Issue 16 - The Glasgow Academy

Number 16
Autumn/Winter
2011
The magazine for former pupils and friends of Glasgow Academy and Westbourne School
Laura Duckworth on a recent tour of duty in Afghanistan
Editorial
Contents
Not bad for survival!
3
Right of reply
I always enjoy lunching with the Gasbags. It’s a great privilege for one so young.
4
Business Etcetera
Gasbags? That’s Glasgow Academicals Slightly Biased Against the Governors, for those
not in the know. The society was founded in 1947 and has been meeting regularly
ever since.
5 Anecdotage
It’s rather an odd acronym given that Russell Bruce, one of its founder members, was
actually a Glasgow Academy Governor at the time of its foundation! Russell told
me a number of years ago that – as one of the younger Governors at the time – he
felt that the old men on the Board had been there rather too long and had become
complacent. He and his co-founders felt the school needed a bit of a shake up!
Although each of the Gasbags left Glasgow Academy before 1945, there is no sense
today that it is a gathering of old men. They are as sharp today as they ever were.
At some point in the proceedings, the Rector will update them on what has been
happening since their last meeting and they are never happier than when they hear
about new things happening at The Academy.
There is, however, one new thing that they don’t like the sound of… They have no
intention of opening their membership to youngsters. And when one is privileged to
be in their company one can easily see why. They’ve always met in this way and each
member of the group is valued for his contribution over many years.
6
The Academy in the 50s and 60s
10 Reunions and get-togethers
14 Academicals Abroad
16 Hill walking in the 1960s
17 Profile
18 Academical section
22 Westbourne
242010-2011 Regular Giving Appeal
Final Report
26 Family announcements
28Obituaries
30There’s no business like show
business…
31 Picture Post
Do we have your e-mail address?
It’s how we communicate best!
Keeping in touch
One regular attender at Gasbags’ functions is Andrew Howie (1941) one of our
Honorary Governors. On 22 August this year, Andrew and his wife Joan celebrated
their Diamond Wedding Anniversary with not one
but two parties to mark the occasion. The two
photographs above show the happy couple in the
same wedding attire with 60 years separating the
two events. As Andrew himself comments, ‘Not bad
for survival!’
Someone else who celebrated her wedding in
August of this year was our own Joanna Lennox. In
marrying her groom, Andrew, she not only became
a very happy and very lovely bride – she became
Joanna Wallace, the name by which we’ll know her
from now on.
We wish them as many happy years together as the
Howies have known.
Malcolm McNaught, Director of External Relations
[email protected]
2
Etcetera
The 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 [email protected]
The Glasgow Academical Club
21 Helensburgh Drive, Glasgow G13 1RR
President – John Taylor
E-mail – [email protected]
Secretary – Kenneth Shand
Tel: 0141 248 5011
E-mail: [email protected]
The Academical Club pavilion
is available for functions.
Academical Club’s London Section
Secretary – David Hall, 20 Cadogan Place
London SW1X 9SA
Tel: 020 7235 9012
E-mail: [email protected]
Front cover: Laura Duckworth (2001) serving in
Afghanistan
Right of reply
Dear Malcolm
I would like to take you up on one or two points in your
Editorial where there are some inaccuracies, not only in fact,
but in your underlying assumptions. As the Second World
War fades into history, it seems necessary for those who lived
through those days to correct these errors while they can.
The First XV did not dig up the tennis courts. Thanks to a
unique moment in history, Glasgow Academy was the only
active school in Glasgow – due to DORA and foresight. The
Defence of the Realm Act, enacted early in 1939, laid down
that all urban schools must have air-raid shelters for all their
pupils and staff. Whether the foresight came from the Rector,
Roydon Richards, or the Governors, or both, I cannot say, but
it was decided that after the Highers were over, the Fifth and
Sixth forms should spend the rest of the summer term digging
a shelter. This was not where the tennis courts were, but on a
piece of waste ground to the left as seen from the main building
looking south, near a flag-pole. (Was it replaced?) No doubt
some elderly chap was appointed gaffer or foreman to supervise
the work, but I’d guess he spent most of the time telling the
boys tall stories about his time in the Army during the Great
War of 1914/1918, because all that they had to show for their
efforts was a muddy ditch! During the summer, contractors
were called in to finish the job.
When war was declared in September, Glasgow Academy had
a shelter with accommodation for some 60 people. Meanwhile,
‘village schools’ were set up in various suburbs. It was a period
of fine weather, and I enjoyed cycling out to a house in Brier
Road, Giffnock which was the home of a boy named Thomson,
who was a year or two younger than me. There were some
twenty boys in the class, none of whom I can now remember.
The morning was divided into two periods. During the first
we did English followed by maths. This order was reversed next
day, and so on. These proceedings were overseen by George
Preston whose subject was History. At half-way, Mrs Thomson
came in with a cup of coffee and biscuits for Mr Preston. There
was nothing for us, but I don’t think we expected anything, so
we weren’t disappointed. After he’d drunk his coffee, the real
business of the morning commenced as Mr Preston called us
all outside so he could indulge his passion – cricket! We had
a knock-up game which was interrupted occasionally when
we stood aside so that a car could be driven past. We waved
to the driver and he waved back. It was like that in those days.
While all this was happening, contractors were again called in
to dig up the tennis courts and replace them with shelters. As
these were completed, we were recalled to Colebrooke Street.
My agreeable spell in Giffnock lasted about ten days, I think.
A strange sight met me on my return. Some of my friends had
disappeared as their parents made other arrangements and were
replaced by boys from the High School and Hillhead etc. as
well as girls from Park and Laurelbank. Ancient rivalries were
set aside and the girls huddled like cowboys surrounded by
redskins closing in for the kill! I expect there were Westbourne
girls there too, but I don’t remember them. By October, the
other schools – like Craigholme – had either migrated to
country hotels or had built their own shelters, and so, in ones
and twos, these exotic people went their ways, and life in
Colebrooke Street settled into what passed as normal ‘for the
duration.’
You say that the tennis courts were dug up needlessly. This is
not how it seemed at the time. Thanks to DORA, the shelters
were a legal requirement. No one was to know in 1939 that
Glasgow would be the least-bombed city in Britain. We had a
three day ‘blitz’ in March 1941 but most of the bombs fell on
Clydebank. There were a few ‘alerts’ during the following years
when some bombs fell but none of these raids occurred during
the day, so far as I can remember. We had occasional drills when
the janitor rang his bell to call us to shelters, but even these
lapsed after a time...
Douglas Alexander (1944)
Etcetera
3
Business Etcetera
The Admirable Johnny
in south London, is a hive of activity.
All of the units are bustling with work
for the firm Johnny founded with his
business partner, Rolline Frewen, thirty
years ago. He recalls that ‘in those first
six months, when the phone rang, I
insisted we were too busy to take on
contracts’. This tactic clearly worked
because, when The Admirable Crichton
did start running events, they were
hugely in demand: ‘being unavailable had
convinced potential clients that we were
exceptionally good!’
After thirteen years at Glasgow Academy,
followed by training as an accountant
and a spell working in international
copyright law with some of the
leading pop acts of the 1970s, Johnny
Roxburgh (1967) found his niche
when he co-founded The Admirable
Crichton. Often described as a ‘party
maestro for the super-rich’, Johnny is a
gregarious and energetic businessman
who has established a company which
organises some of the most glamorous
and decadent events in – and out of –
this world.
I am lucky to meet Johnny on his return
from overseeing Dunhill Cup hospitality
at St Andrews, just before he flies to
visit clients in Florence,Venice and Abu
Dhabi. His company’s HQ, tucked away
Johnny admits that in reality they had
a lot to learn in the early days, even to
the extent of not being sure how many
people could be seated at a 6-foot round
table. Nevertheless the success of the
firm in the early 1980s was fantastic, with
exponential year-on-year growth. While
there is considerable talk of recession
at the moment, Johnny points out that
currently ‘the wealthy have never been
wealthier’ and recent events seem to
prove it: over the summer the company
built a moat and boathouse-styled
marquee for a party for 400. This sounds
ambitious until I learn that several
years ago a film premiere bash involved
building three waterfalls, an entire forest
and a trout stream stocked with 70
rainbow trout. In short, no theme or idea
is too ambitious; ‘amazing and fantastic’ is
the norm with The Admirable Crichton.
The company has a Royal Warrant
and a long list of happy, regular
Ian Barrie (1999)
Until May this year I was a
lawyer. Having found myself on
a treadmill towards 5 years PQE
(post qualified experience) and
another gruelling so many more
ahead, I stopped talking about wanting to do something I
love and went for it. I am now the founder of Glacius Travel,
a specialist ski travel provider aiming at the discerning client
(for example – the Accie!) wherever they may be based around
the globe. We strive to understand the exact needs of our
customers, whether they be a family of four or a corporate of
100 people. I am lucky to have ample experience of what both
types of clients require and, so far, the Glacius approach has
been a refreshing experience to our initial clients who have
booked through Glacius this year. They include investment
bankers, city law firms, ex-pats in the Middle East and families
in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Our raison d’être is to deliver an
unrivalled level of service and, of course, a holiday to match.
You can find us on www.glaciustravel.com and I very much
look forward to hearing from as many readers of Etcetera as
possible.
4
Etcetera
clients. Discretion is clearly of crucial
importance and Johnny does not like
to name names. ‘Suffice to say I have a
black book of contacts that Tatler would
die for.’ While he is both loyal to – and
thoroughly in tune with – his rich,
famous and powerful clients, Johnny
stresses that behind the glamorous
jet-setting, the company’s success is
primarily due to hard graft. Getting
started and staying at the top of a
competitive market is in many ways
about ‘working really hard, all day, day
after day’.
Learning to work hard and be self-reliant
is something Johnny notes of his time at
school. He was one of many generations
of his family to attend The Academy. He
excelled in Art (and remembers Wallace
Orr fondly) and also enjoyed his studies
in Maths and French. In addition to
being involved with the Globe Players,
the Dramatic Society and the Gavel Club,
he was a Leading Instructor in the Naval
Section (‘because the uniform was the
most comfortable!’) so it seems Johnny
thrived on a busy life at school, too.
Fortunately, as well as jet-setting around
the globe organising around 400 private
and corporate parties a year, Johnny
does get the chance to take a break and
spend time at his home in Norfolk. There
he and his partner enjoy entertaining
friends, playing tennis and generally
taking a break from the demands of
work. I suspect they find time to throw
one or two amazing parties, too!
Mark Taylor
David Fraser (1981)
Following success in the UK, Dr
David Fraser (1981) has brought
out an international edition of his
book Relationship Mastery: A Business
Professional’s Guide published by Visual
Impressions Publishing in the USA.
David’s book makes accessible an
insightful approach to effectiveness
with people, in both professional
and personal life, and is especially
relevant in challenging times. In the words of Harry Reid,
former editor of The Herald, the book is ‘Very positive, helpful,
and enlightening. Always pertinent and balanced, and even
profound. Invaluable.’ www.drdavidfraser.com
Grant Mitchell (1990)
Grant Mitchell, co-owner of ROX, has been celebrating
after the company was named Scottish Retailer of the Year
at the prestigious Scottish Fashion Awards 2011 in June and
Independent Retailer of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards
2011 in July.
Anecdotage
A letter from an old chap in the new world...
I read the Etcetera with relish: names recognised, faces remembered. A monumentally
encouraging revelation considering I have been away from Glasgow, indeed Scotland,
for the past 65 years (well almost). I’m now 80, still healthy, reasonably vital. I do not
rise from a low chair as sprightly as in years past, but, without embarrassment, I can
still manoeuvre around/across most obstacles and mental challenges.
It is tempting to propose publication of my recollections of the Academy. I am
obliged, however, to recognise other contributors draw upon longer Academy
attendance and write better than I. As an alternative, I wish to thank those who
have taken the time and expended the effort to write their pieces. I wish also to
congratulate the editor(s) for a task well performed. I am happily led to remember
details of my experiences and to regain a sense of the school. Some days were better
than others, but none was without worth.
Incidentally, and with all due respect to my fellow former pupils, Morrison was, and I
presume continues to be, the premier house/room... or whatever was its designation.
Not all is well remembered after 65 years.
Time to take my pills.
Stan Verdi (1947)
A ‘boarder’ from Ireland
On 17 September 1945, I was presented
by my mother to Mr and Mrs Coleman
Smith at 12 Belmont Crescent, to
commence eight years of attendance at
Glasgow Academy as a boarder.
