Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine 2022

Vol 125

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

138th year No. 260 (New Series 127th year No. 251)

November 2022

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

Interim General Editors Iain S. Hopkin, MA, FCCA and Nigel G.M. Watt LLB, WS & Editor of 4 Westwood Crescent 10 Ware Road Notes etc Westhill AB32 6WU North Berwick EH39 4BN

Interim Secretary

Iain S. Hopkin, MA, FCCA of the FP Club 4 Westwood Crescent Westhill

Skene AB32 6WU

Treasurer of the John C.A. Michie, FP Club 391 Union Street

Aberdeen AB11 6BX

Membership

John C.A. Michie, Secretary 391 Union Street

Aberdeen AB11 6BX

The General Editor is happy to receive contributions for the next issue of the Magazine at any time before 31 May 2023

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 update the membership platform or advise the Membership Secretary promptly of any changes of address 1

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 Solicitors’ Property Centre

Bain Henry Reid

Scholes inc. Bower & Smith Ltd

Brewin Dolphin Country Ways

Cummingandco(Aberdeen) Ltd

F.G. Burnett

Inchmarlo Retirement Homes

Kenway Tyres

Langstane Press

Michies the Chemist

School Section

Head Teacher’s Report

In the absence of any Prize-giving Ceremony as a result of the COVID Pandemic, Miss Murison has written the following update on the School.

I would like to begin by thanking you for your on-going support throughout this session. It has been very challenging managing Covid mitigations and ensuring that we continue to provide a first class experience for our young people.

As I write, our young people are sitting their SQA Examinations. This has been a new experience for them. One of our key priorities has been to prepare our young people for these important examinations. I am exceptionally proud of my staff for preparing our learners and, as always, going the extra mile. The feedback from the SQA invigilators supervising the examinations is that our young people are taking the examinations very seriously and working hard.

It is also pleasing to note that we have re-established our extra-curricular programme. Duke of Edinburgh expeditions are now back up and running. Our young people are enjoying the return of sports and performing arts. Thank you to you, our FPs for leading and supporting extra-curricular sports. Emma Mair has played an instrumental role in re establishing hockey, for example.

As we look ahead to the new session, we are hugely ambitious for our young people. We are leading a project across Aberdeen City Council called ABZ Campus. This involves creating learner pathways linked to an understanding of the economic context. Our ultimate aim is that each and every AGS pupil achieves a positive destination matched to their interests and ambitions.

You will be pleased to hear that we will see the return of the school show next session. In November 2022, we will be staging "High School Musical." We are all looking forward to seeing our talented young people on stage again.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Alison Murison Head Teacher

Aberdeen Grammar School, June 2022

Senior Prefects 2021-22

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

L to R:- Valyla Rodrigues, Callum Kelsey, Hayleigh Ironside, Troy Hayton, Ava Kennedy, Jonathan Wiseman

School Section

School Office-Bearers – Session 2021-2022

Senior Prefects

Hayleigh Ironside Troy Hayton

Ava Kennedy Callum Kelsey

Valyla Rodrigues Jonathan Wiseman

S6 Prefects

Hannah Allan

Ansu Bhandari

Sam Armour Yasmine Benaissa

Anusuya Bohara Bianca Buhaciuc

Grace Campbell Thomas Coutts

David Ekpenyong

Alan Forbes

Rory Halliday

Neave Kelly

Robyn Low

Leah McAllister

Heba Menezes

Rose Morrison

Samantha Park

Hannah Russell

Bhawana Sitaula

Una Taylor

Cameron Vargesson

S5 Prefects

Eleanor Barr

Joel Crawford

Skyla Deans

Sherwin Fernandes

Rachael Henderson

Freya Hughson

Helena Kidd

Katherine Low

Katie MacIver

Lewis Mair

Maisie Munday

Ioannis Papavasileiou

Hannah Powell

Snehi Satsangi

Duaa Elghedafi

Fergus Gault

Aloka Jayasinghe

Winnie Kwan

Andrew Lyon

Matthew McGinigal

Mason Moir

Deidra Dias Alberto

Sophie Fleming

Sam Griffin

Dilara Joshy

Patrick Lang

Toni MacLean

Andrew Melville

Halcyon Morgan

Gulsafa Mustafayeva Jakub Mydlowski

Heather Reid

Donnie Scott

Georgina Stewart

Katie Thom

James Williams

Angus Blackwood

Rachael Dargie

Vanesa Dineva

Conor Gardiner

Kirsty Hogg

Lakshita Jetti

Isla Lappin

Daisy MacCallum

Finlay MacLean

Jack Marlow

Andrew Nespolo

Hannah Pearson

Dylan Reid

Matthew Stevenson

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Megan Rodger

Victoria Scott

Siena Sumal

Esther Thomas Jamieson

Fatima Zaidi

Fraser Bruce

Isobel Deady

Danielle Dupitas

Cian Gilmour

Christa Hose

Amer Jodeh

Josephine Law

Aurora MacDonald

Oliver MacRae

Erin Moir

Moro Olaosebikan

Holly Player

Tom Robertson

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine School Prizes 2021-2022

Message from the Head Teacher

I would like to congratulate you on your achievements this year. Your hard work, participation and commitment are a real credit to you.

I place high value on the importance of learning and providing a first-class education for each and every young person in Aberdeen Grammar School. It is clear that you also value the opportunities we provide and have set yourselves high standards. Your individual and collective achievements deserve much celebration and congratulations.

Enjoy this special moment. I am very proud of you.

Alison Murison

Message from the Senior Prefects

We would like to congratulate each and every pupil on completing this school session to a high standard, overcoming all challenges we faced.

2022 was the first year that any pupils in the school undertook exams since before the pandemic so no one knew what to expect. However, all pupils have worked hard to tackle this challenge and we have shown a strong sense of determination and resilience.

The transition from online learning back to in-person learning was a steep hill to climb, but we managed to overcome these challenges and learned to live with the ‘new normal’.

Throughout the year, we have had strong assistance and support from the teachers and staff in our preparation for our exams. We would, therefore, like to acknowledge and show appreciation for their hard work in helping us to achieve our best.

We are proud to have attended Aberdeen Grammar School and would like to congratulate all pupils on their achievements this year. We wish them luck in the years to come.

Troy Hayton and Hayleigh Ironside

School Section

School Prizes 2021-2022

The Joyce Tease Award for excellence in Modern Languages Josephine Law

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Modern Studies

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Physical Education

Hannah Pearson

Molly Evans

The Hamish Adams Greig Prize in Biology Erin Inglis

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Spanish

Anita Mosca

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in German No award

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Engineering Science Willem Drummond

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Drama

Danielle Dupita

The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Health and Food Technology Maggie Chong

The Samuel Pope Prize & Donald Paton Prizes for Art & Design Mia Coman

The John Muir Robertson Prize in Accounting & Finance No award

The ALBA Trophy for Business Management Vanesa Dineva

The Gordon McMinn Prize in Computing Science Amer Jodeh

The Sandy McIlwain Prize in Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies

Cameron Vargesson

The Masson Bain Prize in English Saba Sitter

The William Brebner Prize in French

The Charles Alexander Walker Prize in History

The Campbell Connon Prize in Geography

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

The Gavin Falconer Memorial Prize in Music

The CNR International Prize in Physics

The CNR International Prize in Graphic Communication

The CNR International Prize in Chemistry

The University of Aberdeen Prize in Human Biology

The Caritas Cup for contributions to the Charities Group

Ella Gozalova

Angus Blackwood

Fraser Bruce

Josephine Law

Peter Third

Hannah Choi

Sherwin Fernandes

Hannah Choi

Josephine Law

Oren Leslie

The Philip Love Trophy Charlie Turner

The Brian Robertson Prize for commitment to the School Diedra Dias Alberto

The Samuel Pope Prize for Wider Achievement in the Arts

Esther Thomas-Jamieson

The H Cup for Wider Achievement in Health and Wellbeing Molly Evans

The Andrew Middleton Mclaren Prize for Wider Achievement in Humanities, Citizenship & Enterprise

The Hopkin Cup for Wider Achievements in STEM

Charlie Turner

Leah McAllister Montgomery Cup for House Captains of the Year Diedra Dias Alberto & Winnie Kwan James Blair Fiddes Award for success in overcoming challenges

Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Awards

Esther Thomas-Jamieson & Jonathan Wiseman

Aaron Babu, Anthony Bishop, Olivia Coman, Andrew Denison, Nicole Johnstone, Alexander Lang and Charlie MacDougal

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Advanced Higher Awards

Art & Design – Design Douglas Herrera

Art & Design – Expressive Sonia Konkwo

Biology Leah McAllister

Chemistry Aloka Jayasinghe

Computing Science Fergus Gault

Drama Andrew Melville

Engineering Science

Jonathan Wiseman

English Oren Leslie

French Esther Thomas-Jamieson

Geography Halcyon Morgan

History Erin Inglis

Mathematics Aloka Jayasinghe

Modern Studies Siena Sumal

Music

Physics

Angus Blackwood

Josef Bokedal

Spanish Sofia Mejias Fernandez

All-Round Awards

The Dr Alexander Cormack Award to the best all-round pupil in S1 April Chan

The David Alexander Irvine-Fortescue Prize – S2 Annabell Johnston

The Norman Mackie Memorial Amy Robertson

The Edith & David Ritchie Bishop Prize Fatima Sellami

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Award in S5 Josephine Law

The Former Pupils’ Club 1965 Prize Troy Hayton

The Runner-up to the Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy Jonathan Wiseman

The Agnes Durward McDonald Prize (Runner-up) Esther Thomas-Jamieson

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy for Girls Hayleigh Ironside

The Former Pupils’ Club All-Round Trophy & the John Ivo Dawson Prize Donnie Scott

Dux Award Josef Bakedal

Colours Awards

Sport

Athletics

Gold Patrick Lang

Basketball

Silver Zaid Farook, Dominik Lagowski, Daisy MacCallum.

Bronze Zarif Ahmed, Hafsa Begum, Feriel Benaissa, Lewis Cornell, Anshu Duwadi, Yahya Khan, Nelson Lilley, Saniya Madan, Lokesh Mohan, Amy Robertson. 10

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Engineering

Bronze Jamie Ferries, Faiyaz Ara Rashid, Harshit Satsangi, Sandy Scott.

Football

Gold Alan Forbes, Matthew McGinigal, Jonathan Wiseman.

Silver Callum McGregor

Bronze Logan Reid

Gymnastics

Bronze Arianna Castillo, Eva Cheyne, Lisa Garthley Raya Ivanova, Emma Kelsey, Jenna Laidlaw, Poppy Pinch.

Hockey

Gold Morgan Daniel

Silver Fraser Bruce, Isobel Deady, Zaid Farook, Heather Hunter, Lakshita Jetti, Katherine Low, Lewis Mair, Shean Ness, Caitlin Taylor.

Bronze Alexander Abernethy, Calum Angus, Megan Bruce, Ben Chalmers, Averon D'Costa, Malak Elewa, Freya Escott, Molly Evans, Natalia Grobelna, Ava Lund, Ava MacLennan, Hannah Mair, Mitchell McCluskey, Konrad Omenzetter, Jack Rowlands, Harshit Satsangi, Sandy Scott, Fatima Sellami, Soleimen Sellami, Corah Taylor, Jack Thom, Dylan Trowbridge, Alex Wilson.

Netball

Gold Hayleigh Ironside

Silver Eleanor Barr, Josephine Law, Katie MacIver, Maisie Munday, Hannah Pearson, Hannah Powell.

Bronze Helen Affleck, Jessica Ahmeti, Inka Boyne, Aspen-Marie Cormack, Sylvia De Bari, Sara Falconer, Anna Glennie, Akshara Kabra, Harley Keith, Delphi Kewitz, Betsy Kirk, Ava Lund, Freya MacDonald, Hannah Mair, Aine Masson, Sereen Nacef, Mariette Pose, Grace Renforth, Isobel Reynolds, Amy Robertson, Hanania Saji, Hadiza Shehu, Isabella Smith, Rebecca Walker.

Rowing

Silver Freya Hughson

Rugby

Gold Oren Leslie, Mason Moir.

Silver Adrian Brulinski, Finlay Maclean, Jack Marlow, Andrew Nespolo.

Bronze Ahmed Ali, Connor Bretton, Jacob Costello, Liam Simpson, Jack Thom. 11

Swimming

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Silver Tom Robertson

Tennis

Gold Alex Grant

Silver Joe Miller

Bronze Logan Gillespie

Volleyball

Bronze Mateusz Adamcio, Leona Ahmeti, Meharun Akter, Sumaya Begum-Uddin, Racha Benelkadi, Audreyna Djayapertapa,Malak Elewa, Jessica Fyfe, Tamanna Ghatak, Natalia Grobelna, Omar Helal, Manahil Illahi, Aayan Khan, Zoha Khan, Rihenna Mennie, Anna Seaman, Maisha Syed, Finlay Taylor, Iustin Tanase, Julia Ulanowska, Bivisha Uprety.

Arts and Culture

Choir

Silver Anisa Ali, Managya Bhurtyal, Rachael Dargie, Skyla Deans, Rianon Duncan, Danielle Dupitas, Christa Hose, Daisy MacCallum, Moro Olaosebikan, Holly Player.

Bronze Evie Arthur, Ayla Chalmers, Anna Esslemont, Jessica Fyfe, Rachel Gibson, Sophie Jacobsen, Harley Keith, Greer Kinsler, Abigail Osuoha, Molly Walker, Kirsten Watson, Hannah Wheeler, Izabella Zakanyi.

Concert Band

Gold Thomas Coutts, Alan Forbes, Troy Hayton, Andrew Lyon, Leah McAllister, Halcyon Morgan, Donnie Scott.

Silver Conor Gardiner, Kirsty Hogg.

Bronze Ben Chalmers, Lewis Gibbins, Dominic Halliday, Marc Lyon, Niamh McGregor, Robert Marwick, Ewan Mutch, Zulaikah Rahman, Sandy Scott.

Languages Club

Bronze Polly Connell

Percussion

Silver Anisa Ali, Angus Blackwood.

Bronze Hafsat Kelani

Show Choir 12

School Section

Silver Alexander Andrews, Lizzy Booth, Nicole Stuart. String Orchestra

Gold Josef Bokedal, Heather Reid, Esther Thomas Jamieson.

Silver Sherwin Fernandes, Freya Hughson.

Bronze Charlotte Arthur, Alice Hammill, Ezra Usmani.

Citizenship Awards

Karanika Ananthan, Alexander Andrews, Charlotte Arthur, Darcie Banks, Managya Bhurtyal, Angus Blackwood, Sam Brown, Fraser Bruce, Polly Connell, Chala Cormack, Joel Crawford, Beth Crawford, Isobel Deady, Deidra Dias Alberto, Vanesa Dineva, Malak Elawa, Frances Ezeogu, Mariyam Essa, Anna Esslemont, Molly Evans, Sherwin Fernandes, Jessica Fyfe, Rachel Gibson, Cian Gilmour, Nada Hatab, Christa Hose, Lakshita Jetti, Hafsat Kelani, Emma Kelsey, Vasily Klionskiy, Patrick Lang, Josephine Law, Oren Leslie, Katherine Low, Ava Lund, Sam Lynch, Katie MacIver, Niamh Mcgregor, Andrew Melville, Joe Miller, Jamie Moir, Jakub Mydłowski, , Holly Player, Zulaikah Rahman, Tom Robertson, Snehi Satsangi, Fatima Sellami, , Nathan Senff, Bhawana Sitaula, Anna Seaman, Maisha Syed, Bilal Taleb, Caitlin Taylor, Finlay Taylor, Blaine Towler Cameron Vargesson, Jakub Werbowy, Mahdeen Zaman.

Bristow Helicopters & Simulator Visit

Our Young Engineers Club visited Bristow Helicopters on Friday 27thMay after winning this as their prize at the recent Celebration of STEM at Aberdeen Science Centre. The Team had eagerly awaited their visit –they did a great job with the Bristow challenge and were keen and engaged throughout. We were also given an additional four spaces to encourage more girls to look at this as a career option. At present only 5% of all trainees in those Pilot and Engineering disciplines are female and Bristow’s are focussed on improving this. A fantastic day was set up for the pupils by Bristows!

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The group had the opportunity to fly, take control and experience what it’s like to fly an offshore helicopter in one of Bristow’s multi-million dollar state of the art, helicopter simulators, instructed by one of their pilots. They also had the opportunity to speak to one of the SAR pilots from Prestwick and were given an overview of the various ways to get into this as a career. The group also heard from the engineering team on the way to get into and to become a certified helicopter engineer and the various apprenticeships and cadetships Bristow offer.

After lunch they had a tour of the Flight Operations area where they were shown how their pilots carried out flight planning and briefings as well as being able to speak to them about their career choice. The pupils then had a tour of the Helicopter Maintenance hangar where pupils could see the work the engineers carry out on the aircraft, and see them close up and were able to speak directly to the engineers.

The group were then thanked by the Director of UK operations on completion of the visit.

A fantastic day and many thanks to all who facilitated the visit.

EEP Robotics Challenge

A group of our Young Engineers travelled to Leuchars Station (formerly RAF Leuchars), to compete in the EEP Robotics Challenge Regional Heats on Tuesday 17th May.

The team had built and programmed an EV3 Lego Mindstorm to carry out several challenges during lunchtimes as part of their extra-curricular club.

School Section

The day involved completing these challenges as well as a teamwork challenge. The Team did very well to get to the heats and won the Teamwork Challenge, impressing the judges on how well they worked together as a team – Well Done!! As the competition was based in a British Army base and hosted by REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) they had a tour of the facility and saw some of the equipment and machines in the various hangars. They also had the opportunity to speak to the personnel about their roles in the Army.

Farming in the Field

On Friday the 29th April a group of our S2 & S3 Life Skills pupils had a visit to Burn of Balmakelly Farm, Laurencekirk,to take part in farming in the field workshops. The weather remained settled and the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They took part in Plant Care where pupils were shown how to plant and crop rhubarb, raspberries, take cuttings of blackberries as well as crop and taste asparagus. All pupils were involved in planting some onions to help deter the carrot fly from the carrots and sowing some peas directly into soil in the field.

Pupils then took part in an Animal Care lesson, calling and racing against their two kunekune pigs in their field to check senses and mobility in their health care checklist. Pupils also lead training donkeys around their obstacle course using the commands, ‘walk on’, ‘right’, ‘left’, ‘halt’ and ‘standing’ over the fence.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine North East Celebration of STEM

A group of our Young Engineers took part in the NE Celebration of STEM.The day provided an opportunity for primary and secondary pupils to share their passion and enthusiasm for STEM, showcasing their projects and learn more about career opportunities as they competed in a series of fun five-minute STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) challenges set by industry partners. Students had the opportunity to interact with engineers and engage with engineering outside of normal educational settings, as well as hear more about the range of careers available. They will also have the opportunity to explore the inspiring new Aberdeen Science Centre. In addition, our Young Engineers were given a free Construct a Crane STEM kits. Teams of six were challenged to bring along their functioning design and demonstrate how much cargo their model can load in a given time. On registering to take part in the event, the resource kit and competition brief will be posted to your school. AGS pupils won the Bristow Special Award on the day which will give them a Heliport visit & Simulator Experience.

Army STEM workshops OPERATION DISASTER RELIEF

A number of our S2 pupils were involved in a STEM activity lead by members of the British Army over the 2nd & 3rd of March working with Lego Mindstorms – Lego Mindstorms EEV3 are programmable robots based on Lego Building blocks.

Army STEM activity – STEM skills are vital when the British Army deploys 16

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around the world and are never more crucial than when disaster strikes! In this activity, pupils will join the Army’s Engineers, Medics and Logisticians in deploying to a remote part of the world which has been hit by a destructive earthquake. Learning how to build, programme and operate their LEGO™ Mind-storm robot pupils will use their robot to undertake a series of engineering and logistical challenges in order to achieve their mission and deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to the local people.

TechFest OPITO’s My Energy Future LIVE at Subsea Expo

A group of senior AGS pupils who have an interest in the energy sector had the opportunity to interact with global companies and organisations at the world’s largest subsea exhibition and conference. They took part in interactive STEM challenges, hosted by TechFest, before spending time exploring the exhibition and meeting with energy sector staff who hosted interactive activities on their stand.

Royal Navy Team Building Workshop

AGS welcomed the Royal Navy Engagement Team to work with groups of our S3 National PE & Senior Sports Development pupils.

The team provided practical challenges for pupils to complete/overcome. They included: 17

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

 Planks & Pallets (get your team from one pallet to another by utilising planks and not touching the floor)

 Walkers (operating as a team, synchronise walking rhythm to complete route)

 Towers of Hanoi (puzzle – three towers with different sized discs. You cannot place a larger disc onto a smaller disc – move all the discs to tower 3)

 Minefield (wearing blindfolds, the team moves a dummy through an obstacle course, whilst following orders from another team member)

These activities are designed to develop leadership, teamwork, communication and self-confidence – all with a bit of fun!!!

The team were also on hand to give presentations on Leadership/Team work, using our experiences gleaned in the Royal Navy.

The Navy aims to support Schools, Communities and Youth Groups by offering development opportunities for young people, and to raise the awareness of the Royal Navy. This is all part of the Royal Navy’s drive to better reflect the society which we serve and to genuinely demonstrate our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

GRAHAM – Baird & ANCHOR Insight Visit

A group of AGS pupils had the opportunity to visit the Graham Construction project at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Monday the 13th of December, as an Insight visit into the construction industry. They had a site visit of both the Baird Family Hospital & The Anchor Centre sites currently under construction and the biggest project of its kind currently underway in Scotland.

School Section

Two graduate apprentices who left school to start their apprenticeships also highlighted the various key skills needed as well as routes into this industry the three main ones that they are involved in being:

 Foundation Apprenticeships

 Modern Apprenticeships

 Graduate Apprenticeships

It was a very worthwhile visit with the different routes into the industry very well highlighted as well as highlighting construction as a lucrative opportunity should they choose to enter this line of employment in the future.

Build Your Future S2 Event

AGS took part in the Build Your Future construction challenge for schools in the North East.

The aim of the challenge is to raise the profile of the construction industry to S2 pupils, parents, and teachers, and to highlight the range of exciting and rewarding career opportunities there are out there. The challenge has been a huge success over the past couple of years and feedback has shown that pupils and teachers have come away with a better understanding of what a career in construction looks like, and it will hopefully be a bit of inspiration to pursue a career in construction in the future.

The ten S2 pupils selected from the Balfour Beatty challenge took part in three tasks during P5&6 working with the following:

Safety Scotland – Environmental Challenge Task

KR Group – Retrofitting task

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Scottish Fire & Rescue – Insight Visit

We had a Career Insight visit from Scottish Fire & Rescue Red Watch from Central Fire Station for pupils who had indicated an interest as a possible career.

The crew, some of whom were former AGS pupils highlighted career opportunities, what is involved in joining the service and fitness requirements as well as a detailed look around their appliances. They also demonstrated their height vehicle which can extend to 33 metres.

A very interesting and worthwhile insight with pupils asking a wide variety of questions.

Thanks to Red Watch for their time.

S3 Life Skills – First Aid Training

An

This week Tom Malcolm from Grampian Training Services was in school to deliver a First Aid Training course to our group of S3 Life Skills pupils.

They learned about initial assessment of a casualty, CPR & Defibrillators on day one and on day two they were learning about the recovery position, bandages, choking, anaphylactic and asthma to name a few.

excellent life skill to be given the opportunity to develop.

School Section

Aberdeen Hydrogen Schools Challenge

AGS were excited to welcome the Aberdeen Schools Hydrogen Challenge team today lead by Chris Wildi an experienced STEM professional and a team of five Aberdeen University students who delivered the workshop to twenty of our S2 pupils.

They worked in Teams to Design, Build & Test their Hydrogen powered cars to travel the furthest distance. With the winning team achieving a incredible 34.4 metres and the runners up achieving 29.6 metres. These six pupils will now represent the school at the Aberdeen finals being held at the Beach Ballroom on Friday 10th September – best of luck to them. 2021 is a big year for promoting Hydrogen and Fuel Cells to a global audience, in particular surrounding and in the lead up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Aberdeen is one of Europe’s pioneering hydrogen cities. The city has been recognised for its achievements in hydrogen technology including deploying over 85 hydrogen vehicles and two publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations. Aberdeen was the first city in the world to deploy hydrogen double decker buses.

Second year pupils in Aberdeen with an interest in a career in green energy are being given an amazing opportunity to take part in the 7-Cities Hydrogen Challenge later this summer. The 7-Cities Hydrogen Challenge, funded by Scottish Power, ITM Power and Arcola Energy, is aiming to engage with over

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

7,000 young people across Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highland, Perth and Stirling.

The Hydrogen Challenge is a hands-on “design, build, race, repeat” team exercise in which participants are tasked with creating the most energy efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicle using LEGO components and miniature (yet fully functional) hydrogen technology.

Balfour Beatty S2 Construction Challenge

We had John Cairns and Konstantina from Balfour Beatty in school delivering a construction challenge workshop to our S2 CDT classes. The winning teams will go on to represent the school early next year in the Build your Future event.

The pupils had to work in teams to design the tallest tower to hold a golf ball built form KNex. Each of the classes were split into teams of four or five and were marked not only on the height of their tower but also team work and the aesthetics of the tower.

John also gave an overview of Balfour Beatty and of the Union Terrace Garden project currently under construction in the centre of Aberdeen. Well done to all involved and thank you to Balfour Beatty for supporting the school.

Learning in Auschwitz Programme

In November of 2021 four of us took part in the Learning from Auschwitz Online project run by the Holocaust Educational Trust. The programme consisted of 3 online seminars where we learnt about the definition of the Holocaust, the history of anti-semitism pre war Jewish life, the experience people had in the camps and ghettos, the contemporary relevance of the Holocaust today, as well as many individual stories of those who suffered. A big focus of the programme was to rehumanise the Holocaust so that we 22

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thought about them as individual people and not just numbers. We also had home learning tasks to compete as part of the programme to consolidate what we had learnt in the seminars and to provide background for the next one. Possibly the most impactful seminar for us was the second one, where we heard the story of holocaust survivor Mala Tribich live and got to ask her questions at the end, it was incredible to hear her story and to hear how she got through it and how she recovered afterwards. During that seminar we also got to take part in a virtual tour of the Auschwitz Birkenau camp as it is today, which was incredible. The third online seminar was focused on the contemporary relevance of the Holocaust today and how we can keep the stories of the Holocaust alive today. During this seminar we had a very moving speech from Rabbi Andrew Shaw who spoke on how we can keep the light in everything we do and spoke on his family's history and experience in the holocaust. After the last seminar we had to complete the Next Steps Project, where another pupil joined in to help, where we had to present what we had learnt to our wider community in any way we could. We chose to do a school assembly talking about what we had learnt and taken away from the project, set up an exhibition in the school library, and ran a session in school for the seniors where they could hear a survivor testimony live. The programme was very moving and informative and because of our Next Steps programme we have all been awarded an Anne Frank award by the City Council.

Young Enterprise article by Molly Russell

Young Enterprise is a great experience offered by Aberdeen Grammar School along with other schools across the UK as an extracurricular activity. Young Enterprise gives pupils like myself an opportunity to participate in and lead a team. I, Molly mbyres@zuellig.comRussell, took on the role of managing director within my team. This meant that I took on the responsibility of leading the group to success, we named our company E11EVEN as we had 11 members. We wanted a name that did not restrict us on what products we created.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

We decided to create seasonal hampers. Christmas was the upcoming event so we decided to create a Christmas hamper including gingerbread men, fluffy socks and hot chocolate kits etc. We got the opportunity to sell our products at the Peterhead farmers market. This was a great opportunity for the team. There was lots of footfall and we had decided to also sell sweet bags and raffle off a hamper at £1 a ticket as we were aware that not everyone would be willing to spend £25 on a whole hamper, however people may have still wanted to support our small business. These cheaper options went down a treat and we sold over 100 raffle tickets. On this occasion we sold two hampers and almost all of our sweet bags.

We also won best stall and came runners up against the other young enterprise teams attending the market.

Our next hampers were Valentines themed ones. For these we used a heart shaped basket and included items such as love hearts and teddys, we set up a stall in school to sell these along with sweet bags. We made ten valentines hampers and sold them all, we priced these at £15 which meant that people were more inclined to buy them.

As we approached the young enterprise Grampian finals we wanted to create our cheapest hamper yet and as it was coming up to Easter an Easter themed hamper was only suiting.

In these we included lots of chocolate. These were priced at £10 and like our previous products they sold very well. We managed to keep some to take to the finals with us.

The finals were held at the Jurys Inn at Dyce. Our team was put through an interview with the judges and then our stall was also judged. We also had to create a presentation and small video to present to the audience and judges. This was very nerve racking however it went very smoothly. Unfortunately when it came to the prize giving our team didn't win however myself (Molly) won best managing director. This award was given by 24

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the University of Aberdeen Business School. I was given a very nice glass plaque that will be a fantastic keepsake.

Young enterprise also hold an exam where each member of the team will be asked to write on different points regarding their experience. We recently got our results back and our whole team passed, Vlad (marketing team) passed with merit and 3 others including myself passed with credit. The experience that young enterprise has provided me and my team with has been amazing. I would highly recommend getting involved as it is a truly rewarding adventure.

Languages Club

The unforeseen effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to us all being confined to our homes, feeling overwhelmed, lost and out of touch with the world around us. Change ambushed us at every turn, creeping into all corners of our lives, disrupting our connections with each other. We here at AGS languages club thought this would be the perfect time to explore an aspect of our lives which throughout it all remained unchanged in the face of adversity, something which would truly allow us to understand each other and reconnect: the power of language.

As well as providing a sense of fulfilment, languages allow people from all backgrounds to immerse themselves in other cultures, communicate with each other, and truly unite. We are two S4 pupils who are passionate about giving young people the opportunity to reap the many benefits of learning languagesan opportunity that we are very grateful to have been provided with in the past. Since April 2021, we have been running our languages club, a responsibility which was handed down from the previous leaders: former pupils Rebecca Dargie and Sophie Hatrick, who are now pursuing their interest in languages at university. We are deeply thankful for their persistence in running the club, allowing us to nurture our interests and participate in an extracurricular activity despite the barriers of a national lockdown. Thanks to their tenacity and passion, last year we were given the chance to participate in the Scottish European Educational Trust Film Festival. This competition involved creating a short film in groups, based on one of the Sustainable Development Goals, which had to include at least one other language. Rebecca and Sophie thought it would be an excellent way to showcase all of the language learning we had been doing in our weekly Zoom meetings. We then worked hard to come up with a storyline and bring our films to life despite having to socially distance and speak to each other through emails and virtual meetings.

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The end product for Team 1 (myself, Rebecca D, and Sophie H) was a film in French and English conveying a message about preserving life under the sea, and Team 2 (co-leader Polly Connell, former pupil Rebecca Freeman, and S4 pupil Sophie Jacobsen) produced a film, also in French and English, about social inequalities in Mali and how this influenced the handling of COVID-19. Last June, we were invited to the awards ceremony - held virtually owing to the ongoing pandemic - where we all enjoyed seeing what other schools had produced. There was such a diverse range of languages spoken throughout and we all felt a connection to all the other participants through our shared goalexpanding our knowledge of other languages and cultures. To round off what had been a great afternoon, we didn’t leave empty handed - Team 1 received the Award for Best Use of Language and the trophy is currently displayed in our school’s trophy cabinet. It is a truly symbolic addition to the multitude of diverse achievements at Aberdeen Grammar School, serving as a reminder of the many doors opened by language learning.

Over the last year, Languages Club has flourished and we are very pleased to be able to run it in-person. We have a wonderful group of pupils of all levels, and all cultural backgrounds, held together by their passion and dedication. So when the opportunity to participate in the film festival came up again this yeareven better as it was in person - we simply felt it would be doing the pupils an injustice to deny them such an enriching experience. The group of S2 pupils who were interested in entering set to work planning and creating what would become an exceptional film. Just last month, after successfully progressing through all of the qualifying stages, the group travelled to Glasgow accompanied by two teachers for the film-making workshop - an event which we were deprived of last year due to the pandemic. We were very pleased that this year’s group got the chance to do this, as it was an experience that taught them so much and gave them the space to produce something marvellous. At the Languages Club session after the workshop, we absolutely loved seeing what they had made, all with no help or input from us or the adults whatsoever. What really floored us was how effectively they had captured the diversity within their group - the film had over 7 different languages, which enriched the powerful message it carried. At the upcoming festival where the films are to be showcased, 15th June 2022, we have no doubt that their creation will stand out as a unique and meaningful film.

