At the age of 9 Danny started to learn to play snare drum under the tuition of Bruce Neal at the Moorabbin City Pipe Band in Melbourne, Victoria.
In 1994 he joined the Nunawading Highland Pipe Band, and after two years of competing in their No.2 band at grades 3 & 4 (including for a period as lead drummer) he began competing with the No.1 band in Grade 1 in 1996. That same year Danny also enjoyed success in solos competition, winning the Victorian Open Solo Drumming Aggregate shield.
In 1997 he joined the Victoria Police Pipe Band as a guest player under the direction of Lead Drummer Harold Gillespie, and after taking part in two of the band’s World Championship campaigns he was part of the band that won the World Pipe Band Championships title for Grade 1 in 1998.
Danny spent the following two years playing with the Williamstown RSL Pipe Band (formerly Footscray Pipe Band) including for a period as lead drummer, and in 2000 that band won the Australian Pipe Band Championships in Grade 1 and also won the champion Drum Corps title.
Danny moved from Victoria to Perth to join WAPOL in August 2000 under the direction of Drum Sergeant Emlyn Brown. Danny was a part of this band which went on to win the US Open Pipe Band Championships in Michigan in 2001 and took part of a further two World Championship campaigns in Grade 1 in 2003 and 2004. Since moving to Western Australia Danny has also had continued success in solos competition having won a number of local and state Open (A Grade) solo drumming titles.
Danny has also performed as a backing musician on the drum kit for many of the band’s concert performances, and he continues to enjoy his role as a member of the WAPOL drum corps today.
