Aberdeen Grammar Magazine 2014

Vol 117

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

130th year No. 252 (New Series 119th year No. 243)

September 2014

The Magazine is published under the auspices of The Former Pupils’ Club each year

General Editor Brian K. Crookshanks, TD, MA, LL.B & Editor of 99 Fountainhall Road Notes etc. Aberdeen AB15 4EB

Secretary of the John F. Hendry, LL.B FP Club 36 Albyn Place Aberdeen AB10 1YF

Treasurer of the Mrs Lindsey A. Caldwell, MA, CA FP Club 3 Hillside View Westhill, Skene AB32 6PD

Membership

Douglas McAllister

Secretary Gowanwell Cottage, Methlick, Ellon Aberdeenshire AB41 7JL

The General Editor is happy to receive contributions for the next issue of the Magazine at any time before 31 May 2015

Former Pupils are encouraged to provide details about themselves or others for inclusion in the Notes Section of the Magazine Information may be sent by E-mail to editor@agsfp.com

In order to assist in the distribution of the Magazine, members of the Former Pupils’ Club are requested to advise the Membership Secretary promptly of any changes of address

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

OUR ADVERTISERS

As a Club we are most grateful to all our under-noted advertisers who have supported the production of this Magazine by taking advertising space. Club members are encouraged, in turn, please to patronise our advertisers who would value our members’ custom every bit as much as we value theirs.

Aberdeen Asset Management

Aberdeen Property Leasing

Aberdeen Solicitors’ Property Centre

Anderson, Anderson & Brown

North East Scotland College

Atholl Hotel Bain Henry Reid

Blachadders Bower & Smith

Brewin Dolphin F.G. Burnett

Campbell Connon Country Ways

D.M. Hall Inchmarlo Retirement Homes

H & R Insurance Jamieson & Carry

Kenway Tyres Langstane Press

MTM Construction Menstyle

Michies the Chemist Prestige Carpets

Williamson & Dunn

Former Pupils’ Section

Head Girl & Head Boy 2013-14

Claire Henderson and Marc Walton

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Rector’s Report

The School opened in August 2014 with a roll of 1110 pupils and a teaching staff of 79.

Schools in Aberdeen continue to have problems recruiting teachers to fill vacant posts and ours is no exception. We had difficulty finding teachers for Home Economics, Business Studies, Craft, Design and Technology, Physics, English and Mathematics. The high cost of living, especially accommodation, is a barrier to recruiting teachers.

This session we have benefited from further improvements to the School’s ICT equipment with the emphasis now on mobile devices. We purchased 150 laptop computers, 94 tablets, 48 iPad Minis and 48 iPad Airs. All of these “gadgets” have helped improve learning and teaching.

“Grammar” pupils continue to perform well in national examinations with the School in the top 10% of the 360 state schools in Scotland in a range of measures of performance. The Sunday Times newspaper placed the school 14th in its “league table” of schools. In 2014 96% of our school learners entered a “positive destination” moving into courses at university, college, job-related training or employment. University was the destination for 64% of our leavers with another 19% beginning courses at Further Education colleges.

The performing arts continue to be a significant feature of School life. In November an enthusiastic and talented cast and crew staged three performances of the musical “Rent”. The Senior Drama Group, known as Pied Piper, performed the Tom Stoppard play “The Real Inspector Hound”. The concert band continues to be amongst the best school bands in Scotland and achieved a Gold award at the Scottish Concert Band Festival and a Platinum at the National Festival.

The School continues to be successful in a wide range of sports with Pupils regularly participating in over twenty different activities. Notable successes this year have been in volleyball, where the teams performed highly in East of Scotland competitions with individuals representing the Region in UK school games. Our football teams had a very good season with teams from S1 to Seniors winning numerous cups and league titles.

Large numbers of girls and boys continue to play hockey and achieve success in competitions. The school sports, The Grammar Games, continues to grow and develop each year. This year over 500 pupils competed in the heats and finals.

In July 2014, 36 pupils and teachers embarked on a “World Challenge” expedition to Peru. The pupils were involved in some community work, trekking and seeing the sights, including Machu Picchu.

This is my last Rector’s Report on the School. After eleven years as Rector I retire at the end of the session in July. It has been a privilege to lead the School and to work with its many talented pupils and dedicated staff. I know I will miss the daily “buzz” of being with over 1200 people every working day, but after 37 years working in schools it is time for me to move to the next phase of my life. It is satisfying to know that in August the school will be led by an experienced and well-respected Headteacher. Miss Alison Murison, who is currently Headteacher of Hazlehead Academy, will begin her time as Rector on 17th August. She will be the first ever lady to hold the position of Rector in the School’s 750 year history. I wish Miss Murison and the School every success in the future.

School Section

Aberdeen Grammar School, GRAHAM LEGGE June, 2015 Rector

School Office-Bearers - Session 2013-2014

Head Boy: MARC WALTON

Deputes: JESTON D’COSTA

S6 Prefects:

Head Girl: CLAIRE HENDERSON

Deputes: NICOLE ANDERSON

LOUIS-PIERRE GIRARD FIONA MacPHERSON

Kieran Alexander, Cameron Angus, Paul Angus, Horn Amarsdottir, Ellie Biggs, Andrew Birse, Kate Boland, Jhovelle Buhat, Eleanor Butler, Greg Cahill, Lewis Collie, Emma Collins, Ailish Crombie, Jane Cruickshank, Glen Davis, Connor De Souza, Morven Duff, James Dunbar, Gordon Fraser, Neil Gauld, Alex Griffin, Fiona Hamilton, Caitland Hammond, Anthony Harkin, Saskia Harper, Maya Hay, Robbie Howe, Emily Hughes, Jaye Lockey, Catriona McDonald, Fraser McIntosh, Joanne McKane, Murray McKendrick, Ross McKendrick, Finlay McMillan, Peter Morrow, Chelsea Mullen, Jordon Murray, Kyle Murtagh, Honor Nicol, Duncan O’Hara, Katie Olson, Megan Park, Matthew Perrit, Lois Prideaux, Pria Prothasis, Daniel Ruth, Sophy Scott, Glen Smith, Sophie Smith, Chris Spence, Jake Stephen, Shannon Street, Alix Taylor, Cameron West, Charles Wilson, James Witrick, Taran Young, Saraf Zahid, Veronicka Zickaja.

S5 Prefects:

Emma Alderson, Jennifer Bell, Ellie Biggs, Rebecca Burney, Joseph Cairns, David Cumming, Ross Findlay, Grace Flett, Kirsten Fraser, Kinhgshuk Ghosh, Emily Harrier, Neil Innes, Abbi Kane, Kiera Keesing, Julia Lamont, Eilidh MacGregor, Katie MacGregor, Craig Mackie, Thomas Manclark, Eilidh Matheon, Finlay McRobert, Felicia Oyewusi, Sam Pirie, Ewan Shand, Lauren Spence, Julia Stenhouse, Lucy Sutherland, Sofia Tagor, Priya Thavam, Calum Webb, Jasmine Yule.

School Section

School Prizes 2013-2014

The Joyce Tease Award for excellence in Post 16 Modern Languages Horn Arnarsdottir

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Modern Studies Matthew Fraser

Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Physical Education Joint Ailish Crombie Award Alex Morrison

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Administration Laura Esson

The Hamish Adams Greig Prize in Biology

Carmen Sands

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Spanish Carmen Sands

The Former Pupils’ Prize in Drama Ewan Shand

The Former Pupils’ Prize in Home Economics Rosie Mason

The Samuel Pope Prize & Donald Paton Prizes for Art & Design Gaia Tretmanis

The John Muir Robertson Prize in Accounting & Finance Jack Swan

The ALBA Trophy for Business Management Martin MacNeil

The Gordon McMinn Prize in Computing Studies Kingshuk Ghosh

The Masson Bain Prize in English Emma Alderson

The William Brebner Prize in French Carmen Sands

The Charles Alexander Walker Prize in History

Susannah Scott

The Campbell Connon Prize for Geography Anna Duguid

The J. Mortimer McBain & George G. Whyte Prizes in Mathematics & The Alexander Thomson Prize in Mathematics

The Gavin Falconer Memorial Prize in Music

The Basil Emslie Memorial Prize in Technical Studies

Deborah Nicol

Samuel Stead

The CNR International Prize for Physics Christopher Levitt

The CNR International Prize for Graphic Communication Zoe Buyers

The CNR International Prize for Chemistry Andrew Kenyon Roberts

The University of Aberdeen Prize for Human Biology Kingshuk Ghosh

The Caritas Cup for Contribution to Charities Group Activities Joint Ellie Biggs Award Saraf Zahid

The AGS Dramatic Society Award for Drama Ewan Shand

The AGS “Face the Music” Award for an outstanding Performance in the School’s Musical Production Sam Pirie

The Concert Band Player of the Year Louis-Pierre Girard

The Concert Band Award for Outstanding Contribution Louis-Pierre Girard

The AGS Junior Literary & Debating Shield Findlay Hartley

The Rector’s Shield for outstanding contribution to the running of the Literary & Debating Society Eilidh McCreath

The Montgomery Trophy Murray McKendrick

The Philip Love Trophy Joint Marc Walton Award Claire Henderson

The Jamie Blair Fiddes Award Horn Arnarsdottir

The Pied Piper 2000 Award Peter Fraser

Sports Awards

The S5/S6 Former Pupils’ Rugby Football Section Trophy James Maddox

The Arthur McCombie Senior Golf Trophy Mark Gilmour

The David Swanson Junior Golf Trophy Cameron Spence

Isobel O Anderson Medal for Swimming Innes Pottinger

The Fowlie Cup for Swimming (Girls) Joanna Anderson

The Rector’s Medal for Swimming Suleman Butt

The Dr Morland Simpson Cup for Swimming Jack Watson

The Damien Reidy Rugby Trophy Ethan Murray

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The Ken Peters Memorial Trophy for Cricket Rutwik Hegde

The Ronald MacKinnon Trophy for Athletics Joint Lucy McLeod Award

Naomi Lang

The W.J. Johnston Quaich Benjamin Renton

The Ashes Kingshuk Ghosh

Inter-House Competition Awards

The Junior Inter-House Debating Trophy Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Hockey Cup for Girls (Junior) Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Hockey Cup for Girls (Senior) Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Netball Trophy (Girls) Keith & Dun

The Junior Inter-House Basketball Cup (Boys) Byron

The S4/S6 Inter-House Basketball Keith & Dun

The Patrick Scott Senior Inter-House Boys’ Cricket Shield Byron

The Inter-House Challenge Cup Melvin

The Inter-House Badminton Shield Byron

The Inter-House Table Tennis Trophy Melvin

The Inter-House Football Trophy Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Swimming Cup Melvin

The Inter-House Ultimate Frisbee Trophy Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Chess Shield Melvin

The Rubislaw Jubilee Cup Grammar Games Keith & Dun

The AGS Inter-House Quiz Cup Keith & Dun

The Inter-House Cookery Competition Trophy Byron

All-Round Awards

The Dr Alexander Cormack Prize to the best All-round Pupil in S1 Deirdre O’Riordan

The David Alexander Irvine-Fortescue Prize – S2 Malik Salloum

The Norman Mackie Memorial Award in S3 Naomi Lang

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Award in S4 Libby Taylor

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Award in S5 Eilidh Matheson

The Former Pupils’ Club “1965” Award Marc Walton

The Runner-up to the Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy & the Agnes Durward McDonald Prize Jeston D’Costa

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy for Girls Joint Claire Henderson Award Nicole Anderson

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy & the John Ivo Dawson Prize Marc Walton

School Cap for Hockey Morven Duff

Dux Award Marc Walton

Colours Awards

Sport

Athletics Junior Colours Lucy McLeod

Basketball Half Colours

Gordon Fraser, Fraser Mackintosh, Murray McKendrick, Matchy Muszynski

Cricket Junior Colours Rajaa Monnapillai

Football Full Colours

Half Colours

Anthony Harkin, Glen Smith

Jamie Buglass, Ben Garrett, Craig Mackie, Kyle Murtagh, Redha Nacef, Calum Simmers, Jake Stephen,

Junior Colours

School Section

Cledwyn Viegas

Neil Cumming, Mark Gilmour, Steven Innes, Alistair

McKinlay, Lachie MacLeod, Aron Ritchie, Cameron

Tough, Matthew Wallace

Golf Half Colours Ross McKendrick

Gymnastic

Hockey

Full Colours

Junior Colours

School Cap

Full Colours

Half Colours

Junior Colours

Netball Half Colours

Piping Half Colours

Rowing Full Colours

Junior Colours

Rugby Full Colours

Half Colours

Junior Colours

Squash Half Colours

Swimming Full Colours

Junior Colours

T/Tennis Full Colours

Junior Colours

T’kwondo Junior Colours

Tennis Half Colours

Volleyball Half Colours

Junior Colours

Arts & Culture

Choir & Show Choir

Craft Club

Half Colours

Nicole Anderson

Katya Anderson, Emily Barclay, Katie Davie

Morven Duff

Alex Morrison

Emma Alderson, Kirsten Fraser, Kingshuk Ghosh, Claire Henderson, Ailsa Johnston, Chris Levitt, Hamish

Robson, Lauren Spence, Callum Webb

Carter Correa, Rachael Grant, Abigail Griffin, Joseph Herrera, Emma Lambert, Naomi Roberts, Sasha

McKenzie Smith, Alix Morrison

Jane Cruickshank, Anna Duguid, Eilidh Mathieson

Jordon Murray

Eilidh Thomson

Hamish Dunnet

Joseph Davie, Glen Davis, Finlay McMillan, Jordon Murray, Chris Spence, Charles Wilson, James Wittrick

Michael Brown, Tayler Duthie-Johnson, Calum Lewis, James Maddox, Alex Morrison

Duncan Crawford, Grant Davis, Ruari McMillan, George Mitchell, Ethan Murray, Cameron Robbie

Richard Hollins

Suleman Butt, Edward Watson

Joanna Anderson

Neil Innes

Gavin Elliot, Christian Sharp

Erin Fraser

Fiona Hamilton

Peter Dijkhuizen, Jodie Garrett, Marc Walton

Fraser Elder, Shona Fraser, Samuel Harrison, Kirsty Manclark, Ethan Murray, Jay Reid, Lauren Tawse

Junior Colours

Half Colours

Debating Full Colours

Half Colours

Face the Music Half Colours

Emma Alderson, Ellie Biggs, David Cumming, Sam Garioch, Neil Innes, Ailsa Johnston, Abbi Kane, Eilidh McCreath, Finlay McRobert, Thomas Manclark, Sam Oirie, Ewan Shand, Jasmine Yule

Gemma Black, Ewan Cahill, Katie Davie, Aurora Robertson-Smith, Libby Taylor

Catherine Smith, Sofia Tagor

Eilidh McCreath

Emma Alderson

Emma Alderson, David Cumming, Sam

Garioch, Ailsa Johnston, Abbi Kane, Eilidh McCreath, Carly McPherson, Finlay

McRobert, Sam Pirie, Ewan Shand, Julia Stenhouse, Jasmine Yule

Junior Colours

Gemma Black, Ewan Cahill, Katie Davie,

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Abby Griffin, Alice Morrice, Kate Riddoch, Libby Taylor

Face the Music/ Pied Piper Half Colours Peter Fraser

Music

Full Colours

Kate Boland, Lewis Collie, Morven Duff, Louis-Pierre Girard, Alex Griffin, Caitland Hammond, Emily Hughes, Rosie Mason, Julia Morgan, Finlay McMillan, Chelsea Mullen, Hannah Renton, Cameron West, Veronika Zickaja

Half Colours Joseph Cairns, David Cumming, Anna Duguid, Grace Flett, Kiera Keesing, Eilidh Matheson, Eilidh McGregor, Katie McGregor, Anna McLeod, Finlay McRobert, Shannon Street, Sofia Tagor, Alix Taylor, Arun Wardly, Sarah Whyte

Junior Colours Stuart Adams, Gloria Brown, Rachael Dixon, Dylan Findlay, Rebecca Hughes, Daniel Hume, Carys Jessamine, Sam MacDiugall, Alexander MacDonald, Carly McReady, Lucy McLeod, Alice Morrice, Anna Morrison, Sarah Newton, Eilidh Player, Kieran Smith, Lachlan Smith, Samuel Stead

Music (Choir) Half Colours

Maria Alvarado, Jhovelle Buhat, Eleanor Butler, Saskia Harper, Julia Morgan, Emma Muldoon

Extra-Curricular Activities

School Sports Clubs

U16 Football

It has been a great season for Aberdeen Grammar’s U-16 Football team. The team won the league easily, without dropping a single point. There were some terrific individual performances throughout the season and also some excellent team performances.

There was also an excellent Scottish Cup run for the boys which unfortunately saw them eliminated 4-3 at the Quarter-Final Stage. They were desperately unlucky, having created by far the best and most chances.

Special mention should be made of Cameron Tough of S4 who represented Aberdeen City in the U-18 select team which made it to the National Semi-finals, despite being two years younger than most of his team mates and opponents.

U-18 Football

It has been a trophy-less season for the U-18s. They were eliminated from the President’s Trophy in the group stages after it was ruled that head-to-head record would be used and not goal difference to separate 2nd and 3rd who were equal on points. We

School Section

did, however, make it to the semi-final stage of the JM Low Cup when we were beaten 2-0 by Cults Academy in a match with very few chances and in which errors cost us dearly.

On a plus note, congratulations are due to Glen Smith, Anthony Harkins and Ben Garrett who represented Aberdeen City in the U-18 select team which made it to the National Semi-finals, when the team was eliminated after penalties.

Futsal

Futsal is very similar to the usual 5-a-side format of football, however a size 4 ball is used which is smaller, bounces less and so is easier to control. The goals are 3m wide by 2m high and the pitch dimensions are between 25-42 m long by 15-25m wide. The other main differences are that when the ball goes out it has to be kicked back in as opposed to being thrown. Substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time. Unlike two halves of 45 minutes, Futsal is between 20 and 40 minutes. Each game at the National Finals was 20 minutes.

On Tuesday 18 March a team of seven boys, comprising Luke Byrne and Cameron Stephen from S3 and Neil Cumming, Mark Gilmour, Steven Innes, Cameron Tough and Matthew Wallace from S4 made their way down to Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth from Aberdeen to represent Aberdeen Grammar School in the S3/4 age bracket in the Vauxhall’s School Futsal National Final Event. The bus left the School at 7.45a.m., picked up a S1/2 team from Hazlehead Academy and a S5/6 team from Banchory Academy and arrived in Perth in time for the start of the event at 11a.m.

After a quick change and warm up, the boys took to the pitch at 11.25am to play their first of two games in their section against Grange Academy. Following a tight first ten minutes, in which both teams played well without giving any clear-cut chances away, the Grammar boys went in to a 2-0 lead before being pegged back in the last five minutes by Grange. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Luke Byrne and Cameron Stephen scoring for Grammar.

Next up our boys played Glasgow Gaelic School, which they won 8-0 thanks to four goals from Mark Gilmour, a hat trick from Cameron Tough and a goal from Neil Cumming. This meant that we automatically qualified for the Final against Woodmill High School.

After a hard-fought game full of passion, fight and skill the boys from the Grammar ran out winners by a score of 5-2. Mark Gilmour added a hat trick to bring his tally for the day to seven goals, with Cameron Tough and Matthew Wallace scoring the other goals.

Following their games the S1/2 Hazlehead boys won their section and this,combined with the Grammar victory, meant that two more cups made their way back up to Aberdeen that week. All in all a successful week for North East-teams.

S t e v e n I n n e s , M a t t h e w W a l l a c e , M a r k G i l m o u r

S t e p h e n ,

School Section

Girls’ Hockey

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

S1 Girls Winners

All Round Trophy Winners

L – R Jeston DcCosta, Marc Walton, Claire Henderson, Nicole Anderson

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Girls’ Hockey

As the 2013/14 season draws to a close it is time to look back at a very successful year for Girls’ Hockey at the Grammar School.

Our girls and young ladies have faced many tough challenges over the course of this season, but the level of pride and determination that now prevails amongst all our players has kept them in good stead. Sport is renowned for providing both emotional highs and lows and there is no question that our girls have experienced both of these emotions in abundance this year. However, all of them can regard themselves as winners and be extremely proud of their achievements.

Thanks to an enormous amount of hard work from our dedicated coaches and, of course, the girls themselves over the past few years, we are now able to field Junior and Senior teams who are up there with the very best in the North District. Our 1st X1 this year had many hard fought and exciting victories and came an admirable third out of the six teams entered in the North District Cup. They were denied the silver medal by the narrowest of margins by St. Margaret’s who, rather frustratingly, they had beaten the week before.

As hockey is primarily played over the winter months there has been a need for a long time for some form of shelter at Rubislaw Astro Turf, our home venue. I am delighted to be able to report that we now have two brand new sports shelters in place at the ground. No more soggy hockey bags and hoodies and somewhere for coaches and substitutes to take refuge for a spell.

There have been further improvements to the ‘Rubislaw Experience’, this time thanks to some of our very supportive Mums. Parents and supporters of both sides at Saturday home matches have been treated to half-time teas, coffees, rowies and rock cakes. Thank you Lindsey, Maureen and all the others who have contributed, it really is appreciated by all.

For many of our players and coaches it is time for a well-earned rest. Some of the girls will continue as they enter the North District phase with training and trials over the next few months. Sadly for our S6’s their time with school hockey has come to an end and they will be missed by all their teammates and friends. We wish them all well and hope that they keep playing wherever life takes them and that will they always look back fondly on their days as ‘Red Hot Reds’.

Mr McKenzie Smith Girls’ Hockey Coordinator Rugby

Aberdeen Grammar U-16 rugby team met Westhill Academy in the Final of the Grampian Bowl. The game was played at Rubislaw on Friday 28th March. It was an exciting match, played at a fast pace. The Grammar team raced into the lead with a try by Lachie MacLeod which he also converted. Our backs continued their strong powerful running with which Westhill struggled to deal. This resulted in three further tries, two from Lachie MacLeod and one from Keiran Reilly. Lachie added two further conversions to bring the score to 26 – 0 at the end of the first half. In the second half Westhill rallied and took the game to Grammar. Some resolute defending from Ethan

School Section

Murray and Grant Davis prevented Westhill from crossing the Grammar try-line. There were no further scores in the second half so that Grammar ran out as winners by 26 – 0 .

Gymnastic Squad

After training hard throughout the year, three pupils travelled to Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth on 6th April to represent Aberdeen Grammar and the North East of Scotland at the Scottish Schools Gymnastics Championships. Katie Davie, Heather and Ailsa Gault all performed fantastic routines on the floor, despite having to overcome technical difficulties with the music. They then strengthened their team placing with solid performances on the vault. The team finished in 5th place, the School’s highest team result to date, and only missed a podium finish by 1.3 marks. Katie finished on an individual placing of 7th in a hotly contested field of fifty competitors.

Volleyball

It was an exciting year for Aberdeen Grammar School Volleyball Club. The club has grown in popularity and now has over sixty regularly attending one of the four weekly sessions. This year has seen both the boys and girls attend a number of festivals, the Scottish School’s Cup, play local schools and even local adult club teams.

We have also formed a strong link with Beacon Volleyball Club and Aberdonia Volleyball Club and are hoping to continue to develop a player pathway which has seen the first Grammar pupils playing National League Volleyball. Peter Dijkhuizen made terrific strides playing National League 2 East with Beacon’s 2nd team, as did Marc Walton who, after an impressive start with the 2nd team, was promoted to the 1st team where he played in the premier league in the country versus current and former international and professional volleyballers.

In the Scottish Volleyball Association’s National Festivals we attended three all over the country, entering 22 teams into six different categories and seeing over fifty players represent their school. We also had a lot of success with three tournament victories.

Our winning teams were -

Girls P7/S1 4v4 Aberdeenshire Festival - Melanie Grant, Rachael Jappy and Deirdre O’riordan

Boys S2/S3 4v4 Aberdeenshire Festival – Rutwick Hedge, Angus Ferguson, Lewis Truscot, Connor Mcleod and Greg Will

Girls S2/S3 4v4 Aberdeenshire Festival – Lauren Tawse, Kirsty MacIver, Innes Pottinger, Sophie Dryden and Shona Fraser

Boys U18 6v6 Aberdeenshire Festival – Jay Reid, Ridge Fernandez, Peter Dijkhuizen, Sam Harrison, Redha Nacef, Ethan Murray, Mathew Smith and Fraser Elder

At U-15 level, due to the enthusiasm and commitment of the girls, we decided to enter the Junior National League. This required a lot of travelling and was a huge success. The girls reached play-offs by finishing third in the league and managed to win a tightly fought third place play-off final to end an excellent season and make one very happy and proud coach/teacher!

On top of all of the playing time we managed to get in throughout the season we have also seen seventeen of our pupils qualify as referees and put these skills into action throughout the season.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Hopefully the pinnacle of our season will be seeing some of our players selected to represent Scotland North and East at the UK School Games in September. Trials are throughout June and our fingers are crossed that we can get players representing their country in Manchester in September. Good luck to the boys and girls involved!

SPORTS DAY

Sports Day or, to use the more favoured term, the “Grammar Games” is an event which is highly anticipated by all, pupils and teachers alike. It brings together the whole School, teaches lessons of good-sportsmanship and allows what is said to be a very active school to showcase its best talent in a more relaxed setting as opposed to national or international finals across the country to which Aberdeen Grammar are perhaps more accustomed. This year’s event was held on Friday 20 June. A wide range of events took place, including 100m, 400m, 800m and 1500m on the track, and long jump and shot put on the field, along with classic sports day favourites like the House relay and tug of war. With beautiful weather (in comparison to average Aberdonian cloud and grey drizzle), all year groups arrived anticipating a fantastic day ahead.

To no-one’s surprise, Keith & Dun won the day overall – an annual event for the House dubbed as most athletic. Melvin was in second place and Byron third. The overall Sports Champion was Ben Renton of Byron.

In all, great fun and a great day was had by all. As seen in the likes of the World Cup and Olympics, sport is something which brings countries and nations together, puts aside the politics and the news of the day, and people can revel in supporting their team. The same applies to the Grammar Games, on a much smaller scale – this day, each year, all the year groups become friends and all the usual barriers melt away with one common goal – victory for their House. Long may it continue to unite Aberdeen Grammar School.

Brooke Mills

Clubs and Societies

Debating

The Debating Society has had considerable success this year with the senior team of Eilidh McCreath and Emma Alderson, both S5, winning through to both the Cambridge and Oxford University Schools Finals Days. Only two Scottish teams won through to the Cambridge Finals Day and only five to Oxford and ours was the only state school to win through to both.

Eilidh is also a member of the Scottish Development Squad and attends regular coaching sessions in Edinburgh. Only ten pupils from throughout Scotland were chosen to be part of the Scottish Development Squad from which the debating team to represent Scotland in South Africa next year will be chosen.

Reading Club

Once again we have had a successful year with twenty-four dedicated Sixth year pupils volunteering their time to support younger pupils. The reading club takes place during 20

School Section

two morning intervals, per week, in the library. Sixth year pupils read with younger ones building confidence and reading enjoyment in their buddies. They also help ensure that what has been read has been understood. Some younger pupils prefer to come along and read quietly on their own. All are welcome! The younger pupils enjoy having one-to-one support from their sixth year buddy and the relationship that is built extends from the library to the corridors, and the canteen.