Through running Languages Club, not only have we developed our own skills and interests but we have also supplied other pupils with a chance to see the many benefits that learning a language can bring. We hope that the legacy of Languages Club can stay strong for years to come, and that the opportunity to take part in language learning will always be universally accessible for all 26

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pupils, regardless of their ability or background. We are very grateful to the Scottish European Educational Trust for coordinating events like this Film Festival which allow pupils from all over the country to get involved with languages. The beauty of language learning is that there is no limit to who can get involved. It's open to everyone, and binds people together who might have otherwise had no way to communicate. Knowledge of languages is the gateway to building strong relationships, a versatile mind, and, most importantly, a deepened understanding of the complex, ever-changing world around us.

By Fatima Sellami and Polly Connell

Joining the Languages Club

Luna Orlando / Rawan Adel / Lucy Jacobsen / Julia Gawlak / Dara Olusoji

At the start of S2 we decided to join the Languages Club to see what it would be like. Before going to the Languages Club we thought that it would be boring, however, Luna, who did it in S1, told us that it was fun. When we went together, we found out that it was really fun.

One day, Mr Berhane asked us if we wanted to do the ‘Our World film festival’. Luna and Rawan really wanted to do it, so then we all thought of doing it together with our friends. Rawan and Luna came up with the ideas for the storyboard and script and Lucy and Dara were cheering them on and giving them emotional support.

The Glasgow event started off not so great. We weren’t getting on with each other and we didn’t know how to begin. However, after a while we managed to get a move on and worked as a team to get it finished. Near the end, when we did the editing, we also got to have a tour around the place. The tour was amazing. The experience overall was really nice and we learned a lot of stuff like teamwork, editing, etc.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Charities Group

During the 2021-2022 school year, we at the AGS charities group managed to assist our chosen charityInstant Neighbourthroughout these trying times. Our initial group meetings were focused heavily on forming a connection between the charity and the school, through both research and communication, eventually culminating in an invite to visit Instant Neighbour’s main office and foodbank site at 5 St Machar Dr, Aberdeen AB24 3YJ for three of our members. This experience proved more than inspiring for us as we were able to get an insight into the inner workings of the organisation, as well as being able to witness the human compassion that lay at the foundation of it. It was also there that we were made aware of their ‘Giving Tree’ campaign, where presents could be donated towards children who otherwise may not have received a gift on Christmas Day. This became our top priority for the latter half of 2021.

We attended the opening ceremony for the Giving Tree, alongside Instant Neighbour CEO Sophy Green and Lord Provost Barney Crockett, where we were given 50 ‘tags’ to distribute at AGS - each one

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representing a child in need of a present. This was a relatively tough task given the short time in which we were supposed to give out the tags and get back presents, however with many trips back and forth to the local Instant Neighbour collection point, we managed to get it done. Some members of the Charities Group also volunteered to help with the programme outside of school time, where they assisted in organising the collected presents for their final deliveries. This was a rewarding few weeks for the group, as we were low in numbers yet able to make a difference. Before the winter holidays came about, we wanted to get some fundraising in for the charity and so we hosted a Christmas jumper day where pupils were asked to wear festive clothing for the last day of the term and invited to make donations. For this being such a simple event, we managed to raise a considerable amount of around £400 on that day alone. With the start of the new year we decided to make a start on the most important aspect of our journey with Instant Neighbour, the foodbank collection. Over a period of five weeks we had pupils situated at each entrance to the school every Wednesday morning collecting donations from other pupils and teachers. At the end of the collection period, we had collected a significant amount of donations that was greatly appreciated by Instant Neighbour who had just the day before ran out of donations. This was the most rewarding part of our time as members of the Charities Group, as we were able to provide our fellow citizens with a fundamental need, it really drove home the importance of organisations like Instant Neighbour and the reality of the work that they do. Considering the fact that we only ever peaked at four group members, as well as having to work around Covid restrictions, we at the Charities Group are proud of our achievements this year and are more than pleased with the help we have been able to provide for a more than deserving cause.

S4 Sport and Recreation Projects

The S4 Sport and Recreation class of Clark Addison, Kacper Bedarowski, Noah Brittan-Long, Lewis Cornell, Aryan Markanday, Shay Scroggie, Samuel Szczesny, Mia Towler and Vissal Vipularajah led a project with Gilcomstoun Primary School.

The course covers four units all linked to developing skills for life and work in the Sport and Recreation industry. The unit they have been work on this term is Assist with a Component of Activity Sessions.

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With the help of Sarah Fraser our Active Schools Coordinator we arranged for a P5 from Gilcomstoun Primary School to come and work with the class. Over the course of four Thursday afternoons Mr Adam's P5 class walked up and were taught football and basketball by the pupils. The S4's planned, delivered, and evaluated their lessons in small teaching groups

What I am very proud of is that each teaching group went beyond 'assisting' by delivering the entire lesson including organising their equipment, warm up, skills and a game. The feedback from all involved has been excellent and we hope to develop our links with Gilcomstoun next term.

Rowing Success

Freya Hughson (S6) recently teamed up with three other oarswomen from Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association, and with Lily Arthur (S3) coxing them in the junior women's coxed four event at Women's Henley Regatta. From a field of 18 crews, they raced over two days, winning the event and setting a new course record by two seconds. This is only the second time in the club's history that this event has been won. Freya hopes to go on to compete for Scotland at the upcoming Home International Rowing Regatta. Lily has had great experience at such a young age, and will hopefully have many more years of rowing success in the future.

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Finding Endurance

On 11 March 2022 Mensun Bound, Director of Exploration on the Endurance22 Expedition that had so recently located the wreck of Shackleton’s Endurance, found himself in the Whalers’ Church in Grytviken, South Georgia. I had asked him to seek out the plaque in honour of Scout Marr, the FP who had gone with Shackleton on his final expedition to Antarctica. It was another FP, with a proud record of research in Antarctica, Ron Lewis-Smith, who had been instrumental in having the plaque made and erected in the church. My own involvement with Antarctica has been lengthy but sporadic. At various points in my career in the Diplomatic Service I have had dealings with those in the Foreign Office or the British Antarctic Survey who were directly engaged in polar research. From 1999 to 2002 I was Governor of the Falkland Islands and Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. This brought me, on retirement, an invitation to become first a Trustee and then Chairman of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. And it was in that capacity that I first became involved in discussions about a possible expedition to locate the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance that had lain undiscovered on the bed of the Weddell Sea since it sank, overcome by the pressure of encompassing ice, in November 1915.

No-one died on Endurance. After her sinking, Shackleton led his men on an extraordinary journey to salvation. They set off on foot across the ice, hauling supplies and three lifeboats. When they reached the limit of the ice, all 28 sailed to Elephant Island, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. From there, Shackleton selected five members of the team to sail with him to South Georgia, a remote island busy with seal- and whale-catching, where they hoped to find help in effecting a rescue. Landing on the unpopulated side of South Georgia, three men - none of them experienced mountaineers or equipped for such a venture - had to make the first crossing of the mountainous island, finally finding human contact in the whaling station of Stromness. Shackleton was then taken to the Falkland Islands, where the Governor (contrary to Shackleton’s account!) played an important part of arranging the eventual rescue by a Chilean tugboat, Yelcho, of all 22 men remaining on Elephant Island.

I first became involved in the business of searching for sunken ships soon after a few of us had joined to create in 2014 a new UK-based charity - Friends of the Falkland Islands Museum and the Jane Cameron National Archives. As we tentatively began to explore ways in which to support the Museum in Stanley, the Archives and other institutions, we identified an opportunity to secure funding for an expedition to locate the wrecks of German warships sunk in the Battle of the Falklands in 1914. On legal advice we set up a separate charity, 31

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT), and organised an expedition in 2014-15. We found no wrecks.

Two rather different expeditions then took place in 2019. First, a small group of experts in the subsea search business organised a serious effort to find Endurance - the Weddell Sea Expedition 2019. The expedition failed, but it taught those involved many lessons. The Trust was then able to organise a renewed search for the German warships. This time we succeeded in locating and filming SMS Scharnhorst and were able to sell the documentary to the Smithsonian Channel.

The success of that expedition and the documentary led to the Trust being encouraged to organise a fresh effort to find Endurance. Some important elements would be replicated from the Weddell Sea Expedition. The Leader would be Dr John Shears, who had been asked, on my recommendation, to lead that expedition. Mensun Bound, a Trustee, would be Director of Exploration. We would charter the South African research vessel, SA Agulhas II, which had demonstrated its own qualities and those of its Master, Ice Pilot and crew in 2019. The subsea effort would be in the hands of the leading subsea search company, Ocean Infinity.

Scientific research had been an important element of the 2019 effort. Endurance22 - as we named our expedition - would have less charter time, so the scientific programme would be more limited and more closely tied to the operational requirement to get to the wreck site. Under Chief Scientist Dr Lasse Rabenstein, the emphasis would be on ice-science and weather prediction. We had ambitious plans for a media team. We wanted a first-class documentary, material for podcasts and social media, and to take the message about our own expedition and about Shackleton and his men to young people around the world. Key to all of that was to contract Dan Snow’s company, History Hit and its owners, Little Dot Studios, to film the expedition and broadcast live. We also contracted a US-based organisation, Reach the World, whose aim is to bring explorers into the classrooms of students in the US and more widely. And we invited the Royal Geographical Society to produce material for schools in the UK.

Plans for an expedition of this ambition and complexity develop over several years. Director of Exploration, Mensun Bound, spent years in study of charts and unpublished diaries. Nico Vincent, our Subsea Project Manager, worked night and day for three years, developing his plans for the successful deployment of SAAB Sabertooth Hybrid Underwater Vehicles. Although the wreck was presumed to lie on the seabed at around 3000 metres, depth was not the main problem. The reason no-one had made a serious effort to find Endurance before 2019 was ice.

In a normal search for a sunken ship, the search vessel sails up and down, towing behind it whatever equipment is being used to locate an anomaly on the seabed. That won’t work in ice. You can’t even guarantee that once you have

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launched a Sabertooth the ship will be in the same position when it returns to the surface.

As if that was not difficult enough, we decided to try something unprecedented. There was clearly a risk that the ship could get close to the wreck site but not near enough to launch the Sabertooths. The team therefore started to develop a plan for establishing camps on ice floes from which the AUVs could be lowered. This would require helicopters to fly out equipment to drill a large enough hole in the ice for the Sabertooths to be lowered into the water and subsequently recovered. Week by week the FMHT Trustees would meet online with John Shears and Nico Vincent to examine the latest plans and engineering solutions required to make ice camps a realistic option.

From the beginning of preparations for the 2019 expedition, John Shears, as Leader, repeatedly warned the team, most of whom had no Antarctic experience, that the main obstacle to success was ice. For the Endurance22 Expedition another key risk could be added - COVID. With equipment and team members converging on Cape Town - our port of departure - from all four corners of the globe, the travel restrictions of that time imposed a serious challenge to the viability of our plans. While John and our Expedition Doctor, Lucy Coulter, had developed with the South Africans a rigorous set of procedures to deal with that risk, it was ironic and a real psychological blow when the new, Omicron variant of the virus, was first discovered and announced in South Africa shortly before we started to assemble there.

On 5 February SA Agulhas II was ready to sail from Cape Town. Just before sailing, however, we had to decide whether to accept two individuals who had tested positive for COVID. We decided the risk could be managed, given the excellent medical facilities on board, and we were right. Those two recovered and there were no further cases during the Expedition.

Progress to the Weddell Sea was a bit bumpy, and the crew had to deal with a significant problem with the “moon pool” on board (through which scientific instruments can be deployed), but the ship entered the Weddell Sea on 14 February and headed through remarkably favourable ice conditions towards the wreck site. The Weddell Sea is vast and very little known. Shackleton’s Captain, Frank Worsley, a highly competent navigator, had recorded, as Endurance succumbed to the ice in November 2015, exactly where she sank. But how accurate were his readings? How did the wreck behave as it drifted down through 3000 metres? What effect did the gyre, the clockwise washingmachine-like movement of water in the Weddell Sea, have in 1915?

Part of Mensun Bound’s job, as Director of Exploration, was to identify a search area that could be covered by the Sabertooths in the time available under our charter agreement and within the narrow window of favourable weather, before encroaching ice threatened that the Agulhas II could become trapped like Endurance. The area was about 300 sq. km., the rough size of Central London, 33

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine and Nico Vincent would have about three weeks to find the wreck within that area and within that time.

There was therefore great excitement when, on 20 February, very soon after the search had begun in earnest, the team reported detecting an anomaly on the seabed. There was confidence that what they were seeing must be a ship. But only one ship had ever sunk in that area: had we already found Endurance? Back in the UK, we prepared press releases while we awaited confirmation. But no, the team had not found the wreck, just debris.

So, while the mood on board swung from elation to deflation, the discovery of debris that must be from Endurance had to mean that we were close. The search resumed, with the location of the debris now influencing the team’s analysis and calculations. Time ticked by. Day after day, the Sabertooth, named Ellie, descended, reported, and returned to the surface with no good news. With only five days or so of the extended charter remaining, our PR Consultant and I turned to preparing a press release that sought to put a favourable spin on the scientific work done during the Expedition, while playing down the fact that we had - for some, it would be again! - failed to find the wreck.

We tore up our draft on 5 March. This time, clear imagery broadcast around the world confirmed that we had found the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship. Endurance sank on 21 November 1915 and had lain undisturbed for over a century. Wooden vessels in warmer waters fall victim to creatures that devour the wood; the water of the Weddell Sea does not allow them to survive. While some wondered why we wanted to search for a pile of matchwood, Mensun Bound was proved right in his prediction that the wreck would be found upright and largely intact.

Photo courtesy of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/National Geographic.

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We agreed that the successful team should head for South Georgia on their way back to South Africa, to pay homage to Shackleton, who is buried in the cemetery at Grytviken. As people prepared for an inevitably emotional service at the graveside, they realised, digging in diaries and other records, that they had located the wreck exactly 100 years to the hour after Shackleton was laid to rest in Grytviken.

As a former Commissioner for South Georgia. I was keen that someone from the Expedition should visit the recently delivered plaque in honour of Scout Marr, in order to confirm to that through him, Ron Lewis-Smith and others, FPs have played their part in the exploration of and understanding of a continent that has such an influence on our history, our present, and, as we increasingly realise how the Weddell Sea influences our climate, our future.

Our work is not over. We need to analyse the data gathered by the Sabertooths and produce an archaeological report. The lengthy task of editing material recorded on the Expedition will result in a major documentary to be launched in 2023/24. Five bite-sized documentaries will soon be available for school use. Books will appear. Talks will be given. Exhibitions will be arranged. Presentations of the science and of the conduct of the Expedition are under way or being planned. Shackleton was a complex and flawed character. But his reaction to setbacks and his leadership in a crisis will surely continue to inspire and to encourage young people to explore - whether it is little-known parts of our world, or the limits of their own capability. It is satisfying to play a small part in that endeavour.

Donald Lamont (1951-65) Chairman, FMHT

Great memories of AGSFP Rugby Club Tour to Texas

When asked if I’d like to pen an article for this year’s Magazine my mind immediately went back to a very happy time from my youth. So here goes with a trip down memory lane about a very successful FP Rugby Club tour to Texas in 1985 (drawing heavily from the tour programme that I still possess). I’m hoping that some of my old tour mates will also be reading this article but remember “what goes on tour stays on tour” (even after nearly 40 years!)

The Rugby Club had toured Texas successfully in 1982 and enjoyed the hospitality so much that the unanimous choice for the next touring venue in 1985 was again the Lone Star state. Back then there were seven Scottish rugby divisions with Grammar being near the top of Division 3. A small tour committee was formed and a whole host of fund-raising events organised. Some were very grand and successful affairs and others of debatable value, including a sponsored beer drinking competition!

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Back then I was a youngster of mere eighteen studying at Aberdeen University but enjoying the camaraderie of the FP rugby Club at the weekends. I was under the watchful wing of my rugby “godfather”, Phil Clegg, whilst trying not to be led too much astray by the likes of Neil Riddle and Kevin Wyness. An extract from my profile in the tour programme reads “the baby of the tour party, Graham promises to be an asset to the club in future years - in fact he promised last week”!

After all the fund-raising was complete, a tour party of twenty eight players and officials departed for the United States for our Easter tour. The itinerary consisted of three games in Houston and Galveston before culminating in a two day, 16-team tournament in Austin. In between there was much socialising and cultural exchange to be enjoyed. As an eighteen-year-old used to frequenting the Dutch Mill, it came as a shock to learn that the drinking age in Texas was twenty one (not that it stopped me)! I have memories of the tour party dressed in kilts being met with bemused looks when entering Cowboy bars or the infamous Rick’s Cabaret nightclub in Houston.

On the field, I remember the first three games to be a mixed bag – one narrow loss in the opener against a strong Houston H.A.R.T.S team following by comfortable wins against Houston Old Boys and Galveston RFC. The latter match was notable for me in that I sustained a serious knee injury that required an operation when I got back home. The pitches were rock hard and the Texan players a tough bunch but fortunately they didn’t have the technical rugby skills as they were more used to playing American football.

Then it was onto Austin for the big tournament which drew in teams from across the United States. This was the same tournament that Grammar had won in 1982, so expectations were running high that we could match their achievement. The format for the first day was four groups of four teams with only the winners of each group going through to the semi-finals the next day. The matches were hard-fought but at the end of Day 1, Grammar had won through on top of our group.

After a big reception on the Saturday night hosted by Austin RFC, it was onto the final day with expectations still running high. I cannot recall which teams we played that day but the team, skippered by Jim Cargill alongside “veteran” pack leader Adrian Dissel, was on fire. The star of the team was undoubtedly our exciting running full-back Russell McIntyre who was playing for Edinburgh at the time and on the verge of the full international squad (our tour ringer!). After winning a very close semi-final it was onto the final which drew in the biggest crowd that the team had ever played in front of. I remember the match being a tense one with a very tight score line. Going into the final minutes Grammar were only trailing by one point. Thankfully we were awarded a penalty close to the half-way line. Up stepped the hero of the day, Neil Riddle, to take a very ambitious kick which only just managed to clear the

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crossbar! Grammar then held on to win the match with the players and crowd going wild!

All in all it was an amazing experience for the tour party and the hospitality we received from our Texan rugby cousins was second to none. I hope the tradition of touring is being kept alive and well by the current crop of Aberdeen Grammar players!

Touring Party: Officials/Coaches – Ian McLeod (Tour Manager), Grant Lees (Coach), David McDonald (Assistant Manager), Players – James Cargil (Captain), Brendan Adey, Phil Clegg, Martin Cox, Allan Cross, Alan Mekie, Graeme Petrie, Philip Reid, Neil Riddle, Andrew Roberts, Duncan Scott, Graham Thomson, Angus Wilson, Alex Dalton, Adrian Dissel, Peter Fouin, Alexander Gourdie, Wallace Howat, Keith Leslie, Callum McDonald, Russel McIntyre, Stephen McIntyre, Richard Meadows, Kev Wyness. Graham Thomson (1979-1983) – London Centre Secretary

Life as a Golf Referee

It all started in early 2000 when I received a phone call from the Chairman of the General Committee of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews enquiring as to whether I was prepared to put my name forward for the Rules of Golf Committee.

I had been a member of the Club for four years at that time and it took little time for me to accept the invitation as it was something that interested me very much. I had a couple of good friends who had already served on the Committee and they had explained to me what was involved.

I was duly elected in the September of that year and the first major commitment was to undergo an intense period of study learning the Rules of Golf to prepare me for sitting an examination which I was required to pass with over 80% before being allowed to referee at The Open Championship the following July. I had played golf to a reasonable standard for thirty years but my knowledge of the Rules of Golf was nowhere near the standard I had to achieve. After almost six months of studying I did manage to achieve the objective and thus started a refereeing career which has spanned twenty two years, visiting forty seven countries and officiating at over three hundred events. Over the years I have had to sit the examination many more times and it is always a challenging exercise no matter how experienced you become.

In my first year I refereed five events including the Amateur Championship, my first European Tour event – The Great North Open at Slaley Hall won by Andrew Coltart, who subsequently trained with me at Gullane Gym - and my first Open Championship at Royal Lytham where I was a walking Rules

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine Official for two matches and an Observer with high profile matches on the third and final days.

The first event in my second year was the Benson and Hedges International at The Belfry, one of the main events on the European Tour at the time. The Chief Referee was Andy McFee who with John Paramor were the mainstays of the Tour and both gave me enormous encouragement and guidance at every event I attended. Along with Grant Moir of The R&A they were my main mentors. Andy had enough confidence in me to position me on the final day at the green of the infamous tenth hole which is a short par four with water in front of the green and surrounded by flower beds. The players tend to go for the green and balls can end up in all sorts of problematic positions leading to a plethora of rulings. It is a hole which always featured on live television and that day I had nine rulings in ninety minutes some of which were quite complex and most were on camera. I must have done reasonably well because Peter Dawson, the long-time Secretary of the R&A, phoned me the next day to congratulate me. This experience gave me huge confidence.

At the end of the second year I was selected to referee at the UBS Warburg Cup at Sea Island in Georgia. This was a corporate affair for Warburg and an opportunity to entertain their clients. The event took the form of a mini Ryder Cup with twelve man sides from USA and the Rest Of the World captained by Arnold Palmer and Gary Player respectively. There was one round of foursomes when I was a walking Rules Official with Tom Watson and Mark O’Meara playing Denis Durnian and Bill Longmuir, one round of four-ball featuring O’Meara and Paul Azinger against Roger Davies and Stewart Ginn and a single with Tom Kite and Ian Woosnam. Quite daunting having only been qualified for less than two years but I relished the opportunity. I did the event again the following year and once more had high profile players including Scott Hoch, Hal Sutton, Rocco Mediate, Tom Watson and Brad Faxon as well as Carl Mason, who I had refereed with on the European Seniors Tour before he turned fifty, joined the said tour and quickly became a millionaire!

Thereafter I refereed at seven further Open Championships and walked matches on all four days at each being given some of the best matches every year. I walked with Ernie Els on four separate occasions when he was in his prime and each time his match was accompanied by four private detectives whose role was to scan the crowd!

Every time the Open Championship is held in St Andrews a special dinner is held in the R&A Clubhouse for all past Open Champions and hosted by the Championship Committee. In 2005 a special tribute was made to five-time Champion Peter Thomson with Jack Nicklaus delivering a most eloquent speech. Dining with these legends of the game was a very rare privilege. In 2007 at Carnoustie I accompanied Padraig Harrington in the final round when he won the first of his two victories and on the eighteenth hole we had 38

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three rulings - two for Harrington and one for his playing partner Stewart Cink – all featured on live television.

I have walked with thirty two Major Champions:- Paul Azinger, Ian BakerFinch, Seve Ballesteros, Rich Beem, Angel Cabrera, Mark Calcaveichia, Stewart Cink, Darren Clarke, Ben Curtis, John Daly, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Tom Kite, Paul Lawrie, Justin Leonard, Sandy Lyle, Mark O’Meara, Nick Price, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Henrik Stenson, Tom Watson, Mike Weir, Danny Willet and Ian Woosnam.

Throughout this period I was for four years attending regular meetings of the Rules of Golf Committee whose main function is to revise and update the Rules on a quadrennial basis in conjunction with the USGA and for the following four years on the Championship Committee whose main role is to organise The Open Championship and all the other amateur events run by the R&A. A fascinating eight years which I enjoyed enormously.

One of the highlights when I was on the Rules of Golf Committee was to help run Rules of Golf Schools in Buenos Aeries, Sao Paulo and Quito. An intense but hugely rewarding three weeks in South America. Golf has been played in Argentina since the late nineteenth century and it has a host of very good Rules Officials. Brazil came later to the game and Ecuador only has seven courses, two of which we played at over nine thousand feet!

While on the Championship Committee I was entrusted to be Member in Charge at Regional and Final Qualifying for The Open as well as at International Final Qualifying in Australia and South Africa(twice). Joanne has accompanied me to six continents! On one of my two visits to Japan for the Mizuno Open it coincided with the centenary of Mizuno and a special dinner was held in the British Embassy in Tokyo to celebrate the occasion. The exchange of business cards is essential when meeting a Japanese individual for the first time and it is crucial that your details are highlighted in both Japanese and English. Special care should be taken to read these details in the presence of this individual. I still have fifty of these cards representing the high and mighty of Japanese society.

The Walker Cup in 2007 was held at Royal County Down which is one of my very favourite courses and I have been fortunate to play many times. We were blessed with perfect weather and the majestic Mountains of Mourne were in view the whole time. Next to the Open Championship this is the most prestigious event in the R&A calendar and features the very best amateurs of USA and Great Britain and Ireland.

In June 2008 I refereed the final of the Amateur Championship at Turnberry with seventeen year old Tommy Fleetwood who would have been the youngest ever winner but lost in a closely contested match. Over the years I have refereed at all the Open Championship venues apart from Musselburgh Old which last held The Open in 1889.

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In the spring of 2008 I left the Law after thirty six years and became a professional golf referee working exclusively for the Ladies European Tour and in that year did events in Scotland, Holland, England, Wales, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and South Korea. The most high profile event was the Ricoh British Ladies Open at Sunningdale which is one of the five women’s Majors. In the final round I walked with Catriona Matthew, the double winning Solheim Cup Captain, who also lives in North Berwick and as a teenager used to play with my wife Joanne on Saturday mornings at Gullane. However at the end of the year there was a readjustment in staffing levels and I became a freelance referee working primarily for the PGA but also for the European Tour covering the first and second stages of Qualifying School.

In the Januarys of 2009 and 2010 I worked for the Asian Tour at their Qualifying Schools in Thailand and that was a wonderful way to start the year. Thereafter I worked mainly on the Europro Tour which is a feeder tour for the European Tour.

Over the years I have officiated at sixty European Tour events both on the main tour and the Challenge Tour taking me all over Europe and to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Throughout my time as a professional referee I retained my place on the R&A Rules Panel and continued to do amateur events. In particular I enjoyed doing the Boys’ Championship and have done that event most of the last twenty years including refereeing the final on three occasions.

One of my favourite events is the Junior Open run by The R&A. It immediately precedes The Open Championship at a venue close-by. Countries around the world are entitled to send a maximum of two players, one boy and one girl together with a supervising adult. Upwards of eighty countries take part over three days of stroke-play and I believe it is one of the best events organised by The R&A.

In 2014 I did the Junior Open at West Lancashire GC, the Junior Olympics in Nanjing and the Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie all within a couple of months. The opening Ceremony of the Junior Olympics was held in the presence of President Xi and eighty thousand spectators. Memories of the Nanjing Massacre were rekindled when the crowd booed the Japanese team. Several thousand security staff were engaged at the golf course. Less so at West Lancs and Blairgowrie!

I have done eight Arnold Palmer Cups and have been Joint Co-Chief Referee for three of these at Evian, Alotian, Arkansas and Geneva. This is an annual match featuring primarily players at college in USA and Arnold lent his name to the event in view of his own involvement in college golf and his strong connection with the development of the Open Championship. When I was first involved in 2008 it was eight a side with USA playing Europe. Since 2018 it has been greatly expanded to feature men and women and Europe has been replaced by International including players from all over the world. The players 40

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are most of the best amateur golfers in the world and many have gone on to be Major Champions.

I have done several events with the European Golf Association including the first five European Team Shields in Bulgaria twice, Hungary, Croatia and Lithuania. This is the third level of European Amateur golf and mainly features countries from Eastern Europe and is very much part of the development of the sport. Before each event I conducted on course Rules Role Play sessions which proved to be very successful and hugely rewarding.

One of my favourite countries visited is Iceland which with a population of 330,000 has a staggering sixty-seven golf courses. Play is only possible for at most six months in any year. The enthusiasm for the game is positively infectious. The courses are carved out of volcanic rock and are situated in some of the most idyllic scenery anywhere.

Over the years I have very much enjoyed refereeing professional golf at the highest level and also being able to be involved in the amateur game through The R&A, Scottish Golf and EGA. Being freelance has enabled me to do this and as I look back I am very happy that I have not been tied to one organisation.

Nigel G. M. Watt (1963-69)

President AGSFP 2012-13

One of Her Majesty’s Counsel, Learned in the Law

(on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the succession of His Majesty King Charles all Queen’s Counsel became King’s Counsel).

I cannot remember with any certainty the time in my schooldays when I began to be remotely interested in deciding what career I might pursue.

For me, the Grammar School was the only school I had ever known, and while there was no avoiding learning and studying altogether, competing in swimming and athletics and rugby was undoubtedly more fun and more important.

When I was put under pressure, however, I did get down to my studies under such legendary teachers as Messrs Tait, Flett, Stephen, McCombie, MacClean, Bruce, May, Williams, McLeod, Hawksworth, et al. Because I had never really buckled down to deciding what I wanted to pursue, I had held on to a broad spectrum of subjects to allow me to cover many bases.

When school chat started to include career choices as well as team selection, I thought that I rather fancied studying medicine and I loved the idea of being a doctor, but the truth was that I was not good enough at the sciences to which I applied myself grudgingly and with only moderately good returns. I also realised that whilst in school my being colour blind might have led to some

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine interesting creative artwork and discussions with James Will, it was not going to make physical visual diagnosis easy, reliable or safe!

I was much more comfortable with words and abstract and philosophical ideas than I was with numbers and formulae. I liked English and History and analysing living facts, human behaviour, language and communications. I enjoyed debating and drama. I suppose I was unwittingly getting my bearings but what I believe focused my ideas was an ITV television series called Crown Court which dramatised a variety of criminal trials. I thoroughly enjoyed them as entertainment but also thought that I fancied being one of the bewigged lawyers who had such skill at advancing the causes in which they acted. I knew nothing about the law and had no connections in the profession, but I made some enquiries and became very interested.

I decided that a law degree might be a good next step after school and I was lucky to have unremitting support from my parents. So it was that I was able to secure a place in the Faculty of Law at Aberdeen University and spend four very happy years there. One of the great influences was Professor Phil Love, a school and FP sporting hero of mine. I should undoubtedly have prioritised study ahead of sport and social life, but I managed to acquire an indifferent honours degree and graduated in 1980 to take up an apprenticeship with a rather prestigious firm of commercial solicitors in Glasgow and Edinburgh. During my degree course, (mostly at resit time!), I had often thought that as Crown Court had captured my interest, it explained why my enthusiasm and apparent competence in such practical disciplines as conveyancing, and mercantile law was limited. I realised that my fascination lay firmly in the courts and probably more particularly the criminal court.

I had often visited the sheriff court in Aberdeen and seen the local legal defence luminaries like Frank Lefevre, David Burnside, Greer MacRoberts, the youthful George Mathers and Alan Mitchelson and, on the other side, the imperial (FP) Procurator Fiscal Brian Crookshanks who appeared for the Crown. I thought they were great.

I decided that I would give the world of commercial law a chance and see what came of it, but despite enjoying my time learning much in that field, understanding the workings and politics of a large firm and making invaluable lifelong connections amongst the practitioners, that field of work and I were not a good fit. I decided that on being admitted as a qualified solicitor I would seek a litigation job and get myself into court.

I thought myself fortunate indeed to secure a general litigation position with a long established and respected Aberdeen firm which I was to take up immediately I completed my apprenticeship. The partner who was to be my boss was a very pukka chap and I looked forward to the fresh and exciting challenge.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks before I was to join him it was discovered that he was embezzling a trust fund under his care and had attempted to murder 42

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a partner who had discovered it all. Pursuing a career in court was one thing but having one’s boss get five years in jail as he did was no part of the plan and so I returned to the drawing board.