Both of my parents were Scottish, but
had lived in Ireland since 1929 when my
father, a Glasgow Chartered Accountant
with Craig Gardner, had been sent to
Dublin to rationalise the Irish transport
companies, and having completed that
task, was asked to become the Traffic
Manager of the new national transport
company. To the best of my knowledge,
I was and remain the only pupil to
attend the Academy as a boarder who
came from Southern Ireland, and the
subsequent eight years required more
than 60 crossings of the Irish Sea as I
returned home at Christmas, Easter
and in the summer as well as the long
Christmas half term holiday. (I was
allowed two extra days for travelling!)
just another indication of the personal
interest taken by the Coleys in each of
their charges.
My interest in sailing also brought
my immediate application to join the
Naval Section of the CCF as soon as
it was formed, which brought me into
contact with the unforgettable Chief
Petty Officer Hoskins, a man of huge
experience and ability who was heard to
remark after watching a marching display
by the RAF’s renowned exhibition
drill platoon, ‘Son, I could do better in
an hour with a squad of Marines’, and
knowing his history, he probably could!
A keen interest in rugby and cricket,
probably at the expense of my scholastic
studies, brought me the honour of
representing the school at underage
levels up to the 1st XV, and the unbeaten
under 131/2 XV shown in the attached
photograph, includes four members who
went on to be part of the very successful
1st XV of 1952-53 which lost only
two of their 19 matches in that season.
The record at cricket was not quite as
successful, the 1st XI of 1953 winning
only three of their nine matches played.
The photograph of the members of the
boarding house shown on page 6 of
Issue No 13 (Autumn 2010) shows an
unnamed lady sitting on the left of Mr
Aston. She was Mrs Netty Wilson, the
assistant matron and boarding house
nurse, who occupied the room at the top
of No 13 in which there was always a
welcome and brightly-burning gas fire.
In the same picture the unnamed boy on
my left was, I believe, Steven Braid.
I continued to be in touch with the
Coleys until Jack’s death some years after
I left, the Coleys having retired at the end
of 1953. I will always remember with
gratitude, the pastoral care provided in
my day for all the residents of 12 and 13
Belmont Crescent.
Alan C Stewart (1953)
Unlike many boys, I can say without
hesitation that my school days were
extremely happy and satisfying, not
least because of the superb care and
consideration provided by Jack and
Ethel Coleman Smith. I still retain with
great pride a book by the famous yacht
designer Uffa Fox presented to me by the
Coleys when I left in 1953, the selection
of that book being in respect of my
great interest in sailing and the sea, and
Etcetera
5
Maurice Lindsay, the Scots poet and man of letters
and Academical who died a few years ago, might have been responsible
for one of the best things that happened to me in my time at the
Academy—the Poetry prizes.
He or somebody else gave the school
prizes for the boys who learnt by heart
the greatest number of lines of verse. No
limits: contestants could choose whatever
they fancied, in any language, any metre,
any length of line. To prove they knew
their stuff they had to recite it, to a
long-suffering member of staff, book
in his hand to check off the total lines
learnt. And this was in the poor man’s
coffee break or lunch break! It’s a wonder
the Rector Dr Roydon Richards didn’t
have a mutiny on his hands.
My rivals learnt great chunks of the big
thick English Parnassus. The whole of
The Ancient Mariner, or Gray’s Elegy, or
both. Milton’s Lycidas, and L’Allegro, and
Il Penseroso. I went for Housman, and for
Burns. I could imitate Ben Aston’s broad
Gloucestershire accent—near enough
to the Shropshire of Housman’s Lad.
And thanks to the Second World War
the Lallans was no problem. Evacuated
to Galloway, I spent four years at a
two-teacher village school where English
was spoken only in the classroom. But
more of Burns later. I don’t suppose
older readers recall the nursery rhyme of
the three little foxes, who ‘went to the
fair, where they all won prizes, / Three
plum-puddingses and three mince pieses,
/ And they all won coconuts at coconut
shyses’. We outdid the three little foxes,
for there were six poetry prizes annually,
substantial book prizes, and books of our
own choice—a sensible liberal idea of the
Rector! But at the Prizegiving in the St
Andrews Hall Lord Reith picked up the
decadent red-leather bound volume I had
selected in the second hand department
of John Smith’s in St Vincent Street
and his huge eyebrows really bristled. I
thought he was going to refuse to hand
it over. It was Charles Baudelaire’s Les
Fleurs du Mal.
It’s still on my bookshelf today. So is a
copy of Anne Terry White’s Lost Worlds:
Adventures in Archaeology, with stories of
the Palace of Minos, Egypt, Ur of the
Chaldees, and pictures of Schliemann’s
wife wearing the jewels of Helen,
and of the gold mask of the boy King
Tut-Ankh-Amen, and of mysterious
6
Etcetera
Maya number glyphs in Yucatan. It is
inscribed to me for work in Latin in class
IIA in 1947-48, by ‘F.B.’, that wonderful
teacher Frank Batchelor, who simply
awarded his own prizes. Thank you,
please.
‘At once she consentit, and gie’d me
her air’m / Ne’er a word in her mou’,
but a smile in her ee. / She appeared
like an angel in feature and for’m / As
we walked side by side on the road tae
Dundee.’
Chris Varley wanted five evenings a
week if he was to get me to Cambridge
in French and German. The left over
evenings I spent with my girl-friend.
Peter Cairns had been quite wrong
to rebuke me for day-dreaming in his
French class ‘Isaacs, has some blonde got
into your blood?’ She was a brunette, and
is now my wife of 53 years. We met at a
French play in the Citizens Theatre, Le
Docteur Knock, attended by fifth-formers
of both sexes. Those were the days
of segregated education. When the
Experts have since assured me this comes
from no printed version. It must have
passed from illiterate throat to illiterate
ear for maybe two centuries.
Peter Cairns had been quite
wrong to rebuke me for
day-dreaming in his French
class ‘Isaacs, has some
blonde got into your blood?’
She was a brunette, and is
now my wife of 53 years.
Academy’s sixth-form cultural society, the
Humanists, served cider for refreshment
at an inter-school function (that’s one
with girls), there were indignant protests
at such debauchery. The scandal reached
the Sunday papers!
National Service found me a private
soldier in the Black Watch, at the tail end
of the Mau Mau uprising. Sitting quiet
all night in freezing cold grass high up
on Mount Kenya, a poem I had learnt
years before and only half understood
came back to me, and I began to bless
the anonymous donor of the Poetry
Prizes. And from one of my tent-mates
in the platoon camp I discovered that
you don’t have to have Scottish Highers
or English A Levels to know poetry. An
illiterate itinerant agricultural labourer—
aka bothy boy—knew dozens of ‘Bothy
Ballads’ and I was a practised learner.
His version of The Road and the Miles tae
Dundee included this verse:
I finished my two years’ national service
as a second lieutenant in the Royal
Scots Fusiliers in Churchill Barracks, Ayr
(now demolished, the site occupied by a
swimming pool). I trained as a teacher in
order to return to East Africa, but not to
Kenya. Some of my very bright students
at the Government School Tabora
Tanganyika (near where Stanley found
Livingstone) tried their hand at poetry.
Mesmerised by the huge bulldozer
clearing bush for a sports ground, one lad
wrote:
‘Hot work in the shimmering
heat, toppling the termite towers.
But at night I can lean on you, touch
your steel blade, and it feels cool.’
The Poetry prize memory training came
in useful when I was running schools
in Tanzania and had to learn every
student’s name, in Dodoma over 600
boys and girls, black, brown, and a few
white. True, all the Ismaili Moslem boys
were Diamond, having been born in the
late Aga Khan’s diamond jubilee year.
And fairly memorable were Nehemia
and Habakkuk, on the one hand, and
Illuminata, Graziella on the other.
One child, born to a mother who had
lost several babies, bore the disarming
name Sikustahili Elirehema—I did not
deserve it God have mercy on me. An
order from Dar es Salaam that every
secondary student had to receive two
hours weekly religious instruction was a
great challenge. There were thirty-nine
religions not counting mine. Five sects
of Islam, Hindus, Jains, Parsees, and
(thanks to a century of competitive
missionary activity) many varieties of
Christians. I called a meeting of pastors
who hadn’t spoken for years, and a
timetable emerged. Eventually only little
Dunstan (from Malawi) was left in the
corridor, clutching his large black book
and refusing to join the small Church of
Scotland group. He was ‘Free...’.
After ten years in Tanzania, and an MA
in linguistics, my next job was with the
British Council. My wife and I held
Burns Suppers in various lands: Ghana,
Cyprus, Iran, South Africa, and finally
Burma. (By the way, a handy recipe for
bashed neeps in a land without turnips
is mashed kohl-rabi coloured with
carrots.) In Cyprus and in Ghana most
folk were familiar with haggis, but in less
happy lands like the Shah’s Iran,Vorster’s
apartheid South Africa, or the Generals’
Burma, Burns was the poet of liberty,
champion of the people and against
their oppressors. The streets of Rangoon
twenty years ago looked like Glasgow.
They were full of Scottish Victorian and
Edwardian buildings designed by the
same architects and housing the same
Glasgow shipping forms and insurance
firms. The largest inland waterways
company in history, the Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company, had recruited its
young probationers exclusively from
two schools—the Glasgow High School
and the Glasgow Academy. At our Burns
Evening in Rangoon Bill Buchanan,
an international civil servant with one
house in the Perth of his birth, and
another in Perth West Australia, stood
resplendent in the black and yellow
Buchanan tartan, dirks and all. But when
Joyce the Voice, a staff member of the
British Embassy, hit the high note in Ca’
the Yowes tae the knowes, he needed his
tartan handkerchief and a soothing Athol
brose. During my rendering of Tam O
Shanter the strangest thing happened. Tam
spying on the witches dancing in Alloway
Auld kirk-yard, admires the form of one
sparsely-clad young witch: ‘…and roars
out, “Weel done, Cutty-sark!” / And in
an instant all was dark.’ At that precise
moment all the electric lights in the
house went out. The guests thought it a
stage trick, but it was just the Rangoon
Electricity Authority. Thanks to the
Academy poetry prize training, I just
carried on in the dark. A blind Burmese
man, sitting beside my wife asked her
what had happened. When she explained,
he offered to entertain us with the Scots
songs he had learned from his Scots boss
from Inverness when, as civil engineers
they had worked together on the early
stages of the M6 motorway. All learnt by
heart!
A life beyond the Academy
I left the Academy in 1953, post Highers,
but still only sixteen. The memory dims
but I do remember some contemporaries
– although I have lived in England for
nearly fifty years.
Names that spring to mind include
Ian Dunsmore (recently pictured in his
official glory) Hector Kirsop, the Cannon
twins, Sandy Ferguson, CD Mitchell,
the other red-head (Topping) and of
course various members of staff – ‘Baggy’
Aston, Mr Ogilvie, Coleman-Smith,
Chris Varley, Mr U’ren and the Rector –
Roydon Richards.
In the intervening period I worked for
Marks and Spencer in stores and in Head
Office and then for a major supplier,
finishing up eventually (and briefly) on
the board of what became Coats Viyella.
After that I ran my own business as a
Headhunter and held various outside
consultancy roles till I retired about four
years ago.
In between, I married a Glasgow girl and
we now have three married children and
four-and-a-half grandchildren. We live
in Pinner (North-west London, for the
information of any unreconstructed Scots
who profess ignorance of everything
south of Carlisle) with the family all
within commuting distance.
More recently, I have been repairing my
previous lack of tertiary education – to
date I have completed a BA (Hons) in
History and about half a BSc (Hons) in
International Development that I hope
to complete in the next three years.
Never having taken to organised sports at
school, I am somewhat surprised to find
that running a few marathons seems to
have inspired four of the next generation
to do likewise – and am gratified to find
my past efforts are still quicker than their
recent efforts at younger ages! Creaking
joints have meant that tennis is now my
preferred antidote to academic study (and
sometimes the escape from a surfeit of
grandsons, all wanting me to fix broken
toys!).
Tony Markson (1953)
Cough up!
Can anyone name the miscreants in this photograph taken
at Blackwaterfoot on Arran in 1963? And who was the
mystery photographer?
Detentions all round for the culprits.
Ralph Isaacs (1953)
Etcetera
7
The Academy in the 50s and 60s
Tangible mementos
As promised, I enclose copy
of my only tangible memento
of my seven years at the
Academy. Graham U’ren –
who is on the extreme left of
the second row – tells me that
the teacher is Miss Anderson
which I think places the
photo as of her Class 4 in
1955/6. I am third from the
right of the third row.