Some of our sixth year pupils have opted to help with paired reading in our feeder Primaries. The Head and Depute Head Teachers are always very welcoming of this help. It not only builds reading confidence, but serves as having a good role model from Aberdeen Grammar School. It builds links with the schools, which are invaluable transition tools.

Both sides of the buddy partnership gain by the arrangement. The sixth years learn that they can make a difference, they can befriend a younger pupil, they can appreciate others’ strengths and difficulties and, above all, they learn the importance of consistency and reliability.

Music

Concert Band

The Aberdeen Grammar Concert Band have been working extremely hard all year and their efforts were rewarded when they received the Platinum award at the National Concert Band Festival in Perth. The band, under the direction of Mr Alan Macdonald, perform consistently well in all concerts and festivals throughout the year but their outstanding performance in Perth was enjoyed by all. Mr Macdonald has also been awarded a Scholarship for his Excellence in Direction and Conducting which includes a free, all expenses paid trip to Chicago. The pupils in the concert band are delighted with their award and look forward to competing in the next Concert Band festival. Also, huge congratulations go to Amy Dow and her Junior Concert Band who were awarded the Gold Award at the Festival.

Drama at the Grammar

S1 Drama Club – Transition Play

The S1 Drama Club has been very busy recently and has performed at two events within the school. This group of S1 pupils devised a piece of work which focussed on the fears of coming up to Secondary school and then showing the reality of what things were actually like. The group chose to use ‘Deal or no Deal’ as the format for their piece. The show featured a contestant who was hoping to find the box that would contain her transition into secondary school; however she had to be careful with her choices as some of the boxes contained her fears of secondary school.

The Drama Club’s first performance was at the Primary 6 Drama Festival which was hosted in our School Hall. This festival saw all the Primary 6 pupils from our feeder schools coming up to the Grammar for a morning. Each Primary 6 class performed something they had been working on in school. As the Grammar was the host our Drama Club was the first to perform. The day was a great success and everyone

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

involved put in a really good performance. This was an important first step for the Primary 6 pupils on the transition journey up to the Grammar School.

The second performance saw the pupils performing to the Primary 7 pupils who were on their visit to the Grammar School. All the Primary 7s were gathered together at lunch time on their last day and the Drama Club then performed their piece again for them. This was a fitting way to round off the pupils’ transition week within the school.

The S1 Drama Club has had a busy year and the pupils have been a credit to the school. We hope to see them next year in our new Drama Club for S2-S4 pupils.

Pied Piper

Pied Piper, the theatre company run by and for S6 pupils, decided to put on Stephen Greenhorn’s hilariously funny play Passing Places in February of this year.

The play follows Alex and Brian, a pair of small-town boys going nowhere. However Alex, whilst drunk one night, decides to do a runner with a prized surfboard owned by Alex’s psychopathic gangster boss, Binks. The only transport available is a worn-out Lada, and they head for Thurso, where the surf is up all year round. As the dynamic duo from Motherwell head north, Binks is in hot pursuit, taking the obvious route, whilst the lads take the ‘sneaky’ route. Encountering electric crofters, hippie surf gurus, French car wreckers and a host of other characters along the way, the lads’ enlightening journey takes them from Motherwell to Thurso along every winding single track road the West of Scotland has to offer. The action switches from east to west as the boys and the violent Binks head north, towards a showdown on Thurso beach...

The directors, Sam Elder and Eleanor Butler, did an amazing job of putting this play into action, and it was performed in the Drama Studio to help create a small and intimate atmosphere. There were nine members of the cast in total, four playing the lead characters whilst five had the difficult job of multi-rolling which is playing a variety of characters throughout the play. The actors were a tight team who managed to bring the comical, yet sometimes serious, issues of the script to life. The production ran for two nights and received a fabulous reception on both. Thank you to all those who came.

Face The Music Presents:

“BACK TO THE 80s”

By Sam Pirie (Feargal McFerrin III)

When it was first revealed that our next School Show was going to be “Back to the Eighties” we were dancing on the ceiling with excitement! We knew the show would be good, but we never expected it to get the fantastic reaction which it did.

The audition process was so nerve wracking that we felt like we had been shot through the heart whilst we were auditioning. We all really wanted to be a part of this show and wanted a chance to perform our loved ‘80s tunes. Once the creative team finished the hard task of choosing a cast, we were ready to rehearse.

From the get go we knew that this was going to be a different experience. Songs were easier to learn as we had all cut foot-loose to these songs throughout our lives. The rehearsals were long and arduous; however, they were worthwhile as performing these

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musical numbers soon became second nature. It was really fun watching characters grow and develop into the colourful characters of William Ocean High.

Soon rehearsals were done and it was the final countdown to opening night. It came faster than expected and we were all very nervous even although we knew that this show would be a big success. As soon as the first notes of the overture began we were no longer members of Aberdeen Grammar School but Kids in America. Opening night was an amazing success, with every cast member giving it their all. But could we do it again? The answer was a resounding YES!

The second night was just as successful as the first and by the time it came to the final night none of us could believe that the whole experience was nearly over. Performing on the final night was magical, everyone had so much fun performing and the audience had tons of fun watching. When the cast took their final bow everyone in the auditorium stood up and applauded, it was phenomenal; everyone in the cast was walking on sunshine! We could barely contain how delighted we were. When the final curtain closed we experienced a total eclipse of the heart, we were incredibly proud of how well the show went but we were incredibly sad at the fact we would never perform it again.

While it was sad to think that we were never going to be going back to William Ocean High, the memories which were created during the process are ones that will be with us forever. We had the time of our lives and we would all walk 500 miles to do it again.

National 5 Geography Pupils Marischal Square Consultation

Two representatives from Muse, Aberdeen City Council’s partner for the redevelopment of the St. Nicholas House site, came to Aberdeen Grammar School to ask National 5 pupils for their input and ideas for the plans for the new Marischal Square.

We enjoyed an afternoon of learning about the history of the site, from when the area was considered a slum all the way to the point when St. Nicholas House was built. In groups, we designed a layout of what we, as young people in Aberdeen, would like to see in our city centre. All of the plans included large open spaces which combined urban aspects and materials with natural greenery and water fountains.

Our plan featured a large open courtyard with trees and grass areas with space for events such as markets, concerts, pop-up coffee huts and an ice rink in winter. Around the outside of the square, we suggested a semi-circle of independent shops, cafes, restaurants and bars with outdoor and rooftop seating areas. We incorporated Provost Skene’s House by proposing that adverts, pictures and films be projected onto the largest outside wall. Innovative ideas from other groups included a shopping area covered by a tilted glass roof, from which rainwater would run down and trickle off the edge to create a water feature. Many pupils also liked the idea of either pedestrianising Broad Street or turning it into convenient parking.

Unfortunately, we did not consider the Aberdonian weather and the issue of funding for Marischal Square. The representatives were impressed, and often amused, by our

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suggestions but regretfully they told us that a lot of our concepts would not be possible, mainly due to financial limitations. The final plans include a number of offices on the upper floors of glass and granite buildings and a hotel to pay for the regeneration of Guestrow and the open spaces. There will be a number of glass overhangs and covered pedestrian walkways to give the illusion of the whole area being very open and airy while also being weatherproof. I personally don’t like some of the aspects of the proposal, such as the towering office buildings but I really love others, like the pedestrianisation of Broad Street which will be the largest open space, with grass and seating areas. Overall, I think it will be a refreshing change to the city centre and I am glad my peers and I have been able to have an influence, however slight, on our city’s future.

DOORS OPEN DAY

To help to commemorate the School’s seven hundred and fiftieth anniversary we took part in the 2013 Doors Open Day programme – a nation-wide event which is part of the ‘European Heritage Days’ initiative. This involved Prefects giving members of the public guided tours and talks about various aspects of the School’s history. Furthermore, several of the School’s musicians and pipers played small interludes at certain points on the tour. Members of the School’s current World Challenge team sold refreshments, in the process giving visitors a greater flavour of current activities taking place in the school. Additionally, Arthur McCombie – co-author of the recently published Bon Record book – was present and available to elaborate on several aspects of the School’s history. The number of attending visitors was very healthy and was diverse in terms of both age and background. The day was considered a great success, with several visitors giving positive feedback regarding the format of the day as well as the welcoming manner of the Prefects and staff. The School will certainly consider taking part in future Doors Open Days, where I’m sure staff, pupils and visitors would be keen to delve deeper into the School’s history.

Marc Walton (Head Boy)

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Refreshments

Rotary Young Chef 2014

Tara Horn, S3, represented “District North” in the Scottish Final of the Rotary Young Chef Competition in Glasgow in March. Tara was mentored by Chris Tonner of Beetroot Restaurants Ltd who has The Courtyard and The Adelphi Kitchen in Aberdeen.

The Great War Project

As part of the centenary year of the start of the First World War four S3 History classes were able to participate in a series of workshops and view a performance of “ Oh What a Lovely War”. During a two week period in February the third years travelled to the Gordon Highlanders Museum to take part in two different workshops relating to the Great War.

The first workshop was based on the reality of war. For this the pupils were able to hear the story of the Gordon Highlanders during the War, learn about the life of a soldier, including dressing up in their kit and completing tasks based on what happened as the War progressed.

The second workshop was based on the fiction of war. This was based around the ideas that have become synonymous with the War. There was a focus on active learning, with themes like big business, how the soldiers communicated then and how they would communicate now and creating stills of the war being explored.

Finally, at the beginning of March, many pupils took up the opportunity to take in the performance of “Oh What a Lovely War” put on by Aberdeen Opera Company at the Arts Centre.

French Visitors

Our S4 and S5 pupils studying French recently welcomed a group of French pupils and three teachers from Clermont-Ferrand who were in Aberdeen for a conference on ‘The Impact of the Great War on Aberdeen and its twin cities’.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The Holocaust Explained

On the 11th of February, at Aberdeen University, Joanna Millan presented her mesmerising story of her experience living through the Holocaust. The fifth and sixth years at Aberdeen Grammar were given the opportunity to go and listen to her. Her presentation told us the story of her family, its past and her first years of life, which featured her being taken prisoner by the Germans and moved to a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Joanna was born Bela Rosenthal, a Jew, in August 1942 in Berlin, Germany. In February 1943, her father was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he was killed. Later that year, in June, Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp outside Prague, Czechoslovakia. In 1944, Bela's mother contracted Tuberculosis and died, leaving Bela orphaned and alone in the camp at the age of two.

However, as a sign of her strong character, Bela managed to survive her time at the concentration camp and on the 3rd of May 1945 the Red Cross took over control of the camp and Bela was liberated by the Russians. She, along with five other surviving orphans, who she had considered her family throughout her stay in Theresienstadt, were flown to England in British planes. This, she says, was one of her first memories due to her fear of the great noise the planes produced.

Bela was adopted by a Jewish couple living in London who decided it would be better for her to have a less German-sounding name and so her name was changed to Joanna. She grew up during the peace that followed World War II and went on to marry a Jewish man. She has three children and eight grandchildren and is a magistrate. Today she speaks regularly about her experiences during the Holocaust.

Whilst the talk was extremely educational, it was more of an eye-opener than anything else. The facts and the numbers of Holocaust victims were incomprehensible. However, one fact in particular which stuck out was that of the 10,000 children who went into her concentration camp, less than 100 came out. This, put together will her charismatic ways and passionate speaking, made the talk one that will never be forgotten.

The unique opportunity to hear about Joanna's past was made even more remarkable given that it wasn't just a story; it came straight from someone who was strong enough to survive. Her message in that lecture hall rang out clear - 'never forget.'

Ellie Biggs S5

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Trad Jazz Memories

Inspired by the revival of interest in New Orleans jazz in the 1950s many jazz bands were formed throughout Britain. Recordings from America by Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, Louis Armstrong, The Firehouse Five Plus 2 and many more were finding their way into the record shops. But it was when Chris Barber, Ken Colyer, Sid Phillips, Humphrey Lyttleton and Freddy Randell, to mention just a few, became established band leaders making recordings that a British version of the American jazz form evolved into what became known as Traditional Jazz. The popularity rapidly blossomed and, along with skiffle numbers, they were getting into the music charts.

A popular after school activity of the time was a visit to the listening booths at Bruce Millers or The Equitable. This occasionally gave rise to someone actually buying a 78rpm record for the princely sum of two shillings or even two shillings and sixpence – 10p or 12.5p.

In 1955 an informal group of pupils from S4 to S6 decided to form a school jazz band led by Sandy West, piano, Murray Milne, trombone, Ronnie McLeod (nephew of Tarzan), trumpet, David Milne and Norman Horne, clarinets and Barton Brown, drums. The band made guest appearances at the intervals of the School Dance and at Madame Murray’s. From these humble beginnings Ronnie progressed to full time professional, Sandy led his own band locally for a further forty years, Norman played with several groups and bands during his peripatetic years all round Scotland for nearly fifty years and Barton played with the Aberdeen University Jazz Band until 1961 along with fellow FPs Roy Logan, and Sandy and Gordon Cheyne.

The advent of the Beatles in the early 1960s delivered a severe shock wave to all the popular music of the time and Trad suffered a steep decline from the forefront of the music scene. Nevertheless, happy memories remain for those of us who enjoyed the halcyon years.

W. Barton Brown (1943-57)

Walking the John Muir Trail

It all started in 1968 when I graduated from the University of Aberdeen, crossed the Atlantic by boat and took the train to the small town of Lawrence, Kansas. Among the foreign students arriving at the University of Kansas that week was Katchan from Japan. We became firm friends, and a year later I was best man when he married his American girlfriend. Katchan settled in the US while I recrossed the Atlantic in 1970 in that novelty, a jumbo jet.

Last year, Katchan invited me to join him in walking a sixty mile section of the John Muir Trail ending on top of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous US. The whole trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney is over 200 miles, so he planned to join the trail at Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada, giving us sixty miles of trail and nine days to do it. The hill walkers among you may consider that an ambitious target, but this walk was all above 10,000 feet, crossed two passes at 12,000 and 30,000 respectively and ended at 14,495 on 27

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top of Mount Whitney. Not only that, but there was no possibility of re-supply, so we were carrying heavy packs.

Preparation involved regular visits to the gym and an equipment test walking from Invercauld to Corgarff, camping alone with the deer and the eagles at Loch Builg.

On 24th July 2013 the big day came when Katchan, his friend John and I set out from Roads End in Kings Canyon and headed into the wilderness. The first day was steeper than I expected and in full sun, so I began to wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew. But a night under the cool pines and a shadier second day brought relief along with the excitement of joining the John Muir Trail coming down from the north. The granite domes surrounding us as we climbed up by Woods Creek were spectacular, but only a foretaste of what was to come. On the third day, we continued upwards into the realm of the gnarled

Gavin on the right on the trail leading to the summit of Mt Whitney in the sun on the left

bristlecone pines which found a foothold amongst the rocks. The Rae Lakes Basin gave us a spectacle of water and mountains, including the aptly named Fin Dome of naked granite which looked just like a shark’s fin. That night, camped at the foot of Glenn Pass, it rained heavily. I was dry in my European tent but Katchan, in his home-made Californian bivvy, spent the night bailing it out. A stiff climb in the rain, through a corrie worthy of the Cairngorms, brought us to the pass and then downwards into the trees as the weather dried.

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That night we camped in another valley amongst the pines and beneath the Vidette Peaks. The fifth day was a long and gradual climb up the valley, leaving the trees behind and setting up camp amongst the boulders by a lake known only as the lake at 12,250 feet. The little pikas, short eared relatives of the rabbit, kept us entertained as they harvested herbs and flowers and hid them deep under the rocks for winter stores. The morning saw us up and over Forester Pass, with a descent on a fearsome path built into the cliff face. At the foot, as we paused to recover, we were overtaken by a young lady in shorts and skimpy top, striding out with a rucksack on her back. We felt our years!

Alpine desert gave way to woodland as we gradually descended, crossing several streams in shallow valleys, and then Bighorn Plateau – but no bighorn sheep to be seen then or at any time on the hike. We caught our first view of Mount Whitney, more rounded viewed from the north-west, while precipitous viewed from the east. Our camp site was haunted by a mule deer doe and her fawn. She may have considered that human presence would keep away the predators. Outside National Parks humans are major predators but there, for generations, the deer have been free of hunting. Our seventh day took us to the foot of Mount Whitney and on the way we had our only encounter with a Ranger. He was looking for a man who had entered the park on a day pass from the east side of Mount Whitney but had not exited and could have taken the wrong path and ended up on the John Muir Trail to the west. The mountain to be climbed in the morning was guarded by fearsome granite pinnacles and we could not pick out the route amongst the tumbled rocks. As we prepared for the night at our camp above 11,000 feet, we were surprised to see a fellow-hiker plunge into the lake for a swim. At the end of July there were still snow patches around.

We had to carry our packs, zig-zagging up the mountain, until we crested the ridge to the south of the summit. There we could leave our packs and tackle the final two hours along the jagged ridge to the summit Plateau. The path along the ridge twisted amongst the pinnacles and we caught our first breathtaking glimpses down the sheer east face of the mountain. There is a well-maintained hut near the summit, built in 1909, and outside, in a box, a book to sign. The summit was busy with many climbers making a one or two day ascent from the east. We took in the 360 degree view from the desert to the east to the sawtoothed sierras to the west and then returned down the ridge, making encouraging comments to those still struggling up in the thin air. Picking up our packs again, we set off down the ninety zig-zags by which the path descends to the east to where we made our final camp by a small lake. Being on the east of the mountains the sun quickly filled the valley in the morning and dispelled the night chill.

Descending the Lone Pine Creek to the road end at Whitney Portal after nine days, we felt so superior to the day hikers struggling up from where they had left their cars. The Sierra country is spectacular, with its granite domes and saw-toothed ridges, reflected in lakes and tarns and garlanded by pine forest. The wild flowers are enchanting and the chipmunks, marmots and pikas a source of entertainment. The much warned against bears stayed hidden, somewhat to my disappointment, and the only large mammals to be seen from

the trail were the mule deer. I found it a little strange to be so far from roads or dwellings and yet on a made and maintained path with bridges and signposts. In Scotland you can feel remote and wild while being only a few hours’ walk from a tarmacked road or a cosy pub.

Gavin McEwen (1958-64)

Battlefield Tour – June 2014 A Canadian Perspective

When a friend suggested a bike tour somewhere this year I had little idea of where it would end up. The interest picked up when he passed over a brochure for the “Wounded Warriors of Canada – Battlefield Tour – 2014”, a tour of the battlefields and cemeteries of Normandy. Despite being in my 74th year, I duly considered it for all of 10 seconds, then started my preparation. Of course the Tour was all the more significant as it coincided with the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings on June 6th 1944.

The Wounded Warriors organisation provides care for those in the Armed Forces who have suffered physically or mentally during their service. The purpose of the Tour was primarily fund raising but also to provide an opportunity to visit various battlefields and cemeteries, primarily those where Canadian troops who played major roles in both World Wars lie.

The Tour ran for nine days from 5th to 14th June and included about 110 serving members and veterans from the Canadian Armed Forces, as well civilians like myself.

After the arrival of the riders in Paris, the coaches departed for the Normandy coast and the town of Houlgate, which is situated close to the five invasion landing beaches of D Day. After check in, we tested our rental bikes assigned to us – all brand new 24-gear Trek road bikes. We went for a 38 km test ride which gave everyone the chance to visit the Merville battery, a key first objective of the Allied Landings prior to the major assault on the 6th and which included Canadian paratroopers. They neutralised the massive battery, which offered commanding positions overlooking the Sword and Juno beaches. There was already a memorial service-taking place with British paras in evidence as well as a large collection of Allied and German memorabilia. On our first day of riding, we tried to get used to cycling along the narrow but intensely busy roads. The general feeling was that European drivers are far more considerate towards cyclists than their North American counterparts.

On day 2 - June 6 - not surprisingly, we were not the only visitors to the Normandy beaches. In addition to the thousands of tourists attracted by the anniversary, including some remaining veterans of the campaign, all the Allied Forces leaders were there to commemorate the success. This made biking a little more difficult for us with the security operations and numerous diversions. There were large ceremonial events taking place on all the beaches. Today’s ride took us through the areas where the Canadian troops penetrated on the first few days before encountering major resistance from the fresh arrival of additional German Divisions. Those battle lines remained more or less in place until the

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breakthrough with the capture of Caen and the Falaise Gap in July and August. In the evening we watched the D Day celebrations which included a synchronised firework display all along the French coastline over the invasion beaches.

On Day 3 we went from Houlgate to Juno which was one of five assault beaches assigned to the Canadian Divisions and became the scene of some of the heaviest fighting on that first day. However, the Canadian forces advanced further inland then than any of the other Allied forces.

It was an emotional day for me as my father-in-law Menzies Robertson had landed on Juno Beach with the 51st Highland Division a few hours after the initial assault. Many years later he recounted how his first sight was that of piles of bodies lying on the beach, all wearing Canadian insignia. This became his first connection with Canada. Forty-two years later he emigrated to join his daughter in Calgary and three years later he became a Canadian citizen. My wife, Pat, had given me a rose in a small box with a poignant message. A group of riders assembled on the beach and in a small ceremony, I planted the box deep into the sand with a prayer and a moment of silence.

In the afternoon we rode to the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. Most of the 2,048 dead in the cemetery had been killed in the first few days of action. With our chaplain, we held a moving commemoration service followed by musical tributes from our accompanying bag-piper and the Last Post from our trumpeter. The cemetery was close to the church which had become the headquarters for the German Command and where on June 7 – 8 over thirty Canadian prisoners of war were executed. The commander was convicted for war crimes after the War and sentenced to death which was later commuted to life imprisonment

On Day 4 we made the journey from Houlgate to Rouen, which we knew was going to be the most challenging day of the Tour. The ride to Rouen was 121 km with total climbing of over 2,200 feet, involving 7- 8 major climbs. As we headed inland we faced some steep escarpments with long challenging inclines. At this time of year, the Normandy countryside is beautiful, peaceful and lush, with open countryside and crops almost ready to harvest alternating with dense forest where you are only too glad of the cooling shade. It was a tired bunch of riders who made it to the very old but beautiful city of Rouen.

On Day 5, after the hard ride of the day before, most of us took the day off to visit the old town. My friend and I felt the purpose of the trip was to ride, so we elected to take in the relatively short planned 75 km. ride. Although it would not be supported, the ride would still be sign-posted and have a food and water stop at our destination. Ultimately the day turned out to be one of the most scenic rides of the Tour. After leaving Rouen we reached a section where we rode along the banks of the Seine lined with the most beautiful chateaus and country homes. Our destination was Abbeye de Jumeiges, the original abbey home of William, Duke of Normandy. It had been a most spectacular abbey but regrettably with the French Revolution it became a “Stone Quarry”, with its stone available for other buildings.

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In the end we found that only three riders out of our group made it to the abbey – one party, mainly the Aussies, got half way but elected to stop in a bar when it started raining.

The 94 km ride on Day 6 took us north from Rouen to Dieppe. The Dieppe raid of August 19, 1942 was the first large-scale operation on the continent since Dunkirk. The object was to destroy the German defences and neighbouring radar and aerodrome installations. The predominantly Canadian force conducted the main assault on the town itself with flanking assaults by British commando units. Our visit inspected the two beaches underneath the cliffs where the troops came under such intense fire.

Due in part to a loss of surprise, the raid never reached any of its primary objectives and over 60% of the 6,086 men who made it ashore were killed, captured or wounded. Those who died are buried in the Canadian War Memorial Cemetery which we visited in the afternoon and had another commemoration service. In Canada the raid remains the most controversial action of World War II and it is still undecided whether it was worth the cost and the sacrifice.

Day 7 was the second longest ride of the trip, from Dieppe to Amiens, and included climbing over 2000 feet over 110 km. One of the stops included a small cemetery where most of the interred were RAF and other Commonwealth Country pilots who had been shot down. As with all of the cemeteries we visited, much credit is attributed to the Imperial War Graves Commission, which keeps everything in such beautiful and pristine condition.

Day 8, riding from Amiens to Arras promised to be one of the easiest ride days – 81km with a climb of only 225 meters – an indication that we were moving into the flat fields so reminiscent of the newsreels and pictures from WW I. Our first stop was at the War Memorial at Villiers-Bretonneau, dedicated to the Australians who died at the Battle of Amiens in 1918. The battle became a major turning point of the war when the Allied forces, including the Aussies, broke through the German lines. After a walkabout, the riders all gathered in front of the monument. We had a small but vocal group of Australians on the Tour and after the Chaplain made a short and moving sermon they laid a couple of wreaths. The trumpeter played the Last Post from the top of the Tower, which must have been heard for miles. It was a gorgeous sunny day, which just seemed to make the whole visit and service so poignant. Several of our Aussie friends were in tears and needed a little comforting

We then rode the short distance to Beaumont Hamel, a site sacred to any Newfoundlander. The Newfoundland Regiment was formed at the outbreak of the War, at a time when Newfoundland was not a part of Canada. On July 1st 1916, a major assault began but foundered in the barbed wire and obstacles of no-man’s land. The Newfoundland Regiment, waiting in trenches some 250 yards behind the British lines, was ordered to go ‘Over the Top’. They had to advance on the surface, first through the British barbed wire defence lines, both immediately and clearly visible to the German machine gunners. Most of the regiment died within the first 15 to 20 minutes; of the 780 men who went into battle only 68 were there for roll call next day. These were the worst casualties of the entire battle. There is a beautiful Newfoundland caribou memorial, where the Chaplain conducted a further service. After the service and pipes, our

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Newfoundland contingent laid a set of wreaths. The ceremony concluded with the group singing "Ode to Newfoundland."

For most of us, the emotional impact of the whole Tour is only just beginning to be felt. This trip is more about the need to recognise our past and the significance, for all Canadians, of the role our parents and grandparents played in both world wars. While the biking has been both enjoyable and immensely satisfying, the principal purpose of the trip has been to honour those of the military, both those who fought in the past and those currently in service.

Day 9 promised to be the highlight of the trip, with a visit to Vimy Ridge and the Wind- Up dinner in the evening. The primary battle was fought between 9th and 17th April 1917 and became a decisive victory for the four Canadian Divisions and a vital turning point in the War. The Vimy Ridge site has now been permanently gifted to Canada by the French Government in recognition of its contribution to the War. Our visit included touring the remaining trenches and underground tunnels, which outlined the proximity of the front lines of the two armies, sometimes less than a hundred yards apart and within grenade throwing distance. It is impossible to imagine what life must have been like for troops on both sides to have lived through those terrible times, not only for days and weeks but months.

The group had assembled to ride up together through the Canadian Maple tree lined avenues towards the Vimy Ridge Memorial monument. After leaving our bikes some way back from the Memorial, the riders took position in rows of four, with the Chaplain leading the formation and walked solemnly up the narrow road. Again the Chaplain delivered an emotional service, reminding us again of the historic battle and the debt of gratitude to those who fell, making this a sacred site. In the course of this, Canada was essentially established as an independent nation. After the playing of the pipes and the Last Post, a photo was taken of the whole group. We rode back to Arras with high emotion, knowing this was our last time riding together and enjoying the camaraderie we had established over the previous nine days. On reaching Arras my odometer indicated I had ridden 748 km over the Tour.

The last event of the Tour was our formal wind up dinner. A great meal together was a fabulous way to celebrate the end of a memorable tour. Many good friends made and many remarkable stories. One man told us that whilst visiting the Vimy Ridge Centre that morning, he had come across a photo of his grandfather, sitting on a truck, with fellow soldiers cheering them after they had just won the battle. He was totally overwhelmed.