Whilst I had been in Glasgow I had learned of a legendary criminal lawyer called Laurence Dowdall who had acted, amongst other high profile cases, in the Peter Manuel trial and in the infamous local Aberdeen Sheila Garvie murder case. His firm at that time had a pre-eminent reputation in the field of criminal law in Scotland, and I decided I had nothing to lose by just writing to them cold and asking them for a job. To my great surprise two of the partners invited me to meet with them for a chat. I started as an assistant solicitor a few weeks later and ended up staying there for eleven years, eventually becoming a partner. In my role and working with the wonderful court lawyers there, who all became the most valued and respected friends, I learned a huge amount about sheriff court work and criminal law practice and developed what seemed to be regarded as a decent professional skill set.

After my having been with them for eleven years, the firm went through a structural and personnel transition, and it coincided with my growing assuredness that I wanted to use the advocacy skills I had acquired in the High Court. I decided that my long-held desire to get a lawyer’s wig on my head had to prevail and I decided I would resign my position as a solicitor, start my pupillage at the Scottish Bar and seek admission to the Faculty of Advocates. An advocate is the Scottish name for the kind of lawyer which in other jurisdictions is called a barrister. Barristers were the trial lawyers whom I had seen in Crown Court.

Pupillage at the Scottish Bar is usually referred to as “devilling” and lasts about a year. During that time there is the challenge of examinations and formal skills tutoring. There is an association for work experience and practical training with a practising advocate who becomes and forever remains one’s “devil master” and mentor. I was very fortunate to gain the agreement of James Peoples to be my devil master, and it went very well. I was delighted and quite astonished to learn during my devilling that he was in fact a Grammar FP! I was admitted as a member of the Faculty of Advocates and called to the Scottish Bar in June 1994.

As a newly-called junior counsel, like every other, I was desperate for work. During devilling there is no salary, grant, allowance or other payment. One has to be self-supporting throughout, which is a challenge and inevitably results in financial stress. Whatever one’s lofty ambitions might be at the start of devilling, by the time one was called, one is willing to sweep the floor of the Advocates’ Library if it generates even a modest fee! But gradually instructions creep in and one starts with baby steps to make appearances in the Court of Session, the supreme civil court and, (more importantly for me) the High Court of Justiciary, the supreme criminal court.

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Unsurprisingly when the stakes in supreme court cases are always high, there is a hierarchy of advocates, from the most recently called junior counsel at basement level to the most highly skilled and vastly talented and experienced senior counsel in the penthouse. The career path involves attempting to climb the long staircases in between.

I was fortunate that my court work as a solicitor had allowed me to make the acquaintance of many solicitors around the country who from time to time had clients in trouble who needed not only a solicitor but an advocate to appear on their behalf in the High Court where the solicitor could not appear himself or herself. The cases were fairly humdrum to start with but every instruction demonstrated not only the goodwill of the solicitor towards me, but a respect for how I would perform for their client. It was the least I could do to try my best and work as hard as I could for them.

In addition to appearing on my own account for clients, from time to time I would be asked to assist very senior members of the bar when they were instructed in the most serious criminal cases and I was thrilled to be the junior counsel to many of the leading counsel of the day. It was often a privilege and an advocacy master class to see and hear how they dealt with the most difficult cases and legal issues and difficult judges. I simply devoured their techniques and ways of doing everything.

Watching and listening was fantastic but nothing beat getting on my feet and representing accused persons myself. As my experience developed and my reputation slowly grew I was fortunate enough to be instructed in my own right in increasingly serious and complex cases. I still made myself available to assist the senior counsel as before but gradually I realised that my own diary was becoming sufficiently busy to make that difficult. I discovered that more and more the cases in which I was being instructed either had a senior counsel on the other side or a senior counsel representing someone also on trial with my client.

In time a very respected senior counsel whom I had often assisted suggested quietly to me that the time had come for me to give up being the junior counsel for others and to concentrate on the most serious cases which I was asked to take on myself. I was rather flattered but apprehensive at giving up an income stream, but with fingers crossed I accepted and acted on his advice.

I was very lucky to find that increasingly I was being instructed in cases being passed on from senior counsel who had become unavailable and I ended up appearing in their place. Most of these cases went reasonably well and soon I discovered that less and less of my work was as a last-minute substitute and more and more as first choice counsel.

By 2007 I had been a junior counsel for thirteen years, and I realised that almost all my work was appropriate for senior counsel. It is the norm in Scotland that in all but the most exceptional cases counsel will not be considered for appointment to the senior bar until they have had thirteen years 44

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or so active practice before the supreme courts. Having amassed the required years and sought the view of trusted friends at the bar and on the judicial bench, I made application and the process began to seek appointment as a Queen’s Counsel.

The process involved my application being submitted to the most senior judge in the Scottish Judiciary, the Lord President and Lord Justice General. After his screening, the application is put out for consultation to the thirty or so judges of the Scottish supreme courts for their observations. The head of the Crown prosecution service, the Lord Advocate, was consulted. The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and the President of the Law Society of Scotland were consulted. It appears that no one put a black ball in the box.

The Lord President then made his own decision on my application and those of others, and made his views known to the First Minister of Scotland. In turn the First Minister made a recommendation to the Queen.

In the summer of 2007 I received a letter from the Scottish Government advising me that the Queen had determined that I was to be admitted to the “Rank and Dignity of One of Her Majesty’s Counsel in Scotland, Learned in the Law”.

It was the news I had sought since my days watching Crown Court and I felt very proud and fortunate to have achieved my ambition.

My first appearance in my different costume brought generous congratulations from the judge in the High Court but he was distracted to recognise that I was actually wearing his old gown! My own had not yet arrived from the tailors and I had had to rake through old court kit in the gown room cupboard! He was very amused. I was rather embarrassed!

In moving from the highest ranks of junior counsel to the lowest rank of senior counsel I found myself on a new staircase which I would need to climb.

Very soon after my appointment as Queen’s Counsel, I agreed to join the Lord Advocate in the Crown Office as a Senior Advocate Depute. Those of us in that position advised the Lord Advocate on operational matters and decided whether serious cases should be prosecuted, prosecuted the most serious cases in the High Court, and appeared for the Crown in the Court of Criminal Appeal. I was also asked to be the Crown Counsel advising the national health and safety division and I dealt with most of the fatal and other very serious industrial incidents both on land and offshore.

The prosecution of serious crime is an incredibly complex exercise. Modern investigative techniques involve scientific and technical evidence unknown to earlier generations of lawyers. Crown and defence lawyers require to become familiar and knowledgeable themselves to be able to lead evidence from and cross- examine witnesses who are experts in those fields. DNA and cyber evidence features in very many trials nowadays and it has become essential to be aware of the relevant science. Thankfully the modest level of scientific

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine knowledge and understanding I had gained at school has so far largely proved sufficient!

In Crown Office I prosecuted many very serious cases, including many murders which attracted a great deal of public interest and media attention. I was faced by the most able professional adversaries and every day was a challenge of law, science, communication and organisation. The background teams in Crown Office do a great job but on occasion things do go wrong and crisis management is another necessary skill!

Being Crown Counsel in the Crown Office is extremely challenging but is a wonderful experience, dealing with a constant flow of serious, high quality court work, and one undoubtedly ends one’s service a better advocate. I served between 2007 and 2011, a typical tour of duty, but it was time to return to the defence bar. Recovering my practice, which had rather slipped away during my defection to the Crown, took a little while, but gradually normality returned, and since 2011 I have continued to practise full time at the bar. I have been fortunate to have been instructed for the defence in some very important and high profile criminal cases. Whatever the outcomes have been, these serious cases never fail to provide a professional challenge with the highest possible stakes for the accused. The weight of responsibility is enormous in such cases, but it is also addictive.

My career has been one of immense interest, challenge and often nervewracking excitement or despair. The fear one feels rising to one’s feet to address a jury and attempting to persuade them to a decision which will be life altering for one’s client is terrifying and almost paralysing, whatever calm exterior one manages to maintain. I have decided that being a Queen’s Counsel has given me such immense personal and professional satisfaction that I really do not want to think about giving it up. The only retirement consideration placed on counsel is maintaining competence and durability to keep going. I sincerely hope that I will be able to keep going for a long while yet before doddering and drooling force me to give it up.

It has been a great career.

Certainly it has been better than working for a living!

Gary Allan KC LL.B (Hons) (1963-76) President AGSFP Club 2007-2008

Search and Rescue – A View from the Office Window

In 2015 there was a significant change to the United Kingdom’s airborne search and rescue cover. Up until this point, search and rescue had been provided by a mix of Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and HM Coastguard helicopters. The UK Government wanted a single service to replace the existing mixed solution and so put the work out to public tender. The contract was for 10-15 years and was

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worth £1.6 bn. The new service would require ten new operating bases stretching from Sumburgh on the Shetland Islands in the north to Newquay in Cornwall in the south and equipped with twenty two new helicopters. The contract was won by Bristow Helicopters Limited and is operated on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Until this contract was won by Bristow Helicopters, I had been flying for them out of Aberdeen to service the various oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. This flying was fairly routine if not on occasion, a little monotonous as one patch of cold grey North Sea looks pretty much like any other. The time when it became interesting was when the weather was bad. Either strong winds or fog always made you work and think a little harder and provided the most rewarding flying.

I was lucky in September 2014 to be selected as one of the pilots to join the new search and rescue base at Inverness and we were to be one of the first two bases to go live on 1st April 2015 along with Humberside. The other eight bases went live on a rolling program over the next twelve months.

Of the ten new bases, five bases were equipped with Sikorsky S92 helicopters and the other five bases were to be equipped with Agusta Westland AW189 helicopters. Each base has two helicopters; a duty aircraft and a spare to allow for scheduled maintenance as required.

All bases operate a 24hr shift pattern which starts at 1pm and we are on 15 minutes readiness. This means that we are required to be airborne within 15 minutes of the tasking call from our controlling authority. From 10pm through to 8am, this readiness extends to 45 minutes and we have bedrooms on the base. From 8am until 1pm we return to 15 minutes readiness.

The duty crew consists of six people; captain, co-pilot, winch operator, winchman/paramedic and two ground-based engineers who look after the aircraft and fix it when we break it. In total, each base has nine pilots, five winch operators, five winchman/paramedics, nine engineers and two support staff.

The aircraft are equipped with the latest avionics to assist with operating in marginal weather conditions and at night. When operating in reduced visibility, we have a radar which can be used to locate vessels and coastlines. Using the radar in conjunction with the autopilot, we can fly an automated “hands-off” approach to permit us to get in very close to the target of interest and then acquire the vessel or coastline visually. This approach is always backed up by the winch operator using the Infrared (IR) or heat-seeking camera to provide a running commentary as the IR camera can often see better than the naked eye of the pilots. The IR camera is also used to search for people, vehicles or vessels at night as it uses the heat differential between the person and their surrounds often to great success.

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For operations at night, we are equipped with Night Vision Goggles (NVG). They work by using some of the light that is nearly always present at night and amplifies it thus allowing the crew a green and black view of the world. The light source could be moon, star or cultural from towns or cities. However, when there is no moon and thick cloud cover prevails, the picture through the goggles can be of limited value. On the up side though, with a full moon in the sky it’s like daylight. Occasionally on such a night I will have a peek under the goggles and see that without the assistance the goggles provide, it’s still as black as your hat out there.

The aircraft is also equipped with a plethora of movable spot lights to allow winch operations and landing at night. In addition, we have a very powerful search light of some 22,500 lumens that can be used to search in addition to the IR camera.

However, even with all this “Gucci” kit that we have, often what works best in daylight is four pairs of the Mark One Eyeball and this is what we use for a daylight search.

Onboard, we also carry a considerable amount of medical equipment for use by the winchman/paramedic. We carry defibrillators, heart monitors, splints, neck braces, oxygen, and two stretchers. The winchman/paramedic is trained to exactly the same standard as those you would meet in a road ambulance; the only difference is that from time to time, they are invited to leave the aircraft in flight and be winched down to the casualty. The winchman/paramedics can also provide pain relieving drugs such as morphine.

Depending on the location of the incident, we will always try and land next to the casualty as this makes life so much easier and it is surprising just where you can actually land a large helicopter. These landings are very much a four-crew effort as the winch operator and winchman can open the cabin doors and give very precise directions to the pilot by looking under the aircraft and at the main and tail rotors. However, if landing is not an option, we will use one of the two winches that are fitted on the right side of the helicopter. They are controlled by the winch operator (the clue is in the job title) who will give precise voice marshalling to the pilot telling us exactly where they want us to permit the winchman to arrive in just the right place. The winch operator has the best view of the main and tail rotors at this point and his look-out and verbal guidance is critical when operating close to a mountain cliff face or a ships mast. If we the pilots don’t exactly follow their verbal directions, they can become quite cross. The winch cable is 300 feet in length and operates at 300 feet per minute so it can take a minute to get the winchman up to the aircraft if we are having to operate with full cable extension.

The flying out of inverness is very varied and although we have HM Coastguard painted on the side of the aircraft, we spend nearly 90% of our time over land or in the mountains as we are very conveniently placed for the Cairngorms, the West Highlands, Ben Nevis and Glen Coe. In addition to any 48

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taskings that we carry out, each base gets fifty hours of flying training allocated each month to allow us to maintain proficiency and currency in all the disciplines required to provide a safe service. Some of these currencies are winching to cliffs and boats by day and night, conducting over-water search patterns, winching persons from the water, mountain flying, instrument flying and simulating a let-down to low level using the radar and IR camera to list but a few.

As of 10th June 2022, Inverness has carried out 2,019 search and rescue taskings since we started operations on 1st April 2015 and nationally, that figure stands at 17,011 across the ten bases.

Every search and rescue tasking is different but often long after the event you can recall who the other crew members were and what went on during the tasking. However, some taskings or even entire shifts last long in the memory and are discussed at length whenever the duty crew composition is the same as the night (it’s always night) in question. For me, one such shift was just before New Year 2015 when Storm Frank was inbound from the Atlantic. We always have a crew briefing just after taking over the watch at lunchtime where we discuss amongst other things, the weather and any training plans that we have. The weather during the afternoon was reasonable but it was going to deteriorate rapidly in the early evening and the Met Office was forecasting winds up to 90 mph on mountain summits accompanied by very heavy rain. I recall saying during the shift hand-over brief that the last place we wanted to be tonight was in the mountains. Oh, how I was to regret that statement some hours later.

The afternoon weather being reasonable, we briefed for a training flight in the Moray Firth to conduct winch training to a boat and also carry out some winching to the cliffs near Wick. This would culminate with a refuel at Wick airport before returning to Inverness to batten down the hatches and watch TV all evening as surely, nobody would venture out in the weather that had been forecast for several days and had been extensively reported on the BBC. However, just as we were landing at Wick, we got a radio call tasking us to Torridon for two crag fast climbers who were un-injured but stuck in a gully on the north side of Sail Mhor which is part of Beinn Eighe.

Following a quick rotors-turning refuel, we set off towards Beinn Eighe. It was now dark (of course it was) and the wind, right on schedule, was steadily starting to increase. At some distance from the casualties, we spotted their flashing torches on our NVG but unfortunately for them, they were too far below the summit in a gully for us to reach them by winch. Also, they were on the wrong side of the mountain in significantly down-drafting winds. As helicopters can’t always achieve a rescue, we often work in partnership with those who can (nearly) always achieve the rescue on foot; the Mountain Rescue.

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The plan was to collect four members of the Torridon Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) and winch them onto the top of Coinneach Mhor allowing them to walk 900 metres along the ridge and descend the gully above the casualties. The wind was now blowing in the region of 50 mph but we could winch the MRT out in relatively smooth air to the summit ridge. This was done fairly easily after we figured out where the turbulence was. The winch operator did however pass comment on how much farther back than normal the MRT were trailing on the winch wire with the wind which indicated that the wind speed was probably increasing as time passed. After the four MRT were in situ, we departed for a very bumpy flight to Plockton airfield to refuel the aircraft and await developments. Just as we were completing the refuel, we got a message saying that the MRT were needing to be rescued because in their words, their situation was untenable. They were recording winds of 75 mph and couldn’t stand up in the buffeting winds.

On our return to Torridon, the wind was certainly now 75 mph but the wind flow had changed over the area that we had previously winched to. As we tried to get into a position to recover them, we were using virtually zero power from the engines but the helicopter was gently climbing with the wind. Quite impressive for a 12-tonne helicopter actually. The reverse of this was true though and as we got a little bit lower and into the down-drafting air, we were using maximum engine power and descending rapidly so had to fly away. After a further couple of attempts, each with similar results, we had to pass the bad news to the MRT that we couldn’t get to them. The MRT then spent a long time literally crawling off the top of the mountain in the dark. The casualties were still stuck in their gully.

It was decided that we would return to Torridon at first light the following morning to attempt round two as there was a small lull in the wind forecast for 8am. On our return, the cloud base was a lot lower than the night before so the best that we could achieve was to move 12 MRT members round to the north side of Beinn Eighe for them to then climb up to the casualties. The wind was now a light breeze at 45 mph and Torridon MRT eventually got the casualties off the hill around 2pm after a very cold and wet night on the hill.

Now back at Inverness and having flown nearly 9 hours by this point, we were just enjoying a cup of tea and looking forward to knocking off and a quiet afternoon when we got tasked to two firemen in Ballater who were trapped by rising flood water.

After another bumpy flight over the Lecht, we arrived overhead Ballater to be confronted and taken aback by flooding of biblical proportions. We quickly located the two firemen on Dee Bank Street (ironically not normally anywhere near the banks of the Dee) who were cut off by the flood waters that were coming down the street above the roofs of the cars. We lowered our winchman who recovered them to the aircraft one at a time. Just after the first casualty came on board the aircraft, I announced that I thought we had a fuel leak as the 50

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smell of jet fuel in the cockpit was overpowering. The winchman quickly pointed out that it was him and the fireman who were causing the smell. All the oil central heating tanks in the flooded part of Ballater and upstream had broken loose and were leaking their oily contents into the flood water and they were now covered in domestic heating oil. Sadly, we had to lower our winchman into this oily water several times during the rest of the flight.

After the two firemen were recovered to the aircraft, we noticed several other people in the village who were in a precarious position and cut off by the flooding and they were also winched to the aircraft. In total we had lifted seven people and one dog in Ballater before we landed on dry ground at the eastern end of the village to drop them off.

We were then tasked to search the caravan park or more accurately, what was left of the caravan park as most of it had been washed away by this point. Thankfully, given the time of year, it seems there was nobody in residence. We searched as long as we could but eventually, we had to go to Braemar to refuel. During the flight to Braemar, the amount of flooding in the Dee valley was striking and it covered the full width of the valley floor. We all agreed that during the transit, we would keep an eye out for anybody in difficulty and about 4 miles east of Braemar, the winchman spotted a car on the road with no dry land nearby. He asked me to come back around for a second look and as we did so, we spotted the driver up to his waist in water next to the car. We were getting rather low on fuel at this point so it was a pretty quick winch down into the trees for our trusty winchman. It was only after recovering the driver that we realised he was in his nineties and had a dog with him. Under normal circumstances, we would have picked up the dog as well but the fuel situation was now getting critical so we had to leave the dog behind.

On arrival at our refuel site at the entrance to Braemar, it became apparent that the field adjacent to the fuel storage was flooded and we had to land in a foot of water. Our winchman was looking after the casualty so I got out to help the winch operator with the refuel. The fuel storage had not actually been flooded but it was very wet and shortly after fuel started to flow into the helicopter, a lot of white smoke and steam came billowing out of the pump area and the system cut out. This short duration had not provided us with enough fuel to reach Aberdeen and as the A93 had been completely washed away at Crathie, it was very important that we get a bit more fuel. So, with trepidation and a due sense of dread, we tried again and managed to squeeze out just enough fuel to reach Aberdeen and no more before the smoke and steam reappeared and the system cut out once again. We quickly shut up shop and ran away bravely.

We loaded ten members of the Braemar MRT who we had been asked to drop off at Aboyne as the road was closed before taking off out of the temporary lochan that we had been parked in and set course for Aboyne. In no time we were there and we landed on the Village Green in the centre of Aboyne where 51

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine we were to drop off the MRT before taking our cold and wet casualty to Aberdeen. However, word came in that a family of four were trapped on the roof of a car at the Aboyne sewage works and they needed rescuing. This really wasn’t in the fuel plan but hey ho. We quickly handed over our casualty to a local ambulance and on the basis of someone pointing roughly in the direction of the sewage works, we took off again to try and locate this family of four. However, it turned out to be just a single person who had driven his car up onto a concrete loading ramp at the sewage farm and was now at least 500 metres from dry land with water raging all around him. Of all the people we picked up that day, he was in the most precarious of positions. Given our fuel state, it was another rapid winch extraction before flying straight to Aberdeen airport. At this point we were all feeling rather weary and a bit shabby round the edges but relieved in the knowledge that the afternoon shift was inbound from Inverness with the spare helicopter to take over from us. We could hear them on the radio so it was time to relax, fill the helicopter with fuel and head back to Inverness in slow time. We could hear the other crew being tasked on the radio to the caravan park at Maryculter where two people were again trapped by the flood water. Then, just when we thought it was all over, we got a message saying that the other aircraft didn’t have enough fuel remaining to conduct the rescue so it was down to us.

Now heavy with fuel and sunset just 20 minutes away (you are not supposed to see two sunsets in a single shift), we taxied out very rapidly and took-off from Aberdeen airport and were at the caravan park in about four minutes. The caravans were scattered all over the place with the force of the water but without a specific location, we were relying on hand gestures from people on the bank of the river to guide us towards the couple who were trapped in their water filled caravan. They were spotted and winched aboard fairly quickly but before we left, we saw a car, fully submerged with its hazard lights and windscreen wipers still going in the caravan park. We thought we better check it out just in case there was anyone inside. Once more our winchman was dunked into the water next to the car and fairly quickly, he established that the car was unoccupied. We departed the scene and took our casualties to Aberdeen airport and this time; it really was over for us.

We flew back high level to Inverness in a bit of a daze and once all the paperwork was done, we realised why. We had been flying for a total of fourteen hours during the shift. It was a record amount of flight time on one shift for each one of us. It was also extremely unusual in that on two occasions during the shift, we had been tasked to rescue the rescuers; the MRT in Torridon and the firemen in Ballater.

Thankfully, days like these are fairly unique but it was great to realise that we had assisted eleven people and one dog that day. Fuel permitting, it would have been two dogs. We had passed the position of the car with the dog to the

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Braemar MRT and later that day, the dog was recovered unharmed and reunited with its owner a few days later.

After 33 years of flying, it is probably unusual to still be as enthusiastic in your work as when you first started but my transfer to search and rescue has given me a renewed enthusiasm for flying that has not diminished in the seven years since I moved to Inverness. This is primarily down to working with a great bunch of people who are working to the common goal of assisting members of the public in difficulty and at the same time, keeping up a very appropriate level of banter and humour. Secondly, the flying task is very diverse and no two days are the same as the area that we cover out of Inverness is a significant portion of the highlands of Scotland and the surrounding coastline. Flying around the Cairngorms and landing on the top of a snow-covered mountain on a clear sunny day provides a stunning view from the office window. However, the less said about the view out of the office window on a dark windy night the better.

Gordon Crookshanks (1979-85)

Stirring Memories of Days in the School Pipe Band

I do not think it was premeditated – and I am not really sure what took me to respond; spur of the moment decisions have never really been my style. Anyway, one morning in September 1967, during my early weeks in Bobo Wilson’s 1W form class, the Rector announced in assembly that the School Pipe Band was looking for recruits. I suddenly decided I would like to be a piper – thus making one of the best decisions of my school career, and perhaps of my life.

I knew I had some aptitude for music. Aged about seven, I taught myself to play some tunes on a mouth organ; perhaps I mistakenly thought piping could be even easier - with nae sookin’ involved. I’d had class recorder tuition since joining Lower School in Primary 5, and so had some rudiments of music notation. Uncle Davie – a relative by marriage – impressed me with his ability to pick a tune on the piano or his accordion and I really wanted to emulate that. There was also some bagpiping tales among long-gone members of my father’s family in Strathdon which may have facilitated discussions when I went home and asked for a chanter.

An initial band meeting revealed how one learned to play tunes on a practice chanter before eventually progressing to bagpipes. So, my mother took me to Neil’s music shop in Queen Street where there was the choice of a black polished chanter (£1; Scottish nationality implied but unstated), or a brown, varnished one (12/6; Pakistani). My Aberdonian mother chose the inexpensive option, disinclined to risk 7/6 extra on my staying power. Younger readers note

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine that 12/6 (read as ‘twelve and six’; meaning 12 shillings and 6 [old] pence) would translate into 62.5 [new] pence upon decimalisation come February 1971. So, aged twelve, I set about learning to play the practice chanter, initially under the tuition of medical student, Bill Fraser, later a GP in Aberdeen. I remember having to unlearn some recorder techniques – such as avoiding finger tips and using straight fingers across the holes and inserting grace notes rather than tonguing the airstream to break up melody notes. Having mastered fingering for the (limited!) nine notes on the chanter, I then learned single, followed by double, grace notes finally progressing to a few idiosyncratic combinations with names like grip, birl and throw on D.

The daily journal I then kept records a visit in February ‘68 by Mr Ronald (Tarzan) McLeod to piping practice; in charge of the School’s Combined Cadet Force, he suggested I’d soon get on to the pipes! Eric Anderson, a classmate with whom I travelled to and from school, decided about then that he’d join the drum corps – and we ended up playing together for the rest of our school days. I progressed to strathspeys and reels as well as marches on my chanter after 6 months tuition – but have no recollection of watching the band perform as I finished First Year.

In September, I was given a set of the School’s pipes – with no reeds. By November, I had a chanter and a (single) drone reed, and by midnight on Hogmanay was ready for my maiden attempt at piping in 1969. That began a continuing, 50+ year habit, spoiled only twice hitherto by winter bugs. I was surely fortunate to have progressed onto the bagpipes as early in 1969 school piping tuition stopped for many months. A little further behind, and I may have given up – but I had just reached a stage where I managed to continue on my own. I made my maiden ascent of the clock tower where the band uniform was kept, and in June played at a school open day and at the annual cadets’ inspection. (I probably missed playing at School Sports by being away on a term-time family holiday – back when such things were possible!).

Into Third Year and I got my own bagpipes – my parents surely now convinced I really was going to be a piper. My first gig was to pipe off travellers on a coach trip (paid with a bag of barley sugar?) and then I played ‘outside Granny’s door’ of her Strathdon heilan’ hame! I escorted my maiden Burnsnight haggis to the slaughter for the Townswomen’s Guild at Inverdee School, repeating the feat days later for the Sunday Club for the Disabled at Summerhill; my fame when a photo of the latter appeared in next Saturday’s Evening Express!

In early 1970, John Buchan (a year my senior and another future doctor) and I set up weekly piping practice. Later in spring, Bill Fraser returned briefly –then hosted a couple of joint sessions with the Robert Gordons’ College pipers. When I played at my first School Sports in early June 1970, we had the benefit of two RGC guests ‘blowing for the other side’. Days later, Tarzan asked me to compose a tune for that year’s Cadets’ Inspecting Officer. I produced my opus

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No1, a simple 2/4 March (with flawed musical notation initially!), and in due course played ‘Welcome to Colonel Crouch’ on inspection day. Stephen Inglis, the first Pipe Major that I’d played with, left school (for a distinguished career as a scientist) and I became his successor. Drum tutor, Russell Gray, back at AGS teaching Geography and would now take on increasing responsibility for pipe band management.

By October in 4th Year, Jack Taylor was our new tutor, another medical student who would become a popular GP in Aboyne. Jack was soon stretching me to learn piobaireachd (more easily read as ‘pibroch’), the nearest there is to classical bagpipe music. With confidence and repertoire growing, I played solo at a YMCA concert in Huntly Street in January. By March, I made my first cabaret contribution to the Scout Commissioner’s party at Templar’s Park. In late May, after O Grades, skiving for band practice began in preparation for the School Sports on June 5th. My Latin Class (survivors’) trip to Hadrian’s Wall likely prevented me from playing at the cadet inspection.

Into year 5 and, as well as Jack Taylor’s school sessions, I was invited to practise with the University Officers Training Corps at their Bedford Road HQ; Jack was now Pipe Major and my first OTC band outing would be at the Armistice parade and inspection at Kings College just before higher estimates. In December I played at a Christmas party for the pensioners of Scottish Agricultural Industries where my father worked.

With 1972 safely piped in, news broke of a huge OTC gig for a long-time football fan: we were to play at Pittodrie at a Scottish Under-23 International! That meant Sunday band practice and a Wednesday afternoon square-bashing, propelled masochistically into the dubby puddles at Bedford Road by a professional Scots Guard. That same evening I was piping as I lapped the hallowed turf where, as a youngster, I had lapped up the heroic endeavours of Tubby Ogston, Charlie Cooke and Ernie Winchester. Some 25 years later, that glorious night would allow me to momentarily impress my son’s football chums at Kingswells Primary by recounting how I once played for Scotland at Pittodrie.

Further international sporting achievement followed in March when the OTC band played at North Seaton for a Men’s Home Nations Hockey tournament; that evening I was back among the cabaret at the Scout Commissioner’s party. I had started my Highers when I played with the OTC Band round the Students’ Charities Torcher circuit in April – a test of stamina, swathed in tunic, kilt and plaid. Highers completed, band practice had barely resumed when a third great event in my (short) career as a sports piper occurred in early June. Would I play the following day at the wedding of a neighbour, Lynda Pirie, when she married Dons centre half and emerging footballing legend, Willie Young! He and I had shared our Under-23 international debut on the same night just weeks before. Overnight, I wrote a four-part, 2/4 march (aptly, if unimaginatively, 55

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine named ‘Lynda’s Wedding’) to play on Greyfriars Church steps the following afternoon.

After presiding over prize giving the following week, Air Marshall Sir Leslie Mavor (1923-33) (while co-incidentally current President of AGSFPs) then inspected the Combined Cadet Force in the afternoon with our populous 13piece band providing the musical backdrop. As the last notes faded, the Pipe Major departed the scene on an overnight cricket trip to Fort Augustus Abbey School. The term ended – and for anyone wondering - my only note, dated 26/5, on school sports that summer ‘Mr Falconer does not want the band to play’; I recorded no further explanation – nor did I use his actual name in my journal!

The first weekend into 6th year, I played my cousin’s bride from her home to Dyce Parish Church. In September I was sent from school as a physiology specimen at Marischal College. International visitors attending a conference were to witness the sight and sound of me playing with pipes connected to gadgets measuring pressure, volume, and CO2 concentration of the airflow! I have no idea if my maiden foray into physiological monitoring pleased anyone else – but the pound note received for my troubles would pay for five, halfgallon refills of 2-star for my Vespa 90! November meant another Armistice outing with the OTC; this time there was a band photograph taken at Kings. I had once seen this picture in the Schoolhill window of Reid & Pearson’s old shop. However, it was only a few years ago I was given a copy by retired Army Colonel Jim Duffus with whom I had long-since played in both School and OTC bands.

In December, I played in another concert (in aid of Scout funds) at the Cowdray Hall, compered by local legend John Mearns, and was back at the SAI Pensioners’ Christmas party. Having lately started seeing quines, I piped in 1973 up George Street in Yvonne’s pal Audrey’s Granny’s tenement! My last cabaret slot at Templar’s Park came in March before Bursary Competition and SCE Exams distracted me for weeks as I turned 18 (and the School Sports again avoided the band). On 7th June, at the Royal Darroch Hotel in Cults I piped in an unseasonal haggis at a special luncheon for guests of ‘the World Fertiliser Society’ who had been visiting SAI. I got a £5 (!!!) record token for a performance lasting maybe 100 seconds – my lifetime record hourly rate! That evening a 6th Year dance in the Winsor Court concluded with a long walk back to Kincorth. I was a bit jaded as I read the lesson at assembly next morning –then I left the school for the final time as a pupil. The Friday afterwards, I got a half day off my summer job to lead the School band in one final performance at the Cadet Inspection.

By the end of August, with my focus on university preparations, I packed up my uniform, including the Pipe Major’s scarlet tunic and pennant, and returned them to school. I have no recollection of who they may have gone to next, or knowledge of how much longer the band, or the Combined Cadet Force, 56

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survived. Any residual band equipment remaining in its customary chamber up the clock tower must surely have perished in the 1986 fire; I wonder whether anyone knows.

