Schola Clara Issue 6

SCHOLA CLARA ISSUE 6

WINTER 2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND SUPPORTERS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL OF DUNDEE

Image courtesy of PointOnePhotography

In November, the School Pillars were illuminated green using LED lighting to mark the commencement of COP26 in Glasgow. You can read more about the School’s recent activities to highlight the importance of climate change and solutions to combat it on page 12.

This year’s front cover artwork was inspired by a short story which focused on the issues surrounding climate change. It was designed

by F6 pupil Rayah Arthur. The two core themes of 2021’s edition of Schola Clara focus on sustainability and the arts, which we think Rayah has captured wonderfully in their design for our front cover.

Image Credits & Permissions Catherine Allan; Cortney Armitage; Ross Armstrong; Chloe Berridge; James Blake; Allie Bowen; Rebecca Brown; Piper Ferguson; Neil Forsyth; Euan Foulis; Graham Hamilton; Carolyn Hogg; Ella Hudson; Alice Inman; Naomi Isted; Ivan Kapelyukh; Pamela Littky; Mark Mainz; Andrew Marnie; Wullie Marr; Eilish McColgan; Alexander Michaelis; Roger Milne; Graeme Mutch; Sara Paton; Donald Reid; Alan Robertson; Daniel Scott; Catriona Strachan; Annika Summerson; Alistair Thomson; Jim Whitson; The Courier; EIT Raw Materials; Evening Express; Falkirk FC; Kevin L Dorsey Photography; MyBibNumberLtd; PointOnePhotography; The Scotsman; Scottish Legal News; Waterwise Copyright The content of this publication in any form may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part, without the permission and written consent of an executive officer of the High School of Dundee.

A Message From Our Editor Welcome to Issue 6 of Schola Clara! I’m thrilled to have been your Editor for the past three years and I have been positively blown away by the wide array of amazing stories we have received to contribute to yet another wonderful edition.

2021 has been another challenging year for us all, but as always, our current pupils have found creative and innovative ways to raise money for a range of well-deserving causes. So too have our Former Pupils, whose heart-warming stories you can read a little more about from page 20 onwards.

With COP26 putting Glasgow on an international stage at the start of November, we thought it important to highlight the issues of climate change and make known our commitment to contributing towards positive and sustainable change. And so, sustainability forms one of our two core themes for this year’s edition. Our current school pupils and their families came together earlier this term to create a thought-provoking art installation on the Pillars, symbolising the damage of plastic pollution to our seas and highlighting the issue of soft plastic waste. Looking to our Former Pupils, we have received a variety of submissions promoting ways in which we, as individuals and wider communities, can take steps towards making an impactful and meaningful difference.

Our second core theme shifts the focus onto The Arts. With its many different facets, we felt it important to showcase the work of our FPs in this industry in the hope that we can inspire our young people to explore this as a future career. Throughout this year’s magazine, you can read interviews with a wide range of creatives, from director Robbie McKillop, to screenwriter Neil Forsyth, to musician KT Tunstall, to social media influencer Naomi Isted and many more.

What is always immediately apparent when producing Schola Clara each year is that we have a very talented alumni community who have all had their own individual impact on our ever-changing world. And we couldn’t be prouder.

I truly hope that you enjoy browsing through our sixth edition of Schola Clara and I look forward to hearing even more of your incredible stories for 2022’s edition.

From the entire High School of Dundee community, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!

Miss Chloe Berridge External Relations Co-ordinator The Development Office

Contents 12

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2 3 4 6 12 13

Alumni News 14 Our Global Community 16 Naomi Isted 20 Our FP Fundraisers 26 Our HSD Graduates 28 Neil Forsyth 30 Robbie McKillop 38 KT Tunstall 52 Our Alumni Ambassadors 56 Memories of an Old Boy 57 Tributes

Alumni History 62 Treasures from the Archive 65 Our Prominent FPs Merchandise 68 Our Merchandise

70 73 74

Contact the Editor The Development Office, High School of Dundee, Euclid Crescent, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 1HU. Telephone: +44 (0)1382 202 921 E-mail: alumni@highschoolofdundee.org.uk

The School Today Rector’s Welcome Year in View: Heads & Deputies House Reports The School Today News Together For Our Planet Armistice Parade: HSD Remembers

Fundraising for Bursaries Bursary Fundraising What Legacy Will You Leave Donor Roll

The School Today In this section we bring you up-to-date with life at the School today, featuring news and reports by and about our current pupils.

The Dynamite to Inspire Others Our wonderful buildings in the centre of a city on the cusp of something extraordinary are obviously the visual heart of the school, but it is the HSD Family who are all a vital part and who make the magic!

I am biased but I believe and have witnessed over the course of my career, a unique ‘product’ that is our HSD FPs! It is difficult to pinpoint but there is something about your ability to be confident without arrogance, hard working with high standards and a sense of belonging which keeps you connected to friends made for life. It is these values which perhaps now more than ever are the recipe needed for all young people and I am committed to ensuring that this tradition remains: the DNA that defines what we stand for and the values that we hold dear. The pages of this publication articulate these values in glorious technicolour and are inspiring and humbling to read.

I would like to thank all our FPs who have answered the call to share their stories. Thanks, are also due to Alex McGrory and, in particular, to Chloe Berridge who has carefully collated and curated the magazine again this year.

I want to share a short reflection on what this extraordinary period of history has meant for your school and the opportunities that exist to ensure that DHS continues to offer an outstanding education, in the full sense of the word, as we face challenges on a local, national and global scale. I will never forget the sense of history that descended as I recorded my first ever video message to the school community closing the school before leaving my desk, and literally locking the front gates behind me on 23rd March 2020.

So began (and continues) an epic adventure. The challenges are immense. As professionals we have had to go back to basics and work it out day to day. The pandemic has been a matter of life and death for so many members of our community and we continue to have great uncertainty ahead. It is unsettling, challenging and yet also invigorating. Enormous opportunities lie ahead. As an historian, I am determined that we seize these and use our new shared perspective for good. Our learning from Covid is ongoing.

We value our friendships, shared experiences, the anticipation of shared celebrations and rites of passage even more having had them curtailed.

Those who foresaw a brave new world where learning would be automated and teachers replaced have been encouraged to see a nuanced future, where the learning experience for all is an eclectic balance of the visceral experience of learning face-toface in the classroom, and independent learning which harnesses the power of technology as a force for good.

We have proof of the transformative power of our co-curriculum and the central importance of emotional intelligence. As you will be aware, Scottish Education is up for reform. I hope that this is grasped as an opportunity for real change where once again, Scotland takes its place at the forefront of an approach to learning which is genuinely aspirational and fit for purpose. We are determined to contribute to this dialogue.

I know many of you will remember some lessons and many muchloved teachers but I suspect your memories are particularly

formed from the shared experiences of trips, camps, team sports, concerts, performances and escapades. Misbehaviour and pushing boundaries is still alive and well and remains an important part of learning. These experiences are central to the learning experience of DHS and are the essence, I believe, of what prepares our pupils for life.

I am committed to transforming our relationships with the city. I want us to be able to be a proud and active part of the regeneration of Dundee. I believe that this depends on us reaching out, offering our resource and benefitting from those with a different experience and expertise. We are Dundee High!

We bear the City’s name. It is time to embrace how we are viewed and work for the common good. We have much to give and much to learn; partnerships are vital both within our community and out into the city.

I would like to say a few words in tribute to our former Rector Robert (Bob) Nimmo. Our thoughts and support of the whole school community have been, and remain, with Hilary his wife, and his children Robin, Stephen, Paul and Elise. The family were embedded in the school and Bob one of its most ardent supporters.

His death has been a period of reflection for me. Bob appointed me to my first teaching post in early 1990. In February 2020 Bob wrote a handwritten note congratulating me and lending his support and best wishes. It is a letter that has pride of place on my wall. In writing a tribute to Bob Nimmo, I leant very heavily on G.C. Stewart’s tribute written at the time of Bob’s retirement in 1997 for The Review magazine. As the legendary Deputy Rector, the tribute was wonderfully generous and showcased the extraordinary changes and improvements that Bob brought to the High School. I must confess that reading it was strangely prophetic. Bob’s vision for HSD chimes so closely with mine.

I hope this is a sign of a synergy and continuity in ensuring that the old school is in safe hands. I stand on the shoulders of giants!

I want to end by extending my thanks to you all for continuing to support your school. You are essential to our ongoing success.

How you speak about your school, your affection for Schola Clara and your perspective as to what the High School gave you are absolutely crucial to us.

As we grapple with the challenges ahead, I would like to ask for your support, in whatever form you can. The stories of our FPs, so many of them vibrantly articulated in this edition, their incredible successes, adventures and learning are a brilliant resource that we want to celebrate. This is the dynamite that can inspire our pupils to be all that they can be and embrace the amazing future ahead of them. This is more important than ever. You stand as a beacon to challenges overcome, lessons learnt and the importance of having the confidence to be yourselves.

I would like to leave you with Bob Nimmo’s words as the ‘new’ Rector in 1977 “What the future presents may well be an academic question at present: what the present offers us is a thriving school. Let us rejoice and be glad in it”.

Mrs. Lise Hudson, Rector

The School Today

Year in View: Heads and Deputies After enjoying a far more normal summer holiday this year, pupils of the High School of Dundee returned to an exciting start of term. As well as reconnecting with friends and teachers, pupils were able to make the most of the recommencement of sports fixtures.

Saturday morning hockey and rugby has been greatly missed within the school community, and its return provided the well needed release at the end of a school week. As well as the ability to put to work all of the hard training completed by the teams and a little healthy competition!

Another set of events that were missing last year were the Caird Hall music performances. We are very grateful to be able to perform in this special venue again this year for a Christmas themed concert. We also have our fingers crossed that other music events such as the Christmas Carol Concert are able to go ahead. On the academic side of things, pupils are now working towards their exams, which have been confirmed to go ahead, providing a lot more certainty for students. The start of the school year has been full of fun and exciting events already, with many more to follow.

With the lifting of Covid restrictions a lot more events have been able to go ahead, such as the annual Co-Curricular fair and the House Choir Competition. There is also excitement building for the Christmas parties and We Will Rock You musical.

Even in the first few months of term, the School has been committed to supporting a variety of incredible charities. In September, 39 members of the HSD community took part in Cancer Research UK’s ‘Race for Life’. Navigating their way through 5km of obstacle courses and mud, the team proved themselves unassailable in the fight against cancer. The annual Macmillan Coffee Morning also took place in September on the Pillars, where pupils and staff enjoyed an array of homemade cakes, traybakes and sweet treats. This year’s Coffee Morning was as popular as ever and all proceeds went towards Macmillan Cancer Support.

Another highlight this term was undoubtedly the Monochrome Ball, which invited pupils in Forms 5 and 6 to dress up in black, white or silver for an evening of pop music and Ceilidh dancing.

This was a fantastic way to end the first half of what had been a rather busy term, not to mention that ticket sales raised £680 for The Scottish Association for Mental Health! The success of all these charitable initiatives is thanks to Interact, the School’s pupil-lead charity group, under the supervision of Miss Karlene Douglas. Interact are always finding creative and engaging ways to fundraise.

With kindness being the main theme of this school year, we want to bring the school community together in a fairer and kinder environment. We feel that more respect will be gained by building connections throughout all the Senior Years and the Junior School. By allowing different year groups to come together more often it can create friendships and closer bonds, which can contribute towards our main goal of a kinder school environment.

Another key focus of ours is to allow every pupil from any year group to have more of a say about what direction they want the School to move in and, through methods suggested by our Prefect team, such as Pupil Voice, this can become a reality.

Anti-bullying week is a great opportunity to put time aside to be together as a school to focus on the issue of bullying and to provide support for students who are affected by it. Through various activities spread throughout the week it allows pupils to discuss many topics surrounding not only bullying but the many different ways to treat people to make them feel comfortable in the school environment. However, the most effective way to bring pupils together in a fun and exciting way is through our events such as the Christmas dance. It is very important to everyone that these events go ahead as planned and are as normal, to preCovid times, as possible. We are working hard to make sure this happens with not only the Christmas dance but the many other events we have planned for this school year.

Heads of School: Sophie Elder & Sneha Sripada Deputy Heads of School: Cameron Jones & Harry Paul

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The School Today

House Reports Airlie

Aystree

This year we are the Airlie Devils because we are fiery and powerful in our game plan, and we hold our House spirit through to the end.

Aystree have always been a strong House, and we are sure this year will be no different. As House Captains, we’ve been given a great foundation to continue building from and feel very lucky to have the opportunity to help lead our House to success this school year. As this year will be more ‘normal’ than the previous year, we are excited to have the opportunity to come together as a House and compete in even more House Events!

We will bring passion and intimidation to the coming competitions in conjunction with our strong school Core Values, ready to shake up our competitors and take what’s ours.

The Airlie pupils of this year are not only talented in many ways but are a fiery bunch too, who will only bring us pride in the months to come. Thankfully, as Covid restrictions are eased more than last year, we are excited to take part in all the usual competitions as well as some fresh events that will soon be revealed.

We are confident that we will win the House Shield, especially given the results we have had so far. In the first hockey fixtures, we came a very close second with the F2/3 girls who gave us an amazing turnout and team spirit. On another weekend, we enjoyed spending time with the Junior Years in the L6/7 Hockey Competition in which we came joint third, but nonetheless we enjoyed engaging in the lively spirit with the future of our House. Our rugby fixtures are soon approaching, and we have high hopes for our outcomes.

With our more creative competitions, we came a disappointing fourth place in House Choir but we are still proud of our strong performance, all things considered. Additionally, in the House Board Competition we came an amazing second place with our impressive and bold 3D dragonhead created by a fellow F6 pupil.

We cannot wait to shake up the other Houses in the many upcoming events. There are the remainder of the Senior Years’ House Hockey and Rugby which we are hoping will have just as good a turnout as the previous competitions. There is also a House Competition starting soon that will encourage pupils to collect soft plastics and bring them into school to become part of an art installation that will be displayed through the COP26 Conference. The Swimming Gala is also approaching, and we have high hopes that we will have lots of Airlie participants.

Airlie consists of pupils who will not only fight for what we believe in but also pupils who bring value and character to the school such as their representing mascot, a fiery and friendly dragon. As previously said, the coming year is shaping up to be much closer to normal, in terms of House Events, but the safety and comfort of our Airlie pupils is at the forefront of every event.

In terms of our chances of winning the Shield, we would be over the moon to win this year and we are all confident that by next summer Airlie will be victorious.

Airlie House Captains: Rose Ryan & Fiona Sharp Airlie House Vice-Captains: Sarah Elliott & Fraser Smith

We’ve already started the year very strongly, with first place finishes in both Junior School House Hockey and Rugby and F2 House Hockey. It has been great to see so many people using their talents for our House. After hearing the news that the Swimming Gala was going ahead this year, we were delighted as Aystree always do well in this event. House Events are such a huge part of the year and there is nothing better than seeing everyone come together and support Aystree.

This year we have chosen to be known as The Aystree Astronauts because astronauts are always looking to make new discoveries, testing all the limits on what is believed to be possible. In Aystree, we always reach for the stars and always encourage those around us to reach their maximum potential.

We are confident that these characteristics perfectly sum up how we will approach this year individually and collectively.

Our goal for this year is to maximise every opportunity we have to work together for our House and create a strong House spirit which will be clear in all that we do. We are really looking forward to seeing Aystree be as successful as we always are in the coming year!

Aystree House Captains: Rory Grant & Elizabeth Lang Aystree House Vice-Captains: Claire Joss & Colette Wiewiorka

The School Today

Lindores

Wallace

This year, Lindores are carrying on our proud naming tradition as the Lindores Lions, with the slogan “Do it for the Pride”. We hope this will encourage pupils in our House to not only engage with all of the events we hold throughout the year, but to do so whilst lifting one another up and coming together across the different year groups.

Losing the House Shield by one point last session has only made Wallace come back stronger. We have started this year with so much confidence and ambition to succeed.

There are many more opportunities available for a wider selection of events this session, which we are all excited about. We have really enjoyed participating in the House Choir Competition where we performed our very own rendition of Uptown Girl. The House Board Competition was also great fun and saw a fellow Lindores pupil design a brilliant new digital poster. More recently, we have had success in the House Hockey matches and came second overall in the Junior School event.

Throughout this academic year, we hope to host more inventive competitions with a view to engaging with a wider variety of pupils through various art and music challenges, as well as the popular sporting events.

As a House team, we are particularly enthusiastic about using our roles to promote mental health and anti-bullying support within the School. Our House Assembly, which took place during the national Anti-Bullying Week in November focused on these themes.

We are very excited to be leading Lindores House this year and hope to build upon last year’s fantastic House Shield win!

Lindores House Captains: Eve Campbell & Maya Donald Lindores House Vice-Captains: Hope Barrie & Victoria Scott

Wallace are known for their participation as well as our House spirit and our efforts this term have only continued to show this, with record breaking numbers participating in House events already.

Following the successes from last year, it is clear to see we are closing the gap with the other Houses. Our numbers have been through the roof and we must thank each and every Wallace pupil for giving their time to contribute to the House Competitions. Although it has been a quiet term for competitions so far, 90 pupils attended the House Music Competition this year, an amazing feat! For Wallace these numbers show a big win for us, as we know morale from the House has carried from last year and we still have high levels of commitment from the Wallace pupils.

Miss Stewart in the Geography Department has also planned a House Event in which pupils brought in soft plastics to become part of an art installation that was displayed throughout the COP26 Conference. The more plastic we collected as a House, the more points we gained. We hope that our amazing participation continues to help us gain as many points as we can. This year we have decided that our mascot will be Wallace Warriors and visitors to the School will see our fantastic warrior themed House Board designed by Maddie in F5. As well as House Music we have also had Junior and F2/3 House Hockey, where we finished 4th and 3rd respectively. As House Captains we are extremely proud of the efforts of the House in these events, even if results didn’t go our way.

After a successful introduction by last year’s House Captains, we have continued to use our Instagram page to gauge House feelings as well as conveying information to fellow Wallace Warriors. We also used it to poll our ideas for our House music song with Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! coming out as the winner. A new idea we have this session is to keep pupils up-to-date with a running total of House points through emails and Instagram so Wallace pupils can see how we are doing and feel inspired by seeing the difference that their efforts are making.

We truly believe that coming so close to the House Shield last year means that this year will be our year. As Captains we cannot wait for the challenges ahead and we are certain that the House will meet anything that comes our way!

Wallace House Captains: Rhona Byers & Heather Clark Wallace House Vice-Captains: Holly Farquharson & Graham Pritchard

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The School Today

Runner Smashes 42-Year-Old School Record!

Laurence Petty, then F6, crossed the finish line for his school days in June, but not before he'd also raced his way to a brand-new HSD record for the 800m!

The 18-year-old recorded a time of 1m57.8s at Grangemouth at the end of May, beating the previous mark of 2m00.3s which had been set by FP Callum Henderson back in 1979.

Laurence said, “My first reaction was that I was pleased with the performance, as it was my first race since the start of the pandemic. However, after cooling down and speaking to my dad after the race we both realised what the performance meant, in terms of breaking the record, so that was a very pleasant surprise!

“It’s very much an honour to break such a long-standing record. It has been a goal of mine since joining the school; I knew it would be a challenge but that, with hard work, I had a chance of getting it. It’s nice to leave a mark on my time at school with this record as well. Speaking to some Former Pupils who knew the previous holder makes it even more humbling.”

Laurence, who was one of the Heads of School for session 2020/21, also runs with Hawkhill Harriers and holds the club’s U15 Boys 800m record. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, he had been invited to train with the Scottish Athletics team and, through his participation for Hawkhill in the UK U20 league over summer, he hopes to gain selection to line up for his country in competitive action.

HSD Pupils Train Up to Tackle Bullying Nineteen pupils from F1 through to F6 took part in an anti-bullying training session run by The Diana Award in April.

The programme has a strong peer-to-peer focus, with trainers giving young people the skills and confidence to become AntiBullying Ambassadors to tackle bullying long after the training has finished.

Taking place online, the event saw the youngsters – who hold the roles of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors at the School – work together to acquire vital skills to allow them to confidently address different situations which can occur, both online and face-to-face.

The School has been involved in the programme since 2019, and Louise Baxter, PT Guidance (Aystree), was delighted with the way the pupils responded to the training.

The session looked at how the Ambassadors can seek to change the attitudes and behaviours behind various bullying scenarios. At the end of the day, the pupils went on to make an action plan of how to approach bullying issues that may arise in schools, as well as committing to their roles as Ambassadors.

The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme sees trainers work with students and other young people to change the attitude surrounding bullying.

She said, “I was really pleased by how confidently and positively our pupils engaged with this training. They demonstrated a mature focus and determination, and I was extremely proud of their insightful and compassionate contributions to the discussions with Jade, who was an animated and inspirational speaker”.

The School Today

Pupils’ Kiltwalk Raises Thousands for Local Charity A team of determined HSD pupils from L4, L6, and L7 (with some parents in tow!) took on the Virtual Kiltwalk back in April to raise funds for Funeral Link, a charity that offers bereavement support and provides help to people in our community who are worried about how they can afford a funeral when they lose someone they love.

There were smiles all round as our hikers walked through the sunny Angus countryside, and while the team initially planned to cover 7 miles, they managed to rack up 9 miles by the end of the day!

Members of the Funeral Link organisation also did their own separate Kiltwalks over the weekend, with the whole team raising an outstanding £2,990 for Funeral Link. The Kiltwalk organisation also generously agreed to donate an extra 50% on top of that.

Well done team!

Social Good Connect: HSD Signs up to Give Back The High School of Dundee has got behind an innovative social enterprise project as it seeks to give back to the local community.

The School has signed up to Social Good Connect, a non-profit digital search and match platform which allows company employees to volunteer with their employer’s support and help the communities they serve and overstretched charities.

Aiming to connect an organisation’s staff with physical and virtual volunteering opportunities for a wide range of causes which they may have an interest in, Social Good Connect also has employee wellbeing as a focus, as well as enabling organisations to measure their social impact. So far more than 150 Scotland-based businesses and charities have joined the movement.

Speaking to Social Good Connect, Rector Lise Hudson, said, “Part of my vision for the School is that we make a significant impact through local community outreach in and around Dundee.

“When I spoke to Caroline McKenna, the founder of Social Good Connect, it set off so many bells in my head for how I’d like us as an organisation to be able to make a difference locally.

“I want to be able to utilise the skills and experience of the Social Good Connect team to capture and help us develop our commitment to volunteering. I want to demonstrate that we’re committed to making our resources, whether that’s people, time, facilities or space, available to the local community. Partnerships like this will help us do that”.

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The School Today

DofE Participants Paddle for Gold

Pupils pursuing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award enjoyed an unforgettable experience on their final expedition.

In the last weeks of the summer holidays, 32 intrepid youngsters set out on a week-long adventure in Perthshire as part of their Gold Award.

In what was (because of the pandemic) the School’s first camping trip since 2019, extra precautions were taken to ensure compliance with social distancing guidelines. But that wasn’t the only thing different about this expedition…

particularly memorable, and so tasked the participants with making the journey from Killin to Perth by canoe.

In the true spirit of DofE the group embraced the challenge, paddling the glassy waters of Loch Tay until they reached Kenmore, and then putting their new skills to the test in the rapids of the River Tay as they made their way south.

The School’s Outdoor Activities Coordinator, Gordon Ross, said, “Overcoming any nerves, the pupils all quickly adapted and settled into the flow of the expedition. On completion it was a pleasure to hear pupils talk so fondly of their trip and reminisce on particularly eventful experiences”.

Since the pupils had been unable to camp during their Silver expedition, the School’s DofE team wanted to make the experience

Freya Finds Her Calling With Phone Case Business A High School of Dundee pupil found her calling after launching her own successful mobile phone case business!

Since setting up Justencaseit at the end of January, Freya Tyson has sold almost 500 cases, and recently completed an order to supply property firm Graham & Sibbald with phone coverings for its entire workforce.

The F3 pupil got the inspiration to start up a business after looking online for a case for herself, and discovering that the small company which was selling the one she was interested in had been set up by a girl of a similar age.

Freya then made the bold decision to part with her savings to buy a sublimation printer and a heat press, to enable her to manufacture her own cases, which come in a number of different designs and can be customised.

It might have been a tough choice to make at the time, but the initial £600 outlay more than paid off once she started selling the cases on the online marketplace Etsy. Since then, Freya has taken orders from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, not to mention most of her friends!

