Part 9 - Strathallan School

Transcription

ComteSts
The Strathallian 2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9
Volume XX No.9
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3
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6
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16
18
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23
24
27
28
29
30
32
34
37
38
42
46
49
51
52
Riley House
Swimming
Iceland
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54
55
56
58
60
61
62
64
66
67
.jp s r
68
Equestrian success
Beaux of the ball.
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70
71
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75
76
78
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Strathallan School, Forgandenny, Perth PH2 9EG www.strathallan.co.uk
94
Editor: E G Kennedy Design: Douglas Colquhoun www.douglascolquhoun.co.uk
Photography: Alaisdair Smith for Art, Irene McFarlane, Andrew Watt, David Barnes, Stuart Adams
and all staff who contributed. Print: MLG.
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S c h o o l C a p ta in s
H e a d m a s te r’s R e p o rt
S a lve te
S peech Day
House R eports
R iley
F re e la n d
N ico l
R u th ve n
S im p so n
T h o rn b a n k
W o o d la n d s
C h a p la in ’s R e p o rt
H e a d m a s te r's M usic
M usic
M usic in R iley House
T he E co lo G F estiva l
S p eech a n d D ram a
R iley S h o w - Y a n o m a m o
C h a rle y ’s A u n t
G uys a n d D olls
N a tio n a l Y o u th T h e a tre
A rt
D e sig n & T e c h n o lo g y
C ric k e t
R ugby
F o o tb a ll
B a d m in to n
N e tb a ll
S ailing
B a ske tb a ll
A th le tic s a nd
C ross C o u n try
G o lf
Ka ra te
B o ys’ H o cke y
G irls’ H o cke y
B o ys’ Tennis
G irls’ Tennis
E q u e stria n ism
S w im Team
F en cin g
R o u n d e rs
Ski Season
Clays
■22 R ifle C lu b
A n g lin g C lu b
S p o rts D ay
N a vy S ailing T rip
CCF
D e b a tin g
Chess
W ild life P h o to g ra p h y Day
A rg e n tin e C o n c e rt
Ice la n d Trip
P ip e Band
V a le te
P rize w in n e rs
C h a rity Race
H is to ry
D uke o f E d in b u rg h ’s A w a rd
S ta ff V a le te
O b itu a rie s
C h a ritie s
G le n b ra e
E co S cho o l
Reels N ig h ts
VI F o rm C o m m o n R oom
VI F o rm B u rn s S u p p e r
H y p n o tis t N ig h t
The Ball
PRELIMS_____________________________________________________ ________________
School Captains
Some say that school is the best tim e
of your life. It’s a cheesy line but the
truth is when you look back over the
years, you come to realise that there
are many memories o f your tim e at
Strathallan which tell you that it really
was a unique experience.
T h ro u g h o u t o u r final year at S trath you
co u ld hear m any co m p la in ts o f the
tests and th e challenges th a t we were
faced w ith , w h e th e r th e y be academ ic,
sp o rtin g , m usical o r dram atic. However,
looking back now as ex-pupils, I am
certain th a t m any o f us wish we could
go back and do it all over again.
Strath is indeed th e firs t stage o f an
e p ic journey, s e ttin g you up before
em b a rkin g in to th e 'big bad w o rld ’.
Reflecting, I still fin d it o u tsta n d in g
th a t as such a small and c o m p a c t
co m m u n ity, every pupil has th e chance
to thrive, c o m p e te and achieve at such
a high level in a v a rie ty o f fields. A key
p a rt o f this success is d e p e n d e n t on
th e w o rk and e ffo rt th a t all o f th e s ta ff
so en thu sia stica lly o ffe r in and o u t
o f th e classroom . One o f th e things
th a t sets S trathallan so high above
o th e r schools is th e b rid g e th a t is
b u ilt b etw een s ta ff and pupils. I w ould
ju s t like to th a n k Mr T hom pson and
Mr Barnes fo r all o f th e ir s u p p o rt fo r
Jam ie and me over this past year, as
well as th e Flem ings, Miss Sime, Mr
Giles and, o f course, Hendo.
Having th e S trathallan experience
behind us makes tasks all th e easier
and because o f this we have all left
w ith a stron g feeling o f satisfaction.
One of the things that sets
Strathallan so high albwe other
schools is the bridge that is built
between staff and pupils...
School has been a long b u t rew arding
process and w e shall take th e friends
and th e m em ories in to th e next stage
o f o u r lives.
I wish all th e pupils a t S trath th e best
o f luck fo r th e fu tu re years; grab every
o p p o rtu n ity as it comes. I also wish
every m em b e r o f o u r year th e u tm o s t
success in all o f y o u r endeavours.
Just rem e m be r....Labor O m nia V incit
Jayne Carmichael
UVI Thornbank
and Jamie King UVI Freeland
2
T he S tra th a llia n 2008-2009
PRELIM S
Headmaster s report
In my speech at Speech Day I stressed the value o f the team. While this is significant in any context, as
w ith so many other things, it becomes o f greater im portance in a boarding context. W hether pupils are
boarders or day pupils in a boarding school all experiences are more intense and it really is the case
that “together everyone achieves m ore” .
In the all important academic work in many
ways it is the individual who is tested and of
course pupils’ results are important in terms of
their future destinations. This year, as has become
typical, our Upper Sixth is departing to a very
wide range of destinations and courses. This
reflects the diversity which we encourage and we
feel far more comfortable that we have this variety
than schools that tend to channel everyone to a
small number of universities which may be right
for some but are unlikely to be right for all. Our
A level results were particularly pleasing with
49% A, 76% A/B and 95% at A -C. Six subjects
achieved 100% A/B and a further six were well
over the 80% mark. Our GCSE results with
45% at A*-A being the highest which the school
has achieved, give encouragement for the future.
The value, and validity, of league tables are much
debated and they can only tell part of the story.
In the case of the Scotsman whose education
correspondent managed to work out our figures
incorrectly they did not tell a true story at all. A
correction was published and we did everything
we could to let people know that we achieved
49% at grade A rather than 19% which the paper
had published. We were inevitably rather happier
with the Financial Times which had us as the top
A level school in Scotland. The F T ’s rankings
tend to be the most respected (and I have said
this in the past not just because we did well this
year) partly because they list so much information
which gives crucial indicators such as the number
of subjects taken by each pupil and the numbers
of pupils entered. W hile examination results are
important, we continue to strive to encourage
pupils to stretch themselves academically beyond
the GCE syllabuses and it is great to hear of
the success of two of our recent arrivals Otari
Kakhidze and Denise Pacholska who have both
been successful in national essay competitions in
their home countries. It is also good to hear ot
the continuing success of former pupils and that
recent graduates from Oxford and Cambridge
have continued the impressive record of achieving
firsts which Strathallians have established at
those institutions.
The Team is clearly evident in many of the
activities which take place outside the classroom
and each of these is dealt with in separate sections
in the heart of this magazine. The thing which I
find particularly inspiring when I come to write
my speech is to look at the overview of everything
which has been achieved. For example, this year,
we achieved district or national success in twenty
three different sports, provided eighteen national
champions and twelve national representatives.
We even have a Scottish national record holder
in the pool and one or two pupils have their
sights set firmly on future Olympic success. The
Royal Marines won the Leadership Trophy at the
Pringle Trophy. The Music Department continues
to be hugely vibrant and successful under its
new Director with over sixty different concerts
and again high standards being achieved within
a wide range of different disciplines. We have
achieved national success in traditional Scottish
disciplines such as piping, the Mod, folk groups
and a member of the RSAMD Traditional Music
programme, we have individuals in the National
Youth Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra and there has
been real development with ensembles including
the Big Band and W ind Band. There has been a
further boost in funding for the choir based at the
Cathedral in Perth, St Ninian’s. Pupils continue
to be active in drama, dance and festivals which
supplement the outstanding productions of
Charleys Aunt and Guys an d Dolls which we were
privileged to enjoy this year.
We are also conscious of how fortunate we all
are and the work of our Charities Committee
continues to bring home to us the needs of others.
This year we built a school in Malawi and a house
for a teacher, equipped the library, and put on four
other major fundraising events.
Of course, crucial to the team are the individual
teachers. Behind every successful activity
and department one finds a dedicated and
inspirational teacher. This year we said farewell
to two long serving members of staff. Carol
Duncan’s outstanding teaching and passionate
leadership of the Modern Languages Department
will be remembered and appreciated by so
many. C arol’s dedication, enthusiasm and sheer
professionalism will be very hard to replace.
Elizabeth Adam has made an individual and
committed contribution to the English teaching
in the School for the past twenty three years.
Dominik Diamond, when he visited the School,
highlighted Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for one
author which it is fair to say he did not share. He
certainly remembered Elizabeth’s passion and
appreciated a love of literature which she passed
on to him. The commitment and care which
Andrew Gordon showed to his pupils in the
Design Technology Department, Nicol House
and Riley Sport were particularly marked; he was
described as the ‘all round good guy’ by Captains
of School and we wish him and his family every
success in their adventure in Thailand. Jane W hite
and Bee Cassimer in the Modern Languages
Department and Andy Collins covering in
T he S trathallian 2008-2009
3
PRELIMS___________________________________________
Headmaster’s report continued
Salvete
Chemistry and latterly Computing were only with us
for a comparatively short time but each supported their
pupils with real professionalism and we are grateful to
them for their contribution. And we also thank Victor
Popescu who was with us for one year helping with EAL
and in Nicol House. Beyond the classroom John Newall
tended the grounds and completely changed the look of
the School over the past eight years; Jacqui Todd has not
only been Lead Nurse in the Medical Centre but has also
helped to coach the Athletics squad and Alix Doe made
her own contribution particularly in organising events in
the Marketing Department.
Nam e+lnits
Surname
YG
House
Ad date
A n d re w A
A dam
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Hannah E
A dam s
S2
W oodlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
C h a rlotte E D
A llingham
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Caitlin
Ball
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Angus
Balm aks
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Rosie C A
Beech
S2
W o o dlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nicola L
Bell
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Caitlin E
B everidge
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Phoebe
Blackley
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
James T
Boag
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
To replace leaving colleagues we are delighted to have
secured such high calibre replacements. David and
Donna Billing join us from Uppingham where David
was Director of Sport and taught English, and Donna
was in the History Department. David takes over Nicol
House from David Giles who moves to be Registrar and
Donna will also tutor in Glenbrae. David is a graduate
of Loughborough and Donna of St Andrews. From
a rather different location comes Nigel Gallier to the
Physics Department. Nigel has completed thirty years
in the Army after graduating from Cambridge. He took
a teaching qualification a few years ago and has now
changed his career to teaching Physics but also inevitably
has been asked to run the Army section. Gillian McLean
graduated from Strathclyde University in French and
German and spent some time working in countries where
those languages are spoken before deciding to become a
teacher and joins us having completed her PGCE and
probationary year in Glasgow. Ken Hutton is kindly
covering for Andrew Gordon in the Design Technology
Department while we source another permanent teacher
and Ivanina Trifonova is this year’s HMC teacher from
Romania who will help pupils whose first language is not
English and will also be residential tutor in Thornbank.
During the year, we welcomed Lisa Leslie to Marketing
where her experience is already having a real effect and
Mike Bussey is continuing the development of the pitches
and grounds which, as I write this in October, are looking
beautiful and playing exceptionally well. Lara Young and
Judith Glasgow join the Medical Team as Judith Gerrie
steps up to be Lead Nurse. We welcome all of these
colleagues and one hundred and fifty new pupils to our
community. W ith the new Girls House Glenbrae in full
operation from September, the School roll is currently
at 535 a 9% rise which ensures that we are in a strong
position for the future.
Bonnie L
Brown
SI
Riley
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
R o b e rt W
Brow n
P7
Riley
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
Keith M
Buchan
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jessica B K
Bussey
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
R o b e rt C J
Bussey
S4
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
BKT
4
Isla M E
C am eron
S2
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jose M
C am ino
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Rhona
C am pbell
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Chun K
Chan
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Yuen C
Chan
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Sarah G
Cheape
S2
T ho rn b an k
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
R aim undo
Clar O iler
S3
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ruaridh J
Clark
P5
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Phoebe C M
C lem ents
P5
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ailsa A
C lifford
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Hayden
Clinch
S4
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Mark A
Cochrane
S2
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jam es F
C ockburn
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
C onor
Colem an
C onnor A J
Collins
P6
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Kyle S J
Cooke
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jam ie W
C o rb e tt
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Lucy D
C rabb
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jocelynn 1
Craw Harley
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Megan
C raw ford
SI
Riley
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Sophie G
Curran
S2
G lenbrae
Jordan A
Curtis
S2
Sim pson
0 5 01 2 0 0 9
Paul
Cuvillier
S5
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
A n d re w J J
D arby
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Callum J
Davidson
S5
R uthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Lisa P
Davidson
S2
G lenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
John C
Dew
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Josephine R
Dibnah
S2
Thornbank
G rant R T
Doig
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Caitlin 1 H
Donald
P5
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nicole S
Drechsler
S2
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Karl G
D rouven
S5
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Lauren K
Dundee
P5
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Justin M
Evans
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Christina E H
Farrar
S2
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Callum
Fletcher
S3
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Blair U
Forbes
S4
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Benedikt
Fundulus
S5
Sim pson
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
S ALVETE
Nam e+lnits
Pablo
Lisa F
Am ber C
S co tt M
Surname
Garcia Bescansa
G a rre tt
G arvie
G arvie
YG
House
Ad date
Nam e+lnits
Surname
YG
House
Ad date
S3
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
O rpheas
Manos
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Enrique
M artinez
S3
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Hannah C
Meikle
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Kirsty
Muir
S3
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
P6
P6
S2
Riley
Riley
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Euan B
G ilb u rt
S3
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Rob
Muir
SI
Riley
India A
Gill
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Bethany J
M urphy
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Lea S
Gill
S5
W o o dlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Yuen Y
Ng
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
G ilm ore
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Lucy J
O rr
P6
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
C onnor A
O venstone
S2
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Denisa
Pacholska
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ewan M
Pirrie
S4
Freeland
05 01 2 0 0 9
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nick
Fraser J C
A n to n y 1
Anastasia A
Glasgow
Gloag
G natyuk
P6
S2
S5
Ruthven
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ivan
G oncharenko
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Hannah K J
Pitts
S3
Isla
G ordon
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Daisy M
Pro van
S2
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Amy A
Grant
S3
W o o dlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
A lfonso
Ramos
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
G rantz
S3
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ewan
Ramsay
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
M oritz O B
Rechberg
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
G regor 1W
Ritchie
P6
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
James T
Ritchie
S2
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Fabienne 1
R o b e rtso n -B a rn e tt P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Thim o
C am eron 1 M
Katharine A
Chloe
Jiayi
G riffith s
G riffith s
Grossi
Guo
P6
S2
S5
S5
R o b e rtso n -B a rn e tt P6
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Pablo
Sagnier
S2
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Caroline F
Seaman
S2
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Adam
Shakor
S3
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nadia A
Shakor
S5
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S3
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Nicholas B
Heaney
H enderson
Derek J
H o o g e rb ru g g e
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Im ogen A
S5
H odzic
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
H artm ann
Am ar
W o o dlands
T hornbank
C ha rlotte
A lexander R
Glenbrae
S5
S5
Freeland
G eorge
Horne
S3
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Qian
Shen
Fanfei
Hu
S5
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Hao
Shi
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Sandie E T
Smillie
S2
Glenbrae
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Constance S
Snowie
SI
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Henning V
Stange
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
W o o dlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Penny J A
Stew art
P7
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Euan S
Sutherland
P5
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Maxim A D
Tabourel
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Talipova
S3
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Thornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Mengjie
Huang
S5
T hornbank
F rederick D L
H unter
S5
Inch
SI
S2
Megan L
Am elia L
Em ily L
M organ J
Zoe
inglis
Irons-Young
Irving
Jordan
S6
P5
S5
T hornbank
Riley
Thornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Gaydelia
O tari
Kakhidze
S5
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Qianhe
Tang
S5
Philippa L
Kem p
S2
Thornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
K onstantin F
Toffert
S4
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Kinloch
S2
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Mairi P
Topham
S2
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
Thornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Kara G
Tripney
S2
Thornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Anastasiya
Veretennikova
S3
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Luke T
W alker
S3
Freeland
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
W hitelaw
S2
W oodlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Findlay W
Hannah
Magdalena
Chun H
Cheuk N
Kleinhanss
Koch
Kong
Lau
S5
S4
P7
Glenbrae
Sim pson
Riley
16 02 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
H ope M
Charles R
Leslie
P6
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
A nnabel J E
W ilson
S2
W oodlands
Daniel P
M cBride
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Thom as
W ilson
S5
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
McColl
S6
Sim pson
05 01 2 0 0 9
Lisa V
W inkler
S3
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Riley
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Rory M T
W ood
S2
Ruthven
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
O livia D
W oodes Rogers
S4
W oodlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
T hornbank
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Joe
Dylan
R obb J
M c D e rm o tt
M acD iarm id
P7
S2
Freeland
Calum R
M acdonald
S4
Ruthven
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
Xueting
Xiao
Ross J
M cD onald
S2
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Jiaru
Yang
S5
T hornbank
M urdo S
M aclver
S3
Nicol
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ho K
Yuen
S3
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
H olly A
McLean
S2
W o o dlands
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Yuling
Zeng
S5
Glenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Alexandra K L
McLellan
S2
G lenbrae
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Ren W
Zhu
S5
Freeland
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
S5
Sim pson
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 9
Max H H
Mahn
Marise D
Mahos
P7
Riley
Herm es
Manos
SI
Riley_________01 0 9 2 0 0 9
5
PRELIM S
Speech Day
Strathallan School is a veritable hive of a ctivity at the best of times, but during the run-up for the
annual Speech Day in May, everyone has som ething to prepare for. W hether it’s polishing your shoes
in order to avoid the wrath of Matron, tearing yourself away from the post-Sports Day barbecue to
attend the prize-giving rehearsal or helping to tid y up the art departm ent, everybody is busy doing
som ething to make the school appear at its best.
The pupils spend the first part of the morning getting
ready whilst the House staff run around frantically trying
to make sure everybody looks presentable (Mr Fleming
told many a Thornbanker to run a comb through her hair,
only to hear the disgruntled reply that “It’s supposed to
look messy!”). By ten o’clock the parents have started
to arrive and everyone makes their way over to the
emblematic white marquee in which the speeches
are given.
The Chairman of Governors, M r Gray, opened the
ceremony, and was followed by the Headmaster’s
unapologetically lengthy speech which served to illustrate
the continued successes and achievements enjoyed by the
pupils in both academic and extra-curricular activities.