What I can report with authority, however, is that a 1967 AGS piping recruitdestined to play for the School, Scotland and the World during three years as Pipe Major - can still get a tune out of his pipes in his 50th year after leaving. Of the abundance of great gifts and opportunities the old school bestowed on him, attainment of some competence on the bagpipes was unquestionably among the greatest.

Ken McHardy (1964-73)

Golden Oldies Rugby

Throughout Scotland, for decades, over 35’s have played rugby under various names – Old Boys, Old Crocks, Buffties etc ( at Grammar, for example, the driving forces were the legends who were - Ron Comber, Douglas Georgeson, Dick Cradock, Graeme Craig etc). However, through the 60’s and 70’s, there was no structure to Golden Oldies Rugby in Scotland. Since 1985, Aberdeen Strollers had been the only Team from Scotland taking part in World and European Golden Oldies Festivals (apart from Dunfermline RFC in 2004, who participated in the Benidorm EGOR Festival and Forrester Rubies who took part in the 2010 World Festival, in Sydney) but in September 2008, sixteen Scottish Teams took to the field at Murrayfield, Edinburgh to enjoy the 17th World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival and the associated - Fun, Friendship and Fraternity. Following the very successful 17th Air New Zealand Festival where over 3000 persons from 18 Countries participated, a meeting was held at Murrayfield to discuss the future of Golden Oldies Rugby in Scotland, organised by the President of the European Golden Oldies Rugby Committee and Member of the World Festival Local Organising Committee - Dave McDonald. The meeting was chaired by the then SRU President - Jim Stevenson - who played in the World Festival in a conglomerate team made up of the Swiss Gnomes from Zurich and Chiba Ken from Nagasaki.....which won Jim over to the Golden Oldies Rugby ethos. Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby became a properly constituted organisation and joined European Golden Oldies Rugby, which in 2002, was recognised as the official European Golden Oldies Rugby Organisation, at the AGM of FIRA / AER ( now Rugby Europe ) in Paris. Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby also became an Associate Member of the Scottish Rugby Union. It was agreed that Area Representatives should contact all the Golden Oldies teams in their region and generate games and following further discussion, it was decided that the first Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, sponsored by – The Famous Grouse - would take place 57

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine in April, 2009. The venue was Perthshire RFC’s ground at the Inches and this festival was developed very successfully, as part of the legacy of the 17th World Golden Oldies Rugby Festival. All the Festival Trophies, which were presented at each Festival, were purchased as the result of a most generous donation to Dave McDonald by the late Dr J R S ‘Donny‘ Innes….a winning captain of a successful Calcutta Cup team in 1948 and a former President of the SRU. He was elected as an Hon Vice President of Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby, along with Jim Stevenson at the first SGOR Annual General Meeting. A cup, in Donny’s memory, is presented to the Festival’s Oldest Player! ( At the 2022 Festival, the Oldest Player, was 93 years young - Alastair Urquhart Esq !! ) Each President of the SRU, becomes the Hon President of Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby during their Term of Office, and thereafter, they may be elected as an Hon Vice President. Another Cup, donated by SGOR stalwart –Alastair Urquhart Esq – is awarded to the second oldest festival player. We play in ' Festivals ' …not - ' Tournaments '.....there are no trophies for winning, as everyone "is a winner, by participating " !!

However, there are awards for the 'Sportiest Team / Best Supported Team / Spirit of the Festival….and even one, for the best referee ' !!

Teams are now playing Golden Oldies Rugby the length and breadth of Scotland and a number of new clubs have been formed over the years….and some clubs have been revamped. At each Scottish Festival, teams have been attracted to participate for the first time …….. Long may it continue !! The 10th Anniversary Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby Festival, was held at the Home of Aberdeen Wanderers RFC, after four years of unforeseen postponements. Information on forming a new Golden Oldies Team, along with the required criteria for hosting a festival is available on the Websitewww.pitchero.com/clubs/ scottishgoldenoldiesrugby - and if any Club, or group of Clubs feel they can organise a future Festival, or you wish to find your nearest Golden Oldies Team……or even set up a new one…….please contact –goldiesrugby@gmail.com. Also, if anyone wishes to promote their business at future festivals, with any form of sponsorship or Festival Brochure Advertising, please contact myself……details below. SGOR needs venue options for 2023. Join Us, on Facebook. Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby. More can be found out about Golden Oldies Rugby on YouTube …..a few years ago, along with three Media Students from Robert Gordon University, a Video was made - Golden Oldies Rugby - an Introduction. …… it is well worth a look!

Yours in Fun, Friendship and Fraternity………

Dave McDonald (1961-67)

President Scottish Golden Oldies Rugby, European Golden Oldies Rugby, goldiesrugby@gmail.com

Folkestone Channel Rotary Club

Service Above Self

No doubt, many of you will be familiar with Rotary Clubs and, indeed, may be members yourselves so these are reflections based on my experience of Folkestone Channel Rotary Club which is based on the Kent coast near Dover. Let me start by saying Rotary is not all hard work. We have a lot of fun with social events, tours of the historic pubs on Romney Marsh and visits with our great friends in the Mechelen Rotary Club in Belgium. In my thirty plus years in Rotary there has never been a dull moment! I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to engage with the local community and if you have only limited time speak to your local Rotary Club about volunteering on a more casual basis. They’ll be delighted to hear from you.

Firstly, a bit of background. There are approximately 1,250,000 Rotarians worldwide in around 46,000 Clubs spread over nearly every country. We were founded in Chicago in 1905 by a farsighted attorney called Paul Harris who brought together a group of local business people for friendship and to provide support to the community. One of their first projects was to create a mobile doctor’s surgery which travelled through the poorer districts of Chicago providing advice and assistance. This concept of community service spread rapidly and before long there were similar Clubs in other USA cities and further afield. The first Clubs in the UK included London in 1911, Edinburgh 1912, Aberdeen 1916 (with Lord Provost James Taggart as its first President) and Glasgow 1919 with Sir Harry Lauder as one of its notable members. Folkestone Channel Rotary - was founded in 1980 and is known locally as ‘Young Rotary’ to distinguish it from the original Folkestone Rotary Club which started life in 1923.

Our founder Paul Harris was a man of great vision and a powerful influence on the worldwide growth of Rotary International under its motto of ‘Service Above Self’. Possibly he was influenced by his wife Jean who was Edinburgh born and bred and who he met by accident after she moved to the USA to work as a nanny. He had other connections with Scotland and its culture. For example, he was a devotee of the poems of Robert Burns. Among his favourites were ‘A Man’s A Man For A That’ and ‘To A Louse’ (‘O wad some Power the giftie gie us / To see oursels as ithers see us!’). Fittingly, the highest 59

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine honour for a Rotarian is the award by his or her club of a Paul Harris Fellowship

Today Rotary International provides leadership and guidance and this cascades down through National and District levels which provide light touch guidance and direction to individual clubs. Within the constitution clubs have considerable freedom to make decisions and decide what form their community service will take.

So who are Rotarians and what do they do? Basically we are people from the local community of all backgrounds who provide help locally, nationally and internationally in cases of need, hardship and disaster. This help may be financial, social, special needs or hands-on using our own skills. The driving force is our pleasure in helping the community and the strong friendship this builds among our members. Here are some snap shots from Folkestone Channel Rotary and its forty members.

Fund Raising And Donations

Since we were founded 42 years ago, we’ve raised over £1million for charity ranging from a few pounds to provide smoke alarms for elderly residents to £100,000 to buy, equip and manage a mobile Life Education classroom to inform 11,000 local primary school children of the risks and choices of the modern world. This means organising major, annual fund raising events including a Golf Day for 200 golfers, a Bike Ride with a choice of 100, 70, 50 and 30 mile circular routes centred on a fine, local pub, a Triathlon for 200-300 athletes including a sea swim, a Giant Quiz Night for 50 or so teams and a Sleep Out in support of charities for the homeless. With the exception of the Quiz Night, we were able to continue all these events during Covid in a fully compliant format. We also topped up gaps in our funding with slightly mad events like persuading one of our members to swim in the sea outside his house every day in November raising several £000s. So far, since July 2021 over 50 charities, schools and the like have benefitted from donations amounting to nearly £40,000.

Supporting Youth and Young Carers

As you will have heard on the news, Folkestone and Dover are popular places for cross Channel migrants. Rotary is non-sectarian, non-political and nonreligious so we provide assistance when needed to groups that work with migrant children to help integrate them into the community. Also, each of our local schools has a Rotary liaison person who will arrange assistance as needed. During the pandemic we purchased computers and additional technology. We also provide regular careers talks and mock job interviews. Separately, there are over 900 registered young carers in our locality for whom leisure time is very rare. We unite with the other three local Rotary Clubs to provide much needed, fun days out for these selfless youngsters. These include things like pantomime trips, a large summer barbecue and visits to the local funfair at

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Dymchurch by travelling there and back on the famous Romney Marsh miniature railway.

Covid

Rotary Clubs throughout the UK volunteered their help with Covid vaccination centres. At four days’ notice, using social media, Channel Rotary provided 100 volunteer marshals for our two Folkestone vaccination centres which were to conduct an amazing 250,000 vaccinations working twelve hours a day, seven days a week. We built our own system to manage the marshals who had reached 700 by the end of the campaign and hosted the system on the Channel Rotary website. It was an amazing effort – one of the things you can’t imagine doing until you have to – and our Channel Rotary Coordinator was introduced to the Princes Royal when she visited Dover Castle to personally thank the Kent Covid response team.

End Polio Now

In the mid 1980’s, polio was endemic in over 100 countries and ruined the lives of nearly 400,000 children and adults every year. As its gift to humanity for our 100th anniversary, Rotary decided to eradicate this awful disease. It has taken longer than planned, slowed by world financial crises and insurgencies in polio prone countries like Afghanistan and Nigeria, but today we are 99.99% completed. Rotary clubs world wide have raised over £1billion to fund the programme and are working with UNICEF and the Gates Foundation to complete the job.

To find out more: www.channelrotary.wordpress.com

Duncan Hopkin (1955-61).

Editor’s note - Duncan was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship award for services to Rotary International’s worldwide ‘End Polio Now’ campaign to rid the world of polio.

William Watt of Aberdeen

In the Aberdeen Grammar School Roll of Pupils 1795-1919, it is recorded that William Watt attended Class I for the 1858-59 school year. He was born twelve years earlier at Droichsburn, a croft on Dorsell farmland in the Vale of Alford, the eldest of four children. His father, also called William Watt, earned his living as a handloom weaver, with occasional farm work, but had wider horizons as Secretary of the Rhynie Mutual Instruction Union. In 1853, aged 29, he sold his weaving business and moved to Aberdeen, having been recruited by William McCombie to join a team of fledgling journalists on the newly established Aberdeen Free Press. The family followed but their father’s health was poor due to phthisis (or tuberculosis as it became known) and within a year his wife Isabel Elmslie was a widow.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The family stayed in Aberdeen and the young William entered the Grammar School, located at that time in a one-storey building in Schoolhill, as attended by Byron 60 years previously (the present school buildings opened in 1863). When his brother John died in July 1859 followed by his mother in October of that year, both from phthisis, William left the Grammar School, an orphan and the eldest of three siblings. Most probably they were looked after by their mother’s family who were farmers at Cardenstone in Leochel Cushnie. Setting out in the world, William became an apprentice to J&J Urquhart, chemists and druggists in St Nicholas Street, Aberdeen. In a bold step he moved at age 19 to a similar position at Dudley in the West Midlands, but his main interest was in journalism, following his father’s example, and having taught himself shorthand, which was an unusual skill at the time, he took up journalist jobs in Dudley, and then with the Norwich Mercury and Dundee Courier.

In 1872 he returned to Aberdeen, at the instigation of William Alexander, his father’s former colleague on the Aberdeen Free Press, beginning as a sub-editor but soon progressing to joint proprietor and editor, a position he held until his death 34 years later.

The 1870s and early 1880s were a torrid time for agricultural politics in the North East. There were three main interest groups – landowners, tenant farmers and farm labourers. Huge improvements were underway. The big questions were who were making the improvements and who would benefit when leases came to an end. The Aberdeen Free Press, led by William Alexander, by then ex-joint editor and author of the Doric novel Johnny Gibb of Gushetneuk, took the side of tenant farmers, while the Aberdeen Journal supported the landowners. (in 1922 the two papers would merge as The Press and Journal)

In 1876 the Aberdeen Journal had become a daily paper, like the Aberdeen Free Press in 1872, countering what was described as ”the pernicious influence” of the Liberal papers by starting up a penny daily in the Conservative interest. The driving force behind the venture was Colonel Thomas Innes of Learney, who explained his interest in a letter to his neighbour Alexander Innes of Drum

“The most important omission was not being alive to the great change which within the last few years has been coming over the tenant constituency…The construction of a system of railways in the county centring in Aberdeen and the penny newspapers have converted them from a most passive and docile into a

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most active and jealous constituency, and they cannot be managed thro’ their lairds as formerly.”

Mass meetings of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of tenant farmers were reported in the Aberdeen Free Press. Matters came to a head in 1886 when Aberdeenshire was rejected as “the 8th crofting county” and excluded from the benefits and protections of the Liberal Government’s Croft Holdings Bill. From then on, as Ian Carter commented in his book Farm Life in North East Scotland 1840-1914, the northeast peasantry was doomed. Unlike the Irish Land Acts of 1870 and 1881, there was to be no shift in the balance of interest and power from landlords to tenants. When Liberal Prime Minister Gladstone lost the 1886 general election, land reform fell off the political agenda, which was dominated for the next three decades by the issue of Irish Home Rule. The Aberdeen Free Press became less radical.

William Watt wrote “miles” of leading articles for the paper, witnessing and recording events in what he later described as “the wondrous developments of the time” as Aberdeen moved from mid-century economic depression to the huge changes and challenges of the late Victorian age.

In a lecture to the Aberdeen Philosophical Society in 1900 entitled Fifty Years’ of Progress in Aberdeen (available on the Electric Scotland website, see below) he recalled the building on arches of Union Street, Market Street and Rosemount Viaduct, the harbour improvements, the city’s water supply, the railway boom and bust (“It was on the 16th of March 1850 that the first railway train crossed the Dee”), and the textile, papermaking, granite, shipbuilding and fishing industries (there were no fishing boats in Aberdeen harbour until the 1870s).

He was also what is nowadays called a features journalist, reflecting his interests in statistics, as a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and economics, as a founding member of the British Economic Association. In his prize-winning Newmarch Essay, he analysed recent legislation in terms of its content, intentions and subsequent effects, expressing the view that “hastily conceived legislation, reflecting political expediency in the face of agitation and outrage could, by ignoring economic principles, have unintended and contrary effects.”

One of the economic principles that Watt held close was Adam Smith’s observation, in his Wealth of Nations, that economic progress is best served by the multiple effects of individuals acting out of self-interest. He argued that measures that restrained such self-interest were likely to be counterproductive. As a self-made man with business interests – he chaired the Board of the Aberdeen, Leith and Moray Firth Steam Ship Company, and was vice-chair of the Bon Accord Property Investment Company – it is not difficult to see how this argument might have appealed but it may also be important to consider the times in which William Watt lived, involving huge technological and social 63

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine improvements, especially in agriculture, which had become hugely more productive in his lifetime. Such improvements required investment in a range of land improvements, which were much easier to finance and deliver in large farms than in large numbers of smallholdings.

In addition to economic issues he wrote a series of authoritative papers on fishing topics such as the Natural History of the Herring, On Developing the Oyster Fisheries of Scotland and The History and Statistics of the Herring Industry in Norway and Sweden, which are still notable for their readability and command of subject.

While local industries came and went (as they continue to do) the enduring factor was the character of the people. In his magnum opus, a 500 page history of the Counties of Aberdeen and Banff (also available on the Electric Scotland website, see below), he concluded,

“Education may accordingly be regarded as the most distinctive of the industries of Aberdeen, and the yearly output of disciplined minds as the most important of its products…..And thus it is as true today as it was five or six generations ago, that the “natural ingenuity” of the inhabitants is “improved by education, at once accessible and effective, along the whole line from the elementary to the higher academic stages; and the shires of Aberdeen and Banff continue to send far more than their proportionate number of men into the learned professions and the higher grades of the public service throughout the empire.” Although he did not live to know it, his own descendants would bear out this prescription.

His first wife, Helen Nicolson, whom he married while working in Dundee, died from complications of miscarriage shortly after they returned to Aberdeen in 1873.

In 1876 he married again, to Marjorie Robertson. They honeymooned in Paris and started married life at 134 Crown Street, before moving to 27 North Albert Street.

Her seven brothers all attended Aberdeen Grammar School. Four went on to Aberdeen University, including Croom Robertson (Professor of Philosophy at University College London, founding editor of the journal Mind, and friend and walking companion of Leslie Stephen – father of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf), two senior members of the Indian Civil Service (one of whose sons became an Oxford don, personal history tutor to the future Edward VIII and Principal of the University of Birmingham) and Alexander Robertson, Aberdeen’s first Public Librarian who oversaw the setting up and opening in 1892 of the Public Library on Rosemount Viaduct, with the support and attendance of Andrew Carnegie.

Marjorie bore William three sons, Edward, George and Theodore, but died aged 39 in 1888 from an ovarian tumour and renal abscess when they were aged 10, 9 and 4 respectively. William re-married their close friend Mary Martin and moved to 17 Queen’s Road (later, the boarding house of Albyn 64

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School for Girls). At 01.30 on 19th September 1891 she gave birth to a stillborn child. At 07.00 she was pronounced dead from post-partum haemorrhage. William Watt’s fourth wife, Agnes Glegg, survived him. His sons all went to the Grammar School and Aberdeen University. Edward Watt became a journalist, a Lieutenant Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders in World War I, a local politician, city treasurer and finally Lord Provost, raising the final £100,000 to complete the new Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at Foresterhill and assisting the Duke of York (the future George VI) in the opening ceremony in 1936.

George was first bursar in the 1897 University of Aberdeen entrance examination, and later a Cambridge graduate and Professor of Philosophy and Greek, first at Aberdeen University and then Presidency College, Calcutta.

Theodore became Managing Director of the Rosemount Press (the printing offshoot of the Aberdeen Free Press) which joined with Aberdeen University Press in 1932, President of the British Federation of Master Printers and, for 40 years, the Editor of the Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine, with its celebrated Notes about Old Boys, which he managed to publish three times a year.

A further five grandsons and two great grandsons of William Watt attended the Grammar School. The three generations that followed him included three Senior Prefects, four Presidents of the FP Club and four recipients of Honorary Degrees from Scottish Universities.

The latter included Donald Watt, Professor of Scottish Church History at the University of St Andrews, principal editor and translator of the Scotichronicon, a 9-volume history of medieval Scotland (“He is not a Scot who does not like this book”) and Harold Watt, Managing Director of the University Press who was responsible in 1977 for the first publication of The Living Mountain by his neighbour Nan Shepherd, now widely acclaimed as a classic text on walking in the Cairngorms.

Four generations of Watts were members of the Cairngorm Club, including two of its Presidents. In his 1894 diary, Theodore Watt, aged 10, recorded a family ascent of Ben Macdui.

An elder of Rubislaw Parish Church, William Watt is listed on the brass plate of original benefactors of the new Aberdeen Art Gallery, which opened in 1885.

As the offices of the Aberdeen Free Press were in St Katherine Wynd, between Broad Street and Union Street, on a site later occupied by Esslemont and Mackintosh, his daily walk or tram ride to work and nightly return involved Queen’s Road, Albyn Place and the length of Union Street.

Theodore Watt’s 1898 diary records Sunday afternoons at 17 Queens Road when his father read to his family from a variety of authors including Carlyle, Scott and Emerson, the latter’s essay on Self-Reliance not so much about being 65

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine self-taught and self-made as being of independent mind, with a strong moral compass with which to engage life’s ups and downs.

William Watt died suddenly, aged 59, in 1906 from peritonitis following a ruptured appendix. Ironically, the Rector of the University at that time, the London surgeon Sir Frederick Treves, had pioneered the successful surgical treatment of appendicitis, famously postponing the coronation of Edward VII in 1902 so that he could perform an appendicectomy on the king.

In the premature deaths of his parents, siblings and wives, William Watt was, in Robert Louis Stevenson’s phrase, a “veteran of affliction”. A century later all could have been prevented by medical treatment.

He is buried with his fourth wife in the south west corner of Allenvale Cemetery, next to a copse of trees, directly opposite the gravestone of his second and third wives. Beginning an uncompleted autobiography, William Watt wrote, In proceeding to write a sketch of my life, which I do in the autumn of 1884, I am not vain enough to think that my past or future achievements will be of much interest to the busy world. I write not with a view to publication but in order that my own family may have a trustworthy record, so far as it goes, of who I was and what I did and thought, of how I began life, and how, without the advantages of birth, education or patronage, I rose by degrees to a position of comfort, and I may perhaps say of some little importance and influence in the world. And I desire and enjoin those who may come after me that this manuscript, if not sent to the printer, shall be carefully preserved for the perusal of my children’s children, with whom throughout these pages, I shall consider myself as conversing. The picture shows all that remains of the Droichsburn croft in the Vale of Alford is a pile of stones

Writing 138 years later, for the grandchildren of the grandchildren of William Watt of Aberdeen, it is a pleasure to tell this tale of personal tragedy, adversity, fortitude, achievement and influence.

Professor Graham Watt (1957-70) MD FRCGP FRSE FMedSci CBE

Note : William Watt’s writing can be accessed via the Electric Scotland website https://electricscotland.com/history/aberdeen/Fifty-years-of-progress.pdf https://electricscotland.com/history/70/aberdeen/chapter14.htm

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The Call of the Wild: The AGS Effect

Anyone connected with Aberdeen Grammar School in the late 60s/early 70s and browsing through the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s record of early Munro compleators, those who have conquered all of Scotland’s peaks over 3000 feet, will be immediately struck by the number of familiar names amongst the first 200 on that list (there are now over 7,000). From the teaching staff at the time, they might recognise Donald Hawksworth, Ian Stephen, Ian Spence and from the pupil ranks, Robin Grant, Andrew Nisbet, Ken McLean and Alf Robertson.

As a pupil in those far off days, I didn’t appreciate fully how lucky we were to have such enthusiastic and highly competent crew running the school hillwalking club, guiding us expertly, teaching us mountain craft and above all instilling in us a lifelong love of the outdoors in general and the Scottish Highlands in particular. Our monthly expeditions, winter and summer regardless of the weather, ranged from short, often snowy, ascents of nearby summits like Bennachie and the Hill of Fare, to full-on 4-5 day adventures tackling some seriously challenging routes such as the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe, the Cuillins of Skye and all night treks through Glen Tilt and the Lairig Ghru. In these times of risk aversion and fear of liability, given the, fortunately very rare, disasters that have befallen ill-prepared school parties, parents and teachers could be forgiven for playing safe, but it would be sad if the young people of today and tomorrow missed out on such opportunities. This was one of many topics of conversation when a group of us met up in 2014 at an unofficial school reunion, expertly organised by Rick Brown. The event was for the year group who left in 1970 – I recall that the strapline for our leavers ball that year was “Goodbye AGS” a reference not just to our departure but also the school name, which was changing to Rubislaw Academy the following year. Graham Watt, Ken McLean, Grant Alexander and I had all been stalwart members of the hillwalking club (as well as entering Primary 1 together at AGS in 1957, 65 years ago) but had not seen each other for more than 40 years, and we soon fell to reminiscing about our mountain experiences, the good and the occasional distinctly hairy times. Each of us had retained our love of the mountains, that priceless legacy given to us by those amazingly dedicated AGS teachers, but the pressures of demanding careers, families, and, in my case at least, a location in the south of England, had sadly restricted our opportunities.

Towards the end of that very jolly evening at the Atholl Hotel, no doubt assisted by a glass or two, we hatched the idea of getting together once again for a few days hill walking in Glencoe. We agreed on a number of key criteria for success: plenty of laughter, decent food and drink, comfortable

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine accommodation, and a couple of moderately challenging routes. As Ken McLean had already done all the Munros almost twice, and the rest of us were too far off completion for it to be practical in our remaining years, we agreed that quality rather than quantity should be our guide for selection of peaks. Above all, however, was a requirement that we did not trouble Mountain Rescue Services and consequently that our names should be kept out of the papers.

In the event that first trip, in May 2015, got off to a somewhat rocky start with a mix up on Day 1 that resulted in our party splitting in two almost immediately and losing each other in perfect visibility. All turned out well, but, reflecting afterwards on what went wrong (too busy chatting; omitting to share mobile phone numbers at the outset; and, crucially, not being aware of who was ahead of whom as we drifted apart in undulating terrain) we were reminded of some useful lessons. One might say they were schoolboy errors, but I suspect that would do our much younger selves an injustice. In spite of the false start it was a hugely enjoyable experience, and we agreed on another trip the following spring to Carrbridge, as a base for walking on the Cairngorm plateau. This time the weather was far less kind, and our first day attempt on Ben Macdui, following a calm if somewhat damp ascent of Cairngorm, was thwarted by gale force winds and a major blizzard, an important reminder of the capriciousness of weather on Scotland’s hills, and the need for prudence at all times, especially in view of our advancing years.

From that point on we were hooked, and with retirement in prospect for all of us, we decided on a regular routine, rigorously maintained, of booking a 2-3 day walking trip every May and every September/October. These timings were chosen partly for family reasons, but mostly with the aim of avoiding the midge season (largely successful), while hoping for decent weather (only partially successful). In 2018 we were joined by another of our old school fellows, Harry McFarlane, again a member of the same AGS primary cohort, making an extremely convivial regular party of five on the hill. For the most part we aim to climb peaks but if the weather is against us, we are quite happy to choose a low-level walk. On our most recent trip to the Cuillins of Skye in May, for example, scarily high winds kept us off the ridge, but we agreed that a wonderful walk around the island of Raasay with fabulous views of the Cuillin and the mountains of Torridon, topped off with a beer at the Raasay Hotel, of Dr Johnson fame, was easily as enjoyable.

Now for some statistics:

Trips completed: 13, with destinations ranging from Arran, Braemar, Dunkeld, Glencoe, Oban, Skye, Kingussie, Kintail, Lochinver and Skye.

Ascents: 46 in all including 33 Munros.

Failed peak attempts: Several

Injuries sustained: None

Beers: Many

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Highlights: Too many to list, but one in particular stands out;

In 1966 the AGS hillwalking club set off to climb Ben Lawers on a grey, damp and drizzly autumn day. As we neared the summit ridge, the sky above began to brighten and then bit by bit patches of blue appeared. By the time we reached the ridge we were basking in glorious sunshine with breathtaking 360 degree views of all of Scotland’s major peaks poking up through a dense layer of perfectly flat cloud. Then walking along the sharp ridge towards the top we became aware of our shadows cast on the cloud base below, each with a perfect rainbow halo – the magical Brocken spectre effect, which none of us had ever experienced before, or even heard of.

Stephen Inglis (1957-70)

In 2016, exactly 50 years on, our revived walking group chanced to be setting off to climb Ben Lawers once again. The day was initially unpromising with a thick damp mist all around as we set off. As we climbed, the mist began to thin and we became aware of a perfect arc of white mist, tinged with rainbow colours against the bright blue sky – a fogbow, another rare and beautiful sight never experienced before. Spooky!

Life in the Oilfield

Like many in the early 80’s in Aberdeen the lure of money, equal time off and the chance for overseas travel was what pushed me into the oilfield. I paid a healthy sum at the time to get my CV typed professionally with a covering letter and distributed it by post to all the companies I could find in the ’Yellow Pages’ and eagerly awaited replies.

A few days later I received a call from the Human Resources Manager at Halliburton who berated me for omitting to put my telephone number on the application and stating I was lucky that he took time to look me up in the phone book. So rather sheepishly I turned up for the interview with my degree, dissertation and offshore safety certificate in hand at their area offices in Lime Street. The interview went well and after walking home I received a call offering me a position as a ‘Cement Trainee’ and to come in the next day to sign my employment contract and get a chit for my safety gear from

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Hogatoggs. This I promptly did and along with chit, received a check in time of 06:00 for the following day to the Western Pacesetter II. That was it and less than forty eight hours after a phone call I was stepping on the first rig of many during the next thirty plus years.

Cementing was a strange discipline in the oilfield, pumping huge amounts of liquid cement down the iron casing and up around the annulus of the newly drilled hole to isolate zones before drilling could continue. Big equipment, big engines, heavy iron with lots of valves, complex chemistry and far more technically challenging than I first imagined ….so much to learn. Cement schools took place in Beula House in Great Yarmouth and were intense but it was great fun in the Garibaldi pub after lessons. In 1985 I was sent to Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma on the company’s engineering programme. For a year I lived out of a Ford LTD car, hotel rooms, land and offshore rigs. It was the best of training programmes in the oilfield as the volume and scope of disciplines increased across all of the well construction and production processes. One memorable time was in Louisiana where there was a hurricane coming in and we were helicoptered from rig-to-rig setting storm valves as the hurricane entered the gulf. Getting in about four hours before the hurricane hit Lafayette was just enough time to load up with beer for the hurricane party in the hotel. The problem with this was later the next day I had to go back on the helicopter and un-set them all with a hangover from hell!

After training in the USA, I spent more time in the office designing programmes but still offshore for critical jobs and new technologies. One of them was ASR core analysis which was quite technical but in short involved taking cores on the rig and sticking them in a machine that looked like a torture instrument, monitoring their relaxion, then from a lot of equations work out the stress directions in the formation downhole. This took me to Alaska in December 1988. The only way we could get the ASR equipment into Alaska was to hand carry it with me, so two huge suitcases checked in on Aberdeen to Paris then over the pole to Anchorage. Clearing customs in Alaska was fun and I had to crack some jokes with the customs officer on what I ‘’would not stick into this instrument’’ to get them through. Next was a turboprop to Deadhorse and then a drive across the ice to a Parker Rig drilling on the ice in the middle of the Barents Sea. It was so weird thinking I was driving over a sea! As the core was relaxing so did I and I drove for miles out on the ice in the constant darkness. I didn’t see the sun for three weeks but saw some amazing northern lights, starry skies and experienced -50C temperatures.

The next year I was offered a live-in position in Luanda, Angola as District Engineer. Angola was still in the height of a civil war, curfew, little power, irregular water supplies and occasional bombs. There were lots of very dodgy flights into Soyo, Cabinda and Banana in Zaire to land in offshore locations. Continual police and customs issues necessitated a couple of difficult nights locked up and bitten to bits in jails that would make Lodge Walk look like a 70

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Hilton - however the whole experience was unique. I was in Angola for many memorable world events including the release of Nelson Mandela, the fall of the Soviet bloc, the Angolan first peace accord finally being signed and Scotland winning the Grand Slam in 1990.

I shall start with the most important one. With beer iced, spare batteries and short wave radio, we headed to the Luanda Marginal beach and listened on our headphones intensely to Bill McClaren’s tones during the tight game until Tony Stanger went over in the second half. Most Angolans were looking in disbelief at us jumping in glee at no side! There were great celebrations when Nelson Mandela was released and it was memorable watching the joy and hope that it brought to the country. The Angolan peace accord was eventually signed in Portugal to end the civil war. All non essential families were sent home in advance and it was a very tense time but thankfully passed peacefully. It did however lead to exuberant shooting in the air from the troops in town with quite a few of them coming through my windows so I spent the night under the bed! The collapse of the Soviet Union led to further changes in Angola as the Soviet backed government rules waned as money from mother Russia ran out. In mid-1991 we moved to the sleepy little town of Port Gentil in Gabon, right on the Equator- Portuguese to French. Power on, water on and shops to buy things - it was such a contrast from Angola. We spent five enjoyable years and had our first child Alex while there. There was a company reorganisation during this time with seven companies amalgamated into one and I was promoted to country manager of the new entity. It was a fun time pulling all the companies together and the work included running work over platforms and stimulation vessels. One memorable diplomatic incident occurred here when Scotland beat France at Rugby in Paris in 1999 and win the Five Nations. I received a knock on my door at seven am on Sunday morning with a request from the French Chargé d’Affaires to come see him immediately. I went with his driver to the French Residence and was met by him and the French Ambassador to Gabon who was visiting for the weekend from Libreville. He directed my attention to the flagpole where the Tricolour had been replaced by a Saltire. The ambassador then advised me that the mare of Port Gentil had alerted him that France had been annexed by Scotland and to advise him of what was happening. One of our company vehicles had been seen parked nearby the night before and the suspicion was one of our employees may have led L’invasion. It was a cordial meeting and a very nice breakfast on the lawn but with undertones of a bit of bruised pride. The long and short of it was one of our Scots employees had shimmied the pole and swapped flags. We took the miscreant to apologise and he did a great job until just on leaving he asked ‘can we get our flag back for the staff house?’ to which the ambassador replied ’you have ours, we have yours, so detente’. It all ended amicably but Scotland had

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine not only recorded a first win in the Stade de France that day but also technically invaded and annexed a small part of France in Gabon.

