Roderick Daniel Nicholson, of Gillander’s Mountain, Middle River, Victoria County. Roderick was born on November 9, 1891, the second of six children born to Neil and Catherine "Steele" (MacLeod) Nicholson. His grandfather, Donald Nicholson, born at Kilmuir, on the Isle of Skye, immigrated to Cape Breton and died at his home in Middle River on January 15, 1898. He had been married to Christine Matheson, born at Glen of Uig, Isle of Skye, in 1813. They had two children before leaving Scotland in 1843 and five others were born at Middle River, including Neil, the youngest, who was the father of Roderick.

Rod lived at Middle River until, on September 13, 1916, he enlisted at Camp Aldershot, Nova Scotia. He served overseas as a piper in England and France with the 246th Reserve Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, the 25th, and then the 185th Battalion Cape Breton Highlanders. He learned to play the pipes while in the Cape Breton Highlanders. Rod seldom talked about the war, though at one time he spoke of the horror, of waking up with the tent or trenches full of water, and of having only rotten potatoes to eat. On one occasion, he got lost in London, and spent the night in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Rod was discharged on demobilization, May 24th, 1919.

He was married to Mamie MacRae, of Boularderie on February 27th, 1924, and they resided in Sydney where he was employed at the Steel Plant. They had two children, Christine, born May 30th, 1924, and Dorothy, born September 7th, 1931. Rod and Mamie were both fluent Gaelic speakers. Rod read music, and composed some tunes himself. He also played the piobaireachd. He worked at the nail and wire mill at the steel plant until his retirement but, according to his daughter, Dorothy, when he wasn’t working, he was playing the practice chanter or the pipes, or teaching one or another of his many students.

In 1927, for the third time, he won the Bagpipe Championship of Cape Breton Island. His daughter, Dorothy reported that the names on the trophy were as follows: 1922 - Norman Ross; 1923 - Dan A. MacDonald; 1924-27 - R.D. Nicholson. He was allowed to keep the trophy after his third win. He also had a large number of medals, most for piping, but some for Highland dress. He travelled from Iona to Banff, Alberta by train in 1927 to perform at the Highland Gathering and Scottish Music Festival which was held at the Banff Springs Hotel from September 3-5th. He competed in the open March and Strathspey and Reel events as well as in a competition restricted to the Pipe Majors of Canadian Regiments in which he represented the Cape Breton Highlanders. There were twenty-four pipe majors registered for the competition, but the results are not known.

Rod was the Official Piper at the Opening of St. Ann’s Gaelic College. He was the College’s first piping instructor, and piped at the very first Gaelic Mod. When he used to travel to the College, he crossed over the Bras D’Or Lakes on the Ross Ferry. He and his daughter, Dorothy would board the ferry when their turn came and the ticket man would come along to the window as the ferry pulled out to collect the fare. He would lean in the window and ask, “How about a tune, Roddie?” Of course, Rod would have his pipes in the trunk and this meant that the tune “paid the fare”. How beautiful it sounded, out on the shining blue waters of the Bras D’Or Lakes. Fifty years later, Dorothy can still recall the haunting call of her father’s pipes.

He taught a lot of young people to play, including Sally MacPherson, Norman Patterson, and Sandy Patterson, who became very good pipers. Sandy’s grandson, Matthew, who is Rod and Mamie’s great grandson, from Fall River, is a piper now, and plays Rod’s pipes, the same pipes Rod used all his life, including his service during World War I.

Rod taught the Sydney Academy Pipe Band when it was first founded. One of the pipers in it was William “Sonny” MacPherson, who became quite a good player under Rod’s careful tutelage. Rod’s daughter, Dorothy remembers that these young boys were always coming and going and that her father was always shut up in the front room of their little house, teaching them.

In the summers, Rod was usually away at the Gaelic College. He used to perform live on CJCB Radio, and he was also featured in a National Film Board film with Highland dancer, Susan Jarrell. According to Peter Morrison, Roddie was an expert strathspey and reel player. He was named the Cape Breton Island Bagpipe Champion in 1941 and 1942. In the same years, he won the Gaelic Mod Open Championship.

In 1946, Rod Nicholson was a judge of piping at the Gaelic Mod at St. Ann’s. He was the Gaelic College’s Official Piper in 1947 when he piped the Premier of Nova Scotia, the Honourable Angus L. MacDonald to the platform for the Opening of the ninth annual Gaelic Mod. On Clan MacLeod Day at the Mod, Nicholson played as part of a program of piping, song, and dance in honour of Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod.

On July 21st, 1948, as the Gaelic College’s Official Piper, he played at Baddeck to welcome Lord MacDonald of MacDonald who was to open the Gaelic Mod. On the 28th, he gave a demonstration of piping as part of the Mod program in which he was joined by Pipe Majors Jack Carson and Fraser Holmes. Later in the day, he judged the amateur piping competitions along with Hon. Tom Reid, M.P. and Pipe Major Carson. The following day, he played a tribute to the MacDonalds on Clan Donald Day at the Mod. That afternoon, he played for the Highland dancing events, along with his student piper, Sonny MacPherson from Sydney. To top off a very busy week of piping, Nicholson tied with Pipe Major George Dey of Halifax for first place in the Senior Solo Piping Championship.

In 1950, Rod Nicholson was on hand at the Inverary Inn in Baddeck to play a welcome selection for Sir Charles Hector Fitzroy MacLean, Bart., Chief of Clan MacLean of Duart and Morvin, who had arrived to take part in the 12th Annual Nova Scotia Gaelic Mod at St. Ann’s. He piped while the Clan MacLean banner was hoisted on the flagstaff. He also judged the solo piping competitions at the Mod along with Hugh MacPherson and Captain Archie MacInnis.

In 1950 and 1954 he judged at the Antigonish Highland Games. He taught piping at the Gaelic College in 1950 and 1952. He was given the prestigious MacCrimmon Shield with a keeper plaque inscribed “Gaelic Mod Outstanding Piper R.D. Nicholson, 1951”. In 1955, he was invited to participate in the Opening of the Canso Causeway, and to attach himself to the pipers and drummers in the Senior Men’s Band formation that was to lead the parade.

Nicholson lost the top section of the index finger of his left hand while cutting wood as a child, which made it necessary for him to slide the fingers further across the chanter as he played. This might have proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to some pipers, but not Nicholson who achieved and maintained a very high standard for many years. He left Cape Breton to live with his daughter Dorothy in Brookfield, near Truro, and died there on October 14, 1979. He was buried in the Brookfield-Westside Cemetery, in Colchester County.

Rod was a private and quiet person, one who did his work and enjoyed his music with a minimum of fuss and fanfare. His daughter Dorothy remembers him as a most wonderful father, kind and loving, and generous to all. He exerted a great influence on piping in Cape Breton Island in his time, one that has had far reaching effects felt right through to the end of the century.