Jamie and Jayne’s School Captains’ speech was eloquent
and extremely funny (although it was probably only the
pupils who could appreciate the in-jokes).Their speech
was especially memorable for the members of the UVI,
as they reminded the leavers of all the things they would
miss about Strath (and just a few of the things they
wouldn’t) - a great send off. One small mention must be
made, however, of the disappointment suffered by some
pupils at the fact that Jayne failed to carry out a certain
little promise she had made the year before, conditional
upon her becoming Head Girl...
After the conclusion of the speeches, visitors were free
to explore the Art, Design and Technology, Divinity,
Maths and Biology departments, where pupils’ work was
displayed, including some genetically modified, glowin-the-dark bacteria! {You sure that w a sn ’t the Sixth Form
Centre, Vicki? Ed) At the same time, a concert was held
in the chapel to showcase the impressive talent of the
school’s musicians, and at 12.30pm, the pipe band took
to the lawn. Just before one o'clock there was the usual
mad rush to the food tent, where the famous strawberry
tarts were served.
As usual, throughout the day, flashbulbs were continually
going off, as parents did their best to embarrass their
children, and groups of pupils tried to take as many good
photos as possible so that they could duly be posted on
facebook as soon as the ceremony was over.
All in all, it was a memorable day - one of the few
where the whole school community - pupils, parents
and teachers- comes together to celebrate not only the
achievements of individuals within the school, but of the
school as a whole.
Vicki Gow UVI Thornbank
The guest speaker, Sir Allan Langlands, who handed out
prizes to pupils, highlighted in his speech the important
role that universities play in our everyday lives, whilst
stressing the value of a university education.
There was the usual mad
rush to the food tent, where
the famous strawberry tarts
were served.
6
PRELIM S
m sm
The S trathallian 2008-2009
7
HOUSES
The year began w ith our new children’s and parents’
Riley also had th e ir ow n ch a rity day in th e sum m er te rm
tea on W ednesday 3rd September. This year we
all based on ideas fro m th e children. An a q u atic obstacle
welcom ed 36 new pupils which gave the House a
total of 83 boys and girls for the autumn term . By
the summer term our numbers had increased to 88
course was set up as a divisional co m p e titio n on the
children. W e also w elcom ed three new teachers - Dr
M att Gibson as a geography teacher and as the tutor
in charge of Dupplin, Mrs Carol Sim Sayce joined
the staff and was to be in charge of Riley music and
Miss Louise Carroll was also a new staff addition with
responsibilities for girls’ games and P.E. in Riley.
chosen charities in th e afternoon.
A t the end o f th e a utum n te rm w e said farewell and
'heaps o f thanks' to Nick M cArthur, o u r Australian Gap
S tu d e n t w h o returned hom e a fte r three very successful
term s w ith us. His replacem ents - Hamish W ise and Erin
For th e second year we headed o ff to C a rrb rid g e to the
Smith, also fro m Australia, arrived in tim e fo r th e spring
Forest Them e Park, Landm ark fo r o u r b o n ding exercise
te rm and soon proved p o p ular w ith th e House.
on th e firs t Saturday o f th e school year. Despite th e rain
g reat fun was had by all on th e w a te r slides, sky dives,
th e high w ire courses and th e ten m etre clim b in g wall.
O ver th e first tw o o r three weeks o u r new children
The divisional co m p e titio n was very close in th e autum n
term . Glenearn w on th e 'D iv Plays’ b u t Balm anno were
th e overall leaders by ju st one point. The spring term
saw Balm anno w in n in g again despite Dron w in ning ‘Div
a da pte d to th e ir new school and rou tin e and began to
Music'. In th e sum m er te rm Dron cam e back s tron g ly
take advantage o f th e activitie s on offer. New activitie s
w in n in g six o f th e events and th e te rm ly c o m p e titio n
included ceilidh and rock bands b o th run by Mrs Sim
b u t it was n o t q u ite enough to w in th e shield w hich
Sayce, and Miss McKay started a lib ra ry club tw o
w e n t to Balm anno this year.
a fte rn o o n s a w eek w h ich proved p o p ular in th e dark
w in te r m onths. Table Tennis was also well su p p orte d
and gre a t success was had again in th e Perth League on
Tuesday evenings.
O th e r h ig h lig h ts d u rin g th e year included a House
o u tin g to th e Scotland A v Italy A ru g b y international
in Perth, th e Riley Boys' hockey team w in ning the
6-a-side plate co m p e titio n , th e sum m er te rm triathlon,
A new event fo r Riley was th e in tro d u c tio n o f an exeat
th e second fo rm cam p beside Loch Morlich, Strathallian
weekend at th e end o f th e fo u rth w eek o f term . It
and fa m ily fun day on th e Paddock, an o u tin g to the
co in cid e d w ith o u r firs t inform al co n ce rt o f th e year a fte r
BBC c h ild re n ’s co n ce rt in Glasgow, th e G uitar Hero
w hich all boarders w e n t away fo r a long w eekend from
co m p e titio n and, o f course, th e House p ro d u c tio n o f
th e Friday evening w ith no Saturday school. It proved a
Y anom am o p e rfo rm e d to a packed theatre. This proved
g reat success and n o t ju st fo r th e boarders! Next year
to be a m ost co lo u rfu l and enjoyable musical. A m ost
we plan to have tw o exeats in th e long a utum n term .
successful end to th e year. W ell done, Riley!
The Halloween Party, w ith help fro m som e Senior
School prefects was gre a t fun - a parade in fa n cy dress,
th e usual gam es and an in d o o r obstacle course! A
n u m b e r o f th e House also to o k p a rt o r su p p o rte d the
Headm aster's Music in the Perth C oncert Hall. There was
th e kilt and ru g b y sh irt day and a n o n -u n ifo rm day fo r
L M
c h a rity w hich were b o th very well su p p o rte d by Riley.
8
Paddock and we had a cake and plant sale and also
a raffle. O ver £ 3 0 0 0 pounds was raised fo r th e three
The S tra th a llia n 2008-2009
Judy Bush
HOUSES
The following were presented w ith prizes on Friday
3rd July at our Prize Giving :
A cadem ic - Best Form O rders - Effort Totals
1JJ
A ngus Gibson;
1J
Nina Hearns
1st
Finlay S tew art
Eliza Younger
2nd
G eorgie Howell
Annr A rth u r
R obyn Som erville
Most Progress
Lewis' C b u tts
Distinctions
Rory A rth u r
.Camerort Jenkins
Ellie Hall
F inlay Kettles
A rch ie Brow n
C am eron H irst
Jo B a rra ck .
Music
Colin G ordon & Sarah Nicol
Drama
Ewan Cam pbell & Jo Barrack
Games
Charlie Mearns & A lison Ramsay
Art
G areth W a tt & Robyn Som erville
DT
Jordan C urtis & G eorgie Howell
Reading Cham pion
Finlay Stewart:..
Cups and Trophies
Div Plays
Chess Master
G lenearn
M a tt P atterson
Div Music
Best soloist
Best Div
Colin G ordon
D ron
■
P iping/D rum m ing
Novice Chanter
Charlie Mearns
Novice Drumming
A lex R obertson
Junior Drumming
C am m y Mack
Equestrian Awards
G areth W a tt :
Phoebe A rn o t
Robyn Som erville
Rosie W illiam s
Div Swim ming: The Simpson Cup
Dron
Football: W orld Cup
D rdn
Athletics
Senior Sports’ Day
Boys’ 100 metres
.1st.
2nd
3rd
Girls’ 100 metres
1st
2nd
3rd
Charlie Mearns
G areth W a tt
Josh H enderson
A nni A rth u r
R obyri S om erville
Em ily Barnes
Mixed 8 0 0 metres
Josh A n d e rson
1st
2nd
Chris Van D o rt
C onnor H o lb o m
3rd
Riley Sports’ Day
Victrix Ludorum
Victor Ludorum
R obyn S o m e rville 1
Charlie Mearns
Mixed Doubles Tennis: Dorward Cup
M ark McGuire & Nina Mearns
Hewson Cup
Charlie M eafns & A n n i A rth u r
Divisional Shield
1st
BA LM A N N O
2 nd
DRON
3rd
GLENEARN
4 th
DUPPLIN
6 6 .5
6 4 .5
53.5
45.5
pts
pts
pts
pts
A t th e end o f o u r Prize G iving w e said th a n k you,
g o o d b y e and m ade a p re se n ta tio n to A n d re w G ordon
w h o had ta u g h t D.T. and he lp e d w ith Riley gam es fo r
th e p a st e ig h t years and to Liz D uncan w h o had been
a Riley tu to r fo r fo u r years a nd no w m oves to th e new
g irls ’ house, Glenbrae,
9
HOUSES
reeland
» . . . i t has been
a privilege to
captain and work
within such a
brilliant group of
people...«
HOUSES
Moving to Strathallan was som ewhat of a strange and
It is fa ir to say th a t Freeland, like all Houses, o ffe r a healthy
alien experience for me as I had previously attended
a regular day school for five years. I found it easy to
d o n atio n to school events (and prize w inners) such as
appreciate the differences Strath had to o ffer realising
that the breadth o f opportunities is som ething that
Adam s, Ollie Wale, Oli Beetschen, Jonny Keddie, Jam ie
few can afford to miss. Boarding in Freeland has re
perform ances gives us all a sense o f pride and a reason to
emphasised how im portant my decision to move to
Strath was as it is such a w elcom ing environment. Boys
in the House are always up for a laugh and help pick
you up when you’re down which is why the House, and
furtherm ore the school, functions so well. There is an
unparalleled atm osphere that makes any newcomer
instantly feel part of the team . A sense of place is
created by the likes of Grant’s ‘Palace of L ove', Cliff
introducing us to Belga, tucking the Head Boy, Jamie,
'C harley’s A u n t’ and ‘Guys and D olls’. W atching Marcus
Parker, Josiah Bircham and A n d re w Glover lead the
hold o u r heads high. I w ill also have to m en tio n Parker’s
one-m an co n g re g a tio n w hich gives us all so m e th in g to
look fo rw a rd to at chapel-keep up th e g o o d w ork, Parker.
Leading in p ro d u ctio n s such as these reinforces the
b readth and d ive rsity o f th e House’s character: w here you
have perform ers: you have national level pipers, w here you
have musicians; you have to p class sp o rtsm e n and w here
you have artists; you have Sam, w h o does have his own
into bed and Maksym’s cheeky but loveable sense
of humour. These all culm inate to make (to quote
unique a rt fo rm (s). I have no fear in saying th a t th e ta le n t
Jean Behets) “YOU!” part of Freeland, and he’s right.
The Upper Sixth in the House have led by example
this m erit o f Freeland.
throughout the year and offered their support, not only
by their form al duties but by taking the tim e to make
sure the lower years are kept on the right track.
present in th e yo u n ge r years o f th e House w ill ca rry on
Freeland did well in m aintaining th e stocks in th e tro p h y
ca b in e t this year. A w in in th e House m usic ensem ble w ith
“ Follow th e Heron H om e” be a utifu lly arranged by W illiam
Cam pbell Gibson and fe a tu rin g Joshua Cheung on Cello
The House is full o f m em ories w hich I'm sure every boy in
was a h ig h lig h t w h ile o u r p e rfo rm a n ce o f 'C'est La Vie’ was
it can appreciate. These include th e num erous schemes o f
enjoyed by all. Enthusiastic perform ances a t the lectern by
th e d yn a m ic d uo th a t is G rant and MacKenzie, adventures
A n d re w Glover, Jam ie Parker, Surakat K udehinbu and Sam
co n d u cte d by W ill and Adam , sending up th e tu to rs at the
L ip w o rth saw us w in th e senior House d e b atin g trophy.
Christm as party, Gavin's fa scination w ith 'Y u-gi-oh' and
The year ended on a high note w ith wins in sh o o tin g and
even th e scores o f s id e -sp littin g laughs th a t com e from
the ju n io r House cricke t co m p e titio n .
th e cleaners' sta ffro o m - we can on ly guess w h a t they
laugh at...which is p ro b a b ly fo r th e best! Thanks also goes
to Mr Heaney fo r su p p lyin g us w ith fresh qu o te s fo r the
year. "G ot yal"
Know ing th a t the end o f term , and fo r u p p er sixth school,
is closing in is a strange tim e as you can’t help b u t refle ct
on yo u r tim e in th e House. Just w alking do w n th e c o rrid o r
you can still hear th e fa m ilia r voices o f th e fabulous
It's fu n n y how you g e t to know th e House so well and
Baino, the ch a ra cte ristic "HEULLO !’’ o f Simon and Rayko
how th e stron g e st o f friendships w ith yo u r peers build up.
and Tourney's lively banter. You slow ly b u t surely realise
Similarly, being able to approach th e tu to rs w h e th e r it be
how g o o d a life we have in Freeland, despite th e m in or
fo r advice o r sim p ly fo r a ch a t in th e fo ye r is an elem ent o f
annoyances we p u t up w ith, and th a t being p a rt o f such a
Freeland w h ich makes it so w elcom ing. Even Mr P ro c to r’s
g ro u p o f people is so m e th in g th a t few people experience
gru m b le s and grow ls can be deciphered to contain some
and will be treasured fo r a long tim e to come.
fo rm o f encouragem ent. W e are tru ly g rateful fo r th e ir
su p p o rt and guidance th ro u g h o u t th e year w hich was
rounded up w ith a m em orable evening at The Kirkstyle
Inn, in Dunning, w ith o u r annual U pper Sixth farewell meal.
Day to day life a t S trath and in Freeland is n o t always easy,
requiring a lot o f e ffo rt and w o rk input. My rig h t-h a n d m an Jonny Dickson has shared this w o rklo ad by arranging
num erous House events and by ste p ping in w hen need be.
This re p o rt w o u ld n o t be co m p le te w ith o u t m en tio n o f
A n d yes, he is a god. Nevertheless it has been a privilege
the Trojan w o rkfo rce th a t is our cleaning staff. Rhona,
to captain and w o rk w ith in such a b rillia n t g ro u p o f
Liz, Janette and Dianne do them selves c re d it everyday
by leaving us w ith an im m aculate House, despite our
best e fforts. We w ould like to wish Janette and Rhona all
th e best as th e y m ove on to new positions, in p a rticu la r
Ja n e tte a fte r 12 years o f loyal service to Freeland. Dianne
is central to th e House as she stops at n o th in g to ensure
o u r w ellbeing and by a ctin g as a b ridg e betw een the
H ousem aster and th e boys. We all know we can co n fid e
in her, even if it is co ncerning a certain u n d erground tu ck
shop. Again w e th a nk her fo r th e love she shows tow ards
people. I'm c o n fid e n t in saying th a t the House has been
le ft in g o o d hands w ith Oli Beetschen as captain and
Surakat Kudehinbu as his deputy. They co m b in e a focused
w o rk e th ic and being in to u ch w ith th e House and I’m sure
th e y ’ll have a beneficial year fo r b o th them selves and the
House. W ritin g this re p o rt has sparked m any m em ories
o f m y tim e in Freeland and I hope th a t reading it w ill do
th e same.
Roy Cameron
us and to the House.
11
HOUSES
icol
This tim e it was Andrew W h itelaw ’s turn to step up
Sim pson, b u t as always th e Nicol boys le ft th e pitch
to the position of Head of House, along with Robbie
w ith th e ir heads held high. The ju n io rs still n o t living
and Hugh as Deputies. The group alone assured a
strong start to the year but a good group to look up
to. Nicol once again received an Aussie exchange,
up to th e seniors’ standards once again c o m in g third.
this tim e in the form of Henry L’Estrange, who
c h o ir singing 'M o u n ta in s’ so m e h o w m anaging to
brought with him not only 5 'A feet of Australia, but
a lot of laughs and some good times.
w in firs t place, som e believe th a t this was d o w n to
This year saw House ru g b y co m e around first,
a c o m p e titio n th a t runs deep in Nicol's veins.
Flouse m usic saw an u p ro a r this year w ith o u r house
Ali Brow n and his skim py red jeans. The ensem ble
played a w o n d e rfu l ren d itio n o f Im a g in e ’ by John
Lennon th e solo being p e rfo rm e d by Tom Esparon.
A fte r 2 successful m atches against Ruthven and
Nicol once again retained House sw im m ing, b u t
Freeland th e team w e n t in to th e final m atch
u n fo rtu n a te ly we had to share it w ith Ruthven due to
w ith high e xp e cta tio n s and hopes, b u t a fte r 14
th e u n fo rtu n a te d isq u a lifica tio n o f som eone w h o w ill
g ru e lling m inutes we w ere on th e w ro n g side o f
n o t be m e n tio n e d ... Derek!
th e scoreboard w h ich saw th e tro p h y passed on to
This year once again led to a n o th e r e xtrem ely
successful Christm as party, w ith a large bo u ncy
assault course w h ich led to som e insane jum ps
by o u r one and o n ly Jo M orrison. There was also
a n o th e r successful House o u tin g to see th e infam ous
sequel to Casino Royal.
The spring te rm once again b ro u g h t m ore success
to Nicol in th e fo rm o f senior in d o o r and o u td o o r
hockey, House cross-country, in w h ich w e w on all
levels. This was n o t due to any individual b u t a w hole
team perform ance. This year saw th e retu rn o f House
fo o tb a ll, in w h ich a fte r g e ttin g to th e final w e lost
on penalties.
Finally into th e last term , a m uch needed break from
th e long d a rk days o f W in te r in to th e sunny hot
days o f Sum m er and w ith that, u n fo rtu n a te ly the
pressure o f exams fo r th e seniors, th o u g h this usually
means th a t th e re is n o t tim e le ft fo r inter-house
c o m p e titio n s, th o u g h we still m anaged victo ries
in cric k e t - w ith o u t th e help o f Freddie C olem antennis, a thletics, w h ich cam e d o w n to th e final relay,
and a final u n fo rg e tta b le ce le b ra tio n from Mr Giles.
From team success to personal success we have had
a n u m b e r o f National appearances by som e o f th e
lads, som e being, Jo M orrison w h o skied fo r Scotland
and G reat Britain. Freddie Colem an w h o continues
to m ake th e S co ttish U19 cricke t team as well as Joe
L ip w o rth , w h o seems to be spending m ore tim e in
th e w a te r than o u t o f it.
It has once again been a g reat year fo r Nicol, and
thanks to th e hard w o rk o f th e boys th e tro p h y
ca b in e t appears to be b u rstin g a t th e seams, b u t
also thanks to all th e s ta ff fo r m aking this year go
so sm oothly, and a special thanks to Mr Giles, w h o
having never given up on us so far, is now leaving
Nicol, b u t w h a t a year to go o u t on....
Andrew Whitelaw and Mark McAlister
12
HOUSES
» ...t h e trophy
cabinet appears
to be bursting; at
the seams.. . «
13
HOUSES
Probably one of the most difficult tasks in the year is
extracting a House Report from the Head of House
prior to the end of an academic year, and this year
was no different. Henry m anaged to slip out the
door on the 4th of July having left me no report, and
it was then down to Jamie and the new Upper 6th to
put some thoughts to paper - this they did prior to
half term , O ctober 2 0 0 9 .
