The Saga of the BAGMA Clock

THERE WAS A ‘time’ when a clock hung as large as life from the walls of Ingliston House, Edinburgh. History has it that it was placed there in 1982 and paid for by exhibitors at the Royal Highland Show in a ’time’ when budgets were plentiful, and companies were generous and pleased to support certain initiatives.

The ravages of ‘time’ sadly eroded this wonderful testament to BAGMA and its many members in Scotland and it was taken down with every intention of being refurbished and re-erected. ‘Time’ passed and the old clock faded into the past in a dusty cupboard in Ingliston House, forgotten amidst the hubbub of a busy world and busy people with no ‘time’ for the past.

Not all had short memories and one amongst us, Ken McKie, took on a crusade of many years to ensure that the once famous BAGMA Clock would look out proudly over the Royal Highland Showground once again, grandly informing all those that passed near it of the ‘time’. Sadly, this was not to be as the old clock was way past its best and refurbishment was not an option.

All was not lost as the crusade was taken up by BAGMA’s man in Scotland, the indomitable Alasdair Straker, a ‘time’ served engineer, who was also passionate about the reincarnation of the BAGMA Clock to its rightful place on Ingliston House. Alasdair, AKA ‘The Commander’, pressganged the then fledgling director of BAGMA, Keith Christian, into joining the crusade and finding the funding to reinstate the BAGMA Clock to its rightful place.

‘Time’ passed and the saga of the clock was revisited many times thanks to the gentle persistence of Ken. The RHASS at last gave approval for a new clock to be sourced, checked the electrical installations, and okayed the fitting in its original position. Joy and jubilation after all that ‘time’ there was a positive result. The order was placed, a delivery ‘time’ of two months was confirmed, money was raised, not enough, but hey what’s a few quid in such a long saga? Then the dreaded Covid pandemic hit and ‘time’ stood still because of isolation, furloughing, lockdown and every other conceivable inconvenience one can rustle up. ‘Time’ was really not the companion of the BAGMA Clock.

Now, in what may be considered to be post-pandemic period, the ‘time’ has come to get the clock delivered and proudly displayed to one of the largest groups to attend a BAGMA Scottish Regional Meeting in February of 2023. Guess what? When the clock was set up for a test the ‘time’ it kept ran slow, a bit like this saga really. The reason given was the wrong mechanism was used and the correct one had to be delivered from Italy but would take ‘time’ because of the delays caused in Customs by the new BREXIT rules. Well, even good Old Father Time would probably have a comment or two about that.

Will the saga ever end? Will the clock ever arrive and be erected in its rightful place overlooking the showground. Of course it will and it will be in ‘time’ for the show in June and we will make a fuss about it and tell our grandchildren and their grandchildren about the saga of the BAGMA Clock when it is proudly looking out over the showground telling everyone who spots it what the ‘time’ is.

Perhaps the moral of this story, or saga, is ‘there is always time to do things you really want to do’, even when it takes 15 years to achieve what you set out to do.