The overall feeling with which I have come away is the increased respect I have for those men and women serving in our Armed Forces and the great job they do of which our general population has little or no comprehension. I also have a far better understanding of the problems and issues that many of them have on returning to civilian life.

I wish to thank the Wounded Warriors Association for giving me the opportunity to participate in this unforgettable Tour. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Gordon B. Singer (1949-50)

An Ornithological Detective Story

The Egg of Jerdon’s Courser

Former Pupils of an older generation will recall the Museum on an upper floor of the main building adjacent to the old Library. The Museum was a greatly under-rated historical contribution as a teaching aid in the late 19th – early 20th century educational world. It contained a variety of artefacts but its main items were a number of stuffed birds and several display cases containing a substantial collection of eggs. These eggs, many foreign, dated mainly from the late 19th Century up to around the time of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. They had largely been donated by Former Pupils who had gone to work in various parts of the Empire and who felt that these donations were of value to their old School.

During one of the major re-buildings of the School in the mid-60s the Museum was lost and these cases were moved, initially to the Biology Department corridor. At a later date legislation was enacted which made it illegal for individuals to hold collections of birds’ eggs. It was unclear whether the new laws applied to schools, but there was concern about the possible effects of pesticides, such as DDT, on the eggshells of raptors such as peregrines, and it was felt that eggs from an era which long preceded these pesticides might be useful as controls in comparisons of the thickness of eggshells from the two periods. At the instigation of Bill Williams, then principal teacher of Biology, and with the agreement of the Rector of the time, it was then arranged that the eggs and stuffed birds be offered to the University Zoology Department to be taken into the care of their Natural History Museum and they were readily accepted.

The Jerdon’s Courser is a plover-like species of bird known to inhabit only a tiny area of land in South India. Little is known of its breeding habits, as its nests and eggs have never been found by ornithologists. At a later date the emeritus head of museums at the University was looking through these drawers of uncatalogued eggs when he spotted an egg labelled as belonging to the Jerdon’s Courser species. He could hardly believe what he saw. No other eggs of this species had been found and the bird itself was seen only a few times in southern India, and was presumed to have been extinct around 1900.

The egg was taken to the Natural History Museum at Tring, Hertfordshire, for testing. There are stuffed specimens of the bird in a few museums and it was therefore possible to obtain the DNA from one of these and compare it with DNA from the membrane of the egg. The result was confirmation that this egg, which had been an exhibit in the School Museum and which is presumed to have been brought from India by a Former Pupil over a hundred years ago, was of the same species. It is hoped that it may now be possible to compare eggs found in the area which the species was known to inhabit and so possible identify eggs and nests of living Jerdon’s Coursers.

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The ‘Grammar’ egg will be on display in the University’s Zoology Museum when refurbishment is complete.

To Africa for UNICEF

Former pupil Ross Methven had a strong urge to go in search of some adventure, so quit his job as Head of Consultancy at a marketing agency in London and got on a bicycle. He cycled 12,000km over the course of one year and three days, passing through twenty-two countries. This is his story.

I set off from Edinburgh on a fully-laden bicycle, carrying everything I would need. Clothes, camping equipment, medicine, bicycle parts, cooking equipment…. everything. Not having done any training before departure meant that the first couple of weeks cycling down to Dover in the snow and ice proved to be character-building, and on more than one occasion I considered turning around and waiting for spring. But I pushed on.

I hit the continent and the weather remained grim as I travelled through Belgium and the Netherlands, visiting a number of Allied War Cemeteries. As my fitness improved heading south through Germany, I felt ready to tackle the Swiss Alps. What I was not ready for was temperatures of -12. Pushing on through the snow and ice each day was incredibly tough, but I came out the other side and rewarded myself with a birthday massage from a beautiful Italian called Elena. At the hotel spa, I might add.

Travelling down through Italy in spring was magical. Crossing the Apennines twice was challenging, but I was beginning to feel the joy and exhilaration, as each day I could cycle further and longer. Lots of friends in Italy took me in and ensured that I was fed and watered.

The Balkans represented the first unexplored frontier for me. Things began to get interesting in the remoter part of Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania. I met lots of bewildered locals who really didn’t quite know what to make of this hairy Scotsman on a bike. The generosity of people amazed me – rarely did I pay for food or drinks at the side of the road.

As I came through the mountains in Macedonia into Greece the temperature began to rise and I found myself going through at least 10 litres of water a day. I pushed on through to Turkey and eventually arrived at Istanbul – the end of Europe. Whilst deciding where to go next I fattened myself up on kebabs and beer.

The next country was not an easy choice. Not only was there unrest in Turkey itself, but the options of Syria, Iran and Egypt were not that great either. After a bit of contemplation I packed my bike and belongings into a box and hopped on a plane to Kenya.

The African leg began in June 2013, and the following months will live with me forever. Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa were simply incredible places to visit by bicycle. Highlights included:

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

 Cycling with the son of the first President of Tanzania for a month, and being treated like royalty everywhere we went

 Living with a convent of nuns for nine days

 Meeting the chief of every village as I made my way through Tanzania’s Southern Highlands

 Staying on an island on Lake Malawi and fishing with the locals every day for a fortnight in their handmade boats (and partying with them at night)

 Having the pleasure of meeting Miss Tanzania

 Eating bush meat in Botswana (I was told it was monkey by one chap, another claimed it to be elephant)

 Enduring 47 degree heat in the spectacular Kalahari desert

 Christmas Day in Windhoek eating zebra and drinking beer in the pool

 Numerous animal encounters – lions, elephant, monkeys and giraffe, all posing varying degrees of danger but never failing to mesmerise me

The final day of my cycling was a bit of a stinker – 45 mph headwinds all day and a lot of heavy traffic to contend with. The first part of the day was spent in the very pleasant company of Johan, a local cyclist who chummed me along for twenty miles. By 10a.m. Table Mountain came into view. Thanks to the strong headwind I ended up looking at it for the next six hours. It was slowly getting closer, though.

As I came into Cape Town I picked up my fifth puncture of the trip (and second in three days). I was in a slightly dodgy part of town at the time but was spotted by the police who came up in a van and guarded me while I fixed the puncture, fending off drunks and junkies.

Slightly later than planned I arrived at Cape Town Stadium where my friend Dennis met me with a cold bottle of champagne.

Africa was just amazing, and a little bit of my heart remains there. Since returning to the UK I have already been back, and I am to be climbing Kilimanjaro in September 2014. Never have I met so many friendly and contented people, who will give you anything and everything, even if they have next to nothing to give. On the low days when I battled heatstroke and dehydration, there was always an encounter that would lift my spirits, and it is the memories of these encounters that never fail to put a smile on my face. I hope that they always do, otherwise I will have to go back and do it again!

Ross started his cycling trip in Edinburgh on 27th January 2013 and arrived in Cape Town one year and three days later. He was raising money for UNICEF children’s initiatives in Africa.

Blog posts from his trip can be found at http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/blog/ You can still donate to this worthy cause here: http://tinyurl.com/methvenunicef

Former Pupils’ Section

Former Pupils’ Club

Founded 11 September 1893

Club Office-Bearers, 2014-2015

Honorary President:

GRAHAM LEGGE, BEd, MEd (Rector)

Honorary Vice-Presidents:

T. GORDON COUTTS (1938-49), QC, MA, LL.B (President, 1980-81)

BRIAN K. CROOKSHANKS (1934-46), TD, MA, LL.B (President, 1983-84)

ERIC D. WATT (1937-50), BEd. (President, 1984-85)

Prof. PHILIP N. LOVE (1952-58), CBE, DL, MA, LL.B, LL.D (President, 1987-88)

W. MORRISON BROWN (1933-46) (President, 1988-89)

A. KEITH CAMPBELL (1944-53), TEng (CEI), FInst AEA (President, 1992-93)

IAN M. DUGUID (1938-43), OduM, MD, PhD, FRCS, FCOpth, LL.D, DO (President, 1993-94)

JAMES C. LYON (1953-59), RIBA, FRIAS (President, 1996-97)

J. EDWARD FRASER (1936-49), CB, MA, BA, FSA(Scot) (President, 1997-98)

RICHARD H. CRADOCK (1940-51) (President, 1998-99)

RICHARD F. TYSON (1944-49) (President, 2000-01)

DOUGLAS G. FOWLIE (1950-64) MB,ChB, FRCPsych. (President, 2002-03))

IAN H. McLEOD (1951-55) (President, 2004-05)

GORDON G. MILNE (1950-61) MB.ChB (President, 2005-06)

DAVID L. ALLAN (1945-58) QPM, LL.B, MPhil, FCMI (President 2006-07)

GARY J.G. ALLAN (1963-76) QC, LL.B (President 2007-08)

JAMES M. CLARK (1947-59) (President 2008-09)

NEIL BORTHWICK (1952-65) BSc, PhD (President 2009-10)

DONALD A. LAMONT (1952-65) MA (President 2010-11)

TRACEY J.H. MENZIES (1981-87) MBE, DCH, LL.B (President 2011-12)

NIGEL G.M. WATT (1963-69) LL.B, WS (President 2012-13)

J. MARTIN JEFFREY (1942-57) BSc (President 2013-14) (Specially Elected)

ARTHUR L. McCOMBIE, MA, FSA(Scot) (Deputy Rector, 1973-90) (Elected 1991)

ALISTAIR M. NORTH (1937-50) OBE, BSc, DSc, PhD, FRSE, FRIC (Elected 2004)

J. PETER JEFFREY (1944-59) MSc (Eng) (Elected 2010)

H. ALAN S. HAMILTON (1943-56) (Elected 2012)

President:

MARGERY G. TAYLOR (1975-81)

Vice-President of Club and Chairman of Executive: DOUGLAS McALLISTER (1962-68)

Secretary:

JOHN F. HENDRY (1951-65) LL.B

Treasurer:

LINDSEY A. CALDWELL (1977 -83 ) MA, CA

General & Notes Editor of Magazine: BRIAN K. CROOKSHANKS (1934-46) TD, MA, LL.B

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Regional Centres

Edinburgh: President – W. MORRISON BROWN(1933-46)

Secretary – JAMES H. RUST (1963-71) james.rust@btconnect.com

Glasgow: President – MALCOLM GAULD (1947-61)

Secretary – MARGERY TAYLOR (1975-81) marg7ery@ntlworld.com

London: President – DONALD A. LAMONT (1952-65)

Secretary – SANDY NICOL (1962-71) anicol@lineone.net

Yorkshire: President – DOUGLAS SKENE (1959-64)

Secretary – DAVID GALLOWAY (1976-82) davegalloway1964@hotmail.com

Canada: President – J. PETER JEFFREY (1944-59)

Secretary – GILLIAN A. THOMAS (1975-80) gillianthomas@shaw.ca

Secretaries

of Sections

Cricket – RICHARD S.T. FERRO theferrofamily@lineone.net

Curling – IAN P. SOUTER (1947-61) ianpsouter@aol.com

Football – KENNETH MACPHERSON kenneth.macpherson@ryden.co.uk

Golf – PETER M. ROBERTSON (1967-73) pmrobertson@adamcochran.co.uk

Men’s Hockey – DUNCAN HARRIS (1985-91) dharris@technip.com

Women’s Hockey – EMMA WILLIAMS emmamcara@hotmail.co.uk

Pétanque – KAREN VASS kaz.vass.15@hotmail.co.uk

Rugby – GORDON THOMSON g.thomson@talk21.com

Executive Committee

DOUGLAS McALLISTER (1961-74) Chairman

Vice-Chairman

The Secretary, the Treasurer and the General Editor of the Magazine, ex officiis

The Rector of the School, ex officio

RICHARD L.C. DARGIE (1964-73) NORMAN K.B. EDWARDS (1959-64)

GILLIAN M.E. GRAHAM (1991-97) RUSSELL GRAY (1951-65)

H. ALAN S. HAMILTON (1943-56) GRANT A. HAMILTON (1988-94

NEIL J.G. LAWRIE (1961-74)

BRIAN R. MORGAN (1952-65)

EMMA A. MAIR (1985-91)

GEOFFREY E. MORRISON (1992-98)

HARVEY E. MORRISON (1951-65) BARRY J. SHEPHERD (1988-94)

ANGUS J. THOMPSON (1969-75)

Section Representatives

Club Centre – DALLAS G. MOIR (1969-75)

Cricket – JEREMY D. MOIR (1969-75)

Curling – COLIN R. SUTHERLAND (1947-60)

Football – RICHARD NICHOLSON (1975-81)

Golf – DALLAS G. MOIR (1969-75)

Hockey –Pétanque –Rugby – DAVID LEIGHTON (1959-62)

Women’s Hockey – EMMA MAIR (1985-91)

Staff – JANET C. ADAMS (1980-86)

Auditors

Messrs. BOWER & SMITH, C.A.

Former Pupils’ Section

Club Centre Committee

W. MICHAEL MURRAY – Chairman

K. PRITCHARD – Secretary

J. MARTIN JEFFREY – Treasurer

DAVID LEIGHTON – House Convener

K. BARNETT, K. DOUGLAS, A. HAMILTON, J.F. HENDRY, BEN JOHNSON, D.G. MOIR, H. MOLES, H.E. MORRISON, G. THOMSON, K. VASS, D.YOUNG

Club Consuls

Australia – JIM W. HOWISON (1937-50), 98A Hull Road, West Pennant Hills, New South Wales 2125, Australia, E-mail: howison@tech2u.com.au Tel. 00 61-2-9875-1296

Australia – Dr. FORBES J. SMITH (1945-57), 242 Main Creek Road, Main Ridge, Victoria, 3928, Australia E-mail: forbessmith@alphalink.com.au

Tel. 0061-3-5989-6234

Canada – GORDON B. SINGER (1949-50), 2421 Erlton Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2S 2V9 E-mail: singsing@shaw.ca ; Tel. 00 1-403-266-6448

Canada – PETER J. GREEN (1946-57), 157 Dibble Street, PO Box 2407, Prescott, Ontario, Canada, K0E 1TO E-mail: chantagrie@bell.net Tel. 00 1-613-925-9037

Canada – DAVID R. AULD (1947-61), 2187 Lafayette Street, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8S 2P2 E-mail: davidauld@shaw.ca ; Tel. 001-250-595-0616

Corsica – IAIN WARES (1941-52), Via G.M. Angioy 34, Cagliari 09124, Sardinia, Italy. Tel. 0039-070-652508

Hong Kong – MARSHALL H. BYRES (1960-69), 2A Hatton House, 15 Kotewall Road, Hong Kong E-mail: marshall.byres@hk.ev.com ; Tel. 00852-2846-9878

Ireland – ANDREW M.M. STEVEN (1936-50), 5 Beechhill Avenue, Saintfield Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT8 6NS. Tel. 028-9070-2315.

New Zealand – MICHAEL B. THOMSON (1938-51), 39 Jubilee Road, Khandallah, Wellington 4, New Zealand E-mail: Thomson.wgtn@xtra.co.nz ; Tel. 0064-4-479-5678

Thailand – Prof. ALASTAIR M. NORTH (1937-50), 79/78 Soi 7/1 Mooban Tararom, Ramkhamhaeng Road Soi 150, Saphan Soong, Bangkok 10240, Thailand E-mail: amnorth@ksc.th.com ; Tel. 0066-2-373-2818

United States – Michael G. King (1951-60), 806 Northpointe Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103-3346 USA E-mail: michaelking806@comcast.net Tel. 1-801-363-3097

Annual General Meeting

The One-hundred and eleventh Annual General Meeting of the Club was held at the Club Centre in Aberdeen on Monday 31 March 2014, with Dr Douglas McAllister, the Vice-President, in the Chair. The Chairman reported as follows:

As we come to the end of another FP Club year I can report on a number of developments – some for the better and, sadly, some not. The year has seen some very positive developments but at the same time the resource problems which we, as a committee, have been facing (and, if we are honest about this,

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

have been facing for quite a number of years) still persist. This yet again has meant that our ambition to develop and improve has been limited.

Club Centre

The Club Centre position remains precarious. Despite valiant efforts by Dallas Moir and Richard Dargie throughout 2013 the trading position, although in some ways improved, was still in deficit when they reached their planned retiral date late last year. In the absence of replacements for them, Martin Jeffrey valiantly volunteered to step in and keep things going but also to put together a plan to try to turn things around.

Finance

Lindsey Caldwell took over the position of Treasurer after last year’s Annual Meeting and has been working to get to grips with the roll. Unfortunately, the coincidence of a number of issues has meant that we are unable to present an audited set of accounts for this meeting. I have been given a summary of a number of indicators on the Club’s position and can report that, without knowing the detail, the profit/loss position would seem to be similar to previous years, although perhaps a little down due to costs from previous years carried forward. The Balance Sheet is likely to show slight deterioration due to the monies paid up front for the printing of ‘Bon-Record’ and additional loans to the Club Centre in December which had to be funded from the Club’s overdraft facilities.

Membership

Membership over the year has remained relatively static, although losses due to the inevitable march of time are not being offset by new joiners and returners. The demography of the Club continues to drift relentlessly upward. As a measure to help the Centre maximise its subscription income Martin Jeffrey has taken over responsibility for Centre membership – those who pay by Direct Debit still come through the Club bank account but this can be relatively easily reconciled.

Rubislaw Field

We have over the past year seen some positive movement on the Rubislaw Field Committee front. The City Council appear to have accepted that we will not budge on the issue of the Club’s rights in perpetuity. After a few attempts to make things difficult they have responded to the Rugby Sections’ initiative of trying to come to an agreement on usage charges with their Section direct – this appears to have been relatively successful and could be a model for all the Sports Sections. Let us be clear, however, the Rugby Football Club is still the custodian of access rights through the Field Agreement – what could happen is that each Section must optimise their position to best suit their needs.

Communications

Another successful Magazine under the editorship of Brian Crookshanks received very positive comments from FPs on all continents and we should be in

Former Pupils’ Section

no doubt that this is a really valued product. The one posting of all materials has resulted in a few time issues but these can largely be handled with a greater focus on e-mails which, although giving incomplete coverage, are increasingly the only economic option we have available to us.

Grant Hamilton continues to act as webmaster for our website www.agsfp.com . Making this site effective is all about content – news, results, events, articles can all help and Grant is very keen to get anything of that ilk. Thanks are also due to Grant for running the Big Draw – a great and dependable source of funds for the Club.

Annual Dinner

It was our third year at the Treetops last Friday and the feedback I received personally was very positive. The event was a great success with Martin Jeffrey in the Chair and a vocal ‘claque’ of supporters on his right hand. The principle speaker, Sarah Malone, proposed an excellent toast to the School and the Club, well-spiced with a series of anecdotes of a transatlantic flavour – a sort of Manhattan meets Menie, which kept the audience both interested and entertained.

The now well-established principle of asking the Head Boy and Head Girl to support the Rector in replying on behalf of the School proved yet again to be very popular. Whilst the picture they painted of the School today was of a very different School, the positive message of success (in some cases in sports and pastimes I hadn’t even heard of) was very encouraging.

A big thank you for the evening’s success must go to Neil Lawrie who, in his first year, took on one of the bigger dinners in recent times – and has come out at the other end with an unqualified success and the good news is that he has lots of good ideas for next year.

Books

November 2012 saw the launch of ‘Bon Record’, the book written by Brian Lockhart and Arthur McCombie. Sales were good initially but predictably have tailed off through 2013. We still have a number of copies and, after a bit of a breather, we intend to look into a further push, perhaps to a new audience and also looking at alternative methods of reaching a wider audience.

Excitingly we have an new book about to be published “The Grammar School at War” written by Richard Dargie – this is intended to be different to previous FP Club publications but very much a reminder of the impact of the First World War on the School and on FPs at home and at the front.

In conclusion …

Last year I concluded with thanks to those who have helped make the Club successful through their efforts – this year the message remains exactly the same. I would like to thank the Executive Committee and all of those who have given their time to support the many activities which continue with enthusiasm.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

General Business

Section Reports

Reports were submitted by representatives of the various Sections and of the Club Centre, and similar Reports appear elsewhere in this Magazine.

Accounts and Treasurer’s Report

In the unavoidable absence of audited Accounts (as explained above) the meeting remitted powers to the Executive Committee to approve the Accounts for the year.

These Accounts, now audited and approved by the Executive, are reproduced at the end of this Magazine.

Election of Office-Bearers

Officials of the Club were elected in accordance with the list published elsewhere in this Magazine

Auditors

Messrs. Bower & Smith, CA, were unanimously re-appointed Auditors of the Club and Section Accounts for the coming year.

Former Pupils’ Club A.G.M.

In terms of the Constitution, the Annual General Meeting is held on the last Monday in March.

The 2015 A.G.M. will therefore be held on Monday, 30 March at 7.30 p.m. in the Club Centre, 86 Queen’s Road, Aberdeen

President’s Report

I was immensely proud and honoured to be appointed as President of the FP Club at the Annual General Meeting on 25th March 2013. I had been asked to accept the position two or three years previously, but wanted to wait until my wife, Whilma, was no longer working full time so that she would be able to travel with me to the various functions. However, as my 75-year milestone was rapidly approaching, I thought it might be sensible to accept now rather than later! I was disappointed that my predecessor, Nigel Watt, was unable to be at the AGM to hand over the splendid Badge of Office, but he did offer me some sound advice. Like every other former President to whom I spoke, he said “the year will pass in a flash, but you will thoroughly enjoy it” – and that is exactly how it turned out!

The family has always had a strong interest in the FP Club. Brother Peter is already an Honorary Vice-President and my father was Chairman of the

Former Pupils’ Section

Executive from 1936 to 1939. He could reasonably have expected to be President of the Club in the 1940s but war intervened and, like many others, my father marched off to France in 1939. When he returned to Aberdeen in early 1946 his focus was very much on building up the family business, James A. Jeffrey and Co, Chartered Accountants.

The role of the President is essentially ambassadorial and supporting, encouraging and thanking Former Pupils in our various Centres, and I worked out that I could have as many as eighteen events to attend. This number included six Grammar FP events, two Dinners held by “expatriate” (i.e. non-Aberdeen) FP groups in the City and five other Dinners or functions held by other City FP Clubs. In addition, there were three School events and, of course, the starting and finishing AGMs. A lot to look forward to!

My programme started with the Edinburgh Dinner on 19th April. The location for many years has been the splendid Bruntsfield Golfing Society Club House where I have attended a number of Dinners in recent years. In earlier years, I was fortunate enough to attend many Edinburgh Dinners prior to Rugby Internationals and they were always very well attended and great fun. This particular Dinner was special in that my brother Peter and his wife Judy had just arrived from Canada on holiday and joined Whilma and myself for the occasion. It was a lovely evening and the views from the Club House over the course to the Forth and beyond were fantastic. The Dinner was well attended and Morr Brown, supported by James Rust, ran the evening in his own unique way. It was encouraging to see five young people who had either graduated from Edinburgh University or were still studying – like us all, they thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The next event was the School Prize Giving which was held at the Music Hall on 28th June. I had been fortunate enough to attend the first Prize-giving held in the Music Hall back in 2006, when I was Chairman of the Executive. This time, as I walked down Union Street, I heard an enthusiastic piper welcoming guests and, as I entered the building, there was a splendid string quartet in full flow. I met up with the rest of the platform party and we lined up for a procession into the main hall which was packed to capacity with pupils, their parents and members of Staff. The procession was led by the Head Boy carrying a mace, which I recognised as the mace carried by the Drum Major back in the ‘50s when we still had a Pipe Band. The School House Flags were also paraded, which was a very welcome surprise as I thought that they had been destroyed in the fire. I understand, however, that they were discovered in the Rubislaw Memorial Pavilion when it was being refurbished. They had been in a pretty dreadful state and the design had to be recreated and new flags prepared. I found myself seated on the platform in one of the seats that normally sit on the platform in the School Hall. The last time I had sat on one of these splendid seats was in 1957, in my final year at school. The event itself went with the same remarkable precision as it did in the days when John Lynch, then Deputy Rector, was in charge back in the ‘50s. This time the redoubtable Helen Innes and Janet Adams were in charge, with the same result. Those coming up to receive awards reflected an extraordinary diversity of nationalities and ethnicity and it was also clear that the girls were leading the way! I presented the FP All

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Round Trophies and it was an occasion which gave me a real feeling of pride in the continued success of Grammar School pupils and staff.

Former Pupils’ Section

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Just two days later Whilma and I (plus daughter Nicola) were in London where we joined a small group of locally based FPs. This gathering was organised by London Centre President, Donald Lamont (who is also a former President of the Club) and Secretary Sandy Nicol. We had a very pleasant lunch at a pub – The Lady Ottoline – in Central London and everyone seemed to enjoy the occasion and glad to be in touch again. It is a good many years since London had a formal Dinner – in fact the last formal gathering was probably the magnificent Dinner at the House of Lords about eight years ago. Perhaps the days of formal Dinners for the London Centre are a thing of the past and the focus should be on informal gatherings, say twice a year.

After a quiet summer and time to enjoy a family holiday, we set off for Canada on 5th September. We even had time to mark my birthday with lunch at Heathrow Airport. I had been to a previous Canadian Dinner in Ottawa in 2000 so I had a good idea of what to expect. This time the three day Reunion was held in Vancouver. The base for the gathering was a hotel on Granville Island close to the main city, but with a delightful, relaxed environment. The gathering started with an informal get-together on the Friday evening – this gave everyone a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and get to know the people that they hadn’t met before. I found that I knew a fair number of people from my previous Dinner and it was really good to meet up with old friends from School days, including Peter Green (and his wife Anne), Gordon Singer (and his wife Pat) with whom I played a lot of rugby in the early ‘60s and Alan Webster (and his wife Lucille) who I hadn’t seen since 1956 when he emigrated to Canada with his parents. The Dinner on the Saturday night was excellent, very relaxed and no big speeches. Brother Peter was installed as President of the Canada Centre, which was a delightful gesture. Sunday morning was another relaxed occasion which gave different groups the opportunity to do some gentle touring of parts of Vancouver, hopping on and off various water buses on the way. People started to disperse on the Sunday afternoon and Whilma and I headed off to Vancouver Island with Peter and Judy to spend a few days at their new home near Sidney, about half an hour north of Victoria. That part of Vancouver Island is really very lovely and we both enjoyed our time getting to know it and the various ferry trips to some of the smaller islands. We finished off our Canada trip with a rapid tour of Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise and, finally, Whistler – a marvellous ski-ing and mountain bike resort. The enthusiasm of our Canadian contingent for the School and FP Club is huge and infectious and I think we all have lessons to learn from them.

No sooner had Whilma and I arrived home from Canada, than it was time to head for the lovely city of York. Although I had attended all of the other FP Centre Dinners, sometimes very frequently over the years, this was to be my first attendance at the Yorkshire Dinner. It was held at a marvellous, slightly old-fashioned Hotel close to the city walls. There was an excellent turn-out for the Dinner, including the venerable Dick Tyson, an Honorary Vice- President and son of that legendary Rubislaw groundsman and cricketer, Eric Tyson. It was a very relaxed evening with short, interesting speeches and an excellent turn out of ladies. I was finally introduced to Birse Tea (possibly with a little too much whisky) which rounded off the evening. The next morning, several of us

Former Pupils’ Section

were taken on a visit to Betty’s – a very well-known tea-room, where I sampled the legendary Fat Rascal (a splendid oversized scone). Whilma and I spent the rest of the day strolling around the wonderful sights of York, including the breath-taking Cathedral – quite magnificent. We drove home the next day and en route stopped at the ruins of Fountains Abbey, about twenty miles north of York, which I had last visited in 1958. We shall certainly be back at the Yorkshire Dinner and spend some more time in the marvellous City. Many thanks to Doug Skene and his team who keep the FP flag flying high in Yorkshire.