H eadm aster's Music at th e Perth C o n ce rt Hall in
N o ve m b e r - well done, guys.
D uring th e firs t te rm we n o t o n ly w e lco m ed new
boys in clu d in g tw o exchange stu d e n ts fro m Australia
b u t we also said farew ell to lain Bonn, lain had been
w ith us since Riley, b u t a fte r gaining his GCSEs he
We had a n o th e r g o o d intake in to Ruthven in
d e cid e d to fo llo w an a g ricu ltu ra l course at College.
S e p te m b e r w ith tw e n ty -o n e new boys to th e House.
The exchange students, G eorge and James, se ttle d
The 3rd fo rm se ttle d well w ith Paul V allot as th e ir
well and had a very g o o d te rm w ith us. James
tu to r and th e y all enjoyed a weekend aw ay a t Loch
was a g u ita ris t in o u r Ensem ble and th e girls were
Morlich. As a House we still value th e 3rd Form
saddened to see G eorge leave in Novem ber. O ur
R etreat as a House trip a llo w in g som e senior boys to
annual Christm as Dinner was ve ry successful and
a tte n d as well. It really does give th e new youngsters
th e Seniors d id well to organise ''R uthven O lym pics"
a chance to g e t to kn o w th e ir prefects, tu to r and
afterw ards. The c o m p e titio n included a Pub Quiz,
Housem aster - an invaluable experience and one
Pool, Table F ootball, Table Tennis and a round o f
w h ich I hope we w ill be able to keep as such.
Scattergories.
The House p e rfo rm e d well at th e A nnual House Music
A House is o fte n ju d g e d on its success in House
C o m p e titio n and y e t again w e e m erged w ith o u t any
C om pe titio n s. O nce again b o th individuals and
m eaningful prize. W in n in g is n o t e ve ryth in g b u t it
team s d id well th ro u g h o u t th e year w ith success
w o u ld be nice to g e t so m e th in g fo r th e e ffo rt o f all
in th e fo llo w in g :
th a t goes into p re p a ra tion fo r such an event. O ur
14
Ensem ble was, however, asked to p e rfo rm a t the
I
I
!
i
»C a t h e r in e
w ill be missed
when she moves
to Glenbrae t ra ito r!...«
Golf, J u n io r Hockey, Senior Football, S w im m ing
had sp e n t th e year w ith us im p ro vin g his English; he
and we also m anaged th e ju n io r and senior V ic to r
was retu rn in g to France.
L u d oru m prizes on S ports Day. W ell d one to Craig
and Toby on these prizes.
Ruthven has seen som e sta b ility over th e past few
O ur U pper 6 th d id reasonably well in th e ir pu b lic
exams w ith m ost o f th e m g aining a place at e ith e r
u n ive rsity o r co lle g e as th e y had planned. The 5th
years w ith little change in sta ffin g. This, I feel, is a
Form achieved som e g o o d GCSE results ahd no
g o o d asp e ct o f th e House as th e boys know exa ctly
d o u b t som e w ill say th e y co u ld have d one be tter; b u t
w here th e y stand. However, w ith a new G irls’ House
we can all say that.
ope ning in S e p te m b e r 2 0 0 9 w e had to say a sad
farew ell to C atherine H ow ett. C atherine had joined
us a b o u t 3 years ago a fte r Charles C o u rt retired. She
was a p o p u la r m em b e r o f th e Team in Ruthven and
w ill be missed w hen she m oves to G lenbrae- tra ito r!
A t th e end o f th e year we n o t o n ly said farew ell to
th e leavers b u t also to Paul Marshall w h o had spent
th e Sum m er te rm in 4 th Form . Paul was on exchange
fro m Canberra G ram m ar School and played cricke t
in th e 1st XI. He had a g o o d tim e w ith us and I know
O ver th e course o f th e year a n u m ber o f boys
he w e n t back w ith fo n d m em ories. W e also said
achieved representative honours in various sports.
farew ell to C hristine w h o had w o rked in Ruthven fo r
Ryan H ood was d ra fte d into th e Scotland U17 rug b y
som e 18 years. She hasn't le ft S trathallan b u t decid e d
train in g squad and sp e n t 2 weeks tra in in g in Spain
th a t perhaps cleaning in th e Main B uilding m ig h t be
in July. A li W o o d and Craig Rintoul represented U15
easier and less stressful. A Big Thank you to her fo r
M idlands Hockey team w h ile Tori D ouglas-S ong had
all her e ffo rts in th e House over th e years. Likewise to
success in th e Fencing arena. Nick Farrar co n tin ue d
M atron and her team, th a n k you fo r all y o u r e fforts.
to represent th e U15 Scotland C ricket team w hile
Toby "D a ve ntry" Culham scored an im pressive
ce n tu ry against th e MCC team in June. A t th e end o f
th e year we said th e usual farewell to th e U p p e r 6th
w h o w ere now ready to m ove on to th e next stage o f
To m y T uto r team m any thanks fo r all y o u r tim e and
e ffo rts in and around th e House; th e boys really do
a p p re cia te it. Finally to m y w ife and fa m ily th a n k you
fo r yo u r p atience and tolerance.
th e ir lives. However, we also said farew ell to som e 5th
To Jam ie C and th e in co m ing U pper 6 th g o o d luck in
Form ers w h o w ere also m oving on fro m Strathallan;
th e co m in g year.
Jason, Sam and Callem w ere m oving on w h ile Theo
AW
15
HOUSES
W hen w riting a House report, I suppose it must
Each w eek th ro u g h o u t th e A u tu m n term , b o th our
be a good sign when you struggle to rem em ber
everything that the House has achieved in the past
senior and ju n io r basketball team played inter-H ouse
year. Thankfully, after a few prompts and reminders,
the various successes of last year in Simpson
returned to me in no short supply.
league m atches in th e sp o rts hall. By th e end o f the
term , b o th o u r team s had finished top, b ring in g yet
a n o th e r s e n io r/ju n io r dou ble to Sim pson. W e also
m anaged a w in in th e B adm inton co m p e titio n , led by
Senior House rugby, n o to rio u sly th e m ost h o tly
Isaac Tsang. The Christm as o u tin g was a g re a t reward
co n teste d o f inter-H ouse co m p e titio n s, was firs t up
fo r all th e hard w o rk o f th e term . The w h o le House
in O ctober. Big p e rform ances against Ruthven and
enjoyed o u r (all you can eat) curries - especially
Nicol, and sim p ly tu rn in g up against Freeland, were
James M cA llister w h o ate enough to sink a small
enough to b ring th e tro p h y and th e year's b ra g g in g
barge. O f course th e d o u ble decker jo u rn e y back
rig h ts back to Sim pson.
fro m D undee will u n d o u b te d ly stick in th e m inds (and
Etienne M elville (V ice -cap ta in ), Steve Lyons, Magnus
nostrils) fo r m any years to come.
O lafsson and Dom P itts all played regular 1st XV
W hile still ca rryin g a little extra holiday w eight, the
ru g b y d u rin g th e term , as d id Hendo's signings from
House tu rn e d o u t fo r th e cross co u n try c o m p e titio n
th e sum m er tra n sfe r w indow , A n d y Hall and Joe
in January. A w in in his c a te g o ry fo r Chris Rennison
McColl (w h o d id n 't jo in until January - visa problem s.
and strong perform ances from o th e r individuals
He is fro m Elgin a fte r all). Etienne, A n d y and Joe also
were not, however, q u ite enough to b ring us th e title.
played d is tric t ru g b y w ith Caledonia th ro u g h o u t the
A t th e S cottish Schools A th le tics Chris p e rfo rm e d
year. Later th e fo llo w in g term , o u r ju n io rs co m p le te d
e xce p tion a lly well and earned him self a place in
th e rugby-doublfe, w in n in g th e ir inter-H ouse m atches
th e Scotland Schools A th le tics team co m p e tin g on
co n v in c in g ly w ith an a g g re g a te score over three
fo re ig n soil. Etienne then upheld th e M elville fam ily
m atches o f 103-0. They w ere ably ca p taine d by
ho n ou r (all th re e boys in th e same m usical), giving
R uairidh H unter c o m p e te n tly b a cke d-u p by a skilful
an excellent p e rform ance in 'Guys and D olls’. N o t so
s u p p o rtin g cast.
Sim pson unusually w e n t in to th e annual House Music
sure a b o u t th e accent though, mate. (The a cce n t was
superb. Ed)
c o m p e titio n as d e fe n d in g ch a m p io n s and, eager to
In March, three o f S im pson’s tennis players
retain o u r crow n, chose a serious m odern classic
represented Strathallan at th e British N ational Finals
as o u r c h o ir piece. Breaking Free fro m Disney's
in Bolton. A lastair Hunt, Michael W ells and Ruairidh
High School Musical dem ands a stron g vocal and
W atson all gave g o o d perform ances and enjoyed the
e m o tio n a l p e rfo rm a n ce th a t Sim pson were m ore
experience o f playing w ith som e excellent players
than equal to. Certain th a t Sim on Cowell him self
from up and do w n th e United Kingdom .
w o u ld have been im pressed, we were surprised to
hear th a t th e ju d g e on th e day did n o t e n tire ly agree.
It m ay have been th e sig h t o f Cosm o in a mini skirt
th a t so seriously a ffe c te d th e ju dge's hearing. W e all
had a lot o f fun anyw ay and w ill be back s tro n g e r
than ever next year, A rather m ore serious ensem ble
piece chosen and arranged by M artin Kwok was well
received and Santiago Garcia Serrano's acoustic
g u ita r solo was very well d one u n d er a lot
o f pressure.
This year has d e fin ite ly been a n o th e r g o o d one
in Sim pson, and I hope everyone is p ro u d o f the
c o n trib u tio n s th e y have m ade to th e House. I w a n t to
wish A n d re w and his prefects g o o d luck fo r next year,
I’m sure th e y will all w o rk hard and do a g re a t jo b enjoy it guys. All th a t rem ains is to th a n k Linda, Ann,
M ichelle and Alison fo r all th e ir help, and o f course Mr
and Mrs B atterham and all th e tu to rs fo r th e ir endless
hard w o rk fo r th e House.
Ali Hunt UVI
16
» I t may
have been
the sight
of Cosmo
in a mini
skirt that
so seriously
affected
the ju dge’s
hearing... «
HOUSES
17
HOUSES
y iB
» I don’t think Ben w as
expected to appear with a
real a x e «
18
HOUSES
In general people like excitem ent and adventure but they
also crave routine and a fam iliar pattern o f life that they feel
com fortable with. Thornbank provides us with all of this.
There is always th e e x cite m e n t o f sta rtin g a new year, m ee tin g up
w ith old friends, c a tch in g up on all th e gossip and m aking frien d s
w ith th e new girls. The a d ve ntu re o f b e co m in g a sixth F orm er has
its o w n challenges; m anaging spares - th a t’s a stu d y period, by
th e way; Perth leave and Events. V Form ers realise th a t GCSEs are
fin a lly here, IV Form ers are w ishing th e y w ere still in th e III Form
because now th e y have "so m uch p re p ” .while III Form ers are so
busy having a g o o d tim e th e y e ve ntually fo rg e t to be w o rrie d a b o u t
s ta rtin g a new school.
As th e school year sta rts in a haze o f su b je ct choices, u n ifo rm
issues, gam es and actives th e fa m ilia r p a tte rn o f life and tra d itio n s
begin to emerge.
One o f th e best th in g s is having o u r firs t p re fe cts m ee tin g w ith the
fo rw a rd even if th e y had never d one it before, Kirsty, Lizz, Nadia and
new U p p e r VI. It’s g re a t to see th e m e m b a rk on th e final leg o f th e ir
Sarah a c q u itte d them selves b rillia n tly in th e seniors w h ile Darryl,
journey, p a rtic u la rly w hen we have seen th e m sail som etim es q u ite
Flora, C h a rlotte and Francis d id equally well in th e ju n io r debate.
close to th e w ind.
This y e a r’s House o u tin g to o k us to E d in b u rgh to see M ary Poppins
So w ith Finola and V icky a t th e helm and Lizz in charge o f th e sp o rt
and, spurred on by th e m usical th e m e and a realisation th a t th is was
w e are ready to s ta rt a new year. House Music had always been a
th e ir last chance to be in a school show, Jayne, K irsty Lizzie and Ina
concern fo r fhis year group, b u t th e y w ere fo rtu n a te to have been
p u t on th e ir dan cin g shoes and jo in e d th e chorus o f Guys and Dolls.
jo in e d by Je n n ifer Young w h o b ro u g h t h ith e rto u n h e a rd -o f musica
kn o w le d g e and tale n t, (sorry, girls b u t you kn o w its tru e !) She led
th e way to v ic to ry w ith th e House m usic ch o ir co a ching th e girls
th ro u g h Shania Twain’s Man I feel Like a W om an She was very
a b ly s u p p o rte d by Lizz Vine and K irsty Scobie w h o to o k on the
c o n d u c tin g and general o rg a n isa tio n - no small fe a t fo r a House o f
87 girls.
So, fo llo w in g tra d itio n , th e pre fe cts o rganized th e ir firs t b u d d y
pizza n ig h t to g e t to kn o w th e ir III Form buddies. They prepared
th e annual H alloween p a rty - flour, water, loo roll and w o ts its were
everyw here. In fa c t I th in k m ost o f it was on Rachael! G host stories
w ere shared in th e c u b b ie b efore th e girls w ere taken on "th e scary
The girls enjoy w h a t is on o ffe r b u t th e y b rin g so m uch them selves.
Som e o f th e th in g s th a t com e to m ind are Eugenia and Jem m a
playing knuckles w ith such fe ro c ity th a t ice was required. (That's
th e firs t tim e I have ever had an injury a t a pancake n ig h t.)C o rrid o r
hockey, b lo w up chairs, S te p h ’s sunburn, C h a rlo tte and Je m m a ’s
fake tans, Lindsay’s co ffe e and gossiping a fte r th e p re fe cts dinner.
A lice Perry cam e to us as an exchange student, staying as a day
pupil w ith Sarah Hellewell, She challenged herself to a S cottish
ch a rity event, d rinking Irn Bru, w earing a k ilt and eating shortbread.
She raised m oney fo r a c h a rity back in her native New Zealand
g e ttin g all o f us involved.
w a lk ” . S om ehow I d o n 't th in k Ben was e xp e cte d to a p p ea r w ith a
Ina Eller cam e fo r tw o te rm s fro m G erm any and b ro u g h t an
real axe. The scary vid e o p ro vid e d hours o f e n te rta in m e n t as it was
e n orm ous a m o u n t o f fun and la u g h te r as well as som e am azing
w a tch e d m any tim es over- and th a t was ju s t th e staff.
hockey skills.
A n o th e r tra d itio n th a t has de ve lo pe d over th e years has been the
A fte r th e sad dem ise o f "w o n ky tu m o u r fis h ” T ho rn b an k acquired
annual c e le b rity s w itc h in g -o n o f th e Christm as tree lights. The
tw o new g o ld fish Gold and N u g g e tts. A b b e y Kem p to o k on th e role
p re fe cts g e t to choose th e 'ce le b rity' and this year th e y asked Dr
o f anim al w elfare o ffic e r m aking sure th a t th e y w ere reg u la rly fed
Gibson, m uch to eve ryo n e ’s o b vious delight.
and cleaned, a lth o u g h I th in k Morag d id a fa ir b it o f th e cleaning.
The C hristm as p a rty always p rovides th e best laughs o f th e year
Changes in th e tu to r team saw us say hello to Miss Toye w h o
and this year was no d iffe re n t. The m orn in g roll-call cam e in
jo in e d T ho rn b an k as a IV Form tu to r, and sadly say g o o d b y e to
fo r its usual Sandra & John jokes b u t this tim e p e rfo rm e d by an
Mme Duncan. Mme D w ill be g re a tly missed a fte r m any years o f
e x tra o rd in a rily tall E lizabeth as Mrs F and a sm aller th a n average
loyal service b u t w e kn o w th a t she w ill be e njoying her n e w -fo u n d
Mr F played by Hannah on her knees. For this th e y w o n th e prize as
free d o m and n o t m issing th a t late d rive hom e every Thursday. We
best act!
lose Linda fro m o u r cleaning team to b e co m e G lenbrae’s sewing
S ophie’s p o rtra ya l o f Miss M orrison on th e U p p e r VI vid e o to o k
som e b eating fo r sheer d a rin g and Jayne d o n ne d th e p u rp le fleece
fo r th e last tim e fo r her no w infam ous p o rtra ya l o f her Housem aster
and taxi driver.
lady and we also say g o o d b ye o r should th a t be "au revoir" to some
o f o u r T hornbank girls as th e y m ove on to s ta rt a new a d ve ntu re
and begin som e new tra d itio n s in Glenbrae. W e wish th e m all the
best and hope th a t th e y c o n tin u e to have as m uch fu n in th e ir new
House as th e y did in T hornbank. W e w ill miss you.
Lizz to o k charge o f th e sw im standards, th e House tu rn e d o u t a
s w im m e r fo r every event resulting in a resounding win.
W ith thanks to all th e pre fe cts p a rticu la rly Finola w h o as head o f
House d id a g reat jo b o f s u p p o rtin g th e girls and th e staff. John and
O th e r c o m p e titio n s take place d u rin g th e year, b u t w h y is th e inter-
I w ill miss o u r chats and co ffe e m ornings.
House B a d m in ton always on th e day a fte r th e ball? Many thanks
g o to Abbey, Sophie, Ivy, Peng, Jennifer, Shirley and Sunny fo r
c o m p e tin g de sp ite it being th e day a fte r th e n ig h t before.
It's am azing how q u ickly all th e new girls b e co m e p a rt o f th e
T hornbank fa m ily and its o n ly th ro u g h th e s u p p o rt o f all th e tu to rs,
Morag, Ros and her team th a t this is possible.
Inter-H ouse c o m p e titio n s p ro vid e wins and losses and usually som e
surprises. Nadia to o k charge o f th e d e b a tin g co m p e titio n ; usually a
challenge. So it was g re a t to see girls prepared to p u t them selves
Here's to next y e a r’s adventure.
SF/JRF
19
HOUSES
oodlands
» . . . a formidably
flexible 60 year
old bending; in
w ays scarcely
imagined
p re v io u sly ...«
20
HOUSES
Gazing upon the trophy cabinet it is easy to see and
w o m bles (a reference p ro b a b ly lost on th e “yo u th o f
rem em ber a num ber of the highlights of the year.
to d a y ” ) were tra n sfo rm e d in to m agical creatures, aliens
The Strathallan Music trophy testifies to the bevy
of colourful Abba wannabees who left the House.
and g o th ic cheerleaders. The buzz, th e energy and the
Although the perform ance wasn’t b efittin g the hours
of practice that preceded it the girls had great fun
and enlivened the occasion. Ciara Elwis w ow ed the
audience w ith her flute solo winning the solo prize
in the process and the ceilidh band again acquitted
them selves adm irably a lto g e th e r com bining to give
us victory.
h ila rity th a t accom panies this process is in fe ctio us and
revitalises th e House on a cold, d a m p w in te r's evening.
