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President’s Report
President’s Report
After being elected as President of the Aberdeen Grammar School Former Pupils’ Club at the Annual General Meeting in March last year I began a very enjoyable, but busy, year in office. I started out with a trip to Aberdeen in April to attend the Edinburgh Centre Dinner and to be on the interview panel for the All Round Trophy awards at the School. It was a pleasure to interact with the talented, motivated and compassionate senior pupils. What they manage to pack in to each day on top of their studies is a credit to them and the supportive members of staff at the School.
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I returned to Aberdeen in June to attend the junior and senior Prize-giving ceremonies. I enjoyed seeing pupils from S1 to S6 being duly recognised for their achievements. We enjoyed musical interludes from individual performers and from the Platinum Award-winning Concert Band.
In September I attended the annual Canada Centre reunion weekend in Victoria, British Columbia. The fact that the reunion was the weekend following my daughter’s wedding in Victoria meant that I was able to have my father, Brian Crookshanks, and my brother Gordon in attendance. As it was the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Centre, the Canadian FPs wanted to do something special to commemorate the occasion. As is reported elsewhere in this Magazine, we decided to start a fund-raising campaign to provide funds for the refurbishment of a Senior Pupils’ Study Area in the main School Library.
At the end of September I attended the Yorkshire Centre Dinner and at the beginning of November, I made my last trip across for 2017 to attend the Glasgow Centre Dinner. I was delighted that a group of my classmates were there to support me.
In January, after we wound up our fundraising for the Library refurbishment, I made a trip over to present the School with a cheque to cover the cost of the renovation. The School promptly acknowledged our ongoing support to the School and pupils, all the way from Canada! The timing of this trip allowed me to attend the Stewarts Melville Aberdeen dinner as a guest.
In March, I made what I thought would be my last trip as President, to preside over the Annual Dinner. This was a most enjoyable evening, as many of my family members, and a group of friends with whom I hill-walked in the ‘70s were there to support me. Even living thousands of miles from Aberdeen for thirtyfive years has not diminished the bond which I have with the city and, especially, with the Grammar School.
It has been a great pleasure to have had so many positive interactions with staff and pupils over the course of my Presidential year. It is clearly evident that the School is in good hands, and the children are thriving. I am also very fortunate to have had the support of my ‘team’ in Aberdeen – Alan Campbell, John Michie, and my father, Brian Crookshanks.