Campbell Smith is third from
the right of the back row,
Michael Sadler extreme right
on the first row and Jimmy
Mackintosh is third from the
left on the back row with
Jim Shearer to the immediate
right of him. From then on
I am struggling – although
I think that is Roderick
Cordiner second from the
left in the third row and John
Evans third from the left of
the second row.
Bruce Patrick (1963)
Miss Lilburn’s class
One of the most vivid – and indeed happiest – recollections
I have of my Academy days is centred on Miss Lilburn’s
Primary 3 class. From the moment we entered her classroom
in September, our thoughts become increasingly focused in the
direction of the puppet show which, if I remember correctly,
took place at the end of the Christmas term.
For several weeks before our performances, we would start
collecting string which would be used to control the puppets
and newspapers from which we would create papier-mâché
heads, not to mention all the other parts of the puppet’s
anatomy. Eventually – under the patient guidance of Miss
Lilburn – we were able to transform these simple everyday
items into something magical. After many frustrating hours,
our labours were rewarded when we succeeded in making our
creations walk and move their arms in motions which could be
vaguely recognised as human.
During our performances, no matter how careful we were,
inevitably a couple of puppets would become entangled and
have to leave the stage in true Peter Pan fashion. Their removal
was usually accompanied by the not too silent comments of at
least two performers.
I only wish that I had kept one of my puppets to show my two
daughters that, at one time in the dim and distant past, their
father possessed a modicum of creativity.
Sandy Ferns (1960)
8
Etcetera
Character building with Charles
Wilberforce
I suppose the good old CCF is responsible for preparing pupils
for character requirements in later life.
I shall always remember when the SSI – Charles Wilberforce
(assistant janitor) – used to fire live ammunition over the
heads of the 1st Year CCF recruits – ‘Heads down, boys!’ – a
command that was instantaneously obeyed. ‘Now you know
what it feels like “under” fire!’
Would an assistant janitor/CCF SSI ever get away with that
today? I think not. Today he would have been sent straight to
jail for his character-building methodologies.
Recently I have been working in the near shore waters as a
construction manager in the offshore oil industry – just off Al
Basra in Iraq – a very dangerous place indeed with thousands of
tonnes of UXO (unexploded ordnance) and other nasty little
bits of explosives plus a smattering of anti-social locals who
occasionally take pot shots at our pipe-laying teams.
Wearing my flack jacket one evening after yet another incident,
I was recalling ‘Wilby’ over coffee – to another expat Scot one
of our ex-SAS security people – and his preparation of GA
boys for later life.
Strange old world.
Best regards
Willie Hunter Smith (1968)
A few reminiscences
I have been reading the articles
contributed by former pupils in previous
issues of Etcetera with great interest.
I enjoyed studying Pat Dorman’s
photograph of the Academy staff circa
1975 recognising many faces of those on
the staff who had been there when I left
school at Christmas 1968. I certainly did
NOT recognise Neil Garland’s scathing
description of some of them in Issue 13!
As Johnnie Macnab rightly pointed out
in his most interesting recollections of
life in the Boarding House in the 1960s,
discipline for schoolboys was a whole
different game than it was to become
a decade later and even more so since.
Physical punishment (if necessary!) was
ever-present in school as it was at home.
As part of our upbringing and education
in its widest sense, we learnt that there
were ‘no excuse’ offences (double yellow
line – automatic fine!). The world is full
of these wherever you go, nowadays
more than ever! If you don’t learn how
to live within such rules at school, where
else do you ever learn?
As we all go through life, one of our
more frequently committed ‘sins’ is
when we fail to give whatever we are
doing or supposed to be doing ‘our best
shot’. We then let ourselves and usually
others down, sometimes very badly! My
recollections of the stricter disciplinarians
at the Academy in the 1960s is that –
when they did come down very heavily
on myself or fellow pupils – it was more
often than not when they felt or knew
we simply weren’t trying! Firm, but fair!
I loved Nick Utechin’s tale of his
attempted peaceful ‘coup’ over the
long-outdated rules on cap-wearing!
Johnnie Macnab described Nick as a
fine school captain which I am sure he
was. He was a deeply-civilised and wise
chap even as a schoolboy! Nick in turn
described my own brief time as school
captain as being ‘a very strict regime’!
Well, yes... maybe, as I had to follow
my great friend and classmate, Graeme
Mitchell, who was a very fine school
captain – a born leader, a big strapping,
excellent rugby player and captain of the
1st XV, a very good all-rounder and a
hugely-respected and well-liked chap. A
raised eyebrow or finger from Graeme,
and even the surliest Fourth Former
came to heel! Yours truly, on the other
hand, was of diminutive stature and an
embarrassment on the sports field. As
such, I had to fall back on my ‘absolute
powers’, the rather strict and outdated
rule-book and the powers of summary
enforcement given. I hope I wasn’t too
much like Heinrich Himmler!
Finally, I do remember, very clearly, an
occasion a few years after I left school. I
was on holiday with a few Academical
friends and school-day contemporaries
when we got reminiscing about our
times at the Academy. They put forward
the view that the Academy had been
a great school for those who had been
high achievers, whether in the classroom,
the sports field or any of the other main
school activities. But for the ‘also rans’
they believed that they would have been
just as well educated overall in any one of
Glasgow’s or the West of Scotland’s many
other schools, grant-aided or state sector!
I remember having near apoplexy at this
‘heresy’! A right ‘ding dong’ argument
ensued. We begged to differ in the end!
I have often pondered that argument
over the last near 40-odd years. Of this
much, however, I remain quite certain.
Over these last 40 years or so since, I
have run across many fellow Academicals
who, like me, attended the school in the
50s and 60s. Some were, undoubtedly,
‘high achievers’ at school. But many
more were very much ‘ordinary foot
soldiers’ in their schooldays.Yet, with a
very few sad exceptions, they all have
been a total credit in whatever careers
or jobs they chose. All have been a credit
to their colleagues, neighbours, friends
and families. Most of all, they have been
a credit to themselves! And, while that
doubtless reflects on the way we were
brought up by our mums and dads in the
fifties and sixties, it equally reflects on
our time at the Academy and especially
on the Staff (with all their foibles!) and
the whole general ethos of the Academy
in those years.
Vivian Clement (1968)
Where are they all now?
Whilst recently rummaging in
an old tea chest, I came across
this photo of the 1st XV rugby
team. I am not sure of the year
(circa 1957). I am the wee fellow
front left. Where are they all
now? After school, I went to
Edinburgh to study medicine
and after a year in a house job
in Dumfries went to work in
Napier Hospital, New Zealand. I
returned to General Practice in
Dumfries and now am blissfully
retired! I am pleased to say there
are a few Academicals here in the
South West. Serva Fidem!
David Evans (1957)
Etcetera
9
Reunions and Get-togethers
Gasbags Lunch
The Gasbags (Glasgow
Academicals Slightly Biased
Against the Governors)
gathered for a very pleasant
and jolly annual lunch at
Anniesland on 28 October. It
was, as always, a great chance
for old friends to catch up and
reminisce.
The Rector, Peter Brodie,
and this year’s GAC President,
John Taylor, addressed the
company on the state of the
school and the Club; it was
clear to all that both are in
very good heart.
The Gasbags will meet again
on Friday 26 October 2012.
Classes of 1951,
1952 and 1953:
60-year Reunion
We are pleased to let you know of
a reunion proposed for Friday 14
September 2012 – for those who
left The Academy (or would have
done had they completed school
at Colebrooke Street) in 1951,
1952 or 1953.
Norrie Judd (1951), Bill Mann
(1952) and Ronnie Douglas
(1953) are planning the event
and hope a large number of
their former classmates will join
them for a number of events
– including lunch here at the
school.
All those we are in touch with
should have already received an
initial letter with outline plans.
Final details and formal invitations
will be sent in the New Year – but
please do save the date in your
diary.
10
Etcetera
Class of 1991
reunion
Friday 30 September was the
date set for the Class of 1991
reunion. A select group returned
to The Academy, some for the
first time in 20 years. After an
afternoon spent remembering
the last year before this school
opened its doors to young ladies,
the group went on to their
reunion dinner held in Glasgow’s
Grand Central Hotel.
GA 100
The second GA 100 business event took
place on Wednesday 21 September at
the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
(formerly the RSAMD). The evening
was a great success with around 50
Academicals, current parents and friends
in attendance. A range of fields were
represented from law and accountancy to
art galleries and ski tour operators!
The evening was very informal with
the main focus on networking. The
Conservatoire’s Principal, John Wallace,
welcomed the group and Peter Queen
(1991), of Thomas Johnstone Ltd (the
event’s sponsors), spoke about the recent
refurbishment of the Conservatoire’s
Speirs Locks Studios.
Our next GA 100 Business event is
scheduled for Thursday 23 February
and will be an early morning business
breakfast. Details of the event and how to
book will be e-mailed in the new year.
The last business breakfast was extremely
popular and sold out very quickly so
we’re hoping for a great turnout at
the next one! If you are interested in
sponsoring the event, please contact
Mark via: [email protected]
Diary of Events –
2012
GA 100 Business Breakfast
Thursday 23 February
135th Anniversary Westbourne Grand
Reunion
Saturday 19 May
Prep School prize-giving
Wednesday 27 June
Senior School prize-giving
Thursday 28 June
Class of 1972 Westbourne Reunion
Saturday 25 August
Class of 1951/1952/1953 Reunion
Friday 14 September*
Kelvin Foundation Lunch
Thursday 11 October
Gasbags Lunch
Friday 26 October
Can
you lend a
hand?
We have a number of reunions
planned for next year, but no details
confirmed yet. If you would like to
help out with the organisation of your
year’s reunion, please contact Joanna
at [email protected]
Class of
1986-1988
reunion
Class of
1976-19
80
reunion
f
Class o
969
1966-1
n
reunio
Remembrance Service and Parade
Friday 9 November 2012
The 130th Academical Club Annual
Dinner
Friday 9 November 2012
*date to be confirmed
Class
of 2002
10 year
reunion
Class
of 1992
20 year
reunion
The Kelvin Foundation
This year’s meeting of the Kelvin
Foundation took place on 13 October at
The Academy. Twenty members attended
for lunch and were delighted to hear
such a positive and upbeat report from
the Rector.
Glasgow Academy has continued to
flourish in terms of academic results,
sporting achievements and, indeed, in all
aspects of curricular and non-curricular
education. This probably explains why,
despite the downturn, numbers at the
school (unlike at all other independent
schools in the West of Scotland) have
continued to grow steadily, year on year.
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.
[email protected] or 0141 342 5494.
Still swinging after all these years?
This photograph of the golf team in 1948 was sent in by JC (Euan) Macfarlane (1948)
who wonders how many of the team are still playing golf.
Back row: MP Grant, CA Robertson, PM Gemmill, AM Stewart
Front row: RS Gray, RH Gibb, Mr ATL Forster, JC MacFarlane, MN Ferguson
Etcetera
11
1961-1965 Reunion,
Friday 7 October
Joanna Wallace (Ex Rel), Ewan Cameron,
Jim Shearer, Hugh Thomson, Ian Todd, William
Gilmour and Alastair I’anson (all 1964) enjoy
lunch at the 1961-65 Reunion
An Old Boy Returns
When I joined Miss Turnbull’s Prep 5
class from Atholl I did not anticipate that,
nearly six decades later, I would write an
article for an Academy magazine and not
the Chronicle. I certainly never could have
guessed that I would do it on a flat screen
and without using a fountain pen. How
things change!
Change was much in evidence when
I was warmly welcomed, with other
1960/65 leavers, to visit the school on 7
October, 2011.
Several changes occurred while I was a
pupil – the top floor of the main building
was renovated following the fire, the
Dining Hall was built, the Cargill Hall
with its new Tuck Shop then appeared
on the old Dining Hall site, followed
by the ground floor of the Physics Lab.
These were the principal developments
that I recall.
Now the Physics Lab has sprouted
another floor, the tenement Houses have
been dramatically remodelled, there is
a completely new Junior School, the
playgrounds and Colebrooke Terrace
have been resurfaced, a Biology Lab
has replaced the Gymnasium changing
rooms, while a magnificent new Sports
Hall and Music Department have
displaced the Naval Hut above the
Kelvin.
The Main Building has not changed
quite so dramatically: the Well is now the
Library and the use of some classrooms
has changed. However it was all still
familiar, as were the faces of my old
fellow pupils, and I was surprised by how
much detail I began to recall of who did
what in which room.
Perhaps the most important change is not
just in the excellent modern facilities and
broadened curriculum, but in the warm,
positive, encouraging atmosphere that
now pervades the school. I thoroughly
enjoyed my visit and was very impressed.