In 1996 we moved to Nigeria where I took up the position of area business development manager leading to lots of time on planes up and down the west coast of Africa. There was more available in Nigeria, however the security was always a concern and it was my least favourite of the three locations where we lived in West Africa. My daughter Kirsten was born there and shortly after in 1999 after ten years in Africa we returned to Aberdeen for three years. I met up again with my old front row pal Iain Hopkin and the bad news was he was an accounting manager with the company there. He also talked me into Oldies Rugby so I had to play and suffer one more time his patter in the front row at the 2002 World Golden Oldies Rugby in Toulouse. Looking after the Europe Africa Region from Aberdeen it again meant spending many hours travelling extensively into Europe and North Africa. Algeria required a lot of focus and at the time was quite dangerous so I was escorted everywhere with armed guards in flak jackets.

In 2003 I was promoted to Global Strategic Business manager for the Production Enhancement Product Line so we packed up again and moved to Houston. This was a really enjoyable role running the Halliburton technology portfolio. This involved working with universities on chemical research projects, manufacturing on new equipment design, the patent department to protect the new products and also customers on joint research projects. Houston was a great place to live and we spent the next five years there until we were asked to move to Kuala Lumpur to run the Production Enhancement Group for the Asia and Eastern Europe Region. This was a complete change in culture and I spent two years traveling around Asia, visiting Vietnam, China, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. There was one memorable long road trip through Kazakhstan over the Steppes and nearly as far as Mongolia, passing rocket debris and remnants of their space and nuclear testing when under Soviet rule. It felt almost as remote as my previous ice drives in Alaska. In 2010 it was off to Australia as Vice President of Australasia and SE Asia based in Perth. Australia was a great place to live but I was again on a plane a lot of the time going round the region. Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste were amazing places. The modular drilling operations were using Chinooks to lift all the equipment up a mountain to drill – an amazing sight. Funnily enough, talking with the Chinook pilots they were the same Chinooks I travelled on to the Brent fields in the North Sea in the early 80’s. I also spent a memorable trip down the Fly river on a boat looking for locations to set up temporary bases for the company. This involved camping out in the rainforest and the insects and wildlife were straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. Two years later it was back to Houston corporate office as a senior director looking after quality. This was a global role so additional new travel into Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Oman and UAE. I retired in 2014 and moved 72

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back to live in Glasgow but commuting for a year into Abu Dhabi with a startup company before finally hanging up my hard hat and dusting off my golf clubs.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened if the human resources manager had not taken the time to look up the omitted telephone number from my CV ?

Dave McLeod (1973-79)

A First Class Hike in the Cairngorms with Alan Webster.

Following the touching tribute to Alan Rodger Webster in the 2021 Magazine, my mind went back to our scout camp in the summer of 1954. David Kilgour our scoutmaster had asked Jack Esslemont, the Western District Commissioner for Aberdeen (ex-9th Scouts) for a couple of hikes from the camp site at Corriemulzie, to enable two of his scouts to complete their First Class badges. Not only that, but David had paired myself with Alan for one of these. Alan was a year younger than me, and as his obituary suggests very good company, so I doubly looked forward to the next twenty four hours.

Corriemulzie:- A bit more background to begin with. The Lynn of Corriemulzie campsite was mostly situated on a small piece of flat grassland where the stream flows into the river Dee. However not all of the 1st Troop’s patrols could fit on to this land and my patrol, (PL. Eddie Ross, of the Curlew patrol) and one other were located on a couple of narrow ‘shelves’ either side and in front of a ruined cottage on a path running back towards Braemar.

There was a suggestion that this was the old road to the Lynn of Dee, but that was never corroborated. Corriemulzie itself was originally the site of a minor Royal’s summer residence, now long gone. Maybe I should say that the whole of Upper Deeside was littered with these one-time residences, as those who could afford to copy Queen Victoria with her Balmoral Castle, sought to literally get closer to her! Even to this day, there are bridges like the delightful Cambus o’ May suspension version as the only remaining evidence of some long gone mansion-house or castle.

The site was just off the main Lynn of Dee road, travelling west a few miles from Braemar, was further testimony to the landed connections of the area, since it also gives access to Mar Lodge. The bridge over the Corriemulzie, and the bridge at the Lynn of Dee are built in the characteristic style of Victorian Architecture of that time. In fact the Corrimulzie bridge is one of these fascinating stone structures which manifests a 15’ or so drop on the high side, (i.e. the South side,) but a 70’ or so drop on the other!

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One other interesting aside is that in those days, as the road turned the bend coming out of Braemar, it passed an old oak tree, quite dead, but held up by wires. It was said to be the site where the last man to be hanged in Aberdeenshire met his end!

The First Evening :- The first Alan and I knew of David’s plans was when a runner called us up to the scoutmaster’s tent at about seven o’clock one evening. I think it was after Parents’ afternoon, (and we had feasted on all the left-over sandwiches). David handed out the sealed envelope of instructions of the route to be taken. I knew the area quite well, being an Aberdonian, a scout and a member of the AGS Rambling and Mountaineering Club. The great lung of the Grampian massif beckoned on a number of occasions and the club’s summer week-end camp always took place in and around Luibeg which was slap bang in the middle of the hike plan. It is fair to say Alan was not so familiar with the area, being a more sporty type and a rugby player

It was a beautiful evening as we packed and prepared for the next twenty four hours. We set off together with great enthusiasm, especially me, because I was almost on ‘home ground’. We headed west towards the Lynn of Dee, along the main second class road passing the exit of the Quoich, at Alanaquoich, (on the far side of the river Dee,) the route to Beinn A’ Bhuird and Beinn Avon, (for Munro baggers). We passed another of these picturesque suspension bridges, (this time a private bridge leading to Mar Lodge), and on through the hamlet of Inverey, with Maggie Gruer’s cottage prominent as the only house with an upstairs. Not so evident in the back yard was the barn with an elevated ‘apse’ where the band (or at last a fiddler) used to play, during the many cellidh nights held there.

Inverey also has a monument to Johann Von Lamont, who was born there John Lamont, but made his name as a leading astronomer in Germany. Then it was on past the Canadian all-timber bridge across the Dee, sadly no longer there, but built by the Canadian lumberjacks who worked in the forests of Deeside during WW2. Shortly after, we crossed the river on the Victorian stone bridge at the Lynn, where we paused to admire the rushing water, and drop ‘poo sticks’ and fir cones into the turbulence.

It was still a beautiful evening, so keeping on the now east side of the Dee, we strode on and eventually ended up at Kist o’ Dee, a spectacular kind of tiered waterfall formation, the only one of its kind in the whole length of the river. We decided to pitch camp beside the sparkling waters, hoping to be lulled to sleep by the gentle flow. We didn’t have a watch between us, which was a bit of an oversight, but we estimated that it was about 10 pm. Thus we bivouacked in this most idyllic of spots and turned in for the night.

(The ‘bivvy’ belonged to the troop, but could be signed out for similar occasions. It had the name ‘Vango’ printed on it which we thought was some exotic European climbers label, but it turned out to be an anogram of the word ‘Govan’. When sailing ships were no longer required and therefore the need for 74

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sail canvas declined, the locals up and down the Clyde turned their skills to tent making. Blacks of Greenock is probably the most well -known survivor of that era).

The Next Day:- We were awakened with a brilliant sun shining through our thin canvas, and we bounced out of our sleeping bags to wash in the river and make our porridge on the primus. Then it was into the rucksacks with all our kit and off up river on the path towards the Lairig Ghru. This continued for some miles, alongside the river, and when we could just about make out Corrour Bothy in the distance, we struck off right, uphill, towards the shoulder of Carn a’ Maihm (pronounced ‘Vine’ for some reason) over the footbridge across the Luibeg, with which I was already well acquainted and up on to the shoulder of Carn a’ Maihm proper.

As we travelled across the broad shoulder of Carn a’ Maihm, we passed a party of brisk hill-walkers smartly heading for the Lairig, obviously planning on the trek through, and as we didn’t have a watch between us, we asked them the time. They said it was half past eight. Which meant that we must have got up at about five o’clock!!

I was now on familiar territory, although a huge storm in 1952 had blasted away the Robbers Copse, a picturesque setting for campers coming down Carn a’ Maihm from Ben Macdui, as a crowd of us had done on our first year‘s camp with the AGS Rambling and Mountaineering Club. We (the youngest lads) had been led by Mr Cunningham, at that time head of French or languages at Grammar, but other school teachers included Tarzan, Peter Cook, (my science master and father of the politician Robin Cook), Dally Allardyce, (who insisted on filling his rucksack with rocks,) and Ian Macdonald, shortly to become Head of the Gordon Schools in Huntly. After the storm, the afforestation that did survive was the wood behind Bob Scott’s, (the Ghillie’s) cottage. Well we tiptoed past that since we knew Bob was not one to be trifled with, and we didn’t want to fall foul of him! (Quote Mr Cunningham to Mr Scott, ‘do you think it’s going to rain tomorrow?’ Mr Scott ‘Aye thunner and bloody lichtning, rain and a’ damned thing’ was the helpful reply with a few more choice epithets!)

We did, however, make use of Bob’s timber bridge over the Luibeg, which the lorry carrying AGS club kit from Derry Lodge, where the Strachan’s hire bus turned, made good use of every year. Derry Lodge is/was a milestone in itself, for it is the terminus of the ‘navigable’ road. It has been said that the furthest point inland in the UK is some thirteen miles west of Braemar, thus we must have come pretty close to it on our hike.

The Return Journey:- Getting back to Braemar, or at least Corriemulzie, was going to be the hardest part of the trip. Virtually the whole of our return journey directly followed the path established in the Middle Ages by drovers driving cattle and sheep south to the sales in Perth through the Cairngorms. They used Glen Derry as the main way through the mountains, right on down to the Lynn 75

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine of Corriemulzie where the drove road struck right, following up-stream, over the high shoulder and down into Glen Esk. Derry lodge is situated at the front of one of the last moraines in the Cairngorms. i.e.. the point where the glaciers of the Ice Age stopped pushing. Apart from the more famous Lairig (‘the grim Vale), Glen Derry, the moraine glen sits at the end of the only other pass through the Cairngorms. That is the Lairig an Lui, ‘the Vale of the Little Calf’. For Alan and myself, the next few hours were going to be a real slog. We were nearing the end of a strenuous twenty four hours, with full kit on our backs and it was a very hot day. Having consumed a jammy sandwich for lunch, washed down by some clear water from a stream, we must have left Derry Lodge late morning. Walking down the Glen Derry road, which is not tarmacked is a pretty rough five miles. Buses are not permitted through the locked gate at the Lynn of Dee, so we broke some sweat as we trudged on down towards the junction between the Derry and the Dee. Stripped to our tee-shirts and shorts, and with our rucksacks digging in to our skinny shoulders we must have looked a bonny pair.

Glen Derry is a barren rocky area with many fords to be negotiated, and we were very glad to reach the cool of the forest, for the last mile, to exit the glen almost opposite the Canadian Bridge. (What we would have given to have had one of Miss Strachan’s buses to meet us!). Some hope, and with a brief respite to admire the Canadian improvisation, once again, it was on down the Braemar road, back in the blazing sun, retracing our steps for the last few miles. By this time we had lost interest in Johann Von Lamont’s monument and Maggie Gruer’s cottage at Inverey and it was just a matter of heads down and pushing on. We could obviously have gone down the north side of the Dee, because David Kilgour had built a rather neat ‘Monkey’ bridge where the troop was camped, (and for that matter the river was shallow enough to ford, being wide and therefore not too deep there), but Jack Esslemont’s route showed us coming back the way we set out, so we followed that to the letter.

At last the entrance to the campsite hove in sight, and we returned to base just before 5 o’clock, two thankful lads, if a little exhausted. But after dunking our feet in the burn, and scoffing the patrol supper, we felt much better. Later that summer we duly submitted our reports to the D.C. in person, and after a few perfunctory questions we were awarded our First Class Badges.

Sad to say Alan and I never teamed up again. He left the Scouts and the family moved. A year later I went into the Army, only to find out much later while I was away, the whole Webster family had moved to Canada.

Peter Jeffrey kept in touch with Alan, and kindly sent him a shortened version of this some time ago, which I understand, he much appreciated. So there’s one (semi) happy ending, all-be-it several decades after the event!

Hunter Cairns (1943-56)

School Section

Former Pupils’ Club

Founded 11 September 1893

Club Office-Bearers, 2021-2022

Honorary President: ALISON MURISON MA (Head Teacher)

Honorary Vice-Presidents:

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

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

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) KC, LL.B (President 2007-08)

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

NEIL M. 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)

MARGERY G. TAYLOR (1975-81) (President 2014-15)

DOUGLAS R. HARPER (1944-58) MB,ChB, MD, FRCSE, FRCS (President 2016-17)

GILLIAN A. THOMAS (1975-80) (President 2017-19)

IAIN S. HOPKIN (1962-68) MA, FCCA (President 2019-20)

ALAN W. MARR (1969-75) C.A (President 2020-21) (Specially Elected)

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

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

GRAHAM LEGGE BEd, MEd, (Rector 2004-15) (Elected 2016)

President:

KENNETH C McHARDY(1964-73)

President-Elect: NEIL J G LAWRIE (1961-74)

Vice-President of Club and Chairman of Executive: ALAN G. CAMPBELL (1959-65) CBE, LL.D, LL.B,

Secretary:

IAIN S. HOPKIN (1962-68) MA, FCCA

Treasurer:

JOHN C.A. MICHIE (1944-58)

Interim General & Notes Editors of Magazine:

IAIN S. HOPKIN (1962-68) MA, FCCA and NIGEL G.M. WATT (1963-69) LL.B, WS

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine Regional Centres

Edinburgh: President –NIGEL G.M. WATT (1963-69)

Acting Secretary – NIGEL G.M. WATT (1963-69) ngmwatt77@gmail.com

Glasgow: President – MALCOLM GAULD (1947-61)

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

London: President – SANDY NICOL (1962-71)

Secretary – GRAHAM THOMSON (1979-83) grahamsally501@btinternet.com

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

Canada: President – ROBERT C. SCACE (1954-60)

Secretary – MICHAEL G. KING (1951-60) michaelking806@comcast.net

Secretaries of Sections

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

Curling – NORMAN PATERSON (1947-61) nwp21tp@outlook.com

Football – MALCOLM ROBERTSON grammarfps@gmail.com

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

Women’s Hockey – EMMA MAIR (1985-91) emma.mair@gmail.com

Pétanque – DAVID McDONALD (1960-66) goldiesrugby@gmail.com

Executive Committee

ALAN G. CAMPBELL (1959-65) Chairman Vice-Chairman

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

The Head Teacher of the School, ex officio

RICHARD L.C. DARGIE (1964-73)

J. MARTIN JEFFREY (1942-57)

JOHN C.A. MICHIE (1944-58)

HARVEY E. MORRISON (1951-65)

DAVID R.D. WALLIS (1979-85)

RUSSELL GRAY (1951-65)

EMMA A. MAIR (1985-91)

GEOFFREY E. MORRISON (1992-98)

BARRY J. SHEPHERD (1988-94)

Section Representatives

Cricket – SAM KNUDSON (2004-10)

Curling –Football –Golf – DALLAS G. MOIR (1969-75)

Men’s Hockey – JAMES P. WILLIAMS (1986-92)

Pétanque –

Women’s Hockey – EMMA MAIR (1985-91) Staff – JANET C. ADAMS (1980-86)

Auditors

Messrs. SCHOLES Inc.BOWER & SMITH, C.A

School Section

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 61-2-98751296

Australia – Dr. FORBES J. SMITH (1945-57 1/18 Verdon St.,Dromana, Victoria 3936, Australia e-mail forbessmith@pac.com.au

Tel. 0061 408 100 215

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 – 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

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

New Zealand – DAVID C. WHYTE (1962-68) 157 Mahoenui Valley Road, RD 3 Albany, Auckland 0793, New Zealand E-mail david@dcwhyte.com

Tel. 0064 021406767

United States – MICHAEL G. KING (1951-60), 1640 Williamsburg Way, Eugene, Oregon 97401-7836 USA E-mail: michaelking806@comcast.net Tel. 1-541-344-8931

Annual General Meeting

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

The One-hundred and nineteenth Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday 29th April 2022 with Alan Campbell, the Vice President, in the Chair. The Chairman reported as follows:

Although this has been the second year of Covid 19 restrictions the FP Club has been far from inactive and has, indeed, been laying the foundations for new beginnings.

The Club Centre at 86 Queen’s Road was sold. The rationale and the pressing reasons for this were set out in detail in many communications with members. Thanks were expressed for the commitment which made it a notable venue for fifty years but, at the end of the day, all agreed that number 86 was no longer viable. Immediately after the sale the sum of £57,000 attributable in equal measure to funding from the parent FP Club and Club Centre was distributed to the Cricket, Hockey and Rugby Sections. It was gratifying indeed that a joint letter of agreement between the FP Club and the Club Centre Committee was published in the most recent Magazine to reflect the harmony which had been achieved.

The FP Club was at last able to repay generous interest-free loans from members and the bank account is now in a healthy position.

The Covid restrictions made Zoom meetings essential and use of that technology will continue as it enhances the connectivity with members wherever located in the North-East or (much) further afield.

The Club Executive had extensive discussions about the composition and inclusivity of the Executive as a representative decision-making entity. We analysed and reflected on what is required in current times to run the various facets of our operation. As a result we identified new roles which are needed such as a greater emphasis on digital communications to reflect current-day reality. We recognised that not all of those undertaking particular tasks need to be necessarily burdened with Executive membership in addition. There is a huge desire to recruit members with appropriate skills into management roles to take the Club forward. The reality was also accepted of the need for a small group consisting of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer empowered to lead the way, supported by the full Executive of say thirteen persons as a reference group in four meetings per year. The first challenge is to seek additional volunteers from the membership to take on some of these new roles bearing in mind that so much can now be carried out remotely. Once a refreshed Executive is in place the time will be right to review our broader Constitution looking forward.

Relations with the School and Head Teacher, Alison Murison, are excellent. As you will appreciate the pandemic has placed enormous pressure on the running of all schools. Alison Murison and her team have demonstrated outstanding leadership in these unprecedented times.

School Section

The Luther Kitson Smith golf bequest initiative has started again after a Covid break and is being pursued by the School with great commitment. Nigel Watt who is, of course, something of an expert on such matters, is to be paying a visit to their coaching and organisation late in March. We are also seeking ways with the School, now that Covid restrictions are diminishing, to enable supportive arrangements which would include access by senior students to our digital platform, membership of the FP Club itself and a wider availability of sections beyond the existing sports ones. Discussions are in hand too about how FPs might assist with the provision of careers advice to those at the School.

The digital platform has been an unqualified success and has enabled regular ‘conversations’ to take place, including on such matters as the proclivities of members of staff in bygone times. Thanks are very much due to Iain Hopkin for his infectious enthusiasm and complete commitment to the cause.

The London Centre of the Club is enjoying something of a renaissance with Secretary Graham Thomson contacting John Stevenson MP who has organised a Former Pupils and guests function in the House of Commons this summer. Stuart Cummings, our President for the last year has been somewhat frustrated by Covid restrictions from his base in Brussels. He was instrumental in organising a recent dinner in Aberdeen for former Presidents of the FP Club. Sadly, a few days before, Stuart contracted Covid but that did not prevent his remote chairing of the successful dinner from a screen installed at the end of the dining room. Even more remarkably, having spoken to the chef at the dinner venue regarding the menu, Stuart personally replicated the dishes to a high standard and showed them to the assembled company. He dined remotely but simultaneously with the guests. The need for culinary skills of this standard will not now, however, become a prerequisite to elevation to the Presidency!

Finally I must refer to the passing of our own Brian Crookshanks in January this year at the age of 92. A former President he gave a lifetime of commitment to matters FP and had served in every senior position in the Club and Club Centre. At the time of his death he was still Editor of the Magazine. The Club was well-represented at a memorial service in February and a full obituary and tribute to this most remarkable man appears in the Obituary Section in this magazine.

In conclusion, may I thank you for your continuing support of the FP Club and ask you to consider how you might assist in our operation or how you might contribute a piece to the reminiscences part of the digital platform. The Club is indeed its members. It is essential that new members appear from the ranks to make contributions to managing and developing a modern, constructive and rewarding future for our organisation.

I look forward to hearing from you as to how you might assist in meeting this challenge.

Alan G Campbell Chair

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Annual General Meeting 2023

The next Annual General Meeting is planned to be held on Tuesday 28th March 2023, the place, exact time and format to be advised in terms of the Constitution.

President’s Report

It has been a privilege to serve as the President of the FP Club during 20212022 but it was unfortunate that for the second year running, the ability to fulfil this role was adversely affected by the Covid pandemic. Even when the situation began to ease domestically, the opportunity to engage in person with FP members and the pupils and staff at the School was further impacted by international travel restrictions.

On taking up the role of President, my hope was, that as the year progressed, we would quickly return to normality and that I would be able to represent the Club in person at various events including the annual and various regional dinners. Circumstances dictated otherwise but I was able to speak with most of the Centre representatives early in my tenure and by way of further enhancing communicating with the membership at large authored several ‘Presidential Blogs’ that were published on the Platform.

During my year in office, I participated in regular Executive Committee meetings via Zoom and also joined a virtual panel to choose the All Round Trophy winners. This task of choosing the All Round Trophy winners was made more difficult due to the outstanding calibre of all the candidates and I was particularly impressed by their many achievements concerning community support and citizenship. The annual School Prizegiving is generally regarded as the highlight of the President’s year in office and I very much regret not being present to engage with the staff and pupils, and have the opportunity to recognise the All Round Trophy winners in person.

Many of you will be aware that during lockdown in 2020, I co-authored a book entitled the ‘In’famous Five – a collection of tales and tributes from five of the Class of ’69. The book relates the authors’ own stories of the School and growing up in Aberdeen as well as recounting family histories and paying tribute to the sacrifices their ancestors made in both World Wars. The 82

School Section

inspiration for the book was the wartime story of the Grammar FP, John Cruickshank, the last living recipient of the Victoria Cross and who on May 20th this year celebrated his 102nd birthday. I am pleased to report that the book was published on the FP platform in September 2021 and, if you have not already browsed the book, I would encourage you to do so.

As my term of office drew to a close, and with the easing of Covid restrictions, I was very much looking forward returning to Aberdeen and to represent the Club at two events during the first weekend in March. On the Friday evening I was due to give a toast to the Gordonian Association at their annual dinner and on the Saturday, I was scheduled to host a small dinner of Past Presidents of the FP Club. As luck would have it, I tested positive for Covid days before and as a result missed attending both events. I was grateful to Ken McHardy, the President Elect, for ‘stepping in’ at the Gordonian dinner and not wishing to miss out completely on the Saturday, I arranged to join the FP dinner via Zoom. As a resourceful chef I was able to cook and enjoy the exact menu I had ordered in the splendid self-isolation of my Edinburgh flat! The good news on the horizon is that I will attend the Canadian Reunion weekend in Vancouver in September this year where I look forward to finally representing the Club in person.

The FP Club has faced many challenges during the last eighteen months as a result of the Covid pandemic and has also taken the difficult decision to sell the Club Centre which was a focal point of the Club for more than fifty years. I recognise the efforts of the Executive Committee in steering the Club through these difficult times and would like to pay a special tribute to Iain Hopkin for his enthusiasm and leadership in establishing a new website that has already attracted more than 450 members. The Platform which was launched in early 2021 has proved its worth as a vehicle for sharing information, increasing membership and enhancing communication across the FP worldwide community.

To our new President, Ken McHardy, I extend my friendship and support and I am sure that his wit and enthusiasm will ensure that his year in office will be both rewarding and fulfilling.

A Toast to the Grammar FP Club

By Stuart W. Cummings

Delivered at a dinner for Former Presidents of the FP Club held at the RNUC in Aberdeen on March 6th, 2022

“Much as I was looking forward to giving the toast to the Gordonian Association yesterday evening and to joining you all this evening in Aberdeen, 83

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

I had the misfortune to get Covid earlier this week which has prevented me from travelling north. I am, however, very pleased not only to join you via Zoom but also to share the very dinner that I had ordered from the comfort of my flat in Edinburgh!

The theme of my speech to the Gordonian Association dinner was to explore some of the historical links between Grammar and Gordon’s and their respective alumni and it was therefore a fairly easy matter to modify what I had written to compose a more relevant ‘Toast to the Grammar FP Club’.

It is common knowledge that the Grammar School and Gordon’s College, shared the same location, Schoolhill, for more than 130 years between 1730, the date of construction the Gordon Hospital and 1863 the date that the Grammar School relocated to Skene Street. The Grammar building that was vacated was a single-storey H-shaped building with a slate roof that had been constructed a one hundred years earlier in 1757 that itself had replaced an even earlier school building on the same site that had a roof thatched with heather. For some years before his death, Robert Gordon thought of founding a ‘Hospital’, a residential school for poor boys who would not otherwise be able to receive an education. The ‘Hospital’ was completed in 1732 but, due to conditions associated with the Deed of Mortification, it did not admit its first cohort of fourteen pupils until 1750. The ‘Hospital’ was reconstituted as a day school in 1881 under the name of Robert Gordon’s College.

It is worth noting that Robert Gordon, expressed the wish “that boys of all social classes attended both schools”, and this indeed was the case, some as a result of Mr Gordon's munificence and others joining the Grammar because it was the historic town school funded from city funds.

It is also reported that the Schoolhill Grammarians looked down on the Gordon’s Hospital boys dressed in their uniform of corduroy trousers, brassbuttoned serge vests and Glengarry bonnets that defined the livery of a charity school. ‘Hospital’ lads were also called ‘kalepots’, a somewhat derogatory term referring to their lower social status.

During the ‘vacant’ period between 1732 and 1750, the ‘Hospital’ was briefly occupied by the Duke of Cumberland’s forces en-route to Culloden and it would be some 150 years later, before another military conflict, then Great War of 1914-1918, would greatly impact both Schools and many of their alumni. The advent of the War had a major impact on both schools. For the Grammar, the Westfield building, which became the Lower School, was converted for use as Red Cross hospital while on Schoolhill, the College woodwork shop was allocated for the re-training of disabled servicemen and the College also helped to train munition workers both women and men who were not of military age. The War also forced the pupils’ sporting life into abeyance and in autumn 1914, the School’s Whitehall Place playing field was made over for military drills while the Gordon Highlanders were given the freedom of the College grounds for the same purpose.

School Section

When the Central School (later Aberdeen Academy) was also requisitioned as a hospital, both male and female pupils from the Academy were ‘billeted’ upon the Grammar. This led to the two schools sharing the Skene Street buildings on a ‘shift’ basis. A scenario that would be replayed some twenty years later during the Second World War.

Inevitably, the Great War took its toll and some 243 Grammarians and 314 Gordonians, lost their lives. For comparison in the Second World War, the Grammar recorded 194 deaths and Gordonians, 152.

Both Rubislaw and Seafield were conceived as war memorials. The New Field at Rubislaw was inaugurated in 1916 and many years later a fragile cine film of the ceremony was discovered. The film was not only saved but augmented by a soundtrack featuring the voice of the former Lower School Headmaster and FP stalwart, AJM (Freddie) Edwards, who had attended the opening ceremony. The opening of the New Field also saw the inaugural rugby match between the Grammar School and Gordon’s College that the School won 27-0 although it was noted that Gordon’s had allowed Grammar to win their first home match to ‘demonstrate their gentlemanly sporting spirit’!

The Rubislaw Pavilion was unveiled in 1924 and was specifically designed as a War Memorial and is inscribed with the words - Caesorum Comitum Memores (Remembering Our Fallen Comrades). As was the case with Rubislaw, the money to buy Seafield and build its pavilion was raised by public subscription. An 'appeal' was organised by the College FP Association and Seafield was officially opened in May 1925.

One former pupil from each school was awarded the highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, during the First World War.

The Grammarian was Lieutenant Robert Grierson Combe of the Winnipeg City Infantry who on 3rd May 1917, led his small company not only to capture their objective while under intense fire, but then escorted about eighty German prisoners back to the Allied line. He repeatedly charged the enemy before he was killed by a sniper

The Gordonian was Archibald Bisset Smith, captain of the SS Otaki, who bravely defended his ship against the German raider Moewe in the South Atlantic. Having lost five of his men, he gave the order to abandon ship. but stayed on board as his ship sank. As a Merchant Officer, Smith could not receive the VC at that time. So, in 1919, he was posthumously commissioned as a temporary lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, which entitled him to receive the VC after his death.

The Grammar can also count one other recipient of the VC amongst its alumni, John Cruickshank, a Second World War veteran, who is still alive and who in May this year celebrated his 102nd birthday. Cruickshank flew his aircraft and crew to safety while severely wounded after a daring but successful U-boat raid in the Norwegian Sea in 1942 and it is his story of valour that was the 85

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine inspiration behind the ‘In’ famous Five book written and published in 2020 by five contemporaries of the Class of ’69.

Both Schools owe a great a deal to heroes such as Combe, Smith and Cruickshank and indeed all their fellow former pupils who gave their lives for their country and thus enabled future generations to benefit from what the author and North East historian, David Northcroft, referred to as ‘a pre-eminent NE of Scotland education’.

Let me conclude with a few other historical facts and some personal anecdotes that underline the common heritage that both schools share.

A joint Grammar/Gordon’s College team made the trip to Edinburgh to play against George Watson’s College before the Scotland v Wales match on 6th February 1909.

In addition to his many civic and university duties, Dr Theodore Watt, the ‘Trojan Grammarian’ and chronicler of the Grammar effort during the Great War, who painstakingly recorded the distinctions awarded to FPs and the deaths of the many Grammarians, also served as a Governor of Robert Gordon’s College.

Both Schools offered accommodation to ten Serbian refugees during the First World War. A few were initially allocated to Gordon’s but most spent the majority of their early years at the Grammar.

The FP Presidential medal was presented for the first time in 1947 to Charles Davidson by a Gordonian, J McPhail Massie, in memory of his son James Massie, a Grammarian, who was killed on active service in 1942. Shortly thereafter the same J. McPhail Massie presented The Gordonian Association with its Presidential medal.

Brian Lockhart, the former headmaster of RGC, who wrote ‘The History of Robert Gordon’s Hospital and College’ also co-authored ‘Bon Record’, the history of AGS together with Arthur McCombie, a Gordonian, and former depute rector of the Grammar.

I’ll mention just two teachers from my own days at the Grammar who bridge the divide between the two Schools. The first is the late, Ian Spence, a Gordonian, Scottish rugby triallist and Barbarian (1976), who taught PE at the Grammar and was an occasional opponent on the field during my Grammar FP rugby days. We are also both Munroists, Ian completing in 1976 and myself some thirty-five years later. The other teacher is the late Roy ‘Jock Strap’ Falconer who joined the Grammar in the mid Sixties and who held the position of head of PE at both the Grammar and Gordon’s College.

