Number 13

Autumn 2010

The magazine for former pupils and friends of Glasgow Academy and Westbourne School

Scottish Military Skills Champions, 2010

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2 Etcetera

Keeping in touchThe External Relations office is situated in Colebrooke Terrace. Former pupils are always welcome to pop in for a chat and look round the school. Just give us a call to arrange a time. Our address is Colebrooke Terrace, Glasgow G12 8HE and you can contact us on 0141 342 5494 or at exrel@tga.org.uk

The Glasgow Academical Club 21 Helensburgh Drive, Glasgow G13 1RRPresident – Lindsay CrawfordE-mail – lindsay.crawford1@ntlworld.com Secretary – Kenneth Shand Tel: 0141 248 5011 E-mail: kenneth.shand@mms.co.uk

The Academical Club pavilion is available for functions. Please contact Ken Barron at k.barron@tga.org.uk for details.

Academical Club’s London SectionSecretary – David Hall, 20 Cadogan Place London SW1X 9SA Tel: 020 7235 9012 E-mail: ecj@aralon.co.uk

Do we have your e-mail address? It’s how we communicate best!

Editorial Contents

Sponsor Etcetera

Let’s get creative!I’ve just returned from a conference. Although ‘conference’ seems a curiously dull word when describing such a lively and interesting event…

Every year for the last 10 years, the Governors of Glasgow Academy together with the Senior Leadership Team and members of the teaching staff have gone off for 24 hours to consider the direction in which the school is heading. In previous years we’ve debated subjects like the wisdom of building a new Prep School, the desirability of starting an External Relations department and whether Drama should be given a place on the timetable. (The answer was ‘Yes’ in each case, by the way.)

This year, delegates at the ‘Governors’ Away Day’ were looking at creativity at The Academy and especially its place in the curriculum. And – in a particularly creative move – a group of pupils was invited to attend for the first time.

What a good idea that was!

Suddenly we were no longer considering educational theory in the abstract – we were talking practicalities with the people that matter most in the educational process: the children. Although, once again, I have to stop myself and ask if the word ‘children’ is remotely appropriate for people who were able to discuss and reason with just as much maturity and a great deal more immediately relevant experience than any of the adults present.

Glasgow Academy is a vibrant and exciting place to be. I have the privilege of showing visitors in and out of classes most days and they always come away impressed at the friendliness, the confidence and the sheer exuberance of the pupils they meet.

Those of you who were pupils even 10 years ago would be hard put to recognise much that goes on here nowadays. But the nice thing is that some things haven’t changed. Take that group on the cover, for instance. They recently won the prestigious CCF Scottish Military Skills competition by undertaking a range of military disciplines that every pupil who has passed through the CCF would recognise.

It’s the first time that an Academy team has won the competition – and it’s not the only competition the CCF has won this year. The remarkable thing is that – now that the CCF is entirely voluntary – it’s blossoming. Although cadets have to stay on for an extra hour at the end of a long school day, there’s a greater enthusiasm, a greater creativity and a greater pride in what they are doing than for many years.

It’s a great school - and one well worth celebrating.

With best wishes

Etcetera is now firmly-established as a quality publication, hugely popular with our community and delivered free, three times a year, to all Academy and Westbourne former pupils.

The magazine is sent to 5000 homes worldwide and to over 4000 homes in Scotland! Would your business like to reach the Etcetera readership through advertising or sponsorship?

To find out more about this unique opportunity, please contact Mark.Taylor@tga.org.uk 0141 342 5494

3 Tuck Shop Memories

5 The Laird of Ulu Entabia

6 The Boys from the Boarding House

7 Academical’s new novel - at age 93

The Kelvin Foundation

8 Anec-dotage

9 Accie Mountain Goats

10 Announcements

12 Updates

16 Deaths

19 Much-loved teachers remembered

20 Events and Reunions

22 Business Etcetera

23 Moving up, moving on…

24 2009 - 2010 Regular Giving Appeal Final Report

25 2009 - 2010 Regular Giving Benefactors

26 Westbourne Section

28 Academical Club section

31 From our own correspondents

32 TGA Shop

Malcom McNaught, Director of External Relationsm.mcnaught@tga.org.uk

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Etcetera 3

Whenever I read of ‘celebrity chef ’ Jamie Oliver’s attempts to promote healthier eating in schools, I smile when I recall the delicacies dished out, with such gusto in my days at the Academy, by that formidable tuck shop duo, Jean and Ina.

Dispensed from a dark corner of the school Well, I don’t think that any of the offerings produced by that ‘good cop, bad cop’ pairing could ever have been rated as ‘healthy’.

Young Jamie Oliver’s feet would not have touched the ground on the way to the door, if he had asked Jean (bad cop) for a pasta salad, yoghurt or a piece of fruit. The only healthy ‘wrap’ he might have got would have been one around the ears! Ina (good cop) might have advised him ‘Take my advice, pet, this isn’t the place for you.’

At the tuck shop, there was never any

shortage of hungry inmates clamouring for such delicacies as buttered rolls, hot (boy, were they hot!) pies, Mars bars, macaroons (never a favourite of mine, but they seemed to disappear like snow off a dyke) and crisps, all washed down with ‘real’ coca-cola, from ‘real’ coke bottles.

I was, from time to time, encouraged by my mother to take in a packed lunch or to have school dinners in the dining hall. The only acceptable offering to me there was the gooseberry pudding with custard, of which I once, by cunningly circumventing the then ‘hi-tech’ table call-up system managed to obtain five helpings at one sitting.

However, all parental attempts to encourage me to do what, at that time, passed for healthy eating failed as dining hall meals or packed lunches were

invariably supplemented by a hot pie from Jean and Ina anyway.

When quizzed on returning home as to whether I had enjoyed my packed lunch boiled egg and banana, the trickle of congealed pie fat clinging to my tie would be the damning evidence that I had, yet again, yielded to those two tuck shop temptresses.

In the nearly fifty years since I last tasted a tuck shop pie, I have never eaten another one which came close to matching the taste, texture and mouth-burning temperature of a Jean and Ina offering.

If only Jamie Oliver could turn his talents to re-creating such a gastronomic treat, I might become a fan!

Jim Shearer (1964)

Reminiscences

Tuck Shop Memories

The GlasgowAcademy differencecan be dramatic…

FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2011Please call 0141 342 5494for details

ENTRANCEEXAMINATION

an unforgettable production…Anna Smrckova, on‘Les Miserables’

a community like no other…Seamus McGuigan, winner of Scottishschools debating tournament

‘ ‘’ ’

THE GLASGOW ACADEMY For our new Prospectus and to arrange

a visit, call Suzanne on 0141 342 5494

www.theglasgowacademy.org.uk

Where children come first

The Glasgow Academy is an educational charity: Charity number SCO 15638

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4 Etcetera

The short-term memory is fi rst to go...… that is why we can still recall our school days so well. ‘Is this the work of the pavement street artist?’ rings in my ears when I write my books. Mr Jope always ensured honesty in our endeavours.

‘M Hamel était monté dans sa chaise et dans une voix douce et grave, il nous dit… mes enfants, c’est la dernier classe…’ Yes, it still comes back in Mme Fade’s French class and it is from her class I recall a frivolous moment when PJ Stoker arranged for his French pen pal to join us at the Academy for a week before the Easter holiday.

Mme Fade entered her classroom with her gown flowing assuming the boy nearest the door would close the door behind her. She mounted her dais and focused her gaze on the open door. Seated nearest the door was Stoker’s French penfriend, perplexed by Mme Fade’s stare at the door. Stoker placed his hands over his lips and whispered to Pierre. ‘Fermez la porte, Pierre.’

Pierre stood up and approached the door but turned to listen to Mme Fade’s cutting remark. She said it slowly, loudly and directed at the unfortunate Pierre.

‘It took a long time for the penny to drop,’ she declared.

On hearing this unfortunate remark, young Pierre adopted the stance of Hanz Lott as he searched the floor for the missing penny. This was too much for Mme Fade. She was being made a fool. But Pierre survived through PJ Stoker’s timely intervention.

‘He’s French, Madame.’

Never have I seen rage turn to such charm as Mme Fade turned her full attention on Pierre and conversed with him for the whole lesson, occasionally clarifying what we understood…

Miller Caldwell (1969)

‘I couldn’t look…’On page 5 of the Summer 2010 edition of Etcetera is a photograph of some of the staff at the Academy during the 1970s while I attended the senior school. When I first saw the photograph I immediately turned the page… a memory I wasn’t sure I wanted to have and to see again even after 33 years.

The assembled gathering of ‘gentlemen’ can be divided into two groups. The first, total thugs with no teaching ability who would have done better being wardens in a borstal. No names from the photograph will be mentioned…

The second group, they were the true teachers who really inspired us as they were passionate about their subject and also their pupils. All power to those guys and to a few female teachers that I also remember from then who are in the photograph!

Neil Garland (1977)

Many memories will have been stirred by the staff photograph, which was submitted by Pat (Paddy) Dorman and printed in the Summer edition of Etcetera. I am fairly sure that the picture can be dated to the school year 1975 to 1976 and that it was probably taken to mark Mr Chapman’s arrival as Rector of the school. By then I was in First Year, but in the previous session I had been a pupil in Mr Dorman’s form class, ‘Transitus A’.

The back row of the photograph includes Paddy himself – and also the former Scotland Rugby internationalist, ‘Big Ian’ MacGregor. (In virtually every lesson Mr MacGregor mysteriously sent a boy to collect a bottle of Coke from the Tuck Shop.) John Cummings had just arrived in the school and soon initiated the ‘Junior Drama Club’. His enthusiasm for this knew no bounds and he was also very tolerant of our mischief. Also in the back row is Mr Wayne, an echo of whose voice must surely still be resounding around the gym.

‘Paddy’s’ Picture

The staff list was stacked with ‘characters’ and - as a result - this could quite easily become a lengthy refection. The penultimate row includes Mr Welsh, whose French classes were always good humoured, but could occasionally be silenced with a simple question: ‘Do I hear Herbert knocking on the cupboard door?’ (Herbert was a certain native of Lochgelly!) Mr Horrocks was rather good with a Van der Graaf Generator – but where would the school show have been, without him playing the role of a pantomime dame? My ‘musical career’ reached a high point (literally) under Mr Ritchie’s instruction, when I sang as a soprano with the school choir in Glasgow Cathedral: ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord …’

Moving forwards, Mr Jope was deadly with a piece of flying chalk, but he was also an absolute master of the ‘patter’. Former pupils can only wonder whether he spoke in the same way when addressing colleagues in the staff room. Poor Dr Shirley had the unenviable task of ‘enlightening’ teenage boys: it was all covered in Biology back then.

The Prep School ladies were no less unique. Thanks to Miss Black, I can probably sing every song that was ever written about any Scottish island. The Prep School was led by the greatly respected Miss McIntosh. I still compare her visits to the playground with ‘messianic arrivals’: we flocked to her, like willing disciples, usually to be sent forth again to collect stray litter!

After seven years at Glasgow Academy, I moved to Jordanhill College School. At times I haven’t been sure which school to claim as ‘my own’, but I am now very comfortable to claim them both. In time I discovered that more than one thread of continuity was following me through the corridors of Jordanhill. There was a photograph of Miss Black as a Jordanhill primary teacher… and a photograph of Paddy Dorman as a pupil!

George S Cowie (1981)

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Etcetera 5

After several sightings of small groups of armed and uniformed Indonesians prowling around

the Entabai area, the task for George Mackenzie and his men was to establish a ‘listening post’, in case they were an advance party for a larger force.

…It was time to meet and introduce myself to Mr Wilson - ‘Tuan’ of Ulu Entabai.

John Wilson was a red-haired, bachelor, Scot. He was a tall, lean, fit-looking man in his late forties, who had been in Entabai for about 15 years. Despite being the only European for miles around, he seemed perfectly happy and sane. A pair of faded, red shorts was all he wore, with the result that his fair, freckled skin was dry and hard after years in the tropical sun. He was a quiet, clever, methodical man and, although he tended to keep to himself for much of the time, he was a friendly sort. He was one of those chaps who had a mission to accomplish and got on with it. A quiet achiever.

Before the 2nd World War, Wilson had been a schoolteacher, in Scotland, and had, for a brief period, even taught at The Glasgow Academy. When war broke out, he joined the RAF and spent most of his service in Bomber Command. This had a deep effect on him. After the war, he decided that, as he’d probably bombed and killed many innocent people, he’d like to give something back to humanity. That, briefly, is how he ended up in Sarawak - in the service of the last of the famous ‘White Rajas’ of the Brooke family. He decided that the Ulu Entabai area would make a good base for his new life so, armed with his ‘charter’ from the Raja, ‘Project Officer’ Wilson set to work.

Money would be required, so he opened a small shop - like a village store. This,

quickly, became a flourishing business. As the nearest doctors were miles away, he set up a dispensary. Then he found an Iban, who had spent four years training and working in London hospitals. The dispensary expanded to become something akin to a ‘field dressing station’, but better. His ‘dresser’ was brilliant and the locals gave him lots of practical experience. Frankly, he, almost, deserved to be a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

While the above was going on, Wilson built and opened a school in which he was the teacher. After a few years, he selected his brightest pupil and shipped him off, back to Scotland, where Wilson’s aunt looked after him, while he attended Nairn High School. On completion, the lad returned to Entabai, where Wilson groomed him further, before setting him up as the teacher in another small school he had set up. By the time I arrived, his successful system was an on-going production line. There were, already, four or five former pupils of Nairn High School, who were all head-teachers of the several other schools he had established - up and down river. This explained our welcome. Like the one at Entabai, most were small schools, where pupils boarded, but could return to their longhouses for harvests, or weekends, if need be.