My father Grant, my son Stuart (1990)
and daughter Nicola (Westbourne 1994)
all attended at Colebrooke Street –
maybe my grandchildren will too.
Nigel C Kelly (1963)
12
Etcetera
It’s a fair
cop!
That photograph on
page 7?
Gilmour, Le May and
Coulthard own up.
But who were the
others?
Academicals visit from near and far...
Bryan Thomson, who was School Captain in 1981, paid a flying visit from Shanghai, China with his
family in early October. As captain, he should have been presented with the Indian Trophy 30 years
ago – but it was officially ‘lost’ during that period so the presentation didn’t actually happen. By
way of compensation, we took this photograph and the whole family got in on the act!
2001 Reunion, Friday 30 September
Friday 16 September saw The Academy play host to the ten-year Reunion of the class
of 2001. Old classmates were treated to a champagne reception and tour of the school,
bumping into many current and retired teachers... and even re-living old chemistry
experiments with Mrs Macdonald... before dinner and drinks at Accies. Turnout was
good with over thirty of us enjoying a fantastic night of catching up. The after-party
raged on well into the small hours, and there were certainly a few fuzzy heads the
morning after! Many thanks to Joanna Wallace for doing an absolutely sterling job
organising things and keeping Jane and me on the right track! Here’s to the next
reunion!
Murray Will (2000)
Robin (1961) and Ian Lang (1964) visited the school (with Ian’s son Robert) in September. For
both Robin and Ian it was their first proper visit to the school in over forty years. Robin is well
known in GAC circles through his involvement in the club through the seventies and eighties. Ian
left Glasgow, firstly for South Africa, before settling in Zimbabwe where he has run his own dairy
farm for many years. Ian’s son, Robert, who now lives and works in Sydney, was also keen to see
the school he had heard so much about while growing up through regular Chronicle updates.
Laura Duckworth
(Class of 2001)
Laura was disappointed to have missed
her 10-year Reunion which took place
while she was serving in Afghanistan
this summer. She was working in the
Lashkar-Gah District of Helmand
Province with the Highlanders: 4th
Battalion The Royal Regiment of
Scotland. Laura joined the Army
after gaining a BSc (Hons) from the
University of St Andrews and working
as a Chalet Girl in France. She is now a
Captain in the Royal Engineers and has
served for 6 years, completing tours of
both Iraq and Afghanistan. She sends her
best wishes to all of the Class of 2001.
Etcetera
13
Academicals Abroad
In the last issue we launched ‘Academicals Abroad’, a section detailing Academicals living overseas who are happy to become
Academy reps in their country. If you are thinking of visiting or moving to the country, why not call on their expertise to get
an insight into life there? If you are already living there, why not get in touch and arrange a mini reunion, which Philip Tam did
recently in Sydney. We’d love to feature any get-togethers you arrange – so do let us know and send us any photographs. We’ve
had a great response from the last article with many more countries now covered. If you live overseas and would like to be an
Academical representative in your country, please contact Joanna – [email protected]
SINGAPORE
Richard Inglis (1999)
Work e-mail:
[email protected]
Personal e-mail:
[email protected]
Mobile: +65 9796 9857
HONG KONG
Graham Boyd (1978)
E-mail: [email protected]
Cathay Pacific Airways Training Captain,
Hong Kong Based for past two years.
Would be delighted to be contacted by
other Accies/those moving out here.
Bobby Tsang (1991)
E-mail: bobby.tsang@thegateworldwide.
com
Ian Lochtie (1944-1948); Dr Philip Tam (19801990); Turner Massey (1945-1953); Scott Massey
(1977-1989) – nephew of Turner, and visiting
Australia and New Zealand.
E-mail: [email protected]
Kathleen, and two sons, Gordon and
Brian in 1975. I had been offered the
opportunity of helping to start a new
Podiatry Course at Curtin University.
When we arrived in Perth we thought
we had died and gone to heaven. We have
been living in heaven ever since! I have
been retired for ten years and like many
retirees I don’t know how I found time
to go to work. We live in Glendalough, a
small suburb of Perth, about ten minutes
from the CBD and, provided we are not
off travelling somewhere, we would be
pleased to welcome any Academical who
comes to Western Australia.
Susanna (Pairman) Bradley
(1973)
LUXEMBOURG
Leonard Tam (1993)
Here is a sunny snap of a little
get-together for the fledgling ‘Accies
in Sydney’ social at the North Sydney
Rugby Club.Anyone wishing to contact
Philip can do so using the details below.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
David Carnegie (1982)
Email : [email protected]
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Philip Tam (1990)
E-mail: [email protected]
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Arthur Hill (1957)
E-mail: [email protected]
Because of its great size it is obviously
sensible for Australia to have several
representatives, if possible, based in the
various States and Territories. I came to
Perth, Western Australia, with my wife,
14
Etcetera
E-mail: [email protected]
NEW ZEALAND
Hamish Douch (1992)
E-mail: [email protected]
SWITZERLAND
Ijeoma Aghanya (1991)
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +41 0583232053
I was at the Academy between 1985
and 1991. I have been living in Hong
Kong now for more than a decade and
I am responding to Etcetera’s appeal
for overseas support for Academicals,
who might be in town whether for job
opportunities or just visiting.
I am the Business Development Director
for an advertising firm – The Gate
Worldwide – which is headquartered in
the UK but has offices in Hong Kong,
Shanghai and Singapore in the APAC
region. We are part of the Mediasquare
plc group that is listed on the London
AIM. If any Academicals are in the
region I am quite happy to take an
e-mail and assist in any way possible.
DUBAI
Iain Higgins (1994)
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +971 4 3828800
My official title is Head of Conduct
and Ethics and Company Lawyer at the
International Cricket Council. Basically
this means I am responsible for dealing
with regulatory and integrity issues and
challenges of a legal nature that are faced
by the ICC in its role as the organization
responsible for the governance of
international cricket.
I’ve been in Dubai (with Melissa) for
three years now and live in Dubai
Marina. Melissa (Gilchrist, 1993) runs
her own on-line style and philanthropy
business, www.frontlinef.com
ATHENS, GREECE
Stewart Crawford (1991)
E-mail: [email protected]
I moved to Greece in 2000 and am
working in the marine transportation
sector. If anyone wants any information
on living/working in Greece, please don’t
hesitate to get in touch.
SAUDI ARABIA
Roddy Strang (1987)
Tel: +966 (0) 500 162 701
After leaving in ‘87 I did three years
at Glasgow College of Building and
Printing, graduated as a Graphic Designer
and started work with Merson Signs in
East Kilbride. Eleven years seemed to
slip by, then as Key Account Manager –
and still with Merson Signs – I moved
to Manchester for five highly-enjoyable
years. A spell of four years then followed
in Tunbridge Wells still with Merson
Signs (there’s a pattern emerging here),
latterly as Key Account Director. Now,
with my wife Isobel (nee Skene, Hutchie
87) we’re cooking nicely in the oven of
Saudi Arabia... but no surprises who I’m
still working for.
I’ve been lucky over the years with
Merson to have had a great amount
of freedom to pursue what I do and
get results my own way. International
Development Director is probably a
vague enough title to cover the many
facets of what I do now. What still
amazes me is that throughout it all every
day has been different enough not to
need or want to move companies. There
is a very strong sense of motivation
within a company when people don’t
need or want to move and I’m happy to
continue to be a part of that.
It would be an understatement to say
that Saudi Arabia is a ‘challenge’ and
exhausting, sometimes physically, mostly
mentally, but then not many things in life
are easy and I can think of more difficult
places to live. So, in some ways maybe
I’ve got it easy, certainly looking forward
to my first ‘winter’ in the sun – no snow
here! If you’re in Riyadh, give me a call
and we’ll meet for a coffee.
Four generations: one school
Jean K Watson, who died in June, had a long association with
The Academy spanning four generations.
When Jean’s father, John MacGill, entered Glasgow Academy
in 1895, he began a connection with the school that has lasted
well over a century. John was a member of the legendary
Glasgow Academical XV which lost only one game throughout
both the 1903-04 and the ‘04-05 seasons and went on to be an
international rugby referee, eventually becoming President of
the Scottish Rugby Union in 1936.
With this sporting pedigree, it is perhaps no wonder that Jean
became an outstanding golfer who represented her club and
country with distinction. During the war years, however, she
was posted to Suez where she met her future husband, John
Watson, a stationer from Glasgow. They married in 1946 and
set up their home in the west end of Glasgow, their daughter
Susan attending Laurel Bank School and their son John
entering Glasgow Academy in 1953. By the time young John
joined his father’s stationery business in St Vincent Place, Jean
was well-established as a fine amateur golfer who was club
champion of Douglas Park GC six times and represented
Dunbartonshire and Argyllshire Ladies for no fewer than 25
years.
One by one, Jean’s four ‘Glasgow grandchildren’, Angus,
Sandy, Fergus and Finlay, have followed the tradition begun by
their great grandfather, John MacGill, in attending Glasgow
Academy. Although educated at St Leonards in St Andrews,
Jean maintained a strong interest in The Academy and could
often be seen on the touchline watching the boys play ‘rugger’
whatever the weather. She also took a personal interest in her
grandchildren’s golf development and they enjoyed ‘a game
with Granny’ whenever the opportunity arose.
Nothing would have given Jean greater pride than to see this
photograph of herself surrounded by her boys printed in this
magazine.
Etcetera
15
Hill walking in the 1960s
On top of Ben Lui
This photograph of a group of Academy
CCF boys at the top of Ben Lui was sent
to us recently by David Dow (1969).
David comments: ‘The photo was taken
at the summit of Ben Lui. I’m the one at
the top at the back in the green jumper.
Yes, that is Ken Waine on the left.’
Does anyone who recognises himself
from the photograph have a story to tell
about that or similar expeditions?
Torridon trip 1968
I read with interest Jim Gibson’s
Classical Reminiscences (Summer 2011)
and his appreciation of the hill-walking
experiences offered by Geoff Payman and
Ian Davenport. As a new member of staff,
having joined GA in Sept ’68 – Transitus
and English Dept – I was very grateful
for Geoff Payman’s advice, friendship
and support, as Head of Department. My
wife and I were very upset and shocked
to learn of his relatively recent death,
especially as I had popped in to see him
at home within, I think, the last two or
three years.
I was well aware of the success of the
hill-walking expeditions offered by
Geoff and Ian Davenport, who had been
succeeded in the PE Dept in Sept ‘68 by
John Perry. I only mention that it was
actually John Perry and I who organised
the trip to Torridon in November (not
October?) 1968 because your readers
may be interested in the photos I took of
the week-end we spent climbing in the
Torridon range.
I remember vividly the long drive in
the mini-bus with all the pupils sitting
sideways (as pupils had to in those days)
– no seatbelts of course! The hostel
at Achnashellach nestled at the foot
of Liathach and the first meal was an
eye-opener – a stew from an on-going
pot into which everything seemed to
have been chucked, left-overs and all!
The next (first) day we tackled Liathach,
climbing straight up the steep side
from the hostel. I seem to remember
that someone’s rucksack rolled part of
the way back down the mountainside.
We traversed along the ridge in what I
recall were very hostile conditions, with
wonderful views being obliterated in
seconds by snow showers.
The photos I have are in slide format
which I shall have transferred to jpeg
and forwarded to the editor of Etcetera.
Perhaps they may be displayed in a future
edition. Certainly Jim Gibson appears in
quite a few and I was delighted to read
that he has since bagged all the Munros
with his wife. Incidentally am I right in
thinking that another GA pupil, Craig
Caldwell, was for a time in the Guinness
Book of Records for completing all the
Munros (and Corbetts?) in the one ‘go’
and/or doing them all for a particular
charity?
Pat Dorman (former Academy staff)
16
David Webster (1962) is,
in many ways, typical of
so many Academicals of
his era. He is a charming
gentleman of the old
school. His friendly
demeanour and impeccable
manners clearly belie a
steely determination and
extremely sharp business
acumen, as becomes clear
when he talks of his path
towards – and experience
as – Chair of two FTSE
100 companies. Over
several decades David
worked at the top of the
supermarket industry
and, since 2004, has
been Chairman of the
world’s largest hotel chain,
Intercontinental Hotels
Group (IHG).
by the infamous Guinness
share-support fraud. The
affair still clearly rankles
with David because of
the missed opportunity
to rebuild a great Scottish
company and to protect
jobs north of the border,
not to mention the toll
it took on his business
partners, both close and
valued friends. He still
misses Gulliver and Grant
(who both died many years
ago) and he notes that in
business ‘it can be lonely at
the top’.