“When I found a small business doing it, it gave me the idea to try it myself,” says Freya. “It inspired me to think ‘I could have a go’. It’s going really well. It’s exciting to be shipping orders off to places at the other side of the world.”

Freya, who promotes her cases via Instagram and TikTok, says that one of her biggest challenges is juggling her business with homework and co-curricular sport. She said, “I’m hoping to do some advertising of the business soon and I really want to keep going with it for as long as I can, and see where it goes.”

The School Today

F1 & F2 Action On The Arts Days!

Mayfield was buzzing with creative activity at the end of May as pupils in F1 and F2 took part in a special Action on the Arts Days.

The sun was shining as the Drama, English, Art and Music departments joined forces to create unique day-long events for both year groups, featuring workshops, performances and no small measure of fun!

Within their School House groups, the pupils took part in sessions on drama, drumming, mask making and – via guidance from choreographer Kenny Christie - dance, with the Form 1 theme centring around Romeo and Juliet, and the Form 2 event inspired by the theme of Brazilian Carnival.

At the end of the days, the pupils gave energetic performances which brought together what they’d learned and produced in their workshops, with House points up for grabs for the best routines.

In keeping with the theme of their event, pupils in F2 also enjoyed a demonstration of Brazilian Capoeira and Samba by Miriele Schumacher and a group from Kirkcaldy, as well as learning some Portuguese. And with burgers – kindly donated by Lean and Greens - and ice cream on offer across the two days, there was a real festival feel to the occasion!

You can watch a video of the F2 performance here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=djXL2jwt6vY.

HSD Makes (Virtual!) Journey to Tokyo to Support Eilish!

The High School of Dundee community showed its support for Eilish McColgan at the Olympics by running up an impressive total as part of a special challenge!

To show their backing for Former Pupil Eilish as she competes in her third Games, towards the end of the summer term, staff, pupils and their families began taking part in the Travel to Tokyo Challenge.

Organised by Team GB and Paralympics GB, the event saw participants log physical activity, which was then converted into a distance, moving participants along a (virtual!) journey to the host city.

By the time the Games got underway, and the challenge came to an end, Team HSD had covered an amazing 39,274km – enough to make the 9,180km journey from Dundee to Tokyo more than four times! Well done to everyone who took part!

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The School Today

Pupil-Led 5k Challenge Raises Fantastic Total for NHS Tayside Covid Fund

A fundraising initiative organised by a High School of Dundee pupil has generated more than £1,300 for NHS Tayside’s Covid Fund.

Well done to Rose Ryan, then F5, who set up a sponsored 5k challenge for pupils and staff to take part in to raise money to support projects to provide much needed comfort to patients, staff and volunteers and to fund important medical research linked specifically to Covid-19.

Between the 1st and 15th of March, 95 pupils and staff from across the Nursery, Junior Years and Senior Years signed up for and completed the challenge by running, walking or cycling the distance.

Rose, who launched the event with the help of the School’s Charities and Community Outreach Coordinator, Karlene Douglas, said, “Over £1360 has been raised by the HSD community for the NHS Tayside Covid Fund which is fantastic.

“I have participated in various virtual races during lockdown, and I thought this virtual event would be a great way to get people out, have fun and be active in such challenging times.

“There haven’t been many opportunities over the last year to raise money for charity so I hoped that this event would be really effective in doing something small to help others. We were also able to secure sponsorship from a couple of companies. Thank you to all who took part and donated, it makes such a huge difference!”

HSD Launches F1 & F2 Enterprise Skills Course We have received so many requests from pupils wishing to take up our Business Management and Economics subjects and we now have some really exciting plans to inspire our young people to pursue this area in their chosen career path too.

We also expanded the Business Education department with Mr. Neil Higgins, who heads up the Department, recruiting Mr. Niall Duncan and Ms. Alison Campbell to join the team.

As part of the Form 1 & 2 Enterprise Skills Course the team are developing our pupils’ key skills and competencies to allow them to become more successful learners in all subjects. The purpose of the course is for our pupils to develop key employability skills such as creativity and teamwork by using Enterprise as a vehicle to strengthen the delivery of these skills.

The Department have sought the support of our wider business community for their expertise in various fields, with the first topic being presentation skills. The first phase of the course involved dividing pupils into teams to produce a presentation on a Disney character of their choice. The core aim of this project was to encourage our pupils to speak about and demonstrate their key employability skills. Cami Alexander, a Development Coach with DC Thomson, visited the School to give a talk to our pupils to share some important advice ahead of their presentations.

Using Unifrog, the School’s pupil development platform, the pupils provided their reflections after delivering their presentations. The next stage now is for our pupils to develop their teamwork skills and creativity by focusing on branding.

Soon, we will be working with Dundee Football Club and Janettas to further develop employability skills. During the F1 parents evening, almost every parent enthused about how useful the course would be and that they wished they had the opportunity when they were younger to learn these skills through a course at school.

The School Today

Stepping into STEM Dr. Nicola Kiernan joined the School as our new Head of Chemistry at the start of the 2021 session. She is also our STEM Coordinator and she has some very exciting plans to implement a programme of cocurricular activities to support our pupils in pursuing STEM subjects in their further education and beyond.

Speaking about her passion for STEM, Dr. Kiernan said “My interests are in STEM educational research, with a focus on digital education and interdisciplinary STEM learning. The structure of typical secondary school curriculums is geared towards building knowledge and understanding within distinct disciplines, where national assessments often dictate the core academic learning.

Although this provides the rigour required to master the fundamentals and perform well in exams, it can result in pupils gaining little more than a narrow appreciation of a broad number of subjects. Co-curricular STEM learning is crucial to help provide real-world context and to help make connections across the separate sciences, maths and technologies. This is essential for those interested in further STEM study or careers after school as modern-day problem-solving is dependent on multidisciplinary understanding and collaboration. In many respects, the Covid-19 pandemic has not only highlighted the importance of STEM expertise and interdisciplinary cooperation across STEM fields, but the necessity to promote and prioritise STEM education and careers with increasing urgency if we are to successfully navigate ongoing global catastrophes in future.

“The High School of Dundee has an excellent uptake of pupils studying STEM subjects and I am keen to take advantage of this and construct a programme of co-curricular events to support, guide and encourage pupils towards undertaking STEM related courses and career opportunities, but to also help develop future

leaders who might innovate as well as facilitate. Next session, we hope to provide STEM workshops and whole year group learning, with the delivery of a digital course (STEM in the Time of Corona) which will task National 5-level pupils with finding STEM solutions to a global problem and require them to carry out three days of independent research. This challenge will incorporate collaborative team working, practical challenges, data-gathering field trips and final presentations. We also plan to soon share details of the High School’s first international STEM trip to USA (Florida), which will include a camp to provide space trek training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, lunar rover robotics missions, lunch with an astronaut, physics of flying iFly wind tunnel experience, an Everglades ecology field trip and much more. My hope is to provide a truly immersive educational experience that can inspire and shape our pupils’ futures”.

Figure Skating Success for HSD Pupil There’s no stopping a talented High School of Dundee figure skater as her career on the ice gathers momentum!

Competing in the Tayside Trophy alongside skaters from across the UK and Ireland, Emily Thomson earned herself a secondplace finish in the Basic Novice Girls contest, securing a personal best score in the process!

Emily’s impressive performance at Dundee Ice Arena means she will now move up to the level of Intermediate Novice - which involves longer, more complex programs - and her score also meets the qualifying mark for future selection for the Great British squad.

Her performance in events this year have also earned her qualification for the 2021 British Figure Skating Championships which are currently taking place in Sheffield.

Emily said, “I’m extremely happy, and I’m excited for the next stages!”

Well done Emily!

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The School Today

Together for Our Planet

As COP26 got underway in November, the focus of world leaders was on tackling climate change.

November, which encouraged both pupils and staff to bring in their pre-loved t-shirts for a makeover.

To mark the start of the Conference and symbolize the importance of stimulating debate, understanding and solutions around climate change, the High School Pillars were lit green from 1st – 11th November.

During the Autumn Term, we have also launched the HSD Climate Change and Sustainability Forum comprising pupils, parents and staff. The group aims to support the School in raising awareness and taking action to combat climate change and increase sustainability.

It’s our hope that our young people will be the game-changers of tomorrow; using their skills, talents and innovations to make a positive impact on our planet in the future. We are committed to ensuring that they have the opportunity to engage with this critical issue and are informed and ready to act to protect our world.

In the run-up to the Conference, our Junior and Senior Years’ pupils collected soft plastics for recycling and yielded more than 3,500 items. Utilising some of the materials, a display was unveiled on 1st November based on the theme of climate change on our doorstep, with a focus on our seas.

Some of the plastic was used to create a hanging globe, with materials also placed inside to represent plastics polluting our seas. One of the key messages we hope the installation promoted is that if we do nothing to combat waste, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.

Fish shaped plastic panels from the collection were attached to some repurposed old fishing net from St Monans, which has been wrapped around one of the Pillars. Having discussed climate change with their teachers, children from the Junior Years and the Nursery added their own key environmental protection messages on to the fish.

Plastics aren’t the only materials we have been upcycling recently.

Our Art Club also ran an upcycling project for two weeks in

Right across the School from our Nursery through to F6, we have been learning about the effect that changes in our climate have been having on our environment and looking at ways in which we can help to tackle climate change. Environmental messages are discrete components in many subjects which our pupils study.

Although we have been collecting our recycling waste for many years, we have been actively looking at ways that we can do more to play our part. A couple of years ago we made a conscious effort to reduce the number of printers across the school by half, and to cut the volume of photocopying. This year, we made a decision to make our Review and Schola Clara magazines online-only.

But these are only small steps; we know we can, and must strive to, do more.

Our Rector Lise Hudson has said, “At HSD we want to be part of the solution. We want our young people to be fully aware of this critical issue and switched on and engaged with finding the answers.

“We can all help to play a part within our own communities, and it is hoped that our collective efforts, together with major changes in global practices, will go a long way to creating a more sustainable planet for future generations.”

The School Today

Armistice Parade 2021: HSD Remembers

The High School of Dundee marked Remembrance with its traditional Armistice Parade on Friday 12th November.

In tribute to the fallen, including all those from the High School community who have died in armed conflicts past and present, the School’s Combined Cadet Force and Pipe Band completed a parade in front of the school.

The event was led by CCF Captain Graham Rodger, with Rector Lise Hudson giving a reading from A prayer to God and to one another by Sue Gilmurray.

A wreath was placed on the School’s War Memorial by Heads of School, Sneha Sripada and Sophie Elder, assisted by Junior Years’ pupils Alexandra Clark and Jamie McRobbie.

In a poignant moment in the proceedings Flowers o’ the Forest was played by Pupil Pipe Major Rory Grant before a two-minute silence was observed.

For this year’s event pupils and staff were able to be present, with the ceremony broadcast live via social media so that the wider HSD community, and the local community, could also be part of it.

You can watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJOxab7ow.

Rector Lise Hudson said, “The annual Remembrance Parade is a key event in the High School Calendar and is always a very moving occasion as we pay tribute to the dead of all conflicts.

“The importance of marking Remembrance and pausing for reflection on its significance never diminishes. We remember the suffering and sacrifice that was endured in the hope that generations of today and tomorrow will learn the lessons of yesterday.”

During Remembrance week, the School sold poppies to raise money for the Scottish Poppy Appeal, while a sale of hot chocolate in aid of the charity Horseback UK was also held after the Armistice Parade.

To further mark Remembrance, the School Pillars were lit red until Remembrance Sunday on 15th November. Thanks must be extended to AML Lighting for generously providing the lighting for what we hope was a fitting tribute.

You can see more images from the Parade here: www.highschoolofdundee.org.uk/about-the-school/the-school/ galleries/armistice-parade-2021.

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Alumni News

Alumni News Welcome to the section of Schola Clara where we share with you a wide range of exciting and unique interviews, articles and news stories that feature fellow Former Pupils. This is the section that we predominately throw open to you all, for you to talk about your own stories, news, achievements and updates.

Canada 20 (19)

United States of America 38 (36)

England 461 (471) Scotland 1880 (2081) Northern Ireland 4 (4) Ireland 5 (5) Channel Islands 5 (5) Wales 10 (10) Germany 5 (5) France 9 (9) Switzerland 5 (5)

Italy

Spain 7 (9)

In total, there are over 10,000 Former Pupils of the School listed on our database. We are currently in touch with 2,669 members of our alumni community. Of this number we hold addresses for 2,535 people worldwide and you can see this distribution on the map above. In addition, we are also in touch with 592 members of our wider school community, which includes Donors, Supporters and Former Staff. However, there are still a substantial number of people from the High School of Dundee community for whom we hold incomplete or out-of-date contact details or whom we have lost touch with due to the GDPR, which came into being in May 2018.

You can help us reconnect with those who perhaps haven’t heard from us in a while by spreading the word and letting your friends and family members know how to ‘opt-in’ to continue to receive news and updates about the School’s forthcoming events and news stories. Our ‘Keeping in Touch’ form can be completed electronically on our website here: www.highschoolofdundee. org.uk/hsd-family/keep-in-touch/keeping-in-touch-gdpr-form or sent via post by contacting the Development Office.

If you know that you have completed one of our ‘Keeping in Touch’ forms, but maybe haven’t received any e-mails from us lately, we would strongly recommend that you check your spam folders and filters as sometimes higher security settings may result in our communications bypassing your inbox.

Paraguay 1 (1)

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Our Global Community

Finland 1 (1) Denmark 2 (2) Netherlands 10 (8) Luxembourg 1 (1) Austria 2 (2)

y 2 (2) Japan 1 (1)

Cyprus 1 (1) Israel 1 (1) Bahrain 1 (1)

United Arab Emirates 1 (1)

Hong Kong 1 (1)

Saudi Arabia 1 (1) Thailand 1 (1)

Vietnam 1 (1)

Sri Lanka 1 (0) Kenya 1 (1)

Singapore 1 (1)

Malaysia 1 (2)

South Africa 7 (8) Australia 35 (37)

New Zealand 10 (10) Please note, the numbers shown in brackets beside each country indicate the number of people who we were in contact with this time last year. The numbers outwith the brackets show how many people we are currently in contact with today.

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Alumni News

Naomi Isted Naomi Isted is not only a Former Pupil of the School but also a world-renowned Travel and Fashion Broadcaster and Influencer who is regularly featured in the media. After leaving the School, Naomi studied Broadcast Journalism at Abertay University before going on to study Fashion Journalism at the London School of Journalism.

Now living in southern England, Naomi has her own blog, Ultimate Lifestylist, which focuses on her love of fashion, travel and interiors. She has also featured three times in British Vogue and regularly in The Daily Mail, People Mag and Elle. Additionally, Naomi has appeared on daytime shows such as GMB and This Morning, as well as national radio.

Naomi’s love of fashion went one step further when she was asked to step onto the catwalk to walk at London Fashion Week. She has also collaborated with brands such as Sony, British Airways and Land Rover on several exciting projects. In particular Naomi has worked with travel clients to showcase affordable, fun and family focused getaway destinations.

Thank you very much Naomi for taking the time to answer some questions for us today. Let’s start by reminiscing on your time at HSD. What are some of your best memories you have of being at school?

I adored History, English and Drama but I think some of my best memories would have definitely been in Drama.

Were there any teachers who particularly inspired you?

English, History, Drama and French were my all-time favourite subjects and I loved my teachers. I think the impact a great teacher can make on one’s learning experience is so crucial!

Are you still in touch with any of your friends from school?

Funnily enough my old bestie Helen Arbuckle and I were whatsapp’ing this past weekend reminiscing about school days, so yes there’s a few I keep in touch with for sure.

If you could describe your school-aged self in three words, what would they be?

Positive, anxious and bubbly. That may seem an odd combination but us creatives can come across as outwardly confident but inwardly we can be a bit anxious and lacking in confidence.

What skills do you think we should be focusing on in education today to help our young people for the future?

I think moving with the times is the key to education. I think mindset is also important. As tech and digital expands so does the world of fashion, art and film along with many other industries.

Schools need to adapt accordingly to societal changes as children may have great academic records but no life skills for the fast moving digital and tech age, which can create not just millionaires but billionaires!

After finishing school, you stayed in Dundee a little while longer to study Broadcast Journalism at Abertay University. At what point did you realise that Fashion Journalism more specifically was the area you wished to pursue further?

I think it was quite clear from a young age I never followed trends.

Internships in regional news and sports were a great grounding, however my interests lay in the arts; fashion, art history, culture and linguistics not in politics and the news. So, I chose to follow my passion. I think through a good education teamed with passion is how we can create success and happiness, then you never feel like you are at work as every day is a journey of growth and development.

Alumni News

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Alumni News

You clearly have a very creative mind having launched your own fashion and travel blog. What was your inspiration for creating your blog?

As I trained as a Broadcast Journalist my creativity is expressed through different mediums all the time. Some months I’m working on TV, radio or with digital shooting video and then at other times I write. I’ve had columns in the Evening Standard and Herald Scotland, and I’ve also self-published my children’s book.

For me, writing is another form of creative expression and the blog seemed a perfect fit for this.

Being an Influencer today can be quite competitive. Have you ever been faced with any obstacles and if so, how did you overcome them?

Yes, all the time. I am completely authentic in my content; I don’t look to other people and think I’m going to copy that. I do think Instagram can be quite samey at times, which can get a little dull. I have also noticed a range of the same women copying my content and approaching the brands I work with, but I see it as a positive as they must find my content interesting!

Travelling is something which is featured regularly on your blog and your Instagram feed. Of all the countries and cities you have visited, where has been your favourite and why?

Wow I’m asked this a lot and it’s a tough one. For work my favourite is Los Angeles, for nature and being with friends Saint Lucia is our family favourite and then in Europe for holidays it has to be Quinta do Lago in Portugal.

Your podcast, The Ultimate Lifestylist Show, must allow you to speak with a variety of fascinating people. Who has been your most interesting or favourite guest?

I think one of my ultimate favourites was probably LA-based Scottish actress/producer Louise Linton. She discussed her latest movie which she wrote, produced and starred in alongside Ed Westwick. She’s living my Hollywood alter ego dream but is also a strong empowering female which I love.

You have also appeared in magazines such as British Vogue and Elle, which must have been moments to be proud of! What campaigns were you involved with at the time you were featured in the magazines?

During the Elle shoot I had been on the NY Fashion Times Front Row Top 10 and at the time I had a fashion column in the Evening Standard. I think it was also around the time I was filming Red Carpet Style for E! for both the Baftas and Emmys.

It’s no secret that you love London Fashion Week. You stepped onto the catwalk for designer Jayne Pierson one year, what was that like?

I’m not a model so that was a really nerve wracking experience for me. Put a camera in front of me and I can talk for hours. But a catwalk and heels with lots of attendees and gorgeous super tall models was quite overwhelming. The support I got was incredible though and it gave me a complete strut in my stride on the catwalk!

You also hosted your very own #catwalkforacause fashion show in 2019. Can you tell us a little bit about the event and the charities you were supporting?

I am an ambassador for The Pink Ribbon Foundation, which is a breast cancer charity. I also work with various other charities as philanthropy and raising awareness are key to my values. I think wherever and whenever we can use our voice to help others we should. #catwalkforacause was a brilliant celebrity fundraiser and a great day to raise awareness and support those with, or who have battled, breast cancer.

As well as appearing on daytime television shows like GMB and This Morning, you’ve covered events such as The Oscars, which is very impressive! How did these opportunities come about?

And what has been the most exciting event or project you’ve ever covered?

My whole career has been very organic as I believe in god and the universe and I always try and follow the signs and trust the

Alumni News

process. For me, if one door closes I never take it as a negative as I believe something else is always around the corner. These opportunities happened very organically. I feel incredibly blessed to have worked with so many amazing talents. I remember hosting the Grammy’s BTS with Ashley Roberts from the Pussycat Dolls and a bunch of other amazing actors and singers.

It sounds as though you’ve had a very successful career, but what would you say has been your most rewarding moment?

Wow that’s a tough one! Probably when I was flown to California to film fashion and spent 10 days working around Cali and Los Angeles. Or maybe even further back when I was presenting a wine TV series. Again, I was filming in California, but that time was around the vineyards in Napa and Sonoma!

You’ve recently dipped your toes into the world of interior design and have launched your own business, Isted Property. Tell us a little about this venture and how you got involved with the world of interior design.

Isted Property is mine and my husband’s business. He has always been a Project Manager for big multi-million-pound commercial clients, but we started buying and renovating our own projects.

We also now have a large portfolio of clients we work with.

However, with my background in Fashion it is just a natural progression to property; mood boards, colour palettes, fabrics, there’s a lot of crossover.

What would you say have been the three most important things in helping you build your career to where it is now?

I think my mindset, drive, belief in myself and gratitude have been essential. One’s mindset is everything! I will never settle until I achieve what I want, and I dust myself off and pick myself back up if I encounter any setbacks.

If you could offer your younger self any advice, knowing what you know about your industry now, what would you say?

There’s going to be knocks and rejections but don’t get too disheartened by this. Take the positives from these setbacks as they will help you grow and become a successful person. Knocks and failure are just showing you are pushing for your dreams. So, believe in yourself as you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

Do you have any plans or exciting projects in the pipeline going forwards?

Yes I do. I am launching my own fitness workouts with The Wellness of Oz studios in LA and my trainer Glenn Shelford. It’s called ‘Fit mums in 30 days’. I am also bringing out my own luxury travel accessories range and possibly launching my own wine by 2022 which is incredibly exciting!

And finally, a fun question to end with! If you could sit down for dinner with any one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

As well as leading a very busy and exciting career, you’re also a mother of two. How do you manage to juggle your busy work schedule with your home life?

That’s so difficult to choose just one person! I’d have to say my top three would be Alexander McQueen, Notorious BIG and Madonna.

I get up at 5am and meditate before the kids are up. I also squeeze in a HIIT session and I find it’s so much easier to start my day once I have had my calm and workout time before the madness begins.

If you’d like to explore Naomi’s social media channels you can do so using the below:

Do you have any hobbies or activities that you like to do to destress after a long day?

Meditation, yoga and bike riding are my hobbies that keep me calm and grounded.

Personal account: www.instagram.com/naomikisted Ultimatelifestylist: www.instagram.com/ultimatelifestylist Isted Property: www.instagram.com/istedproperty

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Alumni News

OUR FP FUNDRAISERS

FP Stomping Her Way to Success For SAMHS During the summer of 2019, Allie Bowen (Class of 2004) tragically lost her boyfriend Dave and his mother Anna. Shortly afterwards, her sister Helen, Class of 1996, told her about the charity SAMHS – Scottish Awareness in Mental Health Scotland.

Allie decided to take part in a Stomp challenge, climbing up and down the stairs in Murrayfield Stadium on 26th October 2019 to raise money for SAMHS. Along with Helen, their brothers James and David (both Class of 1999) and other members of the family, they signed up to the challenge. Known as ‘Team Dallie’ (Dallie being a nickname of Dave and Allie) the group raised an amazing £3,500.06! In total, they climbed 7,400 stairs in a fantastic time of 1 hour 35 minutes.

Describing it as a rather emotional and overwhelming day, Allie and her cousin Ewan were interviewed afterwards. You can watch the interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu7pN6vMx6A. In March 2020 the world was put into lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19. In early October 2020, Allie signed up to do another challenge for SAMHS. Unfortunately, Murrayfield was not an option due to the pandemic so instead Allie took part in a virtual Stomp. She climbed a total of 22,500 stairs, doing 5,000 steps every evening for five nights during Mental Health Week using a step ladder. Allie raised a total of £340 from her virtual stomp.

Throughout 2021, Allie has also raised a smashing £5,000 after participating in various walking challenges, including walking back and forth over the Tay Bridge. An amazing effort!

Old Boys Take Part In Endurance Challenge For Charity In mid-September, two Old Boys pulled on their hiking boots and set off to complete 2021’s Cateran Yomp – a gruelling challenge walking over 50 miles through the Cairngorm Mountains in support of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Pete Grewar (Class of 1995) and Dominic Wedderburn (Class of 1991) commenced the challenge on 11th September, both finishing in incredible times. Pete crossed the line in 4th place the following day with a time of 14hrs 11mins and Dominic placed 8th with a time of 14hours 29 minutes.

So far, the duo have raised over £500 for ABF The Soldiers' Charity, which provides a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their immediate families. You can read more about their fundraising here: events.soldierscharity.org/fundraisers/ dundeehighschoololdboysyompteam2020.