His goal was about ten schools, so that they did not get too far away from his paternal control. The fact that all his ‘jungle lads’ returned from the so-called ‘good life’, of the modern world, says a lot for Wilson and the loyalty of his pupils. Perhaps, they just preferred the simple, happy life, back in the Entabia area, where Wilson appeared to be, very much, like the wise and popular ‘Laird’ of the manor.

Alas, there was no more excitement on the soldiering side so, after a week

or so, we returned to Battalion HQ, in Sibu. However, after discussing my trip with the CO and telling him about John Wilson, it was decided that we should helicopter a mini-pipeband into Entabai to entertain them. It would be good for ‘hearts and minds’ and serve as a ‘thank you’ to Mr Wilson and all the locals for their help. It provided an amusing finale.

No sooner had the band broken into the ‘Barren Rocks’ and ‘Scotland the Brave’, than all the schoolchildren started dancing the ‘Dashing White Sergeant’. After that, it didn’t seem to matter what tunes they played. Be it for a ‘Gay Gordons’, strathspey, or eightsome reel, the children knew them all and were up there - prancing about like professionals. What our astonished men didn’t know was that Wilson had provided them with an old, wind-up gramophone and a pile of Jimmy Shand records and, of course, they had all been taught by the Scottish ‘Tuan’ and his team of ‘Caledonian-Ibans’.

To say that the Pipe Major was ‘boggle-eyed’ would be an understatement!

I often wondered what became of John Wilson. His only concern was that his new Malaysian masters might try and torpedo his unfinished work – despite his battle cry: ‘I’ve got a charter from the Raja!’ So, I did some investigating,

Reliable sources report that Wilson was able to, more or less, complete his project, before receiving his ‘We need you no longer’ letter, after which he returned to Scotland. Sadly, he died a few years ago, but I was informed that John Wilson’s legacy lives on, in Ulu Entabai. Apparently, the Ibans still speak their Dyak with Scottish accents!

George Mackenzie (1959)

George Mackenzie (1959) on the tale of the Glasgow Academy schoolteacher who brought a little piece of Scotland to the Sarawak jungle…

Dateline: 3rd Division, Sarawak: Late 1963

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6 Etcetera

It was so interesting to read about Nick Utechin’s time as school captain. I remember him well; he was an excellent captain. Also, in the last edition you had a photo of Alistair Gillespie (1961) receiving his honorary degree at Heriot Watt university. I attended that ceremony as it was also my son’s graduation day. Alistair was my lecturer in pure mathematics at Edinburgh University in 1969! (Nicholas Jewell (1969) was also in that class.) I had a chat with him afterwards; he was a wonderfully inspiring lecturer - and to this day I am still teaching Maths at Marr College, Troon.

I was a boarder at the Academy from 1960 to 1969. Very little has been mentioned about the boarding school in Etcetera so I’d like to redress the balance. In 1960, I managed to pass the entrance exams in Baghdad (yes, Baghdad!!) and at the tender age of 8, I arrived at 12 Belmont Crescent. The boarding house took 40 boys and sprawled across numbers 12 and 13. In 1960, I can remember the two deputies were David Fleming and John Hunter with ‘Wagsy’ Walker being the head boy (a firm but fair leader). The teacher in charge of the boarding school was Frank Parkes, a Maths teacher from Ireland. He had a strong personality, with controversial opinions. He was, however, an excellent Maths teacher and it is mainly because of him that I wanted to teach Maths myself.

The boarding school was not without its problems. It was not easy for 40 boys aged from 8 to 18 to live all cooped up in

an inner-city environment. This is where boarding schools like Glenalmond and Strathallan had an advantage with acres of open space in the country. Tensions often ran high, bullying was endemic and beatings were frequently given for trivial things such as an untidy desk or going to bed two or three minutes late. A ‘beating’ consisted of being bent over a chair and being given anything from three to six whacks on the bottom with the sole of an outdoor shoe. (Frank Parkes never administered corporal punishment himself; it was always carried out by the head boy or his deputy.) Even night time wasn’t sanctuary: the same punishment could be carried out bent over a bed with only your pyjama bottoms for protection. Happy days! However, I don’t look back at that part of my life with any ill feelings. People have short memories. For countless thousands of young boys (and girls) across Scotland in the fifties and sixties, if you misbehaved at school or at home you usually ended up with a red hand or a red bottom. It was the way of the world at that time. It certainly taught you to be independent and to look after yourself because no one else did!

At meal times, you had to eat everything that was put in front of you. (I couldn’t stand macaroni and cheese - smothering it in tomato sauce was the only way I could get it down.) For living quarters, we were split into three different rooms according to age (senior study, middle study and junior study). We had to sit at our desks in silence every evening Monday to Friday from 6.15 p.m. till 8.45

p.m. (or earlier depending when bedtime was) doing homework. A similar hour of silence was enforced on Sunday mornings when we had to write letters home to our parents.

Anyone reading this so far will probably have the opinion that prison would be preferable! Not so. As we had to spend much of our time indoors, we became highly skilled in indoor games such as snooker (on a half-sized table), table tennis, table football, pontoon, 3-card brag, chess and bridge. (Later at Edinburgh University, I made lots of money from my card game skills!) Many of us were excellent swimmers, not only from our frequent visits to the Western baths, but because our parents usually worked abroad in hot climates and we learnt to swim before we could walk. I used to fly out to Iraq or Iran (they were very friendly countries in those days!) two or three times a year. An advantage

This photograph of the occupants of the boarding house in 1946 was sent in by Alan Carlaw (1949). He and Jimmy Watt (1949) provided most of the names. Can anyone supply the names of the two missing boys?

Back row - Jeremy Thomson, Ian Thomas, Donald Gebbie, Henry Gebbie, Tom Howie, Sandy Manson, Jimmy Watt, Graeme Thom, AG Barr

Upper middle row - ????, Ian Baird, Alastair Carnegie, Neil Brodie, Stuart Fraser, Andy Innes, Ian Jekyll, Eric Wilson, Stanley Verdi, Richard Armstrong

Seated - Richard McGowan, Alistair McKirchan, Ian Winning, Mrs Coley, Mr Jack Coleman-Smith, Mr B G Aston, J C G Thomson, Douglas Brown, Donald Cunningham

Front row - Keith Dunn, Robert Lightbody, Ian Saint-Yves, Forbes Hepburn, Alan Stewart, ????, Colin Jekyll, T Orr

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Etcetera 7

of being a boarder was that you were allowed to leave early and arrive back late when you were flying abroad at holiday time. Nowadays, you can fly non-stop on Emirates from Glasgow to Dubai but in those days, flying to the middle east meant four or five stops often with an overnight stay somewhere. For one Christmas holiday, I remember leaving a week early.

Each of the upstairs dormitories had a small attic area which was accessed from a cupboard at the side of the room. This was an ideal haven for the smokers. The area was full of paper and wooden beams and other flammable material. I’m amazed that the whole place didn’t go up in flames. Frank Parkes discovered this one day and all hell let loose. However the practice started up again after a few months. As you moved up the ranks in the boarding school you rarely became a senior prefect at the Academy itself; it was enough work at the boarding school. The best head boy at the boarding school for me was undoubtedly Les Monaghan - a star rugby player who scored the best try I can remember against the old enemy Glasgow High School in the mid sixties. Tragically, he died when he was still a young man.

I myself reached the dizzy heights of vice captain during the 68-69 session. Head boy that year was David McCracken (we all called him Dad due to the initials of his first names, a bit like Dodo the geography teacher). The swinging sixties were in full swing and beatings were being phased out. I was furious: after all those years of suffering when it was my turn to dish it out it was being taken away from me! It didn’t take me long to realise that times move on and it was for the better. Sadly I never excelled at rugby, but I did represent the school at swimming and chess. The chess club was run by the Little twins for many years. I remember winning the junior school chess championship by beating a boy named Turnbull.

On Friday evenings, Kenny Miles (an English teacher with the hardest belt in the school called the ‘viper’) supervised the boarding school to give Mr and Mrs Parkes a night off. I’ll never forget the night when it was my turn to prepare his pot of tea and biscuits. I forgot to put the tea in the pot. I can still remember him shouting down the stairs at me – ‘This tea’s rather weak!’

Frank Parkes died suddenly in the early summer of 1967. I was about to sit Higher Maths and it affected me greatly. Jimmy Cowper (another Maths teacher)

took over the running of the boarding school. He had a 12-year-old daughter called Julie. She had great fun living with 40 boys! I left in 1969 and my younger brother David left in 1973. By this time the Academy was struggling to attract 40 boarders and the boarding school eventually closed down for good around 1975. It was the end of an era. I look back at the sixties with more good memories than bad.

To end, I’d like to quote the last sentence of Nick Utechin’s excellent article: ‘It was undoubtedly the most powerful position I have ever held!’

Johnnie Macnab (1969)

Something to proveIn an excerpt from a longer article, another former resident of the boarding house remembers his attempts to make a name for himself in rugby…

Though not being particularly keen on sports, I was fascinated by the challenge of how one got into a team that played other schools. By this stage in my schooling I was in what was the 5th Practice, where all the recalcitrant rugby players were placed. Then, upon reading the notice

of who was and who was not put in the team I was assured by a small, smart assertive chap called Bannerman that there was no chance of me ever getting into the team. Up to this point I was wondering how to get into the team for a reason I have forgotten now. Bannerman told me (as we read the notice in ‘The Well’)

‘See you, Hanlin. You’re never going to get into the team!’

I recall thinking about showing him that he was so wrong. Oh, I was going to get into the team and from that moment this was a constant meditation.

‘Is that right?’ I thought. ‘I’ll show them!’

I imagined that if I scored tries all the time I’d get in. I remember asking a contemporary at one practice in Anniesland how many tries he had scored and though he looked non-plussed he told me he had scored a few. I had scored none at that stage. I remember being encouraged by Lachlan Robertson of Skye and the Paratroopers that a man from ‘The Highlands’ should be playing better. It is the nature of man to need to prove something to himself and I was set in my mind and heart to be in the team. Thus it was that practice match after practice match I literally ‘upped my game’ as they say.

A new teacher from Northern Ireland started to take over our 5th practice team. There came a day for me in which I was so psyched up, so to speak that I managed to score not just one, nor just two, but three tries (one of them between the posts). The Northern Irish teacher taking the practice said,

‘Keep you playing like that Hanlin and we’ll have to be putting you in the team!’

Well, you know, this was music to the ears - I was getting there. Eventually, my name was on the notice board at the back of ‘The Well’ to say that I was in the team.

After playing the big enemy, ‘Glasgow High School’ at Anniesland and always bumping into the other side in the line out and a few other games, when it came to playing Hutchesons’ Grammar School I was sure I could get a try if I held onto the ball long enough - turning team effort into a simple - and personal - attempt at glory. This turned into abject failure in as much as the other side got the ball and scored against us. That was me out of the team. However, as I thought about it later, I had proved I could get into the team...

Nigel Kirk Hanlin (1961)

Johnny Macnab

The Smithyman brothers – Paul (1968) and Tony (1966) – on a recent visit to the school. They had fond memories of their time in the Boarding House

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8 Etcetera

Shakespeare told us that there are seven ages of man. Naturally, we agree and would venture to suggest that - around the sixth age - we enter what has been called our ‘Anecdotage’. In this edition, we proudly introduce a new series open to those who left school in 1960 or earlier. Contributions can be on any school-related subject or any inspired by Etcetera and will not normally exceed 500 words. We are sure that it will quickly become required reading…

Again you have produced a most interesting read in the Summer 2010 edition of Etcetera… Something struck me as not quite right in the article ‘Memories of Academy Staff 1938-45’. My clear recollection is that Coley’s Sunday name was Captain J Coleman Smith. I presume he was entitled to use this rank; but maybe not.

Coley as well as being master in charge of physical training and sport at the Academy also sought to improve the Nation’s health during the war by his daily radio broadcasts ‘Up in the morning early’.

When I was in form III, I constructed a two-valve radio which incorporated an alarm clock so that I awoke each morning to Coley’s dulcet tones exhorting listeners to perform their daily exercises to the sound of music.

Bill Gemmill (1943)

The only tiny piece I have for you is in reply to Alan Diack who asked, in the summer number, for news of the activities of certain Masters ‘After Demobilisation’. One of those referred to was Mr Shepherd. I expect this was Harvey Shepherd, who I remember teaching us Maths. He used to include some ‘Mental Arithmetic’ in almost every lesson. I remembered many of his questions and used to try them out on my own children, and on a young man who worked for me many years later!

I did meet Mr Shepherd about 1953-6. At that time he was working (I believe in charge) at an Adult Education establishment in Somerset - probably at, or near, Ilchester.

James M Anderson (1946)

I have been clearing up a pile of papers saved for attention ‘later’ and have reread some of the recollections of Roydon Richards (Etcetera, Summer 2009). It may be too late to say so now but Roydon Richards, ‘the Dick’, was rector during my years at the Academy 1940-1949. He was always a slightly distant and vague figure to me until I was carpeted on the unlikely charge of throwing a rotten egg into the janitor’s hand bell. This drew a well-deserved caning which was accompanied by a quiet discourse on the obligation to respect members of the school staff no matter what position they held. ‘The Dick´s’ words struck me as both fair and true and he achieved a positive result in that I was thoroughly ashamed of my wayward action. On another occasion, I was called into the Rector’s study on a disciplinary matter. I had seen fit to have a bow tie made up in the school colours and sported this with a suit which my father had brought back from the US immediately after the end of the war. Again Roydon Richards pointed out to me quietly but persuasively the sartorial traditions of the school and the error of my ways. I left his study converted and conscious of a great respect for the man. He was obviously not one to bear a grudge as he later appointed me prefect and head of house.