Tough at the top
At breakfast looking out
across London’s Hyde Park from the
Park Lane Intercontinental Hotel on a
warm October day, we are a long way
away from Colebrooke Street. When
David arrived at Glasgow Academy aged
11 from his Prep School in Kent, he
felt similarly far-removed from familiar
surroundings. ‘I felt very English,’ he
recalls. He soon made friends, though,
and became immersed in Academy life.
David notes that the school gave him a
‘jolly good education’ and for that he is
‘enormously grateful’. He remembers
with appreciation many of the best
known Masters of the day – GD Preston,
‘Baggy’ Aston and ‘DoDo’ Ogilvie. The
Kelvin Run is not such a fond memory
and he admits to ‘often getting a stitch –
fast!’
While the move north was something of
a culture shock, David clearly enjoyed the
sense of liberation it brought. In contrast
to the somewhat claustrophobic South
East, Glasgow offered the opportunity
to go ‘doon the watter’ and the sea, hills
and lochs always felt nearby, indeed they
were ‘ever-present along Great Western
Road’. He was actually born in Glasgow;
In 1987 David and his
colleagues had a new
challenge when Argyll
bought the UK division
of Safeway from its US
owners. During his time
running the firm, latterly
as Chairman, David battled to ensure
Safeway remained competitive against the
buying power of rivals Tesco and Asda.
When Safeway was sold to Morrisons
for £3 billion in 2004, he became the
Non-Executive Chairman of IHG. He
oversees the group’s 4,500 hotels and
350,000 staff. IHG opens a new hotel
somewhere in the world every day
seven days a week, many in China and
Asia Pacific and, despite the delays and
problems – for obvious reasons – with
hotels in Egypt, Tripoli and Damascus
in recent months, he clearly thrives in
the role.
the move to Kent came as a result of his
father’s appointment as London editor
of The Glasgow Herald’s Fleet Street
office. David is clearly proud of his
Scottish roots and he regularly holidays
north of the border with his wife, sons
and grandchildren. He also feels that
his ‘Scottishness’ has been beneficial in
business. Being a Scot has opened doors
and often helps sustain conversation –
‘...across the globe one can almost always
converse on golf, castles, whisky, haggis,
lochs or bagpipes!’
After school, David studied Law at
Glasgow University and, following a
period with MacRoberts, he was given
the chance to join Samuel Montagu in
the city of London where he worked in
corporate finance. While there, he met
– and clearly impressed – James Gulliver
and Sir Alastair Grant. He joined them as
Finance Director to develop Oriel Foods
Limited between 1973 and 1976. The
trio formed Argyll Foods plc in 1977
and went on to acquire a number of
supermarket groups, most notably Presto,
in the early 1980s. In 1986 Argyll hoped
to buy Distillers plc but were frustrated
Being Chairman of IHG and living
in leafy Hertfordshire is a far cry from
Colebrooke Street and Glasgow’s West
End, but it is clear that David retains a
strong sense of gratitude and nostalgic
affection towards The Academy and
his native city. He may have gone on
to live in a very different world to that
of Kelvinbridge but he believes his
schooling helped to make him tough –
and that has clearly stood him in good
stead over the last fifty years.
Mark Taylor
Etcetera
17
Academical Section
Cricket news
Before he left to spend his ‘summer’ in warmer
climes, a presentation was made to our cricket
professional Vedam Hariharan – known
affectionately as ‘Hari’ – to mark his 20th year with
Glasgow Accies’ Cricket Section. We invited him to
a ‘Curry Night’ at Balbir’s in Church Street at which
we made a donation towards the cost of his MSc
degree at Stirling University and gave him a plaque
commemorating the event.
On Friday 30 September we held our end-of-season
Dinner and Awards Night in the Clubhouse with 59
senior and junior players plus parents, grandparents
and friends attending. Dougie Lockhart and Moira
Atkinson were guests with Dougie presenting the
junior awards and Moira the senior awards.
Rugby news
Old rivalries re-ignited and the brothers
are on the march…
On 17 September Accies played GHK for the
first time in 15 years in a league competition.
On that day three players – all under 18 – were
selected: Cammy McCall (left) and Robert Beattie
(right) left school last year and joined the club at
the start of the season, and Harry Walker (centre)
who is the current school 1st XV captain and
playing for Scotland Under 18s. All made a major
contribution to the day.
The club is delighted to have such a strong
representation from the school and – with several
current schoolboys training with the senior
players on a Thursday – it is hoped that the
number of school leavers who will come to the
club will grow. We are grateful to Peter Wright
– the Academy’s new Player Development and
Performance Coach – for his support in this.
The picture (right) shows John Davidson and Jim
Greenwood (SRU), Pippa Gibson (Gibson Pensions
and Investments, David McGregor (RBS – League
Sponsors), GHK president Ewan Cameron and
Gordon Wilson (former president of the rugby
section) at the GHK pre-match lunch. A great day
was had by all.
‘Oh brother, where art thou?...’
September 24 was a remarkable day as Harry
Walker was joined for the first time by his two big
brothers, Michael and Jack, in the 1st XV – the first
time in many years that three brothers have played
in the 1st XV together. Mum and dad Walker can
be justly proud of the family’s performance!
18
Etcetera
(Left to right) Neil Dowers, Richard Andrew,
Hari, Dr Alex Dowers, Colin Dawson, Sumeet
Nag
Then there are the ‘The Wright Brothers’!
On the same day Kerr (left) made his debut for the club
following his brothers Jamie (centre) and Craig (right) in taking
the club colours and scoring a try to boot!
This is really a family club!
Meet the new coaching team
Accies’ new coaching team of Elliot McLaren (player
coach) and Ewan Smith have joined us and the results are
already in with Accies lying third in the league after six
fixtures having four victories under their belts already.
‘Smoothing and soothing’
A Jazz Night was held at the Clubhouse at New Anniesland on Saturday
15 October.
About 80 attended what was a most convivial evening. ‘Berkeley Street
Reunion’ was the band and it featured David Newton, renowned
throughout the UK as a jazz pianist, his long-time mentor, Bobby Wishart
on sax and flute, Andy Sharkey on bass and Sandro Ciancio on drums.
Their music was superb and it made for a very enjoyable time.
Many thanks to everyone who was involved: the Band, the catering team
for a fine buffet, the President of the Glasgow Academical Club who gave
the introduction, the organisers, Roddy Strang of Merson Signs for his
sponsorship and all those who attended.
George McLaren (1970)
as Emma will have met you and greeted
you at our pre-dinner drinks reception.
Who’s that girl?
Who is Emma Jones? She is not an
Academical, but she does have over 300
Accie names in her address book. Known
by name to many, but what does she do?
For the past 11 years, Emma, as Secretary
to David Hall, has been deeply involved
in the administration of the London
Section of the Glasgow Academical Club.
In the early days (pre-email), she was
responsible for arranging postal mailings
for the London Section’s events, but
thankfully electronic mailing has made
her life that bit easier.
What has not changed is the need to
chase members by telephone in the
weeks leading up to events such as the
Annual Dinner and the Bisley Dinner.
Emma is also the main contact for The
Caledonian Club and for the organisers
of the Bisley Dinner and Scottish
Schools’ Golf Day, in ensuring that
these events are well-attended and run
smoothly. From designing invitations,
producing mailings, confirming room
layouts, co-ordinating menus and wine
selections, to hand-writing name cards,
these are just a handful of the tasks
performed by her. Those of you who
have attended the Annual Dinner may
have been able to put a name to a face,
Emma’s other London Section
responsibilities include organising
and coordinating the London Section
Committee’s bi-annual meetings, liaising
between the Secretary and the President/
Committee members on key issues,
producing the London Section Annual
Financial Report and liaising with
the school about the London Section
Bursary Fund.
As previously mentioned, Emma
maintains over 300 names on the London
Section mailing list and this number is
growing, thanks to liaison with Joanna
Wallace in the School office. We would
encourage any Accie living in the South
of England to make contact with Emma
([email protected]), to find out more
about the activities of the London
Section and hopefully to make contact
with their contemporaries.
19
Glasgow Accies Ladies’ Hockey Club news
News from the Pitch
Annual Tournament
A (non-rainy!) Sunday in August saw
eight teams from across the Central
Belt descend on Upper Windyedge to
play some great hockey and enjoy some
fabulous home baking. The tournament
was won by Hillhead ‘A’ who beat the
new kids on the Accies tournament
block, Stirling Wanderers, in the final.
Accies Blues reached the semi-finals and
are hoping to go two better next year to
reclaim the winner’s shield.
1st XI – NL Division II
The 1st XI have not played a losing
season for about seven years and thus
our promotion to Division II has come
as something of a shock to the system.
Whilst playing some close games, Accies
have not yet found their form. Player
availability has proven an issue for the
first two months of the season but we
are hopeful that we will be able to build
on the experience of the first few games
and turn these results around. For those
who follow our results on-line or in
the papers – no, that first result was not
a misprint! ‘Man of the Match’ awards
have gone to Helen Mills, Celia Hill and
Helen Bell.
2nd XI – West Division I
–The 2nd XI have fared somewhat better
in their league games although the squad
are donating players to the Firsts on a
fairly regular basis. So far, the results
have been a mixed bag with a couple
of good wins evened out by a couple of
sorry losses. We have progressed to the
second round of the West District Cup
after Irvine conceded following the game
being rained off two weekends in a row.
‘Man of the Match’ awards have gone to
Anne Norrie, Celia Hill, Linda Cameron
and Jen Mason.
Jill Scott, Cara Owens and Gill Buchanan rest
between matches
20
Etcetera
News from the
Sidelines
New Addition
Kirsten Fulton brought her new baby
boy, Archie, along to meet the club on
tournament day. Well done to Kirsten –
and we hope to see her back on the pitch
before the season is out!
World Cup Breakfast
For the Scotland v England Rugby World
Cup game, the hockey social committee
organised a breakfast to coincide with
kick-off down at New Anniesland. The
event was well-attended and – until
roughly five minutes before full-time
– the atmosphere was great. Sadly, the
result we were all hoping for did not
materialise and the Accies’ contingent
left well-fed but slightly broken-hearted
(except for the Sassenachs amongst
us). Thanks to Celia Hill, Jenna Strang
and the catering team for pulling this
together.
Support the Club
Accies are always looking to strengthen
the club and new members are welcome
at training (Tuesday evenings, 6.45
pm to 8.30 pm at Upper Windyedge).
Schoolgirls over the age of 14 are
encouraged to join – but if you are at the
other end of the age scale and believe
your playing days are over, then perhaps
you’d like to get involved with hockey
again by becoming a qualified umpire?
Assistance is also welcome in organising
our social and fundraising events, so if
you have time to spare and would like
to broaden your social circle, please
contact Club Captain, Erica Dickson on
[email protected] or 07703
120411.
Marathon men
at which the stations began/ended did
I must confess ‘extend’ the further on
I went. The first of four laps of the run
course took just over an hour. Despite
the respite from the intense heat with
sunset, however, subsequent laps took
longer. With each lap, more competitors
finished or otherwise dropped out
and the run became more and more a
question of will-power.
As a footnote to the ‘Britain’s Fittest
Director’ story from Etcetera 15 I should
let you know that on 2 October I
completed the Challenge Barcelona, full
Iron Man distance triathlon comprising
a 2.4 mile sea swim; a 112 mile cycle;
followed by a marathon, i.e. a 26.3 mile
run.
Since deciding a year ago to take on
the Challenge, I have notched up over
5,000 miles of training. Although I
had managed each component element
of the iron man tri at least once, I had
not previously tried doing them all in
race conditions or back to back... So,
I decided to be realistic and adopt the
mind set of first-time marathon runners
who take part simply to complete the
course but secretly hope they won’t get
passed by the person dressed as a banana.
A time of under 14 hours would be a
bonus.
As things turned out, the swim was
actually rather enjoyable and quicker
than I had planned – taking me 1hr
14mins. The cycle was hotter (28 C) and
hillier than anticipated with freshening
headwinds on the outward leg of each of
the three loops. Nonetheless, I completed
that in the anticipated 6hrs 30mins. As
if fatigue was not enough, the sound of
the fireworks for the first professional
The support from the crowds along the
route had been great all day but no more
so than on the run. The partisan support
of family and friends of the handful of
Scottish competitors was a particular
help. My wife (Laura) ran the final 100
metres with me – finishing the marathon
in 4hrs 55mins – giving an overall time
of 13hrs 04mins.
finishing the race in 8hrs 15mins before I
had even finished the cycle did not bode
well for the run.