Having first completed this event as a team of Old Boys in 2019, Pete and Dominic would love for any FPs who enjoy endurance events and are up to taking on this challenge to join them for 2022’s Cateran Yomp, due to be held on 4th/5th June. If anyone is interested, please contact Dominic at Dominic.Wedderburn@galbraithgroup.com Photo credit: MyBibNumberLtd

Alumni News

FP Launches Nationwide ‘Jog for Jugs’ Campaign

‘Jog for Jugs’ is a campaign that was launched by Class of 2010 FP, Becky Chapple, in April this year. The project, seeking to raise awareness of breast cancer and to encourage everyone to check themselves regularly, has also been raising money for the charity CoppaFeel!

CoppaFeel! aims to ensure that all breast cancers are diagnosed at the earliest stage possible by educating people, particularly young people, on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, encouraging them to check regularly and instilling the confidence to seek medical referral if they detect abnormalities.

Currently 5% of diagnosed cases are already at stage IV, with breast cancer being the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 30 in the UK (181 new cases diagnosed and 12 deaths annually). CoppaFeel! is the third most recognised breast cancer charity amongst young people and those aware of CoppaFeel! are 58% more likely to check their boobs regularly than those who are not aware.

The statistic that one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime is a very concerning one. Becky and her team, including three other Former Pupils, Caitlin McDonald (Class of 2008), Kirsty Morrison (Class of 2009) and Rachael Spink (Class of 2010), have been asking people to jog 8km (or walk, run or swim the equivalent distance), then donate £8 to CoppaFeel! and

nominate eight friends to do the same to raise awareness of their project whilst raising money for a very worthy cause.

A star-studded video to promote the campaign was introduced by television presenter Lorraine Kelly. Other Scottish personalities who featured in the video were model Emma-Louise Connolly, actress Joanna Vanderham (Class of 2008) and presenter Lee McKenzie. You can watch the promotional video here: bit.ly/3hxpgwh.

Speaking about her campaign, Becky commented: “Throughout the pandemic, fewer and fewer people have been visiting the doctor when they find concerning changes to their boobs or pecs, which is a real and worrying problem. ‘Jog for Jugs’ is our small way of first and foremost encouraging everyone to check themselves, then jogging or walking 8km to raise vital funds for CoppaFeel!, a brilliant charity which raises awareness of breast cancer in young people and the importance of early detection.”

Inspired by her mum’s courageous response to her own breast cancer diagnosis in August 2020, Becky hopes her campaign will encourage others to check themselves regularly and seek medical support straight away if anything feels abnormal.

So far, ‘Jog for Jugs’ has raised over a whopping £12,700 for CoppaFeel!. If you want to read more, you can check out the campaign’s page here: bit.ly/3Ef3OFZ. Photography by Wullie Marr

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Alumni News

FP Clocks Up Impressive Miles in Marathon Mission

Alistair Thomson set himself an epic fundraising Alistair said “witnessing first-hand the work that Marie Curie challenge in the early stages of 2021; to complete does has spurred me to give something back. I’m hoping that my marathon challenge will raise £8,129; the amount that it costs per 12 marathons in 12 months to raise money for Marie day to operate the Edinburgh hospice.”

Curie, covering a total distance of 314 miles plus all of “I’ve never run one marathon before, let alone 12 of them! My the associated training.

The Class of 2003 FP has so far completed an impressive 9 marathons and has even been joined by various friends and family members along the way, some being fellow FPs of the School.

Speaking about the reasons behind his marathon mission, Alistair explained how the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh provided his mother and family with outstanding care following her secondary metastatic breast cancer diagnosis last September 2020. After several unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy, she moved into the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh at the beginning of January 2021 where she was looked after by the incredible team, and where Alistair and his family were able to visit her. As well as visits from Alistair, his wife and father, it also meant his mother got to see Hamish (Alistair’s then two-year-old little boy) running around in the snowy hospice garden, which brought a warming smile to her face. Alistair described the compassion, sympathy and understanding that the staff showed both his mother and the rest of the family as phenomenal. They are so grateful that she was able to live out her last few days in relative comfort while being afforded the dignity and support that she deserved.

mum was one of the most supportive people in my life. She cheered me on no matter how daft the idea was, and I therefore know that she will be rooting for me every step of every run.”

Alistair has already surpassed his initial fundraising goal and, as of October 2021, has raised over a staggering £18,000, with a further £3,500 in Gift Aid and £16,300 in matched funding from the Pears Foundation, meaning the hospice is set to receive almost £38,000.

Pulling on his running shoes for marathon number 1 in February, Alistair hopes to complete his final marathon at the hospice on January 27th 2022, which will mark the first anniversary of his mother’s passing.

The marathons that he has completed so far have involved routes across various Scottish locations, one in Northumberland and one in London. The first two comprised routes around his home in Edinburgh due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the first one being a largely solo effort which was tough going. By Alistair’s third run, however, restrictions had eased meaning he was able to travel further afield to run the unexpectedly hilly Fife Coastal Path from Kincardine back to Cramond.

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Travelling to Dundee for marathon 4, Alistair set off from Clatto before passing by many familiar places, and finishing at Castle Green in Broughty Ferry in view of the house that he grew up in. His friend and fellow Class of 2003 FP, David Philp, cycled the entire route with him providing not only supplies but motivational support and encouragement (despite stopping for an unplanned caramel wafer at the V&A!). Finishing in an excellent time of 3.16, this has been Alistair’s fastest time so far, although he has no plans to better this during the challenge.

Next up was an ultramarathon in Northumberland which is where Alistair’s wife and family are from. After a gruelling 57km in traditional wet and windy British summertime weather, he crossed the finish line in an approximate time of 7.30. As an event sponsored by his employer, Heineken, there were plenty of opportunities to properly rehydrate at the finish line!

Marathon 6 in July marked the half-way point and was followed by a celebratory BBQ to toast the milestone. With friends and fellow Class of 2003 FP, Jamie Finlay, cycling with him for the entire route keeping his spirits high, Alistair finished his sixth marathon in 3.30.

Marathon 7 was a drizzly run around Loch Rannoch where he was joined by his wife, father (also an FP) and brother-in-law, all of whom were on their bikes. The time was slightly quicker than marathon 6 and there was some very welcome paddle boarding and swimming in the loch afterwards.

Conditions for marathon 8 were ideal with a slight tailwind and clear skies for the entire route from Cramond to Gullane. Alistair had at least one friend with him for the duration of the run which largely followed the John Muir Way but had to be adjusted on the day when they found themselves on soft sand which some heavy legs did not enjoy!

London was the host for the ninth marathon, an experience which Alistair likens to Forrest Gump because of the sheer number of people that joined him along the way. Starting at Parsons Green, the route took the group along to Battersea Park for several laps before heading west to Chiswick Bridge and back to the starting point in Parsons Green. Alistair and his wife lived in London for several years before their move back north to Edinburgh and lived not far from Battersea Park and so this was home to some of his old training spots. Crossing the line in 3.39, Alistair is now entering the home stretch of his challenge.

With only three more marathons left to complete (November likely to be Edinburgh, December in Malaga and January to the hospice), we wish Alistair all the best and cannot wait to hear how the rest of his marathon mission goes!

You can read more about Alistair’s story here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alistairthomson12in12

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Alumni News

Golfer FPs Hit the Fairway to Fundraise for a Fantastic Cause On 20th June, a group of FPs took to the fairway at Panmure Golf Club to take part in the Big Golf Race for Prostate Cancer UK. The fourball, consisting of Daniel Scott, Alastair Welch (both Class of 1990), Jim Wallace (Class of 1977) and David Pert (Class of 1989), set themselves the challenge of completing 101 holes of golf to raise money for a very worthy cause.

With prostate cancer killing one man every 45 minutes in the UK – the same time it takes to play three holes of golf – Daniel said “That's why I'm golfing the distance and taking on The Big Golf Race, to keep men in the game for longer. The money raised by this challenge will help fund research into life-saving treatments for prostate cancer and provide practical support to men and their families.”

The team teed off at 3.45am and completed their final hole at 9.10pm that evening, an amazing 17 hours and 25 minutes later.

Overall, the team have raised around £6,000, a truly smashing effort!

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE HIGH SCHOOL OF DUNDEE www.stevensons.co.uk

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Sara Paton Sara, a Class of 2017 FP, was diagnosed with dyslexia during F2, so she has faced a series of extra challenges during her educational journey. But in July 2021, she was delighted to graduate with an MA(Hons) in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Dundee.

Speaking of her own experiences with dyslexia, Sara says it is nothing to be ashamed of and that the support she, and others, receive ensures a level playing field with everyone else. Although when first diagnosed in F2, her view of dyslexia was definitely not a positive one. Instead, Sara says it was something she was ashamed of and worried that it would hold her back in life.

From the initial suspicion of dyslexia, to formal diagnosis and the support put into place was only a matter of weeks, which is always something she will be thankful for. Sara knows others in similar situations are sadly not as fortunate. The ongoing support and adjustments she received during her time at HSD provided her with a solid foundation to build from. She was fortunate to have incredible ongoing support from Mrs Watson in particular throughout her school years. Sara says “Without her continual support, encouragement, guidance, and belief in me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ll always owe everything to her and the support I received while at HSD.” After being so well supported for five years at school, it was pretty scary for Sara to make the move to somewhere unfamiliar, not knowing what support she could get and where she could access it. Reflecting back on the start of her university journey, Sara recalls thinking that she wouldn’t see through her four years at university. In the end, she just threw herself into the deep end and thought “I’m just going to go for it!”. It has certainly not been without its challenges but Sara now feels all her hard work has finally paid off.

Despite the challenges brought by her dyslexia, Sara’s dissertation, which looked at the impact Covid-19 had on air quality in the UK, brought in top marks, an achievement she never thought possible. This time last year, she thought there was no way she could write a 10,000-word dissertation, which was definitely the dyslexia talking. She knows now that she underestimated how much she knew and how much she could put down on paper.

When the results came out, Sara says she was in complete shock.

She received 20 marks out of 23, and at first thought it must be a mistake; she didn’t think the results were hers.

Talking about what it was like to receive such fantastic results Sara reflected “It was so lovely to see all that hard work had paid off. I’ve always told myself I could do anything and try to remember that people around me want to help me achieve my goals. Thankfully the Student Support Services at the University of Dundee were able to provide similar support that I had whilst at HSD, and built upon the foundations that were already in place.

Dyslexia can throw a whole host of challenges at you daily. But the different perspectives it gives you can also provide you with an entire host of solutions and benefits. Never give up on your dreams; sometimes the hardest challenges will give the most significant rewards.”

In September, Sara continued her studies and fulfilled a lifelong goal by joining the University of Aberdeen to study a PGDE in Primary Education. Her ambition is to be that teacher who influences and supports pupils on their educational journey and encourages them to always follow their dreams.

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Alumni News

OUR HSD GRADUATES

Alice Inman Class of 2017 FP, Alice, graduated from the University of Oxford in June 2020 with a First Class Honours Degree in Economics and Management. Alice also received the Saïd Foundation Prize for the highest mark in the Technology and Operations Finals paper.

“Since school, I have been captivated by Economics. It helps us to make sense of the world around us, and for me there's nothing more satisfying than cracking a problem which has a tangible real-world application. Management, the other half of my degree, is the study of organisations. This provided the opportunity to engage with a wide range of topics - some highlights were debating whether a woman can have a career and a family, defining the meaning of work, and analysing why so many mergers are unsuccessful.

“The academic program at Oxford was intense and I enjoyed the challenge, although there were definitely times when it felt overwhelming! The sense of achievement when I finished my final exams was a feeling I will always remember. Even though there wasn't the ending to my degree that I expected, as we were all at home in the height of lockdown, my family still managed to make it very special.

“One of the greatest things about university was the freedom to structure my time. With only a few hours of academic contact a week, I scheduled library time around a plethora of other activities. For example, in first year I was out rowing on the river almost every morning, I was the producer of a play and I acted in two others, I took an active role in the Oxford Guild and that's not to mention all the time I spent having fun with friends.

“Now I am a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy firm. We help organisations in the social, public and private sectors to solve their pressing and complex problems. For example, I am currently helping a company think about the role of the physical store vs dotcom and how this will evolve over the next five years. The best thing about my job is that it provides the opportunity to work with incredibly passionate and inspiring people. As I move between projects every few weeks, I am always meeting new people and the pace of learning is exhilarating.”

Euan Foulis After leaving the High School of Dundee in 2017, Euan went on to study Film Production at the University for the Creative Arts, graduating in 2020 with a First-Class degree after specialising in Directing.

During his time at university, Euan took particular enjoyment in the social and collaborative activities the university offered him.

Such activities allowed him to collaborate with his classmates in the creation of different short films, which were independent from the university, thus expanding his creative talents.

University also taught Euan a wide array of knowledge about the professional world of film production that he has used in the development of his career. Since graduating, Euan has been freelancing in the British Film Industry to quite some success, having worked as a Production Runner on numerous feature films and tv programmes for big name distributors, including ITV and Apple TV. Currently Euan is working as an Assistant Covid Supervisor on a Netflix feature film in London, due to be released in 2022. In addition to this he has continued developing his creative talents, directing the short film First Time in the middle of lockdown. The short has gone on to receive critical acclaim, winning awards including “Best Thriller” at the Symbolic Arts Film Festival in St Petersburg. Currently, he is in preproduction on his second short, Sunday Morning, Sunday Evening, which shall be released under his production company, Munro Productions. It began filming in late November in Dundee.

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Ivan Kapelyukh Ivan, a Class of 2017 FP, studied Computing at Imperial College London, which he describes as a wonderful experience that fosters the skills and enthusiasm needed to contribute to the technology of tomorrow.

Graduating this summer, Ivan says he was first inspired to pursue a career in technology when developing mobile apps with a group of fellow pupils, mentored

by Computing Science teachers at HSD. The Imperial course focuses on large-scale engineering projects.

For example, Ivan had the chance to work as part of a team developing a new programming language for Facebook’s Libra blockchain. Although the scale of the challenges initially seems daunting, it is the perfect opportunity to solve problems creatively and learn by working closely with your peers. Ivan says this experience is crucial for securing internship positions. During his summer breaks, he interned as a Software Engineer at Netcraft, a cybersecurity startup, as well as the financial institutions J.P. Morgan and Citadel. In his final years at university, he picked up an interest in the machine learning field, gaining experience with medical image computing and natural language processing.

His MEng thesis presents a novel method for learning spatial preferences, enabling robots to tailor their behaviour to what the user wants. Ivan also enjoyed super-curricular options, such as taking a Mandarin course and teaching programming tutorials for younger students.

His favourite aspect of studying Computing at Imperial is the techie culture shared by both students and staff. This is epitomised by the annual ICHack event which is the largest student-run hackathon in the UK with 300 students participating. They work in small teams over 24 hours to invent, prototype and demo their own tech ideas, e.g. an app that lets you log in with a secret knock instead of a password, or a program which automatically summarises any long YouTube video into a 20-second highlights clip. This is a fantastic chance to unleash your creativity, and (just as important for students in London) - a weekend of free food!

Ivan enthusiastically participated in competitive debating at school and continued this at university. He is grateful to Irene McGrath, who runs the debating club at HSD, for teaching students to confidently express themselves and develop an awareness of global affairs. Ivan represented Imperial at the World and European University Debating Championships, and was elected President of the Imperial Debating Society. He would highly recommend trying out the activity, if not for personal growth, then definitely for the chance to travel to Athens, Bali and beyond.

After graduation, Ivan is studying towards a PhD, joining the research teams of the Imperial Robot Learning Lab and the Dyson Robotics Lab. He credits his physics teachers at HSD with showing him that research can be great fun if you just follow your curiosity.

Ivan is interested in addressing the Value Alignment Problem for Spatial AI. This answers the question: “how do we ensure that robots always act in the interests of humans”? Although household robots today can only solve very specific tasks such as vacuum cleaning, Ivan believes that aligning the goals of robots with human interests is essential as their capabilities become more advanced. And, as sci-fi films never fail to show us, it is better to solve the problem of robot safety sooner rather than later!

Ella Hudson After leaving the High School in 2015, Ella went on “I’m now living in London, working in a coffee shop in Fitzrovia. to study International Relations at the University of I am still trying to work out what it is that I want to do as a career.

I have a few ideas but hopefully with time it will become clear!”

St. Andrews.

“In June 2021, with a ‘graduation ceremony’ in my garden presided over by my dad, my time at university was suddenly over.

“My advice to those who are nearing the end of their time at school and looking to the next stage is not to be defeated when things don’t work out the way you may have hoped. A couple of months into my time at university I took a leave of absence for health reasons. I was so ashamed of myself for not being able to do what everyone else was doing. In 2017, I went back to University to start the same course again. Looking back, I am so proud of myself for not allowing that shame to take from me what I now have. So, another bit of advice – take time. The world moves so quickly these days it can be hard to keep up. It is important to stop and breathe and remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup. And with that, a final piece of advice – don’t let others define your path. It is your life, do what makes you happy. It really is no one else’s business.

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Alumni News

Neil Forsyth Author, television writer and journalist Neil Forsyth proves he has a way with words as his career has gone from strength to strength. An FP of the Class of 1996, Neil graduated from the University of Edinburgh then held a variety of jobs before working as a journalist for several years. He then released his first book, Other People’s Money, in 2007. The book focused on the true story of Elliot Castro, a Scottish fraudster, and received significant coverage.

Neil is also known for creating the infamous and comical character of Bob Servant, writing four books about the Bard of Broughty Ferry. The books later evolved into a television show in 2013, the second season of which won the Royal Television Society Scotland award for Comedy.

Further success lay ahead for Neil in 2017 with the release of a one-off drama about Morecombe and Wise. Eric, Ernie and Me received a very positive reception and was nominated for various awards, with Neil himself being nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for his writing of the show.

Come 2019, Neil found himself working with a fellow HSD FP on season one of the hit BBC thriller, Guilt, whose second season hit our screens in October. Neil kindly took the time to catch up with our Development Team over the summer months, updating us on what he has been up to.

Reflecting back on your school days, were you involved in any activities that you feel helped you on your journey to where you are now?

Telling stories and trying to make people laugh in the playground or the back rows of classes, walking the streets of Dundee at lunchtime, and day-dreaming during double Maths were probably the activities that fed most directly into my writing career.

Do you have a favourite memory of your time at school?

I had some great teachers. I enjoyed persuading Mr Blackburn to talk about football instead of maths, I liked history with Mr Wilson and Mrs Hudson, and had a string of really good English teachers such as Mr Durrheim and Mrs Tosh. But the teacher that made the biggest impression on me was Mr Ferrie. He taught me English for two years and was inspiring, funny and took an interest in me that I was very grateful for. He suggested authors for me to read and told me to read a newspaper every day. I wrote to him a few years ago actually to thank him.

What would you say was the best thing about being a pupil at HSD? Playing football in the playground. I can still remember some of my best goals. I went to see Mr Hutchinson and suggested the School should have a football team and he gave me a punishment exercise. Now I see football goals up at Mayfield, so justice was eventually done!

You began your writing career working in journalism. Specifically, you were a freelance journalist for many years which must have involved a lot of travel. Is there an experience or particular piece you wrote that stands out to you from your early days?

I travelled to Georgia in the USA to write a long article about a man called Benjaman Kyle who was found half-naked in a

dumpster and insisted he had no idea who he was. He had retrograde amnesia and spent a decade working out his identity.

I think that was the most interesting piece of journalism I wrote; what happens when you wake up and don’t know who you are.

You’ve written in various styles from the comedy of Bob Servant, to the drama of Guilt and of course the wonderful semibiographical Eric, Ernie and Me. What direction is your writing taking you in now and what is inspiring you?

I’m really enjoying writing drama that has humour within it, and particularly true stories. I’ve gone full circle really, from my early days in journalism, but I like the creative licence afforded by television and writing shows that are dramatically driven.

Your very first book focused on the true story of Elliot Castro and his fraudulent crimes, in a way it showed similarities to the US Catch Me If You Can. What was it like writing and releasing your first book and what was the most fascinating part of this story?

Writing it was great fun. Elliot was still in prison, so I was interviewing him over the phone and on day release. We’d have lunch, talk for a few hours, then I’d drive him back to prison. It was pretty surreal. The release was incredibly exciting. I was living in London when it came out and I spent a whole day walking round London, seeing it in various bookshops. It felt like an out of body experience.

Your popular Bob Servant book series was a huge success.

It’s predominantly based in Broughty Ferry, would you say you drew a lot of inspiration for these books from your own experiences growing up there?

Definitely. There are stories and characters I heard and met, mostly in the pubs of Broughty Ferry, who went cleanly into the scripts. There was a story about Charlie Cox, Brian Cox’s brother, who was an infamous Monifieth newsagent, once saying to a customer, “I don’t have any change, would you take a cabbage?”

I put that into series two of Bob Servant. I’ll never enjoy filming a show as much as Bob Servant. I stayed at my parents and walked round to Bob’s house every morning. My mum and dad are in the opening titles, in the barber’s in Gray Street when Bob bangs on the window.

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Out of all the books that you have written, do you have a favourite or one that you are especially proud of?

What projects do you have on the horizon? We’re all very excited for season two of Guilt!

I’m very proud of the two novels I wrote. They’re the hardest things I’ve ever written, and I will never write another, so to have done two of them is a mixture of pride and relief that I don’t have to do it again.

Series two of Guilt is going out in October, and I have nearly finished writing my new BBC drama series The Gold which is inspired by the true story of the Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983.

We’ll be filming that all next year in London and Spain and it will likely go out in early 2023. I am developing a new show which would be a Scottish-based drama based on true events, so we’ll see if that one gets over the line. I have my own production label now too, Tannadice Pictures. The Gold is our first commission and hopefully there will be more to follow.

Writing is clearly a very large part of your life. But is reading something you do in your spare time and if so, do you have a goto genre or author that you would turn to for a good read?

I read a lot of non-fiction and very little new fiction. But I regularly return to people like Martin Amis, Ernest Hemingway, Roddy Doyle and George MacDonald Fraser.

In recent years, your writing has turned a new corner and you’ve delved into the world of script writing. In 2019, you worked on season one of the BBC drama, Guilt. We always hear stories of our FPs bumping into one another in unexpected ways. What was it like working alongside fellow FP, Robbie McKillop, on this project and had you met one another prior to working together?

Robbie and I both played for the South London Tangerines in 2007/8, a Dundee United supporters’ team in London I helped set up in 2001. He was in my little sister Carol’s class at DHS, our parents know each other, and our late grannies were best friends in Broughty Ferry! I was aware of his burgeoning career, and it was great to see him on the list of Directors we were meeting.

From there though, it was purely his creative ability that won him the job.

Did you work closely with one another during production? What was your working relationship like?

Yes, I’m quite hands on as I’m a Producer as well on my shows, so Robbie and I worked together closely and very well. He’s very talented and brings lots of his own ideas to filming and offers a whole new perspective on the best way to realise the scripts, while still being respectful of the importance of achieving the writer’s vision. Which is all you want from a Director. He did a fantastic job, and his career will go from strength to strength for sure.

Neil Forsyth and Mark Bonnar

Writing covers a very broad spectrum of opportunities, are there any other areas you would like to explore, such as playwriting or even song writing?

I would love to write both a play and a film, hopefully they are things that will happen at some point.

We’ve got a couple of fun questions for you now. If your life were to be turned into a movie or television show, who would you want to portray you and why?

Brian Cox in a DHS uniform, with the shorts. He would be absolutely furious.

What would be your ideal project to work on and are there any people in the industry that you would love to work with?

I would love to work with Brian Cox again. In normal clothes.

If you were showing someone around Dundee, where would be the top three places you would take them, and why?

Up the Dundee Law, for the view. Tannadice Park, obviously. Then a grand tour of Broughty Ferry pubs.

And finally, if you hadn’t become a writer, where do you think life would have taken you?

I tried a conventional career after University and lasted a year. I was a barman in Edinburgh until I was 27, doing journalism on the side, and only quit when I got my first book deal. I suspect I’d still be behind that bar.