Whilst on the subject of corporal punishment the latest Etcetera has memories of Mr RC Wylie. ‘Creeper’ Wylie never taught me but one painful day he saw me from his Room L pick up a cap and throw it into the well below. I was told to report to him in the gym where he laid into me with a gym shoe. At the time I thought the punishment excessive nor was it accompanied by a sermon and all it achieved was a lasting dislike of RC Wylie. How unlike the humanity of Roydon Richards.

Jack Ross (1949)

As I approach my seventy-sixth year, I look back on my life with a somewhat critical eye. I feel extremely fortunate that I was educated at the Glasgow Academy. I did not excel at anything in particular, but thoroughly enjoyed those activities that appealed to me: the CCF, the Globe Players, 3rd XV rugby. Academically I think I just coasted along.

I look back on the Academy with huge affection. Compared to the high-tech

environment of the school today, my Academy was slightly basic if not primitive, but one still had a sense of embarking on something big.

I loved the Academy, and loved Fridays when one put on the Army cadet uniform, and proudly saluted the memorial and secretly hoped that some girls from Park or Laurel Bank were witness to your military bearing.

The masters were all figures of affection, particularly those who had little personal quirks. ‘Dodo’ Ogilvie flinging open the huge windows on the first floor if a boy sneezed, ‘Baggy’ Aston on his bike, ‘Basher’ Ainslie (ex-Arnhem paratrooper), ‘Bing’ Crosby in tattered gown, unflappable ‘Pop’ Cairns, lounge- suited Coleman Smith (Coley), Brigadier Engledow and brilliant artist, gentle Wallace Orr and cricket mad George Preston. ‘Jock’ Carruthers came late to the school, I think from Newcastle, but very quickly made it his own. All the teachers had character and most inspired affection. There was to my mind a definite ‘Mr Chips’ ambience which maturity now makes more significant.

I loved being at the Academy and remember everything in retrospect with pleasure - even reserving a hot Scotch pie from Ina in the tuck shop for my lunch, taken in the Morrison house common room.

I hope the Academy of today with its sophistication and high-tech equipment will provide such memories for today’s pupils.

Harold S Couts (1953)

The wedding announcement of McAslan - Lovett Turner in the recent edition of Etcetera brought back memories of my own wedding day.

My wife and I were married in Whitehorse, Yukon in early November many years ago. As a result, the welcoming weather conditions we experienced upon exiting the church were somewhat more severe. We faced a howling blizzard which was accompanied by a temperature reading of -30 F.

In spite of our chilly start, we spent an additional five years in the Land of the Klondike. Over time we actually became used to, and enjoyed, the 20 hours of darkness in winter and the 20 hours

‘Anec-dotage’

ETCETERA 13.indd 8 09/11/2010 10:57

Etcetera 9

of sunlight in the summer. I actually organised a tennis tournament on the longest day. It commenced at 10 p.m. and ended at 2.30 a.m. At no time during play did we require any form of artificial light. However, as I recall some of the line calls were somewhat questionable.

We left Whitehorse as the result of a transfer to Vancouver followed by yet another transfer to Calgary where my working days came to a close. At that time I was the Director of Credit Administration for Westfair Foods, a major food wholesale/retail corporation. Eight years ago we retired to Taber, a small farming community in Southern Alberta.

Sandy Ferns (1960)

Although not quite old enough to qualify for this distinguished group on his own merits, our next contributor gets in on the grounds that he is largely quoting his father who left The Academy in 1927…

My father, Daniel Ure who left the Academy, I think, in 1927 used to tell me (I left in 1965) that the English master Peter Couper, whose staccato, meticulous dictation exercises were famous (see page 108 of Iain Macleod’s history), made such an impression on former pupils that, one night in the trenches, a Glasgow voice was reciting (to remind himself of home, no doubt) a Peter Couper exercise and to his amazement was answered with its continuation by another Academical voice further down the trench... Who knows? Maybe apocryphal.

I was taught English in Room D by Ben Aston. Room D, I was told, was also Peter Couper’s room. It looked ancient. According to my father another Couper exercise was parsing a very complex sentence. One, based on a real instance, apparently began, ‘Did not that drummer boy enter this room right quietly...’ The sentence might not have terminated for weeks.

Another Great War-related story from my father was of the Rector Edwin Temple ushering into a classroom a wounded ex-serviceman to allow him to sell trinkets to the boys. The respect shown by the middle-aged Temple for those who had fought - but now were paupers - was deeply moving.

David Ure (1965)

One of the very rare ‘errors of judgement’ made by the Rector Dr Roydon

Richards was in 1946 after the war, when he agreed to let the school hold its own ‘General Election’. There were the traditional candidates plus a Scottish Nationalist (with his personal piper) and the last, and by far the most enterprising, was the Communist candidate. I think he was a sixth former, and the son of a Glasgow University Professor. This candidate had the full support of the Glasgow Communist Party which was very active at that time as ‘Uncle Joe’ Stalin was still held in some affection.

Morning assembly in the school well was interrupted by numerous ‘Red’

leaflets floating down from above on both teachers and pupils alike, but the laughter was not shared by the Rector. Lunch times were punctuated by political speeches from the steps of the Junior School, and the Communists even provided professional Party speakers. The climax to these events was the Hammer and Sickle flying proudly from the school flagpole, and a picture of this appearing in the then Glasgow Herald. Needless to say, to the best of my recollection, there were no further ‘General Elections’ held.

JCW Macdonald (1948)

Colin Tennant (1998), Stuart Low (1998), and Robbie Low (1993) recently ‘ran’ into each other in Denver, Colorado. Colin had just finished ‘the world’s hardest half-marathon race’; a gruelling 13.1m uphill assault on Pike’s Peak, a massive 14,000ft mountain in the Rocky Mountains. He overcame severe altitude sickness to achieve this remarkable athletic feat. Colin arrived from his sea-level home in Seattle, Washington just hours before the start. Next year, he plans to acclimatise first before running!

Meanwhile, the Brothers Low embarked on an equally-improbable adventure by competing against leading amateur and professional athletes from around the world in The GoreTex Trans Rockie Run - a multi-day 60-mile trail-running race that transcends the North American

continental divide and involves more than 12,000ft of elevation gain along the way!

Overall, Robbie finished 10th and Stuart 13th. A notable success when you consider that Stuart’s training involved no more than irregular appearances for the Hawks’ 2nd XV and a single 8-mile training run from Paisley to Hyndland. Likewise, work and family commitments in Hartford, Connecticut kept Robbie from any serious mountain training. Our photo (below) shows Stuart and Robbie mid-race at 12,500ft after completing a 4,000ft climb up Hope Pass.

In 2012, these three runners are plotting to race each other Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim 50 miles across the Grand Canyon (down-up-down-up). Other Mountain Goats are welcome!

Accie Mountain Goats

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10 Etcetera

Births

Ben Bannatyne (1989)

Please find attached photo of my wife Magda and our 4-year-old son, Samuel, together with the latest addition, Dylan Ray, born in Warsaw on 31 June 2010.

Dylan has not yet managed a trip to Scotland but will be returning with us on 11 December when we head back to Glasgow to celebrate former pupil Ian Morrison’s 40th Birthday.

Michael Currie (1995)

Hazel and I had a son called Robert Currie born on 6 June 2010 in Paisley.

Bruce Fraser (1999)

Rosmery Calixtro-Villegas, wife of Bruce, gave birth to a daughter, Mikela, on 13 January 2010, in Lima, Peru.

Ian McAslan (1992)

Ian and his wife Emma are delighted to announce the birth of Alice Elizabeth Mary McAslan on 7 September 2010 at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Richard McKnight (1995)

Richard and Joanne McKnight are delighted to announce the arrival of Lewis Johnstone on 10 August 2010 - a little brother for Olivia.

Marriages

Sarah-Lynn Ballantyne (2000)

Sarah married Yaw Ofori Nyadu on 24 July 2010, at Glasgow University Chapel.

Joanna Cram (2000)

Joanna and Michael Brown married on 1 August 2010 at Dunkeld House Hotel.

Graham Fraser (1995)

Graham married Irina Fedirina in Bangkok, Thailand, on 18 January 2009. They have returned to living in Stavropol, Russia.

Announcements

Sarah-Lynn Ballantyne and Yaw Ofori Nyadu

Joanna Cram and Michael Brown

Top: Magda, Samuel and Dylan Bannatyne

Above: Olivia, Joanne, Richard and Lewis McKnight

Mikela Fraser Alice Elizabeth Mary McAslan

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Etcetera 11

Andrew Hosie (1996)

On 7 August 2010 in Toronto, Andrew Eric Ross Hosie, elder son of Allan and Fiona Hosie, Ayr, to Laura May Richardson, younger daughter of Archie and Stanley Richardson, Lindsay, Ontario.

Andrew’s brother, Malcolm (1999) was one of the Groomsmen. Their mother Fiona (Gillanders) Hosie (1963) was at Westbourne while Inez (Comrie) Murray (1969) was one of the guests - so Westbourne and The Academy were well represented. Andrew is now refereeing rugby at a high level - like father, like son! - and is currently a Vice-President Risk Manager with Marsh, Toronto.

Andrew adds: I was also appointed to Rugby Canada’s National Refereeing

Panel in January. This season, I was appointed to referee England Counties vs. Ontario on their recent tour to Canada and was also appointed to referee in Portugal at the World University Sevens this past July.

Jenna Weir and Grant Strang (2002)

Grant Strang and Jenna Weir (both of 2002) were married in Ayrshire on 20 August this year. It really was an absolutely fantastic day from beginning to end! It was also a highly ‘FP’ affair, with no fewer than 11 former pupils of The Academy and Westbourne (not including the Bride and Groom) playing a special part in the day, with their roles ranging from the Minister - Grant’s Uncle, Martin

Strang (1972), the Best Man - Murray Strang (1999), to the Matron of Honour - Stephanie Hutton (2002) (nee Wright).

Owain Williams (2000)

Owain married Angela on Saturday 5 June 2010 at Our Lady and St Mark’s RC Catholic Church, Alexandria.

Andrew Hosie as the Groom… and as the rugby referee

Above: Owain Williams and Angela

Jamie A Wright (2000)

18 September 2010 at Old Basing, Hampshire, Jamie married Emily Blount and was well supported by his two best men, his brother Craig (2003), his cousin Ross Weir (2000) and his ‘baby’ brother Kerr (2007) was chief usher!

Left: Jamie A Wright and Emily Blount

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12 Etcetera

UpdatesKay Bartlett (2006)

Many congratulations to Kay who has recently been capped for the first time in the full Scotland Ladies’ hockey team.

Morven Cameron (2000)

I graduated from the University of Manchester with a first-class honours degree in Neuroscience (2005), and went on to complete a PhD in Neuroscience concentrating on rhythms in retinal function. I then moved to Sydney University in Jan 2009 where I worked for a year on visceral pain, before taking up my current position at the University of Western Sydney working on the Australian Bionic Eye Project aimed at restoring vision through electrical stimulation of the retina.

I got engaged to Neil Rae in March 2010 and we plan to marry on the shores of Loch Lomond on 6 August 2011.

David Cockburn (1966)

I feel dreadfully embarrassed but after announcing my award from the Air League in the last issue, I am apparently to receive the James Martin Medal for outstanding work in aviation safety from the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) at the Guildhall in London on 21 October.

Neil Dowers (2005)

I graduated with first-class honours in Law and German language from Glasgow University last summer, and am currently studying for a Master’s in law at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). I am here with the help of a scholarship from the generous St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York.

Al Fleming (1962)

I can let you know that after immigrating to Canada more than 40 years ago and spending almost that entire time in Canada, broken only by an eight-year stint in the USA, I have just become a Canadian citizen. The application process began just over one year ago and culminated with the hour-long ceremony that took place on 13 October in Windsor.

You may be interested to learn that there are two such ceremonies held each month in Windsor alone and dozens more across the country on the same schedule. At mine, there were 32 new citizens sworn in from 19 countries. Only one was from Scotland! The ceremony was particularly friendly for me since I am on first name terms with the citizenship judge as a result of our involvement supporting the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. Afterwards - at a ‘photo op’ - the judge enquired why it took me so long to apply and I told her: I now get a lump in my throat when I hear or sing Oh Canada; I now have more family here than in Scotland and a sage old Scotsman, Steve

McCann (who was MD of Hiram Walker, Scotland) told me years ago that one doesn’t change citizenship like changing one’s shirt. I certainly followed that piece of advice. With tongue in cheek, I also remarked that when you’re over 55 years of age you’re exempt from the citizenship test. Finally, since judgeships are federal political appointments, I stated that I thought we finally had some of the right stuff in Ottawa. She nodded enthusiastically in agreement. So there you have it.

In 1966 when I sailed to Canada on the Empress of Canada (which I believe became the founding ship of Carnival Cruise Lines) I shared a cabin with fellow Accie David Hall. We remain in close communication although David returned to the UK in the 70s. Canada’s rugby programme has no doubt been the poorer for that.

Stuart Grant (1986)

Stuart and his wife Antonia and four-year-old daughter Serena are returning to Hong Kong in November 2010. Stuart has worked for The Blackstone Group in London since 2000 and will co-head their real estate private equity business in Asia. Stuart and Antonia lived and met in Hong Kong in the 1990s and are looking forward to returning to the Far East. Stuart’s sister, Claire Locking, who went to school at Craigholme also lives in Hong Kong with her husband Tom and two boys.