This year's Top Shop p a rty w itnessed th e te m p ta tio n
o f m any in n o ce n t VI Form ers by th e allures th e sales
assistants offered. During a n ig h t o f b a n k ru p tc y high
heels w ere to tte re d in (o r was th a t ju s t th e u n tu to re d
H ousem istress); anim al p rin t skirts sashayed around
and accessories a p le n ty were accrued. The evening was
A n o th e r h ig h lig h t; a n o th e r trophy.,.the inter-H ouse
a g re a t success fo r th e n o ve lty o f th e shop co m ing to
cross c o u n try saw girls (m a n y co rra lle d ) on th e sta rt
you and sh o p ping w ith all y o u r frien d s even if Chess
ine in freezing rain and reg u la tio n House vest. D espite
m anaged to m ake e ve ryth in g look fantastic. Bead-
h o rrib le c o n d itio n s th e senior girls ran bravely achieving
m aking evenings b ro u g h t to g e th e r d iffe re n t year
a to p three finish and o th e r cre d ita b le p o sitions to
g ro u p s and m any girls g o t Christm as covered early
w in th e ir c o m p e titio n overall. O lw yn Jenkins deserves
th ro u g h th e ir craftsm anship. Yoga sessions p rio r to th e
m en tio n to o fo r w in n in g th e Ju n io r run. Never a p o p ular
exams presented th e girls w ith a fo rm id a b ly fle xib le 6 0
event it is th e d e te rm in a tio n o f each and every runner
year old ben ding in ways scarcely im agined previously.
w h ich co u n ts and th e re fo re th e ce le b ra to ry tre a t tastes
W h ilst this sp e ctacle proved a d istra ctio n fro m the
all th e sweeter.
books, m any did vouch th a t th e y used th e bre a th in g
For all th e v ic to rie s w h e th e r in hockey, netball o r tennis
exercises in th e cru cib le o f th e exam room . As the
there were heroic defeats w h ich revealed th e ch a ra cte r
headm aster o fte n says th e academ ic “ underpins w h a t
th a t runs deep in W oodlands. Girls tu rn o u t tim e and
we d o ” and in spite o f all th e fun, friendship, friv o lity
tim e again g iv in g o f th e ir best and ensuring th a t a
and c o m p e titio n o f th e year th e girls d id n 't d is a p p o in t
c o m p e titiv e e n c o u n te r is always achieved.
in th e exams either. Results were im pressive and
refle cte d th e hard w o rk and d e te rm in a tio n th a t had
W h a t a b o u t th o se h ig h lig h ts o f th e year n o t recognised
by silverware? Can we call o u r in tro d u c tio n to
Beyonce's Single Ladies Dance a "h ig h lig h t’'? O f
characterised th e ir ap p ro a ch th ro u g h o u t. The U pper
VI set th e to n e in this regard and we were fo rtu n a te to
have such a stro n g set o f leaders this year.
course a lth o u g h it was n o t q u ite th e u n d erstanding
o f "c o u rts h ip ” we had hoped fo r Calum and Fionn.
A few o f th e girls offe re d a sum m ary o f W o o dlands
Katy and A lice led th e school m usical b e ltin g o u t
w h ich consisted o f fun, friendship, rest, w ork, s u p p o rt
show stealing tunes n ig h t a fte r night. Sacha Taylor
and Janet. It is tru e th a t Janet does a huge a m o u n t
was "d isco vere d ” at th e House m usic evening and
and W o o d la n ds w o u ld n o t be th e same w ith o u t her b u t
th e Brainiacs w o n th e inaugural W o o d la n ds Big Q uiz
th e re are m any w h o c o n trib u te to th e success o f the
n ig h t w h ich saw th e residents o f H o g w a rts ta kin g on
House fro m th e tu to rs to th e p re fe cts to th e d o m e stic
Einsteins and "N eds” . C hocolate n ig h t - need I say m ore
team . All o f these people help preserve o u r sanity and
- lashings o f gossip, tonnes o f ch o co la te (as m uch w orn
fo r th a t w e are daily grateful.
on th e face as c o n su m e d ) and gam es and la u g h te r- has
As a n o th e r a ca d em ic year draw s to a close w e look
b ecom e an established and m uch loved W o o d la n ds VI
back in a d m ira tio n o f all th a t has been achieved and
F orm tra d itio n . The C hristm as p a rty and all th e events
th a n k th e girls fo r th e h u m o u r and in d u stry th a t makes
o f th e year p ro vid e num erous o p p o rtu n itie s fo r fun,
W o o dlands such a pleasant place in w hich to live.
la u g h te r and in te re stin g costum es generally created
fro m articles o th ers have th ro w n away. O ur W o odlands
Abi Tod
21
Chaplains report
I know very w ell how fo o lish the m essage o f the cross sounds...
Since God in his w isdom saw to it th a t th e w o rld w o u ld never fin d him th ro u g h hum an w isdom ,
he has used our fo o lish preaching to save all w h o believe.
So St Paul wrote to the first Christians at
Corinth nearly two thousand years ago. And
this year in Chapel, as in the previous few years,
there has been a good deal offoolish preaching.
One example was the response to a question,
after some of our youngest pupils had studied
creation myths from around the world: “Sir,
what’s our creation myth?” Couching the
Big Bang in the traditional language of myth
proved an interesting exercise:
... an d as they slow ed dow n, all the tin y particles
had tim e to notice all the others around them ;
a n d some o f them started to dance
together u ntil the w hole universe was
one m assive m oshpit; even b igger and
hotter than Tea in the Park.
And very v ery soon, ju s t like a t all the
best parties, there started to be lots and
lots o f helium, which w ou ld h ave been
really good fo r blow in g up balloons and
making you r voice sound squeaky, i f
anyone had been around to do that sort
o f thing.
And so the p a rty w en t on, f o r w h at f e l t
like a m illion years, a n d probably was.
A nd then, as things began to chill out, lonely
particles started to gra vita te together. And as they
p a ired off, more a n d more g o t together u ntil there
was a w hole host o f grea t big circle dances, a ll
g ettin g tigh ter an d tigh ter packed.
A nd as they danced, naturally enough they g o t
hotter an d hotter, an d more an d more packed
together u ntil one day the w hole crew w as so solid
they w ere ju s t on fir e ! —burning like the sun itself
- in fa ct, th a t’s ju s t w hat they’d become: millions
an d m illions o f stars burning a n d blazing and
spinn ing an d circling as f a r as the eye could see.
.. .And tha t’s the Creation M yth that most people
believe today. Not everyone, it ’s true. About 12%
o f Christians w orldw ide, an d m any M uslims f o r
example, believe that the B ible’s account is literally
true. What may surprise you is that most scientists
believe in a creator God: because most believe that
the tin y particle that kicked o ff the B ig B ang had to
come fr o m somewhere.
Having retold a new story in an old form, at
the end of the year we reversed that process,
and presented the old, old story of the Cross in
a contemporary form.
22
Members of the third form had worked for
some months in the Art Department, under the
guidance of Len W hatley of Crieff Ceramics.
They produced a series of panels inspired
by their reaction to the Dupplin Cross, the
wonderfully preserved Pictish high cross dating
from around 800AD, which all pupils visit
whilst in Form III.
The individual panels were then assembled into
our own Strathallan Cross, mounted on the
west wall of Chapel.
It was thus at our last service of the year that
School processed outside for a service
of dedication:
Lord God, King of High Heaven,
W ho formed us from the dust
and clay,
Who entered into all creation
through the life of Jesus Christ
our Lord,
Who by the death of Him hung high
upon a Cross
Drew all time and space
into eternity;
We dedicate this image of that cross,
Lovingly and carefully made,
Skilfully and kindly wrought it is;
The creation of our hands, our spirit and
our minds.
Remembering our ancestors in flesh and
in the faith
Who dwelt in this our land,
In this sign we unite ourselves with them,
W ho lifted high the cross twelve
Centuries ago;
A sign of death defeated and of Hope.
M ay their spirits now surround us as we rejoice
with them
In the presence and the hope of everlasting life.
So may this Holy Cross be now for us,
and for those who come after us in this place,
A sign of life, of love, of mystery and
of revelation,
And by its presence bless us, as we now bless
this cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit.
H E A D M A S T E R S ’ M U SIC
Headmaster’s Music
Accom m odated once more in the palatial
surrounds of the Perth Concert Hall
Headm aster’s Music, now renamed the
Strathallan Music Showcase, once more
displayed the diverse and considerable
musical talents of our pupils and staff.
An audience of over seven hundred was
entertained to traditional Scottish music,
pieces from the high Classical period,
Church Music, choral speaking from
an enthusiastic band of Riley gnomes,
arrangements by pupils, a rock band and
assorted individual instrumentalists, in
addition to the more usual orchestra,
choirs and Big Band. It never ceases to
am aze me how much music is going on in
the School, and how much is owed to the
tremendously diverse and hard-working
instrumental teachers we are lucky to
have. All, under the direction of Richard
Walmsley in his first year as Director of
Music, tog eth er with his assistants Neil
Hamilton and Carol Sim-Sayce, both new
to their respective responsibilities.
The concert got off to a rousing start with
a medley of traditional Scottish tunes from
the School’s Pipe Band under Pipe Major,
Adam Michie. Although many might have
an aversion to pipes played indoors, the
audience showed its appreciation with a lot
of foot tapping and applause. The main focus
ot the rest of the first half of the concert was
classical music, in particular music for soloist,
both vocal and instrumental. James Pak, new
to Strathallan, played a delightful sonata in
F by Mozart with assured technique and
not a little style. Martin Marshall delighted
all with a sensitive performance on his harp.
W illiam Campbell-Gibson, the development
of whose voice was especially unexpected
to this reviewer, gave a passionate and deep
performance of Robert Schumann’s Ich Grolle
Nicht from his Dichterliebe. Apparently he
had been working on this song in preparation
for the evening with opera singer John Morgan
who had taught a Masterclass earlier that week.
William’s tone was powerful and penetrating
in the louder sections of the score, sweet and
lilting in the more tender sections. For me,
this was one of the defining performances of
the evening.
The remainder of the first moiety was taken
up with an enthusiastic rendition of Brahms’
Academic Festival Overture from the School
Orchestra, well led by Tom Esparon. And
the Chamber Choir got in on the act with
Stanford’s The Blue Bird. This group, made
up of Choral Scholars and friends, gave a
delightful and musical account of their piece,
proving a poignant counterpart to the Choral
Scholars’ rendition of Lennox Berkely’sThe
Lord is my Shepherd. Although there was a
large overlap of personnel between the two
groups, the subtle vocal nuances and cores of
each ensemble were different and striking.
The final vocal group of the half was the full
Chapel Choir, singing Britten’s Rejoice in the
Lamb, an ambitious and technically demanding
piece, which, in addition to being lengthy is
punctuated with more contemplative sections.
It is difficult to hold an audience of this size for
long with this sort of music, the more so as it
was unfamiliar to many, but the Choir is to be
congratulated for engaging with the listeners.
The second half of the evening was an
altogether different kettle of fish. Whereas
the first moiety was full o f‘serious’ music, the
second period saw many let their hair down
somewhat. Mrs MacFarlane’s verse speakers
from Riley gave us the perfect start with Burns’
Scots W ha Hae and Belloc’s Matilda, who
told lies and was burned to death! There was
action, some asides, and not a little fun in this
rendition which, it is believed, had a lot of
success in Lamda examinations. There were also
in attendance three of the ensembles from the
successful House Music Competition. Freeland
performed Follow the Heron Home, arranged
by W illiam Campbell-Gibson, Simpson gave
us Un Dia Llegara, arranged by Martin Kwok
who also provided the vocals, and Ruthven’s
rock band played their rendition of Sweet
Home Alabama, with Chris Jaworski on vocals.
All three ensembles proved that the standard
of music-making in the boys’ Houses is on the
up after a relatively fallow period, and I think
it would be fair to say that the Ruthven band
probably shaded the shrieks, applause and
general tumult from the audience.
Back to the serious music briefly. Alice Inglis,
who has had great success at the National Mod
gave a memorable rendition of a traditional
song, Jock o’ Hazeldean, accompanying herself
on her clarsach. And Ciara Elwis soared to the
heights and dove to the depths of Poulenc’s
Cantilena Presto Giocoso from his sonata for
flute and piano.
The final two items of the evening were both
built around the W ind and Big Bands. Both
under the direction of Neil Hamilton, they
provided a swinging and fitting end to such
a great evening of music-making. The W ind
Band got us in the mood with a medley of
tunes from Fiddler on the Roof, the favourite
probably being, ‘If I were a rich man . ..’. Then
the Big Band topped this with Basin Street
Blues and a toe-tapping Ain’t that a Kick
in the Head. Some wonderfully provocative
vocals were supplied by Ollie Wale and Sara
Chalmers, over the top of some pungent
saxophones and brass.
M any people who attended the concert were
heard to say they would happily have paid good
money for such an evening’s entertainment,
and that all concerned with the evening
should be rightly proud of the standard of
their musicianship. Music is alive and well at
Strathallan. Can 2009 beat that ?
RHF
23
MUSIC
Music
Strathallan Music Department: Under new management!
And so it seemed that the d ep artm en t’s mantra was out w ith the old; in
with the new(ish) in 2 0 0 8 . Several new staff joined both the academic and
instrumental teams; we w elcom ed anew Mrs Carole Sim Sayce alongside Neil
Hamilton as the tw o new Assistant Directors of Music. W e also welcom ed
David Dunsmuir to cover Laurie Ham ilton’s bass guitar teaching, and Patsy
Reid to teach violin and viola alongside Scottish fiddle and folk music.
Patsy’s appointm ent was part of a new set of innovations in 2 0 0 8 ; developing
to n e by opening w ith Robbie W illiam s’ Let me entertain
you. Thus th e Houses did, w ith tw o hours o f o u t
p e rfo rm in g and verbal sparring. W oodlands House were
th e deserving overall winners.
Follow ing half-term , atte ntio n s tu rn to preparation fo r
Headm aster’s Music. O w ing to p upils’ num erous extra
Scottish folk music, Music Technology and recording facilities, and developing
our ensembles, including the creation of the now ubiquitous Big Band. Of
cu rricu la r demands, rehearsal tim e fo r O rchestra was
course, the routine provision of over 65 performances from over 2 0 different
ensembles was not altered; merely sustained and enhanced to produce over
to have the orchestra rehearse fo r th e full weekend
one hundred performances betw een Septem ber and June.
departm en t. Initially m et w ith d isa p p o in tm e n t a t the
The firs t half o f the A u tu m n te rm always begins w ith the
Music s ta ff concert, w hich produced som e incredible
p erform ances designed to reassure parents and inspire
pupils. The d e p a rtm e n t was lucky enough to then
host baritone John Morgan, o f th e Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden, fo r a vocal m aster class and co n ce rt
before th e concert, su p p orte d by m em bers o f the
p ro sp e ct o f no lie-in on th e Sunday m orning, m em bers o f
the orchestra stayed a fte r games on Saturday and all day
on Sunday to rehearse th e ir repertoire fo r Headmaster's
Music. This was a trem endous success, and o u r thanks
go to b o th th e pupils and th e music sta ff fo r g iving up
th e ir weekend to make this possible.
title d Baritone in Love w ith Robin Covlill (piano). Sadly,
A nd on to Headm aster's Music in Perth C oncert Hall. This
due to Jo h n ’s co m m itm e n ts in London, the m aster
year's Musical Showcase looked to develop w h a t had
class had to be postponed. However th e concert, which
already been established, as well as break new ground
featured th e Cham ber C hoir p e rfo rm in g Banks o f
in show ing th e breadth o f Strathallan’s musical ta ie n t
Inverurie by Ken Johnston, was a trem endous success,
w hilst, sim ultaneously, reducing th e length o f concert!
w ith m any parents, pupils and s ta ff th o ro u g h ly enjoying
A full review is contained fu rth e r in this report, b u t I’m
and a p p re cia tin g th e perform ance.
d e lig h ted to re p o rt th a t the co n ce rt was an unqualified
S w iftly on to the next event; p e rfo rm in g fo r HRH The
Queen, th e Duke o f Edinburgh and th e Duke and
Duchess o f Rothesay at Crathie Kirk. This is one o f
th e musical highlights o f th e year in which, o w ing to
logistics, only 14 m em bers o f the Cham ber C hoir and
and unparalleled success in all areas, w ith to o m any
w o n d e rfu l perform ances to detail here. I am sure that, o f
th e 100 0-stron g audience w h o attended, m any w ould
agree th a t a high bar has been set, and we look forw ard
to the challenge o f m eeting it next year.
Choral Scholars are hosted by th e Q ueen’s Chaplain,
A lth o u g h Headm aster’s Music dem ands m uch o f the
Rev Ken MacKenzie, and his fam ily to pe rfo rm fo r the
focus o f th e d e p a rtm e n t and pupils, it doesn’t mean
Sunday m orning services a t Braemar and Crathie Kirks.
th a t musical m om e n tu m fo r o th e r musical events
In this unique event, th e choristers are invited into the
stops. T hro u g ho u t th e second half o f th e w in te r term ,
in tim ate surroundings o f the Balm oral estate to take part
th ro u g h to th e February half-term , a lunchtim e co n ce rt
in th e w o rship enjoyed by m em bers o f th e Royal family,
series runs in th e Music room fo r pupils to play solo
Royal p ro te ctio n squad, and m em bers o f th e estate’s
o r ensem ble w orks th a t th e y are preparing fo r exams
com m unity. This is a tru ly m em orable and unique
and com petitions, o r m erely fo r fun. The Chapel
experience fo r all o f th e choristers. However, since the
C hoir co ntinue to learn a new anthem every w eek fo r
Queen sto p pe d to wave to th e choristers outside the
W ednesday Chapel and, in December, Christm as carols
church, and the ensuing confusion on Royal p ro to co l
fo r Carols in the C ity at St Ninian’s Cathedral and the
betw een W illiam Cam pbell-G ibson and Sam Toodle-oo
School Carol Services in the Chapel. The Choral Scholars
L ipw orth, I fear th a t it may have been m em orable fo r
co ntinue to o ffe r th e ir skills to St Ninian’s Cathedral by
Her Majesty fo r slig h tly d iffe re n t reasons!