Many of my own rugby highlights relate to playing with rather than against Gordonians - whether for Aberdeen Wednesday Club as a student, in the annual Exiles match on Boxing Day, guesting for Gordonians at the Thurso Sevens or playing alongside Peter Jackson and David Wright during my time with Clarkston. Most memorable of all, however, was playing with the combined Grammar FP/Gordonian sevens team (aka The Buzz Collectif) that won the 86

School Section

Aberdeen University inter-faculty tournament in 1970 and 1971; a team that included three other Grammarians; Marshall Byres, Roddy McDonald and Richard ‘Tufty’ Duncan and three former College pupils; Graeme Repper, Jim McGregor and the late Stan Cusiter.

And so, let me leave you with this thought - to be a true man or woman, you have to lie, cheat, steal and drink– lie with the one you love, cheat death, steal time and, as for drink – it is now time to raise our glasses and toast the eternal good friendship that is the Grammar School FP Club.”

Acknowledgement: I am grateful to Richard Dargie whose book, ‘The Grammar at War’, and whose personal communications, were a valuable source of information about the School during and after the Great War.

Presidential Profile

Kenneth C. McHardy (1964-73) MD, FRCPE, FAcadMEd

Ken was born in Aberdeen in 1955, the first child of a mixed marriage – his mother a Toonser and his father a Teuchter (son of a Candacraig gamekeeper, and laboratory technician at Scottish Agricultural Industries in Links Road).

After starting out in a tenement attic above what became the Mounthooly Roundabout, he moved via Granny’s in Froghall Terrace to a new council house in Tollohill Gardens, Kincorth . Progressing through Rosewood Infant to Kirkhill Primary School, he appeared a bright scholar so was put forward for an examination that would see him offered one of a few additional places in P5 at Aberdeen Grammar. With the Aberdeen typhoid epidemic closing school early for summer in 1964, he fears he may still have some very dusty artwork awaiting collection at Kirkhill.

He left the security of his local pals to join Stella Angus’s Primary 5B in August and continued to do well at school. The addition of a second brother saw the enlarging family move to a bigger house in Abbotswell shortly after he began two years in Monty McRobert’s class. Over his time in the Lower School he played in football, rugby and cricket teams, learned some French and recorder, and went on the post-P7 holiday to sunny Torphins – during which Jimmy Morrison, the Headie, celebrated his fiftieth birthday. On into the Middle School, several old friends from Kirkhill were among the 200+ boys in first year. Ken proceeded through 1W, 2A, IIIG1, IV1, V1 and UVI2 winning a prize or two most years, playing rugby (minors and juniors), then hockey and

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine cricket. Playing wicket keeper in the 1st XI over 3 years, the last as Cricket Captain, he gained half colours while two years as a hockey forward led to full colours. He enlisted as a piper in S1 and became Pipe Major of the School Band for three years. He decided to study Medicine and, after gaining a good set of highers in S5, further examinations (including 1st medical place in the University Bursary Competition) saw him proceed directly into second year medicine at Marischal College in 1973.

Graduating MB ChB with commendation in 1978, he proceeded to preregistration posts in medicine at Aberdeen Royal and surgery at the Children’s Hospital. He chose to train as a hospital physician completing MRCP in 1981 while working as temporary Lecturer at Aberdeen University. He elected to specialise in Diabetes and Endocrinology with further clinical training in Aberdeen and Inverness plus a full-time fellowship year at the Rowett Institute. He completed his specialty training and, in 1990, graduated MD for his thesis based on the effects of insulin on nutrient metabolism. He continued as a University lecturer working on illustrated textbooks for medical students, teaching clinical medicine, publishing research in medicine, diabetes, endocrinology and nutrition before taking up an appointment as an NHS Consultant in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1993.

His main clinical load was in general medical emergencies (until 2007) and in adult diabetes until retirement, and he taught medical undergraduates and postgraduates throughout. His main subspecialty interests were in diabetic eye disease and patient and professional education which latter saw his involvement in devising and delivering courses, including an annual scholarship course for General Practitioners from 1999. His involvement in education saw him develop a role within the Postgraduate Dean’s department with administrative and training responsibilities in support of trainers and trainees. He participated in several national ventures both in diabetes and generic medical training. He was elected to Fellowships of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1995) and the Academy of Medical Educators (2010) and was an MRCP Examiner for over twenty years. He retired from his full-time Consultant and Associate Postgraduate Dean positions in 2015, doing some sessional work for the NHS for the next three years.

In his personal life, he met Sallie, a Yorkshire-born occupational therapist in ARI when they both began work there in 1978. They married in 1983 and set

School Section

up home in Abbotswell. Their son, Charlie, was born in 1985 and daughter, Ailsa, in 1988. The family moved to Kingswells in 1992 and a second daughter, Caitlin, arrived two years later; Ken and Sallie are still there. Charlie, who recently left subsea engineering after ten years to train as a physics teacher, is an ultramarathon runner; he and his wife have two sons aged eight and six. Ailsa worked in England for some years as a paediatric dietitian and relocated to Aberdeen with her husband and infant daughter in 2020; they have recently had a second daughter and Ailsa now works as Lecturer in Dietetics at RGU. Caitlin graduated in Mechanical Engineering then completed a postgraduate teaching diploma; currently working as a primary school teacher in Aberdeen, she is to be married in September 2022.

Since retirement, Ken has more time for growing vegetables and his lifelong interest in birdwatching. He continues to keep up his bagpiping, even having brief media exposure in May 2020 when recorded playing on the roof of the Medical School for the virtual graduation ceremony for local medics whose course completion was accelerated to allow them to join the covid workforce. He has done some after dinner speaking, often involving self-penned doric poetry; he contributed verses to the Doric Kist, an online University of Aberdeen resource. He had involvement over five years in the late David Northcroft’s Grampian/Aberdeen Lives Oral History project, contributing interviews and to production of both Aberdeen Lives volumes (2017 & ’19); the pair met when David was Ken’s English teacher in 1W and subsequently shared twenty-four seasons playing cricket for Balmoral CC in the Aberdeenshire Grades.

Ken has had major involvement in studying Aberdeen’s prominent role in the history and development of insulin. He co-curated a virtual exhibition with Aberdeen Council Archives, Gallery & Museums and has given numerous talks on insulin’s centenary in 2022 to local and national audiences. He visited the University of Toronto in early May as guest of the Medical Historical Club speaking at their insulin centenary conference, and in a workshop recognising the achievements of insulin Nobel Laureate, JJR Macleod (AGS 1884-93; FP President 1930-31). He has also worked on a revision of Macleod’s 1993 biography with its author, Dr Michael J Williams (AGS 1936-45) and hopes to see it published later this year. He has also been promoting the international renown of Dr RD Lawrence (AGS 1900-09) whose life was saved by the 89

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine advent of insulin in 1923; Lawrence devoted his ‘extra’ forty-five years to the education and welfare of those living with diabetes, including co-founding the major self-help organisation, Diabetes UK.

After he retired, Ken has since been trying to make up for lost time by writing for the Magazine, serving on the Executive and, in particular, leading on reform of the Club’s management structures. He hopes to encourage the engagement and support of a diverse range of members which he sees as essential to our survival and success.

President 2022-23

Kenneth C.

(1964-73)

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

As the world adapts to life with Covid at lower levels the Canada Centre has taken the initiative to organise a reunion weekend for North American FPs for the first time in three years in September. The reunion will be held in downtown Vancouver from Friday September 9th to Sunday September 11th Since the last Magazine was published the Canada Centre has published three occasional newsletters which have not only been sent to our Centre membership but also have been posted on the Parent Club website for the perusal of the entire Club membership.

In particular the newsletter has been noting the role in follow up articles in the work done in Canada one hundred years ago on the discovery of insulin by the FP Nobel Prize winner JJR Macleod. For this we are indebted to our Parent Club President Ken McHardy who is a professional diabetologist and by happenstance has been a champion of Macleod getting appropriate recognition for his role in the discovery.

The newsletters have also included vignettes of the many FPs who have made significant contributions to Canada in the areas of the Chinese Labour Corps, Fruit Farming and Geoscience plus follow up vignettes on FPs who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company.

We look forward to the reunion and to the continued publication of our newsletters on the Club website.

Michael King (1951-1960)

Edinburgh

The Centre has now been inactive for four years which apart from World War 2 has been the only such period since its inception in 1932. Other Centres, notably London and Glasgow, have gone through a similar experience but have been resuscitated.

There is a willingness within the committee to facilitate social gatherings of FPs which will command sufficient support from the local membership and to this end, FPs are respectfully invited to be in touch with the acting Hon Secretary (contact details below) with views on what type of gathering might be of interest to them, or indeed to indicate that they have no interest in such. A similar plea in last years Magazine elicited a zero response!

At present, there is no Annual Dinner of the Edinburgh Centre planned for 2022 but it is hoped to organise an informal get-together in the autumn similar to the one which had to be cancelled at short notice in March 2020.

In the absence of a formal AGM, which is traditionally held during the Annual Dinner, Nigel Watt continues as the Edinburgh Centre President and is also acting Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.

Any Former Pupil who is in the Edinburgh area, defined as the geographical boundary south of the River Tay and east of Stirling all the way south to the 92

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English border, or has recently arrived there and has not received any communication from the Centre is invited to get in touch with Nigel G M Watt, 10 Ware Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4BN -Tel. 01620 890305, Mobile 07802404056, ngmwatt77@gmail.com

Glasgow

Another year has passed under the restrictions of Covid and The Glasgow Centre has been unable to organise their Annual Dinner. The highlights have been the Curling matches held at Green Acres throughout the year. The Committee managed to meet up in June 2021 for a lovely lunch in Helensburgh with Malcolm Gauld, Peter Cairns, Malcolm Daniel and Margery Taylor all attending for the first time since lockdown in March 2020. We are now looking forward to arranging a 'Come and try Croquet session' in the Spring 2023 and the Annual Dinner at the end of October 2023 at The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow. Hopefully we can invite the School to attend, as well as Presidents of the other Centres and the President of our Parent Club.

Scotland has been living with Covid for the past two years and we would be delighted for any new FPs to come along to any social events organised by our Glasgow Committee. If you are in Glasgow, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretary, Margery Taylor on margerytaylor5@gmail.com

London

On a beautiful summer’s evening in June, the London Centre held a marvellous dinner at the House of Commons hosted admirably by our very own FP MP John Stevenson!

Around fifty FPs and guests were treated to drinks on the Commons Terrace and to some very informative tours of both the House of Commons and House of Lords. This was followed by a lovely three course dinner and some after dinner speeches.

We were very pleased to see that every FP Club Centre had representation on the night. So in addition to London, we welcomed FPs and guests representing the Yorkshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Centres. We even had Sandy Needham all the way from New York, who is a member of our Canada centre.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

In terms of school leaving years, there was broad representation with four FPs from the 1950s, twelve from the ‘60s, three from the ‘70s and eight from the 1980s. We were also pleased to welcome four Past Presidents of the Parent Club and their wives: Douglas and Janette Harper, David and Christine Allan, Iain and Ann Hopkin and Nigel & Joanne Watt.

In researching the history of the School’s association with the House of Commons, we identified a total of six MPs over the years hailing from the Grammar:

 Starting back in 1885 we had William Hunter a Liberal whose claim to fame was being the first MP to advocate Old Age Pensions

 Then in 1910 we had one of the truly great FPs Robert Munro (later Lord Alness). He was Liberal member for Wick, was appointed Lord Advocate and also founded the FP Edinburgh centre.

 Then in the 1960s we had the brothers John Mackie for Labour and George Mackie for Liberal – their family also being famous latterly for their delicious ice cream

 Then we had Robin Cook for Labour who served as Foreign Secretary and who was later leader of the House of Commons

 Finally, we come to the present day with our very own - John Stevenson who has been Conservative MP for Carlisle since 2010. Full list of FPs in attendance (Year of leaving School):

Lessel Rennie (1946-53), Doug Harper (1944-58), John Michie (1944 -58), David Allan (1945-58), Erik Porter (195158),John "Sandy" Needham (194962),Willson Taylor (1950-63), Iain Reid (1951-63), Ron Caie (1962-68), Iain Hopkin (1962-68), Robert Muir (196268), Philip Edwards (1955-68), David Reid (1956-69), Nigel Watt (1963-69), Ian Mair (1956-69), Robert Mann (1956-69), Sandy Nicol (1962-71), Martin McCrone (1968-73), Mike Stobbie (1970-76), John Stevenson (1975-81), Malcolm Daniel (1975-81), Callum Moy (1975-81), Graham Thomson (1979-83), Trevor Watt (1983-88), Adam Moy (1981-87), Elspeth Stewart Lamb (1982-88), Susan Watt nee Watson (1987-93).

We would like to thank John Stevenson sincerely for all his help in setting up this memorable dinner. It certainly was great to get together again with old and new friends and to celebrate after all the disruption of the last couple of years.

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We hope to organise another London Centre outing in the second half of the year.

Graham Thomson (1979-1983) London Centre Secretary

Yorkshire

The Yorkshire Centre has been pretty much in abeyance since our last dinner in 2019. The combined effects of Covid lockdowns and my return to the teaching profession (albeit only for a year) has meant I have not got round to organising any events. I do hope to get something off the ground either later this year or in 2023, but can't give you any more info or assurance about that at present. So, a report from the Yorkshire Centre could only be along the lines of... 2022 has been another quiet year for the Yorkshire Centre and unfortunately, we have not managed to hold any events. There are hopes that we might manage to get things moving again later in 2022 or in 2023. Watch this space!

Section Reports

Cricket

As covered in part in the 2021 Magazine, there was hope for a prompt start to the 2021 season but those hopes were dashed by the lockdown imposed at the start of the year. Thankfully we did finally get playing friendlies on the 8 th of May with competitive cricket again allowed from May 22nd. The 1st XI was invited to play in the Scottish 2020 Cup against National league and Strathmore Union sides and started well shocking Aberdeenshire at Mannofield in a rain affected win and then seeing off Huntly. The momentum could not be maintained as the other 4 group games were lost, albeit we remained competitive against the sides from the higher leagues.

The 1st XI campaign had a dream conclusion winning a Grade 1 and Aberdeenshire Cup double as FPs swept everyone aside. Skipper Rob Swiergon was in incredible form making six half centuries while racking up 596 runs in eleven innings. Fraser Proud was just as impressive averaging over 100 including making a flawless century in the cup. It was no shock he was snapped up by Scottish cricket heavyweights Heriots and is performing well for them in the National League. Alex Keith also continued to score heavily 391 at 33, his standout innings being a century against Masterblasters. Karan Anand having

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine been stuck in India did not play as often but still found time for a match winning 107 in the cup semi-final and averaged 57 with the bat. These four were the key batsmen but they were ably supported by Geoff Morrison, Conner McKinney and Hamish Penman who have all chipped in when needed. Conner McKinney was also the standout fielder in all of Grades cricket taking some unbelievable catches and covering the field like a whippet. One catch against Bon Accord was rightly clapped by a sizable crowd who had gathered for the game, it was an extraordinary effort.

Bowling wise, wickets were shared round with Prash taking eighteen at seventeen a piece. Mahesh Challa claimed a five for at Inverurie and took fifteen victims and the evergreen Roland Knudson continued to flummox batsmen with sixteen wickets from his off breaks. Fraser Proud, John Thomson and Karan Anand all weighed in too.

The 2nd XI has had a tougher season in Grade 2, not helped by the loss of a number of players who have moved away due to Covid and some players perhaps drifting away after a year without play. They remained spirited throughout but won just twice skipper Aman Sood claiming 5 wickets in a low scoring game at Methlick a highlight. He was their top run scorer and wicket taker and has also turned out in the 1s when needed adding a good all round dimension to whatever side he played for. A win on the last day saved 2nds from relegation but a bigger issue arrived in the winter.

Having had the highs of the 2021 season, 2022 has been a fairly disastrous campaign. In early 2022, it became clear that raising two teams was going to a huge challenge and we reluctantly discontinued the 2nd XI. This is obviously a very concerning development and it has to be a serious concern that longer term there will no longer be a Grammar FP cricket team. While Covid played its part, a message that has been delivered to us continuously is that the lack of a Club Centre and base has meant a number of players choosing to play for sides with facilities. Many current members and former members continue to question why there was no plan to have a legacy after the Club Centre and there is no doubt that FP sport is severely comprised at present. The complete lack of cricket played at the school is also a challenge and a number of volunteers moving to other clubs with facilities has not assisted a link up with the school. The 2022 season for the remaining XI has been a tough experience with only one win from the nine games at the time of writing. George Gill was acquired but has only managed three games due to work commitments but made two fifties. Rob Sweirgon’s form has deserted him and the only real highlights so far have been a ton from Alex Keith in a losing effort in the cup and Prash’s six wickets in the solitary win.

Going forward there is certainly a need to attract more players and anyone who wishes to play should get in touch. We will also be looking to improve our facilities by laying a new wicket. The recent addition of a movable batting cage has certainly aided practise. The club continues to be run by three or four key

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enthusiasts and their efforts should not be underplayed in keeping the cricket club in existence. We do run a successful website and our latest news can be accessed at www.aberdeencricket.com

Football

It is with great sadness after thirty-four years in existence, to advise that the FPs Football section had to fold due to the lack of players . We are hoping this is temporary and we will be speaking to the school to see if there is an appetite to resurrect the team for season 23/24.

We would also hope that via the FP club (Magazine) that maybe someone might want to start up the team again next season , who has good links with the school and access to available players.

Last season, Grammar football had its most successful season for a long time, winning the league but this success cost us players with more than half the team moving to a higher level.

Trying to recruit was a thankless task, and a decision was made that with only eight committed players to fold the football section.

Men’s Hockey

No report has been received from Men’s Hockey.

Rugby

No report has been received from Rugby. It can however be reported the rugby section had a poor year with relegation from the Tennent’s Premiership. The season was badly affected on the playing front by illness, injury and player availability.

The results of the 1st XV during 2021-22 were as follows

11-09-21

02-10-21

09-10-21

16-10-21

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

27-11-2 Glasgow Hawks

04-12-2 Marr

11-11-21 Jedforest

22-01-22 Currie

29-01-22 GHA

12-02-22 Hawick

19-02-22 Selkirk

05-03-22 Musselburgh

H Won 38-13

H Lost 6-17

A Lost 9-42

H Lost 5-85

A Lost 27-64

A Lost 3-59

H Won 25-17

H Won 34-20

Women’s Hockey

The 2021-2022 North District Hockey Season began in earnest in August 2021. The hiring of the Rubislaw Astro continued to be a post-covid challenge. To ensure the continued use of the facility for the duration of the playing season for training and matches the AGSFP Hockey hosted weekly mixed hockey matches (sincere thanks to Team Williams for persevering on the pitch hire and to Team Bruce for coordinating all the players) for the Club members. The matches were a fun way for folks to have some hockey and keep up a certain level of fitness before playing league matches.

North District had reviewed the levels of Covid activity and had rightly proposed a reduced league programme to allow teams to play until Christmas and then review how to take things forward from January 2022. It was decided that there would be three leagues for the women’s teams. AGSFP Women would proceed with one team in Division One (a competitive league) and they would also have one in the North District Development League One.

Claire Drummond and Emma Williams were the Club’s ‘Captains Fantastic’ for the season. Training numbers were excellent and Murray Bissett, Helen Bruce, Emma Mair, Claire and Emma put the players through their paces. The Club regularly had more than twenty players at training and managed to fulfil all the fixtures prior to Christmas. A similar programme ran in the second half of the season after a slight hiatus for more national Covid activity! Essentially the women played the equivalent of two thirds of a season which was remarkable all things considered!

The first XI players gave their all. In one game alone, two of the more experienced players both managed a serious injury! The team had already seen four other senior players sidelined through injury. Couple injuries with regularly needing extra players from the second XI owing to Covid and Claire had her work cut out for her. The team played remarkably well in spite of the challenges this season presented and three younger girls stepped in to make their debuts for the first XI which helped bolster the squad. Well done to Corah Taylor and Hannah Mair (S3 at AGS) and to Anna Caldwell who carved out

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regular places in the team and topped their seasons by being selected and playing for North District U-16’s. Iona Laidlaw (S6 at AGS) and Izzy Deady (S5 at AGS) were already key, regular first team players. There was no doubt the first XI were finding the season a challenge but the team spirit was as high as ever. Special thanks to Claire for guiding the group through these bizarre times. Well done to all the players and particularly to our second XI stalwarts who stepped up to help out the first team in some shape or form for most of the season. The team finished mid table and had some excellent results along the way. The team very much hopes that some of the injured recover fast enough to re-join the team for the coming 2022-2023 season.

The second XI were enjoying their time in the tougher of the Development Leagues. The weekly challenge of pulling a squad together while Covid interfered with planning raged and Emma Williams was a superstar with her never ending patience being tested every week. Matches were postponed and rearranged at short notice and players called off and then tested negative so rejoined the squad on a week to week basis! Everything arranged this season was done in pencil!

Emma’s team had some super results and enjoyed being able to draft in some senior players to bolster the team for a few of the matches in accordance with the newly invented Development League guidelines. Many School players made their debuts for the Club this season. Well done to Fatima Sellami, Freya Escott and Malak Elewa (all S4 – AGS) and to Megan Bruce and Ava MacLennan (all S3 – AGS). Several other AGS girls are now regulars at training and it is hoped they will all get matches in the teams very soon.

International honours were again bestowed upon Helen Bruce, Norma Brownie and Sheila Reid at their various Scottish Masters age brackets, well done to them all. They are an inspiration to the younger players at the Club. Sadly again there was no indoor training allowed (access to indoor lets was only for schools this season) and certainly no return to indoor leagues owing to national covid regulations. It is very much hoped that the indoor leagues will resume in 2022!

Again the Club wishes to thank Gillian Graham in particular for her umpiring commitment and support to the Club. Gillian turned up in all weathers again and it is hoped she has been persuaded to return to playing too for this coming season! Thanks also to Andy Deady, Rob Bruce and many others who gave their time to umpire matches for the Club. Sincere thanks to all and of course to Gillian Bain for arranging the umpire appointments on a weekly basis.

The Club has continued to offer coaching sessions for the youngsters of Ashley Road and Aberdeen Grammar School this season. The numbers attending these groups are excellent (weekly in excess of 150 youngsters are guided in hockey by our Club) and the hope is that many of these youngsters work their way into 99

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine the AGSFP teams in the fullness of time. The Club has sent teams to U10, U12, U14 and U16 experiences this season. All players, coaches and parents deserve credit for their efforts.

Thanks to Emma Mair for coordinating and delivering many of the weekly sessions. Thanks also to Brian Fitzpatrick, Craig Mason, Andy Martin, Lewis Mair (AGS – S5), Lisa Tomkins, Emma Williams, Erica Taylor and Lenita Hayton who all help weekly. Special mention this season must be made of the marvellous Ben Johnson who, owing to relocation, has given his last coaching session with AGSFP’s this season. Ben will be a great loss to the coaching group and the Club will never be able to thank him enough for all his efforts. The children have loved his sessions and they were ever so lucky over the years to have experienced Ben’s unwavering love of hockey.

As ever, if you (or someone you know) are keen to take up hockey again or have never played before you are very welcome to come along to training to see how you get on. Training is on Tuesday evenings at Rubislaw from 7.00pm – 8.30pm and hopefully starts around the third Tuesday in August. This coming season the usual youth session (any school) P6/P7/S1 and S2 will be from 6-7pm on Tuesdays before senior training time. AGS school sessions will also resume.

For further information, contact:

Emma Mair emma.mair14@gmail.com Secretary

Pétanque

As many of you shall no doubt be aware, our Pétanque Section became ‘homeless' along with all the other Sports Sections, following the Sale of the Grammar FP Club !

An Open Meeting was held late last year, to assess the feelings of our Members….and whilst most were keen to continue playing, nobody was keen to find our Club a new Home, generate new Members and get the Competitions going again.

After much discussion, it came down to two choices - either someone had to take on the responsibility of driving the Section forward…or it would cease to exist !!

I felt that many good people had given their time and effort, over many years, and I was opposed to the Pétanque Section being dissolved….so I agreed to take on the responsibility of trying to get things going again.

I had discovered that the Mannofield Cricket Club was looking to increase its Membership and after several months of trying, I eventually had a Meeting with some of their Committee to open up discussions, which I was pleased to

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find to be promising. We could get an area, adjacent to the Clubhouse, space in one of their Trophy Cabinets for our Trophies etc…and as Members, we could have our Events in their Function Suite and would be able to use all their Facilities.

To keep the momentum going, we held an Open Meeting at Mannofield Cricket Club on Sunday May 22nd, at 2.30 pm. Although poorly attended, despite extensive Publicity, the feeling of those present was to keep going, in a positive manner. The National Coach of the Scottish Pétanque Association ( Malcolm McKenzie) was present and gave an interesting report on Pétanque in Scotland and offered his full support when our new Club was up and running. It was agreed that the Club should be called - The Mannofield Pétanque Club - and also that it should be Community orientated and inclusive.

All we need now, are members…whether as experienced players….or as beginner's.. or you just wish to try this Fun, Family Game !! To keep up to date with all our News, ' Like Us ' on the Facebook Page - Mannofield Pétanque Club or please feel free to contact me onpetanqueforfun@gmail.com or 07866 910 865.

I hope this finds you as well as I am.

Yours in Sport,

Dave McDonald

Annual Dinner and Functions

With the continuing presence of coronavirus there are no functions currently planned. As the situation clears we shall start to consider what functions or events can be held and these will be advised on the membership platform via the monthly newsletters. Any member with a suggestion for a meeting, function or other event please contact editor@agsfp.com who will be happy to hear from you and will relay the message to the Executive.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

Integrated Database Driven System

Membership Platform Update

As mentioned in previous Magazines, the Club Executive decided on ToucanTech as the vehicle for our new Membership Platform.

The platform continues to attract attention from Former Pupils and new registrations continue. All that is required to register is an internet address and a visit to agsfp.com. If a member does not have their own unique internet address it is possible to register under another person’s address e.g. spouse. The site is still being developed, but already contains much information on the history of the School and the Club. News stories and monthly updates are being issued by email to members.

Once registered, contributions to the site may be submitted for publishing on far-ranging topics from memories of schooldays, how careers have progressed, calls for reunions and any other topic that may be of interest to others in our Former Pupils community. It is also possible to interrogate the site and to send a note to other FPs registered on the site.

A further development was the creation of sites for our existing Centres –Canada, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and York. This allows the Centres to communicate easily with their members and to have their own unique area for their members to utilise.

One area where current members can assist as we build on the existing structure of the Platform is by inviting Former Pupils, be they school friends, relatives, neighbours or whatever, to register at www.agsfp.com and help contribute to our Former Pupils Club. Details regarding current subscriptions may be found on pages 102 and 103 of this magazine. We have already repatriated some ‘lost’ members where contact had been lost as a result of changes of address. Your assistance with this very important task will be much appreciated.

When we think of the new Platform we have to remember none of this would have been possible without the generosity of one anonymous FP benefactor and our thanks are due again for his support to our Club in bringing us up to date with modern technology which benefits us so much.

General Data Protection Regulation

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The attention of Club members is drawn to the following Privacy Statement in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation which came into force on 25 May 2018.

About us

The Aberdeen Grammar School F.P. Club is a small not-for-profit organisation. No officials receive a salary. Any reimbursement is on a receipt only basis.

The information we collect

The only information held about you will be names, postal and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and years at school if you have provided this information.

The basis on which we hold this information is “Legitimate interests”. Information about you will only be held for the following reasons:

1. To communicate with you regarding membership and subscriptions;

2. To communicate with you about FP Club or School events;

3. To enable FP Club Magazine distribution.

Telephone calls

You may be contacted from time to time for the purpose of informing you of Club and School events or for maintaining your membership subscription.

Your Data

Your postal details only will be sent to the printer to enable Magazine distribution.

Requesting your Data

You may request details of personal data which we hold about you. You have the right to request that your personal data is erased from the records if you are no longer a member of the FP Club.

Amendments to our Policy

Any information found to be incorrect will be corrected as soon as possible. Any amendments necessary will be intimated at the AGM or in future communications to you.

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 103

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine amend them every five years. The Life Member “Top up” scheme – which has been hugely successful – involves a payment of £20 to cover a five-year period. Top-ups are now due for the period 2022 to 2026 inclusive. A number of members’ Top Ups from prior periods remain unpaid. 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 and greatly helps to offset the ever-increasing cost of producing this Magazine. We also draw down 5% of the Life Fund each year which 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 does not yet match the £12.50 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 2022 are as follows:-

Life Membership:

New Life Members: £100 plus a £20 “Top up” every five years, the first “Top up” being payable five 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

School Leavers: Free up to five years from leaving

Special Notes for Members over 75:

Historically, 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. Thereafter Life Members are no longer expected to make “Top up” Payments and Ordinary (Annual) Members no longer have to pay Subscriptions. However, as a very significant number of members are aged over 75, it is suggested that they might continue to make Top-up and Annual payments on a voluntary basis.

Payment of Subscriptions:

Subscriptions should be sent to:

The Membership Secretary, John Michie, who will also deal with all queries about Membership, changes of address etc. His address is: 391 Union Street, Aberdeen AB11 6BX. 104

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Tel: 01224 – 580641 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 2021 was £5,836. 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. New

Life Members

Annual Members

Austin Davidson

Eric Davidson

Leslie Donald

David Fraser

Caroline Furze

Irving Jones

Alisdair MacKenzie

1950-63

2002-08

1963-72

1952-65

Neil Murdoch

Keith Robertson

Andrew Smith

John Stevenson

David Watson

Iain Whyte

Royan Yule

Under-23 School Leavers

Rhona

Congratulations to the following members of the Club who will attain the age of 75 during 2022 and so will become Long Service Members on 1st January 2023.

Life Members

Roddy Anderson

Ross Baird

John Bisset

Neil Borthwick

Halsey Bradford

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

1959-65 1952-64 1952-65 1952-65 1951-65

Donald Lamont

George Letts

Gordon MacNay

Douglas Marr

Roderick McDonald

1951-65 1952-62 1951-65 1959-65 1951-63

Jack Campbell 1958-62 Brian Morgan 1952-65

Brian Carrie 1952-64

Alistair Clark 1959-65

Harvey Morrison 1951-65

Andrew Noble 1952-62

Michael Colvin 1951-65 Hamish Norbrook 1959-65

Will Dewar

Bruce Drummond 1959-65 1059-65

Norman Edwards 1959-64

Steve Esson 1952-64

Strath Ewart

Bobby Gauld

Alfred Gray

Russell Gray

Gordon Hay

Jock Hendry

1961-66 1959-65 1960-65 1951-65 1951-65 1951-65

Harry Reid

Jim Reid 1951-61 1963-65

David Robertson 1954-65

Richard Shirreffs 1951-65

Dave Smith

Roy Stirrat

Alan Thomson

Laurence Tough

1954-65 1959-64 1950-64 1959-64 1959-65

George Farquhar

Alisdair MacKenzie

Harry Millar

Richard Reece

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Annual Members

1952-62

1952-65

1952-65

1952-65

Malcolm Rennie

George Shirreffs

Murdoch Shirreffs

Long Service Members

1952-65 1951-64 1951-64

For several years now we have published the names of our Nonagenarians. Sadly, twelve of these died in the past year, but seven others have been added to the list who have attained the remarkable age of 90 or will do so later this year. We have three Centenarians in our ranks. We congratulate them all and thank them for their continuing interest and support. The full list, with their dates of birth, is as follows:-

George C. Hadden

John A. Cruickshank

Eric G. Sangster 1926-29 1927-39

Peter Rennie 1938-43

Michael P. Littlejohn 1939-43

Ellis M. Philip 1937-43

Quintin A. Aitken 1939-45

George W. Warder 1935-46

James G. Matheson 1939-45

Frederick M. Gardiner 1937-44

Arthur W.A. Main 1939-45

Ian Smart 1933-46

Leonard Bird 1936-46

Peter L. Cromar 1942-48

William D.G. Coutts 1935-46

Robert Walker 1940-46

James M. Hunter 1936-47

Richard F. Allan 1937-48

John M. Eddison 1939-48

G. Moray M. Slater

Dennis A. Ritchie

Arthur

Martin

Brian

Campbell Murray

Frederick P. Lynch

Myron G. Hampton

James W. Howison

Andrew M. Steven

James

Gordon

Murray

Alexander

Robert

Edwin

Neil

Hamish

Peter A. Murphy

Arthur Grant

May 1920

May 1920

May 1922

December 1924

September 1925

October 1925

July 1926

October 1926

December 1926

July 1927

January 1928

April 1928

January 1929

April 1030

June 1930

July 1930

August 1930

August 1930

September 1930

September 1930

December 1931

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NOTES about FORMER PUPILS

Marriages

Wood (2006-12) - at Meldrum House Hotel on 19 June 2022. Jonathan, son of Jeremy (1974-79) and Anne Wood married Jessica Mota

Notes about Former Pupils

Knighthood

Peter George Bruce (1968 -1974) Kt BSc PhD FRS FRSE was knighted in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Science and Innovation.