The Canadian Centre has always been very generous in its support of the School, and after consulting with the Rector, they commissioned two magnificent Chairs to sit on the School Hall platform alongside the existing three splendid Chairs. A huge amount of detailed work went into the design of the new chairs and, in early October, a presentation party consisting of Bob Scace, Gillian Thomas and Gordon Singer flew across to Aberdeen. They presented the chairs with considerable style at a very nice ceremony in the School Hall on 8th October. Thank you, Canada for your energy, support and generosity.

Next stop was the Glasgow Dinner which was held in the Hilton Garden Inn located near the “Squinty Bridge” which spans the Clyde. There was a good turnout and the Glasgow President, Malcolm Gauld, ran the proceedings with typical humour and style. The main speaker was Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland. Margery Taylor, Secretary of the Glasgow Centre and now President of the Club, brought along two pupils from Lomond School, where she is a senior member of staff, and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening, as indeed we all did.

We rounded off 2013 by gratefully accepting the Rector’s invitation to the School’s Carol Service, held as usual at St Machar’s Cathedral. We had been fortunate enough to attend several previous such services and had enjoyed them all immensely. This latest service was again outstanding. The ambience of St Machar’s Cathedral is quite magnificent and Whilma and I both appreciated the talent and confidence of the choirs and musicians. Well done the School!

The New Year brought the Stewart’s Melville Dinner, held at the splendid Royal Northern & University Club on 17th January. The evening was very well attended and, as always, the occasion was very relaxed, with quite a bit of banter between old Stewart’s and Melville College pupils. The School Head spoke exceptionally well and it was a pleasure to sit beside the main speaker for the evening, Alan Wilson. Alan and I played a lot of FP Rugby together in the early to mid-60s. Another great evening.

In between the formal Dinners, Whilma and I attended less formal and very pleasant evenings held by Albyn FPs and also Hazlehead & Aberdeen Academy FPs. Unfortunately we were not able to attend those organised by St Margaret’s FPs and High School FPs. However, all of these occasions are an important part of the FP network in Aberdeen and I am sure that we will continue to support them.

My final guest appearance was at the Gordonian Dinner in early March, held as usual at the Marcliffe Hotel. It is a truly splendid location and they looked

after the 200 plus guests extremely well. The guests were a marvellous mix of the sexes, young and old. Gordonians have some nice traditions and, once again, it was an occasion which I thoroughly enjoyed.

And then it was time for the final Dinner of the year – our very own Reunion Dinner held at the Treetops Hotel on 28th March. Numbers have been dwindling in recent years so we made a very special effort to start to rebuild the interest in the occasion. We succeeded in attracting over ninety members and guests – well up from the previous year – and there was a big increase in the number of ladies. This was a deliberate part of our plan and their presence contributed greatly to the occasion. I was also very grateful for the support of my own year, the year of ’57. For extra interest the Rector very kindly agreed to lend us the new Canadian Chairs, two of the “Tombstones” that used to hang in the main corridor at School, the new House Flags and copies of various books relating to the School. The main speaker was Sarah Malone, Executive VicePresident of Trump International Golf Links at Menie. Sarah gave us one or two interesting insights into “The Donald” – all much enjoyed. The evening ended with a vigorous rendition of Auld Lang Syne – thank you, Mary Michie, for your accompaniment on the keyboard. Guests were still happily chatting away at least an hour and a half after the formalities – always a sign of a good evening. Thank you Neil Lawrie for your excellent organisation and thanks also to Graham Legge, Rector, Head Boy, Marc Walton, and Head Girl, Claire Henderson, for their excellent contributions at all the FP Dinners.

It was a great way to finish my year in Office. I am so grateful for being given the opportunity to be your President. I duly handed over the Badge of Office at the AGM on 31st March and I now have time to consider how the Club can best move forward. In the meantime all good luck to Margery Taylor for her year as President.

Martin Jeffrey (1942-57)

Presidential Profile

Margery G. Taylor (née Coutts) (1975-81)

Marjory was born in Aberdeen, the youngest of the four daughters of George Coutts, sometime Headmaster of Mile-End School. After Ashley Road Primary School she came to the Grammar in 1975. A keen sportswoman, her enthusiasm for Hockey developed throughout her six years at the School and in her final year she captained the Girls’ Hockey XI. At this time she was one of several Grammar girls to win representative honours for North District.

Margery left School in 1981 and proceeded to study for a degree in Physical Education and Movement Studies at Dunfermline College in Edinburgh for four years. She then taught in Aberdeen for five years as a peripatetic Physical Education teacher, working in five different Primary Schools as well as Bridge of Don Academy, Harlaw Academy and Aberdeen Grammar School. In her final year she taught full-time at St.Machar Academy, before heading down to Glasgow to join the staff of Lomond School, a small independent school in Helensburgh. She has continued to teach there for twenty-three years and has

Former Pupils’ Section

been Head of Department for over fifteen of these years. In that time she met and married Gerald Taylor, the school’s Head of Geography.

Margery has travelled the world through Hockey from the age of sixteen and still manages to play both District, League and Scottish Masters at the age of 51.

President 2014 - 15

Margery G. Taylor (1975-81)

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Her love for hockey started at the Grammar School, thanks to her very influential PE teachers, Joy Webster and Sandra Ramsay. She was fortunate to play for the Scottish Under-18 team for three years and captained them in her last year at school. She represented Scotland at U-21, U-22, U-23, Scotland ‘B’ and Scotland Indoor and Outdoor, as well as Great Britain. As an intelligent defender and influential leader on the field of play, she had the honour of captaining all these teams except the British, and overall earned ninety-six Scotland full caps and nine Great Britain caps.

Margery’s first senior hockey club was The High School FPs, where she played alongside her three sisters and during this time the club was renamed as Merlins. She joined Glasgow Western in 1985 and enjoyed many National League and Scottish Cup successes, including contributing towards a recordbreaking unbeaten league run spanning thirteen years. Margery also made a significant contribution to Western’s European Cup campaigns, culminating in the team winning European silver and bronze medals.

Keen to inspire the next generation of players, Margery coached and helped to organise the Scottish Schoolgirls Summer Residential Hockey Camps for over twenty years. She was President of the West District Schoolgirls and Youth Association for four years and currently manages the West District U-18 squad. She was Scottish ‘manager’ to the Under-18s, with Wendy Justice as the coach, and also managed the Scottish Women’s Indoor Hockey Squad alongside coach Gordon Shepherd.

Margery continues to coach at Lomond School and was able to watch one of her former pupils, Nicki Skrastin, play for Scotland at the International Champions Challenge 1 held at Glasgow Green at the end of April this year. She enjoys travelling around the world when she can with her husband, and he organises the trips around her continuing hockey commitment.

T.J.H.M.

The Canadian Chairs

The afternoon of 8 October 2013 saw the culmination of two years of Canadian Centre project activity when two new chairs to grace the platform of the School’s Assembly Hall were formally handed over.

The presentation took place in front of the entire first and second year pupils, approximately 350 boys and girls, who filled much of the Hall, together with a number of teachers and a small group of Former Pupils from Aberdeen and Canada – among them Martin Jeffrey (Club President), Douglas McAllister (Club Vice-President), Jock Hendry (Club Secretary), Brian Crookshanks (General Editor of the Magazine), Richard Dargie (Secretary, Club Centre Committee), Alan Campbell (Official Photographer for the occasion) and Sandy Shearer (co-organiser of the 2013 Canadian Annual Reunion). The platform party which gathered outside the Hall included the Rector, Graham Legge, and the three members of the Canada Chairs Committee. Janet Adams, Deputy Rector, who had done so much to organise the presentation, marshalled us in a semblance of order.

Former Pupils’ Section

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The assembled pupils rose to greet the platform party as it entered the Hall, led by two kilted School pipers, Greg Cahill and Jordon Murray. On the stage stood the five platform chairs – in the centre the three George Kinnear Fleming chairs presented to the School in 1934, and at either end the Canada Chairs, each draped (and thus concealed) with the national flag of either Canada or Scotland. Small Maple Leaf flags adorned the royal blue curtains on the edges of the platform and the School’s House Flags completed the display.

The Rector began the ceremony by recognising that Former Pupils of the School had travelled all the way from Canada specifically for this special occasion and to make a notable presentation to the School on behalf of FPs in Canada and affiliated participants in the United States. Mr. Legge provided a short overview on the background of the eighty-year old chairs so familiar to generations of pupils and then invited Bob Scace to address those present on the significance of the chairs about to be unveiled.

Bob brought greetings from Canada and spoke to three main themes: the existence and vibrancy of the Canada Centre; the globe-spanning associations that characterise School pupils today and have so marked many FPs in past decades and centuries; and details about the origins, design and fabrication of the Canada Chairs – not least the challenges and narrow escapes (including the recent Great June Flood in Alberta) that beset the Committee on the path to today’s ceremony.

Gillian Thomas then spoke to a poignant coincidence that has further meshed this presentation with the School’s history. At the time of the 2012 Canada Centre Annual Reunion in Ontario FPs were delighted to have Roy Brown (1932-43) join them for his first Centre reunion with fellow FPs. It was then discovered that Roy, when eight years old and a pupil in the Lower School in 1934, was in attendance when the original platform chairs were presented to the School! Gillian spoke to this “Canadian connection” and noted that Roy, now a lively 88, wrote to say “I wish I could join you to accomplish being in attendance at both chair presentations.” He concluded with the observation that “the learning processes to which we were exposed at Aberdeen Grammar School somehow included a subliminal course that indoctrinated us to a lifetime of instant pleasant feelings of mutual friendship, triggered by the magic phrase, ‘I am a Grammar FP’.” The audience clearly was enthralled both by the coincidence and the immensity of this added association between Canada and the School.

Presentations from Canada completed, the Rector then invited two first-year pupils, Louise Morris and Daniel Dugan, to come on stage and, together with Gordon Singer and Gillian, they unveiled the Canada Chairs to spontaneous, appreciative applause. It was immediately apparent that in scale, design, wood stains selected and overall appearance the complement of five chairs justified the many hours of commitment to the project by the Canadian team in Alberta. Moreover, the five new royal blue cushions sourced in Scotland by the School (those for the new chairs to dimensions sent from Canada) not only matched the curtains, but fitted perfectly!

After the presentation guests retired to the Rector’s Office to partake of light refreshments and many conversations, perhaps touched with a sense of awe for

Former Pupils’ Section

some as this was their first visit to the inner sanctum! It was with regret that in due course we had to call it a day and return the office to its rightful occupant. A few of us retired to the FP Club Centre to celebrate the success achieved through the support of Former Pupils in North America.

Bob Scace, chair of the Project Committee, expresses his great appreciation to his fellow committee members, Gordon and Gillian, whose many and essential contributions greatly eased any fears which he may have had that the project might falter; and to the design/fabrication team of Carney ZukowskiYoung, Chris and Steve Sousa and Danny Hofer who pulled through to make the sometimes seemingly impossible, absolutely possible. There were many, many trips between Calgary and High River, the Cayley Hutterite Colony and elsewhere in southern Alberta throughout 2013 on myriad subjects pertaining to the chairs. It would be remiss not to mention that mid-way through the project, during the Great Alberta Flood in the summer of 2013, our good friend Carney lost her entire interior design and furniture business in the Town of High River. Regardless, she persevered during a period of great stress and saw to it that our chairs were completed in time for the presentation.

FP Cricket

Scottish Cup Final 25th Anniversary

Those with long memories will recall that the FP Cricket Section reached the final of the Scottish Cup in 1988, beating many teams from the ‘better’ leagues on the way. Unfortunately, we fell at the final hurdle to a Clydesdale team at Forfar, but this did not stop the team from celebrating the 25th anniversary of this great achievement at Kippie Lodge on Friday 6 September 2013. The evening was hosted by our captain from 1988, John Eagles, who was resplendent in some form of garish jacket along with a slightly less garish tie. Sadly, the jacket was off by the time the reunion photograph was taken, but the tie can still be readily noticed.

The evening started with an odd refreshment as the team (along with some current youngsters) mingled and caught up on the intervening years and where all everyone had travelled from to be there. For almost all of us the years had been kind and all were readily recognisable, although some hair may have been missing and some paunches may have stretched. An excellent meal was served and some additional refreshment was partaken before the speeches.

Firstly, we had Geoff Morrison (yes, Harvey’s loon) giving a resume of the 2013 season which had been a very successful one for FPs, although no silverware had been won. Some gentle barracking of Geoff reminded him that there was a bunch of old fogies at the dinner who were keen to get back to 1988, so he retreated before anyone attempted to use him as a wicket and attempt a run-out with a bread roll.

Next was Alan Redhead, who told the tale of 1988 by running through the various matches played in the Cup run and the individual achievements (and mishaps) of some of the team members. Thankfully no mention was made of the writer’s new car and the ignition key that snapped in the Glasgow garage on the way home, a journey which took seven hours instead of three.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Next on the speakers list came Jerry Moir who regaled the assembled company with his thoughts on how close the 1988 team was to the 2013 England cricket team – please remember that the dinner took place before the Ashes in Australia. Roughly speaking, Jerry had worked out that Captain Cook was really John Eagles leading from the front, Root was Hitchin being steady and sure, Trott was Hopkin, (leading to howls of derision, but I thought it was quite appropriate given my usual straight bat and great defence), Petersen was dropped by Jerry as he doesn’t like him and replaced by Botham who could only be his brother Dallas, Bell was Ferro with his orthodox play, Prior was Peter Redhead for his excellent wicket-keeping and batting, Swan was Hart for his flighted filth, Anderson was Alan Redhead for his nagging accuracy, Broad was Tomkins for his way of bowling, Bresnan was Dixon because of his stocky build and bowling and, finally, we had Finn who could only be Jerry himself – why, I hear you ask….no, it was not only that they were both 6ft 8ins tall and goodlooking but really because they had both taken five wickets against an Aussie side in one innings. Much laughter as Jerry sat down to great applause.

What could top Jerry, one asks, as only the captain was left. The captain, John Eagles, rose to his feet (unsteadily) and advised the company that he was not going to make a speech but was going to sing a song about 1988 and this was going to be to the tune of The Bonny Lass o’ Fyvie. Most of the company thought the drink had taken hold of John, but this was not the case as he retold the tale perfectly by using the music, some appropriate words, changing Fyvie to team names and adding ‘O’ to the end of each line that would normally have FyvieO. This was an absolutely magnificent display from our captain and certainly brought the house down. The good news is that the song was captured on video but the bad news is that the captain made off with the only copy and to date it has not appeared on YouTube where it would go down a storm.

All in all, everyone looked in good fettle at the start of the evening and most were in very good fettle come the end. It was a truly great occasion to get the full team back together again after twenty-five years, and the youngsters attending looked suitably impressed by some of the huge porkies which were told at certain points. The evening ended with all professing a desire to attend the next reunion but, please, could it be a little less than 25 years away.

For the statisticians:

Group Games

AGSFP 168 for 7 Perthshire 155 for 7. Won at North Inch, Perth

AGSFP 192 for 6 Northern Counties 12 all out. Won at Rubislaw

AGSFP 172 for 8 Clydesdale 175 for 9 Lost at Titwood, Glasgow

AGSFP 251 for 3 Carlton 189 all out. Won at Rubislaw

Quarter Final at Forthill, Dundee

AGSFP 189 for 7 Forfarshire 178 all out.

Semi Final at Grange, Edinburgh

AGSFP 212 for 9 Grange 149 all out.

Final at Lochside Park, Forfar

AGSFP 50 all out Clydesdale 51 for 4

Former Pupils’ Section

Iain S. Hopkin

FP Cricket 1st XI 1988

Reflections of a Tank Trooper (Retd) Eric Johnston

Pen Press Publications, 2014.

Seventy years ago, Eric Johnston landed on Gold Beach at Ver-sur-Mer to play his part in the largest seaborne invasion in history. Eric was a tank crew trooper with 4/7 Royal Dragoon Guards landing in France inside his new temporary home, an American-built Stuart light reconnaissance tank. His morale on that first day of combat in Normandy was not helped by the fact that, just before DDay, he and his comrades had been issued with an older, inferior version of the Stuart. The clear implication was that that they were not expected to last long on the beaches. The newer, improved vehicles were best kept for the second wave of men who had a better chance of survival. Against the expectations of Allied planners, however, Eric and his fellows made it through the longest day and, despite incurring many bitter losses, fought their way through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and finally into Germany. Eric’s European campaign ended in the great victory parade of the 51st Highland Division through Bremerhaven in

Back Row: Simon Tomkins, Alan Redhead, Mike Hart, Iain Hopkin, Richard Ferro, John Dixon

Front Row: Jerry Moir, Peter Redhead, John Eagles, Don Hitchin, Dallas Moir

May 1945. Though he then prepared for war in Japan and saw service in postwar Palestine, the bulk of this marvellous book takes us along the roads of northwest Europe in the eleven months of battle that stretched between D-Day and VE Day.

In a quietly understated way, the book also describes another journey, that of Eric himself from boy to man. By his own admission an inexperienced youth who had led a relatively sheltered life in pre-war Aberdeen, Eric’s years in uniform gave him an education that no college or university could ever match. Adapting to army life and then coping with the horrors, and the sweeter moments, of war transformed Eric into the confident, mature and thoughtful fellow in tank battledress who greets the reader on the book’s cover, and who went on to enjoy a successful life as a family man, as a climber and skier in Scotland and the Alps and as a senior banker.

There is incident and insight on almost every page of this absorbing book. The incidents cover the full panorama of war, from easing the death of a mutilated comrade with morphine injections to the joy of a brief summer romance with a pretty German girl in happy defiance of Montgomery’s nonfraternisation order. All the experiences of a young soldier at war are described with a clarity of detail and directness as if they had happened only days ago. The writer’s engagingly honest, matter-of fact voice carries the reader back with him in time to the treacherous fighting in the thick hedges and narrow sunken roads of the Normandy bocage and to the chaos at Arnhem, expecting every minute to be hit by a shell from the Wehrmacht’s bazooka-like panzerfaust or from their vastly superior Tiger tanks.

The author has clearly had many years to read and reflect on his wartime experiences but his first impressions formed in action in 1944-45 are seldom off the mark. He was instinctively ambivalent about Montgomery, distrusting the ‘flash’ of a commander who dashed around the Front escorted American-style by a squad of blancoed motorcyclists. He recognised Montgomery’s alertness to the next photo-opportunity, and his sometimes callous attitude to the sacrifices his men had to make. Eric preferred the solid, quieter Brian Horrocks, commander of XXX Corps, a man who exuded confidence and took the time to chat with men of all ranks. And we meet his squadron commander, Ian Gill MC, a brave young officer blessed with a very good helping of common sense that he employed to Eric’s advantage on occasion. Eric’s views on officers of all ranks are especially fascinating as he came to understand and appreciate the old officer class, the ‘gentle obsolescent breed of heroes’ as the great war poet Keith Douglas had them; men whose superficial charm and ease at first awed the quiet Aberdonian lad, who were brave, skilled leaders alongside their men in action, yet set themselves apart in their mess as soon as the bullets stopped – and often kept the bulk of the available alcohol and other treats to themselves.

Eric also has strong views about the equipment that he and his fellows were required to use. Despite British government propaganda claims about the quality of tanks like the Churchill, the men who actually fought the war knew that German equipment, be it tanks, guns or even jerricans, was vastly superior. Only courage, dash, and the eventual build-up of greater Allied resources gave British tanks, derisively nicknamed Tommy Cookers by the foe, a chance and then the

Former Pupils’ Section

edge against their opponents. As a result, young tank warriors like Eric had to regularly witness scenes from Hell as German shells ripped through their thin armour. And after every terrible encounter, Eric and his comrades put these dreadful things out of their mind and carried on, buoyed up by the simplest of pleasures such as a meal of field-picked potatoes and mushrooms washed down with cider or calvados, and a few hours sleep snatched in a foxhole beneath their tank.

Throughout the book, Eric shares his thoughts on the things that he encountered in his war; his German opponents who he seems to have regarded with respect rather than enmity, the pitiful frequency of deaths from friendly fire often caused by blunders in leadership, the stark reality that many brave young men eventually exhausted their personal stock of courage and could take no more of combat, the carnal hopes and fears of young lads in uniform facing imminent death, the realistic treatment at the front line of prisoners – always a burden in a fast-moving campaign, the behaviour of civilians as the fortunes of war tilted, the enduring strength of the British army structure that emphasises loyalty to the men directly around you. On all these matters of life and death, Eric had views which were, as the reader will find, frank but thoughtful, decent and humane, heavily influenced no doubt by Eric’s Church of Scotland upbringing but also by his unswerving belief that the Allies were fighting a just war in a good cause.

Yet Eric Johnston is only one of the many characters in this book, for it is largely about his comrades, the officers and men of the 4/7 Royal Dragoon Guards. The heroes of this book are those who died and those who survived to meet again at regimental reunions and to build their memorial at Cruelly, the first town that they liberated in June 1944, where old friends such as Robby and Bill have lain for seventy years, never growing old, never withering with age. This is a moving book, written with undimmed memory and powerful convictions. It has been a privilege to read it.

Richard Dargie

Centre Reports

Club Centre

Last year’s report stated that both the chairman, Dallas Moir, and the Secretary, Richard Dargie, wished to retire and there were difficulties in identifying replacements for them. The fact that both were to demit office at the October meeting of the Management Committee was reported to the Executive Committee the previous week and, in the absence of any other nominee, Martin Jeffrey volunteered to step into the breach if no other candidate could be identified. No other name was put forward and when the Management Committee met he was duly co-opted to the Committee and appointed Chairman. In accepting, he made it clear that his commitment was only until the next AGM. Richard Dargie also stood down at that time and was replaced by Ken Pritchard. Both Dallas and Richard agreed to continue on the Committee.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The Centre had really struggled in the period April to October. This was not something new, but the load became almost unbearable in the absence of a Manager. The situation with which Dallas had had to deal had been building up for several years, resulting in losses totalling over £40,000 and loans from the parent FP Club reaching £70,000. Dallas had been signalling the dangers of the Club Centre’s position loud and clear for some time and urgent action was required.

Martin set out to establish the current financial and operating position of the Centre and saw the top priority as being to recruit a full-time Club Manager. There was a need to obtain an immediate injection of a further £10,000 in order to stay afloat, to resolve major cost and contractual issues with our Electricity and Gas suppliers, and to up-date the membership database so as to address a shortfall in the collection of subscriptions. The Gross Margins achieved on Bar Sales had to be revised, the quality of the beer stocked had to be improved and there were concerns about the quality and pricing of catering. There was a need to solve the immediate problems so that we could stay afloat and then stabilise the position and prepare a plan to give sufficient breathing space to assess the longer-term options.

Mike Tasker was appointed as Club Manager. He has considerable experience and had been our Manager previously. The FP Club agreed to increase its Loan by £10,000, the pricing of our Electricity contract was renegotiated, with an immediate saving of £1,700 and an exit from our penal Gas contract was negotiated and a new contract with another supplier will achieve an annual saving of at least £4,000. The Membership Database has been rebuilt and updated so that we have already met our budget target of subscriptions for 2014, some £5,500 more than was collected for 2013. We have agreed the contributions to be made by the Sports Sections for 2013 and we now have a credible Membership system.

We have improved the handling of our beer with new tilting racks and the replacement of the very old pumps and piping in the cellar. Mike Tasker has also worked hard to improve the routines and train the staff which has all helped. Utilising the monthly reports from our professional stock-taker has already allowed us to increase our Gross Margin from 54% to over 57%, translating into a potential increase of £4,500 in our gross bar profits over a year, with the potential for further improvement.

Our Treasurer resigned, but a new Accounts Administrator has been appointed and a programme of improving and streamlining all aspects of our reporting has been embarked upon, giving a robustness to our operations which is essential in our current position.

The need for a substantial increase in working capital remains the major concern. If we cannot solve this, it is difficult to see how the Centre can continue in its current form. The other major issue is the ongoing concern about any possible disasters with the buildings and equipment. A Budget and Plan for 2014 has been considered by both the Management Committee and the Executive and is under urgent and active discussion.

Former Pupils’ Section

The Accounts presented at the AGM (which are reproduced at the end of this Magazine) show a loss of some £8,000 and made our current perilous financial position very clear.

Following the AGM Martin stood down as Chairman and was succeeded by Mike Murray who has settled into his role very quickly. Since then much excellent work has been done to cut costs, and very recently negotiations have been completed with Heineken to become our main beer supplier with good potential for cost and operational benefits.

The Club Centre, opened in 1969, and has been wonderfully successful over most of the time. The last eight years or so have been very difficult, resulting in significant losses. Times have changed dramatically since the opening, and we have not really adapted to these changes. If we wish to be successful in the future we need to think very clearly about what that future role should be and how we can provide our Members with the services and facilities that they seek.

Canada

The annual reunion of the Canadian Centre of the Former Pupil’s Club took place during the weekend of September 6th to 8th in Vancouver – the first time in that city. It was a great success, with attendance above what was expected. The event was blessed by good weather and an excellent location on Granville Island.

The Friday evening reception took place on the waterfront in the backstage bar of the Arts Club Theatre and was attended by 22 FPs, many with partners. On Saturday there was an organised walk round Stanley Park and False Creek, and the evening dinner at the Granville Island Hotel was attended by thirty-six. In the absence of President David Thomson secretary Gillian Thomas took the chair and installed Peter Jeffrey as the new President of the Centre. After the meal Peter Jeffrey proposed the traditional toast to “The School and the Club” to which Martin Jeffrey, President of the parent Club (and Peter’s older brother), who had travelled with his wife from Aberdeen, gave a thought-provoking reply. He reiterated the sad, but well known, fact that the Club was in decline with membership predominantly in the elderly male category, and urgently in need of fresh blood. This is partly due to changes in the School itself and also a change in traditions, with the modern generation less interested in club membership in general. He did, however, propose some changes, including abandoning the black tie requirement at formal events and the inclusion of spouses, although he admitted that there was not a consensus on this in the parent Club. He congratulated the Canadian Centre for embracing this and saw this as a major reason for its ongoing success.

Following his address Gillian Thomas gave the secretary’s report and Bob Scace reported on the Canadian Chair project, advising that the presentation at the School was to take place the following month. The evening was closed by Peter Jeffrey, followed by the traditional exit to the bar.

On the Sunday a brunch at Coal Harbour, on the city waterfront, was organised as a wrap-up to the weekend when all agreed that it had been a resounding success and we parted with resolutions to meet again in Toronto on

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

5th – 7th September 2014 in Ontario. Thanks are due to John Hollifield and Sandy Shearer for organising the Reunion with the able assistance of Peter Jeffrey and Gillian Thomas.

