Members enjoy ‘royal’ treatment at Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s history-making Brisbane stop was a double celebration for John and Jean McCartney.
The Sunshine Coast couple celebrated their family heritage and love of all things Scotland in a VIP Suite at one of the Tattoo’s four Brisbane stadium shows.
John and Jean won two VIP passes to see the Tattoo in Brisbane in an exclusive competition for Silver, Gold and Gold50 members of RACQ, the presenting partner of the event. The prize was two seats in the RACQ VIP Suite, including pre-show food and drinks.
They entered the competition after failing to secure tickets when the Tattoo was first announced.
“As soon as the RACQ competition came up I thought I would just go for it,” John said.
“It was amazing that we won.”
Jean added: “We were leaping up and down when we found out – it was fantastic.”
Double the reason to celebrate
The couple, who met while attending university in their native South Africa, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year.
“We happened to be in the same class, and Jean was one of the outstanding students, whereas I needed some tutoring – so she was the obvious choice,” John said.
They married in 1976 and 12 years later moved to Australia with their four-year-old twin sons after John’s employer transferred him to Sydney in his marketing role. Jean was an accountant who later became a university lecturer.
After raising three boys, the third being born after they immigrated, and spending their working lives and early part of their retirement in Sydney, John and Jean moved to Mount Coolum five years ago, following one of their sons and his family.
Strong to Scottish ancestry
While their South African and Australian connections are strong, their Scottish roots also run deep.
They have equal claims to that heritage, with Jean’s maiden name being MacLennan.
“There has been this constant debate as to which surname is the more Scottish,” John said.
Jean had early bragging rights, claiming her ‘Mac’ was more Scottish than John’s ‘Mc’.
“I have researched my family tree going back to the 1600s and my surname can be either McCartney or MacCartney, so we have compromised and called it even,” John said.
Family heritage shaped childhood
Jean does have a legitimate edge over John by way of having her own family tartan, which she proudly wore when Highland dancing as a young girl.
She performed in many eisteddfods and Highland gatherings.
John acknowledged his Scottish heritage as a youngster by playing the bagpipes before a stint filling in as a drummer in his school’s marching band led to a permanent move.
“When we were getting ready for a Highland gathering, the band needed a bass drummer, so I put my hand up,” John said.
“I wasn’t the best piper, so I think they were pleased to see the back of me.”
John cut a diminutive but striking figure as he marched with his bandmates, peering around the side of his oversized drum to see where he was going – he was too small to see over the top.
“We were very fortunate because we had a very rich benefactor who equipped the band with great uniforms including, in my case, a leopard skin with a full snarling leopard’s head at the back,” John said.
“I used to say that the head at the back counterbalanced the weight of the drum at the front, so I didn’t fall over.”
The Brisbane event was John and Jean’s second Tattoo experience after seeing the world-famous show at its Edinburgh home in 2019.
Brisbane shows a global production
The Tattoo’s 75th anniversary tour The Heroes Who Made Us, included more than 1,000 performers from across the world in one of the most globally diverse line-ups ever assembled for an international Tattoo production.
The cast included performers from Australia, England, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, United States, Canada, Switzerland, Tonga, Japan, Sweden, Hong Kong and, of course, Scotland.
It was the first time the Tattoo had been held in Brisbane and marked its return to Australia after a 17-year absence.
More articles
Related topics
Things to note
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance Products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQI) and arranged by its agent, RACQ Distribution Services Pty Ltd (RDS) ABN 35 116 361 650, AFSL 567130 and RDS' authorised representatives (including RACQ Operations Pty Ltd ABN 80 009 663 414, AR No. 234978 (RACQO). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply. RDS and RACQO are in the RACQ group of companies. One of the companies in the RACQ group of companies has a minority shareholding in RACQI.
RDS and RACQO have not taken your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account when preparing advice regarding insurance products and you will need to consider whether the advice is appropriate for you. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and any applicable Supplementary PDS before making a purchase decision on this product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website. RDS receives a commission from RACQI for the policies it arranges. RACQO receives fees paid for services it provides to RDS. Further details about remuneration are available on request prior to purchasing.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Bank subscribes to the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice which establishes higher standards than the law requires. The Code reflects modern consumer expectations and developments in approaches to issues such as consumer vulnerability, guarantors, and supporting customers through financial hardship. Please read our Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice page for more information.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414 AR 000234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803 AR 000432492) are acting as an Authorised Representative of the issuer of the insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548). Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before purchasing any travel products, please consider the RACQ Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Target Market Determinations (TMDs) that apply to these products. Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products. The PDS, Supplementary PDS and TMDs for each travel product can be found here.