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Alumni News

Robbie McKillop Class of 2000 FP, Robbie McKillop, took time out of his busy schedule to catch up with our Editor, Chloe Berridge, in September. Robbie had recently returned from filming a new television drama in Germany, for Sky, called Then You Run. Graduating from the National Film and Television School in 2011, with an MA in Directing Fiction, Robbie’s graduation film Strays saw him chosen as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

The film was also broadcast on Channel 4. He has directed on a wide variety of films and television series throughout his career, including the hit series Clique and award-winning BBC thriller Guilt. The latter, released in 2019, saw Robbie scoop up the BAFTA Scotland 2020 Award for Best Director (Fiction). Robbie’s portfolio of projects also includes ITV drama Cleaning Up starring Sheridan Smith, BBC family drama Our Zoo, Channel Four comedy Not Safe for Work and A Young Doctor’s Notebook and Other Stories starring Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm.

During our interview, Robbie got us up-to-speed with what he has been up to since waving goodbye to the Pillars.

photography by Annika Summerson

Alumni News

photography by Mark Mainz

Thanks for joining us today Robbie, it’s great to be able to speak with you. You’ve worked on several exciting and successful projects throughout your career, including shows such as Clique and your breakthrough Strays. Which has been your favourite project and why?

by someone in the street or overhearing a conversation or the noises you hear when you walk underneath a motorway. They all feed into your work. There’s a quote that I remember from Joe Strummer: “no input, no output” which I think is so important and relatable to directing.

I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to carve out a bit of a niche for myself where I’ve steered away from quite conventional genres or projects that are relatively clear-cut. I’ve always been keen to try things that are a little bit different; projects that are a blend of genres allowing me to play with tone and strive to be original. Of course, there have been moments on every project that I’ve loved, but I would say that Guilt is the production that I’m most happy with. It was an amazing opportunity to direct an entire series and I was able to work with a multitude of genres: dark comedy, sibling drama, mystery and a touch of romance. The show had a little bit of everything. Neil Forsyth’s scripts were so brilliant; the cast and crew were on top of their game. We all had big ambitions for the show and wanted it to be seen worldwide, which it was. Guilt truly was a joy to make; it allowed me the freedom to do something really bold.

It must be exciting, as a Director, to bring someone else’s vision to life via the big screen. Can you tell us a little about the relationship between the Screenwriter and the Director?

As a Director, you are very much responsible for setting the scene for your viewers and transitioning a script onto the screen. Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?

I have a broad taste and a wide variety of influences. I’m very visually orientated so cinema, television, photography and contemporary art all feed into my creative process, but so does contemporary dance, fashion, architecture and music. As a director you’re building an entire world and working with so many different creative disciplines from production designer/ art department, to hair and make-up and costume designers, to visual effects, to movement or stunt coordinators, composers and sound designers. So I try to soak up as much as I can from culture to feed into those creative conversations and exchange of ideas.

Anything in life can be inspiration for your work, simply walking

That’s an interesting question as it really depends on what you’re working on. For example, for a four-part mini-series like Guilt, Neil Forsyth was the writer and executive producer so I worked closely with him throughout the whole process. From the interview for the job, to reading over the scripts, to casting, to the final edit of the show you’re discussing how to bring the project to life with him and the other executive producers. If you’re working on a long running series that has a writer’s room (a team of screenwriters led by a showrunner), which is very common in America in particular, you might just have a couple of meetings with the writer feeding notes back about areas for potential development, then the rest of the process is working with the showrunner, producer, and executive producers.

Overall, there needs to be a sense of understanding between the director and screenwriter about the complexity and depth of the writing. Anyone can receive a script and shoot it. It’s about understanding the deeper core of the project and bringing out all of the themes and complexities that the characters are going through and showing this on-screen. There are many different aspects of working with a screenwriter. But ultimately you have to understand what it is they have written about and go beyond what’s on the page in front of you to bring the project to life in a way that’s unexpected to the writer as well. You want them to watch it back and think “that’s exactly how I wanted that scene to turn out, but even better”.

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Alumni News

As a director you must get sent a lot of scripts so it must be quite time consuming deciding which ones to progress with. How do you decide which projects to take forward?

I read loads of scripts, sometimes for very big popular returning dramas, and I think “this isn’t for me”, as I like to lead a new and original series and set it up. Quite often I might not feel a connection to the script but other times I’ll know exactly in my mind how to make a project and I’ll feel that connection very strongly. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a personal connection to the script. I certainly didn’t read the script for Guilt and think “this reminds me of that one time that I ran someone over and fell out with my brother about it”! It’s a gut feeling where I can see myself producing something really great. You also sense a connection as you’ll recognise what the writer is trying to convey and do, so you feel like you know the story inside out even though you’ve only read over the script a few times. It’s the draw of doing something different, something that’s never been done before.

photography by Mark Mainz

Strays was your graduation film when you left the National Film and Television School, which starred Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden. Can you tell us a little about what happened after its release as you were chosen as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow, which must have been fantastic?

After completing my undergraduate degree at Edinburgh Napier, I worked for a few years then did a masters at the National Film and Television in Beaconsfield, just outside London. It’s one of the best film schools in the world; about four hundred people apply for eight places on the Directing course. You make four films as part of the NFTS course, and your graduation film is the one people from the industry will watch in a showcase. The end goal from the graduation showcase was securing an agent. I had a very clear agenda going into film school and I wanted my graduation film to be full of vivacity and excitement with plenty of layers of emotional story telling.

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Casting for Strays I remember being a big thing; I was looking for a particular chemistry between the actors. I saw Richard Madden’s image when I was looking through Spotlight and I noticed another actor who’d gone to the Royal Conservatiore at the same time and thought “they might be friends”. I wanted to cast people who were friends to create an instant chemistry on screen. Sure enough, Richard came in with the other actor, Andrew, and they were best friends in real life. Their chemistry was unbelievable; I knew the film would be great after that.

Can you tell us a little about what happened after you left film school? How easily did you manage to secure work on projects?

After film school, I secured a big agent which was fantastic. Strays really helped me get an entry-level film with Channel 4 on a strand called “Coming Up”. I made a film with Ashley Walters, a fantastic British actor. After that, I did struggle to get work. I had to keep doing general meetings, lots of interviews, waiting to get the break that I needed. Eventually, I was offered an amazing opportunity to do a series with Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm. You could argue that at the time these were two of the biggest actors in the world because of the Harry Potter franchise and Mad Men.

city outside. I loved the fact the school was in the city centre, and the city lights were on when you finished school in the winter.

The Arts is a very broad spectrum now, with many different facets.

We actually have several current pupils interested in a career within the film industry. What advice would you offer to any of our young people hoping to follow a career similar to yours?

Filmmaking, especially directing has traditionally been an incredibly hard profession to break into. I think that is probably still the case for directing, but the UK industry is currently going through a big boom and needs crew so there are more entry level possibilities than ever before. The industry changes so much, so there isn’t really one defined way to get into it. You need to persevere and maintain your drive. Invest as much time as you can into learning about the particular field you’re interested in as this will be beneficial in the long run. Never be complacent either, you should always strive to improve, broaden your understanding of the world, and remember that it’s a collaborative medium.

Be interested in other people, passionate, enthusiastic, a good communicator, and put a lot of effort and preparation into meeting people from the industry.

What was rather funny though was I had the two interviews and the only thing left for me to do before I got the job was to go and meet Daniel at his flat in London. At the time, I was also living in London and I remember as I was walking down Regent Street the nerves set in. It was the first time in the whole process I’d felt nervous. I knew this could be the opportunity I needed to change my circumstances. I was expecting my first child at the time so there was so much on the line. I ended up bumping into Mackie, who was a few years above me at school, and we ended up chatting. I remember telling him that I was on my way to meet Daniel Radcliffe and he was pretty chilled about it and wished me luck. Meeting someone I knew from Dundee really settled the nerves. Thankfully I met Daniel, got along really well with him and got the job.

You recently returned from shooting a project in Germany, which sounds very exciting. Are you able to share any details with us?

And looking forward, do you have any new projects lined up?

Reflecting on your school days, did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in directing right from the get-go?

I have a very broad taste and watch everything from old movies to the latest series. There is so much to watch that I never manage to keep up, but I love nothing more than a trip to the cinema, especially old arthouse cinemas. My current favourite TV show is Stath Lets Flats on Channel 4 which is totally hilarious and reminds me so much of living in London.

Whilst at school I developed an interest in film around the age of 15/16 and I set my sights on being a director. I fell completely in love with film and television and so I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. I think I’ve always been very visually aware and interested in the world around me. So, I got a stills camera and started taking black and white photographs and experimented with making sounds with musical instruments. I remember I had an electric guitar; I never played it properly, just made sounds out of it. I have no idea how my parents survived the racket coming from my bedroom to be honest!

Are there any teachers you feel supported you at school or who played a particular part in getting you to where you are now?

I was very fortunate that a couple of teachers in the History Department – Mrs. Hudson and Mr. Wilson – encouraged me.

Mrs. Hudson was a great support; she was my guidance teacher as well as my history teacher. She supported me through any issues to do with my career ambitions, helped me with my personal statement, and UCAS application. If it weren’t for her support, I genuinely don’t think I would be where I am today.

What was your favourite thing about the School?

This might sound odd to say, but the physicality of the buildings.

When I was a pupil, I always loved sneaking out of class to walk around the school as it had such an atmosphere about it. I’d look at how light would move through the corridors or the physicality of the space, or the perspectives of the long corridors. I remember the Pillars in particular feeling very epic. Whenever classroom windows were open, you’d always hear the buzz and draw of the

It’s for Sky, an offbeat thriller called Then You Run. It’s about four young women whose summer holiday spirals into a dark and perilous adventure after they inadvertently cross paths with some of the most dangerous people in Europe. It’s a wild, anarchic and funny series, unlike anything I’ve seen before and will be out in Autumn 2022.

Your work focuses on the film and television industry so you must have an avid interest in film and tv shows outside of work. What would you say is your favourite film or show and do you have a goto genre when searching for something new to watch?

If you weren’t a Director, where do you think your career would have taken you?

I have no idea as I’ve only ever wanted to do the job I do now from the age of sixteen. I've always loved dancing, but I think it would be a stretch to imagine I could have been a contemporary dancer!

And finally, you were born and raised in Dundee. What would you say are your three favourite things about the City of Discovery?

I love so many things about Dundee. The DCA will always be one of my favourite places; I try to go and see exhibitions there whenever I’m back. I love having a pint with my dad at The Speedwell Tavern, and the welcoming lively spirit of the city.

Looking out over Dundee and the surrounding areas from the Law Hill, and walking along the beach with an ice cream from Visocchis in the ferry with my family always feels special.

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Alumni News

The Sky’s the Limit for Basketball Player FP At an impressive 6ft 11in, Harry Morrice – a Class of 2018 FP – has made his mark on the world of basketball and hopes to soar to NBA success.

Harry, now aged 21, currently plays for North Carolina A&T State University in Division 1, the top level of college basketball and is aiming for the 2023 NBA draft. A former member of the Dundee Madsons Basketball Club, he progressed to Beckley Prep in West Virginia before turning to scholarship agency NextUpRecruitment to help secure a scholarship at a Division 1 college.

Over the summer, Harry kindly took the time to catch up with our Development Team to shine a light on his experiences playing college basketball, his aspirations for the future as well as insight into living and studying in the United States.

Where would you say your interest in basketball stems from, is it something you have loved since a young age?

I’ve been around basketball my whole life. Growing up I’d watch my father play, which is what sparked my interest and inspired me to follow in his footsteps. It’s also something that seemed inevitable and dictated by my height. From a young age I knew basketball would play to my physical strengths.

Were there any particular sports personalities who inspired you to pursue basketball as a potential career path?

Growing up I always aspired to be like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, much like everyone else in basketball. But my biggest inspiration is the late Robert Archibald, the only Scottish basketball player who has ever made it in the NBA (so far). I think every player in Scotland looked up to him; he made me realise my dream was possible.

How do you think the School helped you on your journey to where you are now?

If I hadn’t gone to Dundee High School I wouldn’t be where I am now. I was encouraged to be successful both in the classroom and on the court more than I ever had been before. All the teachers

wanted the best for me and went above and beyond to help me achieve the results I needed to continue my academic studies in the US. Are there any skills that you feel the School equipped you with as you began your journey through university education and beyond?

Time management – this was a steep learning curve for me as I tried to balance my sports with my education. Now that my schedule is the busiest it has ever been, I am very grateful to have learnt the importance of setting aside time for my studies.

What would you say are your favourite memories from your time at HSD? Of course, like every Former Pupil, I miss Brodie’s lunches. But I also had a great friend group and the teachers always went that extra step to remind me to focus on my schooling when my head was in the basketball clouds, which I often miss nowadays since university is much more focused on independent learning.

You played for the Dundee Madsons Basketball Club. How did you progress from playing basketball in the UK to playing for a Division 1 College in the States?

After playing for Dundee Madsons, I spent some time playing for the Scotland Team. Then when I was seventeen, I realised that for my basketball career to develop I needed to commit to a more intense training environment. I looked for opportunities in the USA, but I found a school closer to home in Dublin.

It was a college preparatory school that was specifically focused on basketball. This was a year of intense training which bridged the gap between Scottish and American levels of the game. This proved extremely important when I then moved to the States a year later and realised just how much higher the standard of basketball is there. When I first moved there, I spent a year at a high school (technically my 6th Year) in West Virginia which gave me more time to prepare and offered the all-important exposure that ultimately allowed me to receive college offers.

Alumni News

Living and studying abroad must be an entirely different experience than being in the UK, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. What would you say has been the most exciting part of being based abroad?

What is very exciting is just how much of the world I get to see because of basketball. I’ve been all across the United States, a country I wouldn’t have been to see if it wasn’t for my basketball opportunities. Moreover, being able to play my sport in-front of so many people never gets old, not just in person but on live TV. One game I played in-front of 20,000 people in an arena, then when I returned to my hotel the first thing I saw on the TV was me being shown on ESPN highlights. It was surreal!

And how about the most challenging aspect?

The most challenging part is being away from home. Not seeing your family for a year is tough, especially when you’re handling the stress of playing games and doing exams. I am lucky to have such a supportive family and partner, but it certainly hurts to be so far away for so much of the year. Also, when I first started my college career, waking up at 5am to work out and having classes and other commitments for the rest of day was initially very waring. But it does eventually become second nature and I really enjoy the process of putting work in and seeing results on a dayto-day basis.

How have you found studying abroad whilst juggling and building a career in basketball?

I didn’t pick an easy degree to go along with juggling my basketball commitments - studying Mechanical Engineering is hard work on its own, which is why I don’t get a lot of down time. That being said, I enjoy being busy and I knew university was going to be incredibly demanding, which pushes me to do my best.

In terms of basketball, the future is looking very bright for you!

You’re aiming for the 2023 NBA draft which is very exciting. How do you feel about the journey you’re now on and ideally how do you see the next few years going?

I feel incredibly lucky to be doing what I’m doing. It’s really a privilege. Over the past two years of playing college basketball, I know I have improved massively. With two years (or potentially three if I do my masters) left I will strive to keep improving. I will hopefully be getting into the spotlight more over these next few years as well which will help me gain interest from professional teams.

I can imagine there is a lot of stress and pressure involved with the NBA drafting process. What have you been doing to prepare yourself for your next steps?

There definitely is, but it’s also exciting. I just look forward to what comes next and don’t tend to stress out about it too much- as my mum often says, ‘what’s for you won’t go by you’.

You routinely play in front of 5,000+ people, how do you manage the pressure of playing in front of crowds? And do you have any pre-match routines to prepare yourself?

The first time I played in-front of a lot of people, I expected to feel anxious, but as soon as I stepped onto the court those nerves vanished. You don’t really focus on who’s in the crowd; you’re too focused on doing your job on the court. The best way to describe it is like heights, don’t look down and you’ll be fine!

What key strengths do you believe you have that make you a strong athlete?

I think I was just incredibly lucky with the frame I was born with.

I’m tall, but also coordinated and balanced, which is particularly uncommon. Hence, I can run fast and jump high. Also, I’m mentally rather strong, so I can push through when running and playing basketball gets physically tough.

If asked, how do you think your teammates and coach would describe you in three words?

Hard working, committed and determined. I think that’s the best way to describe me. If I have a goal, I’ll focus completely on achieving it, and give a lot of effort in doing so. I hate losing or failing, so I’ll keep going until I’ve completed what I want to do.

Your love of basketball is very clear, but do you have any other sporting hobbies or activities that you take part in off the court?

I love fixing things. Cars, electronics, anything that’s broken I get massive satisfaction from making it work again. I also have a strong interest in motorsport, which is something I want to get myself into once my basketball career has come to an end – if there’s a big enough car!

What words of wisdom would you offer to any of our young people looking to pursue their own career in basketball, or sport more widely?

I think if I was young again, I’d want to be told that it is possible, and that I can do it if I just fully commit to it. My basketball career had so many unknowns, I had to always question ‘can I actually do this? Or is it just a pipe dream?’ Well, it’s not, and it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, how tall you are or any other variable, it is possible. If you commit to anything, and work at it, you can achieve it.

And finally, a few fun questions to finish. If you could play a game of basketball with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be and why?

Definitely the late Kobe Bryant. To play against the best would be a dream come true.

If asked to identify your spirit animal, what would this be and why?

I think a giraffe, for obvious reasons!

Images by Kevin L. Dorsey Photography.

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Alumni News

Don’t Flush Our Planet’s Valuable Resource: FP Shares Fail-Safe Water Saving Tips When Carolyn Hogg, Class of 1979, met Peter Holdsworth, she was a single parent of four boys who were prone to taking long hot showers. She recalls constantly knocking on the bathroom door calling out, “stop wasting water and energy!”.

Peter was working on developing domestic grey water reuse systems. Working with Ecoplay and building his own system – ReAqua - to capture the bath and shower water, using the greywater to flush toilets and recycling the heat back to the hot water tank. Being a thrifty Scot, this seemed like a good idea to Carolyn.

Water is a key resource. Because of climate change, water supply is being severely affected. Rainfall has changed – too much or too little and/or in the wrong place. Do you know processing water and sewage is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions? It takes significant amounts of energy for water companies to supply water and remove sewage to and from our cities, towns and villages.

“The average water used per person per day is 143 litres in England and Wales, 165 litres in Scotland and 145 litres in Northern Ireland.”

Waterwise Water is an energy consuming sector. The contribution water makes to greenhouse gas emissions is not discussed publicly. The problem is only going to get worse, driven by the rising demand for water through population growth, migration, climate change and ageing water infrastructure. Everyone is affected.

Now in 2021, the water issue has spread around the country and even areas in Scotland are affected. Aquifers are becoming dry, reservoirs are at low levels, river extraction is damaging the environment, new reservoirs and even a desalination plant are being built. A water pipeline from Scotland to England has even been suggested.

Then there is the issue of rising demand, caused by rising populations and migration compounded by increased water use due to the “bathroom experience”. Since the 1960s, domestic water consumption has risen rapidly and with increasing populations there is now going to be a shortage of water to meet people’s needs.

Thames Water told the team, “London is expected to run out of water by 2045. It is estimated that the population of the Thames Water supply area will grow by 2.1 million people by 2045.” The construction industry in the UK needs to build more than 250,000 new homes a year. Action must be taken to ensure measures are in place to effectively balance the increased demand for water with its supply. Reducing wastewater is also a factor in achieving net zero. Therefore, the UK needs to find ways of using water more efficiently.

Waterwise is an independent, not-for-profit UK NGO focused on reducing water consumption in the UK. Its website informs people that “Britain ‘showers away’ more than 2,000,000,000 litres of water each day. If every home in the UK took one minute off their shower every day, it would save £215 million on our collective energy bills every year.”

A Scottish Developed Solution to the Bathroom Issue Carolyn is Managing Director of Scottish-based Cascade Water Products Ltd. Cascade has an award-winning team developing a short retention micro domestic greywater reuse system - Aqua Gratis. This captures the bath and shower water, processes it, and reuses the water to flush toilets in the house. It makes a 30% water saving in one hit.

Throughout 2020 many of Waterwise’s articles were published.

The content of these articles ties in with the message Cascade has been delivering in its stakeholder engagement activities.

Aqua Gratis production model mk1 is installed and being tested.

Cascade are pleased to be making an impact and are successfully raising the profile of domestic greywater reuse and how it benefits the environment.

Alumni News

Leaking toilets

Washing and shampooing

Did you know between 5-8% of toilets are leaking? Why don’t you check to see if yours has a leak. Use a bit of food colouring in the cistern before you go to bed and check to see if your toilet bowl water has changed colour in the morning. If it has, you know you’ve got a leak.

Try turning the water off in between washing your body, shampooing and conditioning. To go one step further, place a bucket in the shower with you to collect any excess water – you can use this to flush your toilet.

Collect water used from cooking Once it has cooled you can use it to water plants with. Or if you’re boiling vegetables, use this water to start a soup.

Brushing your teeth

Shaving

Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – a running tap wastes approximately 6 litres per minute.

Avoid shaving with the shower or tap running – use a small bowl of water instead.

Choose to take a shower rather than a bath

Keep a jug to collect water

Freshen a shirt

Pet’s water bowl

Another great tip is to keep a jug next to the kitchen tap to collect any water that you run when waiting for the tap to heat up. You can use this to water your houseplants or in the garden.

A quick iron or hanging it up will freshen any shirt that you’ve been wearing for the online meetings rather than throwing it in the wash.

When refreshing a pet’s water bowl, use the old water on house plants rather than pouring it down the drain.

As long as you keep it short you will save water. Put on your favourite 4-minute song and try to shower before the song ends.

Having a bath

Spotted a dripping tap?

Fancy a relaxing bath? Don’t fill it to the top and when you’re done save the water and use a bucket to flush your toilet or water non-edible plants.

This could be wasting around 5,500 litres of water a year and could just need the washer replacing.

The Waterwise website www.waterwise.org.uk has even more information on how to save water at home, at work and at school.

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Alumni News

KT Tunstall

Singer/Songwriter KT Tunstall is a Former Pupil of the Class of 1993. She shot to fame back in 2004 with her debut album Eye To The Telescope, which sold over 5 million copies. Keeping the platinum sales rolling over the following decade, KT cemented herself as a major recording talent as well as a mesmerizing live performer.

photography by Piper Ferguson

Alumni News

Come 2016, KT launched the first album in her trilogy series, the critically acclaimed UK Top 10 album KIN. The trilogy evokes, separately and in sequence, spirit, body and mind. With KIN being her phoenix-from-the-ashes 'spirit' album, 2018 marked the second offering of that trilogy, the ‘body’ album WAX. Currently, KT is working on the final instalment of her trilogy, with a focus on mind, which is due to be released in 2022.

Where is your favourite place to go when you’re looking to write new songs?

KT has toured the world many times over. In 2005, she outsold every other female artist in the UK and in 2006 was awarded the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. Additionally, she has won the Ivor Novello Best Song award for her memorable hit “Suddenly I See”.

A lot from relationships, from nature, and more recently a lot from my own personal growth and change. Making a trilogy about soul, body and mind and sticking to those themes has been really interesting.

She also landed a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance with “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”. KT has also lent her tunes to a host of movies and TV shows including The Devil Wears Prada, Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty.

More recently, in 2018, KT performed at sell-out shows across the UK and US, supporting acclaimed artists including Simple Minds, The Pretenders and Barenaked Ladies. In 2019, she toured the UK and Europe with her all-female band, playing festivals all over the UK, including a headline set at Glastonbury. She also toured the US, Canada, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Mexico and Brazil, as well supporting Hall & Oates on their UK arena tour.

We were thrilled to have the opportunity over the summer to catch up with KT and hear all about what she has been up to recently as well as her plans for the future.

photography by Pamela Littky

Somewhere very simple, quiet and beautiful with a great view, and preferably somewhere I’ve never been before.

Where would you say you draw your inspiration from for your music?

As a musician you will have toured across the world, where has been your favourite place to perform and why?

My favourite place to perform is probably South America; Brazil, Argentina, Peru. I’d love to play more countries in that part of the world. I remember Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) telling me how amazing it was playing for South American audiences before my first trip there. It’s extraordinary. There is no inhibition, just joy, dancing and freedom playing for those crowds. They really know how to make you feel loved!

The Covid-19 pandemic has been incredibly tough on all industries, what have you found to be the most challenging aspect of lockdown for you?

Probably working from home. I usually have a constant change of scenery that accompanies what I do, and during lockdown I was

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Alumni News

photography by Alexander Michaelis

Alumni News

photography by Cortney Armitage

photography by Pamela Littky

working hard on a writing project. I found it really challenging at first to discipline myself to work at a desk and get the hours in, but I eventually figured out how it could work best for me; mostly that I worked in the evening, not during the day.

have you been part of when helping them? For people reading this now, what do you think we can all do to help make a difference?