I had planned all along to run between
aid stations (roughly every three miles)
but to take on drink and food whilst
walking. I managed to keep to that plan,
albeit (in true lawyer fashion) the point
Family, friends, colleagues and clients
have been very generous in their
sponsorship. At the time of writing, the
target of raising £1,000 for each of
Action Duchenne, Macmillan Cancer
Support, Erskine and British Red Cross
has almost been reached
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/
fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=NeilAmner
Neil Amner (1984)
Stuart Hardie (1964) played
rugby for Glasgow Accies in the
60s and 70s. Now aged 65, he has
undertaken to run ‘40 Marathons in
40 Days’.
Investments – who has been a huge
sponsor of Accies rugby over many,
many years – has been the principal
sponsor of Wooden Spoon’s annual
Glasgow Dinner.
The photo shows the Accies who
turned out to cheer him on his
way as he passed through Milngavie
Station on his marathon 1048 miles
from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Stuart Hardie is to be congratulated
on undertaking such a colossal
challenge, and it would be brilliant
if some of his old friends and
contemporaries could recognise
this, by sending him a message with
a donation to ‘his’ charity. Details
of Stuart’s run, with daily updates
can be found on his site www.jogtole.
com where there is a ‘Stuart Hardie’
section.
Stuart has planned this challenge in
the greatest of detail. His support
team is loaded with experts – a
doctor, a physio, a nurse, a driver, and
family and friends who have run or
cycled alongside him for most of the
journey. Many of the team arrived and
departed at different points along the
way, but Stuart has been surrounded by
a very professional and committed squad
for the entire journey the main objective
of which to raise funds, principally for
the ‘Wooden Spoon’. The Wooden
Spoon charity was started by a group of
Stephen O’Donnell, Stewart Smith, Sandy Fitzpatrick, Rugby Chairman Gavin Smith, and Andrew
Jackson cheer Stuart Hardie (front of picture) on
his way
ex-rugby players, and supports a whole
range of projects designed to improve the
quality of life for disadvantaged children
throughout the UK and Ireland. Over
the years, its social and sporting events
have raised millions of pounds that have
changed thousands of lives.
Co-incidentally, Brian Gibson of Gibson
The ‘adventure’ was planned to finish
at Land’s End on 29 October. And
on 2 November there was an official
‘Welcome Home’ party on Guernsey,
where Stuart and Sally now live. TV’s
rugby personality John Inverdale, of the
Wooden Spoon charity, will be the main
speaker.
Etcetera
21
Westbourne
Births
Jennifer Atack (1994)
I’ve just started a new job as Communications Officer (Flooding) with the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency based in Stirling. I got married last October and had a
baby girl, Ruby Louise Chatfield (right), last December.
Laura (Finlayson) Balfour (1990)
On 17 August 2011 at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to Laura (nee Finlayson)
and Alasdair Balfour a daughter, Elizabeth Helen Mary, a sister for George and
Catherine.
Suzie (Roxby) Gregg (1994)
Suzie, Patrick and Harry were delighted to welcome Rory Alexander Gregg
(right) to the world on 22 August weighing 10lbs 4oz!
Lorayn (Dunley) Kane (1990)
On 25 September 2011 to Stewart and Lorayn a son, Ben MacDonald,
a brother for Amy and Christopher.
Amy Primrose (1990)
Amy is delighted to announce the birth of her twin girls, Stella and
Layla (both below). All doing well, although keeping her very busy!
Moving up, moving
on...
Jane (Clews) Gotts (1994)
Congratulations to Miss EK Henderson who
was confirmed as an Honorary Governor of The
Academy at the Trust AGM in November.
22
Etcetera
Currently International Director at the
Scottish Council for Development and
Industry, Scotland’s leading independent
economic development organisation.
I head up SCDI’s international team
to support Scottish companies to
achieve their international ambitions.
The role involves working closely with
the Scottish Government on its wider
international strategy and enables me to
visit some of the world’s most exciting
markets including China, India, Brazil
and the USA.
I have also recently been accepted
in the first wave of members for the
Young Academy of the Royal Society
of Edinburgh. The aim of the Academy
is to bring together young leaders from
across Scotland to stimulate creative ideas
and collaborative working that will help
address some of the key challenges facing
Scotland and contribute to solve some of
the global challenges of the 21st Century.
Carolyn Morgan (1991)
Carolyn is now a partner at Harper
Macleod LLP, who have recently
announced becoming the official law
firm for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth
Games.
Deaths
Elizabeth C Lothian (1957)
23 February 1939 – 6 August 2011
Suddenly, but peacefully on her 46th
wedding anniversary, Elizabeth Cousin
Lothian (Beth Stewart), beloved wife of
Allister, devoted mother of Stewart and
Alison, proud granny of Cameron and
Gregor and special cousin of Davina.
Mrs Helen Stevenson
(Former Westbourne staff,
Modern Languages)
Former Westbourne pupils who had
the privilege of being taught by her
will be sad to hear of the death of Mrs
Helen Stevenson who taught French and
German at the school for many years
until she retired in 1981.
Helen was a quietly firm and excellent
teacher, who was very gentle with a good
sense of humour. When I first knew her
she lived in Bearsden with her husband
Bill and son, Randall. Latterly they
lived in Edinburgh where I occasionally
visited them and where Bill predeceased
her. She spent her last years in a nursing
home in Morningside. The last time I
visited her she was very frail and tired
and could hardly speak.
Helen began her teaching career at
Morrison’s Academy and lived in digs
where for some unknown reason she
was known as Miss Martin, although
her maiden name was Halley. Perhaps
she inherited her predecessor’s name!
When Helen left Morrison’s, Miss EK
Henderson took over the same digs
when she began teaching there.
A very notable and exciting time of
Helen’s life was her war service at
Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire
where a team of men and women
worked to crack Axis codes and ciphers
and translate the incoming messages.
Helen was a translator from German to
English. She did not speak very often
about it, but I know that it was a very
exciting time in her life.
She will be sadly missed by all who knew
her.
R T Murphy
Grand Reunion
to mark the
135th Anniversary of
Westbourne,
19 May 2012
Following the huge success of the
inaugural event in October 2009, the
next Westbourne Grand Reunion will
be held on Saturday 19 May 2012 in
Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.
The event will mark the 135th
Anniversary of Westbourne’s
Foundation in 1877. It is the hope of
the committee that Grand Reunions
will take place regularly – every
5 years – thereafter to mark key
milestones since the school’s birth.
Those of you who attended the last
reunion will know what a success it
was, so we advise you to put the date
in your diary now and reserve
your places early.
Invitations will be sent out in the
New Year. Please make sure you keep
Joanna at The Academy aware of any
changes to your contact details via:
[email protected]
Westbourne 1972
Reunion
The date for the 1972 Reunion
has been confirmed as Saturday 25
August 2012 and the Blysthwood
Hotel has been provisionally booked
for dinner. Lesley (Watson) Brewin
is working hard to get in touch with
as many of the girls from that year
as possible. She can be contacted at
[email protected]. We have 40
years to catch up on, ladies – so the
more the merrier!
Some Academy girls relax on one of our
Westbourne benches
The lost pillow...
Greetings, Mr McNaught!
My name is Karren Wurster and I was
a student at Westbourne School for
Girls in 1968. In Home Economics,
my classmates and I made robes for
ourselves and a quilted round pillow
out of a velvet material. My family
moved ten times in 14 years and – in
1977 – I lost the pillow in a move
from Connecticut to Michigan.
Please is there an instructress or
former student who may still have
the pattern for this? I would greatly
appreciate duplicating the pillow
but need to know how to mark the
reverse of the fabric. Some of my
classmates were Lilly Shaw, Pamela
Cook, Cora Jorgensen, and Rita
Cordianle. The Headmistress at the
time was Miss Cousland. My class
year was either 3A1 or 4B2.
Please let me know how to find
the pattern, even just the name of it
would help!
Yours gratefully,
Karen Marie Wurster, LVT
23
Thank you
A great total!
We would like sincerely to thank all
members of our community who
supported our 2010-2011 Appeal. Once
again, Donors most often chose to make
a gift to ‘Whatever The Academy needs
most’ and to Bursaries although there
were a small number of significant gifts
to rowing and for new benches.
Chart of gifts
Rowing
Bursaries
What The
Academy
Needs
Our target for the 2010-2011 Appeal was
a modest £13,500 for specific projects,
as well as an open appeal for support for
Bursaries and ‘Whatever The Academy
needs most’. A great total of £45,353
(including Gift Aid) was raised through
Regular Giving donations between 1
October 2009 and 30 September 2010.
This figure includes the significant
support for Bursaries provided by the
GAC’s London Section, for which the
school remains very grateful. Legacy
donations to The Academy during
the above period came to £59,927
– bringing total gifts for the year to
£103,280.
Regular Giving Results
Achieving our target means the school
has been able to pursue plans for the
development of the two tenements
on Colebrooke Street/Colebrooke
Benches
Place, provide more Bursary support
for Academy families in need of help
with fees and purchase a new coxless
pair rowing boat. We have been able to
buy all of the new benches we wanted
for Colebrooke Terrace. We have also
refurbished benches and planters outside
Westbourne House – including adding
Westbourne insignia – thanks to the
support of members of the Westbourne
community.
2011-2012
Please support our appeal this year. The
support of the community will make a
huge difference to what can be achieved.
Every gift to The Academy – no matter
how large or small – is important. Many
small gifts, when combined, can provide
a Bursary, support a project, renovate a
classroom – or even build a building!
Thank you
Thank you again to all who have
contributed to the success of last year’s
appeal. Should you have any queries
about Regular Giving or wish to discuss
a donation to the 2011/2012 Appeal
please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes
Mark
Director of Development
[email protected]
Regular Giving 2011-2012
Our appeal for this year will focus on three areas:
Bursaries
For generations, the school has given help with fees to enable
gifted and talented pupils to benefit from an
Academy education. In the current climate,
Bursary funds are even more important; tough
economic times mean that many existing Academy
families need some help with fees, too. Your gift
will help ensure these pupils can complete their
education at Glasgow Academy.
Target £50,000
‘Glasgow-Acadepedia’
By popular request, we decided that making all
Glasgow Academy Chronicles and Westbourne
School Magazines available on the school
website should be our special project this
year. This will allow former Academy and
Westbourne pupils instantly to look back
on their time at school to see who did,
won and played what – with whom – and
24
Etcetera
exactly when! If 500 former pupils each contribute just £10
we can ensure that all former pupils can enjoy reminiscing over
their schooldays online.
Target £5,000
Whatever The Academy Needs
Most
Unrestricted gifts are extremely
valuable; they allow the school to
allocate resources to where the
need is greatest or where a new
opportunity has emerged. Currently
the school is investing in the
feasibility of building a new Science
and Technology centre on the site of
the tenements on Colebrooke Street.
Your gift to ‘Whatever The Academy
needs most’ will help ensure we are best
prepared with great plans for this exciting
new development.