The following FPs attended the Reunion (listed in order of entry to the School): Sandy Shearer (1959-65), Surrey, BC; Martin Jeffrey (1942-57) Aberdeen; Alan Webster (1943-56), Surrey, BC; Peter Jeffrey (1944-59) Qualicum Beach, BC; Peter Green (1946-57), Prescott, Ontario; Martin Cook (1946-58), Roberts Creek, BC; Roy Wares (1946-52), Vancouver, BC; David Auld (1947-61), Victoria, BC; Phil Barron (1948-56), Kanata, Ontario; Mike Hardie (1948-59), Almonte, Ontario; Ken Pirie (1948-57), Sidney, BC; John Hollifield (1949-60), Vancouver; Gordon Singer (1949-50), Calgary, Alberta; Jim Watt (1950-58), Vancouver, BC;Halsey Bradford (1951-65), Toronto, Ontario; Michael King (1951-60), Salt Lake City; Ross Baird (1952-64), Aberdeen; Ian Annand (1953-60), Vancouver, BC; Bob Scace (1954-60), Calgary, Alberta; Peter Edwards (1956-64), Okanagan Falls, BC; Audrey Craigmile (1974-79), Quesnel, BC and Gillian Thomas (1975-80), Calgary, Alberta

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Centre held its Annual Dinner on Friday 25th April 2014 in the Clubhouse of the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society. President W. Morrison (Morr) Brown took the Chair. Morr welcomed the company of twenty seven members and guests, including Richard Dargie, who was the principal guest, the Rector, Graham Legge, the Head Girl, Claire Henderson, Depute Head Boy, Jeston D’Costa, the recently installed President of the Parent Club, Margery Taylor and Malcolm Gauld, the President of the Glasgow Centre. Apologies were received from Peter Jeffrey, President of the Canada Centre, who had attended last year with his wife Judy, and from Evie Rae, President of the Edinburgh Branch of the Gordonian Association and also from various locally based FPs, all of whom conveyed their best wishes for the evening.

Richard Dargie regaled the company with a broad ranging address, which amused and gave pause for thought in equal measure, picking up themes from his recently published book, “The Grammar at War 1914-18” and concluding his remarks by proposing the toast of “The School and the Club”. Replies were given by the Rector, Clare Henderson and Jeston D’Costa on behalf of the School and by Margery Taylor for the Club, attending her first Club function as President.

The Centre AGM was held during the evening, when Morr Brown was reelected as President and James Rust was re-elected as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.

In view of the lack of numbers, it was proposed that the annual golf match with the Glasgow Centre be suspended meantime.

Next year’s Annual Dinner is scheduled to be held in the Clubhouse of Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society on Friday 24th April 2015.

Former Pupils’ Section

Any FP who has recently come to the Edinburgh area and who has not received a communication from the Edinburgh Centre is invited to contact James Rust at his home address, 19 Denham Green Terrace, Edinburgh, EH5 3PE (Tel. 0131 552 6603) or by email to james.rust@btconnect.com.

The following FPs attended the Dinner (in order of entry into School): Peter Millar (1933-44), Morr Brown (1933-46), Stewart Fowlie (1935-42), Gerald Crichton (1942-55), Gordon McAndrew (1946-51), Robin Rilley (1947-55), Malcolm Gauld (1947-61), Neil Borthwick (1952-65), Nigel Watt (1963-69), James Rust (1963-71), Richard Dargie (1964-73), Stuart Cummings (1965-69), Norman Garden (1960-66), Peter Robertson (1967-73), Dallas Moir (1969-75), and Margery Taylor (1975-81).

Glasgow

‘HULLAWRER

PEEPUL’

was the traditional warm Glasgow welcome given by President Malcolm Gauld to thirty-eight members and guests (including Doug Skene representing the York Centre and local representatives of Gordonians and The High School FPs) at our Annual Dinner on Friday 1st November 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn on the banks of the bonnie Clyde. After an excellent meal, the A.G.M. of the Centre was held, the accounts approved, and the committee, yet again, unanimously re-elected.

Mrs. Margaret Mitchell LL.B., M.S.P. proposed a most amusing toast to the School and the Club, with many interesting insights into the workings of the Scottish Parliament.

The Rector, Graham Legge, very ably assisted by Marc Walton (Head Boy) and Fiona MacPherson (Deputy Head Girl), who each gave the pupil's perspective, replied to Margaret's Toast on behalf of the School and updated us on all that was happening within its hallowed grounds. Martin Jeffrey, President of the Parent Club, replied on their behalf with a summary of his time in office and the continuing concerns of his predecessors and himself about building and sustaining links with FPs. Margery Taylor (née Coutts) proposed the Vote of Thanks and the assembled company gradually disappeared into the night, well fed and very well entertained.

This year’s dinner will be held on Friday 31st October 2014, again at the Hilton Garden Inn, who we all agree have 'done us proud' in previous years. Will our existing membership please come along and support this event and any FPs new to the area or those interested in ascertaining more, please get in touch as indicated below.

This season, our curling team, with three wins, came third in the six-team Wanderers League, pitting our skills against five Public School FP teams. Our squad of Stefan Colling, Malcolm Gauld, Alistair Fyall, Jim Leask and Margery Taylor have continued to improve. Can we do even better next season? New players, even ‘ice virgins’, are always most welcome, so contact Malcolm on 01355 237039 or mwrg@hotmail.com

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Unfortunately due to business pressures, the 2013 golf match against Edinburgh did not take place and so far we have been unable to find enough players for a match in 2014. Where are all our golfers?

We would be delighted, to hear from any FPs interested in becoming involved in any of our activities or even just going onto our mailing list to be informed of future events. Please contact our Secretary, Margery Taylor on 0141 562 9638 or at marg7ery@ntlworld.com

Thanks go, as always, to our local committee Gary Allan, Peter Cairns (Treasurer), Stefan Colling, Malcolm Gauld, Jim Leask, David McNay and Margery Taylor.

The following FPs attended the annual dinner (in order of entry into School): Martin Jeffrey (1942-57), Hunter Cairns (1943-56), Peter Cairns (1945-57), Malcolm Gauld (1947-61), Ian McLeod (1951-55), David McNay (1956-69), Graham U'Ren (1958-64), Douglas Skene (1959-64), Gary Allan (1963-76), Brian Davidson (1968-74), Alan Kinghorn (1974-79), Malcolm Daniel (197581), John Stevenson (1975-81), Margery Taylor (1975-81), and Stefan Colling (1990-96).

London

Although it may appear that the London Centre was somewhat static over the latter part of 2013 after our successful June lunch meeting, developments have, nonetheless, been taking place. Jennifer Harryman kindly agreed to join our committee and will spearhead our efforts to reach out to younger FPs in the London area, an endeavour in which success has so far eluded us.

Insofar as future plans are concerned, we shall be having a trip on the Emirates Air Line cable car (between Greenwich and the Royal Docks) in midSeptember and later, in October, a weekend pub style lunch will be held. Details will be sent out in August.

Any London-based FPs who have not been in receipt of communications from the London Centre are asked to please forward us your details if you wish to be included on our database.

Yorkshire

The Yorkshire Centre’s 55th Annual Dinner was held on Friday 27 September 2013 at the delightful Grange Hotel in York. It was hosted by Centre President, Doug Skene, who welcomed a total of thirty-one members and guests. After a thoroughly enjoyable meal Doug introduced the principal guest, Arthur McCombie, co-author with Brian Lockhart of Bon Record – A History of Aberdeen Grammar School to propose the toast ‘The School and the Club’. Arthur was a long-serving member of staff at the School, many of these years before his retirement in 1999 as Depute Rector.

Arthur made much of the fact that he is, of course, a Gordonian! He did, however, hasten to assure us that he had many family connections to the Grammar. His obvious affection for the School is well exemplified by his remarkable knowledge of Grammar history in Bon Record

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Following the toast, Rector Graham Legge reported the School’s excellent achievements in national examination rankings and introduced Head Girl, Claire Henderson and Head Boy, Marc Walton who informed us of the School’s participation in many UK and European competitive activities – with success in such areas as sport, music, debating, science and drama. In summary the Rector thanked the FP Club for its on-going support.

In his address in reply to the toast Martin Jeffrey, our Parent Club President, reminded us of the massive changes which have occurred in the Club’s 120-year history and remarked on the current imbalance in the age and gender of the Club membership; he stressed the importance of more young members and more female members being recruited to re-vitalise the Club in these demanding times.

To close the formal programme, Doug invited Neil Borthwick, Club President in 2009-10) to summarise which he did in a typically succinct and amusing manner – after which the traditional Birse tea was enjoyed with the usual Yorkshire Centre enthusiasm.

Former Pupils attending the Dinner (in order of entry into School) were:- Wilson McIntosh (1932-45), Alistair Miller (1942-55), Martin Jeffrey (1942-57), Robert Cromar (1944-49), Dick Tyson (1944-49), Brian Bruce (1947-51), Michael Walker (1946-58), Neil Borthwick (1952-65), Ivor Douglas (1952-57), Robert Falconer (1952-63), Douglas Skene (1959-64), James Rust (1963-71), David Galloway (1976-82) and Martin Coulter (1983-89).

Yorkshire Dinner, 2013

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

President Martin Jeffrey, Mrs Whilma Jeffrey, Michael Ruediger and Mrs Gina Skene

Section Reports

Cricket

Season 2013 was for us, as a club, fantastic. It has been wonderful to be part of the re-emergence of the 3rd team, a team designed to give the young players somewhere to play. Everyone said we could not do it, but we got three teams out every week and saw young lads Jeston D’Costa and Kingshuk Ghosh really grow. Ian Johnston did a great job organising and we should not under-estimate the work people like Ian do. We have seen many clubs with potentially greater talent than ours struggle and be relegated, as in the case of Stonehaven, or fold, as in Kintore’s case, because no one could be bothered to organise or do any work.

1st XI

In terms of 1st team affairs, I say it was fantastic, but when we were 1 for 4 and 29 for 6 in the Fire Shield Friendly we wondered what might happen in the 2013 season. Thankfully a fightback to 196 for 8 was to be an indication of the battling we would show during the season and this allowed us to win the Fire Shield against our old enemies, Gordonians. 1sts finishing fourth is their highest finish since exiting the Strathmore Union.

There was the emergence of some good young bowling talent; Harry Mapplebeck was top bowler and went well beyond the call of duty, regularly travelling from Glasgow just to play for us. Dan Whitehouse also emerged as a very exciting fast bowler, but was ruled out of 2014 after a serious injury. Sam Knudson managed not to be injured all campaign and bowled very well. It was odd for Captain Morrison at 33 to be the oldest player in the team one week when we rested Roland Knudson ahead of an important cup tie which in the end did not take place. The fact that the age of not just the 1st team but the club overall is lower is very encouraging with us having at least as many players under 30 as over 30.

Overall the 1st XI had such a good season that we had three players called into the Grade Select, and they played in the winning Three Counties Cup side. Sam Knudson and Tom Booth (whose explosive 72 off about 40 balls, with a 24-ball half century at Ellon was a highlight) richly deserved their call-ups and captain Geoff Morrison gained his surprise call having smashed a quick 50 against Bon Accord in front of some of the selection panel.

In terms of 1st team batting, Pehlaj Tenneti was a run machine, making six half centuries and one century. In a season laden with 545 runs at an average of 45.4 he only failed once. We regularly heard from frustrated fielders that he only

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had one shot, as he was tough to dislodge but, let there be no doubt about it, he is a class player and his 100 not out against Stonehaven was a sublime knock. He played himself in and then cut loose and played some outrageous shots later in his innings. He was unflappable, even under severe pressure, and it was a joy to bat beside him as it was fine to have a go knowing Pehlaj was just not going to get out.

We had a few great wins, hammering last year’s Champions, Ellon, thanks to Dan Whitehouse and Harry Mapplebeck’s bowling and some runs from Morrison and Senthil. We handed Mannofield, the leaders at the time, their first defeat and one from which they never recovered, thanks to half-centuries from John Waldron, Pehlaj Tenneti and Tom Booth. We also chased down 247 at Methlick in just 40 overs thanks to John Davey, Tenneti and Senthil all making 50s, and good batting underpinned our success in many games. In fact, all of the top order recorded 50s at different times, with sixteen scores of 50 or more recorded. Tom Booth made 402 runs at 28.7 and kept wicket superbly, claiming eight victims. Paul McDonald, Geoff Morrison and Arul Senthil all passed 250 runs, but not surprisingly Pehlaj Tenneti claimed the batting cups.

Gary Stuart recaptured some of his form from prior seasons claiming 16 wickets at 18.63 to claim that prize, and Harry Mapplebeck was leading wickettaker with 24 wickets. Roland Knudson and Vijay Vijapur each claimed 16 wickets with the wickets spread around. Fielding was something of a mixed bag, with the real connection between the days when we did it well leading to wins and when we didn’t resulting in draws or defeats. Paul McDonald was immense in the field claiming ten catches and putting his body on the line in an always all-action manner.

The overall record for 2013 was played 16, won 6, drew 5, lost 5 and finished on 73.3%. In the Cups, we made little impression on the 20/20, where we chose to play fringe players, and in the Aberdeenshire Cup we missed a great chance to make the final by losing to Cults in a lacklustre batting display.

We should also pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the club. Roland Knudson is something of a club legend and I would like to place on record my thanks for everything he does without complaint. He captained for nine years and after stepping down he still is master of the kit, the teas and every other errand in between. It is commitment like this that has made us a great club. He is still a canny bowler and if the captain would bat him up the order he would still get runs!

We had a hugely successful BBQ with over fifty people attending and it showed what a great spirit there is now in the club.

We now have permission to put back a grass square and John Davey has driven this. It will really improve the facility but will cost money. We have received sponsorship from Shree Bheemas, The Airport, The Right People, M2 Technical Solutions and Thorpe Molloy, but are always on the look-out for more to realise our long terms aims.

2014 has started a little slowly, but with the signing of star batsman Alex Keith from Stonehaven and the acquisition of Pakistani fast bowler Sajid Hameed, who played in the Bradford league, things are starting to go in the

correct direction. Keith has already hit three half-centuries and with some more support FPs would be higher than their current mid-table position.

2nd XI

Season 2013 turned out to be a successful one, the team finishing fifth in a tricky amalgamated Grade 3 which had sixteen teams competing for the top six positions to stay on in the same league. In total, including the cup games, we played sixteen games of which we won twelve, drew one and lost three. Kieran Whyte won the best batsman (584 runs) and bowler (23 wickets) awards after an extraordinary performance which included a double century (204) and a 188.

It was not a dreamy start, meeting the newly formed Kemnay-Kintore team who were the favourites to win the league. FPs were invited to bat first and put on a meagre 89 runs which was comfortably chased by our opponents who lost only two wickets. Kieran Whyte was the only player (21 runs and 1-34 in 11 overs) in the team who put up a fight against the clinical Kemnay-Kintore. FPs clearly needed someone to step up and play the ‘Anchorman’ role. With a lineup of attacking-minded players some appetites needed to be curbed for success to be achieved.

And Seconds did exactly that the following week on a sunny day at Methlick. Every player was given a post-it note with the role they had to play to win the match. FPs batted first and aggregated 167 which was too much for Methlick and we recorded a whopping 83 runs victory; Mohammed was top scorer with 50, Clelland a solid 36, Campbell an attacking 31 not out and Chovatiya and Mohammed the top wicket takers with three wickets each. This success continued in the next match against Ellon when we achieved 118 all out. with match-winning performances from Mohanan, Barker and Whyte.

In the next league fixture against Portcullis, Seconds were defeated convincingly. Farooq of Portcullis swept through our top and middle order, taking seven wickets to give his team a deserved 6-wicket win. The next week we went on to beat against Dunecht at Rubislaw, which turned out to be a runfest for both sides. Clelland (79) and MacDonald (65) batted aggressively to put on our highest score of 267 for 6. We declared in 42 overs and the activated draw rule came into play. Dunecht were 172 for 8 in 48 overs, failed to score 75% of our total and hence we were awarded the full 30 points.

Next stop was Duthie Park to play a strong Academy side. Thangamani and Shetty were promoted into 2nds following their good performances for 3rds but even this could not secure us a win since Academy’s Safeer was on fire and picked up seven wickets. Grammar chose to bowl and quickly realised that the pitch had unpredictable bounce. Shetty (4-29) and Mohammed (2-17) bowled well and restricted Academy to their season low 133. But Safeer harnessed the pitch better than we had and had us all out for 98. Shetty’s steady 29 and Devendran’s quick 20 was not enough to take us across the line.

After that below par batting performance against Academy it was up to our top order to show what they were made of in the next vital league match against Turriff. Fortunately the players were up to the task and after a controlled fielding performance, we chased down 205 with ten overs and five wickets to spare. Pick

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of the bowlers was Devendran who took four wickets, whilst the run chase was started by Whyte with 59 and finished by Thangamani with 63.

A week later history was made when Kieran Whyte hit an astonishing double century for Seconds as they racked up 380 versus 2nd Gordonians. At 204 it was the highest score by an FP player and 380 was FPs’ highest ever total. It was an ecstatic moment for everyone in the team, and especially for Arunkumar who invaded the pitch to congratulate the double-centurion. Whyte, who normally opens the bowling and bats in the middle order, was promoted for the last game and has proved that his batting is as good as his bowling. Chris Clelland, after years of trying, also hit a maiden century in a remarkable batting effort. 2nd Gordonians were all out for 42, Karthik Mohanan being the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 15.

Next 2nds faced 2nd Knightriders, a team which up to this point in the season had won all of their games. They batted well to put on a daunting total of 214 for us to chase. Our top order could not survive for long, and at one stage the scoreboard read 64 for 6. With another 21 overs still to face, the game was looking all but lost. But they say true class never fades, and in our darkest hour the man simply known as “Mr. Eagles” stepped up to the plate to rescue us. With an immaculate display of batting he saw the visitors home, finishing on 34 not out, ably assisted by Mohanan with 29 and Magesh who stayed in to the close with 7 not out.

Seconds went on to play Thirds in a much-anticipated clash. Norwood was the top scorer for 3rds at 36 and took them to a decent total of 129. Whyte (35) set the tone for the chase in the beginning, which was later picked up by Mohammed (25) and we crossed the line without much trouble. After the match both teams enjoyed a friendly pitch-side drink and the Champagne Moment bottle was also consumed.

From the last league fixture against 2nd Mannofield, 2nd FPs needed only five points to stay on fifth position which would guarantee a place in Grade 3. We went on to win the game, after we put on board 178 for 8 with excellent batting performances from Karthik Mohanan (56) and Jeston D’Costa (46) and put 2nd Mannofield all out for 148, Desai (4 for 26) and Whyte (3 for 32) being the pick of the bowlers.

The scene for the season’s last game and Reid Cup final between 2nds and Kemnay-Kintore was set in Burnett Park, Banchory – one of the most beautiful grounds in Aberdeenshire, especially on a glorious sunny day. For FPs, the road to the final had its ups and downs. It began with an exciting one-run victory over Dunecht followed by a five-wicket win over 2nd Gordonians in the quarterfinal and a whopping 220 runs victory over 2nd Banchory in the semi-final. On the other hand, Kemnay-Kintore, who have proved to be one of the best teams in Grade 3, marched to the final with convincing victories over all their opponents until the semi-final against an equally talented and skilled Portcullis, in which they won by only two runs. The first attempt to play the final failed when nature intervened with rain and the game had to be abandoned. Come the next attempt FPs, having lost the toss were invited to bat. Eagles and Shetty gave us a decent start and Mohanan and Rizwan steadied the innings in the middle and took us to 115 for 8 in 34 overs. We had set ourselves a target of 180 to achieve which

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

proved too much. But this was the day for Guru Thangamani to play one of his best innings for 2nds, scoring an aggressive 51 and taking us to a winning score of 168. Eagles, Shetty and Desai bowled well later to secure us a win by 40 runs. We temporarily won the Cup, only for it to be later handed over to Kemnay-Kintore as we played a 3rd team player who was deemed ineligible to play in 2nds.

Despite the loss of the Cup one of the most amazing things happened in the 2nd team in the Cup Final. Be it batting or bowling – run by run, over by over, minute by minute, FPs picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and competed against a strong team like Kemnay-Kintore with intense determination and a “we will never give up” mind-set. This self-belief was already inherent in this team and its players, and came out when it really mattered. This selfrealisation was more harmonious, rewarding and even bigger than the Cup itself.

3rd XI

FP’s 2nd XI were relegated from Grade 2 at the end of season 2012, but due to the increased number of players available it was decided to take the ambitious big step of forming a 3rd XI. The new team was formally accepted at the Grades AGM and became one of the teams in the reformed Grade 3.

The new development team was set up with a view to encouraging the increasing number of promising Grammar schoolboys to begin playing Grades cricket. Season 2012 had seen five schoolboys play for Grammar, but for various reasons only Kingshuk Ghosh and Jeston D’Costa played for FPs during the 2013 season. Both boys played for the 1st team and both made a good impression on the team captain with their contributions.

Season 2013 opened with a defeat against Academy, the team containing six debutants, one of them, Diago Maradona (with a name like that already a club legend), scoring 51. The second game was also a defeat, but the third game brought the new team its first victory, at Countesswells against Gordonians. One of the new players, Guru Thangamani, showed great promise as an all-rounder, scoring 63, taking two wickets and three catches.

The Reid Cup match ended in a heavy defeat against Academy, but the following week Thangamani was again the star in a victory over Stonehaven by scoring 75 runs and taking 6 for 37, a rare double of a half century and a fivefor.

D’Costa and Ghosh were free from exams to play against Kemnay-Kintore 2nd XI and helped secure another win for FPs, with Johnston scoring 65 not out. This victory saw the team in sixth position in Grade 3, above the much fancied 2nd XI. The top six teams were guaranteed to be in Grade 3 for season 2014, with the lower teams forming Grade 4.

Another convincing victory over Gordonians maintained the momentum, but the second half of the season saw a string of defeats the first of which was the closest game of the season against eventual Grade 3 undefeated champions 2nd Knightriders. Although FPs were dismissed for 92, a tremendous display of swing bowling saw Shetty take five wickets for 22 with Knightriders winning by only one wicket.

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Defeat away to Kemnay-Kintore 1st XI, followed by another loss at Ellon saw only Desai shining with 51. Jeston D’Costa enjoyed the match at Dunecht by dismissing PE teacher Mr Milne and scoring 28 not out, but despite his good all-round performance FPs lost the cup tie.

A historic FPs 2nd XI vs FPs 3rd XI match took place at Sheddocksley on a glorious sunny afternoon where a strong 2nds, by now chasing promotion to Grade 2, were made to work hard by a spirited 3rds. The 3rd XI batted first and scored 129 with D’Costa scoring an aggressive 20. The 2nd XI eventually won by four wickets, but not before Kieran Whyte had been dismissed caught Ghosh bowled D’Costa. Whyte had scored an incredible 204 a couple of weeks earlier and followed up with a mere 188 the week after the FPs match – a great scalp for the youngsters.

The 3rd XI progressed in the Johnston Rose Bowl cup competition due to Stonehaven scratching from the Grades. Following a run of league defeats, a cup semi-final was a welcome chance for glory. However, despite a good performance on the day, Dunecht won by 23 runs in an exciting game which could have gone either way.

The last game of the season was at a sun-blessed Banchory, one of the best grounds in the North East. Banchory batted well scoring 197 for 9. FPs had to thank Thangamani for keeping them in the game with 51, but a batting collapse saw another defeat looming until some resolute batting by Ghosh and Dhanamani ensured a nail-biting finish with FPs just holding out for a fighting draw.

It was a long hot summer which saw a great start to the new XI, but due to call-offs and call-ups the team was not always at its strongest. A more disciplined approach to batting would also have helped in just about every match, the penny finally dropping during the last match of the season.

Top run scorers were Thangamani with 375 runs at 37.5 and Shetty with 186 at 23.35. There were no century makers, but Thangamani scored four 50s, with Johnston, Vishal Desai and Maradona contributing one each.

The bowling honours were taken by Desai who took 28 wickets at 11.41, by some way the most consistent bowler in the side. Shetty bowled some inspired spells and took 17 at 14.35 and Thangamani finished the season with 15 wickets at 19.33. Surprisingly, Desai did not manage a five-for, but there were two –Thangamani with 6 – 37 and Shetty 5 – 22

The fielding improved as the season wore on, Thangamani taking nine catches, Johnston seven and Shetty six. Four wicketkeepers were used, with schoolboy Ghosh taking most victims with five catches and two stumpings. He looks a very good prospect.

Young player of the Year was Jeston D’Costa who played for all three FP teams with distinction during the season, scoring 81 runs for the 3rds at 14.2, taking seven wickets at 27 and performing excellently in the field.

One of the pleasing aspects of the season was fielding a full team in all but one game (illness being the reason), whereas long established teams Gordonians 3rd XI and Stonehaven 2nd XI withdrew teams from Grade 4 during the season due to the inability to raise a side. This was disappointing for FPs as this meant fewer games, but it is also possibly a worrying sign for cricket in the North East.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Season 2014 looks like being an exciting one for Thirds as a new generation of players emerges under the careful eye of cricket master Mr Keith, who is coaching the boys at indoor nets after school during the winter and organising the team during the summer evening league.

The Ken Peters Memorial Trophy

The Trophy was won this year by Rutwik Hedge, who is a very promising all-rounder and who played with distinction for the U-15 team.

Curling

It was another interesting year for FP Curling. In our competitions with Rubislaw an FP team skipped by Geddie Hay won the challenge between Rubislaw and ourselves in both competitions.

For next season, a number of Clubs have got together to create a small league. Each team will play the others twice in a session and special rules have been drawn up to ensure that those teams with small numbers are not too heavily penalised if they appear with short numbers. The Club is looking forward to this new challenge and our friends in Rubislaw will be in the same league.

We would love to have more members and, following the successes of the Olympic teams, Curl Aberdeen have seen an upsurge in people interested in taking up the sport.

Please contact me if you would like to give the sport a try.

ianpsouter@aol.com; Tel: 01224 867000

Golf

In season 2013 we had two Sunday outings to Braemar, an outing to Ballater and two mid-week outings to Alford and Kemnay. Numbers attending these outings varied from 16 to 20 players.

In the course of tidying his desk, the writer came across a letter from the late Eric Craig, a past captain of the Section, which is worthy of record. Eric had enclosed his annual subscription at the beginning of the season, in the usual way, and he was in the habit of proffering a tip, or swing thought, which might be of assistance to me when my golf season re-started in the Spring. Eric had a unique understanding of the golf swing and had the ability to simplify what, for some, could be a complex issue.

“The basic golf swing is made naturally in one easy, rhythmical, fluid action in which the player has only to think about the correct stance, grip tension, arms, legs, hips, shoulders, plexus lumbosacralis, head position, wrists, feet, ball, eyes, clubface, green fees, elbows, wind, thumbs and any local obstructions such as a hill or badly-swollen knee.”

Eric could, however, get quite technical. This is his famous “coiled” technique:- “Try to imagine you are a bell-ringer, but coiled through 90 degrees and with a sheet of plate glass extending from your right cheekbone to the inside

Former Pupils’ Section

of your left heel. Forming a polyhedron with the V-angle of both flexed indexfingers where they intersect an imaginary line that gracefully arcs at a tangent between your neck and the cosine of your instep. Then just follow through as you would when executing a reverse half-pike Zanussi with double twist at water polo”.

Men’s Hockey

Teams’ Performance

It was good season for the Men’s Hockey Section and we consolidated our position in terms of player talent and depth. We lost some schoolboys to Universities, which always has an impact, but managed to maintain our position as the second strongest club in Aberdeen.

The 1st XI topped the table for a few months, but eventually finished fifth out of twelve teams with 35 points in National League Division 2. Thanks are due to coaches Malcolm Ewen and Geoff Weston, plus Iain Bruce (Captain) for their organisational efforts and dedication throughout the season.

The 2nd XI finished a respectable third in Regional League North, but had struggled to fill the captain’s position at the commencement of the season. Nick Blyth and Sam Perry stepped in to help, with John Greig kindly taking on the captaincy in November.