Graham Fraser and Irina Fedirina (see page 10)

Al Fleming

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Etcetera 13

and Etcetera - it’s always great to see these coming through the letterbox.

Donald MacLean (1944)

My ‘biog-blogs’ (www.the-life-of.me) which featured in an early Etcetera, are now being read by several hundred new visitors a week from every corner of the globe, and I have a growing ‘fan-club’ ... reminding me of the now-long-ago days when I produced the ‘McFlannels’ weekly ‘soap’ in Scotland and the first ‘Come Dancing’ programmes on TV in London.

Jon McLeish (1999)

I spent over six years working as an Account Manager for a leading Scottish Advertising Agency on accounts as varied as Rocco Forte Hotels, Kronenbourg, Gala Bingo, Coca-Cola and VisitScotland. Specialising in creative advertising, we produced a number of award-winning campaigns in TV, radio and press advertising. The experience of this gave me a thirst to develop my knowledge of the marketing industry on the client side (or the dark side as it’s affectionately called in advertising) and so I worked as a Brand Manager for Bulmers Cider

Scotland as MD, joining the main board in another year. All went well for eight years or so when it was decided to close the Glasgow Office (the only profitable one!) and send us all to Manchester, which three of us refused to do. I joined GT Senio on a part time basis for a further two years before retiring aged 59.

I have survived 27 years of retired life, lucky indeed, and recently celebrated a diamond wedding with my dear wife Jean who has put up with me for all that time. Our one sadness was to lose our eldest at 52 years, after having had four different types of cancer, just a year before her son graduated with honours law degree from Edinburgh. Fortunately our son and his three survive, as does our younger daughter and her family.

Neil McGhee (1987)

I am now in the role of Regional Guards and Revenue Protection Manager for First Great Western. Currently leading a team of 11 managers, responsible for a team of approximately 200 on-train colleagues. My region includes Paddington, Reading, Redhill and Worcester. I have been doing this job for nearly two years now, having previously carried out various roles within Central Trains and then London Midland after spending twelve years working for National Air Traffic Services.

Outside of work I continue to be happily married to Dee (14 years now!) and we have a fabulous daughter, Tamzin, who is 8 years old.

Trust all is well with the old school. Keep up the good work with the Chronicle

Stuart Hardie (1964)

I’m currently working on a little adventure proposed for 2011. Between 15 March and 23 April, I’ll be running from John O’ Groats to Land’s End. That equates to 40 marathons in 40 days... all done in the expectation of raising £1,000,000.00 for Wooden Spoon, the rugby charity for children. See details at http://www.jogtole.co.uk

Colin Hope (1943)

I have been very lucky since I left TGA. Firstly, in 1942, I survived 41/2 years in the RAF Regiment - serving in the UK, Sicily, Italy and back to the UK from July 44. I suffered from malaria, both types picked up in Sicily and Italy (non-malignant and malignant) not to be recommended! Landed in York Military Hospital with a temperature of 106 Degrees but was then graded 3 UK only which lasted till VE Day. Then to RAF Regiment HQ - Grantham and RAF Catterick, eventually rising to SNCO I/C Holding squadron in orderly room when not on leave! Learned one-finger typing - never realised how useful it would be when computers were invented!!

After demob in 1946 and the worst winter for goodness knows how long, I started in Insurance brokers A R Stenhouse & Partners Ltd and became a Director in 1949 (had advantage of nepotism - my Dad was a director but qualified as a Fellow of Chartered Insurance Institute). I held various jobs in this organisation, being director in charge of Leicester, Dundee and Aberdeen before being appointed vice chairman of our Lloyd’s organisation with a view to moving to London and almost buying a 4-bedroom house in Moor Park for £14,000!

Then the spoon was stirred and I was sent on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see our Oz and Kiwi companies and came back via New York and sailed back on the Old Queen Elizabeth to Southampton, all at company’s expense. Very good indeed! Little did I think I would visit Oz 15 more times and NZ seven more times, not to mention 13 trips to South Africa and South Rhodesia as MD of Stenhouse International and vice chairman of overseas companies for years between 1962 and 1968. When it was decided to move our HQ from Glasgow to London, I refused to go and was side-lined into travel for six years. At the end of 1973, I resigned and joined Norman Frizzell

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14 Etcetera

and Regional Marketing Manager for SUBWAY Scotland.

I decided to leave the industry in late 2009 to pursue a life-long ambition of working in sport. I was fortunate to work as a consultant for football teams in the UK, scouting matches across the UK and Europe and have even travelled as far as South Africa and Israel to watch players. This role has led to working as an intermediary between clubs, players and agents helping to develop relationships which have resulted in the creation of player transfers, club team tours and sponsorship agreements.

In October 2010, I agreed to join the Irish-based sports agency Platinum One to head up their operations in the UK as a Senior Executive. Platinum One specialise in athlete representation, organising team events and tours and creating PR and Sponsorship deals for events and clients. We currently represent Rugby players such as the Irish Rugby Union stars Jamie Heaslip, Gordon D’Arcy, Johnny Sexton and Luke Fitzgerald as well as working closely with Real Madrid and Barcelona whom we have brought over to the UK and Ireland in recent years for pre-season tours and matches.

If any Accies that have made it in the sporting world are interested, please give me a call! I also have a business supplying luxury golfing packages to the Augusta Masters. Our website is www.augustamasters.net and I will happily supply an Academy discount for anyone that may be interested - but be quick as demand is very high!

Fraser Meek (2002)

Gregor Andrew Charles Meek (2000) married Miss Stephanie Banks on July 30 2010 at Orchardhill Parish Church, Giffnock. I was honoured in being his best man. The reception was held at the Crutherland Hotel in East Kilbride, and was well attended by plenty of Academicals. Grant Strang (2002) also played a big part in the day by being the piper, and put in a sterling effort. (No doubt the Strangs will have something to write for the next issue of Etcetera also!). Gregor and Steph want to say thank you to everyone who made it such a special day.

Gregor and I attended The Glasgow Academy from the ripe old age of 4 years old, and left in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Both of us attended the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow and graduated

with BEng (Hons) in Naval Architecture with Small Craft Engineering. Since graduating from University in 2004, Gregor has had a highly successful career as a Marine Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy with P&O Cruises and has been working onboard MV Oceana for the last 5 years. He has recently been promoted to 1st Engineer Officer which is extremely rare for someone of Gregor’s age, even more so given the fact that he has been with the company for such a short time and is testament to Gregor’s professionalism.

Stephanie and Gregor met on Oceana whilst Steph worked on board.

On another note, I am also in the Merchant Navy and am working as a 3rd Engineer Officer for P&O Australia. We both know we owe a huge amount to the education we received at The Academy - it has helped us to get where we are. Please can you pass on our regards to all the teaching staff, most notably the maths department (especially Mr Evans!) and let them know how we are both getting on.

Elizabeth Robertson (2006)

I completed the 51-mile cycle route from Glasgow to Edinburgh on Sunday 12 September. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere buzzing! The first 30 miles went well, much to my surprise, with a stop at Avonbridge for some home baking and finishing with a lovely lunch in the sun at Linlithgow Palace. Then

another ten miles to Kirkliston. And then it was the final terrifying ten into Edinburgh...

I think runners call it ‘hitting the wall’... it certainly felt like it! Having felt the initial joy of ‘WOW only 10 miles left!’, this was soon overtaken by aches, pains and fatigue and I found myself asking, ‘Jeeeez, when will this end? That has to have been ten miles by now?! Surely they’ve made a mistake...!’ They hadn’t.

Suddenly being in second gear was feeling strenuous and the end was not in sight. But I powered through and crossed the finish line having taken around 4h 20mins to complete the route. I’m very happy to say that I did not dismount at any point despite numerous Everest-esque challenges along the way. It was a great experience and very well organised.

I felt surprisingly fresh the next day. Those padded Lycra numbers were a god send! I would just like to thank all those who sponsored me. I have managed to double my target of £300 and think I may even manage to cross the £600 mark with some late arrivals. FABB (A Scottish disability charity) would also like to thank you; your support will fund vital services for many lives of young disabled people across Scotland, particularly our week and weekends away next summer!

I am contemplating signing up again next year… anyone interested?

Gregor Andrew Charles Meek and Stephanie

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Etcetera 15

Chance meetings - any takers for a new series?David Dow (1969)

The summer edition of Etcetera described an encounter between two Academicals who had not met for 67 years. That made me wonder if this could be the start a series of items on chance meetings.

To start the ball rolling, I found myself standing beside Sydney harbour one day in the early 70s, waiting for the start of a tour of historic Sydney on foot. Looking around the assembling group, I spotted a tall, dark-haired man who, despite the sunglasses, looked familiar. He clearly recognised me. On the removal of the sunglasses, I realised that it was Colin Black, who taught in the Academy from the late 60s until the mid 70s. This was July, and it transpired that his regular practice was to leave Glasgow as soon as the summer term ended, fly to Australia and take a supply teaching job through the Australian winter. He was then back at the Academy for the start of the autumn term. I never discovered if his colleagues knew of his parallel career down under!

I kept in touch with him for a few years thereafter. When I last heard of him he had settled in Australia and was the headmaster of Camberwell Grammar School in Melbourne. I don’t know if he spent the Australian summer holidays doing supply teaching in Scotland!

Nick Rogers (1956)

In September, my wife and I visited with family in Scotland and England.

For additional excitement, I ran in the Glasgow half-marathon – ‘The Great Scottish Run’ – and thoroughly enjoyed that experience (perhaps some year the organisers could have the race routed along Great Western Road, past the end of Colebrooke Street!). My running career actually started at Glasgow Academy - I seem to recall that, when it was too wet to play cricket, we were instructed to go out on a 3 or 4 mile run (or perhaps the gymnastic teacher didn’t know what else to do with us). After that I was with the Glasgow University Hares and Hounds, and eventually a participant in mass running events once these became popular.

I’ve been in the Minneapolis/Twin Cities area (in Edina, an inner suburb) for over 30 years - and we’re lucky to have our three grandchildren close by. Professionally I’m still active, mostly based at the Hennepin County Medical Center (teaching hospital for the University of Minnesota).

I do very much enjoy Etcetera - it’s a very attractive publication, so different from the old stodgy Chronicle!

Eunah Shin (2003)

After stints in Edinburgh and Manchester during her training contract, Eunah has returned to the Big Smoke to qualify as an energy solicitor in the London office of McGrigors. She has recently discovered that being an Accie brings with it recognition - imagine her shock to be asked by a partner in the firm if she was in The Academy’s production of Joseph... some eight years ago!

Iain Smith (1971)

My third child, Michael (2003), after graduating in Politics from Edinburgh in 2009, went on the Mongul Rally with a friend in the summer of 2009 (Prague to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia) raising money for Mongolian charities and having fun in the process. He has a few tales to tell which included a car crash on the Russian - Mongolian border, in which he was seriously injured. He has made a nearly miraculous complete recovery. He is currently in the middle of one year teaching English in Tokyo (TEFL).

Grant Strang and Jenna Weir (see page 11)

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16 Etcetera

DeathsAlan S Andrews (1959)

Alan Andrews passed away suddenly in January 2006. A number of his Glasgow Academy school friends have noted their wish that this tribute to him be reprinted here, by kind permission of The Morrisonian Club.

‘Alan was, in large measure, a Glasgow man. A former head boy of The Academy, he attended Glasgow University. Graduating in 1963, he trained as a teacher at Jordanhill, and then taught English for six years at Kelvinside. In 1969 he upped sticks and moved to Crieff, as head of the English Department at Morrison’s Academy Boys’ School until 1979, and from 1979 to 2002 at the linked school. During his 32 years there, Alan served under five rectors and saw many changes. Colleagues came and went; a multitude of pupils passed through the school gates.

As a teacher, Alan was notable for his clarity of thought and elegance of expression, in speech, on paper, and even on the blackboard. He valued these qualities in his pupils, especially if they were accompanied by a touch of humour or a flash of wit. He relished the interpretation of great literature, and had a special empathy with the poets of the 1914-18 War, whose values he greatly respected. Yet what was most distinctive about Alan’s professional career was his contribution to school life.

Over 32 years he voluntarily gave his time and talents to four main areas of activity. For 25 years he coached rugby at Colts level, insisting always on high standards of effort and on-field conduct, and deriving satisfaction from the successes of teams and individuals as they came along. Cricket didn’t suit him temperamentally, but umpire it he did, of course. Over the years music at Morrison’s benefited from his skill as an accompanist on piano and organ, be it at major musical events or on less formal occasions. The School’s Carol Services he helped instigate, and they embodied his love of music and love of language, in the kind of formal setting he enjoyed.

He helped initiate the School Climbing Club in 1972. Camps were held in the Cairngorms, Glen Etive and Glen Nevis, and there were regular single-day trips to local peaks. A school magazine of that era tells of such a day: ‘we were flakered,

but full of pride’, records a pupil after a hard day on Ben More. Last of these principal areas was Alan’s editorship of ‘The Morrisonian’. He saw it primarily as a record of the life of a lively school.

This is by no means a comprehensive account of what Alan gave to Morrison’s Academy (remarkably he didn’t miss a School Sports Day in 32 years); but surely the point is made. He will be missed.’

Colin M Atkinson (1957)

17 June 1939 - 13 September 2010

Colin was born in Edinburgh before moving with his family to Glasgow. He attended Mearns Primary and Glasgow Academy before going on to gain a BSc in agriculture from Glasgow University and returned to The Academy in the 1990s to serve a full, six-year term, as a Governor of the Trust.