Currently he is the Wolfson Professor of Materials at Oxford University, the Physical Secretary and Vice President of The Royal Society and Chief Scientist at The Faraday Institution. His research focuses on the science of energy conversion and storage, with particular application to lithium batteries.

Zoey Clark (2006-12) BSc added a further medal to her collection with the Scottish Athletics 4 x 400m relay team who gained a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, UK.

Stuart William Cummings (1965-69) After studying mathematics at Aberdeen University in the company of fellow ‘69ers Marshall Byres, Ian Mair and Lindsay Hughes (RIP), Stuart continued postgraduate studies in Operational Research at Strathclyde University for a further 4 years and eventually found employment as a medical statistician for a pharmaceutical company in the South of England. He joined Merck Sharp and Dohme in Brussels in 1980 where he was responsible for developing their European Biostatistics and Clinical Data Management Group and latterly worked for several Contract Research Organisations.

During his early years in Brussels, he continued his rugby playing career with Brussels British Rugby Club whose emblem, appropriately, was the Mannekin Pis carrying a rugby ball under his ‘other’ arm. He started climbing Munros in the mid Seventies, often in the company of fellow FPs Nigel Watt and John Hannah and later, Philip Turberville. Despite the challenge of living in Brussels for most of his life, he completed his last Munro in his sixtieth year in 2011. Since then, hillwalking has been largely replaced by mediocre golf and infrequent visits to the gym to try to maintain some semblance of fitness.

He married Catriona, a conference interpreter, some thirty three years ago and they have two boys, Alistair (32) who has followed a conventional career and works in marketing in London for a shipping insurance company and Andrew (31) who spent many years travelling the world and who has just completed a degree in electronic music production.

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In retirement Stuart organises quizzes, primarily to raise funds for UNICEF, and spends many hours in the kitchen cooking and experimenting with new recipes. He has also been known to write the occasional ode to celebrate landmark birthdays and other events with family and friends.

During lockdown in 2020, together with John Curran, David Smith, Philip Turberville and Nigel Watt, he co-authored a book entitled the ‘In’famous Five – a collection of tales and tributes from five of the Class of ’69. The book relates the authors’ own stories of the School and growing up in Aberdeen as well as recounting family histories and paying tribute to the sacrifices their ancestors made in both World Wars. Stuart became President of the FP Club in March 2021 but was unable to fully embrace this role due to the Covid pandemic. He will, however, represent the FP Club at this year’s Canadian Reunion weekend in Vancouver in September.

Dylan Findlay (2010–16) Has played the trombone since he was twelve years old and is currently studying music at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland having completed his undergraduate training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. He was one of sixteen musicians who played as part of the fanfare for King Charles III, the Queen Consort and assembled MSPs at the Scottish Parliament during the Motion of Condolence for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Amy Florence Lennox (1998–2004) Amy performed the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre in London. She has also appeared on the stage in Kinky Boots and was in the main cast of Holby City for three series playing Chloe Godard, a CT surgeon and the daughter of YAU consultant Ange Godard.

Barry John Shepherd (1988–94) Barry worked in Edinburgh in the financial services industry until moving back to Aberdeen in 2006 as a chartered wealth manager for Brewin Dolphin managing stocks and shares on behalf of individuals, companies and charities.

He is an enthusiastic but woeful golfer. He also enjoys watching his two young children playing sport despite this being for ‘the other place’.

David Clark Whyte (1962-68) Still in the South Pacific after thirty four years. Mostly in New Zealand with a brief five year stint in Australia, and mostly in the corporate financial services sector. On returning from Melbourne around 2008, undertook various consulting roles around the corporate governance space and remains there to this day, serving as chair and/or non-executive director on the boards of a select number of private companies. Also serving as Deputy Chair of Foundation North, one of Australasia's largest and most significant charitable organisations in the Not-For-Profit sector, aimed at enhancing lives by funding and supporting initiatives to respond to local communities' needs. Following and supporting the All Blacks - unless playing Scotland. He was delighted to meet up with Ann and Iain Hopkin (1962-68) and Bob Johnstone (1963-68) on a recent all-too-brief visit to Aberdeen.

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Obituaries

David Tennant Baird (1940-52) CBE, BA, DSc, FRCOG, FRCP Edin, FMedSci, FRSE died from pneumonia after a stroke on 12 February 2022 aged 86.

He was born in Glasgow and moved to Aberdeen when his father, Sir Dugald Baird, was appointed regius professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Aberdeen. On leaving the School he went up to the University of Aberdeen, then Trinity College, Cambridge before proceeding to clinical studies at the University of Edinburgh. His early clinical training was in endocrinology, and obstetrics and gynaecology in Edinburgh and London.

His internationally recognised scientific and clinical contributions have had a huge impact on women’s healthcare and on the careers of colleagues in his discipline worldwide. His vision of the added value of scientists working alongside clinicians close to their patients underpinned the establishment of the University of Edinburgh Centre for Reproductive Biology in 1972, creating a model that was to be emulated in many countries.

In the 1960’s he was appointed to a prestigious research fellowship at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in Massachusetts (USA). In 1968 he returned to Edinburgh as a lecturer in the university department of obstetrics and gynaecology becoming a senior lecturer in 1970 along with his appointment as consultant at the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. From 1985 until his retirement in 2000 he held the position of MRC clinical professor of reproductive endocrinology.

His many clinical and research achievements received widespread recognition. He was awarded the Marshall medal of the Society for the Study of Fertility, the Dale medal of the Endocrine Society and the Eardley Holland gold medal of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He was appointed fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and created Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000. In his spare time, he had a lifelong love of the Scottish mountains and the great outdoors.

Ian William Coull (1948-57) died after a long illness on 27 June 2022 aged 80. Ian was born in Aberdeen on 7 April 1942 to William, a merchant sea captain, and Lilas Coull. After attending the School Ian completed an apprenticeship and City and Guilds qualifications with Hendersons. His training in machine heavy engineering set him up for his career in the newspaper industry working for Aberdeen Journals as part of the print production team. Ian continued working for the Journals for forty seven years and retired as chief engineer.

He loved the game of golf and this allowed him to indulge his other passion of travel. He and his wife travelled to Spain, the USA, the Caribbean and the Middle and Far East. Throughout his life he was a member of various golf clubs and he also helped with the organisation of the SPARKS charity Pro-Cel-Am for twenty five years and the Grampian-Houston Golf event which sponsored upcoming young golfers. Ian is survived by his wife Glenda.

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Alan Gordon Craig (1933-46) passed away peacefully on 15 August 2022 in St Louis, Missouri, USA.

Alan was born on 27 March 1929 to James and Jeannie Craig and was one of five children. After School he completed his medical degree at Aberdeen University and interned as House Physician and Surgeon at local hospitals before serving as a Captain in the British Army Medical Corps. Subsequently, he worked in his family practice in Aberdeen from 1955 to 1963 before immigrating to the USA with his family in 1963 settling in Webster Groves and joining the staff at Washington University specialising in Psychiatry. He then entered private practice and was affiliated with many of the hospitals in the St Louis area.

He was passionate about golf and also loved fishing. He was an avid reader and would spontaneously quote Shakespeare to the delight of his family and friends. A true Scotsman, he loved a good dram.

In retirement, he and his late wife Hazel split their time between St Louis, Scotland and Florida.

Professor David Main Craig (1937-50) passed away on 2nd November 2021. We have no further details on David’s life and if anyone has information will they please contact the Editor.

Former President, Secretary, Treasurer and Magazine Editor

Brian Kerrington Crookshanks (1934-46) T.D., M.A., LL.B. died after a short illness on 28 January 2022 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The Grammar F.P. Club has throughout its long history been very lucky in being able to rely on men and women who have been willing to give long and distinguished service; but in Brian Crookshanks it had a devoted servant the like of which we are most unlikely to experience ever again. His total commitment to the Club was virtually continuous for over sixty years.

Brian was born on 17th August 1929, the first child to George Crookshanks, a Headmaster and his wife, Jean Gorrod and they initially lived in Forest Avenue and then at 62 Desswood Place, Aberdeen where Brian grew up with his younger sister, Noreen. His schooling was entirely at Aberdeen Grammar School, from 1934 until 1946. On the impact his school years had on the rest of his life, we will hear more later.

He admitted that there was nothing very outstanding about his school career apart from the fact that as leading man in the Dramatic Society play he sustained a broken jaw just before the show and that, as a result, it had to be cancelled. He was Secretary and Treasurer of the Dramatic Society.

On leaving school he took his M.A., LL.B. degrees at Aberdeen University, graduating with distinction in law. He was apprenticed to J.D. Mackie & Dewar from 1949 until 1952 at the same time as he was studying for his LL.B. degree.

Then followed National Service from 1952 to 1954 in the Royal Corps of Signals where he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. His National Service was served mainly at Catterick in Yorkshire and in addition to usual duties, he was organist at St. Aidan’s Church, Catterick. Following his National Service, he served in the 51st (Highland) Signal Regiment of the Territorial Army from 1954, earning the Territorial Decoration in 1965 and retiring as a Major in 1967.

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He had a distinguished legal career – he was a partner in Cooper & Hay from 1954 to 1966 and also a part-time assistant lecturer in Scots Law at Aberdeen University from 1955-1959. In 1966, he joined Cormack Cramb & Gibb. By 1975, he had had his fill of private practice and realising that it was time more criminals were convicted, he was delighted to join the Procurator Fiscal Service as Procurator Fiscal Depute in July 1975 where he remained until retirement in 1994. He not only earned the respect of his professional colleagues by his forensic ability but also their gratitude for his willingness to discuss cases and smooth over unnecessary difficulties which might arise.

He was for twelve years a member of the Council of the Procurator Fiscal Society, the professional body representing the members of the service.

On his retirement as a fiscal, Brian became involved in the City of Aberdeen Probus Club. He joined in 1995 and remained a supportive member of Probus for the next 27 years fulfilling duties as a Club Committee member for the sessions 1997 – 1999, as Club Secretary from 1999 to 2003 and as President of the Club during its 2003 – 2004 session.

Brian was also an active member of the Aberdeen University Alumnus Association where he served for some years on the committee and was Obituaries Editor of the Alumnus Review.

Brian was very involved in church life from childhood. He originally attended Trinity Church, Crown Street where his father was organist for 33 years. Brian became an accomplished organist himself and often deputised at Trinity Church for his father and played on an occasional basis in many churches in Aberdeen and elsewhere until the 1990’s. He was ordained as a Deacon in 1954 and as an Elder in 1957 and gave several decades of very active and enthusiastic service in this calling. At Trinity Church, he held many offices including those of Sunday School Superintendent, Clerk to the Board and Session Clerk.

In 1975, the family moved to the local church, Beechgrove Church, where Brian served in a variety of roles including once again Sunday School Superintendent, Magazine Editor for 15 years, Communion Elder (where he was passionate about ensuring the most dignified serving of Communion in church), Freewill Offering Treasurer, working on outreach projects when such ideas were in their infancy and he had a huge involvement in the year of celebration of the Centenary of Beechgrove Church in 2000. Brian was much involved in the preparations for the Union of Beechgrove and St Ninian’s Churches to form Midstocket Church but following the Union, Brian and his wife Joyce decided to make Rubislaw Church their home and transferred there in 2008. Brian took the opportunity to retire as an active elder although he couldn’t be inactive for long, taking on roles on the Centre Management Committee for a spell and on the Guild Committee where he was Guild Treasurer until the time of his death.

Brian was elected to the Club Executive in 1958 and since then has been bound in a chain gang of service, the recounting of which leaves no need for praise. Very shortly after joining the Executive, Brian became Entertainments Secretary, normally a sufficient duty for a committee member, but, not content with this, he also carried out the more arduous task of Notes Editor for the Magazine. In 1965 when that great Secretary and Treasurer, the late J Scott McLachlan, retired because of ill health, Brian took over the duties of Club Secretary and Treasurer. In 1969 when the Club Centre opened, he was elected to carry out the additional duties of Secretary and Treasurer of the Centre. After six years in this quadruple capacity even such a glutton for 113

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punishment realised that this task was more than he could cope with and he started to demit office from his multifarious tasks eventually resigning as Club secretary in 1976. In clarification of the work involved one must say that these positions now require four separate people to fulfil them. Finish of service perhaps? – but no.

On resigning as Secretary, Brian was immediately elected Vice-Chairman of the Executive and subsequently Chairman. This latter appointment is normally held for two years, but here again “Sods Law” prevailed. Professor Philip Love, his Vice- Chairman, being elected President of the Scottish Law Society at the time he should have taken over, Brian had to do a third year as chairman. Shortly after demitting office as Chairman of the Executive Brian was elected as President of the Parent Club (1983-84) and he greatly enjoyed his year attending all the Centre Dinners and numerous local functions.

He was committee member, Secretary and Treasurer, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Club Centre Committee for the first thirty years of its existence and spent a large amount of his time at 86 Queens Road.

At the age of sixty-eight he took on the editorship of the Magazine and was still in that role at the time of his death. An interesting historical comparison is that one of his illustrious predecessors, Theodore Watt, also died whilst still Editor after forty years but at a younger age(62) than when Brian started!

To paraphrase an observation by the Duke of Wellington about his own career, Brian might well have said “I conceive it to be my duty to serve with unhesitating zeal and cheerfulness when and wherever the Grammar F.P. Club may think proper to employ me”

Lastly, as Brian’s family attended the School, when the School Councils were set up in the middle 1970s, Brian was elected to the Grammar School Council, as a parent’s representative and appointed chairman. No one knows how much the School and Club must owe to his diligence and common sense in that position.

His wife, Joyce, predeceased him some years ago and he is survived by daughters Alison and Gillian (1975-80) and son Gordon (1979-85). Gillian was Club President (201719) – the first father and daughter to be so honoured.

Brian was very proud of the achievements of his children and took great interest and pride in the lives of his grandchildren, Gillian’s daughters – Lyndsey, Jenna and Meghan – who largely grew up in Canada. Brian and Joyce enormously enjoyed their many trips to Canada and the regular visits of the family back to Aberdeen. Brian was delighted to become a great grandfather one year ago when his great grandson, Nico, was born in February 2021. And he was very happy to have an opportunity to meet and spend time with Nico at the time of Lyndsey’s wedding last October – Nico and the rest of Lyndsey’s family came over from Canada and Grandad spent several happy days with them all at the wedding venue in the Cotswolds.

Brian was an engaging raconteur with an unrivalled knowledge of FPs of all vintages. His comprehensive recollection of events long-passed in the annals of the School and FP Club was a source of enlightenment and entertainment. We were fortunate that his intellect did not diminish with the years and that he was able to share his memories with us right up till the end.

It might be thought that someone who first attended the School eighty-eight years ago might be stuck in the past. This was emphatically not the case with Brian. He was a loyal and generous supporter of the current-day school, its students, headteacher and

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staff. A regular and enthusiastic attender of school events such as concerts, plays, prizegivings and the carol service right up until COVID put a hold on these.

The School was represented at Brian’s Memorial Service by the Headteacher, her deputy, the Head Girl and the Head Boy. Bon Record!

Graham Cruickshank (1944-50) BDS died peacefully at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 6 April 2022 after a short illness aged 84.

Graham came to Aberdeen Grammar Lower School from Ashley Road School in 1944. At that time Grammar was a fee paying school and the payments, the last being in 1944/45, were made at the school to the collector who happened to be his father on behalf of the Council.

On leaving the School he at first entered banking but that was not for him. He enrolled at St Andrews University for a degree course in dentistry at Queens College in Dundee and graduated BDS. He joined the Royal Air Force as a dentist and after spells at RAF Locking, St Mawgam in Cornwall and RAF Kinloss he left with the rank of Squadron Leader in 1965.

After a short time in dental practice in Elgin he moved to Lerwick as a dentist until 1983. In Lerwick he played an active part in the community and with his love of Music and the Arts he was Patron of the Lerwick Choral Society and the Lerwick Brass Band. On several occasions he helped consultants at the Gilbert Bain Hospital with his expertise in anaesthetics especially when it involved jaw and facial injury.

He was held in high regard and respect during his time in Shetland even to the extent that his beloved Bentley car, one of the few in the area, was often borrowed for transporting dignitaries, for example during H.M. The Queen’s visit in 1969.

He moved back to the mainland in 1983 and set up the first dental practice in a portable cabin in Westhill, then a growing suburb near Aberdeen. He retired in 1998.

At the School he played both cricket and hockey and continued with hockey in the FP Hockey Section. Understandably he was advised to stop playing hockey as any serious hand injury could prejudice his career in dentistry which would have been a great disappointment to him.

His other interests included music and his extensive collection of records and recording equipment was formidable. He enjoyed watching cricket and was extremely knowledgeable on that subject. Residing close to Seeside he took a keen interest in the local history society attending many talks and visits. He was also a keen walker until mobility problems in later years put a stop to this recreation.

He is survived by his wife Pat whom he met while she was training as a dental nurse in Dundee. They celebrated their Diamond wedding in October 2020. They have four sons and a daughter and a large family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Peter Brand Donald (1944-48) died at home on 9 June 2022 aged 82. Peter was born into an entertainment family and continued the family tradition working for forty four years at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen. His working life started when he became an assistant projectionist at the Queens Cinema during which time he studied stage management. He ran the family cinemas until 1971 when his father unexpectedly died and he joined his brother James at His Majesty’s Theatre where he became general manager. Having contributed five decades to entertainment in Aberdeen, Peter retired in 1998 and his contribution to city life was acknowledged by the Lord Provost presenting 115

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine him with a plaque. In tribute to his family, the lane at the side of the theatre was renamed Donald’s Way.

He was a very good hockey player and representing North of Scotland and also winning a Scottish Cup Medal in 1964 whilst playing for FPs.. He also enjoyed cricket, football, cycling, chess and snooker.

Peter is survived by his wife Margaret and son Peter.

George Dunbar (1974-80) George Dunbar went up to Edinburgh University for his primary degree. He was an associate professor of linguistics at Warwick University between the years 1990 until his death in 2022. He is survived by his daughter Romy Jessica and his ex-wife Gill.

Iain Esslemont (1939-50) passed away on 14 June 2022 in Margaret River, Western Australia just three months before his 90th birthday.

Iain was born at home in Aberdeen on 2nd September 1932. His Dad’s elder cousin, Dr Mary Esslemont delivered him - he didn’t cry, so she sloshed a drop of ‘water of life’ on his mouth and he bellowed! This boy would carry forward the family name for the John E. Esslemont branch, well known around town as tea blenders and sweetie manufacturers.

The family have a happy photo of the infant Iain sitting on the back of Kuno who was his beloved dog. Shortly after starting school, Iain shocked the family by swearing loudly at Sunday lunch. Immediate action followed - he moved schools, to the purity of The Grammar! He enjoyed his school years, particularly his membership of the Scout Troop. Every year, they camped at Plockton.

After school came six years of medical study at Aberdeen University. On Saturday nights, there were dances at the Student Union. Years later, his mother reminisced that late at night in bed at her Westfied Terrace home, she would recognise the sound of Iain’s big motor bike starting up, and shake with fear until it roared up their driveway! After graduation came National Service, as Medical Officer with 1 st 6th Gurkhas in Hong Kong. Iain greatly admired these men who were at once brave and naïve. One day he had to change the wicks he was using to treat an ear infection. The consulting area had a glass window through to the waiting room. With tweezers, Iain removed the long wick from one ear, renewed it with a fresh one – then went round to the other ear. As he began teasing out its soiled wick, he glanced at the window. Those in the waiting room were watching, transfixed in horror!

The Regiment moved to Taiping in Malaya – this was the time of the Communist Emergency. By the time his National Service was finished, Iain had fallen in love with Malaya. So, after studying Obstetrics back in Scotland, he returned and was in practice in Penang in 1965. One evening he was at the Sports Club with a group of friends –when a new arrival from Scotland was introduced - Mary, a British Army School teacher. He responded for all to hear: “I’ve always wanted to marry a Scottish girl – will you marry me?” Mortified, Mary remembered her mother’s warning about fast young men in the Far East! But Iain persisted, and some months later, she said ‘Yes”. The wedding was in the Scots Kirk, Penang on 3 rd Sept 1966 and there followed eleven more years in Penang during which time three children were born, Graeme, Shona and Catriona. Life was good, Iain’s work was fulfilling, but they were not citizens of the now independent Malaysia, and could not get security of tenure.

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The family moved to Perth, Australia, where Iain set up practice and became involved with the Royal Australian College of GPs, particularly with their training programme and examining board. He loved his work – he lived and breathed being a family doctor. His other great interest was Rotary. He was honoured by being made a Paul Harris Fellow.

In 1999, retirement called and a move to Margaret River, a wine producing area south of Perth. For the first three years, Iain visited and supervised young doctors who were preparing for their Fellowship exams –a great way to progress from fulltime work to fulltime retirement.

Following a series of strokes, Iain developed vascular dementia. On the day before he passed away, he said to Mary “I love my dog. Where is Kuno? “His life had gone full circle – he was again the happy infant who sat on Kuno’s back in the Aberdeen garden. His final wish is to take his ashes to the places he loved – Penang and Aberdeen. But his spirit has gone ahead, he’s taken the Low Road.

Iain is survived by Mary, his three children and seven grandchildren.

Ian Alexander Fraser (1962-68) died suddenly at home in Aberdeen on 13 December 2021 aged 72.

At School he was a prefect and a member of the CCF and pipe band.

On leaving School, Ian started his insurance career with the Norwich Union and worked in their Aberdeen and Inverness offices. In 1985 he left the Norwich Union and joined Central Insurance Services, where, over time he rose to be a Director of the company. He was a well-liked and respected member of staff and retired in 2014 after a long and distinguished career.

Ian was a qualified PFA football referee in his earlier years but his real passion were cars and golf. He bought a holiday home in Hopeman where he spent a lot of his time entertaining, walking and playing golf. On his death some colleagues and friends played a round of golf in his honour and there is a plaque and a memorial to him at the course he loved.

He was a staunch supporter of the Former Pupils Club and was often in attendance at the annual Yorkshire Centre dinner and it was always a pleasure to see his cheery face and to stop and have a chat with him on many varied topics. Ian was laid to rest in Montrose where he spent his early years.

William Dickson Gall (1948-57) passed away at Finavon Care Home at Forfar in 8 August 2022 aged 82

William Dickson Gall was born on the 2nd January in 1940 to William and Annie Gall. His middle name was his mother’s maiden name, and he was always known as Dickson. Something in later life he would cement, by officially changing his name to Dickson by deed poll. When Dickson was seven though, his family moved from Banff to Grosvenor Place in Aberdeen right next to Aberdeen Grammar School. Here he became involved with Carden Place Church, especially musically. He sang solos at Easter and Christmas services, but he also joined the local Scripture Union Group. He spent many happy holidays and weekends at camps in the hills and he loved travelling abroad as well. An incredible debater he enjoyed success with the SU debating society winning trips to Russia in 1958 and Europe in 1959.

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Music was always a big part of his life and although he didn’t read music he could play wonderfully by ear. Many admired his ability to hear a tune and then turn to the piano or organ to recreate it. It came to him so naturally, and he used his gifts readily to entertain those around him.

When he left the Grammar School Dickson moved down to Edinburgh and started a course on youth leadership at Moray House College. Mentored by his dad William, he tried his hand at a number of things, in the end he settled on insurance. He had always been interested in politics and he became involved with the Stirling and Falkirk Young Unionists. Showing talent and aptitude, he quite quickly was elected Chairman and he was proposed as a prospective parliamentary candidate for North Aberdeen in 1966 on a Liberal ticket. In the mid 80’s he spent a number of years selling insurance to the people of Devon and Cornwall before returning to his family and roots back in Aberdeen.

On his return, he soon became involved in politics again being elected as a City Councillor. He loved helping people and as a councillor felt that he was able to contribute for the good of others.

He was a very talented and capable man, although eccentric as well. He did after all invite a donkey into his home at the House of Memsie to keep it warm over the winter, and he waged a one-man campaign against seagulls. He was popular and entertaining and a great musician using his gifts for friends and in local churches and he even made a recording at one point.

He had a passion for travelling, and throughout his long life travelled through sixteen countries, often walking, including North Africa, Russia and the Ukraine, always remaining proud that he was one of the first to be admitted after Stalin died. He is survived by his sons Nick and Neville and daughter Anna Victoria.

Peter Mitchell Gordon (1939-1948) Reverend Peter Gordon died peacefully on 28 March 2022 at Rosturk House Care Home aged 91.

In his time as a Church of Scotland minister he was the first minister of Camperdown Parish Church (1960) before being called to Brechin Cathedral and then to a church in Airdrie.

Peter is survived by his wife Fiona, two sons and five grandchildren.

Thomas (Tom) Graham (1945-1952): Tom died peacefully on 18th April 2022, in Ayrshire. His family were well known in Aberdeen as his father, Rev Prof John Graham, was the Lord Provost of the city. Tom began primary school at Aberdeen Grammar, before moving to Perthshire with his mother and siblings during the war. Postwar on their return to the city he continued at the Grammar School. He enjoyed sports at school and played in the rugby team. Tom studied Geography at Aberdeen University, graduating with Honours. After National Service in the RAF he became a manager with ICI and later with another chemical company, Ciba Geigy.

From 1969 onwards he and his wife Jean lived in Troon, Ayrshire, Here golf became an abiding interest; family history was another passion. He is survived by two daughters, 5 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Gordon McGregor Hatrick (1969-74) died peacefully at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 15 June 2021 aged 64.

Gordon worked as a credit controller in Aberdeen for a number of companies including Smith International, Enermech, North East of Scotland College and Schlumberger. 118

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Gordon enjoyed travelling and was a strong supporter of the Club Centre in its earlier days. His brother is Iain MacDiarmid Hatrick (1965-71)

Gordon is survived by his wife Nicola and by his daughter Sofie (2015-21) who was a prefect in 5th and 6th year.

Roger Fyfe Kelty (1945-55) passed away peacefully at his home on Cable Beach, Nassau, Bahamas on 30 December 2021 aged 84.

One of twin sons born to Scottish parents in Java, Indonesia in 1937, Roger and his twin brother Mitchell escaped with their mother when the Japanese invaded the then Dutch East Indies during the Second World War in 1942. They sought refuge in Freemantle, Western Australia for eighteen months before boarding a convoy that took them under heavy attack from German U-boats to Aberdeen via South Africa.

Roger attended the School from age seven and on leaving attended Aberdeen University whence he graduated with an Honours degree in English Language and Literature. He was awarded a full blue for boxing as British Universities Welterweight Champion also representing the University at tennis and squash. He taught English at Kirkton High School in Dundee before travelling in 1966 to Nassau, Bahamas to take up the post of Head of English at Queen’s College. Roger immediately fell in love with the beauty of the islands and the friendliness of the people and adopted the Bahamas as his permanent home.

He became Vice-Principal of Queen’s College in 1971 until 1981 when he moved to the College of the Bahamas where he taught the Bachelor of Education literature courses for the University of the West Indies. From 1987 to 1994 he was Headmaster of the High School at St Andrews School before his appointment as the Director in charge of Educational Scholarships with the Lyford Cay Foundation. He retired in 2007 at the age of seventy.

Roger was Past President of the Rotary Club of South East Nassau and was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. He was Rotary’s Assistant District Governor in the Bahamas from 1985 to 1988 and had over forty years of perfect attendance.

Keenly interested in all sports throughout his life Roger maintained his involvement in boxing serving as Vice-President of the Amateur Boxing Federation of the Bahamas. He enjoyed playing golf and tennis as well as swimming and diving. He is survived by son Keith and daughter Kyrene.

David Carnegie Leslie (1947-61) died unexpectedly at home on 20 July 2022 aged 79. David was born in Aberdeen and after School he began his studies at the city’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and completed his training there. After qualifying he began work as an architect with the local council later becoming a group leader in the City Architect’s department where he worked on many well-known civic buildings, including the redeveloped Winter Gardens in Duthie Park and new housing developments. By the end of the 1970’s he had become a member of the Shoemakers Incorporation, one of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, where he served three times as deacon of his trade.

Looking for a project to get his teeth into, he made a decisive visit to Leslie Castle. He acquired the Barony of Leslie and the remains of the stronghold, the historical seat of the Clan Leslie, at Auchleven near Insch, on St Andrews Day 1979. Believed to be the last fortified castle built in Scotland and mostly dating from 1661, it had lain uninhabited for 119

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine nearly two hundred years. Undaunted at the remains he spent many hours researching its history and acquired planning permission and after ten years the castle finally opened as a private hotel in 1989. He was also involved in Clan Leslie International and in 1995 the hotel hosted a Leslie Clan gathering. He was instrumental in the erection of a memorial to honour the Leslies who died at the Battle of Harlaw near Inverurie in 1411. He also worked for some time for Donut International which developed personal escape devices in response to the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster.

He took early retirement from the council in 1996 and retired from the hospitality business eighteen months later, returning the castle to a private home. Not finished, in 2001 he began reconstruction of a ruined stone outbuilding adjacent to the castle. This became a coach house and the Leslie’s retirement home. The castle was sold in 2002 and with it went the barony and Leslie’s title Baron of Leslie. He is survived by his wife Leslie and his daughters Angela and Yvonne.

David Warren Levack (1945-57) died peacefully in Roxburgh House, Aberdeen on 14th October, 2021. He had been transferred to the Roxburgh in September after a long period of declining health which he had borne with typical patience and fortitude. This obituary is based on notes prepared by John Souter (a Gordonian 1940-1951) with some additional help from Graham Morrice (1942-1957), another long-standing friend.

Warren’s father (an eminent consultant and radiologist) and John’s father (a dedicated principal teacher) both leased cottages yards from each other on Chapel Brae, Braemar just after World War II. It was inevitable that their respective sons would pass one another ‘on the brae’ and a youthful fellowship grew into a friendship which was to endure for more than seventy years.

David was known as Warren by Family members and this was largely the same at School. However, in Business he was known as David. Casting my mind back to 1957, David confidently informed me that he had chosen hotel management and catering as his career! Beginning with a comprehensive apprenticeship at the Atholl Palace, he then became assistant manager at the Tontine Hotel in Peebles, the Queen’s in Dundee and the Northern Hotel in Aberdeen. It was at the Northern that he met and fell in love with the hugely capable house-keeper there, Elspet Shand, known as Bunty. They married in 1968 and then travelled north to the Dornoch Hotel (100 bedrooms), when David was appointed as manager. Then, a prominent Black Isle lawyer, who had purchased the Duke of Gordon Hotel in Kingussie, duly persuaded the couple to take over the somewhat run-down establishment urgently. The challenge was accepted and with a huge effort, the Duke regained its famous reputation. At this time, a daughter was born and a handsome family house acquired nearby. Their eleven years there were probably the happiest of all. As I was a frequent visitor, I labelled this period their ‘golden decade’. Following a brief spell as Manager of the Gloucester Hotel, Union Street, Aberdeen, yet another demanding task appeared on the horizon – with the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology (RGIT). Formed when oil exploration in the North Sea was at its zenith, the Students’ Union in Schoolhill was now facing major financial problems. The Governors had advertised the post of manager as a matter of urgency and were seeking an applicant ‘with vast experience’. David was appointed straightaway and without more ado set about totally reorganising the business and the staff structure. He led by example, expecting and receiving total commitment. By the following year, I was made aware of a letter of gratitude from the Governors for his services. It was a pleasure to witness this portion of my old school flourishing from 1981 until 2004 when 120

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‘the boss’ retired after a total 47½ years in the business. He and his wife sold their much-loved house in Kingussie and bought a house in Torphins. They enjoyed a new life there turning their new house into a lovely, homely place together and cultivating a spectacular garden which gave them such satisfaction for 40 years – well deserved indeed. I sorely miss the genial company of a much respected, generous and kindly gentleman whom it was my privilege to know for so long.