Target £10,000
2010-2011 Regular Giving Benefactors
Mr William E Aiton
Mr H A Douglas Alexander
Brigadier F Allan L Alstead CBE
Professor Anne Anderson OBE
Mr G Gordon Bannerman
Mr A Stuart Barclay
Mr A Hakan and Mrs H Rana
Gonenc
Mr David W Hall
Mr William S Hamilton
Mr Christopher J Hancock
Mr Stuart M Hardie
Ms Melanie McLean
Mrs Lorna McNaught
Mr Malcolm R McNaught
Dr Christpher H B Mee OBE
Mr Hamish A Millar
Mr Fraser S Montgomery
Captain (Retd) Michael K Barritt
Mr Mohammed and Mrs Rebecca
Hassan
Dr Iain W M Baxter
Miss Elizabeth K Henderson
Mr Fred S Berkley
Mr W Neilson Herbertson
Dr Boston B Borthwick
Mr R Iain Higgins
Mrs Marion Brodie
Mr Ian C Hood
Major Gen (Retd) Ronald M
Pearson
Mr Peter Brodie
Mr Colin J F Hope
Dr Robert and Dr Kirsteen Percival
Mrs Kay E Brown
Dr George Horn
Mr John S Phillips
Prof J Grant Buchanan
Mr Andrew L Howie
Mr Allan A R Pollock
Mr W Colin Buchanan
Mr H Murray Humphreys
Dr Alastair R W Porter CBE
Mr Kenneth D M Cameron
Mr J Gordon Jack
Mr Alastair M Robertson
Dr Gordon H Carruthers
Mr John R Jekyll
Mr Alastair D S Rolland
Mr Lindsay M Crawford
Mr Robin W G Johnston
Mr Cecil R Sanderson
Mr John A Deans
Mrs Elizabeth M Ker
Mr Graham W Scott
Mr Hugh Diack
Mr Alexander C Kerr
Mr Andrew G Service
Dr Alexander N Dowie
Dr William R Kerr
Mr Archie E Shearer
Prof John C Dumbreck
Mr J Charles D Lewis
Mr Christopher D W Smith
Mr Marshall N Ferguson
Dr Jintang Li and Mrs Rui Liu
Mr J Douglas O Stewart
Dr Robert J and Mrs M Ferguson
Mr F Graham Little
Mr Ewan and Mrs Jennifer Stewart
Dr Andrew and Prof Julie
Fitzpatrick
Mr R Finlay Lochhead
Mr David A Stirling
Mr Gordon A L Low
Mr C Murray and Mrs Netta Stuart
Mr Ian W Fotheringham
Mr D Gordon MacLeod
Sheriff Alayne E Swanson
Mr Huw M Foxall
Mr Peter W C Marr
Mr Michael B Tattersall
Mrs Jean E Fraser
Mr Scott H Massey
Mr Mark G Taylor
Mr Anthony P Frieze
Dr Stuart G McAlpine
Miss Rachel E Teggart
Mr Daniel L Gardner
Mr Stephen and Mrs Julie McCann
Mr Nacerdine Tcheir
Mr Thomas W Gemmill
Mr Ronald B McIntosh
Mr Ian M Veitch
Mr Peter M Gemmill
Dr Don S McIntosh
Mr John G Walker
Mr Brian R Gibson
Mr Robert H McKendrick
Mr John M Watson OBE
Professor David J Goldberg
Dr George I McLaren
Mr Iain Winning
Mr Michael S Morris
Lieut Colonel I G Neilson
Mr T Scott Nelson
Mr R Robin Paterson
25
Family announcements
Births
Alison (Kemp) Caldicott (2000)
We are delighted to announce the birth of Joshua
Andrew Caldicott, born on 24 June 2011, weighing
8lb 9oz. Nathan is being a fantastic big brother and
we are enjoying being a family of four.
Richard Lyle (1993)
Our wee boy, Cameron William Lyle, was born on
24 August 2011. Elder sister Megan, 21 months, is
already looking after him.
Fraser Lundie (1998)
On 22 August 2011 Fraser and Claire welcomed
their first child, Ruaridh Fraser Lundie, into the
world.
Joel, Alison (nee Kemp – 2000) and Nathan Caldicott with baby Joshua
Lesley (Bloomer) Stuart-Gammie (1998)
James and I have welcomed a new addition to the
family! Jessica Rose was born on 20 July 2011 and
little Aulay is delighted by his baby sister (if maybe a
little over-enthusiastic with the cuddles).
Euan Stubbs (1996) and Jennifer (Cargey)
Stubbs (1997)
This is Katherine (Katie) Ellen Stubbs born 23
July weighing 7lbs 11oz at St Joseph’s Hospital,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Daughter of Euan and
Jennifer Stubbs.
Owain Williams (1998)
Cameron William Lyle with big sister Megan
Ruaridh Fraser Lundie
Conor James Robert Williams, born 24 October
2011 to Owain and Angela at The Royal Alexandra’s
hospital , Paisley. 7 lb 9 oz. Born over the hallowed
turf of Stradey.
Engagements
Nicholas Frame (1994)
The engagement is announced from Japan
between Nicholas Roger, elder son of Mr
and Mrs Roger CC Frame of Bearsden and
Florence, and Ryoko, only daughter of the
late Mr Kenji and Mrs Taeko Yoshimura of
Kagoshima, Japan. The Wedding will take
place on the 24 March 2012 in Kagoshima,
Japan.
Jessica Rose Stuart-Gammie
Conor James Robert Williams
Hazel McNaught (2004)
James Buncle popped the question on
Elie beach earlier this year. Hazel happily
accepted, and the pair are planning to get
married in Scotland next summer. James and
Hazel met at Newcastle University and are
both now lawyers working in London.
Katherine (Katie) Ellen Stubbs
26
Etcetera
Marriages
Tammy Graham (2000)
Tammy is delighted to announce that she
and Pete Gilpin were happily married on
2 April 2011 in Ballydugan, Northern
Ireland. Friends and family joined them
on a lovely spring day for what became
a very lively Scottish/Irish wedding
celebration.
Sarah Wilson (2006)
Sarah Wilson to Jonathan Goodwin, on
20 August 2011, at St Andrew the Great
Church, Cambridge. After completing
their Masters’ degrees at Trinity Hall,
they have both now started PhDs at
the University of Sheffield – Sarah in
Criminology and Jon in Renewable
Energies.
Moving up, moving on...
Imran Alam (1997)
I took up my new post as a Health and
Wellbeing Physiologist with Nuffield
Health in Glasgow on 1 August after
three-and-a-half years as Senior Health
Adviser and Exercise Physiologist with
Bupa Wellness. I also continue to work
with Third Division Football club Clyde
FC as sports scientist, responsible for preand post-season fitness testing, assisting
physio on match days with massage and
sports therapy.
Greg Lawtie (2010)
was awarded his Gold Duke
of Edinburgh at the Palace of
Holyroodhouse on 4 July 2011. Greg
achieved this through his work with
the 1st Elderslie Boys Brigade. Greg
left Glasgow Academy in 2009 and is
currently studying Business Management
at Glasgow University. Greg is pictured
receiving his award from Eleanor
Lyall MBE who is the Scottish Chief
Commissioner for Scouting in Scotland.
David Miller (1976)
I am still working as Vice-principal of
International Christian College, a small
independent theological college based in
Glasgow. In autumn 2010 I completed
my PhD, much to my surprise, in which
I studied conversion to Christianity in a
Japanese context, through the University
of Manchester. The gown reminds me of
Joseph’s technicolour dreamcoat, and the
hat just looks silly – probably designed to
keep newly-graduated students humble.
Stewart Kinloch (1978)
After moving on from the African Trade
Insurance Agency, I am now delighted
that I am moving to take up a position as
a consultant to the African Development
Bank in Tunis. The Bank has retained
me as one of two consultants under the
Initiative for Risk Mitigation in Africa
(IRMA) which is intended to encourage
the effective use of the Bank’s existing
and planned risk mitigation products
(including insurance and reinsurance.)
and to serve as a catalyst for further
investments in African infrastructure
projects. I will start work in Tunis on 15
October.
Iain Saint-Yves (1954)
I have recently had my autobiography
published and below is the cover.
Etcetera
27
Obituaries
J Arrol Crerar (1936)
25 June 1917 – 3 August 2011
James Arrol Crerar died suddenly at
home in Giffnock on 3 August. Born
and brought up in the Newlands area of
Glasgow, he left the Academy in 1934
and started work in the National Bank of
Scotland’s Rutherglen office.
Arrol was working at the bank’s
Sauchiehall Street branch when war
was declared in 1939. He served in the
Royal Artillery (TA) as an anti-aircraft
gunner and later in the Royal Corps
of Signals as a wireless operator before
being taken prisoner at Tobruk in 1942.
Following three escape attempts from
camps in Italy and Austria, he was
eventually repatriated and demobilised
in 1946. The same year he married Betty
whom he had met in 1938 and who had
waited for him to come back from war.
They enjoyed sixty years of married life
together in Clarkston, Newton Mearns
and Giffnock until her death in 2006.
After the war, Arrol resumed his career
with the National Bank which eventually
became the National Commercial Bank
and then The Royal Bank of Scotland.
He retired in 1977 as the manager of the
St George’s Cross branch.
Throughout his life he maintained a
keen interest in golf and curling, being
a Past Captain and Honorary President
of Cathcart Castle Golf Club, a founder
member and former President of
Cathcart Castle Curling Club and a
long-standing member of Pollok
Curling Club.
He is fondly remembered and his
company is sadly missed by all who knew
him. His last years were tough following
the deaths of his daughter Lysbeth in
1992 and his wife Betty in 2006, but
his fighting spirit and jealously-guarded
independence never left him. He is
survived by his son, Rob, grandchildren,
James, Scott and Julie, and greatgrandchildren, Kara, Joe and Maya.
academically and in sport, playing for the
cricket and rugby first teams.
he was Dux, won The Academical Club
Prize and prizes for English and Greek.
In 1962 he took a Glasgow University
management course in accountancy and
business studies. Over the next twenty
years he worked in the publishing, book
distribution, import/export and transport
sectors before creating a specialised
computer transport business, Carry
Gently, in 1984 which he continued to
grow into a highly-successful company
for the rest of his life.
After an Arts degree at Glasgow
University, Harry obtained a BD with
distinction in Systematic Theology. He
then spent four years as the assistant at
Cathcart Old, where he was ordained,
before he was called to Lochgilphead.
Five years later he was translated to Inch
outside Stranraer where he became the
Clerk to the Presbytery of Stranraer. On
moving to Inchinnan in 1958 he spent
most of his ministry there on the issues
surrounding the move to the building
of the magnificent new Church on
Old Greenock Road. This was followed
by the most public ministry which he
performed, in Iona and the Ross of Mull.
He married his first wife, Sue, in 1968
and they had two children, Sarah
and Gavin. In 1997 he married the
actress, Patricia Brake. Michael was
a consummate raconteur, bon vivant
and sports enthusiast: he was captain of
Clydesdale Cricket Club and latterly
Richmond Golf Club, and he played
rugby for London Scottish. His sense
of humour and facility for universal
friendship contributed to his indomitable
spirit with which he fought a succession
of serious illnesses during the last three
years of his life.
He died peacefully in hospital in
Wimbledon in June and is survived by
his wife, his first wife and their two
children, and by two grandsons.
Rev Harry G Miller (1932)
15 July 1914 – 23 July 2011
Harry Galbraith Miller, who has died
aged 97, was from a family which passed
at least three things on to him: his skill at
music, his intellectual rigour and his faith.
He had a distinguished academic career
at Glasgow Academy. In his first five
years at the school he won the first prize
on four occasions and in his final year
Harry had a wonderful, eclectic circle of
friends who popped up from all round
the world. He provided support for
many people and was a born storyteller;
people listened spellbound to his fund
of anecdote, wisdom and wit. He will
be remembered as a musician, scholar
and preacher. Above everything else he
was an authentic human being whose
personality was illuminated by his faith.
Harry died peacefully, at the Royal
Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, in July and is
survived by his niece, Agnes.
Ian Shearer (1961)
1 October 1943 – 14 May 2011
Ian (WJA) Shearer who died in May
from myeloma, had a notable career as
a computer scientist and campaigner
for trade justice. He was instrumental
in introducing the first computers to
India and Burma and throughout his
life campaigned tirelessly for the World
Development Movement, for Christian
Aid and for democracy in Burma.
Michael M Kennedy (1961)
My memories of Ian go back to the
autumn of 1953 when he joined
Transitus A. The unforgettable ‘Dodo’
Ogilvie would have the class recite the
names of the world’s rivers, mountains
and most memorably the stations on the
Trans-Siberian Railway. On a visit to
India forty years later Ian and I amazed
our families by chanting together ‘Omsk,
Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk…
Vladivostok.’
Michael Macqueen Kennedy was born
in Pollokshields, Glasgow to Mitchell,
owner of a successful timber business, and
Agnes in 1944. Michael was educated
at a local prep school and then Glasgow
Academy where he was successful both
Ian sang treble in the choir, and was duly
‘promoted’ to alto in 1956. Standing
on the platform in the Well at morning
assembly we used to enjoy the hymn
‘Jesus shall reign where’er the sun’ with
its lively alto part. Prescient words in
view of his subsequent travels.
Rob Crerar (1972)
2 October 1944 – 13 June 2011
28
Etcetera
completed his law studies and joined the
law firm of Clark and Cameron. Later
he accepted an offer of a partnership
through an amalgamation with the
firm of Archibald Sharp and Son. He
remained with the firm until he retired
in 1992.
Ian was born on 1 October 1943 in
Kilmacolm as William John Alexander
Shearer, the third child of William and
Elizabeth Shearer. All four children
inherited their parents’ musicality, and Ian
was playing the organ at a local village
church at the age of 11. From Glasgow
Academy, he went on to St Andrews
University where he took a degree in
theoretical mathematics, while finding
time to perform as a concert pianist.
Mathematics led him into the then very
new field of computing.
Early work at ICL took him in 1969 to
Delhi to teach computer studies at the
Indian Institute of Technology while
waiting for a British-aided computer to
arrive which it was his job to see up and
working. A posting to Burma followed,
where he worked with a Burmese
team on the management of the census
that was put on to the country’s only
computer. It was the start of a life-long
interest in Burma and its people. He
also worked in Edinburgh for two years,
where in his spare time he wrote and
performed music on a portable Indian
harmonium with the Luckenbooth
Shadow Puppet Theatre.