On leaving school, he joined the Glasgow Academical Club and remained one of its most dedicated supporters. He captained the first team in cricket, served as president in 1998-99 and was the current chairman of the Sports Section. Colin was also a keen golfer, being a member of the Eastwood and Boat of Garten golf clubs. His love of all sports and the city where he grew up were encapsulated in his role for the past three years as Chairman of the Sports Council for Glasgow.

As a civil servant in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Colin rose to the post of principal agricultural officer within the Scottish Office. It was while posted to the north with the department that Colin first became well known as a leading badminton player in Inverness and Dingwall leagues. Later he moved into badminton coaching and administration. He coached many international players and managed the Scotland team in two

world championships. Colin served as vice-president (‘83-’87) and president (‘87-’89) of BADMINTONscotland and as deputy championship director of numerous international tournaments. Colin continued to serve as a senior member of the management team as chair of the finance committee and Convenor of the West of Scotland Badminton Group until his death.

Colin was rightly recognised as one of those unassuming heroes who quietly served others; he received a lifetime achievement award from Glasgow City Council, the International Badminton Federation meritorious service award and a Sports Council for Glasgow 30-year volunteer service award.

Colin and Moira celebrated 35 years of happy marriage in September and he was a beloved father to Hilary and Michael (who was also a pupil at Glasgow Academy from ‘86 to ‘99). Colin will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Lindsay Crawford (1972), GAC President

Alastair B Carnegie (1950)

31 December 1931 - 20 August 2010

The most kindly, witty and generous of men, Alastair was a friend of everyone he met. He was a natural ball player. A member of the 1st XI for three years, he shared an unusual distinction with his son David (1982). Both slow left arm bowlers, they each took a hat trick in school matches. Alastair captained the Academicals in 1956. Not built for rugby, he was a skilled hockey player for Western, being close to international level.

After service in the 1st HLI, he served in the Glasgow Highlanders for many years. A lawyer of the old school, he was greatly respected as a gifted draftsman, specializing in corporate contracts, conveyancing and licensing agreements. Those who remember his handwriting must have admiration for those members of his staff tasked with helping to produce these complicated documents. And for a lawyer of the old school, he had an unexpected interest in modern jazz.

Alastair gave to his community through years of service to St Luke’s church, Milngavie (an Elder for forty-three years and Session Clerk for sixteen), Abbeyfield Society, Western Hockey Club, Bearsden and Milngavie Sports Club, Glasgow Old Folks Society and the Tannoch Loch Association.

JS Murray (1950)

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Etcetera 17

James W Cordiner (1963)

16 March 1946 - 9 August 2010

James Wilson Cordiner was born in Coatbridge and attended Glasgow Academy between 1953 and 1963, of which he had many fond memories. James studied medicine at Glasgow University and graduated in 1969 before becoming a leading consultant obstetrician who took on many administrative and advisory roles at local, national and international levels.

James died suddenly while on holiday in Carradale. He was a beloved husband of Carolyn, loving father of Matthew and Ruth, proud father-in-law to Alison, loyal brother to Robert and much-loved uncle, cousin and brother-in-law. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Brian Fairgrieve OBE (1945)

21 February 21 1927 - 8 August 2010

Brian was born in Cambuslang. He attended The Glasgow Academy between 1938 and 1943 before going on to graduate MB ChB from Glasgow University. His career was interrupted by national service as 2/6th Gurkha Rifles medical officer, initially in Kluang, Johore, on the south Malayan peninsula and later in Segamat.

On his return to Scotland, after surgical posts at Killearn Hospital, the Western Infirmary and Stobhill Hospital, Brian went to Falkirk Royal Infirmary on a temporary basis in 1957. He was appointed general surgeon there three years later and stayed until taking early retirement in 1987. During the 1960s, at the invitation of Scottish Central Police, he was instrumental in setting up one of the country’s first mobile accident units. He also gave up his time to lecture the emergency services on the latest techniques, became a member of the Council of St Andrew’s Ambulance Association and was regularly invited to lecture and examine at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan.

Brian’s outstanding scouting service, which eventually led to serving as a county, area and region commissioner and area president, had begun as a youth with the 138th Glasgow Scout Group in Cambuslang. Awarded the Scouts’ Silver Wolf in 1983 for services of the most exceptional character over many years, an OBE followed in 1987 for services to international Scouting. Brian also became a deputy lord lieutenant for Falkirk and

Stirling Districts, served as president of Falkirk Rotary Club and as an honorary vice-president of Grangemouth Rugby Club.

Stuart M Fraser (1949)

5 November 1932 - 9 September 2010

Suddenly at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, after a long illness, patiently borne, Stuart Matthew Fraser CA, formerly a partner with Ernst and Young, dearly-loved husband and best friend of Jean, dear dad of Martin, Marjorie and Alan, a much-loved father-in-law and an adored grandad.

John C Goudie (1938)

25 December 1919 - 20 September 2010

Peacefully, in his 91st year, at home, Rev John Carrick Goudie CBE, MA, RN (Retd), formerly HM The Queen’s Principal Chaplain to The Free Churches in the Royal Navy. A dear brother, beloved uncle and dearly-loved friend

Donald C Lorimer (1949)

26 February 1932 - 2 August 2010

Peacefully, at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow on Monday 2 August 2010, Donald Cameron Lorimer, beloved husband of Hazel and a dear father of Pauline, Peter and Jane, much loved grandad of Adam, Emma, Kirsty and James.

A Bruce B Mitchell (1965)

4 November 1946 - 31 August 2010

Alistair Bruce Boyd Mitchell was born in 1946, the second-eldest of four sons, his brothers being Graeme (1968), Wallace (1970) and the late Robin (1961). At the age of 5 he started at The Glasgow Academy where he remained until he completed his education in 1965. He

was a Prefect, a Colour Sergeant in the CCF and a member of the School 1st XV of 1964-65. I was one of his team mates then and I remember him forming probably the smallest second row unit in 1st XV history with John Hardie. Despite their lack of height, they turned out to be a formidable combination and played a large part in the success of that team. I know it gave him great pride, as it did me, to watch our sons Graeme and Richard 30 years on, in 1994-95, replicating their fathers’ efforts in the School 1st XV.

He went on to become a Chartered Accountant serving his apprenticeship with Nelson Gilmour & Smith, before moving to French & Cowan, then his own company and latterly spending 19 years as a Partner at T B Dunn & Co. Bruce served the Academical Club as its Treasurer between 1996 and 2000. He was a keen supporter and sponsor of all things Academical and also helped manage an experimental under 19s Rugby Team.

He loved his fishing, rugby, curling and especially his golf. He was a life member of Pollok Golf Club where, at the time in 1988-89, he became the youngest ever Captain. He had also recently joined Western Gailes Golf Club. He played his golf with the same steely determination that he approached most things that he did. In fact I was told that the night before he died he had won a semi-final tie at Pollok winning on the 14th hole. With the final not able to be played, it was decided unanimously that the trophy should be shared and his son Graeme recently accepted this on his behalf at the Prize Giving Dinner.

All your many friends will miss you, Bruce, but none more so than your wife Dodie, daughter Lindsay and son Graeme.

Graeme McKnight (1965)

Robin B Pollock (1959)

27 March 1943 - 7 August 2010

Peacefully, after a short illness, Robin Boyd Pollock, of Gatehouse, Kirkcudbrightshire, formerly of Trigony House Hotel, Thornhill and of Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, loving husband of Thelma Ann and brother of David.

Matthew U Sim (1936)

16 June 1918 - 8 September 2010

Peacefully, at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, Matthew Urie Sim,

ETCETERA 13.indd 17 09/11/2010 10:58

18 Etcetera

MA, LLb, formerly of Pattison & Sim Solicitors, Paisley, beloved husband of Peggy, much loved father of Rosemary and Graeme and devoted grandfather of Stuart, Fiona, Matthew and Julia. Will be sadly missed by all family and friends.

Douglas K Stirrat (1930)

23 September 1914 - 3 October 1910

Douglas Kerr Stirrat attended Glasgow Academy between 1922 and 1930 and became a member of the territorial army there before enlisting in the regular army, where he became a major in the 77th Highland Field Regiment. During the second world war, he served in various campaigns in France, Greece, North Africa, Egypt and at Monte Cassino in Italy. He was a survivor of Dunkirk and was awarded the Military Cross in Tunisia in 1943.

After the war, he resumed his employment with a well-known Glasgow metal merchant, R M Easdale, where he became Managing Director until he retired in the late 1970s. In 1967 he was elected President of the British Secondary Metals Association.

Sport - tennis, squash and golf - were important pastimes. He was a member of Glasgow Golf Club and played golf nearly all his life until an injury at 90 meant his visits to the club became more sedentary. He curled at Partick Curling Club, where he became president in 1976-77 and later enjoyed the occasional game of bowls at Titwood Bowling Club.

He spent his last few months at Erskine in Bishopton where he was well looked after.

He was very happily married for over 60 years to Catriona, who pre-deceased him in 2009 and is survived by his younger brother, Ian (1934), his daughters Sheila and Fiona, his son, David and five grandchildren.

David Stirrat (1970)

W Smith Syme (1950)

25 October 1932 - 12 June 2010

William Smith Syme passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at home in Galloway. A beloved husband of Judy, much loved father and a devoted Grandpa.

Geoffrey Payman (Former Head of English)

I first met Geoff Payman when I joined the staff of the Academy in 1975. He was Head of the English Department, and, as a historian, I had for some time little to do with him. However, when one day in the Common Room I happened to mention that, unusually, I had taken my family up Ben Lomond, he appeared to take notice, and shortly afterwards invited me to accompany him up another mountain, Ben Lawers.

So began my initiation into serious hill walking, in all conditions, and I could scarcely have had a better mentor. I learnt that Geoff had already climbed all the Munros (3000 feet plus), and had stravaiged far and wide on mountains overseas (though he was never a technical climber with ropes, pitons and so on); in his younger days he had thought little of covering forty miles in a day on foot.

Over the following years, Geoff guided me expertly on very many forays in the Highlands. I was far from being his only pupil in that field, however: he introduced numerous Academy boys to the joys of the Scottish mountains, taking small groups to remote destinations in his own campervan. Many of these will be grateful to him for enlisting them in a sport which can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

On our walks together, and later, when we were both retired and met fairly regularly for a blether, I learnt more about him. With a First at Oxford, Geoff could well have pursued a vocation as a university don, but the remoteness of the ivory towers did not appeal - he preferred daily contact and interaction with young pupils, and, in addition to taking people into the hills, he involved himself with many of the school pantomimes, as well as putting on more serious dramas - a Macbeth was one production which particularly pleased him.

Geoff ate frugally, drank little if any alcohol, and climbed mountains, so it was astonishing and unfair when he suffered a heart attack in, I think, 1994 or thereabouts. This, unfortunately, greatly restricted his mountaineering, which had included treks in the Himalayas and other exotic ranges. Ironically, it was this episode which increased his consumption of alcohol: he heard that red wine is good for the heart, so he began to have a small glassful each day from one of those ghastly wine-boxes. It seemed to work: he didn’t have another cardiac episode,

though he had always to be careful.

Geoff combined a formidable intellect and a sharp wit. The Times crossword held few terrors, and a small group in the Common Room would put it rapidly to the sword daily. His wit was usually, but not always, of the gentle sort, but nonetheless effective; I remember his comment on a very abstrusely-written scholarly book was that he enjoyed the quotations best - he could understand them!

He was an inveterate traveller - most of his discretionary spending was on foreign holidays, and it is difficult to think of many attractive destinations he had not visited. When he had arrived, he would walk, sometimes with a dedicated group, as in the Himalayas, sometimes on his own, away from the popular resorts he reached under Saga’s auspices in his later years.

He did not, in his retirement, feel comfortable with groups, particularly at functions like parties; this was because of his increasing deafness, which left him a little isolated. With no family nearby, he relied on the society of a handful of friends, who enjoyed his humour, his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scottish mountains, his shrewd take on current affairs, and his help with crossword clues. I also valued his literary guidance - though we agreed to disagree about the merits or otherwise of Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy’ poems - and, although ill, only a few weeks before his death he put himself to the trouble of making a list of poems by WB Yeats that he thought worth my attention.

All this will, I hope, help to remind people what kind of man Geoff was. It was, however, a former pupil - no angel at the Academy - who summed him up more succinctly and at least as accurately: ‘He was a nice man, and an inspiring teacher’.

Could there be a better epitaph?

Donald Buchanan, Former Academy Staff

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Etcetera 19

My late Aunt Winnie – Winifred Helen Reid – taught in the Junior Classes of The Academy from 1925-42, when she left to marry Dr Archie Hyslop and moved to Melrose with him. She lived there for the rest of her long life, although Archie died suddenly, less than a year after their marriage. I recently gave the school the plaque which was presented to Winnie to mark her service at The Academy, and in case any of the older former pupils might remember her, offer this brief memoir of her life.

She was born in Alva, the fifth of seven children of William Reid, then Headmaster of Alva Academy, and of his wife Jessie Hunter. Winnie’s parents had both been pupil teachers, William in Maxwelltown, Jessie in Dalry, and had met at Dundas Vale Church of Scotland Teacher Training College in Glasgow. They moved to Shettleston in the early 1900s, for William to take on the Headship firstly of Wellshot Public School and later of Eastbank Academy.

Of Winnie’s three brothers, the oldest became an engineer, the next a minister, the third a doctor. After university and college studies, the girls all became teachers, and Winnie and Jessie lost their

men in the First World War. Winnie gained a first class degree from Glasgow University, as did her eldest sister, Alison, who later married Hector Hetherington, Principal of Glasgow University from 1936-61. Their youngest sister, Dine, was Head of the Preparatory Department at Park School for many years.