What have you done to keep busy during lockdown? We saw that you recorded a virtual duet with Take That’s Gary Barlow last year!

What brought the two of you together and who was responsible for choosing the song?

The biggest project I undertook during lockdown was writing a Musical, which has been intense work as well as being really rewarding. I recorded a few duets and did about 70 online ‘raves’ with fans which was fun. I’d opened for Gary Barlow on tour before lockdown so we were already pals!

Have you picked up any new skills during lockdown?

I’m definitely a better cook. I also have a little dog called Mini now, and I think overall I’ve become a lot calmer actually.

Having lived in both the UK and the States, have you noticed any cultural differences?

I’ve realised much more how huge the differences are between America and the UK after living there without moving around these last 18 months. I feel in both countries, we need to do more listening to people we don’t necessarily agree with. It’s helpful to understand why people think the way they do and accept that there will be a difference of opinion. We can all still live together.

What do you miss the most about Scotland?

The wildness of it. I miss the landscapes and getting out into the beautiful untouched parts of it.

What do you miss the least about Scotland?

The temperature!!

You seem to really enjoy cooking, what would you say is your favourite comfort food?

Scottish fish & chips!

You’ve supported a number of worthwhile charities and causes over the years such as CHAS and Samaritans. What drove you to decide to support such causes and what fundraising initiatives

It feels really good to give back and I try and do that when and where I can. It’s lovely that often just by playing my music I can help a charity. I think what we can all do is really try to be kinder.

Try not to judge others too quickly or harshly and remember we don’t know what they might be going through. Treat others as we would like to be treated is really good advice!

If you could choose anyone, dead or alive, to duet with who would it be, and why?

I would love to have sung with Freddie Mercury, just the most amazing voice and I bet he was the most fun to hang with!

What is your favourite song that you have ever written, and why?

Hard to choose, and I’m sure it would differ every day, but one that is often my favourite is “Difficulty” from Tiger Suit. It’s very honest and vulnerable, and I just love the sound of it.

Do you have a new album in the pipeline or any plans for tours in the future?

I have the 3rd album in my trilogy on soul, body and mind coming out next year (my 7th studio album), and I’m playing some shows in the UK later this year.

What would you say is the best thing about your career?

Getting to do what I absolutely love for a living.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

I’m not sure, but I would be very happy to be living in my house in Topanga, creating exciting music in my studio, whilst also working on cool new projects, cooking good food and drinking a tequila!

And finally, is there anything you would like to share with us, any exciting projects or events that may be in the pipeline?

I’m looking forward to seeing how things go with the Musical I have written, it’s an adaptation of the Film “Saving Grace”, so fingers crossed it finds its way to the stage one day soon!

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Alumni News

HSD’s First Virtual FP Reunion

It was wonderful to see so many of our Former Pupils tuning into our live Reunion event in June from across the world!

Lise Hudson, our Rector, and Sheena Leadbitter, Chair of the High School of Dundee Foundation, hosted a webinar from 10am on Saturday 26th June where they spoke about life at the school today. If you weren't able to join us live, don't worry as you can catch up on what you missed here. We held a Q&A session towards the end of the event, with many great questions being submitted from our alumni community. We also shared a virtual tour of the School, which revisited many memorable and favourite areas.

We also had a number of surprises up our sleeves which we shared with our Former Pupils on the day, including an HSD Quiz where a range of prizes from our online shop were up for grabs. Congratulations to our winner, Aimee Elgin! Additionally, we shared the latest additions to our online archive site, which included old school magazines from the mid-1970s-1998. If you haven’t had the opportunity to browse through our latest uploads yet you can do so by visiting our online archive.

It was wonderful to have so many of you tuning in remotely and we hope by June 2022 we will be able to welcome you back through our doors again!

Class of 1980’s Reunion Andrew Marnie is organising a reunion for the Class of 1980 that has been postponed several times due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The new date for the reunion has been set for 28th May 2022 with a meal at the Apex Hotel in Dundee. If anyone from the Class of 1980 would like to find out more or express their interest in attending, please email Andy at andymarnie1@gmail.com.

Alumni News

FP Returns to Share Important Advice The School was delighted to welcome back Former Pupil, Aengus McCrimmon, in May to share some very important advice with our pupils about testicular cancer awareness.

Aengus is an Aberdeen Ambassador for the charity The Oddballs Foundation, which was founded in 2016. The foundation aims to raise awareness of testicular cancer across the UK; visiting schools, universities and workplaces to deliver talks on testicular cancer; reminding men to check their testicles and removing any stigma and embarrassment about it.

Throughout the day, Aengus met with individual PSHE classes from F3-F6 to raise awareness about the disease as being one which can affect young men and which can impact everyone – personally, or as a partner, friend or family member.

Aengus said “It was a great opportunity to speak to pupils and spread awareness for testicular cancer. As a Former Pupil it’s fantastic to see the School support our cause and offer their time and help in spreading awareness.”

His talks focused on breaking down the stigma and encouraging everyone to check for any lumps, bumps or abnormalities and, with recovery rates at 98-99% if diagnosis is early, to seek medical advice as soon as possible if they notice anything.

Aengus was approached for the ambassador role by Oddballs after his work as Aberdeen University’s Movember Ambassador helped the university raise a record £34,000.

HSD Pipers Put on Fantastic Performance at FPs’ Wedding It’s always nice to hear of good news from our Former Pupils, and it’s even nicer when our current pupils are able to help them celebrate that good news!

Class of 2011 FPs, Kasia Thomson and Connor McCollam got married in August 2021 after having to postpone their nuptials twice due to Covid-19. The sun shone all day for their celebrations and, after tying the knot at St Josephs Church (then The Rhynd) in Leuchars, the newlyweds returned to their home for photographs in their garden. Having bought what they describe as their dream home earlier this year, they were delighted to use their beautiful garden for their wedding photographs.

Of their special day Kasia has said “The sun shone all day and we even managed to keep the top down in the car for the whole journey to Leuchars. We felt so blessed to have our friends and family with us, especially because of the last year. Everyone was delighted to be together and to celebrate together. It was such a special touch to have the boys pipe before the church, pipe us out of the church and pipe us into our meal. There is nothing quite like the sound of bagpipes to us and we were delighted to have the boys there; we’re really grateful to them”.

The couple began dating in 2010, just before the start of their sixth year at HSD. Having both taken a module in Outdoor Education, run by Gordon Ross at the time, this marked the beginning of their relationship. Kasia said she only signed up to the module to keep her friend company but is very glad that she did. During a trip to Sutherland, where activities included hiking and canoeing, Kasia

recalls the moment (which Connor mentioned in his wedding speech) when Connor told her she was beautiful whilst she was cleaning dishes at the campsite. The rest, she says, is history!

After a few years living in different cities – Connor in Glasgow studying for his Masters in chemistry, and Kasia in Dundee completing her Scots and English law degree – the couple became Mr & Mrs after over eleven years together. Connor now works as a Distiller and Kasia as a Solicitor.

Well done to our current pupils Archie Macdonald, Alistair Clark and Mitchell Clark, who comprised the trio of pipers present at Kasia and Connor’s nuptials. Many of Kasia and Connor’s former HSD classmates were also present for the celebrations; a true HSD affair!

Photography by Luke Davies Photography.

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Alumni News

The Challenge of Sustainable Resource Management

Enjoying a weekend hiking in the Swedish wilderness, with a textbook example of a glacial lake behind me that Miss Stewart would be proud of!

Chalcopyrite, the golden-yellow mineral that stands out from the rest of the rock sample, is our target as it contains copper!

To some, ‘sustainability’ might seem like a trendy buzzword of recent years; however, its new-found prevalence in everyday conversation reflects a growing awareness of the critical environmental, social and economic issues that currently prevail around the world.

The concept of sustainability isn’t new to us, however, as concern regarding the future availability of fundamental resources (such as food and water) is deeply ingrained into human nature.

Perhaps now though, we face such a disconnect between what we consume and where it has come from that it has become difficult to fully comprehend and begin mitigating any true threats to this modern existence.

Sustainability, as we think of it today, was best-defined in the United Nations’ Bruntland Report of 1987, as follows: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. But here we are, living in the aftermath of a lack of significant action since this eloquent rallying cry over thirty years ago. Record temperatures are recorded annually, global biodiversity is plummeting and more people than ever before are facing freshwater scarcity.

While there is no simple solution to the complex, multifaceted challenge of attaining global sustainability, it is something that we can all play a part in. For that reason, it is great to hear about the School’s plans to become more conscious and proactive in this field.

After leaving the High School, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science at the University of Glasgow, which mainly focused on the geological evolution and dynamic processes of our planet.

Following this, I embarked on a European adventure, undertaking a master’s in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management that was hosted by Ghent University (Belgium), Uppsala University (Sweden) and Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Germany). During these postgraduate studies, I’ve gained a holistic perspective on the entire raw material value chain and its challenges: from the exploration for and extraction of minerals in the subsurface, all the way to the recycling of end-of-life products and industrial waste streams. Assessing and optimising the way that we deal with our natural resources along this timeline is a crucial step to take towards sustainability.

With the world population increasing through time, we are forced to tap into Earth’s finite source of natural resources at greater rates. On top of that, the products that we are using are becoming more and more complex. For example, your smart phone is likely composed of over sixty different metals, from gold and silver to the rare earth elements like yttrium and neodymium.

This means that there is a large mining footprint associated with the production of each phone, while their intricate configuration makes recycling of the individual elements extremely difficult.

In response to the growing concerns for excessive resource consumption, there are calls to adopt a so-called ‘circular economy’. This involves replacing the traditional, linear approach of ‘take, make and waste’ with a closed-loop system based on reusing, repairing, sharing and recycling. In this way, raw materials that have already been mined will remain in use for longer, greatly reducing the rate at which we would need to extract more from the ground. However, even in this ideal scenario, mining cannot be replaced entirely, due to the limitations that exist in recycling methods and the sheer demand for more metals.

The mining industry currently faces a major challenge in changing the public opinion that surrounds it. Mining has long been perceived as a ‘dirty’ business, given its extractive nature and associated environmental impact. The reality is, however, that the mining industry is arguably the key enabler in achieving sustainability.

The world is beginning to shift towards widespread adoption of renewable energy and e-mobility, addressing the issues that our long-standing dependence on fossil fuels has propagated.

However, this transition towards a ‘green’ future is wholly reliant upon a secure and sufficient supply of the mineral resources that are used in electric vehicle batteries, wind turbine magnets and other clean technologies. Ultimately, we are dealing with a trade-off between the benefits of implementing low-carbon infrastructure and the environmental cost of mining the materials that are necessary to do so.

Alumni News

Where most of my time as a geologist has been spent: in a large warehouse filled with boxes containing drilled rock samples from the copper deposit.

Currently, there is a distinct lack of mining across Europe due to the industry’s image – after all, who would want a mine just down the road from their home? But if we want to be at the forefront of the energy transition, then we need to start acknowledging the importance and value that our mineral resources hold – particularly when you can establish local production in the most transparent, traceable and eco-conscious manner possible.

I am now working as an Exploration Geologist for a mining company called Copperstone Resources, who are based north of the Arctic Circle in Kiruna, Sweden. As the name might have suggested, the company are seeking to provide sustainably produced copper to the European market. Copper is one of the most widely used metals in the world due to its many desirable properties, of which electrical conductivity is perhaps the most important. As a result, copper is an essential component in modern technology and electronics, including renewable energy systems and electric vehicles.

It feels incredibly rewarding to work for a forward-thinking company that is aiming to lead the mining industry towards more-sustainable practice and provide a product that will have a positive impact downstream. Hopefully this project can act as

The outline for a circular economy. (Source: EIT Raw Materials)

an inspiration to the rest of Europe and beyond, showing that it is possible to mine in a socially accepted manner and with a minimal environmental footprint.

In closing, I encourage you all to delve a bit deeper into some sustainability concepts – such as the circular economy – as a means of finding some personal inspiration. We all have a part to play in this and should be reminded that our small individual efforts add up across a community to create significant positive change. One of the best ways that we can adopt sustainability is by reducing the rate at which we, as a society, consume natural resources. Ask yourself, do you need the latest iPhone, or can you make your current one last a year or two longer? Is there someone I could give my old bike to, to save them from having to buy a new one? Where can I take my old electronics to be recycled, rather than keeping them tucked away in a drawer? Finding the balance between re-using raw materials and only mining those that we need thereafter could well be the key to allowing our grandchildren to live as secure a life as we have experienced.

Ross Armstrong, Class of 2015

There have been lots of opportunities to work outdoors as well, exploring Copperstone’s property to identify new locations to drill from.

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Alumni News

A Developing Career Behind the Camera Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to start working in television production; the first big step into a filmmaking career I have been gearing up to for the last ten years.

Everyone has always told me “it’s about who you know” when it comes to the industry, and now, having got my foot in the door, I cannot stress enough how truthful this is. Although thousands of people work in film and television in the UK, it is a close-knit community where everyone seems to know each other. This can be a daunting prospect when you literally don’t know anyone in the industry, but work experience schemes, apprenticeships and a lot of hard work to network with the right people is what it takes to start building a career in this exciting industry.

For me, it was all about great timing and hard work. After I graduated with a degree in Film and Television and English Literature from the University of Glasgow in 2019, I worked as a Media Technician for a year at a sixth form college near London.

I found a work experience opportunity through the website Screenskills, which provided the chance to work on set for a BBC1 TV drama filming in my town, which I was only able to apply to because I had the summer off work, and I lived so close to the studios. After a few rounds of Zoom Q&As, applications and interviews, I was chosen for the three-week placement on the series called Inside Man which is written by Steven Moffat and stars David Tennant and Stanley Tucci. So, in August 2021 I got to work on set with the sound department, lighting technicians and the camera crew, and when I completed the placement the camera team had a trainee job available for the rest of the production, which they offered me, and I excitedly accepted. Fast forward to now and I am currently working full-time as a freelance camera trainee which is really a dream come true.

Working as a camera trainee has been a huge learning curve for me. There is a wide array of different tasks I need to do on and off set; some tasks are done regularly, and some come out of the blue and I often need to think on my feet and learn quickly. The majority of communications are done via radios, and I spend most of the day listening for information to be relayed from the director of photography about what the camera requires for the scene.

For example, for each new set up there is usually a change of lens; lenses determine how wide the shot is, changes the focal length and the general look of the shot. When a new lens is requested, I have to safely bring it to the focus puller, and these lenses can cost around £20,000 each so it is paramount that I take care when walking with them! Of course, the trainee role comes with mundane tasks too like making teas and coffees and organising the lunch orders, but doing these things well are key to making a good impression on the people who may determine whether or not you get a future job. The hours are long, I spend all day on my feet, and I often don’t know my schedule until a few days before, but it is really exciting finally getting to make progress in my dream career. I’ve already got to help film a variety of stunts, visit interesting locations and even shoot a bus explosion, so my day job really can be very thrilling.

I feel very lucky that I went to a school that was so supportive of me choosing to explore this route. Being able to study at HSD meant I had a huge amount of encouragement from teachers and the inspiration to pursue a career in the arts. Taking Drama up to Advanced Higher level helped me develop my creativity and knowledge of story development, directing, acting and stage management. Albeit this knowledge was specifically in theatre, but many elements of theatre production translate over to filmmaking, and studying in such a creative and supportive

department initiated my interest in working in film and TV. I also found the English department to be very helpful. We often studied and analysed films throughout senior school as part of the study of literature, and this really spiked my curiosity in filmmaking. So much so that I was able to write my Advanced Higher dissertation on Baz Luhrmann films, which in turn helped me get into university.

I think the arts as a whole (whether that be in theatre, music, art, writing or filmmaking) is generally really overlooked as a viable career path when this shouldn’t be the case. Nationally there is a significant lack of funding to educate younger generations in the arts subjects. There is also a tiring absence of support to encourage people to even consider the possibility of training for a career in any of the arts, as traditionally these jobs are seen as financially unstable and unpredictable. However, everyone in the world consumes the arts in one form or another, and the demand for entertainment has grown substantially in the past decade. The arts are a crucial element of our society and play an enormous role in people’s lives, whether you realise it or not. As long as there is an appetite for new music, theatre visits, binge-watching Netflix shows or cinema trips, there will always be a need for talented workers in those industries.

There has never been a better time to start working in film and television specifically; the requirement for filming crew is extraordinary post-lockdown so there’s suddenly a lot of funding going into training opportunities. Film and TV is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK and production is currently booming due to factors such as the skyrocketing demand for on-screen content and US companies investing billions into UK productions, crews and studios.

If I had any words of wisdom for anyone looking into getting into the industry, it would be to expect to start at the bottom and to be asked to do the worst tasks on set until you gain enough experience to work your way up the hierarchy. Be prepared for anything and take every opportunity you can because you never know where it will lead. I took a huge risk to leave my secure job for an unpredictable freelance career, but the risk, so far, has led to the most amazing opportunities and I can’t wait to see what’s next for me.

Catriona Strachan, Class of 2015

Alumni News

Hit the Road Running I attended the High School of Dundee for 13 years, and throughout that time I always had a very keen interest in the arts. I was actively involved in school choirs, musicals and plays throughout the course of my time at school and my favourite subjects were always Drama, Art and Music.

I loved the dynamic in the classrooms; being able to collaborate on projects with classmates and I always felt well supported by my teachers. After taking Drama and Art as Advanced Highers in my final year, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. It took me a while to settle on the idea of going to university, as I wasn’t sure whether it was the path I wanted to take and was undecided on what I wanted to study. However, after attending various university open days, and exploring my options, I decided on film and television studies, knowing that it would be something I would enjoy, even if I was unsure what it would lead to in the future.

I studied Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow, alongside Catriona, and loved the university experience overall.

I wasn’t a largely academic person, however choosing a subject I was passionate about made studying a lot easier. I also think it’s very important to get as involved as possible during your time at university, and joining a society is a great way to do this. There’s always a wide variety of clubs on campus dedicated to art, music or theatre, as well as film and television. Or you can choose something not directly related to what you're studying and completely different, for example I did cheerleading for two years and it was great to try something new and out of my comfort zone. Looking back to choosing my degree, I sometimes wish I had chosen a more practical course in film and television that may have prepared me more to enter the production side of film and tv, however I still got so much out of the course I chose, and it has definitely aided me in getting to where I am now.

Earlier this year I was offered an amazing opportunity to work for STV as a runner/driver on Antiques Road Trip. Runner jobs are a great way to gain entry level experience into film and television.

You’re immediately thrown in at the deep end, which is a great way to learn about all aspects of production and get involved on set. I felt very out of my depth for the first few days, but the crew were extremely supportive and helpful, answered my hundreds of questions, and with everything being so fast paced it wasn't long before I knew what I was doing.

If you’re interested in the role of a runner in on-location factual entertainment television, here is some insight into my current job role. The main areas of my job are driving the crew van, looking after kit and assisting the crew on set. There is a lot of driving involved, all over the country, so being a confident driver is crucial. I would recommend to anyone considering a career in television to get a driver’s licence if you are able to, as a lot of runner jobs require this.

A large responsibility I am given is looking after the kit at all times.

This means taking it into my hotel room every night to charge everything for the next day and keep it safe, as well as bringing it to and from set and ensuring nothing is left behind when we leave a location. I also get everything the crew needs when filming, such as microphones, lights, batteries and assisting with changing lenses. This ensures the day runs smoothly and is also a great way to learn hands-on what all the kit does. In my role, there’s also plenty of opportunities to get involved with certain jobs, for example miking up the onscreen talent or filming classic cars on GoPros. Lastly, I am also responsible for looking after the crew

throughout the day, whether that’s driving them to a location on time, getting them coffees and lunches and overall assisting them with whatever tasks they need done throughout the day.

We work in small groups of three, working long hours every day so it’s always good to keep them happy – I find jammie dodgers go a long way to achieving this as they have fuelled my team for the last four months!

The highlight of working in on-location television production is visiting amazing places all over the UK and working with incredible people. This job has provided me with valuable firsthand experience of creating a factual entertainment television show, and I’m looking forward to moving onto something similar after finishing production on this show.

The arts have always played a large part in my life, throughout school and university. I feel I was unaware of the wide variety of job opportunities that can come from studying subjects like drama, art and music at school. I wish I had researched this more and spoken to more people from these industries at an earlier stage. But, I’m excited to see what’s next for me as I’m only just starting out in the industry.

Catherine Allan, Class of 2015

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Alumni News

We Bought a Farm in Catalonia…

Mas dels Arbres with a completed tiled roof

We bought a farm in Catalonia, up in the very north of Spain where the mountains touch the Mediterranean. The farm, Mas dels Arbres, is one of several abandoned Mas in the Parque Naturale de Cap de Creus; an area defined by the tramontana, the cold north wind which blows over the Pyrenees, the art of dry-stone walls and untrammelled nature. Mas dels Arbres dates back to the 1700s and comprises a collection of buildings, all derelict: the main house (the ‘Masia’), stables and corrals for the animals, a simple barn, an old well, a flat work area known as an ‘era’ and a ‘barraca’, which the shepherds used to shelter in on their journey from the Pyrenees down to the sea.

It was hard to know where to begin, but some things were certain.

We knew we wanted to bring the Mas back to life and live there.

We knew we wanted to share the Mas. We knew we wanted to do this with a light touch, sustainably speaking, and so a master plan started to emerge. We would restore the house, farm buildings and the allotments, we would plant a vineyard and an olive grove, and we would clear the land and streams, bringing the old meadows or ‘praderas’ back to life. We decided to make the farm our business and convert it to a ‘Casa Rural’ where friends, family and guests can stay.

Building a house is relatively easy in comparison to a restoration and doing it sustainably to an old stone structure is even more complex. However, once we started work on the build, neighbours from the local towns started to come by and see what was going on. The first couple I chatted to were the lovely Henri and Michelle from Toulouse. A bright, sunny October day last year they stopped by and asked what we were doing. I explained our story and in turn Michelle let me know how happy they were to see Mas dels Arbres being tended to. The two of them had walked past every six months for the last ten years, first seeing the brambles taking over the allotments, the dry stone being kicked over and finally the roof fall in. Henri promised me they would

come back in March and, sure enough, they did. We caught up for a third time a couple of weeks ago and have already arranged lunch for when they return next year.

Francisco Guitard has been another fascinating visitor. One Sunday morning, Jose and I were planning to walk down to Cap Norfeu, a lovely headland about 6 miles from the house when Cisco, as he is known locally, stopped to talk. In turn he started to tell us about his involvement with the house. His father had been the last masover (tenant farmer) to run the farm and as a child he had lived there. He explained what his father had farmed, how they had used the land, what the various outbuildings were for as well as some details about the house itself. As a child Cisco had responsibility for the goats. He would take them from the Mas over the Cau del LLops to Cap Norfeu – a beautiful headland at the end of the park. The goats would graze there all day and then he would walk them back. If the weather was bad, his father would hang a small light on a hook outside the kitchen window to guide him back to the farm; it gets dark at the top of Puig Alt. Cisco visits us regularly with stories about life at Mas dels Arbres bringing pictures of his family and the house which has given us an insight into life in rural Catalonia in the early 20th century. All fascinating stuff!

As we have settled into the project, more people have come to share their stories and the history of the farm. Esteve Palau explained the importance of the area to the cow herders of Catalonia. The farm sits at the end of the Pyrenean Transumancia, a cow path which brings the herds down from their high summer pastures in the mountains down to the more protected Cap de Creus during winter – a walk of some 100 miles. The ‘barraca’ which sits beside the main house is most likely the original structure of Mas dels Arbres. Our ‘barraca’ is a little more special.

It has a green roof grown over cantilevered stone flags and as a result the ‘borda’ (as it’s called) is watertight, cool and provides shelter from the sun, wind or rain. From behind you can barely see it; it’s so well camouflaged into the landscape. The shepherds who first walked the Transumancia built the ‘borda’ to shelter in at the end of their journey. They were no fools and understood the principles of sustainable building as well as we do - build

Alumni News

low and protect yourself from the worst of the weather, keep openings small to keep the heat in and the cold out, and use local sustainable materials.

Restoring the ‘borda’ proved more challenging. It is all dry stone; the roof is cantilevered and needs to be load bearing. We were lucky to find local pedreros (stone masons) from Cadaques who knew what to do and were happy to explain to us how to do it.

