For Black Watch Regiment member Private Sylvain Jetté, a chance encounter in a pub led not only to a new hobby and career in the Canadian Armed Forces, but a way to build a shared bond with his son, Ulrik.

Jetté describes the encounter in the pub as a “chance meeting” with a member of the Black Watch pipers. After a short discussion surrounding the famed highland instrument, Jetté, then 35, decided that he would pick up playing as a hobby.

After learning the ropes and improving his skills, Jetté saw a number of job openings for pipers in the Canadian Armed Forces, and at the age of 45, joined the Black Watch regiment, full-time. Just this past week, Sylvain returned from playing bagpipes at the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, in Normandy, France.

With the hopes of one day teaching his son how to play, Jetté purchased a starter set of pipes for his young boy. To his joy, at the age of 15, Ulrick decided it was time to learn how to play. His father proceeded to sign him up for piping lessons, which sparked a similar interest in joining the military.

After lengthy discussions, and with the support of both of his parents, Ulrik made the decision to join the infantry. This way, he could continue his love for playing the bagpipes, while also learning a variety of professional and life skills through military training.

Ulrik’s entry into the military has given the father-son CAF duo a greater amount of time to play music together, and share their joy of the bagpipes. The photo was taken of the two men at the 2019 St Patrick’s Day Parade, in Montreal.