The 3rd XI finished fifth in Regional League North and had the most successful season of all the Club’s teams and were deserved winners of the Scottish Reserves Plate at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre (Commonwealth Games Venue) at Glasgow Green on Sunday 18th May against Rottenrow, 2nds winning 2-1. The goal scorers were Murray Bisset and Charlie Smith.

The 4ths and 5ths finished near the bottom of District League Division 2. Lack of players on several occasions caused fixture cancellation, forfeiture of points and re-scheduling.

Coaching

Particular thanks this season go to Geoff Weston for his hard work with coordinating the Colts and Youth players. Thanks are also due to coaches Ben Johnson, Fred Lawson, Tony Duguid, John Dargie and Scott Harper. Thanks also go to Andrew Webster and congratulations on the birth of his son. Andrew and his family emigrated to Melbourne in March and will be missed by the Club.

Umpiring

Again thanks go to the dedication of the Club’s National League Umpires, namely Dick Wallis, David Wallis, Bob Dickson, Kevin Pope and to Dave Beattie, who is our new Umpiring co-ordinator.

Fundraising/Social

There was a Hockey Awards Barbecue on 29 June 2013. The Club had a very successful John Drummond weekend on 7/8 December, with over £1,100 raised in ticket sales, donations and the raffle. Thanks are due to Ben Johnson for again

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

organising this important fund-raiser for Youth Hockey. Unfortunately the Grammarians Cup match against the younger boys was cancelled on Saturday 7 December, but Grammarians won the John Drummond Trophy 5-1 on Sunday 8 December against the School U-18 team.

Finances

The club is just breaking even at the moment and additional effort will be required next season through fundraising events and, hopefully, additional sponsorship which is being sought.

Rubislaw AstroTurf

The charges being levied by Aberdeen City Council for the Rubislaw AstroTurf pitch for youth hockey are still unreasonably high, but there has been no further progress with council officials to address this issue this season. On a positive note, we have had two new dugouts installed.

Awards for Season 2013/14

Awards will be presented on Saturday 23 August at a Club Dinner-Dance planned for the Hilton Treetops Hotel.

Next Season, we have plans in hand to complete registration of the Club under the Grampian ClubCap Accreditation Scheme, which could potentially provide a 25% reduction in AstroTurf hire charges. Charlie Smith is next season’s Club Captain.

Pétanque

The 2013 season was a successful one for the Section, with all five competitions well attended, and a few new names were added to the membership list. In the past the singles and doubles competitions in August and the Maurice Chevalier in September have often clashed with a home rugby game, so it was decided to hold these on a Sunday for a trial season. The competitions were well attended, but it was still the general view that Saturday was the best day for competitions and it has been decided to return to Saturdays for the matches.

In November a trophy presentation was held at the club, followed by a buffet and wine evening which was most enjoyable.

The competitions for 2014 began with the Triples on 24th May and the Summer Solstice and Singles and Doubles have been played, leaving the Maurice Chevalier Trophy to be played for on 13th September. This year we have invited the Collieston club to play against us and this match will take place on 19th July.

This year we have decided to go back to our traditional practice and hold a dinner at which the Trophies will be presented.

At the Annual General Meeting Rodger Bartlett stepped down as Captain and was succeeded by Alistair Ritchie. The Section seems to go from strength to strength and so far we have forty members on our books.

The following are the results of the 2013 competitions:

Former Pupils’ Section

Singles Championship

Winner: Gail Tawse

Runner-up: Sheila Ritchie

Doubles Championship

Winners: Derek Young & Peter Henderson

Runners-up: Sheila Ritchie & Patrick Buick

Triples Championship

Winners: Ian Esslemont, Christy Grant & Mark Shewan

Runners-up: Sheila Ritchie, Patrick Buick & Craig Falconer

Peter Tawse Memorial Trophy (Summer Solstice)

Winner: Ian Esslemont

Runner-up: Brian Johnston

Maurice Chevalier Trophy

Winner: Thierry Gidemann

Runner-up Jamie Barclay

Office Bearers: Captain: Alistair Ritchie

Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Vass

Rugby

1st XV Playing Report

Pre-season training commenced in July 2013 with Kevin Wyness as Head Coach subsequent to the departure of Alex Duncan at the end of season 2012/13. Kevin was assisted by Ali O’Conner and Steve Park. A very physical preseason led to a number of injuries including a broken arm for Stuart Smith which saw him miss ten league matches. Steve Aitken missed the majority of the season through a recurring knee injury, and Alex Hagart missed the entire season due to a back operation. The season started with an away win to Hawick but thereafter a series of morale-sapping narrow defeats saw the team hover above the relegation position for several months. This was compounded by a shocking display at home to Currie, who had lost every game up to that point. Currie then used this as a catalyst to kick-start the season and ultimately pulled clear of relegation.

Rob Aloe was lost through injury at game two and did not return until the end of the season, while the charismatic Naka broke his arm in a Caley Cup match which ended his season in November.

Another deciding factor in the first team’s demise was the allocation of pro’s and EDP’s with Aberdeen Grammar being the worst supported club in the league. An example of the allocations shows Edinburgh Accies being allocated 113 players with Aberdeen being allocated 14.

Although the team retained the Caledonia cup by beating Howe of Fife narrowly at Cupar and then had a splendid away win on the back pitches at

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Murrayfield against Edinburgh Accies, we fell at home to Heriots in the semifinal of the Scottish Cup.

The league season ended with us winning three and losing fifteen and with a points differential of 114. The defensive statistics were on a par with the two previous seasons, but the points scored showed a 100-point drop, as compared to the average of the two previous seasons. For those who watched the games the problems caused by players missing through injury in the midfield and a nonsettled back division were apparent.

This season saw some fine young players emerge in the first team and particular mention must be made of Alasdair Mackie who won man of the match on three occasions. Tony McGinness won five such accolades and Erland Oag was the top try scorer with eleven tries.

At the end of the season we saw a number of player leave the club, including Tony McGinness (to New Zealand), Struan Cessford (to Heriots), Tom Preece (to London), Erlend Oag (to a medical post in Glasgow), Sean O’Conner (retired), Angus Rennie (to Stewarts/Melville), Andy Cramond (to France) and Rob Aloe (to New Zealand).

During the season we used 46 players in the 1st XV as compared to 45 the season before and 38 in the season before that. This figure included six professional players who appeared for the club during the season.

In our three-year stay in the Premiership we achieved 7th place, 5th place and 10th place with a ratio of wins of 7, 7 and 3. Many of the games lost this season were by margins of less than seven points and many of them in the last five minutes of games where we were leading. Games at home to Heriots and Currie and away to Stirling and Hawks stand out as the defining moments in what could have been the difference between a mid-table finish and relegation.

After post-season discussions with Kevin Wyness about the future direction of the playing side of the club he decided that he would leave along with Steve Park. We wish them all the best in their new roles with Alex Duncan at Aberdeenshire.

Since the end of the season Stuart Corsar has taken the reigns as lead coach supported by Ali O’Conner, Rob Currie, Tomas Pinet and Ali Barron. We wish them all the best in the year ahead.

2nd XV Playing Report

Seconds got off to a slow start in National Reserve 1, probably because of the numbers of the squad drafted into the 1st XV for the first two months of the season. However, once back at full strength they proceeded through the season on a 50% win ratio, with a fine away draw to Melrose Storm and a home victory against Gala being the two stand-out results in a season of fine displays and sporting endeavour. The team finished 8th out of twelve, with two teams scratching at the end of the season, which if played could have left the team 5th The league was won by Glasgow Hawks while Hillhead/Jordanhill were relegated along with Stewarts Melville

The team were well coached and managed by Kevin Burnett, who was ably assisted throughout by Stuart Corsar. Doug Russell had an outstanding season at centre and has been awarded the club captaincy for season 2014/15.

Former Pupils’ Section

3rd XV Playing Report

After fifteen seasons without a regular third fifteen in competitive league ‘The Bears’ were reborn in September 2013 and they provided a great platform for U20 players. Managed by Neil Palmer, the youngsters put in a great shift finishing joint 3rd in a highly entertaining league. The Bears ran Aberdeen University 1sts very close and were one of the few teams to take points from the league champions.

The team scored 623 points during the season, which reflects the open attacking style of play which they adopted as their hallmark. Numbers started at twenty in September but by the close of the season over forty players had turned up at training. Caledonia has four leagues operating in season 2014/15 and our 3rd XV are one of the fancied teams to be promoted into Caledonia 2 at the end of this season.

Youth Section

Over 250 young players turn out for the club at weekends, with the youngest starting at four years of age and on through to the U-18s.

This season we were the only team in the North-east to field teams at every age group from Primary 3 to S6. Our players travelled as far south as Ayr and as far north as Orkney during the season and won various cups and shields at youth tournaments. The section thrives due to the work of various parents who coach and provide back-up support at Rubislaw with tea and refreshments. Well done to all who participated.

The annual mini tournament took place in April with over 600 people in attendance and for once the weather allowed everyone to finish before the heavens opened.

Aberdeen Youth Rugby Association

We continue to engage with the state school sector and deploy coaches into a wide variety of schools within the Aberdeen Grammar catchment area and further afield. This season saw our coaches working with disengaged children in Torry and at Cordyce School where exposure to rugby will help to develop their social and team skills. We spend hundreds of hours coaching young people within the state school sector and have formed teams at Cults, Harlaw, Torry and Bridge of Don. This work is time-consuming and expensive and we are always looking for financial support from the business community to widen young people’s horizons and encourage healthy living.

Chairman’s View

The season of 2013/14 was extremely disappointing from a first team perspective. The team was hampered by an extensive injury list and, although the quality of player in the squad was of a very high standard, lack of consistency in selection and unequal supply of professional players to centralbased teams skewed many results. It is no coincidence that Dundee, who were the worst supported team in season 2012/13 in respect of professional players, were relegated. We suffered the same fate in season 2013/14.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Scottish rugby is undergoing a massive change in the professionalism of the premier teams and the establishment of four regional academies. Teams who strive to compete at the top end of club rugby have to be run as businesses with annual turnovers of between £150,000 and £750,000 required to run multiple senior squads, coaches, physio and medical support, facilities, transport, insurance and wages (coaches and players). If Aberdeen Grammar are to continue playing at the top end of the club game additional finance and facilities will be required over the next three years to secure a place in the Premiership.

A new all-weather pitch will open at the Aberdeen Sports Village with floodlights and this will allow us to meet one of the criteria for being a Premiership club. This brings with it other issues regarding playing competitive matches away from Rubislaw. The ongoing discussions with Aberdeen City Council regarding the use of Rubislaw have been time-consuming and difficult. Simply having use of ‘a pitch on a Saturday’ does not allow for a club with 350 players sufficient space to play or indeed the appropriate standard of grandstand, floodlighting and playing surfaces. All of these require to be addressed in the mid -term as well as considering the impact of a professional club being based in Aberdeen within five years.

Rugby is undergoing a massive change and these clubs who do not prepare for the new order that is being created will disappear into the Regional leagues with little likelihood of ever returning to the Premiership.

The club is well served with a hard-working committee which has increased income by 100% over the last two seasons and a young coaching team who are adaptable and extremely hardworking. We look forward to the challenges ahead and aspire to remain at the top of the club game in the years to come.

Women’s Hockey

Season 2013-14 has been one of mixed fortunes for the Ladies’ Hockey Section. It has, as always, been enjoyable but has also proved challenging to field two teams every week and a change to the league start dates has meant that not all district hockey games have been played at the time this report has been submitted (end May).

The 1st XI had a successful season and finished third in the league. Fiona Spence captained a strong team of regular players with back-up often required from the 2nd XI and some welcome new faces to the club. Fiona will continue in this role next season and we look forward to more of the same.

The 2nd XI were captained by two of the fifth year girls this season, Lauren Spence and Emma Alderson. This is no mean feat during this important school year and as stated above, the season has run on late this year continuing through the girls’ exam time. The club recognise the hard work that any committee

Former Pupils’ Section

member puts in but special acknowledgement must go to this pair for continuing to do this role, always with a smile on their faces and never a word of complaint.

It has been a difficult season for the 2nd XI with a lack of players being available but some great hockey has been played and an early season North District Cup Competition saw them finishing second in the Plate Competition, outplayed only by a very strong Ellon team. Played

15 5 0 10 36 53 15 6th

The rules for Indoor Hockey changed dramatically this season with the number of players on a team reducing from six to five, and many teams opting to play without a goal-keeper. The introduction of this kind of change does, of course, take some time to get used to and Indoor is a very short season, often played in a few weeks. Despite this, much fun was had and some new players were introduced to the sport.

The indoor league concluded with the 1st team finishing second in Division 1 and the 2nd team finishing last in Division 2. Again, a Cup Competition for the North District held over Christmas saw an ‘all star’ Grammar finish as runners up.

8

Youth training for the School, run mainly by parent volunteers, continues to provide the FP Section with an amazing standard of senior competition-ready players. We currently could not function as a club without the talent and commitment of these girls, many of whom take on committee positions. We have thanked Lauren and Emma already for being 2nd team captains but mention should also be made of Kirsten Fraser who served as 1st XI vicecaptain.

Many of the school girl players – Kirsten Fraser, Lauren Spence, Sasha McKenzie-Smith and Emma Lambert – played for both teams regularly throughout the season as well as taking part in School hockey, which at times could involve them in playing three or four games in a weekend. No wonder they are so fit.

Congratulations to those of our players who have achieved the following:

National Goal Keeping Academy - Julia Stenhouse

District Performance Squad U-16s - Sasha McKenzie-Smith

Emma Lambert

District U-18s - Kirsten Fraser (indoor and outdoor)

Julia Stenhouse (outdoor)

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

At the start of the season, we introduced a new training time for the senior players and invited youth players to a 6 - 7pm session. This was for younger pupils (S1/S2) as an addition to, or in place of, the parent-run coaching on Monday evenings. We see this as a way to introduce potential players to the FP Section without their attending our training until they are fully ready. The sessions have been run by Gill Graham with help from Hannah Mitchell, Alex Grant and Kirsten Fraser (all FPs or current pupils) and as a club we plan to continue this next season. Thanks to all who helped make this session a great success.

Murray Bissett, who has been a stalwart of the Men’s Section for a number of years, as well achieving various International accolades, became our coach at the start of this season. We have truly benefited from his wealth of experience, and his no-nonsense approach to keeping our Tuesday evening training sessions noise levels down is commendable. We look forward to welcoming him back next season.

As ever, huge thanks also go to all the umpires who have helped us out this season, in particular Martin Fraser and Bob Dickson without whom our matches could not take place.

If you are keen to take up hockey again, or have never played before, you are very welcome to join us. Training is on Tuesday evenings at Rubislaw from 7.00pm – 8.30pm and starts on the first Tuesday in August. In the meantime, we look forward very much to season 2014-15.

For further information contact: agsfpwomen@live.co.uk

Annual Dinner

The Annual Dinner was held in the Hilton Treetops Hotel on Friday 28 March 2014. The attendance, while slightly better than last year, still was not as large as in past years. Those present gave every appearance of enjoying the occasion. There were as usual guests from other local FP Clubs as well as representatives from our own Centres. The Rector, Graham Legge was present and, as is now usual, was accompanied by Head Girl Claire Henderson and Head Boy Marc Walton. Six past Presidents were also present.

The President of the Club, Martin Jeffrey, was in the chair and conducted the proceedings with his customary efficiency. A distinctive touch which he brought to the evening was to arrange for various artefacts to be brought from the School and displayed around the room; these included the new Canadian Chairs along with the Fleming Chairs, the Bengal Lectern (from which the speakers addressed the company), the School House Banners and sundry other items. An excellent meal was enjoyed and raffle prizes were drawn.

The principal toast, to “The School and the Club”, was proposed by Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of Trump International Golf Links at Menie. She described herself as a Buchan quine from a working-class Peterhead family with a passionate concern for the heritage of the north-east of Scotland. She is a Cambridge graduate with a degree in fine art from Glasgow School of Art. For

Former Pupils’ Section

nearly seven years she managed Aberdeen’s Gordon Highlander Museum where she oversaw a major extension. She intrigued the company with an account of her first meeting with Donald Trump and how it came about that he hired her. She expressed her good wishes for both School and Club.

Replying on behalf of the School, the Rector observed that he had now been in post for ten years. He noted that it was 150 years since the School’s move to Skene Street which had prompted their participation in Doors Open Day last September when about 400 members of the public visited the buildings and were impressed by what they saw. He welcomed the generosity of Canadian Former Pupils in presenting two handsome chairs and remarked that it was clear that a great deal of thought had gone into the design of articles that would grace the platform of the hall for many years to come.

Claire and Marc gave news of sporting and extra-curricular activities, reporting on musical successes, continuing prowess in debating and on the fact that over a hundred pupils applied to go on this year’s excursion to Peru, thirtyfive of them being successful. Marc reported a revival of interest in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, assisted by a Lottery grant of £1000.

The President, replying for the Club, commented on the need for the Club to bring in younger members, to re-engage with its Sports Sections and improve communication with its members.

Douglas McAllister, Chairman of the Executive, expressed a vote of thanks to the President and to Neil Lawrie for making the arrangements for the function for the first time since his appointment as Dinner Secretary. He also thanked the hotel staff for their efficient and courteous attention to our needs.

The following FPs attended the Dinner (in order of entering School): B.K. Crookshanks (1934-46), H.B. Paterson (1941-50), G.W. Barron (1943-54),W.B. Brown (1943-57), J.M. Jeffrey (1942-57), H.A.S. Hamilton (1943-56), A.K.Campbell (1944-53), A.C. Dickie (1952-58), G. Craig (1944-55), D.R. Harper (1944-58), J.A.C. Michie (194458), D.L. Allan (1945-58), I.B. Kennaway (1946-57), J.A. Davidson (1947-60), M.W.R. Gauld (1947-61), R.S. Rilley (1947-55), M.L. Wolkoff (1947-59), H.A.B. Will (1948-61), N. Ironside (1949-61), D.S. Brown(1950-64), A.M. Kennaway (1950-62), R.S. McKay (1950-57), A.D. Milne (1950-58), I.H. McLeod (1951-55), M.S. Davidson (1952-56), I.W. Douglas (1952-57), W.A. Duff (1953-57), W.R. Hutcheon (1953-58), J.C. Lyon (1953-59), K.G. Jones (1957-66), F.I. Lloyd (1958-65), J. Lawson (1959-61), N.K.B. Edwards (1959-64), D.Skene (1959-64), N.J.G. Lawrie (1961-74), D. McAllister (196174), N.G.M. Watt (1963-69), G.C.C. Henderson (1971-78), B.A. Blacklaws (1974-79), G.K. Crookshanks (1979-85), D.R.D. Wallis (1979-85), A.J. Henderson (2000-06), K.R. Henderson (2000-06), Z. Henderson (2000- 06), L.Alexander (2006-2012), H. Burr (200613), R.Cameron (2006-12), R. Cowie (2006-12), M. Gauld (2006-12), M. Gordon (200612), M. Henderson (2006-12), K. Morrison (2006-12), R. Robertson (2006-12), E. Shand (2006-12), C. Walton (2006-12) and J. Wood (2006-12) The Rector, Mr Graeme Legge, was also present.

RE-UNIONS

The Class of 1949

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

On 16 May this year twenty-five FPs who left School between 1947 and 1949 held their ninth Reunion in the Atholl Hotel, Aberdeen. The main secretarial work was done by Brian Gray from Canterbury, with local support provided by Ally Hume, Campbell Murray and Fred Lynch.

The usual format was followed, with a reception on the Friday afternoon for classmates and partners, when tea and coffee were served. At the evening dinner Brian Gray presided and welcomed the company. Apologies were received and we remembered class-mates no longer with us. Campbell said Grace in Doric.

After dinner, Campbell entertained us by reciting Doric poems and by singing Doric songs – with the rest of us all encouraged to join in the choruses.

This will probably be our last big reunion as numbers dwindle, but smaller local lunches may be held in the future.

Those present were: R. Allan, A. Cheyne, H. Connachie, A. Cromar, R. Cromar, I. Donald, J.E. Fraser, G. Fraser, B.S. Gray, K. Haining, W. Kress, A. Hume, M. Lyall, F. Lynch, W. Michie, B. Morris, C. Murray, H.B. Paterson, D. Ritchie, R. Sangster, M. Slater, A. Stuart, A. Tough, M. Wagrel and G. Wilson.

A Re-union with a Difference AGSFP Westminster Dinner 2014

On 21st June 2014 a group of FPs who attended school between 1975 and 1981, along with several partners, passed through airport-style scanners and were issued with lanyard security passes in order to go to a very special FP dinner in the Palace of Westminster. This was hosted by our fellow FP John Stevenson, the Member of Parliament for Carlisle. Elected in 2010, John is the first Conservative MP to have represented Carlisle since 1959. He serves on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee and still also manages to spend a little time as a solicitor in Carlisle.

We were met by John in Westminster Hall and then, as “ordinary” members of the public had to leave the building, John led us upstairs to begin a tour. We walked through St. Stephen’s Hall into Central Lobby then off to the right towards the Peers’ Lobby. We were shown the Royal Gallery, the Sovereign’s Entrance and then the Queen’s Robing Room. There was an anxious moment there when we thought we were locked in and might miss our dinner, but a guest luckily saved the day and we got out safely so that we could be taken by John into the Red and Gold Lords’ Chamber itself. After this John took us to the Members’ Lobby, with imposing bronzes of Churchill, Lloyd George, Attlee and Margaret Thatcher. He explained the voting system in the House of Commons where a bell is rung in various locations and members have just eight minutes to rush into either the ‘No’ or ‘Aye’ Lobby, with the Whips trying to ensure that they go into the correct one before the doors are locked. Waiting in the Lobby to register the vote is then apparently a good time to pin down ministers about pressing issues. Having seen the ‘No’ Lobby, John then took us into the green House of Commons Chamber, familiar probably now to everyone through television. John explained that every MP has an area in which they tend to sit so that the Speaker has a better idea of each Member’s name. It was fascinating to hear about the workings of Parliament from an insider – the real opposition

Former Pupils’ Section

being the journalists – the difference that it makes being a member for a marginal seat rather than a safe one – the differing views on whether Parliament should run for the current three and a half days a week suiting those who travel from far away, rather than a five shorter day week which would suit those living nearby.

After our tour we enjoyed drinks out on the terrace overlooking the Thames before going to one of the Terrace Dining Rooms for a very enjoyable meal. After this we were able to enjoy more time outside catching up with old friends on the terrace, because of course this was a lovely warm London evening, not like the freezing ones we usually have in Aberdeen!

As we left Westminster, John did promise that if he is re-elected next May, he would be happy to organise a dinner there again. I am sure those of us present would love that opportunity and could hopefully contact more of our old school friends to ensure an even greater number attending. John clearly enjoys being an MP and works very hard. A plea therefore, if any FP reading this knows anyone who lives in Carlisle please do your best to encourage support for a fellow FP next May!

FPs who attended (names as in our School days) were – Margaret Allsop, Gordon Angus, Alan Clark, Margery Coutts, Anne Cruickshank, Malcolm Daniel, Brian Fitzpatrick, Gordon Fraser, Judith Leslie, Aileen Masson, Fiona McCombie, Tim McKay, Karen McLennan, Charlie Mitchell, Callum Moy, Graeme Petrie, Alison Reid, Graeme Smith, Graham Smith, Nigel Young and, of course, John Stevenson.

Class of 2003

About thirty members of the 2003 Leavers held a reunion in the Club Centre on 3 August 2013 to mark the tenth anniversary of their leaving School. A barbeque was held in the afternoon, many of the company wearing their old blazers – one even finding her Higher Drama exam paper in a pocket. Games of cricket, rugby and rounders were played. Later the company moved indoors and enjoyed an evening of ‘old school’ classic tunes. The event was organised by Laura Wood and Michelle Barclay and was voted a huge success.

1970 6th Year

As this Magazine goes to press the reunion which was intimated in the last issue is scheduled to take place on 23 August and we look forward to publishing news of it next year.

“Madame

Isabel Murray”

Former Pupils from the ‘30s to the ‘60s have fond memories of being taught ballroom dancing by Mme Isabel Murray and of the Senior

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Secondary Schools Dance Club which she operated on Saturday evenings in the Cowdray Hall. The Magazine of 2009 carried a review of a book by Norman Mackenzie about the life and work of Mme Murray which was then on public sale. Mr Mackenzie has recently died and his widow had a number of unsold copies of the book. Mr John Michie has taken these books and offers them for sale at £5 per copy, the sale proceeds to be donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind in recognition of her long interest in helping those afflicted by blindness. The books are available in the Gift Shop at Michie’s, at 391 Union Street.

F.P. Club Membership Subscription Rates

The current policy of the Executive is to review Subscription rates annually, but in normal circumstances we would hope that it will only be necessary to amend them every 5 years. The Life Member “Top up” scheme – which has been hugely successful – involves a payment of £20 to cover a five-year period. The current Top-up period expires at the end of this year and any members who have not contributed are encouraged to do so now. The Life Fund is stronger than it was, but still requires further “topping up”. The £20 “Top up” works out at just £4 per year for the 5-year period. We also draw down 5% of the Life Fund each year and this works out at roughly £1 per Life Member, so that, when this is added to the £4 from the “Top up”, the Club receives £5 per Life Member in total each year. This doesn’t yet match the £10 or so we receive from Annual Members, but is moving in the right direction and we are certainly much better off than we were before the “Top up” scheme was introduced in 2000. We had a tremendous response to the introduction of the scheme, which is voluntary, and the vast majority of Life Members have responded very positively. These payments are a vital part of the Club’s income.

Subscription rates for 2013 are as follows:-

Life Membership:

New Life Members: £100 plus a £20 “Top up” every 5 years, the first “Top up” being payable 5 years after Life Membership is taken out.

Existing Life members: £20 “Top up” every 5 years

Annual Membership:

Ordinary Members: £12.50 by cheque or £10 if paid by Standing Order

Under-25 Members: £6 (Members must be aged under 25 on 1 January of Subscription Year)

School Leavers: £5 (covers remainder of year of leaving plus 1 year)

School Leavers –(Extended): £20 (covers remainder of year of leaving plus 5 years)

Note: School Leavers also become Members of the Club Centre when they reach the age of 18, for the same periods as defined above, at no extra cost.

Former Pupils’ Section

Special Notes for Members over 75:

All members of the FP Club become “Long Service” Members from 1st January in the year following the year in which they reach the age of 75.

Life Members over 75 are no longer expected to make “Top up” Payments. Ordinary (Annual) Members over 75 no longer have to pay any Annual Subscriptions.

Payment of Subscriptions:

Subscriptions should be sent to:

The Membership Secretary, Douglas McAllister, who will also deal with all queries about Membership, changes of address etc: His address is:

Gowanwell Cottage, Methlick, ELLON, Aberdeenshire AB41 7JL.

Tel: 07767 – 463121

Email: membership@agsfp.com

Donations and Bequests

The Second Century Fund was set up in 2000 to receive all Donations and Bequests. This Fund is used to finance specific School and Club projects, and is not used for normal ongoing Club expenses. As will be seen from the Accounts elsewhere in this Magazine, the total from this source in 2013 was £200 which was placed in the Second Century Fund. Our grateful thanks go to everyone who has contributed. It is hoped that this Fund will receive a significant boost from the current round of Top-up payments now being requested.

Life Members

Richard Reece (1952-65) Graeme Yackiminie (1968-74)

Annual Members

Colin R. Munro (1954-67)

Congratulations to the following members of the Club who will attain the age of 75 during 2014 and so will become Long Service Members on 1st January 2015.