Sadly, this tradition is dying out as there is simply not the need nor desire to train people in how to build with dry stone. We feel it is critical, not only for the build but for the community, to support this technique and are in the process of restoring much of the dry stone in the farm. The house itself is built from dry stone too so the pedreros have plenty to keep them busy…

Each Mas would have had olive trees and a small vineyard near their allotments, usually set back from the water source. Olive trees and vines are hardy stock. Once they have settled in, they like their roots to be lightly stressed with regards access to water.

We decided to restore the olive grove first, finding an unlikely source for the trees in a local village, Vilajiuga. Pere’s yard was full of chickens, two Shetland ponies were grazing amongst his vegetables and at the back were six lines of centennial olives.

Centennials are trees which are over a hundred years old. We estimated these are likely to be older, two hundred and fifty years perhaps. Pere was intrigued by our foolhardy ambition to re-establish the grove as part of the restoration and told us he had just the thing. He had saved over a hundred trees from another local Mas which had been sold off for development and was selling them one by one. He was delighted to know the trees would find a home close to where they had originally been planted. From our perspective, the trees would be used to the thin soil and the wild wind. After some negotiation and many logistical challenges, we planted forty last March. They should produce oil in two to three years, a rich, pungent Argudell oil. The vines should go in 2022/23, local varietals used to the wind and soil. The vines will be organic, and the vineyards will be worked with minimum intervention to the soil. In the meantime, there is work to do to terrace the slopes to prevent soil erosion.

The Park and hence the farm is defined by humans. There is so much dry stone you can barely walk 100 yards without running into it. Dry stone provided terraces for vines, corrals for animals and shelter for humans. However, animals and birds clearly happily co-existed with the shepherd farmers and the park is rich with bird life, amphibians, deer and wild boars. We have committed to restoring old ways to allow guests to ramble free and enjoy the wildlife. We have also committed to clearing the land of invasive plant species (mainly brambles), to restoring the streams and eventually reforesting appropriate areas. It’s a tall order and it will take us some time.

Restoring throws up many questions which you can’t anticipate until the foreman asks you to decide how to support a load bearing wall, which is essentially a pile of stones, plumb in the loo and choose the roof tiles, all in Catalan. It’s a steep learning curve but it’s also enormous fun. So far, we have re-roofed the house and out-buildings using the original tiles, the internal floors are down and we can begin to turn to the interiors. Restoring asks complex questions – do you recreate what was there, do you add modern elements to contrast the original structure, which period of the house is the original, what do you restore to?

These questions don’t have easy answers and it’s taken us time and thought to figure out how to address them. The architects of our local town of Cadaques have grappled with some of these questions. The principles we have settled on are borrowed from their architectural style and are quite simple. To paraphrase Josep Coderch, ‘Our architecture must be made of stone and in each case the roof is made of tile because it is what there is, what works well and what we know how to do’. The house will be off grid and will depend on the sun for power and underground aquifers for water. What we don’t use we will recycle, and we minimise bringing in ‘nonlocal’ materials.

Houses like Mas dels Arbres deserve good answers and outcomes.

What we are doing is preserving the farm, both the buildings and the land, for future generations to enjoy and have a glimpse of an older way of life which deserves to be saved and celebrated.

Donald Reid, Class of 1988

L-R Donald’s partner Jose, Donald and Francisco Guitart

The arrival of the olive trees

The farm on the very first day

Mid-roof restoration featuring some new local friends

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Alumni News

UPDATES FROM OUR FP SPORTING STARS

Eilish McColgan 2021 has marked an impressive year for Class of 2008 FP, Eilish McColgan. In June, she secured her place as part of Team GB for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after winning the European 10,000m Cup, which was held in Birmingham. Her fast-paced finish saw her cross the line in a time of 31:19.21.

At the start of July, Eilish sprinted to success as she shattered Paula Radcliffe’s 5,000m record, which has stood for 17 years. At the Diamond League meet, held in Oslo this year, Eilish clocked a stunning time of 14:28.55 compared to Radcliffe’s record of 14:29.11. This impressive feat saw Eilish set a new personal best as she shaved 18 seconds from her previous fastest time.

Having already competed in the Olympics – in steeplechase at London 2012 and reaching the final of the 5,000m at Rio 2016 – Eilish was headed for her third Olympic Games this summer.

Making it to the 10,000m Women’s Final, Eilish placed ninth in a time of 31:04.46.

The end of the Olympic Games didn’t slow down Eilish’s schedule, however, as she was back on the track in Brussels at the start of September for the Brussels Diamond League. Eilish proved she was on top form as her time of 14:31.26 in the 5,000m slotted in at third place on the British All-Time list, bettered only by her own British Record and the previous record held by Paula Radcliffe.

September 12th marked the end of Eilish’s 2021 track season as she made her debut half marathon at The Great North Run in Newcastle. The return of the popular event saw Eilish clock up a fantastic time of 67:48 ensuring she crossed the line in second

place, just behind Hellen Obiri. Her success makes her the third fastest British athlete of all time with the fastest half marathon debut by a Brit in history.

Off the track, Eilish has been working hard setting up a notfor-profit organisation for young athletes in Dundee and the surrounding area. Her initiative, Giving Back to Track, will see Eilish donate some of her prize money from competitions towards helping young people in Dundee cover the costs of sports clothing or travel to their competitions. The organisation is in the works and more details will be available in due course.

Mackenzie Lemon In July this year, Class of 2020 FP Mackenzie Lemon signed with Falkirk Football Club. The former Dundee United defender made an excellent league debut in August, helping Falkirk earn a 2-1 win at Airdrie.

The 18-year-old, who spent his youth career with Dundee United, has signed professional terms with the Falkirk Football Club until the end of the 2021/22 season. Mackenzie was identified as part of the Club’s Development Squad recruitment and has been offered a full-time contract following a successful pre-season spent with the first team.

Mackenzie trained at Dundee United since he was sevenyears-old having been identified within the Club’s Community Programme. In 2019, he was selected for the Dundee United’s high-performance programme at St Andrews.

Alumni News

James Blake Class of 2003 FP, James Blake who currently lives and works in the USA, recently wrote a compelling article for Janes exploring the issue of climate change and its impact on US security concerns, particularly regarding the migration of people and the risks this poses regarding terrorism threats and increased crime levels. James shared an abridged version of his article with our Development Office for publication in this year’s magazine, which makes for a fascinating read.

In August 2019, a mass shooting in El-Paso Texas, resulted in the deaths of about 23 mainly Latino people. Several far-right groups are motivated by anti-immigration, which they see as a threat to their status, and contributes to unemployment and crime. The issue of migration has become a focal point for recent US administrations. Climate change is likely to drive more flows of people from Central America to the US because of an intensification of natural disasters and weather changes, which increase droughts and other slow-onset emergencies; forcing people to look for opportunities elsewhere.

In an October 2020 interview with CBS News, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff was quoted as saying the “dislocation caused by people’s inability to live in certain areas, due to climate change and socioeconomic factors” was one of his “biggest international security concerns”.

Natural disasters across Central America are not new but the frequency and intensity of these issues are increasing. A model developed by The New York Times Magazine and ProPublica, which was reported on 23 July 2020 and supported by the Pulitzer Center, differentiated between the different forms of migration and assessed, “if government takes modest action to reduce climate emissions about 680,000 climate migrants might move from Central America and Mexico to the US between now and 2050.” The model assesses that if migration continues without mitigation, then climate migration would exceed one million. This number would likely be much more significant if undocumented migrants are included.

Two of the most significant and devastating storms affecting Central America took place last year and occurred in quick succession. Hurricane Eta resulted in significant flooding, 211 fatalities (including 74 in Honduras and 53 in Guatemala), and affected 2.5 million people across Central America, according to a November 2020 article from the humanitarian organisation World Vision. Hurricane Eta was particularly devastating, but was followed shortly afterwards by Hurricane Iota, the first category 5 hurricane of the season, which also had a severe impact across the region.

US security impact Existing security issues and tensions across the US are likely to be exacerbated by the large movement of people. For instance, criminal gangs across Central America are engaged increasingly

in helping those fleeing from disasters to gain access into the US which will likely drive more security issues at the US border.

Given the potential for climate migration to continue to drive more forced migration to the US border, far-right groups are likely to attempt to seize the narrative to drive their ideological message among more extreme groups. The risks of this type of activity are twofold: the potential for growing collaboration and support between extreme organisations within the US and the potential for actual conflict.

Extreme rhetoric around migration is also highly likely to contribute towards radicalisation among some communities and individuals. For example, Patrick Crusius, the 21-yearold perpetrator of the August 2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas, targeted Latinos, according to the arrest warrant affidavit, and was apparentlydriven by anti-immigration beliefs, including the ‘Great Replacement’ white nationalist conspiracy theory which argues that the white population is being ‘replaced’.

The controversial nature in the US of climate-related issues and of migration into to the country is likely to drive large protest and demonstration risks around these issues. A real concern for the US authorities and businesses with operations in these locations is the threat of yet more violence and instability at the US border, with larger protest groups and violence causing disruption.

Earlier this year, James also published his own book entitled Crisis Readiness: How Business Leaders Can Better Prepare for Tomorrow on Issues from Climate to Cyber. The book explores how to mitigate climate-related issues from a business perspective and can be purchased on Amazon here: www.amazon.co.uk/ Crisis-Readiness-Business-Leaders-Tomorrow/dp/1955750041 The full version of James’ article is available to read in Jane’s Intelligence Review Magazine Vol 33, Issue 10, and online 23 August 2021, available at janes.com for those who subscribe.

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Alumni News

Our Alumni Ambassadors Your global alumni community is a great way to keep in touch with fellow Former Pupils and continue your relationship with the High School of Dundee. From careers advice and insights, arranging local events in your area, to being the general point of contact for your city, our Ambassadors are on hand to help you out in a number of different ways.

CANADA Kirsty Wallace Class of 1997, Toronto

USA Tracy McInnes Class of 1986, Hilton Head Island, SC

To contact one of our Alumni Ambassadors, please visit our website bit.ly/364wLEg or contact our Alumni Team at alumni@highschoolofdundee.org.uk

NETHERLANDS Maria Thomas Class of 2005, Amsterdam SPAIN Jorge Arrufat Class of 1999, Madrid BERMUDA John Blackwood Class of 1984, Hamilton

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UK Simon Mills Class of 1987, Aberdeen Lauren Chamberlain Class of 2009, Birmingham Walter Jacob Class of 1953, Borehamwood Ian Yule Class of 1966, Chelmsford Malcolm Stewart Class of 1994, Corhampton Bill Dewar Class of 1962, Dundee David Harris Class of 1994, Dundee Peter Menzies Class of 1985, Dundee

Callum Rankin Class of 2001, Dundee Alexei Matveyev Class of 2003, Edinburgh Derek Shepherd Class of 1961, Edinburgh Sean Smith Class of 1988, Edinburgh David Reid Class of 1961, Elgin Darran Reid Class of 1998, London Andrew Bruce Class of 1999, Rotherham Margaret-Anne Hutton Class of 1980, St Andrews

RUSSIA Christopher Dryden Class of 1982, Moscow GERMANY Angus MacGregor-Millar Class of 1986, Heidelberg ITALY Alan Black Class of 1964, Sassari, Sardinia CYPRUS Christopher Dryden Class of 1982, Limassol

PHILIPPINES Brian McGrory Class of 1984, Manila

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Alumni News

All Things Sustainable. FP Shares Career Journey and Advice on Being More Eco-Friendly

After leaving HSD in 1980, Andrew Marnie went on to complete a degree in Electrical Engineering and Economics at the University of Dundee. From here, he progressed into a career in energy management and sustainability.

Even in the 1980s, Andrew says it was clear that climate change caused by our use of fossil fuels was evident and by far the biggest threat to our planet. He says this is what motivated his career and life choices.

Earlier this year, Andrew caught up with our Development Office to share details of his career journey in the hope of encouraging our young people to explore the possibilities that a career within the sustainability industry could offer.

“Having gained a few years work experience in London in the field of energy efficiency, I suddenly found myself unemployed thanks to a surprise business restructuring. I took some time out and volunteered at Greenpeace UK’s head office. Shortly afterwards, I was offered a job there working on the ozone campaign. In the early 1990s, the ozone campaign was made an international priority for Greenpeace and it was an exhilarating experience being part of it all. As well as the usual campaign strategies of raising public awareness and taking direct action to stop environmental damage, this was the first Greenpeace campaign where alternative solutions to the current practices were researched and promoted. It is a direct result of this campaign that almost all of our domestic fridges and freezers now use hydrocarbons as the refrigerant instead of ozone depleting chemicals or very powerful greenhouse gasses.

“I was lucky enough to participate in two key meetings of the parties to the Montreal Protocol in Copenhagen in 1992 and Vienna in 1995. This is the international treaty that all 197 countries signed up to in order to phase out CFC’s and other chemicals and it has been deemed to be a great success. There have undoubtedly been

millions of lives saved, hundreds of millions of cancers prevented and agricultural disasters avoided. Back in the early 1980s/90s progress seemed painfully slow because of the lobbying from the chemical companies. Their public relations teams denied the science, discredited the scientists, and predicted economic ruin for 10 years. Unfortunately, we saw the same reaction from the fossil fuel companies about climate change and as a result we now find ourselves in a climate emergency.

“The UN negotiations on climate change used the Montreal Protocol model as their template but have even more participants at their meetings which I couldn’t have imagined possible. It was quite overwhelming being at a conference with thousands of people and over 30,000 were expected to attend COP26 in Glasgow this year. Unfortunately, progress has been much slower in recent years compared to the pace of action taken on the ozone layer. Although carbon reduction targets have been agreed, global emissions still continue to rise.

“Since the late 1990s, I have been working as an Energy Manager in the public sector. In the last 10 years I returned to Dundee to work for the City Council and have cut their CO2 emissions from their buildings by 50% in that time.

“I think most people know the types of actions that they should be taking in their lives to reduce their carbon footprint. The problem I find is that people often don't take action because they can feel a bit helpless when confronted by the enormity of the problem of Climate Change. They think just one person changing their lifestyle isn't going to make any difference. I recently came across a bus shelter just outside Balmerino and was taken aback when at first glance I saw what looked like Mahatma Gandhi waiting for the next bus to Dundee. I thought the quote from him was very apt for our time: ‘Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.’”

Alumni News

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Image courtesy of Graham Hamilton

Blazing Blacksmith FP Scoops Up Prestigious Award Jim Whitson was awarded the Tonypandy Cup this year for his outstanding work on the Main Gates and Side Gate of a property in Edinburgh. The Cup may be awarded annually by The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths for a piece which is deemed an excellent example of the skill of a blacksmith.

The Class of 1988 FP was commissioned for the project through clients David and Joy, and architect James Ringham of W.N Thompson & Co. in Edinburgh. The clients’ existing solid timber gates were becoming very rotten and new gates were required for the two vehicular entrances and the pedestrian entrance.

Initially the clients requested using an ivy leaf design to offer more privacy. Shortly after a meeting with Jim, it was suggested that some concepts inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement could also be drawn up as the house has several arts and crafts details both inside and out. Of the idea, Jim said, “The flowing organic movement of the Arts and Crafts period is something that I love. The design picked up on a number of shapes and ideas common in the art of Margaret and Francis MacDonald MacIntosh amongst others. The elliptical mid rail in the gate is inspired by “Spring” by Francis and the shape of the raised and embossed flower head detail were inspired from “Summer”, by Margaret MacDonald MacIntosh.”

A new hydraulic press was purchased to help with the embossed detailing in the panels within the gate. Samples had been made using a manual flypress, but exact placing of the details was difficult when then trying to exert the force required to emboss deeply into the 4mm sheet steel. Twelve sets of dies were made for the embossing and pressing. Three different sizes of stylised flower heads are in the design and both left and right-handed sets were needed. Jim also had to make up tooling for the three sizes of leaves and to also chisel points to emboss the stems. Two sets of tooling were also made up to press the stainless-steel details in the seed heads.

The infill panels were laser cut and then marked up and embossed. The frames and elliptical mid rails were forged and assembled and then the lengthy process of accurately cutting each panel to fit into place, attaching the edging and inserting it into the gate, began. Jim said, “Accuracy was incredibly important

as the amount of joints involved could have easily thrown the gate frames off square with the contraction of the welded joints.”

The drive gates were to be automated and the clients also wanted the pedestrian gate to be self-closing and controlled by the intercom system that was to be installed. As the gate was about 140kg, an offset hinge would have caused a hazard with a heavy gate swinging shut so Jim installed a floor spring which gently closed the gate in a safe manner. It is locked using a maglock.

With the gates installed the attention turned to the now very sad looking 80s lanterns. Reflecting on this part of the project Jim said, “They looked terrible with the pristine gates in place. I worked up several ideas. Eventually, an adaptation of the original design was made using polished stainless-steel fins to form the seed shapes visible in the top of the gates. The end result was amazing.

The lanterns were the jewel in the crown and topped things off perfectly. The clients were fantastic. They were adventurous, patient, kind and enthusiastic. The architect was also great. His calm support was a great help throughout the project.

“The final icing on the cake was to win the Tonypandy Cup for the project. I was utterly shocked when I was told as I have never really rated myself against many of the very talented blacksmiths out there. It is a great honour. It’s strange how quickly you forget how much work is in a project. It was only when the judges visited the workshop to discuss the way things were made that I remembered half of the processes involved.”

Overall, the gates took 2,024 hours in total to create, including development of tooling and processes. 1,313 hours of Jim’s time and 711 hours of his apprentice Lewis Gordon’s time were spent on this project. The five lanterns, not including the development time on the glass, took 407 hours in total.

A huge well done to Jim on this wonderful accolade!

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Alumni News

Memories of an Old Boy The Lessons of Sport The recent exciting, controversial rugby series between the South African Springboks and the British and Irish Lions drew my memory back to my own rugby days at the High School when the bus fare to school from Barnhill was one old penny.

We started playing rugby in Form 1 of the Senior School under the watchful eye of Dallas Allardice, the Sports and Gym Master, who had played for Scotland in his younger days. As was customary there was an influx of new pupils in Form 1 and we, for our rugby, were blessed by the arrival of Richard Lawson from Kirriemuir Way and Clive Rubens from Carnoustie.

Richard was large for his age and I mean head shoulder and nearly WAIST above everyone else. He was also a fast runner with a high knee action, all of which made tackling him somewhat difficult.

“Lofty”, as he was quickly nicknamed, was unbeatable in the line out and at penalties. We took short ones and “give the ball to Lofty”. Even from our own 25 he took the ball and raced up field shedding off tacklers like a bull and scoring endless tries.

One Saturday we played Morgan Academy at their ground off Forfar Road. Bit of a needle match as three ex-Morgan pupils were now in our team: Doug Cruickshank, Mike Cowan and Pete Brown. Soon we won a penalty, and the ball was duly fed to Lofty and off he ran. After brushing off about five tacklers, one man stood between him and the try line (a lad called Imrie). He waited and on Lofty’s arrival did some judo like movements and to our disbelief, Lofty was on the ground in a heap. Yes, our secret weapon had now been countered. Another penalty came and on seeing Imrie approach Lofty wisely kicked for touch.

Those were the days in which you had to jump at the lineout not to be lifted. The scrum settled immediately without a minute of choreography - as now required - before the ball is inserted at any angle. If you were a tad tired in the second half, you were not substituted but got a withering look and caustic word or two from Dallas. We also managed to play a full 80 minutes with just half an orange, if you were lucky, at half time and seemed to live through it. The referee being fully in charge, not beholden to some off pitch man taking five minutes to replay action and then not avoiding controversy with his decision, resulted in a fluid game.

Clive was a superlative tackler and always round the ankles. One game he raced across from his wing to the other and took down this big lad some five metres from our line with an amazing tackle as he took off some four metres from the lad. We all clapped, and the referee joined in as well.

I remember going one winter to play Morrison Academy in Crieff. The bus left the school gates at 8am sharp. On travelling, the weather got duller and bleaker with snow starting to fall at Longforgan and all the way through Perth to Crieff. On arriving the accompanying teacher, I think it was Joe Jacuk, and his

counterpart agreed that as we had travelled so far it would be better to play the game. So off we went in the snow and wind.

After about 20 minutes they passed the ball out to their winger who set off at pace, he avoided a purposeful covering tackle from our hooker Doug Abbott, side stepped our fullback Ronald “Dot” Duncan and ran on to touch over the white line. The referee blew for a 25 yard drop out. The snow had covered the try line but not the dead ball line which had confused the winger! Poor lad burst into tears but after a conciliatory tap on the shoulders from his captain pulled himself together and played on.

So these “lessons” on the pitch highlight the importance of sport as you grow up. It teaches you that life is not a bed of roses.

Rough, seemingly unfair, as well as smooth times will come your way, you just have to get up, shake yourself off and move on. Also, good leadership ends in results not confusion and is essential to progress in any walk of life.

Roger ‘Ferret’ S. Milne, Class of 1966

Alumni News

Tributes Mr. Robert ‘Bob’ Nimmo (1932–2021) Former Rector 1977-1997 The High School of Dundee was deeply saddened to learn that our former Rector, Robert Nimmo (OBE., MA., MEd., FBIM., FRSA), died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday 9th November 2021.

Robert Nimmo (or Bob, as he was known as to his family, friends and colleagues), took up the position of Rector in 1977, a role in which he remained for the following 20 years.

Having studied at the University of Edinburgh and graduated with Double Honours in French and German, Robert officially began his teaching career at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh. During his 19 successful and fulfilling years there, he was promoted first to Head of French and then to Depute Headmaster before being appointed to HSD in 1977. Prior to beginning his teaching career, he worked for the Army’s Intelligence Corps where he trained as a Russian Interpreter.

Whilst working full-time, Robert received his Master of Education degree and, based on his thesis on “Independent Schools in the United States”, was awarded a scholarship where he spent six weeks visiting independent schools and institutions across the USA. Throughout his career, Robert gained a significant reputation as a leading educationist and was influential in the development of Scottish education. This was largely due to his appointments with major educational agencies including: Convener of the Modern Languages Panel of the Scottish Examination Board; member of the Scottish Central Committee on the Curriculum; member of the Governing Board of the SEB (later its Vice-Chair); and his involvement with the 5-14 Programme, the Howie Committee and Higher Still. The latter two bodies had a direct impact on the reform of upper secondary education, as well as reshaping the Scottish educational system.

As a result of his personal commitment to educational development and the quality of his contributions, Robert was awarded an OBE in 1990 for his services to education. As well as highlighting his own successes and contributions, it further enhanced the reputation of HSD as one of Scotland’s leading schools.

During his two decades leading the School, Robert steered the transition in status from Grant-Aided to Independent School, which enabled HSD to raise its own finances through the introduction of school fees. His dynamic leadership resulted in an effective and essential senior management team and the development of an attractive educational experience. He was also instrumental in the promotion of the Assisted Places Scheme, which offered young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to benefit from an HSD education.

Throughout his tenure as Rector, Robert also oversaw the expansion of the F6 curriculum; he encouraged senior pupils to pursue more advanced study and to broaden their overall educational experience. Such enhancements resulted in increased year group sizes. He was supportive in terms of developing extracurricular experiences as well as academic ones. For example, he extended the activities available to include choral and instrumental opportunities, drama, debating, the CCF, Duke of Edinburgh and the popular “Friday 9” activities. He spearheaded the launch of the School’s charitable Interact Club and the Young Enterprise Groups, which served to provide even more opportunities to our senior years pupils and are still popular today.

A keen traveller himself, Robert was influential in developing the School’s calendar of foreign exchange visits and trips. In the years following this expansion, pupils travelled to countries including France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and the USA. Sports teams were fortunate to venture to Canada and The Netherlands, while Music and Drama groups travelled to Vienna, Salzburg and Prague to perform for a wide variety of audiences.

Above all, Robert’s active encouragement and steady support of all aspects of school life were essential in providing our pupils with access to a wide range of opportunities; academic, sports and extra-curricular.

Bob Nimmo was devoted to the High School and maintained his links and interest with the school throughout his retirement. He and his wife Hilary were regular guests at all the key events in the school calendar and he was always keen to be up to date with all that was going on behind the pillars. He took time to lend his support to all aspects of school life and remained a champion for the purpose, drive and ambition of the school.

You can read our tribute to Mr. Nimmo in full on our website here: www.highschoolofdundee.org.uk/news-and-events/news/ robert-nimmo-obe

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Alumni News

Dr. Lockhart E. R. B. Frain-Bell (1921–2020) Class of 1940

Alexander Ritchie Murray (1926–2021) Class of 1944

Born in Dundee in 1921, Lockhart went on to secure a scholarship in 1938 from the High School of Dundee to study medicine at the University of St Andrews. Graduating with his MBChB with commendation in April 1944, Lockhart was immediately commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps having passed Certificate B in the OTC.