Moving to London in 1974, Ian met
Seetha and the following year they were
married in Delhi. Among the guests
was Indira Gandhi as Seetha’s mother
was her personal secretary. A spell in
Zurich followed. Then in 1985 Ian
returned to the UK and settled with
his family in Lytham St Anne’s. Here
he joined a team of systems analysts
working on the massive task of linking
up the Department of Health and
Social Security offices in new computer
systems. He continued working with the
DHSS and its successor departments until
his final years.
Ian was a tireless campaigner
for Christian Aid, for the World
Development Movement where he was
for many years a Council member, for
the Burma Campaign UK which works
for development and democracy, and for
local causes such as the St Anne’s library
garden.
Music was a strong thread that ran
through Ian’s life. His greatest joy was
making music with others and his
sensitive musicality made him popular
with groups such as the Vivaldi Orchestra
for which he played the piano and
harpsichord. He also sang with local
choirs – he had a fine tenor voice. He
was a keen hill-walker and kept his lean,
athletic figure right up to his final illness.
Ian is survived by Seetha, three children
and three grandchildren. He was a
generous, gentle, and incredibly talented
friend and companion over so many
years.
Arthur Sanderson (1960)
Arthur F Smith (1939)
30 November 1922 – 20 July 2011
Arthur Forrest Smith attended Glasgow
Academy from 1930 until 1939 and
remained proud of his association with
the school throughout his life. In the
classroom and on the sports field he
displayed great ability. He was an ardent
participant in the school Air Training
Corps and on the cricket field he proved
himself to be an outstanding spin bowler.
He studied law at Glasgow University
but in 1941 he interrupted his studies
to join the RAF, qualified as a pilot and
served as a Flight Lieutenant. During his
RAF career Arthur had postings in South
Africa, North and East Africa, Italy and
Yugoslavia. On his demob in 1946 he
In 1950 Arthur married Doreen Sharp
in Broomhill Church. They moved to
Woodlands Drive where their children,
Elaine and Brian, were born a few years
later. The family enjoyed many holidays
in and around St Andrews but, despite
considering a move to the East Neuk of
Fife in retirement, Glasgow’s West End
was to remain Arthur’s home throughout
his life. He was an active member of
Belhaven-Westbourne Church and both
he and Doreen were very involved as
players and in match arrangements at
Partickhill Tennis Club. They also enjoyed
regularly attending the opera at the
Royal Concert Hall until Mrs Smith died
in 1984.
Arthur died peacefully at Gartnavel
General Hospital in July, a dearly-beloved
husband of the late Doreen, a muchloved father of Elaine and Brian and
proud and loving grandpa of Blair and
Lauren.
J Colin White (1964)
19 December 1946 - 21 July 20ll
James Colin White passed away in July
aged 64. He was born in Glasgow and
attended The Academy from 1952
to 1964. After studying law at the
University of Glasgow, Colin obtained
his Chartered Accountancy designation
in 1974 from the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Scotland. He emigrated
to Calgary with his family in 1981 where
he continued to work as a Chartered
Accountant and joined the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Alberta the
following year. Colin eventually went on
to establish and run his own accounting
practice, specialising in tax advice.
Some of his true passions included
golfing, boating and touring with his
family and friends. Colin is survived by
a son and daughter-in-law, John and
Denise; a daughter and son-in-law, Julie
and Byron; and three grandchildren,
Amber, Sarah and Payton Mirinda-Anne
White, all of Calgary. He is also survived
by his brother and sister-in-law Graham
(Bish) and Mavis, of the Isle of Wight.
Colin was predeceased by his wife
Barbara-Anne White.
Etcetera
29
undertaking a massive restoration
project.
Last March, Malcolm McNaught
met one of his former pupils who now
works in London’s West End...
‘It’s a bit of a blank canvas, really.
We can do anything in it. We
build auditoria, put plays on
or we have a promenade show.
At the moment we’ve got a
band on – sold out for the next
five nights. All sorts of people
hopping around. Totally bonkers
but great fun!’
Douglas McJannet (1993)
may be in show business, but he’s
far from ‘showy’. He speaks in a
gentle, slightly self-deprecating
way as if he doesn’t take himself
too seriously.
‘I don’t usually go into too much
detail about my job because the
illusion is probably better than
the reality. There’s a lot that’s
like any other job – coming to
work in the morning, going
home – a general structure... I
always describe myself as being
on the business side of the stage.
That’s what I’m interested in. In
meetings, I usually stress than I’m
not a creative at all. It’s rather a
disabling thing to say...’
Douglas helped raise £330,000
for a huge volunteers’ scheme
to get the project off the
ground. Part of its remit is to
provide opportunities for young
unemployed people – working as
stewards, working on marketing,
working on whatever’s needed –
and it has come as something of
a surprise to him that this is an
aspect of his work that gives him
a lot of satisfaction. ‘I honestly
thought I would hate it. But we’ve had
100 per cent success in getting our interns
into work or further education. This year
I’m probably happier in my work than I
have been for some time. It’s a long-term
project and there’s been lots of interest.’
Meanwhile he has also been still working
on productions like the Sovremennik
season of Russian Theatre at the Noel
Coward Theatre for Roman Abramovich,
and that variety is one of the things that
he enjoys.
He started his company, Arden
Entertainment, in 2006 along with
two business partners. ‘We started an
affiliated general management facility
for one particular show – a Take That
musical called Never Forget, which ran for
three-and-a-half years on tour and six
months in the West End. That was the
starting point. And I just felt slightly brave
one day when I was leaving my previous
job and I phoned somebody I’d worked
with and was offered this job as associate
producer on the spot for another show,
Dirty Dancing. I already had too much
work and I had to start recruiting people...
and I did that for a couple of years.’
Rather earlier than planned, I have to
admit my ignorance of the whole subject.
‘So for the non-expert,’ I say, ‘what exactly
does an associate producer do?’
‘It’s a mixture of things. There’s no
rule book. On that occasion it was an
Australian producer who didn’t have too
much knowledge of the London market
so it was my job to represent his interests
– if you like – in London. So you spend
your time making yourself unpopular
by saying this isn’t right, that’s not right
– just adding a bit of local knowledge
really, doing all the creative contracts, cast
albums, recording agreements – oh and
arranging the biggest first night party I’ve
ever arranged in my life. It cost £175,000
and took place at the Banqueting House
with food provided by the Ivy (restaurant).
It was amazing!’
As he tells me of all the projects he has
worked on and is currently working on
it occurs to me that Douglas seems to
spend a disproportionate amount of time
working. ‘There’s an old adage that, when
you work on your passion, you really are
in trouble. And my passion is the theatre
– always has been always will be. I do try
30
Etcetera
to get away occasionally at weekends but
the reality is that you’re on call 24 hours a
day. A year or two ago I was in Brighton
for the weekend trying to hide away and I
had a call on the Saturday at 12 noon that
there was a problem with the electrics
in the theatre in London on a matinee
starting at 2.30. Nothing else to do but go
back... There was a derailment on the line
and it took two and three-quarter hours
to get there and just as I was turning the
corner before reaching the Savoy I got
a message: “All fine!” And that was the
weekend completely ruined... But, by the
same token, I would have been hopping
mad if they hadn’t called me and the show
had been cancelled. Because your job is to
ensure that the investors get their money
back and it all goes ahead as planned. That
is the job.You’re only as good as your last
job, so you’ve got to get it right.’
When I spoke to him in March, Douglas
was Head of Tunnels Management for
The Old Vic Tunnels www.oldvictunnels.
com The Tunnels is a vast space
underneath Waterloo Station made up of
interconnected railway arches. Working as
part of Kevin Spacey’s team he’s currently
So to what extent was his time at school
an influence in what he does now?
It’s a question that Douglas is wary of.
‘I wish you hadn’t asked me that... An
awful lot, an awful lot. Shortly after I
went to The Academy I found myself in
the headmaster’s study. I’d just left my
old school and I wasn’t very happy. I
remember the headmaster saying to me,
“Your parents have paid for you to be
here, your grandfather was here... so you’d
better just get on with it. There must be
something you like doing.” So I said, “Oh
well, it’ll have to be drama, I suppose.”
I really didn’t like performing although
everyone seemed to think I was good at
it... At least I was audible! I always look
back on my schooldays as a very, very
happy time. And you needed to be quite
switched on in that school at that time;
there were lots of talented people about.’
Looking back on those days with a
teacher’s perspective, I would have to
agree: there were lots of talented people at
The Academy in the early 1990s. Where
I would part company with Douglas,
however, is that he was so clearly one of
them.
In a world where self-promotion seems
to be the norm, it’s refreshing to meet
someone who has been successful without
feeling the need to blow his own trumpet.
Picture Post
It was on the stage in the Well; the old
hand-pumped organ was removed for the
occasion. I think the English master was
Mr Foster, but I’m not sure.
I am sitting on the far right playing
Capulet and next to me is Hamish Boyd
as the Nurse. On the far left, sitting, is
Kenneth McKenzie and the two tall guys
in the middle of the back row are David
Turnbull and Lex Dowie with Maclay
and Diack on their left. Fourth in on the
right, sitting, is R Reid and I think his
younger brother was playing Juliet, but
I’m not sure.
Don McIntosh (1955) and Bryan
Mitchell (1955) have both been in
touch to add some missing names to
Michael Greenhill’s 1953/54 class photo
which appeared in Etcetera 15 (Summer
2011, page 7):
Back row (l to r): Bryan Mitchell, Robert Burnside,
Hugh Fenwick, Robert Turpie, Sandy McNeish,
John Thomlinson.
3rd row (l to r): Michael Greenhill, Martin Frame,
Barry Niven, Iain Gardiner, AJ Alcock, Michael
Roemmele, Douglas Miller.
2nd row (l to r): James Bolton, Alan Thomson,
Gordon MacPherson, Roy Burdon, ? ?, Quentin
Jeffries, ? ?, Tom Forrester.
Front row (l to r): Don McIntosh, ? ?, ? ?, Mr G
Allman, Ian Mason, Lawrence Sellyn, James Forrester.
Don and Bryan can’t quite fill in all of
the blanks but the other signatures on
their photos would suggest the unknown
boys are: Angus McDonald, J U Marshall,
J A H Taylor and Stuart D Mackie.
Dear Editor
I am hugely enjoying the regular editions
of Etcetera, especially the last one that
included Captain Barritt’s article, as our
naval paths occasionally crossed. I also
enjoyed the piece on the CCF Naval
Section which I had the good fortune to
lead as Cadet Cox’n in my final year.
We had fun (sort of), but I give full marks
to the audience for their endurance in
sitting for two hours in that cold Well!
Jimmy Baird (1943)
Dear Malcolm
Firstly, may I congratulate you on
another excellent issue of the Etcetera,
which is, as usual, extremely interesting
and thoroughly enjoyable.
I note that you have been including
a number of class photographs from
the past and I wonder if you would be
interested in the photo of my last year,
1938, in the Prep School.
The teacher was Miss Gentles, and I
think it was the final year of the ‘GA’
school badge.
Unfortunately I am able to name only a
few of my classmates as I left at the end
of the following year to go to Strathallan
School in September 1939.
Alastair M Nicol (1944)
Miss Gentles’ class in 1938
OMG! Have just seen a photo of myself
in your mag. It is in issue no 9 of Etcetera
– a photo of the shooting team on p31.
Only a few team members are named.
I am in the front row on the left of the
photo. Must have needed a whole tub of
Brylcream to keep that hair under my
Glengary! I always have been a rebel!
Those .303 rifles had some kick! We
were good shots, though, and won few
trophies. I remember I won a decent cash
prize at Bisley that summer.
Regards to all
Euan Cameron (1974)
However, I write to correct a contributed
piece on page 12: the photograph
suggests that the Cadet Corporal may
be Chris Ormerod; in fact it is Alastair
James. I regret I cannot identify Chris
with any certainty.
Robert Howell (1962)
Dear Malcolm
In page 8 of the recent edition of Etcetera,
Percy Brazil produced a photo of the
Globe Players’ production of Romeo
and Juliet and I agree that it was 1941.
Etcetera
31
9 7 - 9 9 G r e a t We s t e r n R o a d , G l a s g o w, S c o t l a n d . G 4 9 A H • Te l e p h o n e 0 1 4 1 3 3 2 8 9 8 9 • E - m a i l s c o t l a n d @ c l i v e . c o m • w w w. c l i v e . c o m