by the Robert Burns Society of Hilo on the foothills of the Mauna Kea volcanoe. 

We visit the Scottish Games on Oahu and Billy tells the story of meeting the grande dame of piping in Hawaii, the legendary Aggie Wallace: " When I visited Aggie for the first time, I chapped on her door and I swear she shouted out "Come awa in" She was about 65 years old, a big stoot wumman covered from neck to toe in a Wallace tartan cotton Mother Hubbard" We will speak to her family and her pupils. 

We celebrate too the sterling contribution of the Caledonian Society and the St. Andrews society who do excellent work promoting knowledge of the Scottish contribution to the islands, with the Caledonian Society sponsoring educational visits by students from the islands to Scottish institutions like Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye. These organisations continue in the tradition of the Thistle Club of Honolulu frequented and described brilliantly by Robert Louis Stevenson. Like him, they are keen to ensure that Scottish culture survives and thrives here in the Pacific.

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