Alexander Ritchie Murray, known as Sandy, died at the age of 95 on 29 June 2021 after a long, happy and fulfilling life. He will be remembered as a most amazing, inspirational, proud and canny Scot who was so interested and supportive of his family throughout his life.

On the evening of D-Day, he was in Bradford Royal Infirmary, treating casualties from the Normandy landings. Lockhart was then sent on an intensive and exacting course at the London School of Tropical Medicine, with a view to being posted to S.E. Asia.

Lockhart was then promoted to Captain and posted as Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) with the Royal West African Frontier Force in Burma and was posted to the 30th West African Casualty Clearing Station within the 82nd West African Division.

By the end of 1947, Lockhart worked in Bradford Royal Infirmary gaining medical and surgical experience. He then received further training in radiology at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and St Thomas’s Hospital, London from where he was appointed Consultant Radiologist in administrative charge to South West Scotland, based at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. He also developed the General Practitioner Reference Service which proved of great benefit to the GPs and their patients.

Come retirement, Lockhart still assisted colleagues at Longmore Hospital, in West Cumbria. He also managed to obtain a BA(Hons) degree in Arts from the Open University, its Vice Chancellor being none other than his old High School of Dundee classmate Sir Walter Perry. He also started a law degree with the OU at the age of 80 and only gave up when he found it impossible to write fast enough in the exams.

A great traveller and adventurer. Lockhart almost made it to what would become Everest Base Camp whilst on leave in 1945, became President of the Galloway Mountaineering Club and helped install the first ski-lift at Glenshee. Above all, Lockhart will be remembered for his superb paintings, his kindness, wonderful sense of humour, courtesy, generosity and humility and lastly but no less, for his compassion and gift of healing.

On 2nd September 2020, aged 99, Lockhart passed away. He is survived by his wife, Anne (née Cruikshank), whom he married in 1970, his son William and two grandchildren.

Obituary sourced from The Scotsman, 17th December 2020.

Sandy was born on the 9 May 1926 in Dundee and attended Dundee High School from 1936-43. He was passionately proud of his connections with the School, and attended numerous ‘Class of ’43’ reunions together with his fellow classmates. He went on to graduate as a Civil Engineer in 1945. He then spent three years in the Army with postings to Mecktila, Burma and Taiping.

Sandy then began his 43-year career with Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners in 1948.

Sandy was a very gifted and committed engineer and dealt with many jobs including dams, bridges, harbour works, irrigation projects, water treatment plants, pipelines and largescale roadworks. His work took him all over the UK from Pitlochry, working on the Clunie Dam and Tunnel projects, to Cheltenham and then onto Edinburgh. Sandy also worked in many countries across the world, but it was his stint in Iran that he would probably consider a highlight. Posted to Tehran in 1963 as Senior Resident Engineer he was involved in building a water supply for the city, as well as numerous irrigation projects around Iran. He became the firm’s chief representative in Tehran and remained there until 1971. Sandy then returned to Gibb’s Head Office in London and was made a Partner of the firm. Sandy continued to work on a wide variety of UK projects before retiring in 1991 after 43 years with Gibb, 20 of them as a partner. An incredible full and rewarding career.

Many of Sandy’s interests were interwoven with his working life.

He was an avid reader and his collection of books needed to be seen to be believed – reading remained a huge passion right until the end if his life. He particularly loved reading about Scotland.

He also had a lifelong love of golf and played as a member of numerous clubs winning quite a stash of crystal and silverware!

He was an ardent Scottish rugby supporter throughout his life.

During his retirement he and his wife, Eilidh (1932 – 2018) were fortunate to experience several memorable holidays around the world, including to India, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, often visiting family members. But it was in the hills and glens of the Scottish Highlands that Sandy truly felt at home.

He loved planning walking and fishing trips for all the family and these inspired his wonderful Scottish poetry and sketches of the landscape that formed the basis of his watercolour paintings.

Sandy and Eilidh packed so much into their lives and they will be greatly missed by their children Fiona, Jane, Kirsty, Angus and their families.

Alumni News

Mr. William (Bill) A. S. Dryden (1929–2020) Class of 1946 Born and brought up in Dundee’s Nelson Terrace, Bill was the youngest of three brothers, who were all involved in the family firm, Dryden’s, started by their grandfather. The locally run business sold flowers, fruit and vegetables at a number of shops in Dundee.

Bill was educated at Dundee High School and Strathallan. After leaving school in 1947, he spent the next four years learning the trade with a firm of potato merchants in Huntly and the Glasgow Fruit Market.

From there, he moved back to the family business as it expanded into wholesale and started up a frozen food department. In the mid-1960s the family decided to split the firm, Bill’s share being the retail shops in Castle Street and Broughty Ferry as well as a unit in the Dundee wholesale fruit and vegetable market.

In the late 1980s, with the closing down of the wholesale trade and the rise of the supermarkets, Bill decided to sell the business and retired in 1992.

Bill was a keen golfer and joined Panmure Golf Club in 1953. He was captain of the club in 1983, and in 1996 completed a book of anecdotes and photographs to mark its 150th anniversary.

Bill was also a member of the R&A and a member of the Seniors Golfers’ Society, where he had the opportunity to play with teams in many other countries, often accompanied by his wife Inez, also a keen golfer.

His other interests included rugby and curling. Over the years Bill was president of Pitkerro Curling Club, Dundee High School FP Rugby Club, Dundee High School Old Boys’ Club and the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

He also joined the Bonnetmaker and the Baker Crafts, two of the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee and was an Elder at St. Andrew’s Parish Church in Dundee. Latterly he was a regular attender of Broughty Ferry Probus Club.

Following an illness, Bill sadly passed away in October 2020 at the age of 91. Described by many as a true gentleman, he will be remembered for his outgoing personality, his generosity and kindness towards others, his sharp wit and his many recitals of poetry from memory.

Bill is survived by his wife, Inez, daughter Sally, son Christopher and grandson Max. Parts of the obituary sourced from The Courier, 28th October 2020.

Mr. Kenneth G. Morrison (Captain RE, Retired) (1938–2020) Class of 1956 Kenneth joined F1 from Ardrossan Academy when his family moved to Wormit. Academically able and a keen sportsman, he was a member of the rugby and tennis teams, also enjoying golf and squash. Above all, as a member of the CCF, he looked forward to Friday parades. Another interest was membership of 34th Fife (1st Newport) Scouts, where in 1954 he achieved the distinction of Queen’s Scout. On leaving school, he began studying Pure Science at Queen’s College in Dundee, then still part of the University of St Andrews.

His studies were interrupted by knee surgery. Once home after discharge, call-up papers for National Service awaited him. Soon realising that this was his bent he opted to join the Corps of Royal Engineers. Selected for officer training at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, coming top Cadet of his Intake and entering Regular Service, he served two tours of duty in West Germany. He also partook in Arctic training on secondment to Norwegian Forces and completed two tours in Sarawak, one of two East Malaysian states on the landmass of Borneo during the ‘Confrontation’ with hostile Indonesia in the 1960s. It was during his second tour there that Kenneth sustained severe injuries, particularly to his head, putting an end to his promising army career.

After a lengthy recovery in the UK and medical discharge, Kenneth began civil engineering work on the M90. It was while working in Edinburgh that he met his wife Ketron. After their marriage, they set up home in London where Kenneth worked for five years.

Their daughter Fiona (Class of 1991) was born there.

Returning to Scotland, the family settled in Invergowrie. A keen lifelong philatelist, Kenneth enjoyed bridge, was Treasurer of the local Conservative Association and served a term as member of the Old Boys’ Club Committee. When the Queen consented to the Malaysian Government awarding medals to those who had taken part in the ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia in the 1960s, in 2010 he was invested in Perth with the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal, surprising the Malaysian Defence Attaché on being greeted and thanked in his own language. Wherever he went, Kenneth attracted people to him, learning the language in each foreign posting, frequently recognised in Britain and further afield by former military colleagues whom he may not have seen since leaving the army. 24 years ago, Kenneth and Ketron moved to St Andrews where he was a President of the Probus Club and an Elder of Hope Park Church. Both were volunteer guides at Falkland Palace and Hill of Tarvit Mansion-house.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia, Kenneth spent the last six years of his life as a resident of Glasgow Erskine Care Home, dying of Covid-19 in November 2020. He is survived by Ketron, his daughter Fiona, granddaughters Grace and Maisie, brother Dair and sister Maureen (Class of 1966).

Alan Robertson (Class of 1953), Friend of Kenneth

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Alumni News

Professor Sir Neil J. Douglas (1949–2020) Class of 1967

Mrs. Aileen M. Smith (née Gordon) (1953–2021) Class of 1971

Neil was born in Edinburgh, the second of four children. His father, Professor Sir Donald Douglas, became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and his mother Di was a superb full-time homemaker. He was brought up in Dundee and educated at Dundee High School and Glenalmond College. This was followed by preclinical medicine at St Andrews University and clinical studies in Edinburgh. He graduated with distinctions in medicine, surgery and therapeutics.

Born in May 1953, Aileen attended Ancrum Road Primary School before enrolling at the High School of Dundee. She went on to study her LLB law degree at the University of Edinburgh from 1970 until 1974, graduating with a first. She completed her traineeship with Dundee City Council, qualifying as a Solicitor in 1976.

He became a specialist in respiratory and sleep medicine and built an international reputation both personally and for the Department of Sleep Medicine in Edinburgh. He was also heavily involved in teaching and training as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and founding Chairman of the UK Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

Training as a respiratory physician, Neil became interested in sleep apnoea, a previously under-recognised condition in which patients have interruption of their breathing patterns during sleep.

Through research in Edinburgh and Denver, Colorado, Neil investigated the causes and consequences of the syndrome, its diagnosis and its management using Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP). It has proven highly cost-effective and is now used all over the world. Modified versions of CPAP machines have been used in the treatment of respiratory failure as a result of Covid-19.

Neil was an excellent doctor who gave patients the time and care they demanded. He was modest, approachable and gave praise where it was due, and in the many tributes to him “integrity” was the most frequently used word. A man of enormous energy, he was in great demand to lecture all over the world.

He received a knighthood in 2009 for services to medicine. He married his wife Sue (née Galloway) in 1977 and she is a retired GP. Together they have a son, Sandy, and a daughter, Kirsty. Sandy is a pharmaceutical physician and one of the leaders of the University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine development team. Kirsty is a trainee in palliative care medicine, sharing her father’s emphasis upon high standards of clinical care and training.

When his busy schedule allowed, Neil loved to retreat to the retirement house which he and Sue built on the banks of Loch Tay. He also loved gardening, hill-walking and fishing. He regarded his family and his home as his greatest achievements.

Neil sadly passed away from lung cancer at the age of 71 on August 23rd 2020.

Parts of the obituary sourced from The Scotsman, 28th May 2021.

Aileen was the Principal Solicitor for Dundee City Council and was heavily involved with the city’s early waterfront regeneration.

Additionally, she was responsible for the burial of Dundee’s destitute dead and would actively go to great lengths to find out their faith to ensure they received the appropriate funeral.

As well as this, Aileen was involved in the complex land acquisition issues at Dundee Waterfront and became an expert in deciphering historical title deeds of the new area. Her hard work laid the groundwork for the current redevelopment, including that of the V&A. In 1980, Aileen married Douglas and the pair went on to have two daughters together - Katherine and May. In her early 50s, Aileen was diagnosed as having early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and so took early retirement. As she adapted to her condition, she became involved with a local Alzheimer’s group, attending art classes and various outings.

As her condition progressed, Aileen required full-time care, which was provided by Tigh Na Muirn care home in Monifieth, where she lived for the last seven-and-a-half years.

In July 2021, at the age of 68, Aileen sadly passed away. Her daughter Katherine, who is also a Solicitor, recalls “Mum was a great lover of the arts, music, history and enjoyed curling”.

A JustGiving page was set up in Aileen’s memory to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland.

Obituary sourced from Scottish Legal News, 6th July 2021.

Alumni News

Mrs. Alison Chandler (née Gauldie) (1957–2021) Class of 1975

Mrs. Deborah Haring (née Duffy) (1969–2019) Class of 1986

Alison was born on 30th November 1957 and brought up in Invergowrie. She was the elder daughter of Enid and the late Sinclair Gauldie (Class of 1936) and sister of Robin (class of 1973) and Becca (class of 1986).

Deborah, always Debbie or Debs to her schoolfriends, was born on 19th April 1969 in Edinburgh and brought up in Dundee and Kirkton of Balmerino, by Bill and Ina. She started DHS in L1 and many of the friends she met then remained close friends. Her parents were always most welcoming, and many people will remember happy times spent in Balmerino and her mother’s wonderful food.

After leaving school, Alison completed a BA at the University of Edinburgh and then spent a year as an au pair in Spain. Following that, she lived and worked in the third sector in London, where she met her husband, Miles.

Miles and Alison married in 1995 and after the birth of their daughter, Holly, they moved to Johnshaven in Kincardineshire.

Alison continued working professionally in the voluntary sector in several roles, latterly with ACVO, which helps to develop and support the third sector in Aberdeen. Having returned to Scotland, Alison renewed friendships with many of her schoolfriends.

Her love of Spain was still extraordinarily strong, and she took part in two Caminos in recent years, despite still being a staunch Atheist. She remained close friends with the Spanish schoolgirl she met on exchange from DHS, April Bofill.

In 2016 Alison was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer of the appendix, goblet cell carcinoma. The cancer had metastasised, and she had to undergo major emergency surgery and chemotherapy.

However, Alison recovered sufficiently to undertake her second Camino and to continue working. As part of her recovery, she took up painting, a subject she had enjoyed whilst at school.

In September 2020 she began to feel unwell again and in January 2021 was told the cancer had returned. Daughter Holly had just announced her engagement and she and her partner chose to bring the date of the wedding forward to June 2021. Before Alison died, she was able to help plan the event. Holly was, without doubt, the most important person in her life and it meant a great deal to her, giving her something positive to focus on.

On April 14th 2021, Alison died peacefully in Aberdeen’s Roxburghe House. She is survived by her husband, daughter, mother, and siblings.

After leaving school, Debbie completed a BA (Hons) at Newcastle Polytechnic in Fashion Design and then spent a year working in Barcelona, followed by a year in Chile, before settling in London.

In London she worked for a company who provided statistics for the fashion industry.

She married and moved to Leeds and although the marriage did not last, she and her husband had two daughters together, Lily and Violet. The girls were her pride and joy. When they were grown up, her plan was to return to Kirkton of Balmerino to be with her widowed mother, but sadly, she died before this could happen.

Debbie suffered debilitating ill health for much of her adult life.

But in September 2019 she was diagnosed with cancer and she died on 11th December 2019 in Leeds.

She is survived by her mother, who still lives in Balmerino, and the girls, Lily and Violet. She is dearly missed by her many friends.

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Alumni History

Treasures from the Archives The School’s onsite archive facility boasts a great number of wonderful and diverse items, materials and memorabilia, including old school magazines, prospectuses, medals, music & drama programmes, school registers, report cards, prize lists, uniform and much more.

Given one of our magazine themes this year is The Arts, we thought it appropriate to share some true treasures from the archive in the form of a selection of creative pieces of work by the DHS Literary Society from the early 1900s.

Alumni History

In particular, our archive holds an extensive number of photographs, some of which date back to the 1800s and extend to present day. On the next few pages, we’re sharing with you a glimpse of some of the interesting and unique photographs that we have onsite. If you happen to recognise yourself or any other Former Pupils in the images, then please do get in touch and let us know!

For a number of years, we have been developing our online archive which now hosts a wide range of digitised copies of our old school magazines. If you’d like to browse this collection and take a trip down memory lane, you can do so here: www.archive.highschoolofdundee.org.uk/authenticated/Browse. aspx?BrowseID=1140&tableName=ta_publications

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Alumni History

Alumni History

OUR PROMINENT FPS In the course of our school’s nearly 780-year history, a substantial number of Former Pupils, both present day and historically, have gone on to become successful in their respective fields and truly made their mark on the world.

One of our themes for this year’s edition of Schola Clara focuses on The Arts, so we thought it would be particularly poignant to shine a spotlight on some of our historical FPs who made an impact through their creative career fields, with a particular focus on journalism.

Here we share a glimpse into the lives of two female and one male journalist, whose experiences and endeavours in the field of journalism differed significantly.

Franziska Maria ‘Marie’ Isabella Imandt (1860-1945) and Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Maxwell (1871-1946)

Marie Imandt

Bessie Maxwell

Franziska Maria Isabella Imandt, known as Marie, was born in Dundee in 1860 to a family of partial Prussian decent. Marie’s mother, Anne McKenzie, was a local Scottish woman whilst her father, Peter Imandt, was a Prussian. Her father was nicknamed “Red Wolf” as a young man due to his relationship with the Communist League and the fact that he helped found the German Social Democratic Party. He was also close with renowned Communist philosopher, Karl Marx. Marie’s parents married in 1856 and went on to have three children together before Peter died in 1897.

Elizabeth Maxwell, more commonly known as Bessie, was over 10 years Marie’s junior and was born in Dundee in 1871 into a family of journalists. Her great-grandfather was the first Editor of newspaper The Peoples’ Choice, and her father had also worked as an Editor as well. Bessie went to the School during her teenage years, where she showcased her talents in the arts in particular.

She then attended the University College in Dundee, which was one of the few institutions that accepted female students at the time.

Peter Imandt taught German at the High School of Dundee, where Marie attended as a pupil. After leaving the School, Marie attended the University of St Andrews where she became the first female to graduate with Honours as a Lady of Literature in Arts (‘LLA’) in German, English and French in 1880. LLA was a distance learning qualification and at the time Marie graduated, men were still graduating and educated in very different ways to women.

At the age of 27, Marie began working for D.C. Thomson’s newspaper The Courier. What was unusual at the time was that Marie fully supported herself from her own earnings.

Seven years later, Marie was selected as one of two Female Correspondents to spearhead a new project which involved a 12-month adventure around the world to report on the lives of women across the globe. Bessie, who begun working for the newspaper company at the age of just 23, was chosen to join Marie on the quest.

A year prior, The Courier had launched a project which sent male journalists to North America, but the owners of D.C. Thomson

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Alumni History

acknowledged that the reporting from this project ignored women, and so sought to rectify this by launching the project Imandt and Maxwell were sent on. The duo were described as “not only intrepid, but… shrewd and observant… possessed of undoubted literary ability, and… in complete sympathy with the stupendous task in which they are about to engage.”

areas of the world. For example, the confinement of harems and zenanas and how in China men treated women with contempt.

How in Japan, and even European countries such as France and Italy, men appeared to despise women and actively made fun of them. One of their columns refers to how “Life holds possibilities for [Americans and] us undreamed of by our sisters in the East.”

They set sail on their travels on February 16th 1894, during which they worked hard and lived well, writing two two-column reports with accompanying sketches every week for The Courier and Weekly News. Some of their reports were even shared across publications in London.

Over the course of their 12-month travels, Marie and Bessie visited 10 countries, covering a tremendous 26,000 miles in the process. Come February 1895, they had returned to Dundee where they were given gold bracelet watches before returning to their jobs. They also gave lectures and presented talks on their experiences.

Throughout their travels, Marie and Bessie encountered many difficult situations, one incident in particular Marie recorded in one of her columns. She recalled how she and Bessie had been forced to fight off French and Italian cabbies and porters numerous times, who seemingly targeted British females to steal their belongings unless they were willing to fight or had someone to fight for them.

Their adventures took them to countries across the world, including Egypt, Arabia, India, China, Japan, Canada and the United States. Their columns shared their stories and experiences such as their visits to an Italian cigar factory, a women’s prison in China and a silk factory in Shanghai. The duo also described Florentine art, Japanese temples and a Turkish wedding. Perhaps one of their most harrowing stories related to their travels in the USA and their visit to a working girls’ hostel. Here, they spoke with a female lawyer and numerous British women who had been sent to Seattle as mail-order brides.

In particular, Marie and Bessie were very captivated by the freedoms of North American women, but they made a strong point of contrasting this with the treatment women faced in other

Bessie continued her work as a journalist, writing articles for publications such as the Weekly News. She famously reported on the working conditions of miners by travelling down into a coal mine in Fife. Marie on the other hand wrote a series called “Where to go for a day out” and worked on a variety of other projects.

Marie never married and died in 1945. She was buried in Barnhill Cemetery in a plot right next to her father. Bessie had relocated to England and married a painter, Arthur Pitt Taylor whom she outlived by several decades. However, Bessie passed away in December 1946, only one year after Marie’s passing.

The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, in the duo’s hometown of Dundee, showcased an exhibition of their worldwide adventures.

Likewise, their stories are shared in a book produced by the Abertay Historical Society.

Information sourced from www.dundeewomenstrail.org.uk

Dundee

Women’s

Trail:

Images sourced from The Courier

Henry Noel Brailsforth (1873-1958) Former Pupil Henry Noel Brailsforth has been described as “the most prolific British left-wing journalist of the first half of the 20th century”.

Born on Christmas Day 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Mirfield to parents Edward John Brailsford and Clara Pooley, Henry was the first of two children. Despite being born south of the border, he was raised and educated in Scotland as his father was a Wesleyan Methodist preacher who mainly worked in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Before joining the High School of Dundee, Henry attended George Watson’s College for one year. Throughout his five years at the School, his talents as a Classicist quickly became apparent.

In 1890, he was awarded Dux of the School in English and won a scholarship to study at the University of Glasgow.

Whilst at university, Henry studied Classics and Philosophy and was taught by the distinguished scholar Gilbert Murray, who later became a friend and mentor. Graduating in 1894 with his Master of Arts degree, he pursued an academic career in teaching and was employed as an Assistant Lecturer. During his tenure, Henry set up a university branch of the Independent Labour Party, having been inspired by a speech by James Keir Hardie during the 1895 General Election campaign.

Come 1897, he stepped away from his academic career to become a journalist, raising to prominence as a foreign correspondent specialising in the Balkans, France and Egypt. In April of the same year, Henry joined the Philhellenic Legion, a volunteer force

fighting for the Greeks in their struggle with Turkey. His time on the battlefields inspired his novel The Broom of the War God. The publication of his novel led to a job offer from C.P Scott, the Editor of the Manchester Guardian.

From here, he was tasked with investigating the turmoil in Crete. One day before his departure to Crete, he married his former student Jane Malloch.

His experience fighting on the front lines ignited his distaste for excessive patriotism and the brutality of war. From this stemmed Henry’s opposition to oppression and he became an active campaigner on various issues, with women’s suffrage being a plight he was particularly passionate about. So much so that in 1909, he resigned from his post with The Daily News after it supported the force-feeding of Suffragettes.

By 1899, Henry had relocated to London where he worked for the Morning Leader and then The Daily News, prior to his resignation from the latter. His wife, Jane, was an advocate of women’s suffrage and joined Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1906. Whilst Jane supported and took part in acts of violence to protest against the use of forcible feeding on

Alumni History

1930: Golda Meir visiting with H.N. Brailsford of the British Labour Party. Henry is seated directly in the middle.

suffragettes, Henry disagreed with such militant tactics. However, he strongly believed that women should have the right to vote and so, along with 41 others, he formed The Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage in 1907. An active Labour Party supporter, Henry was one of two representatives of the National Union of Suffrage Societies who entered into negotiations with the Party after it passed a resolution committing itself to supporting women’s suffrage.

Henry separated from his wife Jane in May 1913, but they later reconciled in 1914, although they held strongly opposing views about the First World War. Whereas Jane was a patriotic supporter of the war effort, Henry was not and was a member of the Union of Democratic Control. They later separated for a final time, although did not divorce, in 1921. He campaigned to be elected as the Labour candidate for Montrose Burghs in the 1918 General Election but wasn’t successful. Instead, he toured Europe recording the tragic suffering being endured by people living in the defeated countries. He was one of the major critics of the Versailles Treaty, warning that unless renegotiated it would lead to an increase of German militarism and risk a future war.

Developing an interest in the Russian Revolution, Henry was impressed by the Soviets’ economic achievements attained through their communist regime. However, he criticised communism for its lack of freedom and suppression of dissent.