Back hom e to reality, and preparing fo r the Music
Scholars’ concert. This has always proven to be a
w o n d e rfu l evening, and this was no exception. The
audience was trea te d to m any w o n d e rfu l perform ances
including Tom Esparon’s rendition o f Rondo, from
C oncerto No 5 by Seitz, M artin Marshall’s enchanting
perform ance on Clarsach o f Mhairi bhan 'og', Hannah
John sto n e ’s a u th o rita tive version o f Lloyd-W ebber's
D on’t cry fo r me A rgentina and W illiam C am pbell-
earning new repertoire every w eek fo r Mass, and fo r the
m o n th ly service o f Evensong. In December, th e Chapel
C hoir and Pipe Band were invited to p e rfo rm Parry’s
full arrangem ent o f Old Hundredth, th e contest March
G oldcrest and Highland Cathedral w ith th e Kingdom
Brass Band in a co n ce rt at St Ninian’s Cathedral. In Riley,
CASS and NH developed the Riley Inform al concerts to
feature every pupil in Riley e ith e r as a soloist o r as pa rt
o f an ensemble. As a result, attendance at these concerts
was always over 100.
G ibson’s m asterful execution o f S ch u b e rt’s lied Ich grolle
The end o f te rm brings m uch-needed rest fo r pupils and
nicht. It w o u ld seem at this stage th a t th e d e p a rtm e n t is
sta ff alike. However, the d e p a rtm e n t d oesn’t really stop
rude health.
afte r the end o f term , as th e Choral Scholars return to
O f course, w h ilst this is go in g on, the w id e r school
c o m m u n ity is preparing itself fo r th e musical h ig h lig h t
o f the year: the House m usic co m p e titio n . A d ju d ica te d
by Mr S tuart Fyffe, this year Ruthven House ch o ir set the
24
in credibly lim ited. So, a m ad-cap schem e was launched
sing th e Christm as services at th e Cathedral. Starting
w ith full Carol Service on 23rd December, and closely
follow ed by Carol singing in St Jo h n ’s Shopping Centre
on Christm as Eve, everyone gets into th e Christm as spirit
w ith gre a t enthusiasm . Time is given over fo r som e last
M U SIC
25
M U SIC
m inute shopping, before cu im in atin g in M idnight Mass
musicians were invited to repeat this co n ce rt as a
and Christm as Day Mass. This is a unique experience in
C elebration fo r th e Year o f H om ecom ing in Kinross
th e w hole o f Scotland, and I am im m ensely grateful to all
Parish Church th e fo llo w in g term .
th e Scholars and th e ir families fo r givin g so freely o f th e ir
tim e. I am p a rticu la rly grateful to th e Johnstone fam ily
fo r hosting us fo r a w o n d e rfu l b lack-tie dinner.
Guys & Dolls. This involves as m any pupils w h o can fit
The Spring te rm com es all to o soon, and w ith it, the
on-stage, back-stage, in th e wings, in th e lig h tin g box
cu lm ination o f exam ination pupils' academ ic coursework.
o r even in m ake-up and costum es. However, in a new
However, th e y also hurl them selves headlong into
departure, it was d e cid e d th a t we d id n ’t have enough
perform ance. From th e firs t full week, th e lunchtim e
pupils in th e pit, and so m usicians fro m th e Big Band
co n ce rt series continued every Friday afternoon,
were tasked w ith p ro vid in g th e band fo r th e show,
w ith m any w o n d e rfu l perform ances given by th e full
u n d er th e d ire ctio n o f Mr Neil Ham ilton. For any w in d
sp e ctru m o f musicians, from Riley to VI Form, from
players w h p have ever played in a p it orchestra, this
Renaissance to Rock! The first Form co n ce rt o f the
task is d a u n tin g enough, w ith ve ry tric k y syn co p ate d
year, fo r III and IV Form, was held in th e spring term ,
rhyth m s and m id -m u sic in stru m e n t changes to co n ten d
and a full and su p p ortive audience o f family, friends
w ith , let alone fo r pupils w h o are still learning th e ir craft.
and s ta ff enjoyed listening to assured perform ances
Needless to say, th e Band rose to th e challenge w ith
including Brahm s’ Hungarian Dance No. 2 by Steven
g re a t aplom b, as can be evinced by som e audience-
Segaud (viola) and James Pak (piano), Boyce’s Tell me
m em b e rs’ co m m e n ts o f surprise to learn th a t the
lovely shepherd by Ellie Kem p (soprano), and even Tom
a cco m p a n im e n t was n o t p ro vid e d by a professional
Alexander's Le Manege fo r accordion, played by M urdo
band!
Elwis.
This te rm also provided the form al launch fo r our
In th e Sum m er term , e ve ryth in g revolves around
national exams, and th e co n ce rt schedule is no
S cottish Folk Musicians, under Miss Patsy Reid’s
d iffe re n t. In th e firs t half o f th e term , Riley p ro d u ce
direction, in an Evening o f th e Scottish A rts recital in the
th e ir last Inform al concert, w h ils t th e last o f th e Form
Music Room. The aim o f this was to show th e richness
concerts, fo r V and VI Form, take place. The V Form
and breadth offered by Scottish fo lk music, p articularly
contains p ro d ig io u s m usical tale n t, and th e audience
in this year o f H om ecom ing, and the audience w eren’t
was e n terta in e d by su p e rb p e rform ances by m usicians
disappointed. Perform ers included the Folk Group, the
in cluding Marcus A dam s (piano), Tom Esparon (vio lin ),
Riley Ceilidh Band, th e Clarsach Q uartet, th e Fiddle
Rosie Beetschen (cello) Josiah Bircham (tru m p e t) and
Trio, as well as soloists and verse speakers. Particular
Ciara Elwis (flu te ). Equally th e V Form co n c e rt displays
highlights included hearing C allum ’s Road by the
th e pinnacle o f m usical ta le n t w ith in th e school, and
Clarsach quartet, th e vocal duets o f Tioram air tir and
pe rfo rm a n ce s fro m A dam M ichie and Sean Townsley
A n cagar p e rfo rm e d by National Mod w inners Alice
on pipes, s u p p o rte d by Jo n n y C liffo rd on bass d ru m in
Inglis (W 5 ) and her d u e t p a rtn e r Miss Kim McDonald,
his co n ce rt d ebut, Oli B eetschen on tru m p e t, as well as
and Patsy Reid's ow n co m p o sitio n s o f N ot from these
W illiam C a m pb e ll-G ib so n ’s recital o f late 19th and 2 0 th
parts and Five is b e tte r from her new album, perfo rm e d
ce n tu ry English a rt song fo r his A2 Music coursew ork,
by th e Fiddle trio. This really was an excellent evening’s
d id n o t d isappoint.
e n terta in m e n t and, fo llo w in g its success, the Folk
26
O f course, fo llo w in g half term , all e ffo rts and atte ntio n s
tu rn to th e School Production, which, this year, was
M USIC
Music in
Riley House
The emphasis in Music
beyond Riley. Riley C hoir
this year has been on
making and enjoying
sang in tw o o r th re e parts
music. In every lesson
a cco m m o d a te a ch a n ging
pupils have been
developing instrumental,
voice b a rito n e se c tio n ) and
vocal, composing and
appreciating skills. The
was jo in in g forces w ith the
th ro u g h o u t th e year (to
Riley Informal Concerts
The excited ethos and
efforts and each class
took turn throughout the
year in perform ing a class
in th e m usical life o f the
House was crystallised
to darkest w inter so did
an increasing array of
C o m pe titio n . Here the
in th e Divisional Music
in g e n u ity o f th e pupils
musical equipm ent make
really shone w ith choices
its way to Riley Common
room; initially a mere
o f choral piece, ensem ble
Speech Day signals th e beg in ning o f th e end fo r school
Broken Glass but thereafter
eavers, exam candidates, and m usicians alike. The
a full double rock band
for performances of
was tre a te d to sam ples fro m earlier co n ce rts in F inzi’s
Eleanor Rigby, Teenage
Dirtbag, Caledonia, Let It
It was a lover and his lass by W illiam Cam pbell-G ibson,
Be and Auld Lang Syne.
Callum's Road by th e Clarsach Q uartet, as well as new
In addition, every pupil
took part in every Informal
rep e rto ire in Sondheim 's Send in th e clow ns by the
rolling wave o f enthusiasm
ensemble. As the year
turned from soft autumn
tw elve glockenspiels to
accom pany W alking on
Speech Day c o n c e rt sim p ly provides a sn a p -sh o t o f
senior C ham ber C hoir fo r
The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
provided a showcase
for the results of these
w o rk pupils have d one over th e year, and th e audience
a h ig h lig h t fo r th e children
and solo to d e lig h t and
entertain. From Bach
to Take That, Disney to
Leonard Cohen via A bba,
100% c o m m itm e n t and
co m p e titive n e ss was show n
by all.
The g re a t focus and finale
to th e m usical year had
to w a it until th e ve ry last
Mark Ronson's a rra n g e m e n t o f Valerie, before ending
perform ing chants, rounds,
cam pfire and com munity
w ith R obbie W illiam s’ a rra n g e m e n t o f W e ill’s classic
songs. These evenings
The Riley show Y anom am o
Mack th e Knife by th e Big Band fe a tu rin g Ollie Wale.
were indeed very happy
and relaxed occasions
was an ecological
In th e second half o f term , th e d e p a rtm e n t focuses
co n ce rn in g rainforests.
on th e final m usical events; th e Riley Show and
and the support given by
Riley pupils to their peers
Headm aster's Music. This year th e Riley Show,
perform ing solos was most
Yanom am o, b ro u g h t to g e th e r d iffe re n t d e p a rtm e n ts in
encouraging and uplifting.
C ham ber Choir, Sacha Taylor's solo p e rfo rm a n ce o f
g iv in g pupils a h o listic learning experience, and b o th
day o f th e su m m e r term .
m usical based on issues
Many d e p a rtm e n ts cam e
on board to s u p p o rt the
challenging, p ro fo u n d and
More fo rm a l occasions
e m o tive issues arising. The
pro vid e d a p la tfo rm fo r the
w h o le House w e n t to a
range o f extra cu rricu la r
clim a te - th e m e d c o n ce rt
However, o u r pupils end th e year as th e y begin it, at
a ctivitie s in Riley. Children
given by th e BBC S cottish
full pace. A n d so, fo r th e last co n ce rt o f th e year, a
o p te d fo r these a ctivitie s
Sym p h o ny O rchestra in
m ixture o f soloists and ensem bles in clu d in g th e Riley
a t th e very end o f hard
Glasgow, a d d in g a n o th e r
Ceilidh Band, Riley Choir, Chapel Choir, C ham ber Choir,
w o rkin g days and it was
layer o f p o ig n an cy and
Choral Scholars, Strathallan Q uartet, W ind Band, G uitar
indeed g ra tify in g to present
u n d ersta n d in g to th e
pupils and parents th p ro u g h ly th e outcom e . The final
H eadm aster’s m usic should have been im possible to
organise, because o f p u p ils’ a cadem ic co m m itm e n ts.
trio and Big Band tre a te d th e audience to a w o n d e rfu l
pe rfo rm a n ce s to th e w id e r
project.
eve n in g ’s e n terta in m e n t.
school audience. Riley
The show was indeed
Ceilidh Band and Riley
te rrib ly m oving and a fittin g
Rocks learned fo lk and
finale to a m arvellous year
rock techniques. These
o f m usic m aking and hard
were a ll-co m e r sessions
w o rkin g enjoym ent.
c o m b in in g a n u m b e r o f
CASS
Thanks m ust go to all o f th e pupils fo r th e ir s u p p o rt and
enthusiasm in p ro d u c in g these w o n d e rfu l concerts, as
well as all o f th e d e p a rtm e n t s ta ff fo r th e ir hard w o rk
in pre p a rin g them . P articular thanks m ust also go to
th e UVI leavers, p a rtic u la rly W illiam Cam pbell-G ibson,
Sam L ip w o rth , Morag Elwis, C atriona MacKenzie and
able instru m e n talists w ith
Jennifer Young fo r th e ir tireless e ffo rts in co n siste n tly
be g in ne r enthusiasts and
p ro d u c in g m usic o f th e highest quality. They leave fo r
ha p pily th e result was a
pastures new, b u t leave th e d e p a rtm e n t’s fu tu re in very
nu m b e r o f pupils seeking
prom ising hands,
fo rm a l lessons and b u ying
RCAW
th e ir o w n in stru m e n ts
to fu rth e r th e ir interest
27
FO R T H O S E A B O U T T O R O CK ...
The Ecolo G Festival
On the 19th of June 2 0 0 9 , the Ecolo G Festival took
place in the theatre, it was organised entirely by pupils
and for pupils, when you hear w hat it is, you’ll see why.
well if b a ttle o f th e bands is out, how a b o u t b a ttle o f the
virtua l bands.
To m ost o f you this p ro b a b ly isn't m aking any sense
The festival was designed by th e co m m itte e fo r all the
b u t h o p e fu lly som e o f you w ill kn o w a b o u t G uitar Hero
pupils o f th e school, all th e o rg a n isa tio n was d one by
W o rld Tour, and this event co m p rise d an in te r house
c o m m itte e m em bers, th e o n ly a ctio n o f th e ad u lts was
G uitar Hero c o m p e titio n w here houses w o u ld tr y and
to give approval to th e e n tire event (som e were very
g e t th e highest ‘p e rcentage o f notes h it’ on th e hardest
sceptical). (Ahem, / th in k y o u ’ll fin d som e o f th e o ld
'd iffic u lty ' th e y could. A lo n g w ith th is w e had the
co d g ers to o k p a rt as well. Hm m ?? Ed)
The reason w e chose to centre th e event around th e
vid e o gam e G uitar Hero was th a t it involves fo u r people
Fentones playing som e real m usic fo r us and fin a lly th e
aspiring Disk Jockeys o f S trath e n te rta in in g everyone
w h o was le ft a t 9.30.
at once, each g ro u p ta kin g on average 7 m inutes and
More than 3 50 pupils a tte nd e d , w h ich was a lm ost all
it is so m e th in g th a t v irtu a lly every yo u n g person is
o f th e school, co n sid e rin g m ost o f UVI had already left.
fa m ilia r w ith so anyone can jo in in. O ur reasoning was
There w ere th re e events, one fo r Riley, one fo r 3rd and
g o o d since next to everyone w h o had n o t le ft school
4 th fo rm and one fo r 5 th and 6 th fo rm , and we saw
was there.
th e th e a tre tra n sfo rm e d in to a festival stage w here tw o
For a n u m b e r o f years 'S tra th s to c k ’ (a b a ttle o f the
bands) has been arranged and p o stp o n e d because
bands fro m each house, and ten fro m Riley, next to
The Fentones.
th e re is o n ly ever one band in S trath at a tim e, this year
N o t o n ly w ere th e re s tu d e n t bands b u t a n u m b e r
was no exception. The Fentones were th e on ly g ro u p
o f teachers also gave a perform ance. The teachers'
capable o f p e rfo rm in g to th e school, so we th o u g h t,
band co m p rise d Mr K ennedy (Spanish teacher),
Mr H ig g in b o tto m (Classics teacher), Mr McBain
(fu tu re Housem aster) and Hamish (A u stra lia n GAP
year s tu d e n t) and th e y played Everlong by th e Foo
Fighters. In do in g so, th e y gave a th o ro u g h ly enjoyable
p e rfo rm a n ce and beat m ost o f th e House bands.
The w h o le event was a g re a t success and grossed over
£ 2 8 0 0 fo r th e school Eco C o m m itte e , w ith w h ich we
intend to fu n d a va rie ty o f schem es to tr y and im prove
Strathallan's ecology, inclu d in g a recycling centre and
possibly a biodiesel p o w e r-p la n t.
Jamie Parker UVI Freeland
28
S P EEC H A N D D R A M A
Speech and drama
Oliver W ale’s years of successes in Speech and Drama
Festivals were rewarded in Septem ber when he was
(age 15-17). M illie Galashan w o n th e verse speaking
invited as the only school-age reciter to perform in
a concert at the British and International Federation
th a t age group.
of Festivals Annual conference which this year took
The LAM D A (The London A ca d e m y o f Music and
place in Scotland. Ollie and Mrs McFarlane perform ed
a program me of poetry in Scots dialect, including by
o f distin ctio n s. Form II set 2 achieved d is tin c tio n fo r
Robert Burns and Perth poet, W illiam Soutar.
choral speaking, Hannah G rant and Ashlee B a rn e tt fo r
O llie co n tin u e d his successes by w in n in g th e overall
se co n da ry age g ro u p tro p h y a t th e Perth Burns Club's
Annual Festival fo r re citin g B urns’ Epistle to J Lapraik
ga in in g a massive 98%. The Ju n io r S e co n d a ry Trophy
w e n t jo in tly to Joanna B arrack and Charlie Mearns.
M urdo Elwis w o n th e a cco rd io n class and Eleanor
Kemp, "The President's T ro p h y” fo r singing John
Anderson, My Jo.
His success in th a t c o m p e titio n led to O llie's being
(13-14) class and H enry M elville th e S o u ta r class fo r
D ram atic A rt) exams on O c to b e r p ro d u ce d a n u m ber
spoken English, David Cam eron fo r Grade 8 reading
fo r perfprm ance, th e tw o Ollies (W ale and Beetschen)
fo r Silver Medal a ctin g and M orag Elwis fo r G old Medal
p u b lic speaking. Frances M y a tt’s d istin ctio n s fo r m im e
and spoken English, to o k to five her n u m b e r o f sim ilar
achievem ents in 2 0 0 8.
To th a t n u m b e r Frances a d ded a n o th e r fo u r in May f o r .
reading fo r perform ance, spoken English, devising and
th e speaking o f verse and prose.
in vite d to p e rfo rm p o e try at th e Burns C lu b ’s d in n e r in
As well as Frances, m any o th e r ca n d id ate s p e rfo rm e d
January to m ark th e 2 5 0 th A n n ive rsa ry o f th e p o e t’s
e xtre m e ly well in LAM D A exams in May, th e m a jo rity
birth . Ollie's p e rfo rm a n ce was praised by John Sw inney
achieving d is tin c tio n (80% and over). Every single
and G eorge Reid, p o liticia n s, w h o w ere speakers at
ca n d id ate ch o osing to do m im e cam e into this category,
th e dinner.
th e highest m arks g o in g to Elliot Clem ents, Callum
The speech and dram a classes a t P erform in Perth and
th e E dinburgh C o m p e titio n Festival b ro u g h t th e usual
cro p o f successes fo r o u r pupils.
Nicoll, Mark McGuire, Logan MacGregor, Ellie Hall, Euan
Brown, A n to n io Elias Castellon, Duncan Cook, A n d re w
Burns, D am ir Khusyaynov and Cam eron Jenkins.