Much-loved teachers remembered

Miss WH Reid 1898-1993

William in Maxwelltown, Jessie in Dalry,

Winnie taught in Melrose Academy after she was widowed, and resisted at least one attempt to persuade her back to The Glasgow Academy. She lived in the beautiful Tweed House, overlooking the river, surrounded by the wonderful collection of Scottish Colourist paintings put together by Archie in the 1920s and 30s – bequeathed by Winnie to Aberdeen Art Gallery as The

Hyslop Collection. She became one of the first female elders of the

kirk in Melrose, and was a wonderful source of love and support, challenge and encouragement to her many nephews and nieces over the decades.

She must have been a great teacher, and The Academy was lucky to have her.

Euan Reid

Should any former pupils taught by Miss Reid wish to get in touch with Euan, he would be happy to hear from you via the External Relations offi ce at exrel@tga.org.uk

Glasgow Academy Staff 1938-39. Miss Reid is third from left in the front row.

Such was the affection in which Miss Reid was held that she was presented with this splendid plaque

on her ‘retirement’ when she married Dr Hyslop. The inscription reads ‘1925-1942 W.H.H. Faithful service well and truly done.

C.D.J.’

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20 Etcetera

Former pupil Colin Ingram (1987) gave this year’s Dallachy Lecture in the Cargill Hall on Thursday 7 October. Over 250 pupils, parents, staff and friends of The Academy (as well as Colin’s wife and mum!) were entertained and inspired by the story of his journey from Kelvinbridge to setting up his own production company in London’s West End.

Colin did stress to the S6 pupils that it was important to have the backing of a degree and a profession before pursuing one’s real passion in life; it was only after gaining a law degree at Edinburgh University and qualifying as an accountant that he moved south in 1996 to pursue his dream of working in theatre. Colin spent six years learning the ropes with Cameron Mackintosh, three years with Disney and two years at the Old Vic, working on such shows as Les Miserables, Billy Elliot and The Lion King. Since setting up Colin Ingram Ltd in 2006, he has produced a number of shows, including a sell-out stage version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s – an idea he credits to his wife Nadine. He is currently focused on his musical stage production of the Oscar-winning film Ghost. The show opens in London next year and, judging by how the Cargill Hall audience enjoyed the sneak previews, it looks set to be Colin’s next big success.

The careers evening was also an opportunity for the GAC President, Lindsay Crawford, to promote The GA 100 - a new organisation to provide careers advice and support for current pupils and young Academicals. The Glasgow Academy 100 will also arrange business and professional networking events for former pupils, parents and friends of The Academy. The first networking breakfast is scheduled for Thursday 24 February.

For more information on The GA 100, please e-mail Mark.Taylor@tga.org.uk

Events and Reunions

Colin with Simon Jones, The Academy’s current Head Boy

The Glasgow Academy 100

The Dallachy Lecture: ‘From the West End of Glasgow to London’s West End – a Journey’

number of well-informed and articu-late pupils expressed a genuine interest in engineering. If the pupils I spoke to can get a fraction of the enjoyment and satisfaction from their career that I have had in the first 25 years of mine, then they will have a great time!’

Al Brown (1979), Engineer

‘Given the popularity of my cho-sen career path I have over the years participated in various careers events. Experience dictates that such events are extremely beneficial to those who in-tend on studying Law at university. The individual pupils I met at the careers evening were courteous and ambitious and I wish them all the best with their university applications.’

Gillian Ross (2000), Advocate

‘By talking to people from different professions the careers evening opened up job opportunities I had previously not considered.’

Anna Ross S6

‘It was an experience which allowed me to gain new insights into and broaden my knowledge of law.’

Megan Dunbar S6

‘It was very useful and opened my eyes up to new career options such as psychology.’

Nicola Murray S6

The third Glasgow Academy Careers Evening was held in the Prep School Hall on Tuesday 28 September. Over 150 S4, S5 and S6 pupils made the most of the opportunity to talk to nearly 50 experts from over 20 professions ranging from dentists and doctors to osteopaths and anthropologists. The event was very informal with, simply, lots of opportunity to chat and fi nd out more; feedback has been very positive from both the careers advisors and pupils who attended...

‘The pupils were very interested in medicine and the four of us were kept very busy all evening. At one time there was even a queue! The pupils asked many well-informed and relevant ques-tions. Every pupil I spoke with was keen to maximise the opportunity the careers evening offered and found the discus-sions very helpful. I suspect Medicine has at least one recruit!’

Allan Reid (1975), Consultant Radiologist

‘It was good to be part of the careers night and I was impressed with the thoughtful questioning and the maturity of pupils interested in journalism.’

Leona Armstrong (Current Parent), Journalist

‘The careers evening was a great success from my perspective and that of all of the other engineers that I spoke to. A large

Careers Evening

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Etcetera 21

Forthcoming Events2010

3 December Class of 1980 Reunion at The Academy

7, 8, 9 and 10 December Fiddler on the Roof in The Cargill Hall (7 p.m.)

16 December Christmas Concert in the Cargill Hall (7 p.m.)

17 December Class of 2000 Reunion at The Academy

26 December 2010 Leavers’ GAC Reunion at Anniesland

2011

24 February GA100 Business Breakfast in Glasgow

25 February IVth Form of 1966-67 Class Reunion Dinner at Anniesland

Glasgow Academy IVth Form of 1966-67 Class Reunion Dinner – a date for your diaries…For those of you who were in the above year at school, the next Reunion Dinner will be held in the Clubhouse at New Anniesland on Friday 25 February 2011. This is the Friday before the Scotland v Ireland Rugby International at Murrayfield on the Sunday of that weekend.

I hope you can come to what is always an enjoyable and informal evening of meeting up with old friends and acquaintances from school.

Kenneth Russell, Brian Barclay and I shall contact as many of you as possible with more details very soon.

George McLaren (1970)

The Class of 1990

After-dinner speaker Christian Bruce (left) and Robin Duff share a joke

Class of 1990 – 20 year ReunionSeptember 17 2010 was to be a pivotal moment - the 20 year reunion of The Academy’s last ‘all-boys’ year – the Class of 1990. This particular vintage of Academical was characterised by a vast array of life, travel and career experiences, and represented by accountants, IT experts, lawyers, property professionals, military brass and professionals from a vast array of other industries.

The day began with a gathering at the Rector’s office, where old acquaintances were renewed between teachers and former pupils alike, followed by a tour of the school’s excellent new facilities.

The well-oiled party was then transported to Ibrox Stadium, home of Rangers FC, where Robin Duff had arranged a dinner reception in the austere surroundings of the main stand’s ‘Blue Room’.

The group was initially treated to a pitch-side visit and later a champagne reception in the illustrious Trophy Room. Thereafter a sumptuous three-course meal was enjoyed, which began with a welcome speech by Malcolm McNaught and mock ‘roll-call’ by former teacher, Ken Milton. Absentees were duly noted.

The dinner was topped off by an hilarious, poignant - and surprisingly musical - speech by Christian Bruce Esquire, the highlight of which was his falsetto reprise of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ from his prep days in Mrs MacKechnie’s choir. The laughter was to continue when Mr Tom Reid - a special guest from the decidedly more politically-correct Class of 2000 - delivered his patented stand up routine featuring his imaginary stalker Mr Tim Rieyad.

A final beverage or two was imbibed before various ‘splinter groups’ headed off into the night for more revelry. The day was a success all round and a strong desire to repeat the experience was expressed by all in attendance.

Special mention should go to Stuart Young, the Academical that travelled furthest (from Australia) to attend, and to Joanna of the External Relations Department for her sterling efforts.

Robin Duff (1990)

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22 Etcetera

Nick Lander is in many ways something of a contradiction: by his own admission a ‘low-key networker’ who is a ‘people person’ when it comes to business; a man of sometimes outspoken opinions who cares deeply about the opinions of others; a hard task master who undeniably expects most from himself.

Along with his brother Jonathan, he now runs Volvere plc a company that in his own words is ‘good at sorting out messes’ - the kinds of messes that companies can get themselves into when the people at the top have lost their way. Volvere offers two kinds of help: financial investment and management know-how. And the Lander brothers seem to be rather good at it. They took on the Vectra Group (a consulting business) at a time when it was making losses of almost £2.5 million a year and within a short time it was returning annual profits approaching £1 million. In 2005 they bought Sira - a petrol pump certification company - for £1.4 million and sold it in 2009 for over £8 million. These are only a couple of examples from an impressive portfolio.

Rewind over 25 years or so to when we first met - in my English classroom - and Nick would be the first to admit that, at school, his passion for ‘justice’ sometimes saw him getting into unnecessary conflicts on a point of principle over some perceived injustice. However he’s very grateful to those who took the time to get to know him better and - ultimately - to help develop his potential. The Deputy Rector of the day was one of those who did. ‘Jock Carruthers saw a slightly different character and put his arm round me metaphorically and gave me a bit of space... He used to punish me in a kind of just way - as if he understood.’

Nick is also keen to acknowledge the role of the CCF - something he initially hated - in helping him to develop skills he didn’t think he had. There’s a photograph from his fourth year at school of which he’s immensely proud - of a smiling young Nick holding a CCF rose bowl presented for ‘Leadership Skills’. ‘That was an enormous boost for me. It said, in effect, “You are someone that people will work for.” I needed that.’

After that endorsement, he had hopes

of being appointed a prefect for his final year at school. In the event he took what is now fashionably called a ‘gap year’ to work as a debt collector. That year taught him some of the skills that he has come to depend on in turning around ailing companies. ‘I had a lot of responsibility for a 17-year-old. I had the power to disconnect pub alarm systems, for example - something that landlords in the east end of Glasgow weren’t too keen on. I had to be decisive and look as if I meant business.’

Although accountancy wasn’t his first love at university, it led to a career as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand, thanks in part to the encouragement of Gordon Jack (currently Glasgow Academy’s Chairman of Governors). It was during his accountancy training that Nick fell in love with another accountant - Lorraine, now his wife - who was ‘far more conscientious’ than him and who

encouraged him to persevere.

Perhaps Nick’s biggest opportunity came when he was posted to a small subsidiary of APV, a food equipment manufacturer in Eastbourne. At first sight, it was a bit a mismatch: the firm was over 100 years old with a management team in their 50s; Nick was 28. Although it was a small business, they were leaking money and were in obvious need of some new ideas. ‘They seemed to like me and asked me to stay as MD. I wasn’t sure, but a colleague

suggested I do it for a year.’ In the event, Nick stayed for four years and was able to help the company turn itself around and get back in the black. ‘It was such a pleasure to be part of that success story,’ he reminisces.

And Nick’s part in that success story was recognised too as he was one of the finalists in the DHL Boss of the Year competition of 1997. It was only when APV was taken over by a bigger company that Nick felt that it may be time to move on and he joined Clyde Blowers as Corporate Development Director where, he says, ‘I learned a lot from Jim McColl and Alex Stewart, amongst others.’ However, still feeling

Business EtceteraA helping hand from the right people…Nowadays Nick Lander (1983) is a business trouble-shooter who - along with

his brother - specialises in putting broken companies back together. Malcolm

McNaught meets the man he first met as a pupil at Glasgow Academy nearly 30

years ago.

‘We have high expectations of the people who work for us. We expect people to work hard and to achieve

success. We’re supportive though - we don’t expect people to do things we

wouldn’t do ourselves.’

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Etcetera 23

that there was more that he could achieve independently, Nick joined his brother Jonathan, also an Academical, in April 2000 to work with him in Jonathan’s small investment business right at the point when the dotcom bubble burst. ‘It was interesting times for any company looking to invest in technology businesses but our investments performed well overall. We created Volvere in 2002 to focus on distressed investments and turnaround and that’s what we principally focus on today. I love the variety and the challenge.’

In uncertain times the last ten years have been good ones for the Lander brothers. As they say, ‘We’re prepared to put our

Moving up, moving on…

Neil Amner (1984)

Biggart Baillie, the leading Scottish law firm, recently announced the appointment of Neil Amner as the new Head of its Infrastructure, Environment and Transport team. ‘These are challenging times both for clients and for advisors; with challenges though come opportunities for those willing to show initiative and commitment. I look forward to leading the team in meeting the challenges ahead. In so doing I aim to build on our existing strengths and to seek out fresh opportunities.’

Jeffrey Chan (2006)

Jeffrey has qualified with a Master Degree in Engineering - First Class with Honours from Imperial College London. He will be working for Network Rail from September 2010.

Ian Moar (1969)

I left Glasgow Academy in 1969. I currently work in the US Department of Labor in Washington, DC, and I am the department’s senior counsel for workplace health standards. In November, I will start work as a policy adviser at the White House. I will be helping the Obama administration to review proposed regulations on health care.

Jack Perry (1972)

I was awarded a CBE for services to business in the New Year Honours List 2010. I served for six years until November 2009 as chief executive of Scottish Enterprise and I’m now pursuing a career as an independent non-executive director. In March 2010 I joined the Board of Robert Wiseman Dairies PLC. On 21 October 2010 I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Edinburgh Napier University.

Robert Ross (1991)

After working in Estate Agency for the last 8 years, I have finally opened up my own Estate and Letting Agency based in East Kilbride called Ross Estates. I have been open for the last two years and the business is going from strength to strength. I would welcome any business from any old school buddies; they should drop me a line at robert@ross-estates.co.uk - or call me on 01355 266605.

The Glasgow Academy Art Calendar

‘Christmas Cracker’

We are delighted to show off our young artists’ talent in our 2011 Calendar, retailing at a bargain price of

£5.00 each plus £1.00 P&P

Contact Susanne Rae on 0141 342 5494 or atexrel@tga.org.uk

The Glasgow Academy Art Calendar

money where our mouth is’ and they now have a proven track record of taking over ailing companies and bringing them back to rude health. When Nick describes their management philosophy, you can almost hear the echoes of one of his ‘firm but fair’ teachers at Glasgow Academy:

‘We have high expectations of the people who work for us. We expect people to work hard and to achieve success. We’re supportive though - we don’t expect people to do things we wouldn’t do ourselves.’