Life Members

W. Barton Brown 1943-57 Ian McIntosh 1951-57

Henry O. Cameron 1952-58 Ronald S. McKay 1950-57

Graeme Craig 1943-55 Ian H. McLeod 1951-55

Roy G.O. Dixon 1943-57 Graham T. Morrice 1944-57

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Peter B. Donald 1944-49

John G. Munro 1946-57

Donald A. Fowlie 1944-57 John R. Park 1944-54

David G. Grant 1950-55

Erik A.S. Porter 1951-58

Thomas F. Houghton 1952-58 John S. Raitt 1944-57

J. Martin Jeffrey 1942-57 Ian Robertson 1944-54

Douglas G. Joss 1947-54 Ernest Sutherland 1951-55

Ian B. Kennaway 1943-57 Michael G. Walker 1946-57

Philip N. Love 1952-58 Alan R. Webster 1943-56

Alexander M. Mackie 1944-57 James W.H. Weir 1942-57

Alastair M. Mathieson 1943-57 Ian Wolkoff 1942-55

Annual Members

Charles I. Cruickshank 1946-57 Ian Stephen 1947-57

William R. Hutcheon 1952-58 Andrew A. Stout 1951-17

David G. Ness 1951-55 Ronald Warman 1943-54

Leslie M. Nicol 1949-57

Long Service Members

For several years now we have published the names of our Nonagenarians Sadly, two of these died in the past year, including the holder of the distinction of being our oldest member for the last two years. They have been replaced by no fewer than twelve others who have attained the remarkable age of 90 or will do so later this year. We congratulate them all and thank them for their continuing interest and support. The full list, with their dates of birth, is as follows:-

James

Neil

George

Robert

Joseph

Harry

Former Pupils’ Section

William A.C. Robertson 1936-42 12 October 1924

Francis W. Alexander 1935-42 16 November 1924

George M. Anderson 1930-42 18 November 1924

Robert M. Grant 1941-43 21 November 1924

Alastair G. Robertson 1930-40 30 November 1924

Peter Rennie 1938-43 29 December 1924

NOTES about FORMER PUPILS

Jonathan Matthew Boyd (1996-02) has been selected to create the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the sporting events at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. After leaving School he spent four years at Glasgow School of Art followed by three years at the Royal College of Art in London. He then returned to Glasgow to practice as a jewellery designer and now lectures at Glasgow School of Art. Hs work has earned a number of awards, most recently the Silver Medal at the Beijing International Contemporary Metal Art Exhibition in 2013 with a collection of oxidised silver jewellery titled “Clyde Built”. In regard to the Games medals Jonathan says “I hope in my design that I can reflect Glasgow’s industrial past, capture something of the city that it has become and, most importantly, that uniqueness that Glasgow has”.

Gordon Kenneth Crookshanks (1979-85) has just ‘bagged’ his last Munro. He was joined by a party of seven, including Tim Rolfe (1982-86) and David Wallis (1979-85). Gordon had previously climbed the two Munros which are now downgraded, so can claim the full 284 peaks. The climb of Ciste Dubh in Glen Shiel was accomplished in far from ideal conditions, but that did not prevent the appropriate celebratory champagne on the summit.

John Alexander Cruickshank (1926-29) VC is the last surviving holder of a Royal Air Force Victoria Cross and was recently honoured at an event held in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. The occasion was promoted by the RAF Benevolent Fund. His award followed a daring assault on a German submarine in which “he set an example of determination, fortitude and devotion to duty in keeping with the highest traditions of the service”. He had suffered multiple injuries, including two serious chest wounds and had seen his navigator killed, but succeeded in nursing his Catalina flying boat back to Sullom Voe in the Shetlands.

Graeme Dunphy (1975-79) MA, BD has recently been appointed as Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg, Germany.

Myles Edwards (2000-06) continues to train in Kenya as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He is a founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation working with the Chaka Youth Football project which uses sport to get Kenyan youngsters out of the drug and gang culture prevalent in the area. With financial support from an Aberdeen company Myles has been able to make a big difference to the quality of life of youngsters who have no other means of helping themselves.

Former Pupils’ Section

Norman Esslemont (1948-52) has now retired after ten years as chairman of the Wags Dinner in Aberdeen, an annual fund-raising event which benefits Quarrier Homes epilepsy support workers. To mark the occasion he took part in a triathlon in Bermuda along with his sister-in-law and her husband. Norman’s part in this event was to swim one kilometre in the waters of St George’s. Almost £5000 was raised, sufficient to allow Quarriers to provide an additional thirty hours of care to epilepsy sufferers and their families every month for a year.

Gregory John Herrara (1981-87) is a partner in the venture capital firm Energy Ventures, which targets high growth oil and gas firms with funds for investment. His company was founded on the belief that commercialisation of marketable technology companies providing solutions to long-term oilfield challenges is the key to improving declining production levels and boosting further re-investment into the North Sea. Greg is based in Aberdeen.

Julie Elizabeth Avey (née Knaggs) (1979-85) was in Aberdeen in summer 2013 and caught up with various friends. She is now living in Cali, Colombia with her husband Chris, son Sam (14) and daughter Sacha (12). She re-located there last year with her job as a director of Neal and Massy, a group which does business throughout the Caribbean. She is tasked with expanding the Group’s activities.

David Law (2002-08) continues his successful golf career. He recently won the Paul Lawrie Invitational tournament at Deeside Golf Club with a total score of 11 under par 199 earning him the £6000 first prize.

Gavin Thomas McEwen MA, CA has been appointed as adviser to the Holyrood finance committee enquiring into the establishment of the Scottish version of HM Revenue and Customs. Proposed new legislation will make provision for a Scottish tax system to enable the collection and management of two devolved taxes and will establish Revenue Scotland as the tax authority with responsibility for collecting the taxes from April 2015.

Kenneth George McHattie (1968-73) LL.B, CA who is chairman of Aurora Petroleum, has been elected vice-president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland. He qualified as a solicitor in 1985 and worked with the venture capitalists 3i before joining the Aberdeen legal practice of Ledingham Chalmers as a partner. His previous involvement with the oil industry included being part of the management team at oil start-up Tuscan Energy and being chief finance officer of oil investment fund Energy Investment Partners.

Fiona McKay née McCombie (1975-81) MB,ChB still practises a little clinical medicine in the Out of Hours GP service in Grampian. Her main role is, however, dealing with performance concerns and the revalidation (re-licensing) of doctors across Grampian in her role as Deputy Responsible Officer.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Carmichael Millar (1933-44) OBE, WS, MA, LL.B last year celebrated his Diamond wedding to Kirsteen Carnegie whom he met at St Andrews in 1947 after he had spent three years in the Royal Navy. After graduating in Arts at St Andrews he obtained a law degree from Edinburgh University and practised as a solicitor until 1992 when he retired as senior partner of Aitken Nairn WS. He was appointed by the Queen to be Deputy Keeper of Her Majesty’s Signet in 1983 and served in that office until 1991. He was at the same time Chairman of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

In 1975 he was given the responsibility of organising in Edinburgh the Fifth Commonwealth Law Conference attended by 2000 lawyers. He had been one of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland from 1965 and became the chairman from 1973 to 1985, surviving the challenge of delivering twelve annual reports to the General Assembly of the Church.

In 1983 he became the first solicitor to break into the traditional preserve of the Faculty of Advocates when he was appointed chairman of the Medical, War Pensions and Disability Appeal Tribunals, retiring from these in 1999.

At School he was a Prefect and Captain of the 1st Hockey XI in 1943 and 1944. He continues to live in Edinburgh where he enjoys some golf and travel, especially to his children and grandchildren in England and Australia.

Shona Marshall (née Milne) (1979-82) will be competing in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer. Having won Silver in the clay target trap event in Delhi four years ago she was devastated not to be selected for the London Olympics in 2012. Having taken up clay pigeon shooting when she left school she took a break to have her two children but became re-inspired after watching the Manchester Commonwealth Games and has been involved ever since. She has a strict training regime in her purpose-built trap on her farm at Alford together with two strength and conditioning sessions every week.

Andrew Donald Nisbet (1958-71) was presented with the seventh Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture at the Fort William Mountain Festival in February. He was chosen as this year’s recipient because of his inspirational enthusiasm for the Scottish mountains and his invaluable contribution to climbing through his work in writing guidebooks. He has established almost 1,000 new winter climbing routes and over the decades has gone to incredible lengths to bring climbers a highly accurate detailed record of the tens of thousands of climbs across Scotland. The organisers of the Festival said that Andy, nicknamed Honey Monster and The Droid on account of his appearance and climbing style, is known for his boundless enthusiasm, humour and pioneering attitude and so exemplifies the passion for mountain culture which the award celebrates.

George Alan Robb (1946-60) MA, LL.B, WS is now a non-executive director of European Wealth Group which he co-founded along with two colleagues four years ago as a private-equity vehicle. It held a 49% stake in European Wealth Management whose directors have bought out the parent company in a reverse take-over deal. The business has now been floated on the alternative investment

Former Pupils’ Section

market. The company has funds of £700million under management. In 1983 he, with Ronald Scott Brown (1946-55), a fellow partner in an Aberdeen law firm, teamed up with a colleague to form Aberdeen Fund Managers, later to become Aberdeen Asset Management.

Timothy John Rolfe (1982-86) BSc, who has for some time been Global Head of Training, Quality & Safety with Bristow Helicopters, has been appointed Director of Flight Safety with the company. Although based in Aberdeen, Tim is a regular traveller to Houston and to the various places around the world where Bristow employees are operating.

Jonathan William Rowson (1989-95), who was the first Scot to win the British Chess championship, received a wild-card entry to the Super Sixteen Chess Tournament when the world champion, a Norwegian, was forced to withdraw on account of a heavy work-load. Jonathan’s chess career began at School and he went on to represent the Bon Accord Chess Club in the city. In 1999, at the Scottish Championship, he achieved grand master status. He has been British champion in four consecutive years and had previously won the Canadian Open Championship in 2000.

John Alexander Scott (1960-63) after a lifetime in football as player, coach and manager has now been appointed branch manager for the Tayside and Fife office of the commercial cleaning company CSG. The company was formerly known as Contract Solutions Grampian. Son of a former Aberdeen and Newcastle United forward, Jocky Scott represented Scotland at U-15 level against England, Wales and Northern Ireland. After a spell with Chelsea he played for a number of sides north of the border, including Aberdeen. Retiring in 1983 he later comanaged the Dons in 1988-91 helping them to two trophies and a second-place finish in the Premier League.

Innes Taylor (1974-80) gained his fifth National Youth Hockey Medal in eight seasons when he coached at the U-18 Boys Plate Final at the National Hockey Centre in Glasgow in April. Innes also celebrated twenty years’ service as a promoted Lecturer at the North-East Scotland College (formerly known as Aberdeen College) in August 2013. He is now a Curriculum and Quality Manager at the College.

Thomas Scott Taylor (2002-07), who is with the 4th Battalion Regiment of Scotland in Germany, is currently on a four-month tour of Afghanistan and based at Camp Bastion, the main British military base there. The Battalion is based in Germany, where Thomas has been since February 2013.

Graham Charles Murray Watt (1957-70), who was Senior Prefect in 1969-70, is a fourth generation Former Pupil of the School. He is a great grandson of William Watt (1858-59), grandson of Theodore Watt (1889-1901), son of Alan Watt (1925-37) and brother of recent President Nigel Watt (1963-69). After graduating B.MedBiol, MB.ChB, MD from Aberdeen University he held hospital posts in Aberdeen, Shetland, Leicester and Nottingham before working

for the MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit based with Dr Julian Tudor Hart at Glyncorrwg Health Centre in South Wales and gaining accreditation in community medicine (public health) and general practice. After posts in the Scottish Chief Scientist Office and academic public health, he became Norie Miller Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Glasgow in 1994. He was, from 1994 to 2009, Head of Department. He was elected Fellow of the UK Academy of Sciences in 2000 and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh this year. He is a trustee of the UK charity Medical Aid for Palestinians and chair of the steering group of the Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance. Currently Professor of General Practice at the University of Glasgow and co-ordinator of General Practitioners at the Deep End, listening, capturing, expressing and adding to the views and experience of general practitioners working in the hundred most deprived communities in Scotland.

Marriages

Methven (1995-2001) – At The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh on 25 October 2013 Niall Methven, younger son of Mr & Mrs Alastair Methven, 80 Gilmerton Place, Edinburgh (formerly of Stanley Street, Aberdeen) to Stephanie, daughter of Mr Peter Robertson, Eastfield, Bamff Road, Alyth and Mrs Fiona Robertson, 6 The Shore, Arbroath.

Obituaries

John Arthur Brand (1939-52) MA, PhD died peacefully in hospital in Glasgow on 23 November 2013 after a long illness. He was aged 79. From School he proceeded to Aberdeen University where he graduated in Arts in 1956 with honours in Philosophy/Politics. He went on to study at the London School of Economics and was for a time a lecturer at Reading University.

In 1959 he was appointed an assistant lecturer in Politics at Glasgow University, moving in 1961 to a similar post in Reading University. After a year in London he returned north to become a senior lecturer in Politics at Strathclyde in 1964. In the meantime he had spent three months in Nigeria in 1963 attached to the University of Ibadan studying African government and methods of assisting under-developed countries. Also in 1963 he was awarded his doctorate from London University on a thesis on ‘Centralisation of Local Government’.

First and foremost a political scientist, he was a life-long member of the Labour Party, but said in later life he had joined it solely to ensure that the party in Scotland remained devoted to devolution, and his support for nationalism led to his joining the Scottish National Party. He was a founder member of the 79 Group, a left-wing offshoot of the SNP whose members included many who are now key figures in the Scottish government. In 1980, along with Jim Boyack, he led a coalition of political parties, Churches and other civic groups all committed to devolution for Scotland. This group, known as the Scottish Constitutional Convention, is often regarded as a prototype of the Scottish Parliament. The majority of the members of the group were Labour Party members and the devolution framework which they developed played a big part in the shaping of the new Scottish Parliament set up in 1999.

Former Pupils’ Section

A prolific writer, mostly on political issues, his publications included British Parliamentary Parties: Policy and Power, a study of political party activists, a group for whom Jack had a very high regard. He retired in 1999, soon after the opening of the new Edinburgh Parliament. In retirement he completed a degree in Fine Art at Glasgow University. Sadly his last years were blighted by Alzheimer’s.

David Antony Brittain (1943-49) MA, LL.B died suddenly, but peacefully, at home in Edinburgh on 4 July 2013. He was aged 82. His death came just before his annual pilgrimage to Loch Maree, a permanent fixture in the first week of August, which would have been spent indulging his real passion – fishing.

A resident of the Boarding House throughout his six years at the School he was a Prefect in 6th Year and vice-captain of Tennis. At the Boarding House Reunion in 1995 he presented his reminiscences entitled 'Tales of a Boarder'. The July 1949 Magazine records that "The success of these boys (BH residents) as citizens of the world, their obvious fine standards of morals and of manners are no accidents". David was no exception to this statement, but he was also an independent spirit. Thus the Notes on Prefects in that same Magazine state with reference to him, "Unky is a racy character (with) ... a ready turn of wit...Shows a flair for lawyerisms, quibbles, irrelevancies and other redherrings." Also in that Magazine is a reference to "our Sixth Year DAB hand at (Latin) translation", albeit in the context of an aberration. His soubriquet "Unky" is of doubtful derivation, but probably reflects some, but not all, the avuncular characteristics which he displayed throughout his life – a strong sense of humour, a sound assessment of situations, and a rather sardonic expression of his conclusions.

His regard for the School and for his former co-pupils and teachers was shown by his regular attendance at the reunion dinners of the '49ers. Thus in 1994 it fell to him to reply to the toast proposed by Mr Ron McLeod ('Tarzan') and the report of the occasion records that "(he) ably invoked the dry humour of his schoolboy skirmishes with authority – inspiring the thought that some people don't change all that much!" So throughout his schooldays David's intellect and ability were linked to independence of view and of attitude. Nevertheless he also performed creditably in the conventional fields of school activity, in most years gaining a certificate for academic achievement. His short story 'Capital Punishment' was published on pages 72-3 of the December 1947 Magazine. The lives of David's many school friends have been greatly enriched by their association with him – not just during the camaraderie of their school years together, but throughout the following decades.

David graduated in Arts at Aberdeen University in 1952 and in Law in 1954. National Service in 1955-57 was spent in the Royal Navy when he was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant and saw active service at Suez in 1956. Thereafter he worked with various legal firms in Edinburgh before starting his own practice in 1971.

David served as Clerk to The Scottish Flag Trust for fifteen years, demitting office in 2004. Always one for a lost cause, the highlight of his career came in 2004 when, after twenty-five years of research, and having been turned down

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

three times by the Lyon Court, he succeeded with an appeal to the Court of Session in having his client recognised as MacDonald of Keppoch, Chief of Clanranald of Lochaber.

David was devastated when his wife, Brenda, died in 1996 after forty years of marriage, but found solace in his two daughters, Deirdre and Sheila, and his two granddaughters, Sally and Rowan, who survive him.

Vincent Thomas Carcone (1944-47) died suddenly at his home in Aberdeen on 18 December 2013 aged 84. Born in Aberdeen, where his family ran a very successful chip shop in Causewayend, he entered the School with a bursary aged 15. He went up to Aberdeen University but on his father’s death he withdrew and turned to head the family ice-cream manufacturing business. In this he was very successful, continually developing new flavours and more exotic products. He was the main supplier of ice-cream products to much of the hotel and catering trade in Aberdeen and the surrounding area, where Carcone’s Gold Medal Ice Cream was in constant demand.

As well as developing a modern well equipped factory for the manufacture of their products the firm had the Pavilion Café at the Beach and the Duthie Park café for many years. The family were regular winners of the annual trade competition and in 1991 were awarded the Champion of Champions Shield. He retired in 1998.

In retirement he took up bowling and took a more active role in the Aberdeen Italian Society of which he was President for several years. In this he played a large part in raising funds for various local charities.

His wife died just at the time he retired, but he is survived by his daughter Louise (1979-85) and a grandson.

Ronald Reginald Comber (1947-53) died peacefully in hospital in Aberdeen on 26 March 2014 after a long period of declining health. He was aged 79 and his death came just four days before his Golden Wedding. His long involvement with sport began at School where he was a member of the 1st XV, described in one report as ‘the utility member’ of the team, who moved from scrum to centre and then to right wing, and whose very powerful running upset opposing wing men’. A member of Dun House, he was House Captain of Cricket and Vicecaptain of Cricket and Athletics.

From School he went into civil engineering, his first post being with Aberdeen Harbour Board. He later worked with W.J. Anderson and with Wimpey before he and his wife, Joan, entered the licensed trade and purchased the Crescent Hotel in Aberdeen’s Bon Accord Crescent. This they ran with conspicuous success for several years, Ron taking an active role in the catering side of the business and introducing several exotic dishes. Ron also managed the Ferryhill House Hotel for a time. He sold the Crescent with a view to semiretirement but was persuaded by Tennents Breweries to run the Covenanters Bar in Kincorth. His no nonsense approach to those intent on causing trouble was invaluable at a time when Kincorth experienced serious problems with drugs and violence. He later managed Murdo’s Bar for a number of years before finally retiring in 1997.

Former Pupils’ Section

Rugby was Ron’s great passion and he played for FPs for many years and was 1st XV captain in 1964. It was at Rubislaw that he earned his nickname ‘The Bomber’ in the light of his inimitable style of crashing through the opposition rather than going round them. He had several trials for Scotland, was a travelling reserve for the national team and was said at the time to be the best wing never to get a cap.

In 1985 he was one of seven FP rugby stalwarts who played for Aberdeen Strollers in the fourth World Golden Oldies rugby festival in London. In the 1970s and ‘80s he was a selector for the North Midlands team.

Sport of all kinds played a huge part in Ron’s life. He enjoyed shooting and fishing, was one of the founders of Aberdeen Ski Club and was one of a group who canoed from Ballater to Aberdeen harbour in a home-made craft. For many years a less energetic sport was Ron’s consuming passion. For several years the Club Centre had been the scene of Pétanque played according to ‘Ron’s Rules’ on what became known as ‘Ron’s Patch’ between the club building and the Steward’s house. In 1987 at his instigation the group of players became legitimate, affiliated to the Scottish Pétanque Association and accepted as an FP Club Sports Section. Ron held office in the Section for many of the succeeding years, featured in the awards winners and specialised in the provision of a gourmet annual dinner.

Ron served for many years on the FP Club Executive and was an early member of the Club Centre after its formation in 1969. After being an active member of the Centre Committee he rose to be its Chairman from 1997 until 2004, devoting much time and energy to the smooth running of the business.

Ron is survived by his wife, Joan, by daughter Zoe, son Ayron (1986-91) and by three grandchildren.

John Morland Craig (1935-47) died peacefully in hospital in Aberdeen on 20 January 2014 after a short illness. Aged 83, he was the grandson of distinguished Rector Henry Fife Morland Simpson. A Prefect, he was Secretary of the Debating Society in 5th year and in 6th Year was vice-president of both the Debater and the Dramatic Society. Classical Dux of the School in 1947 he then entered Aberdeen University, planning to study for an Honours degree in Geography which was, and remained, his great passion, especially the study of national boundaries. After a year, in which he gained a Gold Medal for the subject, the rheumatoid arthritis, which had plagued him since his early teens, caught up with him and for the rest of his life he was a house-bound invalid. In the meantime he completed the maps for W.B. Fisher’s standard textbook on the Middle East (Methuen).

After the deaths of his parents in 1977 Morland moved to Cumbria to live next to his brother David Main Craig (1937-50), and for a time he made good use of his extraordinary eye for geographical detail, for example by contributing more than eight hundred corrections to the Times World Atlas. Increasingly he gave in to the disability of his joints, and his only sallies outside his own home were to be driven hundreds of miles to places which interested him, especially in the West Highlands. His brain remained super-active and he would converse

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with anyone at all, especially about Scottish nationalism and the causes of the Great War.

In 2000 he returned to Aberdeen to his house in Norfolk Road, which had been his aunt’s, and there he stayed until his death, walled in by many hundreds of books.

Alexander Proven Farquhar (1940-47) MA died very suddenly at his home in Aberdeen on 31 October 2013 aged 84. From School he went up to Aberdeen University where he graduated in Arts in 1950. From his first year as a student he involved himself with the Students’ Show in His Majesty’s Theatre as part of the back-stage crew. His speciality was make-up and from 1956 he was for many years Supervisor of Make-up.

After graduating Sandy (who, for reasons lost in the mists of time, was always known as ‘Sid’) completed teacher training in Aberdeen, before teaching in Tillydrone and Sunnybank primaries. He joined the staff of the Lower School at the Grammar in 1957, moving in 1963 to be First Assistant in the Junior School of Robert Gordon’s College. He was promoted to the Headship of Cults Primary School in 1966 and, seven years later, moved to the same post at Milltimber. He retired in 1989.

While at the Grammar one of his first classes was what went on to be known as the 65-ers, those who left the School in 1965. This class had suffered in Primary 4 through having no settled teacher throughout the session and were in many respects sadly behind. When they came under Sandy’s charge in Primary 6 and 7 the pressure was on to make up lost ground. Members of the class say that under him discipline was strict but the prevailing ethos was one of fun, laughs and enjoyment. He somehow made the doubling of homework seem like a sporting challenge rather than a punitive imposition. He had a huge input into extra-curricular activities, especially sport, which increased his pupils’ trust in him as someone who understood them. Forty-seven years later, on 28 February 2006, a group of this class held a reunion lunch with him at the Club Centre, presented him with a commemorative Quaich and engaged in much reminiscence.

Sid was predeceased by his wife, Aileen, but is survived by his son and daughter and by two grandsons.

Ranald Stuart Robertson Gauld (1961-74) MA, LL.B, BD. passed away at Turner Memorial Hospital, Keith, on 5 February 2014, aged 57, after a long battle with cancers, bravely borne. The third son of the late Dr. William Robertson Gauld (1923-36) and Vivian Gauld of Aberdeen, Ranald went to Aberdeen University where he studied law, and then history and politics. He obtained an apprenticeship with the well-regarded firm of Messrs. Brander and Cruickshank, Advocates in Aberdeen, and remained as an assistant until the partnership was dissolved in 1985.

This enabled Ranald to re-dedicate his life and he applied to the Church of Scotland for candidacy to the Ministry. After attending the selection school, he left to take up a one year post as assistant warden at the Church of Scotland Sea of Galilee Centre at Tiberias, where he had previously worked in summers as a

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gardener. Ranald wrote, “Studying divinity was a lot of fun! It was really over those four years that I discovered an exuberance for life. It was also then that I discovered a partner for life who was two years below me. She has been my true love and my rock throughout my ministry and the years of my cancer. We were indeed a 'double act'”.

Ranald's first post was as associate minister at St. Michael's, Linlithgow, a medieval church lying next to the Palace where, under the guidance of the Rev. Ian Paterson, he served four very happy years. In 1992, when the church celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration, there was a great tableau to mark the event and Ranald, complete with armour and wings, fought and 'saw off' the dragon – especially in the later church service, broadcast live on T.V., where he is seen chasing it down the aisle. Rev. Paterson has described Ranald as “a gifted story-teller, an able preacher who could be controversial as well as challenging, entertaining as well as enriching, inspiring as well as interesting; loved by children and adults alike, he was a ‘one-off’ who we shall not easily forget”.

In 1995 Ranald was called to St Rufus Church in Keith as its minister, later to be linked with Botriphnie and Grange. Very quickly his wife, the Rev Dr. Kay Gauld, became involved in the work of the parish and with her own ordination in 1997, played a full part in what has been generally acknowledged as a quite exceptional ministry. Ranald's funeral service, led by six ministers, was attended by an estimated 1,000 people, many of the men wearing the odd socks and garish ties for which Ranny was well known, and the stories and laughter of that celebration will live long in the hearts of the attendees.

Ranald is survived by his beloved wife, Kay and by his brothers, Malcolm William Robertson Gauld (1947-61) and David Anthony Robertson Gauld (1954-64).

Hamish McNaughton Henderson (1932-40) BA(Cantab), MA(Cantab), LL.B died peacefully at his home in Edinburgh on 19 October 2013 after a long illness. He was aged 87. He was a son of James S. Henderson who taught Science at School during the 1939-45 War. Hamish completed his education at Fettes College where he won a major scholarship for Pembroke College, Cambridge. He served in the Royal Navy in the closing months of the War and in the RNVR in 194647 before going up to Cambridge. He took first place in the Classical Tripos in 1949, gaining distinction in Latin and Greek verse composition. After a brief spell in industry with J. & P. Coats of Paisley he obtained his MA at Pembroke College in 1955. Returning to Aberdeen, he graduated in Law in 1957.

Hamish then embarked on an academic career, being appointed to a lectureship in Law at Edinburgh University in 1958 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1972. From 1987 he was a University Fellow. He published widely in legal journals, with regular articles in the Scots Law Times and the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. He was a significant contributor to the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia and was the Scottish editor of the Control of Pollution Encyclopaedia.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Hamish is survived by his wife Kathleen, to whom he had been married for fifty-three years, by their three daughters and by four grandchildren. His younger brother is George Matthew Henderson (1937-46).

James Rannie Hendry (1928-40) MPS died peacefully at his home in Aberdeen on 4 March 2014 aged 90. He had graduated to the FP Club’s list of Nonagenarians just last year.