C am eron even exceeded his 85% fo r m im e w ith 86%
In Edinburgh, A lison F orsyth w o n tw o m edalg; one
fo r spoken English. Devising exams are also p ro vin g
fo r reading fro m th e B o o k o f Ecclesiastes in_the Bible
p o p u la r and b ro u g h t d istin ctio n s fo r Jam ie Dinsmore,
and th e o th e r fo r reading The S m okey S m irr o' Rain, a
Joshua M orris, R obbie M cD iarm id, Greg Meiklem, Ewan
poem in Scots by G eorge C am pbell Hay - n o t bad fo r a
Cam pbell, Colin G ordon and Josh M artin.
girl fro m W a sh in g ton State, USA! Joanna Barrack won
th e Ju n io r Verse M edal fo r her re c ita tio n o f The G owk
by W illiam Soutar. 2 weeks later in Perth, O llie W ale
achieved 3 firsts, in clu d in g being a w arded "h o n o u rs”
A q u a rte t o f III Form girls (Jenny Sum m ersgill, Frances
M yatt, A n d rin a Dew and Eilidh G ibson) achieved 90%
fo r devising.
(ove r 90% ) fo r re citin g b o th A t Grass by Philip Larkin
O th e r e xtre m e ly high m arks fo r devising were achieved
and a speech by Puck fro m A M id sum m e r N ig h t’s
by Jo Barrack and Olivia Stephenson, In a ctin g exams
Dream. Frances M ya tt cam e firs t in b o th th e Bible
Henry M elville and M urdo Elwis gained 90% w ith high
reading and p re pared reading classes in her age group.
d istin ctio n s also go in g to Jonathan B lackburn (a c tin g )
In th e same d iscip lin e s in th e 15 to 17 age group, b o th
and A lison F orsyth (re a d in g fo r perform ance),
firsts w e n t to Josiah Bircham . Sam L ip w o rth , w ith a
speech e n title d Clouds, w on th e P ublic Speaking
II McF
29
TH E RILEY HOUSE SH O W
________________ _____________ ________
____________________ ____________________________________________ j____
The Riley House Show
Strathallan’s th e a tre year end ed w ith an
explosion of colour provided by the pupils
o f Riley House in th eir production of
Yanom am o - an Ecological Musical (w ords
by P eter Rose; music by Anne Conlan).
The idea o f p e rfo rm in g Y a n o m am o cam e
fro m Mrs Sirrt-Sayce w h o d ire c te d it. She
in v ite d o th e r d e p a rtm e n ts to b e co m e
in vo lve d in th e le a d -u p to th e p ro d u c tio n
by m a kin g it a cross -c u rric u la r a c tiv ity
a b o u t th e e ffe c ts o f th e d e s tru c tio n o f
th e ra in fo re s t in th e A m a zo n Basin, on
w ild life , p la n ts and th e in d ig e n o u s tribe s,
p a rtic u la rly th e Yanom am o. A rt, English,
RE, M od e rn Languages, G e o g ra p h y and
th e L ib ra ry to o k th e ir p a rt in th e p ro je ct.
(Song of the forest)
F or exam ple, th e a rt d e p a rtm e n t
c o n trib u te d ,c o lo u rfu l a rt w o rk. Mrs
Huntep d e scrib e s h o w 1JJ b e ca m e u tte rly
e n g ro sse d in cre a tin g an e n o rm o u s snake
w h ic h fo llo w e d th e ro u te fro m th e m ain
d o o r to th e !th e atre .
AlmosJ: all I f th e pu p ils in Riley w ere
involved, e ith e r in singing, d a n cin g o r in
p ro v id in g narra tio n s. The lively, tu n e fu l
m usic ca rrie d th e s to ry from , a t th e
sta rt, tjjie natural, a b u n d a n t w o rld d f th e
fo re st, th ro jjg h m an's in te rfe re n ce and
exploitiatiofji to th e tra g e d y o f d e s tru c tio n
and d e va sta tio n .
P a rticu la r hjighlights in th e p e rfo rm a n c e
w ere p ro v id e d by Eliza Younger- a$-the
J a g u a ria n q Sam Steele as th e S loth, and
by G areth W a tt and C harlie M earns in
"B u rn Them Trees" b u t all p a rtic ip a n ts
w ere e xce lle n t and o b v io u s ly th o ro u g h ly
e n jo ye d them selves.
\
’
The set a nd lig h tin g p re p a re d by M r Hum e
and th e sta g e cre w and ’th e co stu m e s
cre a te d by Mrs S tre a tfe ild -J a m e s and
O livia S tre a tfe ild -J a m e s c o n trib u te d to th e
w o n d e rfu lly c o lo u rfu l experience.
The audience, as w ell as th e Riley pupils,
c a n n o t p o ssib ly have le ft the,.theatre th a t
d a y w ith o u t ha vin g been m ad e aw are o f
th e tra g e d y o f th e s itu a tio n fa cin g life in
th e rainjforest a t th e c u rre n t tim e.
30
T he S tra th a llia n 2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9
\
.
T H E R IL E Y H O U S E S H O W
31
SHOW S
Mrs MeFarlane Pulls it Off Again! a.k.a.
A reprise of the 2 0 0 3 Riley LAMDA exam success,
w ith some of the same cast, this was another triumph
from the McFarlane production duo. The slick, pacey
performances pleased everyone: Riley pupils and their
Primary School guests sat agog throughout the entire
m atinee and older audiences punctuated the evening
shows w ith roars of laughter at the w itty dialogue and
slapstick antics on stage.
W illiam Farmer (indistinguishable from the Real Thing!)
played nineteenth-century Oxford-undergraduate-andman-about- town J a c k Chesney. He and his co-conspirator,
Oliver Beetschen as Charles Wykeham, seized upon racy
fellow-student Lord Fancourt Babberley (Babbs for short!),
played for laughs by Jamie Parker, to impersonate the aunt
who had not arrived from Brazil in time to chaperone
two delicious but demure young ladies (Sophie Arnot as
Amy and Hannah Cox as Kitty) to whom they intended
to propose.
Farcical scenes ensued, complicated by the arrival of Jack’s
sprightly but elderly father (Oliver Wale) and Amy and
Kitty’s angry uncle/guardian, Spettigue (Andrew Glover).
To complete the confusion and dismay, Charley’s real aunt
(Catriona Mackenzie) accompanied by her adult ward, the
orphaned Ella Delahay (Christina Stephenson),
who turned out to be Babbs’ beloved, also converged on
St Olde’s College.
The casting and production were superb: from Brasset
the college ‘scout’ (Steven Segaud),who moved with
such unruffled dignity, to the comic timing of the three
undergraduates, to the arch amusement of (Aunt) Donna
Lucia who yielded so graciously to the amorous advances of
her old admirer, Colonel Sir Francis Chesney, father of Jack.
After many unexpected setbacks, Spettigue’s tetchy
objections were overcome and the four happy couples took
their bows to thunderous applause. Superb! Well done
each and every one, not forgetting the backstage team who
provided sensitive lighting, appropriate costumes, convincing
make-up and such an authentic set to add to the impact of
the performances.
EMA
32
SHOW S
33
SHOW S
Musicals provide o pportunities for a
w ide range o f individual skills to be
dem onstrated. That is their main
(perhaps th eir only) justification. Guys
and Dolls provides a w ealth o f such
o pportunities and this y e a r's production
showed just how well these can be taken.
Acting, singing, dancing and instrum ental
skills w ere all required and all those
involved produced an enthusiastic and
skilled response.
The leading p a rts p ro d u ce d excellent
perform ances. Marcus A dam s was
w o rry in g ly natural as th e seedy and
fu n d a m e n ta lly in c o m p e te n t Nathan D etroit.
O liver B eetschen was su ita b ly sm o o th as
Sky M asterton. One co u id a lm o st to u ch th e
p e n t-u p fru s tra tio n o f th e o u ts ta n d in g Katy
M arshall as A d e la id e and th e m issionary
zeal o f A lice Inglis as Sister Sarah was
fo rm id a b le . O liver Wale, Jonathan
Keddie, Jam ie S chofield, Tom Esparon,
Josiah Bircham , Etienne Melville, Johnny
McCashin, A n d re w G lover and M aggie
Luck all m ade th e m ost o f th e ir parts. The
s u p p o rtin g cast was eq u ally co n vin cin g as
e ith e r Guys o r Dolls.
The singing was first-ra te . The m ain leads
and Josiah B ircham (as N icely N icely) gave
fu ll value to th e solo parts. The chorus
34
35
SHOW S
The m issionary zeal of
Alice Inglis as S ister Sarah
w as formidable...
nu m bers w ere co n siste n tly w e ll-h a nd le d
u n d er th e d ire c tio n o f R ichard W almsley.
The dancing, ch o re o g ra p h e d and d ire cte d once
again by K im b e rley S te w a rt was e n e rg e tic and,
co n sid e rin g som e o f th e ch a ra cte rs ta kin g part,
su rp risin g ly discip lin e d . The Sw ing Band, led by
Neil H a m ilton b u t co n sistin g m ainly o f pupils,
played w ith g re a t skill and tre m e n d o u s verve.
As always, a tre m e n d o u s jo b was done behind
th e scenes. The set was b rillia n tly designed by
David Hum e and e ffe ctive ly realised. The stage
crew o p e ra te d e ffic ie n tly and (a lm o st) silently.
Costum es and m ake-up were once again
s m o o th ly handled by Kate S treatfeild-Jam es,
D o ro th y H unter and th e ir teams.
W h a t was p a rticu la rly pleasing a b o u t the
p ro d u c tio n o f this m usical was th e w ay in
w h ich it was tig h tly d ire cte d w ith o u t losing
th e feeling o f sp o n ta n e ity and enthusiasm .
Mary R o b e rtso n -B a rn e tt and her p ro d u ctio n
team deserve m uch c re d it (th e y even alm ost
m anaged to ca rry o ff th e Cuban cafe scene,
surely one o f th e m ost ill-conceived in all
m usical theatre). This was a p e rfo rm a n ce o f th e
highest quality.
RJWP
36
SHOW S
National Youth Theatre
Technical Course 2 0 0 9
We were tacky
enough, to go
backstage at many
West End theatres...
The ‘National Youth Theatre’ is the largest
was on ly to o pleased to share th a t he had
youth theatre company in Britain with
thousands of members up and down the
on ly rece n tly been on th e 'K ylie’ European
country. It puts on a number o f productions
throughout the year, including during the
summer at ‘The Soho Theatre’ in London’s
W est End. Former National Youth Theatre
o p e ra tin g all th e a u to m a tio n in th e shows.
members include the likes o f Orlando
Bloom, Daniel Craig, Dame Helen Mirren,
Shakespeare’s C ym beline w h ich was due to
M att Lucas, Catherine Tate and Sophie
finish th e ir sum m er season. W e w o rked on
Ellis-Bexter to name a few. It is a registered
charity and is based in London.
props, rehearsal notes, cues, and organising
In A p ril I was lucky e n ough to be
running o f th e final p ro d u ctio n . We also
to u r as well as th e 'Take T h a t’ UK to u r
In th e last w eek o f th e course we sta rte d
w o rkin g to w a rd s p u ttin g on an e x tra c t fo rm
be on at 'The Soho T he a tre ’ in O ctober, to
p ro d u c tio n m eetings to aid th e sm oo th
a cce p te d o n to one o f th e N ational Youth
had th e o th e r course m em bers w o rkin g on
Theatre's te ch nical courses, a fte r being
this p ro d u c tio n too, in cluding costum e, set
in te rvie w e d e arlier in th e year. I travelled
co n stru ctio n , sound and lights.
d o w n to L o ndon a w eek a fte r te rm finished
n o t kn o w in g w h a t to e xp e ct fro m th e
''te ch ie s’' I’d be on th e course w ith . B ut as
soon as I arrived a t th e H e a dquarters in
Islington, I knew I was in fo r an interesting,
b u t fun, fo rtn ig h t.
I was on th e stage m an a g e m en t course
w ith 24 o th e r people, and 3 professiona
stage m anagers w h o were, o r had been
w o rkin g on large-scale professional th e a tre
and film p ro d u ctio n s th ro u g h o u t th e UK.
W e w ere ta u g h t all th e th e o ry o f being
a stage manager, such as cueing, calling
th e show, props lists, rehearsal notes and
e tiq u e tte in th e profession.
We w ere also lucky e n o ug h to go
ba ckstag e a t m any W est End th e atre s
to ta lk to th e stage m an a g e m en t team s
and to see ho w th e y o p e ra te d . We visite d
th e N ational Theatre and saw all th re e o f
th e ir theatres, in clu d in g th e ir p a in tin g wall,
pro p s sto re and arm oury. W e w ere ta u g h t
by th e stage m anager w h o was on The
Lion King fo r fo u r years in th e W e st End,
The course cam e to an end on th e day we
p u t on th e e xtra ct we had been w o rkin g
on w ith th e National Youth Theatre actors.
I was asked to call th e show (m e a n in g to
cue every ele m e n t o f th e show - lig h t cues,
sound cues, a c to r entrance cues, scene
change cues etc.) and g o t th ro u g h it...just.
W e w ere presented w ith o u r ce rtifica te s at
th e end o f it all, and are now all m em bers
o f th e National Youth Theatre. This means
w e can be asked to take p a rt in a n u m ber
o f a ctivitie s and events across Britain, and
can be asked to com e and be a p a rt o f
th e te ch nical crew on any one o f th e ir
fu tu re pro d u ctio n s.
I th o ro u g h ly enjoyed m y tim e w ith
The National Youth Theatre and w o u ld
reco m m en d it to all. W h e th e r it is an actin g
o r te ch nical course you are interested
in, you are g u aranteed a fun, m em orable
fo rtn ig h t, w ith professional tu to rs and loads
o f really g reat people.
Oli Beetschen
LVI Freeland
and w h o also in vite d us to go b a ckstag e at
th e P icca d illy T heatre w here Sister A c t had
ju s t opened.
T h ro u g h o u t th e tw o -w e e k course th e y
trie d to g e t every m em b e r on th e stage
m an a g e m en t course a pla ce m e n t at a W est
End Theatre. W ith th e likes o f W icked,
Les Miserables, T hriller and Billy E lliot as
possibilities I was th rille d w hen asked to go
to O liver at Theatre Royal, D rury Lane to
shadow th e d e p u ty stage m anager and the
a u to m a tio n team in one o f th e ir evening
perform ances. The a u to m a tio n o p e ra to r
37
AR T__________________________
1: GCSE d is p la y ; 2. H e a th e r M itc h e ll, A2.
O p p o s ite p a g e : 3: C a trio n a M acke n zie , A 2; 4. R osie G ib s o n GCSE;
5. C h ris tin a S te w a rt A 2; 6. H a n n a h C o x GCSE; 7, S o p h ie H o w e ll GCSE;
8. H a n n a h S te w a rt GCSE; 9. C iara E lw is GCSE; 10, R a ch a e l S te w a rt GCSE;
11. R osie G ib s o n GCSE
38
ART
39
ART
1: Je ssica C a rson , A2;
2: E m m a H o w e ll, A 2;
3. L iz z ie G o rd o n , A 2;
4. H e a th e r M itc h e ll, A2;
5. A lis o n Lee A 2
40
ART
MU»
1: Ross D a fe re ra s AS; 2: S te fa n ie H a rris o n AS;
3; M a rk M c A lis te r AS; 4; L iz z ie G o rd o n A2;
5; Sara N ic o l; 6; 2 n d F o rm G ro u p w o rk ; 7: C ra w fo rd N iven.
41
D E S IG N & T E C H N O L O G Y
42
H M M JliH
e f i B l
a o site p a g e : 1: A b b e y K e m p AS P ro d u c t D e sig n ; 2: Ilo n a M c L a re n A S P ro d u c t D e sig n
>ii L u c k AS P ro d u c t D e sig n ; 4: O liv e r B e e ts c h e n AS P ro d u c t D e sig n :
: Page: 5: Sean G a rre tt A S P ro d u c t D e sig n ; 6: J a m ie S c h o fie ld A S P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
a ra h M a c L a c h la n A S P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
44
1: K irs tin L a m o tte A S P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
2: S tu a rt G ray GCSE R e s is ta n t M a te ria ls;
3; T o b y C u lh a m A 2 P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
4; Ian M c K e n z ie A 2 P ro d u c t D e sign;
5; C h ris M u tim e r GCSE R e s is ta n t M a te ria ls ;
6; J o rd a n F in d la y AS P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
7: V a s ily T sarko v AS P ro d u c t D e sig n ;
8; F in o la L u n d g re n A 2 P ro d u c t D e sign;
9; S o p h ie H o w e ll GCSE R e s is ta n t M a te ria ls .
Cricket
1st XI
The 2 0 0 9 season was one o f th e longest
in recent years, a lth o u g h n o t e n tire ly
u n d istu rb e d by J u p ite r Pluvius. It was also
a season o f ups and downs. U nder the
eadership o f Freddie Colem an, aided and
a b e tte d d u rin g his absence by Robbie
Cachia, th e side m anaged to w in six o u t
o f th irte e n m atches w ith five losses. We
succeeded in b e a ting Perth N orthern, the
XL Club a fte r being given an aw ard fo r th e
best S cottish School o f 2 0 0 8 , Strathallians,
th e High School o f Glasgow, Caledonian
A ca d e m y U16 and S tew arts-M elvilie
College. Defeats cam e at th e hands o f
Fettes, Loretto, P ocklington, th e Caledonian
A ca d e m y and MCC. That we m anaged to
play th irte e n m atches a t ail was due to the
hard w o rk o f th e g ro u n d staff, in p a rticu la r
Edinburgh A ca d e m y fixtures. In th e end it
let them escape to an all o u t 108, In the
Ian Philip w h o retu rn e d to p ro d u ce pitches
pro vid e d us w ith a c o m fo rta b le v ic to ry to
final analysis, ta kin g o u r fo o t o ff th e gas
and to coach a fte r a seven year absence.
finish o ff a w eek o f pre-season training. We
here co st us d e a rly as we were bo w le d o u t
The q u a lity o f pitches was m uch im proved
scored 213 fo r 9 declared w ith Toby Culham,
ourselves fo r a p a ltry 98. No one covered
and w e are g ra te fu l to th e Bursar and
m oved up to open, to p -s c o rin g on 49, and
them selves in g lo ry w ith th e bat, a lth o u g h
Headm aster fo r m aking his re cru itm e n t
a n u m b e r o f useful scores fro m th e m id dle
Jonny Dickson nearly g ro u n d us hom e to
possible once more. The m atches against
order. In reply N o rth e rn had little answ er to
v ic to ry w ith a d o g g e d 18.
D ollar Academ y, E d inburgh A ca d e m y and
th e spin o f R obbie Cachia w h o destroyed
G lenalm ond C ollege fell prey to som e very
th e ir m id dle o rd e r w ith 6-20.
w e t w e a th er a t e ith e r end o f th e term .
The second half o f te rm saw a lto g e th e r
b e tte r weather, ju s t in tim e fo r
The on ly o th e r m atch we played before
exam inations, and som e b e tte r results.
Perth N o rth e rn was to be th e o n ly m atch
h a lf-te rm was against Fettes, in Edinburgh.
