Jack’s Last Set: A Legacy in Blackwood

For more than half a century, Jack Dunbar devoted his life to the craft of bagpipe making. Over 52 years at the lathe, he produced countless instruments — each one a testament to precision, patience, and pride. But of all the pipes he turned, none carried more meaning than the set he made for his grandson, Jeff Pettigrew.

It was 1998. Jeff was ten years old, a budding piper in the Braemar Pipe Band under the guidance of Jim Beattie, playing his first Dunbar P3 set. By 2000, his talent was unmistakable. Jeff’s commitment outpaced his years, and new lessons with Jim Caddis soon followed. Jack, though semi-retired by then, insisted on personally finishing Jeff’s next set of pipes. Perhaps he knew this would be the last instrument he’d have a direct hand in — a gift not just of wood and silver, but of legacy.

Jack spent long days shaping and polishing, ensuring every detail was perfect. He fitted hand-turned imitation ivory mounts and commissioned zoomorphic silver from The Bagpipe Silver Company. The pipes were completed just days before Christmas. On Christmas morning 1998, Jeff unwrapped his grandfather’s work. Jack, beaming with pride, had given him something no one else in the world would ever own: his final set.

Jeff carried that sound with him for years in Braemar eventually leading the Grade 5 band as PM, The Jack Dunbar Memorial Pipe Band, and playing in the Grade 2 band as well. He studied under the late Lindsay Kirkwood and later under “The Captain,” Ken Eller (a co-owner of Dunbar Bagpipes at one time). At just 18, he stepped into Grade 1 with the Peel Regional Police Pipe Band — Jack’s last set still under his arm.

Even when Jeff put competitive piping aside to serve with the Canadian military in Afghanistan, the pipes were waiting for him back home. For the harsh desert climate, he carried his trusty Dunbar P3 polys. But the Blackwood gift from his grandfather remained safely stored, ready to sing again when he returned.

Today, Jeff plays with the North Stratton Pipe Band of Edmonton, Alberta, traveling each year to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow (Jack's birthplace). In 2025, North Stratton placed 4th in the Grade 2 final — powered by the steady, resonant voice of Jack’s last set.

For Jack, business was never just about instruments. It was about people, family, and carrying on a sound that outlasts lifetimes. His granddaughter Brittney also played in The Jack Dunbar Memorial Pipe Band as a tenor drummer, proudly wearing Jack’s own tartan kilt.

Though Jack is no longer with us, his craftsmanship still speaks every time Jeff strikes in. A tone as steady as his hand once was. A presence as strong as his pride. Pipes built not only to be played — but to be remembered.

Jack’s last set wasn’t just an instrument. It was a legacy. And every time Jeff plays them, that legacy still lives.