Initially he studied Medicine at Aberdeen University but his studies were interrupted by call-up to the forces. He was assigned to the Far East as a signalman. ‘Saved’ by the atom bomb he resumed his studies but switched to Pharmacy. He qualified as a member of the Pharmaceutical Society in 1949 and, after further training with Messrs. Lewis & Burroughs in Kensington, he returned to Aberdeen to join his father in the family business, ‘Gordon’s Chemist’, initially in their George Street shop. Consequent on the closure of George Street to allow the building of the Bon Accord Centre the business was relocated to Rosemount Viaduct opposite the Denburn Health Centre and there Jimmy experienced the busiest period of his professional life and the business thrived. He retired in 1988.

A keen golfer, he was a member of Deeside Golf Club for over fifty years. He was also a devoted football supporter and attended matches at Pittodrie until well into his seventies. He was among the Dons’ supporters at their famous 1983 triumph at Gothenburg.

Aside from all this, Jimmy was a jazz enthusiast and was a founder and former president of the Aberdeen University Jazz Society. He was a popular member of the community and was devoted to his wife, Muriel, to whom he had been married for sixty-four years. Except for hospital stays they never spent one night apart.

Jimmy is survived by his wife, his two sons Graham Stewart Hendry (1961-74) and Ian Gordon Hendry (1963-75) and two grand-daughters.

Club’s Oldest Member

John Henry Alexander Jamieson (1930-35) died peacefully in a care home at Tarland on 20 February 2014 aged 96. He was awarded a bursary for the School at the age of thirteen, entering Middle 2A and remaining to complete what was then Classical VI. He recalled clearly in later years that it was the Senior Prefect, Donny Innes, who told him that he had gained his Higher Leaving Certificate. In 1938 he was apprenticed to the Norwich Union Insurance Company in its Aberdeen office.

In the Second World War he saw active service with the Royal Army Ordinance Corps, attaining the rank of sergeant. He landed in Normandy on DDay plus 6 and was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. On his return he had a change of career, joining the Civil Service and graduating to take charge of a department of the Labour Exchange. He remained in this post until his retiral. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease four years ago and was latterly in care. He never married but is survived by a niece and by his nephew Graham Cruickshank (1944-54).

Former Pupils’ Section

William Dalgarno Jenkins (1939-44) died peacefully in Edmonton, Canada on 8 April 2014 following a short illness. He was aged 85. He was the younger son of Rev. W.D. Jenkins who was a long-serving minister at Dyce, and was known at School as ‘Bill’. In Canada he adopted the shortened form of his middle name and was ‘Garry’.

He emigrated to Canada in the early 50s and took up residence in Edmonton, in northern Alberta where, from 1954, he was employed by the Hudson Bay Company. In 1963 he was appointed manager of the wholesale branch of the company’s Edmonton depot. He retired in 1993 following a lifetime career of business administration. He continued to live in Edmonton.

Garry was one of the founder members of the Canadian Centre of the FP Club in 1993 and was its President in 1999-2000, hosting the annual Reunion Weekend in Edmonton.

Garry is survived by his wife, Betty, to whom he had been married for fiftyeight years, by three sons and six grandchildren. His elder brother, Alexander James Jenkins (1934-40) DFC a Flying Officer in the R.A.F.V.R., was killed in action while engaged in air operations near Rimini in Northern Italy in September 1944.

Albert Douglas Victor Lawrie (1943-46) died suddenly at his home in Aberdeen on 7 February 2013 aged 81. After leaving School early because of complications with a broken leg sustained on the rugby field he joined the family butchery business in Aberdeen until his parents retired. After becoming a member of the Royal Sanitary Association of Scotland he was employed by Aberdeen City Council and latterly by Aberdeenshire Council as an environmental health officer.

He maintained a keen interest in rugby at all levels and, after retirement, enjoyed hill-walking and bowls as a member of a Probus Club. He attended the regular reunions of the 1947-49 Leavers

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and by his son and grandson.

Robert Malcolm Logan (1944-54) MB. ChB, died suddenly at his home in Fraserburgh on 17 October 2013 aged 77. He graduated in Medicine at Aberdeen University in 1960 and after the usual house appointments at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary spent a year as an assistant general practitioner followed by a year of locum posts. He then served as a ship’s surgeon for P&O for a year before going into general practice in Fraserburgh where he remained until retiring some years ago.

He is survived by his wife, Lena, by two sons and a daughter and grandchildren. His brother is Ian William Logan (1945-59).

Ian Victor Mackenzie (1949-61) died suddenly on 26 October 2013 aged 68. He completed a course in hotel management after leaving School, and first entered the trade when appointed as manager of the Bay Hotel in Stonehaven in 1966. The Bay was at that time owned by Allied Hotels and when they closed the hotel two years later he negotiated a deal with them to buy the St Leonard’s

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Hotel which was also owned by them and which had then been closed for four years. After extensive upgrading the hotel re-opened in 1969.

A keen shooter himself, Ian was in the annual race to be first to serve grouse on the Glorious Twelfth, and in 1971 the St. Leonard’s was one of country’s first to have grouse on the table on the 12th, sharing the honour with London’s Claridges and the Savoy. The hotel prospered under the management of Ian and his wife and was well supported by Stonehaven clubs and associations whose events took place there. It was also a popular wedding venue.

After running the St Leonards for almost twenty years Ian moved on to become restaurant manager of the Marcliffe at Pitfodels where he remained until retiring in 2011. He had not left Stonehaven completely behind – he was a member of the town’s Probus Club and continued to be involved with other organisations.

In retirement Ian kept up his outdoor pursuits, in particular shooting, and indeed he was due to join his usual group of friends for a day’s pheasant shooting on the day of his death, only calling off at the last minute as he felt unwell.

Ian is survived by his wife, Signa and by three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Maitland Mackie (1946-54) CBE, BSc(Agri), MA, LL.D died peacefully at his home Westertown, Rothienorman on 31 May 2014 aged 76. He had been ill for only a short time. He was a third generation Former Pupil, being the son of Maitland Mackie (1926-28) and the grandson of Maitland Mackie (1899-02). On leaving School he spent a year working on his father’s farm at Westertown before going up to Aberdeen University to study Agriculture. He played an active role in the life of the University, being a member of the Union Management Committee and Chairman of the 1957 Charities Campaign. His Charities Queen was a young medical student from Norway and they were a perfect team and continued as such after their marriage in 1961. Maitland graduated in 1957, later returning to read Economics and graduating MA with Honours in 1972.

From 1958 he was a director of the family farming and food business and, with his typically strong views on farming issues, he very soon played an influential role on farming and other industrial policy matters through the National Farmers’ Union, of which he was Vice-president in 1989-94. It was he, more than anyone else, who brought about a shift in union policy from a purely political role towards market-oriented self-help policies. He played a major role in the development of the farm assurance scheme in Scotland which has been critical in promoting much of the country’s agricultural output under the Scotch brand and giving consumers assurance on animal welfare and livestock husbandry.

He was a founder of the Scottish Pig Industry Initiative, served for ten years on the Agriculture Food Research Council, chaired the Priorities Board for Research in Agriculture, and was a member of the research committee of the Meat and Livestock Commission. He was also a governor of the Rowett

Former Pupils’ Section

Research Institute. As chairman of the Scottish Agricultural College he played a major part in putting its affairs on a sound commercial footing.

Always an innovator, in recent years he seized on the possibilities of renewable energy with typical enthusiasm, and power to the farm and business at Westertown is provided by three turbines. He became a member of the Scottish Government’s Community Renewable Implementation Group.

Maitland’s other business interests included chairmanship of a computer software company and of Grampian Enterprise and a non-executive directorship of Lloyds TSB Scotland. He maintained a strong affinity for Aberdeen University, serving as a member of the Court for many years. He played a key role in the raising of over £150K for the Quincentenary Appeal and in March 2012 was installed as Rector of the University in succession to fellow-FP Steve Robertson.

Maitland’s extensive business and University service were recognised by the award of the CBE in 1991, for services to agriculture, and the grant of an honorary doctorate in 1996, an honour which had been conferred on both his father and grandfather before him.

His lifelong interest in Scouting began at School and he maintained a keen involvement in the affairs of the 9th Troop and at their centenary Dinner he entertainingly proposed the principal toast. He often recalled with enthusiasm the experience of attending a Jamboree at Lake Ontario in Canada in 1956, about which he wrote in the Magazine of December 1956 (vol. lix page 14).

Maitland’s wife, Halldis, with whom he celebrated their Golden Wedding in 2011, died only three months before him. He is survived by their son, two daughters and nine grandchildren. His brother also attended the School –Donald Elrick Mackie (1951-53).

Ronald Douglas Milne (1935-48) BSc(Eng), DSc, MSc, PhD, FIMA, FRAeS died peacefully on 6 January 2014 following a long illness. He was aged 83. At School he was captain of Dun House and vice-captain of Athletics. He graduated twice from Aberdeen University - in 1951 in Engineering and the following year with first class honours in Civil Engineering. In 1954, while studying at the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield, he was a prize-winner for his thesis on ‘Flutter’ – the stress imposed on modern aircraft at supersonic speeds. He graduated with a Master of Science degree.

Ronald then joined the Guided Missile Division of the English Electric Company’s works at Luton. Two years later he was appointed as a lecturer in Aerolastics in the Aeronautical Engineering department of Queen Mary College of London University, later lecturing there on Aeronautical Engineering. The College awarded him a Doctorate of Science in 1963 and promoted him to Reader in the same field.

In 1971 Ronald was appointed to the chair of Engineering Mathematics at Bristol University, becoming head of the department of theoretical mechanics. He was much admired for assuming as one of his responsibilities the teaching of first-year classes. He led the planning and implementation of a new degree course in engineering mathematics which was introduced in 1977. Research was a major interest and in this area he encouraged his staff to pursue their own

interests which resulted in a diverse research profile, much to the benefit of the department and the University.

Prof. Milne was dean of the engineering faculty in 1980-83 at the time of severe government-imposed cuts in University funding and his sound judgement proved invaluable in dealing with the problems which then beset tertiary education. On his return to departmental duties among the research interests which he followed was into the mechanics of the golf swing which assisted him personally on the golf course. After taking early retirement in 1989 he continued to lecture part-time and also further researched the golf swing.

Ronald is survived by his wife, Janet, to whom he was married in 1955, and by a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

John Poskitt Paul (1939-43) BSc(Eng), PhD, FRSE died peacefully on 13 November 2013 following a short illness. He was aged 86. He was born in Old Kilpatrick, near the Clyde shipyards where his father was an engineering draughtsman, but as a 14-year-old he was evacuated at the time of the Clydeside blitz and came to Aberdeen to live with two aunts in the Hilton area. Entering the first year of Middle School he remained for four years before returning and finishing his schooling at Alan Glen’s where he developed a love for rugby. He went on to the Royal College of Science & Technology in Glasgow, from which he graduated with first class honours in Mechanical Engineering in 1949.

He became a lecturer at the College and developed an interest in bioengineering when he was asked to respond to an orthopaedic surgeon seeking his department’s help in designing pins to secure fractured femurs in elderly women. His response, in the absence of any data about the forces transmitted by bones while a person was in motion, was to design an instrument to measure them. His thesis, on which he was awarded a doctorate, is still in use for the hip simulators used to improve the long-term functionality of modern hip joint prostheses. The data used for the repetitive forces on the hip joint during walking is referred to as the Paul Cycle.

Appointed to the chair of Bioengineering at Strathclyde University his research, in company with colleagues, widened to explore knee, elbow and ankle joints and the dynamic compressive force input time profile used on knee simulator testing machines is known as the Paul Curve. He shared his expertise readily for the good of medical research in his field, and travelled world-wide to spread the news of the treatment he had pioneered. He served on several committees, being a delegate to the Implants for Surgery committee from 1976 and chairman of the Endoprostheses & Osteosynthesis committee from 1991. He worked for 36 years for the British & International Standards Organisations which set standards for joint implants. He served as President of the International Society of Biomechanics, was an active member of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty.

Professor Paul’s interest in rugby continued with refereeing for several years after he ceased playing as an Alan Glen’s forward, and this in time led to joint trouble for him. This did not stop his research – after his first hip replacement his wife came to visit him only to find him, just a couple of hours out of surgery,

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out of bed and walking along a corridor while some of his students measured his gait. He went on to have replacements of four hips and one knee.

He was predeceased by his wife, Bette, but is survived by a son and two daughters as well as by five grandchildren.

Alexander Kay Robertson (1942-44) MA, BA(Oxon), DipEd died peacefully in a care home in Yorkshire on 25 August 2013 after a long period of ill-health. He was aged 85. The son of distinguished Rector, Sir James J. Robertson, he entered the Grammar in Upper IV at the time of his father’s appointment to the School in the Spring of 1942. A brilliant scholar, friends from his class recall that he studied Latin and Greek with the 5th year and when he sat his Leaving Certificate exams his group included Higher History while the rest of the class sat either History or Geography at Lower level. Sandy was a member of the Army Cadet Force and played hockey for the 1st XI. Leaving School in June 1944, aged only 16, he went up to Aberdeen University to read Classics and was a regular prize-winner at all stages of his course. He graduated with first class honours in 1947 and was awarded a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford National Service followed in 1947-49, when Sandy was commissioned in the Royal Army Education Corps and served in Tripoli. On his return he took up his Oxford scholarship, studying History under distinguished tutors such as A.J.P. Taylor. While Classics had been his major focus he had always been a keen student of History and while at Magdalen he entered an open competition for a major history award on Imperial or Dominion History. His essay on ‘Goldwin Smith and the British Empire’ secured him the Beit Prize.

After graduating from Oxford Sandy returned to Aberdeen and obtained his Diploma in Education, which qualified him for teaching, but instead he then sat and passed the entry examinations for the administrative grade of the Civil Service and for the Foreign Service. He chose the latter and joined what was then the Foreign and Diplomatic Service. His first posting was as Third Secretary in the British Embassy in Rangoon and he later moved to Mandalay. After his return to the UK in 1957 he transferred to the Colonial Office as an Assistant Principal and was for two years private secretary to the Under Secretary for the Colonies and in this capacity served John Profumo and then Julian Amery. When the Colonial Office became the Ministry for Overseas Development Sandy transferred to the new department and thereafter worked on the administration of overseas aid, mostly to Asia. He continued to travel overseas in this capacity to India, Pakistan and Bhutan. The strain of continual such travel led him to take early retiral in 1984 after which he lived in Yorkshire.

Sandy married Pamela in 1965 and is survived by their daughter, Amanda.

Alan Walter Simpson (1939-40, 1944-47) MB ChB, FRCPC, died peacefully at his home in Kitchener, Ontario on 23 May 2013 aged 83.

Pierre Fouin (1944-47) writes: “Alan was born in London where his father was a GP in Muswell Hill. On the outbreak of war his father volunteered for the RAF whereupon Alan and his mother, after a short stay in Aberdeen, made their home in Aboyne for four years. Alan, who was a wisp of a boy with a shock of fair

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

hair and a London prep school accent, suddenly found himself in a tough rural school, the butt of much horse-play and not a little bullying. Surviving those early years, he gradually made his mark scholastically and when his mother took a sublet in Louisville Avenue he moved to the Grammar in 1944.

“His passion in those years was for the cinema, and especially musicals, and he revelled in the thought of eventually becoming a film director. His father had other ideas and Alan had little option but to follow in his father’s footsteps. His graduation from Aberdeen University in Medicine in 1953 was the culmination of student years when he never really felt involved, leaving him intellectually unfulfilled. Another lasting memory is of his championing the underdog in so many walks of life. Belonging to the motor-cycle brigade of those student days, his most telling input was pioneering the wearing of the crash helmet on which his father insisted, and which always picked him out in the traffic at that time. Looking back, Alan’s great ability was in the engineering field, and with his breadth of imagination he would certainly have left his mark. National Service with the Welsh Guards was a cultural experience requiring his mother to dash out to buy half a dozen crystal glasses and a decanter before Alan could entertain some of his brother officers in Muswell Hill.

“He left for Canada in 1958 and went on to specialise in anaesthetics which he always maintained was as close as he could get to his love of engineering. In his work he was absolutely meticulous and his care of patients was second to none – he was well known in the local hospital for turning up late in the evening to check on his patients’ progress; he was revered by all.

“Sadly he was predeceased by his wife, Betty, in 2007 but his three children and grandchildren kept him encouraging and stimulating the need for education and caring. Despite being of no faith he continued his great interest in churches and cathedrals as well as a huge variety of other interests. Alan was often an enigma, even to those very close to him – a loner par excellence he was one of those people who bring another dimension to life, but whose high ideals have left a lasting impression”.

War Hero and Cold War Spycatcher

Ferguson George Donaldson Smith (1922-33) DFC, CVO died at his home in Surrey on 15 September 2013 aged 98. Senior Prefect in session 1932-33, he captained both the 1st XV and the 1st XI, was House Captain of Melvin and secretary of the Literary & Debating Society. He was also Assistant Scoutmaster of the 9th (Grammar School) Scouts. It is not surprising, therefore, that he was awarded the All-Round Trophy in 1933.

Within a few months of leaving School he was a constable in C Division of the Metropolitan Police, going on to achieve full marks in the final written examination. By 1936 he had left uniform and was at Scotland Yard in Special Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department where, as he expressed it at the time, “they kept an eye on aliens and extremist political movements”.

In 1941 the ban on police officers enlisting in the forces was lifted and he volunteered for air crew duties. After training as a navigator in Canada and being commissioned he was posted to 101 Squadron which flew Lancaster

Former Pupils’ Section

bombers from a base in Norfolk. His plane was known as the flying cigar because it carried jamming gear to confuse the signals traffic received by German night fighters when they hunted the bombers and its conspicuous aerial made it a tempting target for the Luftwaffe. On one sortie as his plane approached Berlin it was attacked and badly damaged. He was badly wounded in the back, chest and leg, but instead of reporting this he struggled to help his two gunners who were trapped, badly injured, in their gun turrets. He only relaxed his efforts when he realised they were beyond help. The pilot reached his target, released his bombs and Smith managed to navigate the plane back to base. He was awarded an immediate DFC, the citation reading that “his courage, fortitude and determination were worthy of the highest praise”. He later returned to flying duties and in April 1945 was awarded a bar to his DFC on the grounds that, since the original award, he had taken part in further operations “and rendered valuable assistance to his pilot, often in the face of intense enemy opposition”. After a short spell in Transport Command he was released in 1946 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

He returned to Special Branch and his skill with languages (which he attributed to his excellent schooling) proved invaluable as he became involved in the struggle with spies in the Cold War. He was fluent in French, German and Russian. Promoted to Chief Inspector he was second-in-command of the team engaged in the intensive enquiry which led to the capture of the members of the Portland spy ring which had been stealing Admiralty secrets at the Underwater Weapons Establishment at Portland, Dorset. The following year he was involved with the arrest of the double agent George Blake and, a year later, the Admiralty clerk John Vassal. His involvement in these matters was very much hands on, as exemplified by the occasion when he hid in a cupboard at Brixton prison so that he could overhear Klaus Fuchs, the atom spy, make an incriminating telephone call.

Promotion to Detective Superintendent followed in 1963, and to Detective Chief Superintendent, as second-in-command of Special Branch, in 1965. The following year he was appointed to lead Special Branch as Deputy Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard. On retiring in 1972 he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

On occasions during his career he acted as protection officer for the Duke of Windsor on his rare visits to London after the Abdication, and once was offered a gratuity by the Duke which he refused with the comment “I don’t take tips”. He accompanied the Queen on a state visit to Ghana and advised the government there on security. Later he visited Thailand to advise the government on security matters and won the contract for such advice for Britain when the United States lost it following the assassination of President Kennedy.

The FP Magazine of December 1969 had an entry in the Notes Section reporting that Ferguson Smith had been appointed head of MI5. The next issue contained the following entry: “Our attention has been drawn by Mr. F.G.D. Smith to the entry concerning him in the last edition of the Magazine in which it was stated that he was ‘Head of M.I.5’. This statement was inaccurate and was printed without Mr. Smith’s knowledge”. What in fact the rejoinder from Mr. Smith said was that the identity of the head of MI5 was known only to three

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

people; the first was Her Majesty the Queen, the second was the Prime Minister, and he doubted very much whether the third was the Notes Editor of the Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Mr. Smith married in 1944 but sadly was predeceased by his wife in 2003. He is survived by a son and daughter and four grandchildren.

John Hyslop Warrack (1937-42) MB,ChB died peacefully in Horsham, West Sussex on 21November 2012 aged 88. Known as Jack, he graduated in Medicine from Aberdeen University in 1947 and held a number of trainee posts in hospitals before his call-up for military service. This was spent with the RAMC, mostly in the military Hospital in Colombo. Returning to Aberdeen he was on the staff of the City Hospital for a year before leaving for Derby as a trainee general practitioner in 1951.

Jack’s lifelong love of Rugby began at School and while studying and training in Aberdeen he was a prominent member of the FP 1st XV. He was member of the celebrated side of 1947/48 and was a trialist on a number of occasions for North & Midlands and for Scotland. In Derby he had a long association with Derby Rugby Union Football Club as player, president and medical officer. He gained a cap in the Three Counties team of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in season 1954-55 but was compelled by his medical duties to give up regular play.

He retired from medical practice many years ago but continued to live in Derby and to take a keen interest in his favourite sport. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret, in 2009 after nearly sixty years of marriage, but is survived by his two sons, two daughters and his grandchildren.

Arnold Scott Welsh (1944-50) died peacefully in hospital in Aberdeen on 6 June 2013 aged 78. After leaving School at age 16 he served an apprenticeship with an Aberdeen electrical contractor while also studying at Aberdeen Technical College. National Service with the RAF followed, most of it spent at Gaydon in Warwickshire. He then worked for the North of Scotland HydroElectric Board for five years before joining the staff of Kirkcaldy Technical College in 1963 as a lecturer on electrical installation work. Five years later he returned to Aberdeen as a lecturer at the Technical College and from 1985 until retiring he was a senior lecturer in the College’s Electrical studies Department. He is survived by his wife, Helen, by two daughters and a step-son as well as by four grandchildren.

William Wood (1937-48) died, aged 81, at Inchmarlo, Banchory on 20 September 2013 after a short illness.

Richard Allan (1937-48) writes: “Known to all his friends as ‘Willie’ he was a member of the well-known Wood fishing family in Aberdeen. I recall him as being keen on rugby at School and also as being a good field athlete. On leaving School he joined the Aberdeen accountants Flockhart & Grant and worked with them for some time before leaving to join his father’s trawl fishing company, G.R. Wood. Following his father’s death Willie successfully led the company

Former Pupils’ Section

for several years but was eventually compelled to wind it up as a consequence of the general decline in the trawling industry in Aberdeen.

“Willie was then able to devote his full time and energy to his real passion which was salmon fishing, followed by shooting during the winter months. These were pursuits which he had enjoyed as a schoolboy. I have memories of that time when he would catch the bus, with Gordon Matthews and Duncan Coutts, at Mealmarket Street on a Saturday to try to shoot geese or ducks at the Ythan estuary – neither came to much harm! In the summer days he could be found on the river Dee at the Queen Elizabeth bridge – probably with Alistair Hume – fishing the water for finnock which they were both adept at catching.

“Willie was well known to many of the gamekeepers and gillies on Deeside having fished most of the river at some time, especially the Dinnet/Glentannar water in the spring with a number of other FPs. He was a long-standing member of the Garthdee Angling Association.

“In recent years he devoted his time to his invalid wife, Joyce, who survives him, as do his daughter and two grandchildren”.

Alan Beattie Wright (1944-57) BL ,CA died peacefully at his home in Liff, near Dundee on 23 February 2014 aged 74. He was deputy Senior Prefect, captain of Dun House and vice-captain of the 1st XV. He went up to Aberdeen University to study Law and graduated in 1960. After an apprenticeship with Flockhart & Grant he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1962 and moved to Park Lane, London as an accountant with Sir Robert McAlpine. Four years later he moved abroad as chief accountant of Uganda Transport in Kampala and then in 1969 to Shapur Chemical Co. in Teheran. He returned to the UK in 1972 as group accountant for Lex Tillotson in Sale and three years later became their general manager in Dundee.

In 1979 he changed direction and took up a post in Dundee with Ernst & Young, ultimately as their senior insolvency manager until the office closed in 1995. The final years of his career were spent as an insolvency practitioner with 4M in Dundee.

Always a keen sportsman, he played for FP Rugby while a student, captaining the 1st XV in 1960-61. He later played for Old Beckehamians and, while overseas, for Kampala Rugby Football Club. He joined Downfield Golf Club in 1988, was their finance convener for twenty years and was Captain in 2000-02. He was also, for thirty years, a member of Duff House Golf Club, Banff.

Alan is survived by his wife, Isabel, and their daughter, Louise.

Former Member of Staff

Ian Caie Spence MBE died peacefully at his home in Drumoak on 3 November 2013, aged 80.

Athole T. Still, himself an Olympic swimmer, writes: - “In any pantheon entitled 'Great Gordonians', at first sight Ian Spence would apparently stand out only for the extraordinary diversity of his international sporting achievements in his youth. However, in later years the manner in which he refused to succumb to

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

health challenges which would have overwhelmed normal individuals demonstrates that he was first and foremost a man of quite exceptional character.

“A pupil of Robert Gordon's from 1945 to 1952, during the reign of the legendary swimming coach Andy Robb, Ian represented Scotland's senior national team in the triangular Bologna Trophy competition against England and Wales in 1951 and 1952, sharing our only victories in the 30-year history of the event. He narrowly missed selection for the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, but graduated to full British honours in the European Swimming Championships in Turin in 1954.

“After school he trained as a PE teacher at Jordanhill College, Glasgow and was then commissioned for five years in the RAF Parachute Brigade, latterly as a senior instructor. During this period he represented the service at swimming, water polo and hockey.

Returning to Aberdeen in 1960, Ian embarked on a 30-year teaching career, initially at Aberdeen Academy, then at the Grammar School and finally at Hazlehead Academy, where he became assistant head.

“It was then that his passion and versatility for all things athletic blossomed profusely. His exploits as an uncompromising tight-head prop for the Gordonian rugby team merited invitations to official trials for the national team and although a full 'cap' eluded him, compensation came with invitations to the Barbarians in 1963 and1964, an honour widely considered to be the equivalent of national team selection.

“Hill-walking and climbing also came to figure prominently in Ian's favoured activities and he had conquered all 282 Munros by 1973 and, for good measure, the Matterhorn that same year. In between times, he somehow managed to fit in ten marathon runs!

“Nor did he neglect his schoolboy aquatic roots. His fearsome water polo prowess for Gordonians and the North of Scotland incorporated many skills learned in the rugby front row, but he could transform himself into a genteel tropical fish watcher as a qualified sub-acqua instructor, who also sailed extensively as a qualified skipper and teacher of sailing.

“It would have been truly miraculous if a lifetime full of such extreme physical demands had passed without physical cost and so it proved in 1991 when a negative kidney prognosis led to early retirement, followed over the next ten years by three hip replacements and a heart bypass. In 2002 regular dialysis became necessary, and later treatment for other problems which emerged.

“A lesser man would have quickly surrendered to these health traumas, but Ian rose above them without complaint and with a stoicism which was as astonishing as it was admirable. Amazingly also, throughout much of this most difficult period of his life, Ian continued as an instructor/monitor for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, for which he was awarded a richly deserved MBE in 2002.

“Ian is survived by his wife Norma, three children and three grandchildren”.

Former Pupils’ Section

Abstract of Accounts for Year ended 31 December 2013 F.P. Club Centre