W e beat th e S co ttish XL Club c o m fo rta b ly
we played in th e firs t th re e weeks o f
Having p u t Fettes in we reduced them to
a fte r d e cla rin g a t 2 4 0 -6 , w ith all th e m ajor
term , such was th e p o o r weather, w hich
35-5 and eventually 73-8 be fore a lapse
batsm en g e ttin g into th e late thirties,
m eant th e a b a n d o n m e n t o f th e D ollar and
o f c o n ce n tra tio n and som e p o o r b o w lin g
th o u g h on ly A n d re w W h ite la w m ade his
46
S P O R TS R E P O R TS
sta rt c o u n t w ith a b ru ta l 63. In reply,
firs t tim e and pro ce e d e d to bat like novices.
Cachia and O 'Reilly th e chance to push us
th e XL Club c o m p ile d 173 w ith th e
O nly A n d re w W h ite la w (4 2 ) and Toby
over th e w in n in g line. Some scam pered
w icke ts shared a m o n g s t th e bowlers.
Culham (31) o f th e recognised batsm en
singles le ft us e ig h t to w in o ff th e last over.
O f note here was young N ick Farrar w ho
g o t going, b efore Paul Marshall (3 2 ) and
W ith tw o balls g one w e needed seven m ore
bow led w ith genuine pace and hostility.
Jo n n y Bain (2 5 ) lifte d us to a co m p e titiv e
o n ly fo r Cachia to saunter d o w n th e pitch
The less said a b o u t th e loss to L o re tto the
171. In reply, th e guile o f R obbie Cachia
and lo ft a ball to th e scorebox fo r four.
better. No b o w le r seem ed to be able to
(4 -2 6 ) and pace o f N ick Farrar (2 -8 ) were
A n o th e r single, and a dot, and it was tw o
bow l a se ttle d length to give th e captain
to o m uch fo r o u r visito rs w h o succum bed
needed fro m th e last ball. O 'Reilly sm acked
any co n tro l in th e field, and w hen we
to an all o u t 73. The fo llo w in g day saw the
th e ball to a fie ld e r and perished running a
second. W e w ere all o u t fo r 266 w hich, a fte r
b a tte d o n ly Toby Culham w ith 32 showed
b ig g e st challenge o f th e te rm w ith th e visit
th e required c o n c e n tra tio n and ap p lica tio n.
o f M erchiston. Given o u r u p -a n d -d o w n
so m uch early season d isa p p o in tm e n t, was
We, deservedly, lost by s ixty runs.
fo rm all term , no one co u ld have p re d icte d
te sta m e n t to b o th sides' w illingness to go
w h a t e ve ntually happened. Things sta rte d
fo r th e v ic to ry in a superb gam e o f cricket.
A m ends w ere m ade th e fo llo w in g day
when, p u t in by th e Strathallians, o u r
batsm en fin a lly to o k adva nta g e o f a g o o d
p itch to score a m a m m o th 274-4. Here,
Callum Donald sm ashed 80, N ick Farrar
helping him add 104 fo r th e th ird w icket,
before A n d re w W h ite la w again ham m ered
an unbeaten 64 o ff th e hapless bowlers.
The Strathallians w ere d isp a tche d fo r
107, bundled o u t by D uncan O 'R eilly w h o
hum bled th e to p o rd e r and R obbie Cachia
w h o rem oved th e m id dle d a n g e r men,
aided and a b e tte d by som e interesting
um piring. N ick Farrar again b o w le d w ith
genuine venom and guile on a placid
pitch, nearly rem oving th e head o f Robbie
S tew art (N 02). (Hmm . O nly nearly. M ust
have a w o rd w ith Farrar. Ed)
a uspiciously as som e inside kno w le d g e
Two victo rie s rem ained; over the
fro m Freddie Colem an helped us 'strangle'
th e ir best player, th e M erchiston captain,
Caledonian A ca d e m y U16 side in w hich
Jam ie King cam e back to fo rm w ith a very
on th e deep square leg boundary. But,
g o o d 62 in a 3 w ic k e t victo ry, chasing 221
M erchiston b a tte d well to declare on 266-8.
N ick Farrar was th e p ick o f th e bow lers
in fo rty overs., and over S tew arts-M elville
in th e end o f te rm Festival. W e b o w le d and
w ith 3 -4 0 . In reply w e w ere g o in g well
fie ld e d ve ry well here to co n tain th e m to
enough at 169-4 w ith p le n ty o f tim e to
118 all out, losing o n ly tw o w icke ts in return
spare w hen a collapse le ft us 87 sh o rt w ith
o n ly tw o w icke ts left. Toby C ulham ’s 60,
as Colem an fin a lly hit his straps w ith an
unbeaten 78. He had been strikin g th e ball
and th irtie s fro m Donald and Colem an had
g o tte n us this far before a p e n ultim a te
well all te rm o n ly to fin d strange ways o f
g e ttin g out. He was relieved as he headed
w ic k e t p a rtn e rship o f 42 fro m Marshall
o ff to th e U19 Europeans, som e runs under
(2 4 ) and O ’Reilly (34 n.o.) g o t us to 243. To
M erchiston's credit, tw e n ty tw o overs were
b o w le d in th e last h o u r as th e y trie d to bow l
us out, and it was this th a t gave Robbie
his belt. Alas, we lost to P ocklin g to n in
a gam e there fo r th e taking, and also in
th e return m atch against th e Caledonian
A c a d e m y B oth were gam es we should have
Nick c o n tin u e d this g o o d fo rm in to the
MCC m atch. MCC scored 225-1 declared
w hich makes it look as if o u r bow lers
B a ttin g A v erag es 2 0 0 9
B a ttin g
Innings
T. P. D. C ulham
12
F. R. J. C olem an*
d o m in a te d by a m aiden c e n tu ry fro m Toby
Culham w h o fin a lly m ade som eone pay fo r
did n o t do a g o o d job, b u t th e p itch was
excellent fo r b a ttin g and o u r fie ld in g e ffo rt
was m ore than acceptable. O ur innings was
the excellent fo rm he had been show ing
all term . His 114 was all th e m ore special
as his parents w ere th e re to see him reach
N.O.
Runs
H ig h e st score
453
114
37.75
7
1
207
78*
3 4 .5 0
A. A. W h ite la w
11
1
253
64*
25.30
C. D. R. D onald
11
1
240
80
2 4 .0 0
N. A. G. Farrar
12
1
233
44
21.18
J. D, K ing
10
197
62
19.70
A verage
his landm ark. A p a rt fro m that, o n ly Jonny
Dickson (4 0 ) really g o t g oing, a lth o ug h
fo r a w hile we w ere in w ith a chance o f
overcom ing th e MCC score. In th e end
B o w lin g A v e ra g e s 2 0 0 9
B o w lin g
O vers
M aidens
Runs
W ic k e ts
cu sto m a ry barbecue and socialising.
R. F. Cachia
115.4
14
O ur last hom e fixtu re s b efore th e Festival in
N. A. G. Farrar
88.1
th e last w eek o f te rm p ro vid e d som e o f the
T. P. D. Culham
69.1
m ost co nsistent c ric k e t we played all term ,
w ith tw o w ins and a h e a rt-sto p p in g tie. We
played th e High School o f G lasgow fo r the
Best
A verage
b o w lin g
we were b ow led o u t fo r 201 be fore the
392
26
12
266
16
3-21
16.62
7
2 90
15
4-16
19.33
6 -2 0
15.07
J. D. King
65
5
243
11
3-24
2 2 .09
D. J. P. O ’ Reilly
85.1
11
353
10
3-32
35.30
47
I SPORTS I
re p o R T S I
.“ S -S g S B S g
i ll LLP 3 3 3
i
Ifu
101
: 111
llu y f o *
t
1
V
1
Senior and Junior Colts
Senior Colts
Cricket - 2 0 0 9
Results: W on 5, L o st 2, Draw n
1, (c a n c e lle d 4 )
In fu ria tin g ly shortened by the
weather, this was, nevertheless,
an enjoyable and rew arding
season w ith a ta le n te d and
won, w h ich w o u ld have been a
fittin g send o ff fo r som e o f the
senior players.
e n thu sia stic group. There were
tw o losses - a respectable
one against a m ature and
e ffe ctive M erchiston u n it and
As always, one accum ulates
a th o ro u g h ly d isa p p o in tin g
d e b ts in a long season such as
display at Loretto. The la tte r
this. N ick du Boulay, a lth o ug h
was th e o n ly really low point.
unable to um pire, was sage
Five wins were achieved. The
on th a t alone. The w ic k e t-
a g o o d ta rg e t fo r M erchiston
keeping o f Lewis W atson was
to chase. A g re a t ope ning
a b it in co n siste nt b u t a t best
spell by A dam s and M cC arthy
extre m e ly effective. T h ro u g h o u t
was then su p p o rte d by th e
th e season Fraser Doig
b a ck-u p b o w lin g w h ich sent
ca p taine d sh re w d ly and led by
a panic into th e M erchiston
example.
Overall this was a very pleasing
season fo r a side w hich
co m b in e d a desire to w in
and a real enthusiasm fo r the
game. M ost o f th e side w ill be
co m p e tin g fo r F irst XI places,
several in th e near future.
total. This was a g re a t gam e o f
cricket, show ing a real change
in a ttitu d e d e m o n stra tin g we
co u ld challenge team s w ith the
to u rin g King E d w a rd ’s school
high p o in ts were exciting
P ro c to r w h o to o k o u t tim e
victo rie s over G lenalm ond and
fro m his ow n successful
Fettes (tw o ) in m atches w hich
R esults: Played 3, L o st 3
Senior C olts side to o ffe r
could have g one e ith e r way
(C a n ce lle d 7)
help. Ian P hilip’s coaching
and w h ich b ro u g h t o u t a really
was invaluable, p a rtic u la rly
c o m p e titiv e sp irit in th e team.
suffered crises o f confidence.
M erchiston b a ttin g progressed
slow ly to finish ahead o f o u r
ball and w in m atches.
in his advice, as was R obert
also fo r som e old hands w h o
o f v ic to ry Eventually, the
RJWP
Junior Colts
Cricket - 2 0 0 9
fo r th e y o u n g e r players, and
batsm en and, w ith each over,
cam e th e d is tin c t p o ssib ility
The final m atch was against the
fro m S tra tford , a gam e played
in a g o o d sp irit on th e Lawn.
King E d w a rd ’s b a tte d firs t and
th e d yn a m ic d uo o f A dam s
This had to be one o f th e m ost
and M cC arthy w e n t to w o rk
w e a th er a ffe cte d seasons
on th e b a ttin g order. A few
There were several individual
ever en co un te re d w ith the
q u ick and very cheap w ickets
p e rform ances o f note. In th e
Third Form A squad on ly
fo llo w e d w h ich a d ded to the
e xcite m e n t o f th e game. Elwis
b a ttin g ca p tain Fraser Doig
m anaging th re e gam es in th e
scored an excellent 73 against
w h o le season. This was very
had a reasonable spell w ith
Fettes and was le ft stranded
fru s tra tin g fo r all concerned
th e ball and m aintained the
on 95* against Lathallan 1st
and makes it d iffic u lt to th ro w
pressure. D odd even m anaged
XI. Jazz Gray p ro d u ce d an
any real lig h t on how well
to g e t so m e th in g o u t o f the
e cce n tric b u t stylish 88 against
we could have done over
w ic k e t w ith his leg break
Fettes. Ruairidh H unter m ade
th e season. O ur firs t m atch
spin and caused all sorts o f
64* against Lathallan and was
was against Fettes in m id-
problem s fo r th e batsm en. An
th e one batsm an to p e rfo rm
May, b rin g in g a b o u t a really
achievable to ta l was now set
A final w o rd o f thanks goes to
a t Loretto. Alex Vine, Charlie
c re d ita b le p e rfo rm a n ce against
fo r th e Strathallan batsm en.
th e leavers, m ost o f th e m in
Beamish, and Chris King m ade
a g o o d side. Daniel Adam s
A fte r a solid s ta rt th e grem lins
th e XI fo r three full years. They
m ajor c o n trib u tio n s a t various
and Chris M cC arthy a pplied
m oved in and w icke ts fell to
were a clo s e -k n it bunch and it
tim es as d id Hamish M itchell
them selves well w ith th e bat
som e very o rd in a ry bow ling.
was a pleasure to coach them .
in th e early p a rt o f th e season
as we g o t into th e nineties.
King Edw ard's w o rked hard
Full colours were aw arded to
and Alex M urray and Ali W ood
This was a to ta l th a t co u ld be
in th e field and shut do w n
Jam ie King, A n d re w W hitelaw ,
to w a rd s th e end. The w ickets
d e fen d e d if th e b o w lin g was to
a n yth in g th a t looked like a run.
Toby Culham, R obbie Cachia,
w ere shared fa irly equally.
be o f a high standard.
S trathallan b a ttle d away w ith
O ne hopes he can retu rn in
2010. To Sodexho go thanks
fo r som e g re a t ca te rin g
th ro u g h o u t th e term , and to
Earnside coaches fo r co p in g
w ith last m in ute cancellations
w ith th e ir cu sto m a ry g o o d
grace.
Duncan O ’Reilly and 2 0 0 8 's
There was on ly one 5 w icke t
ca p tain Jo n n y Dickson. Full
haul (Fraser Doig against
colours w ere also aw arded to
G le n a lm o n d ) b u t Chris King,
Callum Donald w h o has one
Charlie Beamish, Ewan Pirrie,
final year in th e side. To all o f
Ruaridh H unter and Alex Vine
th e m go m y co n g ra tu la tio n s
all had g o o d days.
and m y thanks.
RHF
p ro d u ce d som e ve ry accurate
th e b a t b u t fell sh o rt o f the
targ e t.
and te stin g spells w ith th e ball
This was n o t a season laden
and at one stage it looked as if
w ith o p p o rtu n itie s to develop
an upset m ig h t have been on
skills and ideas th ro u g h
th e cards. H ow ever th e back-up
m atches, how ever th e re are
The fie ld in g o f th e team was
b o w lin g was n o t so te stin g and
th e m akings o f a g o o d side
e n thu sia stic and on occasion
Fettes overcam e o u r total.
w h o can c o m p e te w ith th e ir
excellent b u t one o r tw o were
ap t to d rift o ff th e ir given
positions. Some ve ry g o o d
catches were taken. Torquil
Curran was g o o d enough in
th e fie ld to ju s tify his p o sition
48
A gain A dam s and M cC arthy
The m atch against M erchiston
was a cracking one. Chris
M cC arthy was again th e pick
o f th e side w ith th e bat, b u t he
was well su p p o rte d as we set
co u n te rp a rts and, as the
saying goes, "th e re ’s always
next season” .
ADH
A fte r a g ru e llin g s u m m e r o f re la x a tio n
this y e a r th e ‘ru g b y la d s ’ s ta rte d
th e ir p re -s e a s o n w ith o n e th in g on
th e ir m in d ... W h y a re w e b ac k e a rlie r
th a n th e girls? B ut it b e c a m e v is ib le
w h e n all th e h ard w o rk s ta rte d w ith
th e in tro d u c tio n o f th e e a rly m o rn in g
P ilg y runs fo llo w e d by m o rn in g and
a fte rn o o n sessions. W ith a fe w n ew
fac e s , a ka th e im p o rts , (R y a n H o od
a n d A n d y H a ll) s ta rtin g S tra th it w as
o b v io u s th a t it w as g o in g to b e an
e v e n tfu l season fille d w ith ups and
d o w n s an d a lo t o f inju ries.
As is a S trathallan tra d itio n th e season
sta rte d w ith th e fo rm id a b le w in d y Madras
to u rn a m e n t. This to u rn a m e n t is used as an
‘e xp e rim e n t' to see w h o plays where. A fte r
b a ttlin g th ro u g h th e g ro u p stages w ith
co m fo rta b le wins, th e 1st XV squad m ade
it th ro u g h to th e final against th e High
School o f Dundee. In w h a t now seem ed a
regular a ffa ir th e tw o team s appeared to
be in d eadlock, b o th p ro d u cin g som e gre a t
rugby. U nfortunately, it was D undee th a t
w alked aw ay th e w inners by th e sm allest
o f margins.
A n d so th e 'season p ro p e r' com m enced
w ith th e m atch against Dollar. A lo n g w ith
th e new faces o f o u r im p o rts th e Ists were
jo in e d by th e annual O zzy exchange boys.
Harry 'G rem lin' L'Estrange and James
'S co ttie ' Scott; b o th guys ste p p in g o ff the
plane and p u lling on th a t fam ous Strathallan
jersey. U n b e kn ow nst to H arry it was go in g
to be th irty seconds be fore he was into th e
rough S co ttish rugby. This was due to Toby
D a ve n try 'G o d ’s g ift to w o m e n ’ Culham
p u lling his ha m strin g w h ilst try in g to clear
th e lines. A fte r th e gru e lling m atch th e Ists
sta rte d th e ir season on th e w ro n g side o f
th e score board.
First hom e gam e arrived and it was
G lasgow Academ y. H oping to tu rn around
th e d e fe a t by D ollar th e team pulled
to g e th e r and w ith aggressive fo rw a rd play
and expansive back running th e gam e
finished 22-10. The gam e seem ed to be
49
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
in th e grasp o f th e Ists b u t w ith a lack o f
c o n c e n tra tio n G lasgow sta rte d to claw th e ir
w ay back in to th e gam e b u t w ith desperate
de fen d in g w hen it was needed w e held out.
Special m entions g o to M agnus Olafsson fo r
his general play and s u p p o rt; it was ca pped
by a well deserved try. A lso Duncan ‘Guns’
O ’Reilly fo r his th u m p in g ta ckle th a t sent
th e g u y flying.
N ext to th ro w th e ir cards o n to ‘Big acre’
was N o rth Berwick. Running high from
th e v ic to ry in Glasgow, w e knew th a t a
repeat p e rfo rm a n ce was needed. This
gam e c o n tin u e d th e w id e running gam e
th a t o n ly th e backs knew. Inspirational play
fro m th e skip p e r A n d re w W h ite la w led to
him to u c h in g d o w n tw o tries and th e jo b
o f th e b o o t tu rn e d to Toby. U nfortunately,
A n d re w was sent o ff by S tra th ’s ve ry own
special w hen he used his pace to co lle ct his
th a t w ere used against M erchiston were
o w n ch ip th ro u g h and score in th e corner.
used again. Special m en tio n goes to Harry
L’Estrange fo r retu rn in g fro m injury and
A n d so it com es th e p o in t in th e season
p u ttin g his name on th e score sheet tw ice.
w here th e e v e r-a n ticip a te d rival d e rb y
m atch against G lenalm ond had finally
W in d in g d o w n th e season now, w ith w h a t
arrived. A fte r intense p reparations all week
has becom e a regular fix tu re against the
and w ith a few p ositional changes in the
clu b side Howe o f Fife. This was a gam e o f
backs w e fe lt ready. On this occasion we
tw o halves. The skip p e r Andrew, returning
were to ta lly out-cla sse d by th e b e tte r team
fro m concussion, led th e w ay by scoring
on th e day. Beaten by pace, p o w e r and raw
tw o tries in q u ick succession and at half
fig h t th e gam e ended 44-10.
tim e w e th o u g h t th e gam e was in th e bag.