Somehow you just know that ‘Jock’ Carruthers would approve.

ETCETERA 13.indd 23 09/11/2010 10:58

24 Etcetera

Thank youWe would like to thank all benefactors who have supported our 2009-10 Appeal. Most donors continue to choose to make a gift to ‘Whatever the Academy Needs Most’ and Bursaries. The pie chart below shows which specific areas of school life donors have chosen to support. A full list of 2009-10 benefactors is shown opposite.

2009 - 2010 Regular Giving Appeal Final Report

The Kelvin FoundationThe second formal meeting of the Kelvin Foundation took place on Thursday 23 September at The Academy. Eleven of the 34 members of The Foundation were able to attend and – over lunch – received a personal update from the Rector, Peter Brodie, about the many successes and achievements of the pupils as well as a general overview of school matters.

Members were particularly pleased to hear that, despite economic fears, pupil numbers at The Academy continue to grow steadily and in line with our Development plans; the roll at the start of the new term in August was 1,288: the highest in the school’s history.

Membership of the Kelvin Foundation is by invitation and includes members of our community who indicate their intention to bestow a legacy gift to the school. If you would like to know more about Kelvin Foundation membership, please contact Mark Taylor on: Mark.Taylor@tga.org.uk or 0141 342 5494.

Regular Giving ResultsAchieving our target for 2009-10 means the school has been able to purchase a new rowing boat and kayak canoes as well as prepare for and schedule the resurfacing of the long jump pits at Anniesland. New instruments and uniforms have been bought for the Pipe Band - with many thanks to John Watson OBE (1965) - and Regular Giving has also been able to make a substantial contribution to Bursaries and preparations for developing the tenement buildings the school now owns on Colebrooke Street and Colebrooke Place.

2010-2011Our 2010-2011 Appeal has just been launched. We have decided to focus on Bursaries again because many Academy families need help with fees in the current downturn.

We would also be delighted to receive support for the following projects:

• Sport Performance Software

• Benches on Colebrooke Terrace

• A coxless pair rowing boat

Thank you again to all who have contributed to the success of the 2009-10 Appeal. Should you have any queries about Regular Giving or wish to discuss a donation to this year’s appeal please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes

Mark Mark.Taylor@tga.org.uk

On target!Our target for the 2009-10 appeal was £27,500 for specific projects as well as an open appeal for support for Bursaries and ‘Whatever the Academy Needs Most’. A fantastic total of £78,685 (including gift aid) was raised through Regular Giving donations between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010. A further donation from the Cargill Ball proceeds means that the Regular Giving total was well over £91,000 for the year.

Colebrooke Street and Colebrooke Place.

Our 2010-2011 Appeal has just been launched. We have decided to focus on Bursaries again because many Academy families need help with fees in the current downturn.

We would also be delighted to receive support for the following projects:

• Sport Performance Software

• Benches on Colebrooke Terrace

Rowing and Outdoor Education

Whatever The Academy Needs

Bursaries

Sport

Pipes and Drums

ETCETERA 13.indd 24 09/11/2010 10:58

Etcetera 25

MR WILLIAM E AITON

MR HA DOUGLAS ALEXANDER

BRIGADIER F ALLAN L ALSTEAD

PROFESSOR ANNE ANDERSON

MR A STUART BARCLAY

CAPTAIN (RETD) MICHAEL K BARRITT

DR IAIN WM BAXTER

MR FRED S BERKLEY

MRS MARION BRODIE

MR PETER BRODIE

DR CARL D BROWN

MRS KAY E BROWN

PROF J GRANT BUCHANAN

MR COLIN W BUCHANAN

MR THOMAS B BUYERS

MR KENNETH DM CAMERON

DR GORDON H CARRUTHERS

MR LINDSAY M CRAWFORD

MR JOHN A DEANS

MR DAVID W DEAS

MR HUGH DIACK

MR BRYAN & MRS KATE DUNCAN

DR ROBERT J & MRS JANICE M FERGUSON

DR ANDREW & PROF JULIE FITZPATRICK

MR HUW M FOXALL

THE LATE MR STUART M FRASER

MR ANTHONY FRIEZE

MR DANIEL L GARDNER

MR PETER M GEMMILL

MR THOMAS W GEMMILL

PROF DAVID J GOLDBERG

MR A HAKAN & MRS H RANA GONENC

REV JAMES CG GREIG

MR DAVID W HALL

MR WILLIAM S HAMILTON

MR CHRISTOPHER J HANCOCK

MR STUART M HARDIE

MISS ELIZABETH K HENDERSON

MR GORDON HENRY

MR W NEILSON HERBERTSON

MR R IAIN HIGGINS

MR COLIN JF HOPE

DR GEORGE HORN

MR MARTIN JR HOW

MR ANDREW L HOWIE

MR J GORDON JACK

MR JOHN R JEKYLL

MR ROBIN WG JOHNSTON

MRS ELIZABETH M KER

MR ALEXANDER C KERR

DR WILLIAM R KERR

MR HC GREGORY KING

MR HARRY A KINGCOME

MR J CHARLES D LEWIS

DR JINTANG LI & MRS RUI LIU

MR GORDON AL LOW

MR PETER WC MARR

COUNCILLOR JL MARSHALL

MR SCOTT H MASSEY

DR STUART G MCALPINE

MR STEPHEN & MRS JULIE MCCANN

DR DON S MCINTOSH,

MR RONALD B MCINTOSH

MR ROBERT H MCKENDRICK

DR GEORGE I MCLAREN

MRS JEAN H MCMILLAN

MR MALCOLM R MCNAUGHT

DR CHRISTOPHER HB MEE

MR ALAN G MICKEL

MR HAMISH A MILLAR

THE LATE MR A BRUCE B MITCHELL

MR FRASER S MONTGOMERY

MR JE (IAIN) MORE

LIEUT COLONEL IAN G NEILSON

MR T SCOTT NELSON

MR HARRY M O’NEILL

MR ROBERT PATERSON

MAJOR GEN (RETD) RONNIE M PEARSON

MR JOHN S PHILLIPS

MR ALLAN AR POLLOCK

DR RW ALASTAIR PORTER

MR ALASTAIR M RICHMOND

MR ALASTAIR M ROBERTSON

MR ALASTAIR DS ROLLAND

MR CECIL R SANDERSON

MR GRAHAM W SCOTT

MR ANDREW G SERVICE

MR ARCHIE E SHEARER

MR CHRISTOPHER DW SMITH

MR JAMES H SMITH

MR EWAN & MRS JENIFFER STEWART

THE LATE MR DOUGLAS K STIRRAT

DR C MURRAY & MRS NETTA C STUART

SHERIFF ALAYNE E SWANSON

MR LEONARD GC TAM

MR MIKE B TATTERSALL

MR MARK G TAYLOR

MR NACERDINE TCHEIR

MISS RACHEL E TEGGART

MRS DORIS C VAUGHAN

MR IAN M VEITCH

MR ALAN AW WADDELL

MR JOHN G WALKER

MR RONNIE S WALKER

MR GARRY S WATSON

MR JOHN M WATSON OBE

DR GORDON A WEETCH

MR IAIN WINNING

DR WN & MRS RJL WYKES

MR GRAEME TG YOUNG

2009 - 2010 Regular Giving Appeal Final Report

ETCETERA 13.indd 25 09/11/2010 10:58

26 Etcetera

ReunionsClass of 1960 reunion

June 7 2010 – a date of significance for the class of 1960, for this was the day that 20 of us gathered at the Strathblane Country House Hotel, 50 years after leaving Westbourne.

Although several of our number had maintained contact during the intervening years, there were others who had never met up during this half century. As a result, there were a few qualms for those of us who had volunteered - during an intellectual interlude - to organise this event, as we mentally checked the arrangements and kept our fingers crossed that everything would go as planned and that we were not about to spend an afternoon in an exchange of pleasantries punctuated by awkward silences.

Within minutes of the first arrivals, it became clear that any misgivings on that score were completely unfounded. No champagne was needed to prompt an ever-increasing level of decibels as the years melted away and we were back once more in Winton Drive - aged 17 - sharing the different memories we had of our schooldays.

We were summoned for lunch by the bell - rung by Rachel, Head Girl for our year - and we filed into the dining room in orderly fashion. During the course of a delicious meal, the conversation did not falter as the shouts of ‘Do you remember?’ echoed round the room. Such a level of noise would never have been permitted in the dining hall – at least, certainly

Westbourne Section

not in our day when decorum was an essential ingredient of our education!

With reluctance we said our goodbyes around 4.30 p.m., friendships renewed, contacts exchanged and promises made to meet again in 2012, to celebrate our ‘three score years and ten’.

Thank you to all ‘the girls’ whose whole-hearted participation in the event was the key to the afternoon’s resounding success.

Biased? Yes, perhaps, but I think we all scrubbed up very well 50 years down the line!

Davina (Struthers) Booth (1960)

Class of 1986 Westbourne leavers

Save the date of 10 June 2011. Get together planned in Glasgow. Watch this space for more details.

Melanie McLean (1986)

Girls’ Games Captains Board As can be seen from the photograph above, the Hockey Captains board at Windyedge - which honours both Westbourne School and Glasgow Academy girls - is now full. We want to continue to honour Girls’ Games Captains with another board which acknowledges, as this one does, the continuation of the Westbourne tradition and spirit at Glasgow Academy. Please do get in touch if you would like more information about sponsoring the new board.

E-mail: Mark.Taylor@tga.org.uktel: 0141 342 5494

Lesley (Mill) Scott (1974)

Many thanks to Lesley for her helpful detective work on the Atholl photograph names on page 31.

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Etcetera 27

Class of 1978 reunionThe Class of ’78 (The Westbourne School for Girls) had a most enjoyable reunion on Saturday 16 October 2010. The evening started with everyone meeting at The Glasgow Academy for a champagne reception. Despite it being over 33 years since some of us had met up, nearly everyone was almost instantly recognisable and the look of delight on faces to see old friends again was... well, priceless. Some ladies had travelled from afar as France, Norway and Ireland just for the event.

How much noise can seventeen ex-Westbourne girls make? Ask Mark Taylor who had to drive us through the streets of Glasgow to the newly-refurbished Grand Central Hotel in the GA minibus! The noise, chat and reminiscing continued well through the night over a delightful meal and wine. Conversation turned to those who were unable to be there and also to those with whom we have all lost contact. Seven hours after initially meeting up - and all too soon - it was time to leave.

We plan to have more reunions in the future, on formal and informal scales, with a lunch sometime next February in Glasgow. Watch this space for details.

BirthSamantha Scott-Angell (1994)

My partner Craig and I welcomed our baby girl Evie Rose into the world on 29 April 2010, weighing 7lbs 11oz. We’re enjoying life as a new family.

MarriageGillian Sinclair (1978)

My sister Deirdre Sinclair (Class of 1976) married Peter McManus from Sydney, Australia in the garden at her family home in Lenzie on Saturday 4 September. After a honeymoon in Europe, Deirdre and Peter have returned to live in Sydney.

DeathMiss Vivian McInnes (Mrs Angus)

at Canniesburn Care Home on 8 September 2010.

Miss McInnes was teacher in charge of Music at Westbourne School from 1974 to 1984. Her love of Music and Singing inspired the girls at all times, and we remember with pleasure the high standard of musical productions for which she was responsible. She was for many years a member of the Glasgow Phoenix Choir. After her retirement she enjoyed cruising, including a round-the-world cruise.

Fiona (Cameron) Murray, Lindsay (Brown) Howie, Margo (Cunningham) Holgersen, Fiona (Howie) Malcolm

ETCETERA 13.indd 27 09/11/2010 10:58

28 Etcetera

Academical Club section

The Accies Ladies have had a successful start to the season. All 1st XI league games have been won and they are sitting top of the league. The 2nd XI have had a slower start to the season with many reschedules but are currently sitting third in West District 1. Fundraising has begun and there is a great social spirit at the sports club. All GASC sections have put great effort into improving inter-section relations this season.

Indoor HockeyWe have just started our Indoor Hockey season and we are hoping to gain one of the top league positions. We have a much larger pool of players this season so are predicting better league results.

Current Cup Positions and ResultsThe 1st XI have made it through to the third round of the Scottish Cup after beating Grange, Edinburgh - who play two leagues above Accies in Division 1 - by 3 goals to 2. Grange play two leagues above Accies in Division 1 - and this was a fantastic result for the girls and the Club who are all very excited about the next round on 30 April 2011. The 2nd XI

Rugby Report The Club was delighted at the prospect of John Beattie returning as Head Coach, and there was great anticipation amongst players and supporters for the new season.

Nearly 70 Academicals past and present, and their guests, met in August for a Golf Day, to raise funds for the section. Niall Campbell, a regular sponsor for many years, generously offered Accies courtesy of his new golf course at Rowallan Castle, for a ‘Shotgun’ Competition. The course and the Clubhouse facilities were absolutely first class, and everybody enjoyed the experience enormously on a perfect summer’s day. Gavin Smith was the organiser of the event, which raised well over £4,000.

When the rugby season got under way, and after a few good victories, it soon became apparent that the team would

miss the experience and bulk in the pack of a number of the ‘old campaigners’ who had retired at the end of last season. The up-side, however, was in seeing the progress and development of many of the younger players. The arrival of John Beattie attracted over 20 new young players to Anniesland, but like many other clubs, there has been a dearth of ‘front five’ players.