By 1922 Henry was appointed as Editor of The New Leader, which was the newspaper of the Independent Labour Party (ILP) that quickly became known as one of the most successful and radical of its time. He employed an array of talented writers including George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, with each issue containing illustrated articles about politics and culture. He lost his role as Editor after Henry’s attacks on the Labour Party’s moderate, non-socialist policies were viewed as too radical and upset many

Labour Party leaders. However, he did continue to write for the publication until he left the ILP. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Henry was outspoken with his opinions that an anti-fascist alliance was essential. The defeat of the Republicans convinced him that only military resistance to Adolf Hitler would halt the expansion of Fascism. In January 1937, he agreed to write for the radical weekly publication The Tribune, which openly advocated for vigorous socialism and demanded resistance to Fascism at home and abroad. He publicly denounced the Munich Agreement, which was one of the strongest and most powerful indictments to appear in British press.

Having published many books throughout his life, Henry continued to be active in politics into the later stages of his life. During the Second World War, Henry wrote for the New Statesman and broadcasted for the BBC Overseas Service.

Outside of his career, Henry was a well-known advocate for animal rights and was a vegetarian. He defended the practice of vegetarianism in The Daily News, openly opposed blood sports and published several essays which alluded to his friendships with cats.

After the death of his first wife, Jane, in 1937, Henry went on to remarry twice more but fathered no children. He passed away in March 1958 in London.

Content sourced from: Spartacus Educational: spartacuseducational.com/Jbrailsford.htm and Wikipedia: en.wikipedia. org/wiki/H._N._Brailsford Images sourced from: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Library and Spartacus Educational

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Merchandise

High School of Dundee Merchandise On the next couple of pages you are able to view our selection of High School of Dundee Merchandise which would all make fantastic Christmas presents! The profit made from all orders will be allocated to our HSD Foundation Account and will benefit our Bursary Fund, Capital Projects and General Fund.

Print by Nael Hanna – 1 £500.00

Print by Nael Hanna – 2 £500.00

In 2013, the School commissioned two new, original works to realise in a contemporary interpretation the life of the School today. These unique oil paintings by renowned artist Nael Hanna are available in limited numbers as large, impressive and impactful framed prints.

Professionally produced using the highest quality giclée printing method on international gallery standard acid-free paper.

They will be double mounted with bevelling, and will be realised in a heavy French grey frame, hand finished with gold leaf and glazed to provide a truly exquisite finish.

Prints are commissioned, numbered and signed by the artist individually at the time of your order.

On completion, we will arrange for collection at a mutually convenient time from the Development Office.

Bob Servant £5.99

Mug £15.00

Friendship in a Time of War £15.00

Notebook £5.00

Enjoy a festive treat with 10% off our retail line items throughout December and January using the code XMAS10. Offer available 13/12/2021 until 17/01/2022. Please note that the School will be closed for the festive period from 22/12/2021 until 07/01/2022.

If you place an order during this time, please expect delivery of your item(s) anytime from 13/01/2022 onwards.

Merchandise

Key Ring – Universal £7.50

Cufflinks – Brass Plated £15.00

Cufflinks – Nickel Plated £20.00

Fridge Magnet £3.00

Key Ring – Executive £20.00

Memory Stick – 8GB £12.00

Former Pupil Tie Polyester £15.00 Silk £20.00

Old Boys’ Club Tie £20.00

Pen – Executive £28.00

Dux of the School £5.00

Golf Umbrella £30.00

Whisky – 5cl £12.00

Golf/Pipe Band Towel £10.00

Handbag Umbrella £13.00

Former Pupil Lambswool Scarf £20.00

Apron £12.00

Postage & Packaging

Order online now at the following web address: www.highschoolofdundee.org.uk/browse

UK Collection Orders under £29.99 Orders over £30

Free £3.99 £4.99

EU Orders under £29.99 Orders over £30

£5.99 £7.99

Rest of the World Orders under £29.99 Orders over £30

£7.99 £9.99

Please note shipping costs for the Golf Umbrella will incur a higher delivery charge than the above to accommodate appropriate P&P.

Alternatively: Telephone: +44 (0)1382 202 921 E-mail: development@highschoolofdundee.org.uk

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Fundraising For Bursaries

Fundraising for Bursaries Through the generosity of Former Pupils, Parents, Staff and Supporters of the School, we have been able to financially support generations of young people who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to thrive, benefit from a High School of Dundee education and in turn make their mark on the world.

The Gift of an Education We are financially supporting well in excess of our usual 17% of HSD families this year.

The children we are supporting are examples of some of the most hardworking young people within the School.

These children are the gamechangers of tomorrow; the entrepreneurs, the scientists advancing medical research, and the creatives all with ideas to improve the way we work, live and play in the future.

Please click below to lend your support and help Give the Gift of an Education.

Donate Now Thank you

Fundraising For Bursaries

Game Changers of Tomorrow Our School Leavers always go on to venture into a variety of fascinating industries. To provide you with a snapshot, below you can see the career fields that our 2021 Leavers went on to pursue this year.

Architecture & Engineering = 16%

Business = 19%

Finance & Maths = 4.9%

Veterinary = 2%

Medicine & Healthcare = 14%

Science = 4%

Arts & Languages = 11.7%

Education = 2%

Sport = 4.9%

Law & Politics = 4.9%

ICT = 2.9%

Humanities = 4.9%

Alternative Opportunities = 8%

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Fundraising For Bursaries

The Transformative Impact of a Bursary Throughout the years, Bursaries have enabled and inspired youngsters to become independent, curious, creative, collaborative and resilient people, capable and determined to change the world.

“During my time with the School I have personally seen the transformative impact that our HSD Bursaries have made on young people. As adults our Former Pupils, some famous and others not well known but each one special, have made their mark on our world in many different ways. And we couldn’t be prouder of them all.”

Mrs. Sheena Leadbitter, Chair of The HSD Foundation

Donate Now

“Being able to attend HSD was an enormous privilege for me and I “I believe that support for the bursary fund is fundamental know my eight years there have completely shaped the rest of my to ensuring equal opportunities for pupils attending the life because of the countless opportunities and experiences I had. school. As someone who benefitted from a bursary, having this The support from teachers, the wide choice of subjects and the financial support allowed for me to participate in more of the seemingly endless extra-curricular activity options are second-to- extracurricular activities offered at the school, such as those in none. Donating to the bursary would enable deserving others to the arts, and therefore enhanced my overall experience”. gain those priceless experiences too”.

Anonymous FP

Catriona, Class of 2015

Fundraising For Bursaries

What Legacy Will You Leave?

Making Your Mark

Every Gift Counts

Through the generosity of Former Pupils, parents, staff and supporters of the School we have been able to support generations of young people who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to thrive, make their mark on the world and in turn make a difference to the lives of others.

Leaving a planned gift is a very personal decision. After considering the needs of your family and loved ones, you might want to leave a gift to the School. Your gift can include a monetary donation, or a part of your estate, property, works of art, a policy or trust.

We truly believe that we can inspire our young people to reach their true potential, to become true game changers and create a positive impact on our society. If you have been touched in some way by HSD – perhaps while you were a pupil, or through your interactions as an alumni, or whilst you were a member of our staff or even as a member of the wider community – we invite you to consider making HSD a beneficiary in your will so that our young people can continue to thrive.

Over the years, HSD has evolved and grown to meet the everchanging needs of our young people. We are committed to creating a vibrant hub where pupils have the best facilities to cultivate their education and shape their future.

Why I’m Leaving A Legacy Now could be the perfect time to start thinking about what you would like to leave behind and create your own legacy. A planned gift could support a pupil in need and allow them to achieve their full potential. Likewise, support for our capital projects contributes towards amazing facilities for the benefit of generations to come.

When you leave a planned gift to HSD, you can specify how you would like your funds to be used, or let the School allocate the funds on your behalf. Are you interested in music, art or science?

Perhaps you would like to support a certain area or activity. If you are unsure which area to support, you can direct your planned gift to a specific part of the curriculum, co-curriculum, the estate or the School in general (where we will direct your contribution to the area of greatest need).

Whether you would like to establish a fund in your name, or in the name of a loved one, or leave your gift anonymously please reach out to the Development Office who will be more than happy to talk through your gift intention so we are able to honour your wishes.

By pledging a gift to the School in your Will, you will become a member of our Heritage Society, kindly set up by the HSD Foundation. As a member you will be invited to a selection of school events throughout the year, including our annual Reunion event in June. To become a member of the Heritage Society, please complete one of our Legacy Pledge Forms outlining your gift intentions in your Will: forms.gle/kNYAyHzv6gjota3y6

It’s never too early to start thinking about what you could leave behind. Now could be the perfect time to create your legacy.

“My family and I have all benefitted from a High School education over the years. We had very different abilities and interests but each of us were able to find something that inspired our journey beyond the Pillars.

I truly believe that without “I’m really happy to have this influence we would not made a legacy to the High have had the confidence to School of Dundee which I pursue our dreams and be hope will benefit children where we are today. For for generations to come. this reason, I would like to It was easy to set up, tax leave a legacy to make a free and the team in the contribution towards the Development Office were lives of other families at our great, making the whole school.” process smooth and straightforward.”

Anonymous Donor

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Fundraising For Bursaries

Donor Roll Here we honour and thank all of our donors who have made a philanthropic gift to our School during the period of 01/01/2014 – 01/11/2021. All of these generous donations have been administered through the High School of Dundee Foundation.

Over the following pages, you can see a full alphabetical list of all of our Donors who have donated to our General or Bursary Funds as well as those who have directed their monies to our capital projects.

List of all Donors to our Bursary, General and Capital Funds from 01/01/2014 onwards

Class Leaving Name Year Year Adamston (Farms) Ltd Aitken & Niven Amati Global Investors Limited Border Embroideries CLIC Choir Dundee High School Old Boys' Club Dundee HSFP RFC Edinburgh FX Ltd Friends of the High School of Dundee Henderson Loggie Chartered Accountants High School of Dundee Foundation High School of Dundee Old Girls' Club High School of Dundee Parents' Association High School of Dundee Trust Appeal Fund J A Tombazis Charitable Trust James Keiller Estates Ltd Lethendy Charitable Trust Medinrun Limited Mrs A V U Brown's Charitable Trust Struan Baptie Property Management Ltd Sutherland Management Tay Charitable Trust The Insights Group Ltd The T C Charitable Trust Winter & Simpson Dr. Douglas J. A. Adamson 1982 Mrs. Margaret C. Aitken (née Crawford) 1949 1948 Mr. Bruce M. Allan 1977 Mrs. Helen M. Allan (née Ramsay) 1952 Mr. David B. Anderson & Dr. Gillian V. Orange Mr. Eric G. Anderson 1958 Mrs. Paula A. Arnott (née Speirs) 1986 Mrs. Joyce S. Avery (née Whyte) 1954 Mr. Robert S. Balfour Captain Guy C. Ballantyne 2007 Mrs. Jan Barklem (née Main) 1977 Mr. Douglas J. Barnet 1959 Mrs. Alison V. Barnett (née Young) 1956 Dr. Peter M. Barrie 1977 1976 Miss Wendy L. Barrie Mr. Mudie Barrie & 1973 1972

Mrs. Louise Barrie (née Gabriel) Mr. Peter B. Baxter 1973 Miss Elizabeth S. Bell 1949 Mrs. Moira B. Bell (née Hardy) 1957 Mr. Iain C. R. & Mrs. Margaret Bett 1965 1963 Miss Margaret Bibb 1939 Mrs. Jennifer A. G. Birks (née Laurie) 1974 Dr. John S. G. Blair 1946 Mrs. L. D. Pamela Braid (née Gibson) 1949 Mrs. Elizabeth M. Brown (née Johnston) 1952 Dr. Maris E. Buchanan 1965 Mr. Richard S. Burnett 1980 Mr. Richard R. J. Burns 1964

Name Mr. Henry F. Campbell Min Anderson

(née Campbell) Miss Morag H. Campbell Mr. Nicholas G. Carnegie Mr. Alan D. Clark Mrs. Katherine Clark Miss Kathleen M. Clark Mr. Kenneth J. Clark Mrs. Louise H. Clark Mrs. Sally M. Clark (née Haslock) Mr. William J. Clark Prof. Jan E. Clarkson Mr. Dennis F. Collins Mrs. Elspeth Collins Mr. David A. Comb Rev. Johnathan H. Copus Mrs. Dorothy M. R. Copus (née Simpson) Dr. Ruth Cotton Mr. Stuart J. Coull Mrs. Karen E. Cowan (née Leadbitter) Miss Gillian Craig Prof. Jeremy Crang & Rev. Dr. Fiona Douglas Mrs. Maita Crowe The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT Mr. James & Mrs. Lucy Cuthill Mrs. Janice S. Davidson Mrs. Morag Davie Mr. Campbell Davis Dr. Jean S. Davis (née Thomson) Mr. Stephen B. Davis Dr. J. Neil de Villiers Dr. John A. & Mrs. Frances J. Dent Mr. William F. Dewar Dr. W. F. Morrison Dorward Rev. Elspeth Dougall (née Swinton) Mr. Malcolm A. Dougall Mr. R. Michael Duckworth Miss Patricia M. Duff Mr. Angus S. Duncan Mr. A. Michael Duncan Mr. Hugh D. Duncan Miss Jennifer A. Dunlop Mr. David J. C. & Mrs. Elizabeth A. Elgin Mr. Grant C. Elliot Mr. Edward G. Findlay Mr. Harvie L. Findlay Mr. Dougal Fisken Mr. Douglas & Dr. Suzanne Fleming Mrs. Ann Forbes (née McGregor) Sir A. Patrick M. Forrest Mr. Ross D. & Mrs. Emma Forster Dr. Alison Franks Mr. Stewart & Mrs. Lynda Fyffe

Class Leaving Year Year 1964 1946 1945 1980 1950 1953 1951

1952 1950

1959 1968

1958 1967

1948 1947 1967 1962 1955

1998 1986 2011

1953

1997 1956 1977

1962 1945 1954 1958 1963 1969

1955 1961 1961 1965

1958 1940 1997 1980

Fundraising For Bursaries

Class Leaving Name Year Year Mr. Alexander E. Gardner 1988 1987 Dr. Esme L. Gates 1996 Mrs. Valerie Gauld Dr. Anne M. Gibson (née Thomson) 1948 Mr. Richard Gillis 1968 Mr. Ronald S. I. & Mrs. Katherine F. Goodfellow 1963 Mrs. Caroline Gordon Mr. Donald N. & Mrs. Alison Gordon Mrs. Jean E. Gray Dr. Brian Gribbin 1956 Mr. Ronald S. Grieve & Mrs. Sheila M. Grieve 1942 Mr. A. Ross Gunn 1950 1949 Mrs. Rebecca Gunn Mrs. Louise M. Hackney (née McLean) 1945 Dr. John D. & Mrs. Anna M. Halliday Mr. William M. Hamilton 1961 Mr. Michael & Mrs. Jennifer Hardy Mrs. Isabel M. Harvey (née Douglas) 1958 Mr. Derek M. Harwood 1972 Miss Elizabeth K. Henderson Mrs. Janette M. N. Hetherington (née Weatherhead) 1956 Mrs. Wendy E. Hines (née McPherson) 1965 Dr. W. Stuart Hislop 1966 1964 Dr. David C. B. Holt 1965 1964 Mr. Ewan E. Hooper 1953 1952 Dr. Rosemary L. Hopford (née Campbell) 1963 Mr. Colin & Mrs Lesley H. Houston 1994 Mrs. Lise A. M. Hudson Mr. David D. Hume 1955 Mr. James Hunter 1957 Mr. Andrew J. & Mrs. Julie K. Husband Prof. James D. Hutchison 1973 Mr. Christopher W. Ide Mr. Oliver A. & Mrs. Charlotte E. M. Jackson-Hutt Dr. Albert Jacob 1948 Mr. Walter L. Jacob 1953 1952 Dr. Robert L. D. Jones 1970 Miss Pauline R. Kay Butler 1948 Mrs. Fiona M. Kempton (née Lowe) 1979 Mr. Paul M. Kidd 2015 Mr. Adam J. King 1993 Mr. Charles Frederick Lawson Mrs. Sheena Leadbitter Dr. Christopher & Mrs. Ruth Leburn Mrs. Patricia S. Leishman (née Edger) Mr. Roger T. Leslie 1962 Mr. Gavin A. F. Lickley 1964 1963 Mr. Peter Linquiti Mr. Cedric D. Fraser 1908 Mrs. Edith Linton (née Ferguson) Mr. George R. Linton 1947 Mr. Andrew J. Lothian Mr. Alistair J. Low 1960 Mr. William & Mrs. Sheila Low 1984 Prof. Gordon D. Lowe 1967 Mr. Gordon M. Lyle 1957 Miss Charlotte M. Lythe 1959 Rev. Finlay A. & Mrs. Elizabeth M. MacDonald 1963 Mrs. Marjory M. MacDonald (née Booth) 1968 Ms. Patricia MacDonald 1966 1965 Mrs. Moira A. MacFarlane (née Robertson) 1962 Mr. Alexander H. Macfarlane Smith 1999 Mr. Edward N. MacFarlane Smith 1991 Dr. David & Dr. Isla MacKenzie Dr. Derek Maclean Mrs. Elizabeth MacNee (née Kinnear) 1965 Dr. William R. MacRae 1951 1950 Mrs. Frances Martin (née Tetlow) Mr. John C. Mason 1954 Miss Angela V. Mathers 1964 1958 Mr. Christopher G. Matheson-Dear 1981 Miss Joan C. Matthewson 1967 Mrs. Isabel M. McCulloch (née Boyd) 1954 1952 Mrs. Fenella J. McDonald Mr. Gus & Mrs. Anne McDonald

Class Leaving Name Year Year Mrs. Dorothy McGill (née Borrie) 1963 Mrs. Irene McGrath Mrs. Alexandrina G. McGrory 1988 Mrs. Elizabeth A. McInnes (née Laird) 1946 1941 Mrs. Elspeth McIntyre Mr. Martin McKay Dr. James F. McKellican 1956 Prof. Jeffrey E. McLachlan 1949 1948 Dr. Graeme P. McNeill 1962 Dr. Jane M. McNeill 1972 Miss Louise E. S. McNeill 1994 Mr. Ronald & Mrs. Beth McNicol Mr. George D. McPherson 1935 Mrs. Sally M. Mearns (née Knight) 1948 Mr. John F. Mee 1968 Dr. A. Paul Meredith 1969 Mr. Ian W. Miller 1965 Dr. Peter G. Mills Dr. G. W. Mills 1963 1958 Mrs. Margaret D. Montgomery (née White) 1951 Mr. David Moore & Mrs. Dorothy Moore Mrs. Kirsten Wallace (née Ison) &Mr. Alexander

(Sandy) Moore Mrs. Camilla M. Moorjani Mr. Mukesh Moorjani Dr. Michael J. L. Mort 1962 1961 Miss F. Annabel Murday Mr. Alexander Murdoch Mr. David & Mrs. Yunchao Murdoch Mrs. Ann P. Murray (née Cumming) 1962 Mrs. Audrey C. Murray (née Melvin) 1973 1972 Dr. Gordon Murray 1954 Mr. Kenneth M. Murray 1977 Mrs. M. Ann Murray Mrs. Frances R. Napier 1966 1964 Dr. James R. Nicoll Mr. Robert & Mrs. Hilary Nimmo Mrs. Joan B. Noble (née Grant) 1969 1963 Miss Suzie E. Ogilvie 1993 Mr. Jeremy P. & Mrs. Tracey E. Parker Mrs. Alison J. Paterson (née Sim) 1973 Mr. Cameron J. Paterson 1979 Mrs. Pamela J. Paterson (née Rollo) 1963 Mr. Jim Patrick Katrina Patrick &

Michael Patrick Miss Kathleen M. Patrick 1962 1953 Mr. James Pearson Mrs. Maureen Pearson (née Ritchie) 1957 Mr. Stuart D. K. Pemble 1988 Mrs. Rosamunde Pilcher Mr. Matthew K. Powrie 2009 Mr. D. Howard Price Mr. Norman H. Price 1968 1963 Prof. Caroline Pringle (née MacEwan) Mr. Ronald W. Pringle Mr. Ronald W. Pringle 1956 1955 Prof. Stuart D. Pringle 1973 Dr. Janice Provan (née Ross) 1980 1979 Dr. Thomas Pullar Dr. Ian A. Ramsay 1958 1953 Mr. Christopher W. W. Rea 1963 Miss Deryn A. Rees Mrs. Evelyn Rees 1950 1949

(née Bowman) Dr. Andrew H. Reid Mr. David C. Reid 1952 Mr. J. Douglas Rew 1964 1960 Dr. Nigel Reynolds Mrs. Jane Richardson (née Picton) 1979 Mr. Michael C. Richardson 1952 Mr. Dan O. Richterich Mr. G. Fraser Ritchie 1960 Dr. Joan M. Ritchie 1971 1970 Dr. Emily R. T. Robinson Mr. John Robertson Dr. David A. Rorie 1967

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Class Leaving Name Year Year Prof. Michael Rosen 1945 1944 The Rt. Hon. The Lord (Donald M. Ross) 1944 Miss Ann Rothwell 1963 1962 Mrs. Judith A. Sansom (née Leslie) 1961 1960 Mrs. Ann E. Schmidt (née Grewar) 1994 Mr. Alastair G. Scott 1966 Mrs. Vivien F. Scott (née Wood) 1966 1964 Mrs. Margaret Scott Brown Mrs. Isabel M. Scrimgeour (née Ogilvy) 1953 1952 Mr. Gerald J. Sharp & Ms. Catriona E. C. Collins Mrs. Katrina H. Shearer (née Leadbitter) 1989 Prof. Ian. E. Smith 1964 Mr. Kish Srinivasan Mr. Ian S. Stark 1951 1950 Dr. Lionel S. & Mrs. Elizabeth Steuart Fothringham 1991 1981 Mr. A. Dawson Stewart Mr. Adrian A. Stewart 1960 Mr. Gordon C. & Mrs. Maureen Stewart Dr. Iain A. Stewart 1989 1988 Mrs. Jean Stimson (née Baird) 1964 Mr. Richard J. Stiven 1971 Dr. Peter & Mrs. Emma-Jane Strachan Mr. Raymond D. Strachan 1944 1943 Mrs. Elizabeth Sturrock Mrs. Eleanor J. Sunderland (née Dunbar) Mr. Stephen R. Swinton Mr. Kazumitsu Takahashi 1976 Mr. Gavin & Mrs. Margaret Taylor Mrs. Marjory M. Thom (née Foote) 1962 Mr. Rodger H. Thom 1959 Mrs. Margaret T. Thomas Mr. Gary Thomson Mrs. Elizabeth E. Tones (née McCulloch) 1976 1975 Mrs. Kirsty H. Turnbull Rev. James & Mrs. Jane Turrent Mr. John C. Vannet 1972 Sheriff Alfred D. Vannet Mr. William P. Vannet, 1967

Mrs. Jean Vannet (née Low)

& Mr. John C. Vannet Mrs. Valerie A. Vannet (née Reid) 1972 Mr. Charles E. Walker Mr. Derek K. Walmsley 1965 1963 Mrs. Kathleen M. Watt (née Ross) 1953 Mr. John L. Webster 1953 1952 Mr. A. Michael Wedderburn 1987 Mr. Alastair J. B. White 1955 Mr. Ian B. White 1949 Mr. Michael Woischneck Prof. Alastair J. J. Wood 1964 Mr. J. Harvey R. Wright 1956 1954 Mr. John D. Yeaman 1953 Mr. Leslie & Mrs. Gail R. M. Young Mr. William S. Young

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Class Leaving Year Year

Olim Cives Where donors are now deceased their name is recognised in italics.

Where donations have been made in memoriam, the donor’s name is immediately followed by the name of the deceased, which is in italics.

Charitable Status The High School of Dundee is a charity, registered in Scotland under the following nomenclature: Corporation of The High School of Dundee (SC011522), High School of Dundee Foundation (SC030842), and the High School of Dundee Scholarship Fund (SC011441).

1940 1940 1940 1942 1947 1949 1948 1952 1953 1953 1947 1954 1956 1960 1960 1960 1959 1961 1963 1962 1964 1960 1965 1965 1964 1966 1965 1968 1970 1967 1973 1973 1974 1973 1976 1976 1980 1981 1981 1974 1991 1992

Receiving Book Your applications Taster nowDay for or Tour Today August 2022 entry Receiving applications Registered Charity SC011522 now for August 2022 entry

Creating inspiring futures E: admissions@highschoolofdundee.org.uk T: 01382 202921

Registered Charity SC011522

the

Gift Education of an

Support our bursary fund Donate Now