Obituary submitted by Martin Jeffrey (1942-57) with the assistance of John A. Souter (RGC 1940-51).

Herbert John Alexander Longmore (1943-48) MB, ChB, FRCGP, DRCOG died peacefully in Westfield House care home Lockerbie on 12 October 2021, aged 90. His birthday was celebrated quietly, under covid restrictions, only a few weeks before, on 8 September, consequently achieving proud membership of the FP Nonagenarian club. Herbert was always a staunch Aberdonian at heart, even though he practiced as a country GP for thirty years in Lochmaben, situated in the heart of Dumfriesshire, South Scotland. His early life was lived in Tarves, located in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, where his parents both taught in the local school, his father as head teacher. Tragically, his father died at the age of forty four in 1944, the result of a wound received to his head during WW1, in which he lost an eye. Herbert entered the Aberdeen Grammar School in 1943. His time there understandably played a huge influence on his life and where he enjoyed a very happy time. His love of rugby remained with him all his life, often attending internationals at Murrayfield. He entered Aberdeen University in 1949 to study medicine, graduating in 1954.

He proudly served as Medical Officer, 1st Battalion Royal Scots Medical Core from 1955 to 1957, sent firstly to Cyprus and then to the Middle East during the Suez Crisis. Herbert met his wife Sylvia, a nurse, in Aberdeen. They married in Inverness in August 1956, when Sylvia was the children’s nursing sister at the Royal Northern Infirmary. With only a few days’ notice, and by special permission of his CO, the wedding was brought forward shortly before his unit was despatched overseas. Theirs was the first wedding to be held in the Infirmary Tweedmouth Chapel.

On returning to Scotland, he held various short term surgical posts and locums before taking over the Lochmaben practice in 1961, from the then retiring GP. Originally the surgery was located within the doctor’s house, but he eventually realised a modern surgery was required and was responsible for a new purpose-built surgery, founded in the centre of the royal burgh, and opened in 1971.This new medical centre was shared with another Lochmaben GP who also practiced in the town. Herbert loved his work in the Scottish rural countryside, relishing the challenges of caring for patients in remote corners of the parish, whilst driving his beloved Mercedes 280 TE estate. He combined general practice with assisting twice a week at the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary orthopaedic department and was also part time medical advisor at the Carnation/Nestle factory and the Gates Rubber Company both based in Dumfries. In 1980 he was elected President of the BMA Dumfries & Galloway division. He was also a member of the Harveian Society and regularly attended the annual Harveian Festival in Edinburgh.

With Sylvia, they raised four children, all of whom attended university. A strong family interest in motor sport saw him driving all over the British Isles to a multitude of racetracks. The favoured mode of transport, a Land Rover dormobile, would tow a 121

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine trailer most weekends throughout the summer months, where his sons would compete initially at karting and then in various levels of auto racing. He loved the motor racing scene and would also act in his professional capacity as track doctor at Ingliston Motor Racing circuit on the outskirts of Edinburgh. In the winter months he loved curling and was a member of The Three Counties Medical curling club (TCMCC). He was involved from the outset when first discussions were held to establish an indoor ice rink at Lockerbie. This was eventually opened in 1966. On the night of the Lockerbie Air Disaster, 21 December 1988, he was one of the first medics on the scene, working alongside the police and military throughout the night. He was heavily involved in the aftermath, as several of his patients were affected on many levels that fateful night. On his retirement in 1992, a strong interest in family history saw him spend many hours researching the Longmore ancestry connected to Aberdeenshire and was a long-standing member of the Aberdeen North East Scotland Family History Society. All pre computer, he wrote many letters to copious institutions on the trail of information. Family meant everything to him. He is survived by his wife Sylvia, three sons, his daughter, daughterin-law and nine grandchildren. Deeply missed by all.

Bill Mackay (1945–51) died peacefully at Tor Na Dee Care Home on 6 April 2022 aged 89.

Bill passed his eleven plus exams whilst at King Street Primary School On and completed his education at the School. In his youth he attended the Boys’ Brigade, played rugby and then later football.

On leaving school he began an apprenticeship with J M Henderson in King Street and Jopps Lane. His national service was as an engineer in the merchant navy before rejoining J M Henderson. Having married and on learning he was to become a father he went back to sea and rose to chief engineer. Finding it difficult to be away from his family Bill began to lecture in marine and mechanical engineering at the Aberdeen Technical College where he remained for thirty-one years.

In his retirement he enjoyed playing golf and was a past Captain and Secretary of Hazelhead Golf Club. As his health deteriorated in later life he continued to enjoy and develop his interest in music, history and current affairs.

Bill is survived by his two daughters Pamela and Alison.

John (Jack) Main (1961-63) died peacefully at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 4 October 2022 aged 76.

Brian Mair (1958-65) passed away on 18 October 2019 aged 72 and his funeral was held in Northfield United Free Church.

At School Brian was very fluent in French and German and in his summer breaks worked in Germany at an institute for handicapped children. Later he worked for an English newspaper based in Paris where his fluent French was well used. He continued his working life away from the UK.

James Anderson McGregor (1935-44)

James died very peacefully with family beside him on 4 March 2022.

Jimmy was born in India where his father Archibald was a mechanical engineer running a tea plantation. As his elder brother Archie approached school age, their mother took them back to Aberdeen to start their education. Both attended Aberdeen Grammar 122

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School. Too young to take up his place to study medicine at Aberdeen, he stayed on at school for sixth year. Jimmy concentrated on sport playing rugby, sprinting in athletics and field sports, including pole vaulting with a bamboo pole! He loved Scouting, stepping up to run his troop before he left school and continuing while he studied medicine, as so many Leaders were away during WW2. He was in sole charge of a scout camp at the age of sixteen years.

At Aberdeen University sporting life continued playing rugby for Aberdeen Grammar FPs He would proudly recall being part of the AGSFP rugby team that won the Scottish Unofficial Rugby Championship in season 1947-48. Whilst at University he always wore his kilt because this saved clothing coupons as his knobbly knees wore through trousers.

Whenever possible during his student years he escaped to the hills, mainly the Cairngorms where he and his buddies walked miles, camping and climbing and managing occasionally to get to the West Coast and Stac Pollaidh his favourite mountain.

Jimmy met Eileen Murray in Aberdeen, marrying her in 1955. They had sixty eight wonderful years together.

He joined his first General Practice in Lerwick, Shetland and was there for eight years, followed by a position in Auchenblae as a sole dispensing GP. He later moved to a practice in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh for twenty years. During this time he took responsibility for geriatric and young chronic sick wards in Liberton Hospital, and was GP for a blind home.

He was a much-respected doctor, thoughtful and courteous, showing great empathy, and always making time to listen. He loved his family life as it developed over the years from four children born in Shetland, to include eleven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. A modern father from the start he was always ‘hands on’.

Jimmy loved watching his children and grandchildren play sport at school level and beyond, including, in his eighties, when they travelled annually to Eastern Europe for basketball tournaments. He had developed a love of travel when serving his National service in Egypt many years previously.

Many happy years of retirement were spent back in his beloved Cairngorms. Following this time in Braemar, they moved back to Edinburgh. Golf, travel in Scotland and beyond filled retirement. Always a humble gentle man, Jimmy had a lovely infectious laugh, was quick witted, and loved telling stories, making impromptu speeches at family gatherings, and telling jokes. The family feel extremely blessed, privileged, and grateful to have enjoyed so many years of support and guidance from Jimmy.

Jimmy was an enthusiastic member of the Edinburgh Centre participating regularly in the golf outings and attending the Annual Centre Dinner. He was Centre President in 1994.

He is survived by Eileen, children Susan, Ranald, Jenny and Gary, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Alistair Law McKenzie (1953-1961) passed away peacefully at home in Grantown-onSpey on 4 June 2021.

On leaving school, Alistair trained with James Milne & Co and then worked for Simmers of Hatton. He then changed direction by attending the University of Aberdeen gaining an honours degree in history in 1971. From 1972 to 1974 he was a history 123

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine teacher at Elwood Convent School in Hamilton moving to become the Principal teacher of history at Grantown Grammar School where he remained in post until 2003.

Alistair was well known in golfing circles in the north and as a great entertainer both singly and with the band Catmelodean. He was a great story teller and took no time at all in composing a story.

He is survived by his wife Stella and his son Duncan and his two daughters Pamela and Sarah.

John McLeod (1946-50) CBE died on 24 March 2022 at the age of 88 after suffering from motor neurone disease.

He was a major force in contemporary Scottish music.

Born in Aberdeen to John and Peggy one of John McLeod’s first experiences of music was hearing his father play jazz records. He learned clarinet at the Grammar and joined the RAF band while on national service, going on to play in the procession for the Queen’s Coronation in 1953.

He read music at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1957 studying the clarinet with Jack Brymer and Gervaise de Peyer and later studied composition under Sir Lennox Berkeley. He also studied conducting with Sir Adrian Boult.

While at the academy he met Margaret Murray, a gifted pianist who pursued a distinguished career as a piano adjudicator. They were married in 1962 and on graduating both taught at the Kingston School of Music in Jamaica. He then joined the music staff at Glenalmond College in Perthshire where he remained for seven years before becoming head of music at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh from 1975 until 1992.

His time at the two schools and his work with Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) among others meant he had a profound influence on music throughout Scotland both as a composer and teacher. His first commission for the SCO was Hebridean Dances in 1981 but his association with the orchestra continued until he was well into his 80s.

In 2014 he was commissioned by the SCO to write a piece in memory of Carl Neilsen , the Danish composer. The resulting piece was premiered by the SCO in 2015 and recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for an acclaimed disc in 2018 with the principals of the orchestra and Dame Evelyn Glennie, the percussionist.

In 2018 at the age of 84 he was commissioned to compose a viola concerto, Nordic Fire with the soloist Jane Atkins. He demonstrated, par excellence, his ability to combine the mystery of the Northern Lights with the brilliant boldness in his score.

He held lectureships at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Royal Academy of Music and Napier University. He was also head of composing for film and TV at the London College of Music and composed music for several films including the award winning Another Time, Another Place.

He had a long and productive musical association with Dame Evelyn Glennie. He wrote a piece for percussion and piano, The Song of Dionysius which she performed at the first percussion recital at the Proms in London.

Described as a great ambassador for Scottish music and a champion of youth music he was made CBE in 2016.

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Professor Frank McPherson (1950-56) died after a brief illness in Larbert aged 83.

Frank was born in Aberdeen to Frank, a grocer, and Ethel, a seamstress, on 2 September 1938. He gained a scholarship to the School and then went up to the University of Aberdeen where he studied psychology and graduated in 1960.

He worked as a lecturer at Edinburgh University from 1960 to 1971 when he left to set up what became the Tayside Area Clinical Psychology Department, the first such areawide service in the UK. He became the first Director of this Department. During his twenty eight years at Tayside, he maintained his clinical practice in adult mental health services and forensic work and developed a particular interest and expertise in eating disorders. In 1975 he had set up the first Royal College of Nursing-approved training for nurses in psychological therapies in Tayside. He maintained a keen interest in training and teaching and taught at the University of Abertay and was appointed Professor of Clinical Psychology in 1990.

Frank was twice elected president of the European Federation of Professional Psychologists’ Associations, and was an advisor to the World Health Organisation. During his working life he provided psychology and mental health services after the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, the disaster at Ibrox Stadium in 1971 and the tragedy at Dunblane Primary School in 1996.

On retiring from NHS Tayside in 1999, he worked as a clinician in the area of occupational health, developing expertise in dealing with industrial accidents. He was a keen rugby player in his youth and continued to enjoy hobbies such as hillwalking, reading, politics, aviation and supporting Aberdeen FC. He is survived by his wife Frances as well as a son and two daughters.

Alan Sydney Murray Porter (1951–1957)

The news of Alan’s death on 24th October, 2021 at the age of 82 was a huge shock to his many friends and particularly to his old classmates. We had regarded him as indestructible. Unfortunately, in later years mobility issues became more of a problem and this contributed to a really nasty fall at home that resulted in a fractured spine. In hospital he developed pneumonia, recovered from that, but eventually his heart called time. We had lost an extraordinary friend and former classmate.

About thirty-five years ago, Alan was struck down by the Guillain-Barre Syndrome which is a disorder of the immune system and has no known cure. For Alan it led very quickly to almost total immobility and for a long time he could only communicate by blinking. Slowly, he recovered a degree of mobility and was able to go home where he developed a remarkable agility on crutches. Alan was a talented artist and enjoyed painting (water colours) and sketching in pencil. Sadly, the last few years were increasingly difficult for Alan as he gradually lost the ability to pursue the artistic activities that were so important to him.

However, despite all the frustrations and challenges, Alan soldiered on, never complaining and using his steely determination to stay as independent as possible and overcome whatever challenges came his way. The fortitude and courage that he displayed over so many years has been quite outstanding and enormous credit must go to his wife, Grace, and his family for their wonderful understanding and never-ending support.

Alan’s younger brother Erik delivered the eulogy at Alan’s funeral and he sent me an interesting note later:

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

“I was disappointed at Alan’s funeral when I discovered that I only had ten minutes to talk about him – I could have talked for ten hours! As most of the people at the funeral only knew Alan after he was struck down with Guillain-Barre, I spent my time talking about the early days in Australia (Alan was born in Malaya and he and Erik were shipped to safety in Australia in 1942) and some of the mad things he did on our boat trips between Perth and Singapore. He was a fine athlete and an excellent swimmer. He had a huge lung capacity and was one of the few boys at Boarding School capable of diving down to catch crabs. I remember once he caught enough to feed the whole boarding house. The crabs got their revenge though – I remember him once emerging screaming from the river with a very large crab hanging from his calf – he carried the scar for many years! I also remember him swimming underwater the whole length of the Aberdeen Uptown Baths at a School gala.

Alan was also a fine golfer and he took pride in the fact that he followed father as junior champion at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club when he was seventeen. He also played all the sports at school and he used to boast that he was in the age-group team in Perth for Aussie rules football. Alan was also a natural on a horse which we were obliged to ride bare-back on the farm south of Perth during our holidays”

When Alan started at the Grammar School he initially stayed in the “Bug” House in Queens Road until his parents bought a splendid house in Milltimber. Alan was involved in a range of activities – sporting and otherwise – and these included the School Pipe Band. He became Drum Major and was immensely proud of this. He was always immaculately turned out and developed an impressive and sometimes flamboyant set of skills with his mace……………always worth watching!

After leaving School in 1957, Alan joined the Hall Construction Group and spent time in Dounreay, Aberdeen and Edinburgh before heading to Wiltshire where he established a beautiful home for the family. Alan married Grace Cable (Albyn School) in Edinburgh in 1967. They had three children - Jane, Simon and Jonathon with four Grandchildren coming along later.

None of the above covers the many outdoor adventures that Alan initiated or became involved in. A lot of these were up Deeside and often involved areas such as the Cairngorms, the Shelter Stone, Bob Scott’s, Derry Lodge, Lochnagar……………………His companions on those trips often included brother Erik, Mike Walker, Ian Kennaway and Peter Green (when he was home from the Hudson Bay Company). Included in the hair-raising category was an assault on Lochnagar via the Black Spout in horrendous wintry and freezing conditions. The sole item of equipment was a sheath knife which was used to cut steps in the ice…………… they couldn’t break through to the summit plateau because of the weight of snow and ice, but miraculously they all managed to get back to base safe and sound.

Rest in peace Alan. You were a remarkable guy and we will be remembering and talking about you for many, many years to come.

Obituary submitted by Martin Jeffrey (1942-1957) based on notes and background prepared by Alan’s younger brother Erik.

Norman Grant Raitt (1946-51) DIP, ARCH (Abdn), RIBA, ARIAS (1934 – 2020) died peacefully at his home near Edinburgh on 14th October 2020, aged 86. He was born in Aberdeen where his father was a joiner. While a student at Aberdeen Grammar School, Norman did well academically and also enjoyed cricket and a game of football after school. He maintained an interest in both sports throughout his life and 126

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become a keen spectator of rugby. For many years he played squash at Edinburgh Sports Club at Belgrave Terrace. Near retirement, he took up golf.

After school, Norman studied architecture at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, and graduated in 1957. He took up his first position with Robert Matthews in Edinburgh and also worked at Basil Spence’s practice.

In 1959 he went to work in Stockholm, and it was here that he met and married his wife, Britta. After the wedding in 1962, they returned to Edinburgh where Norman continued to work as an architect. In 1969, after a couple of years in Wilmslow, Norman and his family settled in Bonnyrigg, just outside Edinburgh. Norman then joined the Architectural Research Unit at University of Edinburgh and later lectured at the university on the Built Environment.

In the early ‘80s Norman set up his own practice, continuing research work in housing as well designing new build developments for housing associations. The business became a Limited Company in 1990 and moved to premises in Manor Place, Edinburgh. Kenneth Minto became a partner, and they opened an office in Glasgow. Their area of expertise expanded to encompass hospitals and healthcare buildings and, even after the company was dissolved in 2008 when Norman ‘retired’, he continued to work from home for NHS Scotland writing planning notes which are still in use today. He finally retired around 2010.

Norman is survived by his son and two daughters and two grandchildren, with his wife having predeceased him early in 2020.

Former Principal and Vice Chancellor

Professor Sir Duncan Rice (1949-60) former Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen died on 3 February 2022 at the age of 79.

Charles Duncan Rice was born in Aberdeen in 1942, the son of James Rice, an army doctor and his wife Jane who had been a teacher at Hanover Street School. His entire schooling was at The Grammar. He graduated with first class honours in history at Aberdeen University in 1964 before going on to further study at Edinburgh.

While a lecturer at Aberdeen University in the late 1960s he taught slavery and the antislavery movement and realised there was no book to provide an introduction to the subject. His resulting work, The Rise and Fall of Black Slavery (1975) set the subject in both a historical and a geographical context.

Although the book helped to establish his reputation as a historian he soon moved in to university administration where he became better known as a formidable fundraiser. At New York University where he was vice-chancellor from 1994 he helped that university to raise more than $1 billion in a decade.

Returning to Aberdeen as principal in 1996 he was intent on raising a more modest £150 million although he ended up leading a £230 million capital programme. In 2000 he launched the university’s Sixth Century fundraising campaign, the most ambitious at a British university outside Oxford and Cambridge. He wrote in 2002 “ Philanthropy is not the sole solution to the funding question but rather than relying on government we must accept that philanthropy has become an option we cannot afford to ignore.”

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine

While on a fellowship at Harvard in the US he met Susan Wunsch now Dame Susan, an American science student. They were married in 1967. She and their three children, James, Samuel and Jane survive him. Susan became the first female head of a British clearing bank when she was appointed head of Lloyds TSB Scotland. She is head of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, chair of Scottish Water and a member of the Banking Standards Board.

Sir Duncan and Dame Susan were very much part of the great and good of Scottish life. His interests included contemporary Scottish literature, opera and salmon fishing. He served on the boards of Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and Glasgow Life. While this may sound as if he was part of the ultimate “power-couple”-as their individual chauffeur driven Lexus plied them to high-powered meetings all over Scotland and well beyondhe was also very conscious of his indebtedness to AGS. Indeed, during asides at business meetings, he would enjoy regaling a fellow former FP with stories of the school, its characters and his classmates with whom he met up on his walk from home in Hamilton Place to the school gates. He had an endearing humility at these times which his CV does not reveal.

That Sixth Century appeal passed its target in 2002 although Sir Duncan continued to pursue cash until his retirement in 2010. In 2012 the university’s striking cube-shaped, green-glazed library adjacent to St Machar Drive was opened by the Queen. It was named the Sir Duncan Rice Library in his honour.

Stuart Forrest Robertson (1947-58) MB ChB died peacefully at an Aberdeen care home on 29 November 2021. After graduating in medicine at the University of Aberdeen he lectured in Anatomy for a time before taking up the post of Public Health Officer for Kincardineshire. He was the elder brother of David James Forrest Robertson (1954-65).

Dr Norman Keith Bonner Robson (1933-40) passed away on 6th September 2021. We have no further details on Norman’s life and if anyone has information will they please contact the Editor.

Mark Rowson (1986-92) died suddenly at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 2 November 2021 aged 46.

Mark was an aspiring musician from his School days at Skene Square Primary School and Aberdeen Grammar School. Apart from music he was a keen footballer, cricket enthusiast and accomplished chess player narrowly missing out on a place in the Scottish team.

In his late teens Mark’s behaviour began to change considerably leading to hospital admission and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. During more problematic episodes Mark would sometimes be hospitalised but he remained passionate about music and still living with the perpetual hope that one day he would make it as a rock star. Sadly, in recent years his physical health declined leading to his death at an early age.

Iain Saville (1953-66) CBE., D.Phil., MSc died on 11 July 2022 after a long illness at the age of 73.

Iain was the dux of the School and went up to St Andrews University where he graduated with first class honours in theoretical physics followed by a D.Phil in solid 128

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state physics at Magdalen College, Oxford. He then joined the Bank of England where, after a variety of tasks, he took control of the CREST project, setting it up and acting as CEO of CRESTCo Ltd for nine years. CREST provides a single multi-currency settlement engine for Europe’s securities market. He followed this with various jobs before serving with an International Team of Financial Regulators in Kazakhstan. At School, Iain was a talented member of the choir and he kept up his love of singing with the Dulwich Choral Society.

Iain is survived by his wife Jo and his three daughters.

Peter Fraser (1953-66) has written the following words about Iain

I first met Iain in 1953 at the age of four when we both started at Aberdeen Grammar School. Later we went on camping holidays, went fishing and made the five mile cycle to each other’s homes to play. Iain was good company. As we went through school Iain consistently showed how to excel at the top of the class, culminating with him being dux of the school. We both sang in the choir – competently in his case.

Aged sixteen we planned an ambitious three-week camping trip carrying tents and all camping gear and fishing tackle on our bikes with panniers and lots of string. Iain’s father, Alan working at the Marine laboratory gave us a letter of introduction to a salmon fisherman at Achiltibuie and we set off on the two hundred mile journey, cycling ninety miles to Nairn the first day and reaching Achiltibuie in four travelling days with an extra stop on the way. All went well apart from needing repairs by helpful mechanics on the way, and an unfortunate incident where I stopped at a red light in Inverness main street and Iain did not react in time, with the resulting collision scattering us and our possessions over the road. No injuries but rather embarrassing. At Achiltibuie we caught big lythe in the sea and trout in the hill lochs and were invited to go out in the salmon coble to see the bag net operation there.

This event preceded both of us working at the bag net station over successive summers, surviving local dances and events like the Lochinver games. Iain went to St Andrews for theoretical physics and I went to Aberdeen to study zoology. We visited each other in Aberdeen in university holidays and kept up visits after I returned from two years as a postdoc in Australia, meeting Iain in London (even once getting a tour of the Bank) and later France. Iain’s daughter Kathryn and my daughter Sheena were friendly, playing happily together when Iain and my wife Trish played golf at Kemnay. The nine holes of a small course involved much crossing over fairways and Iain was dismayed to be told off at the end for our daughters interfering with the club captain’s round. Iain taught me bridge, showing great patience, and we even met up skiing in 2015. It was great to see him dressed up and sporting his CBE medal when I exhibited my work at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in 2008. I also steered him to his first salmon on the fly on the Don.

It was sad recently when Iain and Jo stayed with us last January to see the changes that had come on Iain, but even so, the news of his death came as a terrible shock, leaving me with a disconnection akin to a family bereavement. Iain and his family have been a large influence on my life and will forever stay in my thoughts.

George Henry Dugan Sommerville (1949-64) died suddenly on 22 August 2022 aged 76 at his cottage following a short period of ill health.

At the School, George was a very accomplished hockey player and was a trialist for Scotland Schools. After School, he attended Sandhurst and was in the Army and also 129

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine completed a degree course before becoming a teacher of Modern Studies at Mackie Academy. He joined the FP hockey section in the mid-70s and was well known for using an English hockey stick with a long head against the more modern and more popular Indian stick with a short head – such was the traditionalist in George. He was also well known for being fairly lethal when striking a hockey ball with his reverse stick. Latterly he also played for the Grammarian hockey team.

Alastair Ian Soppitt (1954-60) MA died in Inverness in the last minute of 2021. He had been suffering from a progressive lung disease for some time. He was head boy and classical dux in 1960, then went on to gain an MA at Aberdeen University. After graduation he worked for the NHS in Aberdeen and Inverness until deafness made him seek early retirement at the age of fifty-five. While at School he developed a love for cricket and hockey and played both regularly until he was in his fifties. Later in life he took part in bowling, curling and golf, all with some degree of success.

Alastair is survived by Elizabeth, his wife of fifty-seven years, three sons and five grandchildren.

Alastair Harry Tawse (1930-43) passed away on 7th October 2020.

Alastair played rugby for AGSFP and was another member of the team who were renowned as unofficial Scottish Champions in Season 1947-48. We have no further details on Alastair’s life and if anyone has information will they please contact the Editor.

Robert Clark Whyte (1945-58) died on 3 October 2021.

Michael J Williams (1936-45) died peacefully at Rubislaw Park Care Home in Aberdeen on 11th July aged 91.

Michael Williams attended Aberdeen Grammar School for nine years including the whole of Hitler’s War. He completed schooling as a boarder at Strathallan then entered the Medical Faculty at the University of Aberdeen in 1948, graduating MB ChB with honours in 1954 having won medals in Therapeutics and Clinical Medicine on the way. Other than two years’ National Service with the RAMC in Catterick, all of his Professional work was undertaken in Aberdeen. He trained as a hospital physician, including several years as a university lecturer, before appointment as a Consultant in General Medicine and Diabetes in 1968. His was always a highly regarded medical opinion and he provided many years of supportive care for the ever-increasing number of diabetes patients across Grampian. He was head of the adult diabetes service from 1984 until his retirement ten years later. In his later career, he became increasingly interested in medical history, mainly relating to Aberdeen’s prominent role in diabetes. In 1993, he produced a biography of JJR Macleod, the School’s 1923 Nobel PrizeWinning discoverer of insulin. In 2001, he co-authored a volume, ‘Epidemic Diseases in Aberdeen and the History of the City Hospital’; that had been the site of his first inpatient in 1968. He was predeceased by brothers Gordon (1933-46) and Kenneth (193846), by his first wife, Mary, in 1996, by their eldest son John (1984-90) in 1998, and by his second wife, Marjorie, in 2020. Increasing physical frailty necessitated a move to a care home shortly after his ninetieth birthday in 2021. Right up until his death in July, he

School Section

continued to take a keen interest in recent presentations and publications centred on this year’s centenary of the discovery of insulin, all of which acknowledged his major historical contributions on Macleod. He is survived by sons James (1986-92), Peter (1990-96), and four granddaughters. One of the latter, Megan, entered the School in 2021 and, unlike all six preceding Byron House Williams men, was allocated to Melvin.

Graeme Joss Wilson (1938-48) MBE

Graeme J. Wilson, chairman of local plumbing, heating & electrical supplies business William Wilson Ltd has died at the age of 90.

Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School, Graeme served his time as an apprentice with Thomas Graham & Sons in Glasgow, before returning to Aberdeen in 1955, when he was appointed as Managing Director of William Wilson & Co (Aberdeen) Ltd & then Chairman in 1972. Graeme and his brother Sandy grew the business to c.600 employees, operating through a network of forty-five branches in Scotland and Northern England. The business was sold to Wolseley UK in 2005.

In Scouting circles, Graeme was known as ‘Bosun’, and was a life-long supporter of the 1st Banchory Scout Group. He started as a wolf cub, scout, patrol leader and scouter then became an assistant scout master in 1957 and stepping down as Group Scout Leader in 1994. Scout camps, campfires and Fleur De Lys balls were all in the mix and the legendary Gang Shows from 1956 to 1969 and other Cubs and Scouts shows thereafter. Graeme was Chairman of the Scottish Scout Committee and member of London Council for seven years and was awarded the Silver Wolf, the highest adult recognition for Services to the movement in 1985.

Graeme was also known locally for treading the boards through his early involvement with the ‘55 Club’ along with his sister Iso to Deeside Musical Society in Aboyne & Attic Theatre in Aberdeen. His most notable roles included Sancho Panza, The Governor of Texas, Mr Twimble, Mr Bumble & Nicley Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls. Graeme was also a generous benefactor to many music based performances through GJW Productions.

In 1963, Graeme was made grantee of a Royal Warrant granted to William Wilson Ltd by HM The Queen. He served as President of the Aberdeen Association of Royal Warrant Holders in 1970 – 1971 and again in 1981 – 1982 and served as National President of Royal Warrant Holders Association in 1987 – 1988.

In 1973, Graeme was made a Burgess of Guild of the City of Aberdeen and in the same year became a member of the Institute of Builders Merchants. In 1982, he became a Freeman of the City of London, and he was also admitted into the Livery of the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants. In 1996, Graeme was made an Honorary Member of the Aberdeen & District Master Plumbers Association in recognition of his contribution to the plumbing industry.

Made an MBE in the 2000 Honours List for lifelong service to the Scout Movement, Graeme was a proud family man celebrating forty-four years of marriage with his late wife Kathleen who passed away in 2010. He is survived by his two sons and daughtersin-law David and Monica and Mike and Jackie and his three grandchildren Andrew, Katharine & Scott.

Aberdeen Grammar School Magazine Staff Members

David Northcroft (AGS Staff 1966-71)

David Northcroft arrived in the North-east via Worcestershire and Sussex as a fourteen year old when his father’s job took the family to Speyside. On completing school in Aberlour, David graduated MA (Hons) from Aberdeen University proceeding to postgraduate studies at Cambridge, completing an M.Litt degree. He returned to Aberdeen for teacher training and duly began his career in education by joining Sandy Tait’s English Department at AGS where he was soon popular with both pupils and colleagues. He moved on to become a lecturer at the Aberdeen College of Education and in due course rose to the post of Deputy Principal there. In 1991 he was awarded a PhD by Stirling University for his studies on Scottish Education which in turn led to his publishing two books on the subject. His research also set him off on what would become a major project following his early retirement that saw him collecting almost six hundred oral histories from a wide spectrum of folk across the North-east. Four beautifully constructed and nicely illustrated volumes resulted: Grampian Lives (Vol 1 in 2010; Vol 2 in 2013) on 20th Century rural experiences followed by Aberdeen Lives (Vol 1 in 2017; Vol 2 in 2019) reflecting the life and times of those raised or living in the City. In 2019, the longevity of the impression he had made on his AGS pupils was highlighted by his invitation to attend, as guest speaker, the golden jubilee dinner of the 1969 leavers’ class. Outside his work and literary pursuits, he played cricket in the Aberdeenshire Grades, mainly with Balmoral CC and later Newtonhill, and enjoyed a game of golf at Auchenblae. He also showed great fortitude in avidly following the Dons’ fortunes over several good, and less good, decades. David became unwell with a blood disorder in early 2021 and, despite some initial response to treatment, eventually succumbed on 22nd December a few weeks before his 80th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, sons Jonathan and Mat, their respective wives, and five granddaughters. Ken McHardy (1964-73)

William ‘Daisy’ May

Bill ‘Daisy’ May died peacefully at Kirkburn Court Care Home, Peterhead on 16 August 2022 aged 84.

Bill was a long standing member of staff at the School having joined the science staff in 1962 and continued working there until his ‘retiral’ in 2003 - he continued working at the School when required. Bill was promoted to Assistant Principal Teacher in 1973 and Principal Teacher of Chemistry in 1974. Throughout his time at the School his freshness and enthusiasm remained undiminished and his genial nature has been appreciated by generations of pupils, colleagues and parents.

Bill lived in Boddam with his sister Elizabeth and was proud of where he lived. In his spare time he enjoyed quizzes but he also enjoyed a wager on whatever and he was the sweep promoter for the other teachers par excellence. His friendly smile, sense of humour and his indefatigability endeared him to all.

Bill’s sister passed away at the same Care Home less than a month later on 13 September 2022 aged 80.

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