We have possibly one of the best back divisions in our league, National Division 1, but it will take time to establish the pack to match. This season has seen the 1st XV, as a result of injuries and unavailability of players, having played nearly 30 players by the half-way stage of the season, which obviously makes it difficult to establish a consistency. However, we find ourselves in fifth

place in the league as the halfway mark approaches, and there is a real optimism for the second half of the season. The 2nd XV, having been promoted at the end of last season, continue to play well and are again in contention at the top of their league… so there is much to be pleased about at this stage of the season.

New scrummaging machine: The club is most fortunate to have been gifted a new scrummaging machine by Iain and Sheena Graham, in memory of Iain’s brother Dr Ronald Graham, a much-liked Accies player and coach, who died a few years ago.

Boxing Day: There is to be a Boxing Day lunch followed by the usual matches. Please contact Alasdair Graham for details (0141-616 4056).

are through to the Scottish District Plate and they also find themselves in the West District plate. Results will be posted on our website!

Join our ClubAs always, we welcome any former pupils or friends of The Glasgow Academy to join our Hockey Club. Training is every Tuesday night from 6.30 until 8.30 p.m.

Visit our website - www.glasgow-hockey.com - for more details. Home game supporters are most welcome!

Become a fan of the Glasgow Accies’ Social Page - www.facebook.com/glasgowacciesclans - and keep up to date with our social calendar.

Stephanie Barnet, Club Captainstephaniebarnet@hotmail.com

Ladies’ Hockey Club

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Etcetera 29

California DreamingAccies’ tour to California in 1980 was the culmination of the most successful season the Club had had since national leagues were introduced in 1973, and it is not surprising that it is so fondly remembered by those involved in the rugby section at that time.

On 2 October this year, 24 gentlemen from that era gathered to once again enjoy each other’s company with a game of golf over the delightful Tarbert course and a dinner at Stonefield Castle Hotel, to celebrate the tour’s 30th anniversary.

Amongst our group we were pleased (well more surprised than pleased) to number the current Club President, Lindsay Crawford, and the next President, Johnny Taylor. We were also delighted to mark coach Guthrie’s 80th year with a special presentation, and most honoured to have Accies’ President of 1980, ‘Jimmy-the-Pie’ Smith, head the table.

It was a fantastic weekend and - as well as an opportunity to catch up with old friends - a reminder that the values held by yesterday’s generation of players at New Anniesland remain a constant with today’s.

The California tourists outside the clubhouse of Tarbet GC. Accies’ President Lindsay Crawford has had a busy year - there have even been times when to ask him to stop texting and pose for a photograph was to ask too much!

(l to r) Colin Guthrie (1948), Jimmy Smith (1940) and Iain Jarvie (1973) enjoy the reunion lunch

Calling all Academical Pipers!Do you play or have you at one time played the pipes? Do you lack motivation playing on your own or find your repertoire shrinking over the years? Are your pipes requiring some tender loving care and need brought up to scratch? Is cranking them up at New Year or Burns Night too much like hard work?

I am looking to start an informal group of Accie Pipers who would like to play together from time to time for fun and possibly at the odd club function. I envisage some straightforward tunes to start with which everyone can play and see how it develops from there.

Playing with other like-minded folk will help you maximise your potential and increase your enjoyment. I think the best way to make a start would be to meet under the umbrella of the well-known Glasgow Highland Club. It already has many Accie connections and has the same aims as ours; it meets - conveniently - at the High School Pavilion. We meet in the upstairs hall every Tuesday night at 7.30 p.m. from October to May, festive breaks excepted.

For further details, please contact Iain J Smith (1971) at smithmimek@ntlworld.com or telephone 0141 942 0612.

GAC Cricket Club Events

Glasgow Accies Cricket Club would be delighted to welcome you to New Anniesland to two great events over the coming months:

Friday 3 December (7 p.m.)

Family Storytelling Night

The theme for the evening is ‘Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat’

Tickets £10 for adults/£5 for children

Friday 7 January (7 p.m.)

Quiz Night

Tickets £5

For more information about these events, please contact: fundraising@glasgowaccies.cc

ETCETERA 13.indd 29 09/11/2010 10:58

30 Etcetera

Academicals Shooting for Scotland2010 has been a very successful year for Scottish shooting. Apart from the Commonwealth Games, in which the shooters in the various disciplines contributed 9 medals (including 4 Golds) to the Scottish team tally, the Scottish full-bore rifle team has won several matches against England, in which Academicals featured prominently.

The most important victory was in the National Match, an annual match between Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales and which was shot at Bisley in July at distances of 300, 500 and 600 yards. Each team comprised 20 firers, plus five coaches and a main coach. Scotland won this match for the first time in 45 years, narrowly beating England by one point and – in the process – set a record score for Scotland at each of the three ranges. The Scottish team was selected and captained by Lindsay Peden (1971)

and the top score in the Scottish Team was made by Mike Barlow (1984), who recorded a maximum possible 105 ex 105 with 17 central bulls out of the 21 shots. Hamish Hunter (1967) coached one of the five targets and the main wind coach for the match was Allan Mabon, who is the regular coach and trainer for the current school team. Amazingly, one of

the firers in the team also shot in the last winning Scottish team 45 years ago! This is a good demonstration of how age is not necessarily a barrier to participation at the highest level in the sport.

In several other matches against England, Mike Barlow, Hamish Hunter, Henry Watson (1967) and Lindsay Peden either shot or coached in the winning Scottish team. In addition, both Henry and Hamish toured with the Scottish team to Australia in September.

As part of ongoing initiatives led by Lindsay Peden in his role of Scottish Captain (a post held for three years), efforts are being made to try to retain cadets in the sport of shooting after they leave school. In January 2010, there will be a weekend training camp held for cadets from six Scottish schools at The Academy, with the aim of improving skills levels and - in the process, we hope -encouraging more cadets to continue in the sport.

Lindsay Peden (1971)

The trophy ‘carried off’ by the Scottish team is so heavy that it takes 5 men to lift it!

London SectionThe London Section of the Glasgow Academical Club held its 2010 Annual Dinner at The Caledonian Club in London on March 25, 2010. Together with the regular attendees, we were pleased to welcome many new Accies to our very enjoyable and lively evening.

We were also delighted to welcome the Rector of the School, Mr Peter Brodie, the Chairman of the Parent Body, Mr Jimmy McCulloch, the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Gordon Jack, Director of External Relations at the School, Mr Malcolm McNaught, Deputy Director of Development, Mr Mark Taylor and our Guest Speaker, Mr Bruce Anderson, former editor of The Spectator, who now writes for The Independent, and many of the other Scottish Schools’ Secretaries.

As is tradition, Mr Peter Brodie and Mr Jimmy McCulloch gave us a fascinating review of the activities of the school and the Club. Mr Gordon Jack then said a few words of thanks to the London Section for their continuing generosity to the Bursary Fund, set up in the name of the London Section. Details of this fund are available, should you wish to contribute to this worthwhile cause.

Our Guest Speaker, Mr Bruce Anderson provided us with an interesting insight of the political landscape, pre-General

Election. Readers of Bruce’s articles in the national press would be accustomed to his forthright and provocative views presented, on this occasion, with a dry sense of humour.

The date for the Annual Dinner in 2011 is Friday 11 March,2011, which is the weekend of the Calcutta Cup match being held at Twickenham on Sunday the thirteenth. We would extend a warm welcome at the Dinner, to all Accies and friends who will be travelling to London for the match.

The London Section was represented at the London Scottish Schools’ Golf Day held on Tuesday, 22 June 2010 at Denham Golf Club. While not finishing in first place, the team of Gordon MacSween (1984), Don McIntosh (1955), Chris Smith (1977) and Ian Timpson (1957) had

(l to r) David A Stirling (1968), J Gordon Jack (1966) and Peter WC Marr (1982) at the London Section Annual Dinner

a respectable score of 102, good enough for 4th place and more importantly, ahead of the High School team!

We also entertained the School Shooting Team at Bisley on Thursday 15 July 2010, yet again kindly organised by Henry Watson and Crawford Alexander.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask any Accies living / staying in London / the South of England and who have not yet made contact with us, to please feel free to drop me an e-mail (ecj@aralon.co.uk) or call (0207 235 9012), and we would be delighted to add you to our mailing list. There is undoubtedly some movement from address to address, and if that is the case, please send us your updated details.

David W Hall (1961)Secretary / Treasurer

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From our own correspondents

Etcetera 31

Dear Sir

Referring to the letter from Peter Lyon in the latest edition of Etcetera, identifying the piper in the middle of the front rank in the pipe band photograph, I can name another two or three.

The pipe major was Alistair Oliphant, a man of many talents, piper, conjurer, ventriloquist and accordion player, I was CQMS and on the left flank of the front rank. The forehead that can be seen behind the head of the recently-identified Angus McDonald is John Jex Long, undoubtedly the best piper of my generation.

The rest unfortunately are blanks.

George C Blake (1950)

Dear Sir

How extraordinary that you should print a class photograph of 1932-33 in the latest magazine. That was my first ever school photograph with Miss Walker giving me the start to my 13 years in The Glasgow Academy.

I did so enjoy my years at The Academy as a boarder at 12 Belmont Crescent under the guidance of the Coleman Smiths. They moved to Gloucestershire in retirement, and after my years in the Army I lived in Kew, so was able to keep in touch with Mrs Coley right up to her death.

Yours sincerely,

Iain Winning (1943)

Dear Sir

Atholl Preparatory School - 1963

As a former pupil of Atholl who went on to Kelvinside Academy rather than Glasgow Academy or Westbourne I have only just received a copy of your excellent magazine.

Rosemary Fraser has done a great job in identifying most of those in the photograph but the attached copy of a copy of a (typewritten) list given to me some years back should help fill in the blanks. I assume the list must have

Back row: R Wattenberg, D Cowper, D Guthrie, W Spowart, K Caldwell, R Fraser, C Smart, C Morrison, N Ogilvie, D Hutchison, J Stevenson, T McCubbin, L Johnson, K Dickson

Second-back: J Naismith, D Hunter L Mill, A Walls, E Cameron, G Duff, M MacGregor, C/R Galbraith, S Norton, C Carpenter, C Homfray, C Birks, E Philips

Second-front: J Smith, J Fisher, R Philips, E MacLaurin, J Wittenberg, S Morrison, H Gaskin, L Mill, G Morgan, J McCubbin, I Phillip, J Garvie, F Carlow, A Dixon

Front: C MacGregor, J Holmes, C Homfray, J Galt, I Patrick, L Paul, T Johnson, A Robertson, A Morgan

Absent: G Carlaw, C Boyle, J Jackson, I Fisher, V Smith, A Phillips, D Robertson, S Organ, C/R Galbraith, A Hetherington, M Fleming, A Elliott, D Imrie, J Dixon

originated at the school at the time as it includes details of those who were absent as well as those pictured.

In these days we were all known by our surname most of the time and this is reflected in the list. I think the only one I can expand on is Ewen Cameron in the second back row between Walls and Duff.

Hope this is of interest.Regards,

Tom McCubbin

Fun for 3-year-olds! The Scottish Council for Independent Schools has released figures for the overall number of pupils at private schools for 2010/11. While the statistics show a drop of nearly 8% in Nursery children nationally, Glasgow Academy has been experiencing a mini boom in Nursery numbers, particularly at its Kelvinbridge site.

The Rector, Peter Brodie, commented: ‘Our Nursery is flourishing, with numbers up 23% this year. We believe this is a result of high levels of individual attention, an imaginative child-centred environment, a first-class staff that is committed to on-going training and strong parental involvement. This is reflected in our excellent Care Commission report.’

ETCETERA 13.indd 31 09/11/2010 10:58

Gifts for Christmas; gifts for all year round!

Academical Silk TiesIs your old school tie too old? Replace it with a 100% Silk Academical Tie made by Toye, Kenning & Spencer. £15

‘The Glasgow Academy – 150 Years’ by Iain MacLeod This excellent book is a chronicle and celebration of what The Academy achieved from 1845 to 1995. £10

‘The Glasgow Academy’ by James Porteous Wood Only 350 of these quality, limited edition prints were produced; an ideal gift for a former pupil, parent or grandparent. (62cm x 46cm.) £30

Trinket BoxSilver plated trinket box, engraved with The Academy crest. £12

Westbourne Pin BroochConfirm you are an official ‘Old Gal’ with this stylish Westbourne pin brooch, complete with purple Westbourne crest. £3

‘Seventy Years On, A School at War’ This book by Andrew Wylie and Douglas Anderson is a remarkable insight into life at The Academy from 1939 - 1945. Informative, humorous and nostalgic; a great read! £5

‘Academy Blossom’ by Fraser Stark (2010)Many of you will recognise the pink blossom which falls over the entrance to the school and is captured in this beautiful print. (45cm x 32cm.)£7.50

Academical UmbrellaYou will be hoping for rain with this brightly coloured Academical umbrella with Academy crests. For collection only.£15

Academical Club Cufflinks Finish off the Academical look with these chain cufflinks in Accies Club colours, with crest.£5

Academical Bow Tie An Academical Bow Tie is ideal attire for that extra special occasion. £10

If you would like to purchase any of our merchandise, please send a cheque payable to: ‘The Glasgow Academy’ for the amount shown to External Relations, Colebrooke Street, Glasgow, G12 8HE.

For other payment options or more information, please email exrel@tga.org.uk or phone 0141 342 5494. All prices are inclusive of postage and packaging, except for the Academy

umbrellas which must be collected from the school.

Glasgow Academy and Westbourne School Merchandise

Gifts for Christmas; gifts for all year round!

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