W e to o k th e fo o t o ff th e gasand Howe
Mr Heaney fo r a ve ry co n troversial offence.
A t th e m id p o in t o f th e season w e were
Special m en tio n fo r this gam e goes to A n d y
ho p in g th a t th in g s w o u ld change and the
Lyons. A fte r playing fo r th e seconds, and
score board w o u ld sta rt tic k in g over in our
casually sta n ding on th e to u ch line he was
favour. B ut w ith tw o o f th e b ig g e st gam es
asked to pull on a jersey and g e t stu ck in.
o f th e season to co m e and nine o f the
C re dit to him he d id n o t hesitate and to this
sta rtin g Ists o u t to injuries varying from
cam e back w ith e ve ryth in g th e y had and
tu rn e d round th e score board around. A
ve ry d isa p p o in tin g end to w h a t seem ed an
assured victo ry, b u t th a t’s ru g b y and its not
over until th e final w h istle goes,
day it m ust rem ain as th e sh o rte st d e b u t in
head to toes, th in g s c o u ld n ’t have been
L o re tto cam e up next and it was now tim e
Ists history. He was taken o ff th e p itch a fte r
m uch worse. So it’s a t this p o in t th a t Hendo
th a t we trie d to restore som e p ride to o u r
3 0 seconds w ith a blo o d in ju ry
goes in to invention m ode and sees w h a t
season. It was now o r never even th o u g h it
he can com e up w ith ; and this year it was
was to o late. A g re a t and g u tsy p e rfo rm a ce
so m e th in g special. Missing b o th Duncan
fin a lly led to a victory. The decision on
and A n d re w fro m th e centres, m oves had
running fro m y o u r ow n 22 is very risky.
D undee High cam e fo r th e ir regular fix tu re
a t Strath, b u t this tim e S trath was looking
fo r revenge a fte r th e d e fe a t earlier on at
th e Madras Tournam ent. A gain w ith g reat
play fro m b o th fo rw a rd s and backs, b o th
to be made. So up steps o u r ve ry agile prop
B ut it paid o ff w ith A n d re w fin d in g a
Ryan to pull on th e already tig h t ’12’ jersey.
g ap and o fflo a d in g it to speedster A n d y
Hall w h o ran half th e fie ld and scored
team s again proved th a t th e y were b o th
His firs t te s t was against M erchiston. A nd
a fte r th e win. A gre a t break fro m Freddie
cre d it to him, w ith his hard running and
'F o re arm s’ Colem an set up a tw o -o n -
q u ick lines he drove over th e line and
one w ith A n d re w W h ite la w allo w in g him
scored. A n o th e r co u p le o f m en tio n s in
to run and to u c h d o w n u n derneath the
this game, firs tly Ross Alexander. For the
un derneath th e posts. A n o th e r m om e n t
by A n d y as he charged d o w n a conversion
a tte m p t allow ed us to w in by th e slim m est
o f margins.
sticks. L'Estrange becam e th e next on the
sh o rte st return to 1st XV rugby. A fte r having
A n d so cam e to th e end o f th e season w ith
in ju ry list and up s te p pe d Jo n n y 'Sponge
a year o u t and w ith som e d e sp era tio n and
o u r last tw o m atches g e ttin g cancelled
B o b ’ Bain to slot in to th e 10 s p o t fo r the
pleading by th e skipper, Ross cam e back
to th e weather. Its been an up and do w n
rem aining 15 m inutes. Jonny held his
to play in th e No.8 slot. U n fo rtu n a te ly the
season w ith som e highs and lows and g reat
nerve and, de sp ite o n ly being in 5th Form,
e xcite m e n t g o t to him and he ended up
p e rform ances along th e way. A fe w special
show ed th a t he was able to play a t this
reciveing a card and a ban as well. N ext to
m en tio n s have to be made. F irstly to Dr.
level. The final score finished 12-12. Special
Etienne; a n o th e r one o f o u r fro n t row w h o
M elville w h o was always th e re on th e to u ch
m en tio n has to g o to Ryan H ood w h o w ith
th in ks th e y have w h a t it takes to be a back,
line and always w illing to lend a hand w hen
th e help o f Hendo m anaged to make the
he m anaged to fin d him self in th e fu ll-b a ck
any player needed m edical a tte n tio n . Next,
wedding...JUST! (W o u ld th a t b e Ryan 'Men
slot a co u p le o f tim es and co p e d w ith th e
Mr Marshall. Even th o u g h his son A n d re w
in Tights' H ood? Ed)
situ a tio ns like he was a natural. Finally, to
had le ft th e year before, Mr Marshall
Toby Culham and in his ve ry ow n fashion
was never absent fro m th e sidelines to
Fettes aw ay is never th e best co m b in a tio n ,
and this was th e next fix tu re on o u r list.
On one o f th e w in d ie s t days o f th e year so
far, th e boys p e rfo rm e d well and de sp ite a
(and w o rds) he "saved it". He p e rfo rm e d a
help d rive us on. To Mr Brow n w h o was
gre a t defensive display and prevented even
th e re w henever he co u ld be, and to his
m ore tries being scored against us.
sp onsorship fo r w h ich we are very grateful.
A n d fin a lly to Jonny Dickson, w h a te ver th e
few que stion a b le decisions by th e ref (b u t
N ext on th e fix tu re card was E dinburgh
w e w o n ’t go th e re ) led to S trath being on
A c a d e m y It has been d e scrib e d as one o f
th e w ro n g side o f th e score board. 19-5.
o u r best perfom ances o f th e season even
The special m en tio n fo r this gam e goes to
th o u g h we still lost. Still b a ttlin g th e injury
Marcus A dam w h o delivered som e th in g
list th e same ta ctica l p o sitio n changes
50
w e a th e r he w o u ld be th e re w ith his tru s ty
vid e o camera. Thanks.
Andrew Whitelaw
UVI Nicol
Football
On a sliding scale of coolness
it w as second only to Tommy C argill’s
newly-acquired mullet...
The fir s t c h a lle n g e o f th e N ew Season was
lack o f pace has always been an issue fo r
to s e le c t th e tra in in g sq u a d. You w o u ld
th e p o o r boy, on and o ff th e field.)
be fo rg iv e n fo r th in k in g th a t is a s im p le
process o f h a vin g tria ls and th e n re d u c in g
th e n u m b e rs u n til you are le ft w ith th e
It was pleasing to see th e team show
''b o u n ce b a cka b ility” w ith a solid 8-1 v ic to ry
“ e lite ” . How ever, o n ce a g a in th e S c o ttis h
against St Leonard’s; we o n ly w o n d e r how
W e a th e r le a d in g up to end o f th e W in te r
we m anaged to concede a goal against
te rm p ro v e d to be th e c o n tro llin g fa c to r,
th e m ( it was sh o d d y defen d in g , Toby...
w ith fo u r su ccessive tria ls ca n ce lle d . So
Mr B). They were n o t a stron g side b u t
w e s ta rte d th e E aster te rm w ith lo ts o f
S trathallan played som e excellent fo o tb a ll
p ro s p e c tiv e fo o tb a lle rs a nd th e ta sk o f
on a d iffic u lt, half-frozen, pitch. There were
w h ittlin g th e n u m b e rs d o w n to a tw e n ty -
som e superb individual p e rform ances
tw o m an squad. T ra in in g was p u t on
and fro m th e team as a whole. The ball
h o ld . H ow ever, w ith a w e e k to g o b e fo re
was sprayed around th e p itch w ith speed
th e fir s t g a m e Mr B and Dr C o o p e r had
and elegance. It w o u ld ap p ea r th a t th in g s
m a n a g e d to m o u ld a te a m o u t o f th e keen
were pickin g up fo r us again. (This may
and g ifte d pla ye rs (y o u are to o m o d e st,
be a s lig h t e xa g geration Toby. Speed?
Toby. E d.) It was u n fo rtu n a te th a t som e
Elegance?...Mr B)
a p p a re n t S ta r Players, in c lu d in g Jo n n y
“ Fox in th e B o x ” C liffo rd , had to be le ft
The m atches were now co m ing th ic k
o u t. W o u ld th is p ro ve to be a te rrib le
and fast w ith a n o th e r aw ay trip to play
m istake?
G lenalm ond College. They were above
us in th e league b u t having played m any
All fears a b o u t th e team selection were
'kicked into to u c h ' fo llo w in g th e firs t gam e
o f th e season against D ollar Academ y.
There w ere a few new faces in th e side b u t
the general feeling a m o n g st th e seasoned
players was th a t th e team could be as
strong as th e previous year. Hopes were
especially o p tim is tic a fte r hearing th a t the
team w o u ld be visite d fo r th e firs t m atch
by last year's Coach E xtraordinaire, Mr Weir.
Last season’s players w ere keen to impress.
Mr W eir had m oved on to pastures new th a t
year, and w o rd was he d id n 't th in k m uch
o f the new side's hopes. W e g o t o ff to a
shaky s ta rt g o in g d o w n tw o early goals.
Could w e p u t this d o w n to playing on an
astro tu rf th a t was new to m any o f our
players o r was it ju st th e usual early season
rustiness? We w e n t in to th e break 3-1 do w n
and w ith th e half tim e ta lk still rin ging in
our ears we d id m uch b e tte r in th e Second
Half and eventually ran o u t c o m fo rta b le 5-3
m ore gam es w e knew th a t a v ic to ry fo r
S trathallan w o u ld e ffe c tiv e ly sto p them
fro m q u a lifyin g fo r th e kn o cko u t stages.
As th e team appro a ch e d th e p itch o u r
co n fid e n ce was given,a knock. We noticed
th a t th e surface we were to be playing on
looked m ore like a ve g e ta b le p lo t th a n a
fo o tb a ll p itch This w o u id n o t suit o u r brand
o f "to ta l fo o tb a ll” . O ur w orries w ere proved
to be correct. In th e end we had to revert
to a route one ap p ro a ch and w ith th e score
a t 2-2 and full tim e a p p ro a ch in g we were
be g in ning to panic. A d ra w w o u ld n o t really
suit e ith e r team . H ow ever w ith five m inutes
to g o a th u m p up th e park allow ed A n d y
Hall (Top Scorer 2 0 0 8 -0 9 ) to cross fo r Mike
W ells w h o co o lly finished o ff th e move, and
o u r rivals, w ith a fa in t to u ch in to th e b o tto m
corner. On a sliding scale o f coolness it
was second o n ly to Tom m y Cargill's new lyacquired m ullet. (Tom, I to ld you I w o u ld g e t
yo u r hair m en tio n e d in th e Strathallian).
w inners. This was aided by th e late a d d itio n
o f Bradley Rizza who, as he d id fo r m ost
N ext up were G ordonstoun. We w e n t into
o f th e season, m ade an in fluential im p a ct
th e gam e kn o w in g th a t if we w o n this gam e
c o m ing o ff th e bench. A fte r this gam e all
we w o u ld d e fin ite ly progress th ro u g h to th e
nerves w ere se ttle d and we were looking
q u a rte r finals o f th e S co ttish In dependent
fo rw a rd to o u r next gam e w ith eager
Schools Cup fo r th e fo u rth year running.
a nticip a tion .
A n y b o d y th a t had played against o r seen
G o rdonstoun play knew th a t th e team had
The next w eek we m ade th e long trip up to
R obert G o rd o n ’s C ollege w ith Dr Cooper,
o n ly to be beaten by a resounding 5 goals
to nil, RGC were a very stron g side w h o
never really allow ed us to g e t in to th e
game. Poor R obbie Cachia, w h o was o fte n
le ft exposed a t th e back c o u ld n ’t m anage
to keep up w ith th e speed o f th e gam e (his
to p ro d u ce one o f th e ir best p e rform ances
if S trathallan were to g e t a result. In w in d y
co n d itio n s (and, gasp...shock...horror,
playing on Big A cre fo r th e firs t tim e ) we
ended up losing 2-1, having squandered
m any chances in th e second half. We
finished th e stro n g e r side, b u t it still w a sn ’t
en ough to o vercom e th e ir b e tte r firs t h a lf »
51
S P O R TS r e p o r :
sports
r e p o r ts
Badminton
F O O T B A L L > > perform ance.
w here he was beaten by the
Despite this d e fe a t Strathallan
eventual w in n e r in th e last 16.
secured a place in th e q u a rte r
In th e Inter-house
finals w ith a co n vin cin g 5-1 w in
C ham pionships Sim pson to o k
over Q ueen V icto ria School.
th e boys’ trophy, Isaac & Kony
The gam e was played ju st
Chen and Hercules Yeung &
days a fte r o u r return fro m the
Justin W ong being to o strong
Easter holidays and w ith only
fo r th e rest b u t it was Hercules
one q u ick tra in in g session
& Justin w h o proved to be the
we m ade th e trip to G lasgow
te llin g factor. In th e g irls ’ event
U niversity to play St Aloysius.
W o o dlands sto p p e d th e rot
W e to o k an early 1-0 lead b u t it
fin ish in g 6-3 w inners fo r th e
seem ed th a t th e holidays had
firs t tim e in fo u r years. Alison,
taken th e ir to ll on b o th fitness
Hannah, Fina M uham ad, Angel,
and sharpness. Too o fte n we
Manuela Schoberl and Manuela
fo u n d ourselves stre tch e d at
Ayee proved to o strong fo r
th e back and at th e m ercy o f
T hornbank in a close-run
This y e a r has to g o d o w n
c o u ld n 't w in one, Isaac cam e up
as th e n e a rly y e a r as you
a gainst th e 4 th ranked S cottish
w ill c o m e to u n d e rs ta n d
U18 boy and lost in th e U19
man m id fie ld and th e tid e was
la te r, b u t fo r all th a t, it has
singles final. He and Enoch Mak
stem m ed. A t half tim e were
b e e n a g o o d season. Isaac
lost in th e U19 boys' doubles
still th in k in g we were in w ith
Tsang c a u g h t th e e y e as
final w h ilst Enoch lost in the
a shout. On o u r day we could
soon as he a rriv e d a n d had
U16 boys' singles final. Alison
My thanks go to Isaac fo r
have perhaps beaten th e m b u t
o b v io u s ly b e e n c o a c h e d to
Duncan lost in th e g irls ’ U19
organising and leading the
th e final score ended up 6-2.
a h ig h s ta n d a rd - th e m o st
final and she and Anastasyia
team along w ith Sunny Sun and
Two late goals m ade th e score
n a tu ra l a b ility I h ave seen
M usiyachenko lost in th e U19
A ngel Yau and to Dr C ooper
a little unfair, and we were
in 22 y e a rs a t S tra th a lla n .
g irls’ doubles final. It was the
and Mr C o w per fo r th e ir in p u t
knocked o u t at th e q u a rte r final
A n g e l Yau lo o k e d p ro m is in g
stage ju st as w e had been the
fo r th e g irls an d w ill b e v e ry
th e ir strikers. Hugh Lungm uss
was m oved to make a five
previous year.
g o o d as she g ro w s and
g e ts s tro n g er.
I w o u ld like to say a big th a n k
contest. W e again entered the
Perth Senior Division 2 league
g aining valuable experience
and m anaging to w in one or
tw o games.
same s to ry a t th e Ramada
into th e gam es a fte rn o o n s and
Jarvis to u rn a m e n t w here we
a ctivitie s evenings. It w ould
m ade fo u r finals go in g do w n
c e rta in ly n o t be easy to cope
in each one - Isaac & A ngel in
w ith o u t th e ir su p p ort. I am
you to Mr B a tte rha m and Dr
We sta rte d th e season by
th e U19 m ixed, Enoch & Isaac in
looking fo rw a rd to next season
C ooper fo r all o f th e ir hard
b eating Fettes n a rro w ly 12-9
th e U19 doubles, Enoch in the
and have high hopes fo r the
w o rk this year (I w o u ld also like
m ainly thanks to th e girls,
U16 singles and Hannah G rant &
squad. They w ill all be back
to say a big th a n k you to Toby
w h o were to o stron g fo r th e ir
A lison in th e U19 g irls ’ doubles.
a p a rt fro m Sunny so w e can
and th e rest o f th e team -
op p on e n ts. In th e Perth &
Isaac w e n t on to th e S cottish
m aybe tu rn som e o f those
Mr B). To th e rest o f th e Boys
Kinross Schools C ham pionships
Schools C ham pionships and
silvers in to golds!
w h o I have sp e n t th e previous
we reached five finals b u t
reached th e kn o cko u t stages
GCK
tw o seasons playing alongside;
it has been a pleasure. G ood
luck to all o f th e boys w h o
fin d them selves im pressing
Mr B and Dr C ooper m aking
Netball
th e ir w ay to th e d izzyin g
heights o f S trathallan 1st
XI fo o tb a ll (and o f course
1st VII
Sophie Beamish and Sally Lungm uss were
T h ro u g h o u t last y e a r’s season, w e had a
o th e r team s in th e League as th e y were vo te d
v e ry g o o d te a m , g e ttin g in to th e fin a l o f th e
“ Player o f th e M atch ” th e m ost. Well done!!
receiving th e ‘best tra c k s u it’
in th e school; n o t th e m ost
im p o rta n t th in g , b u t g o o d).
Toby Culham UVI Ruthven
considered to be th e best players in th e team by
In d e p e n d e n t S c h o o ls ’ C o m p e titio n , and
th e n o n ly losin g by o n e g o a l. W e also
A t th e end o f th e season, th e netball crew hit
re a c h e d th e s e m i-fin a l o f th e S c o ttis h
Pacos on a Thursday n ig h t to celebrate th e end o f
S c h o o ls ’ C u p C o m p e titio n .
a successful year and to say o u r final g o o db ye s to
o u r beloved Captains, H eather M itchell and Lizz
Every W ednesday evening we played o th e r team s
in th e Perth Ladies’ League a t Bells’ Sports
Vine, We hope th a t this year can be even m ore o f
a success, b u t ju s t as fun as last year.
Centre in Perth. This o p p o rtu n ity helped us
practise as a team against experienced players
th ro u g h o u t th e year.
52
Vicky McLellan LVI Thornbank
Sophie Beamish LVI Woodlands
Basketball
Sailing
T w ic e a w e e k , o r th re e
w ith Kate and Zoey, one o f our
tim e s fo r th o s e h a rd c o re
instructors. P ort E dgar was
sailors, M r S tre a tfe ild -J a m e s
n o t all hard w o rk th o ug h . Once
or Mrs M acB ain d ro v e a
in a w h ile th e m inibus w o u ld
g ro u p o f a b o u t fiv e o f us
d e to u r round M acD onald's
d o w n to P o rt E d g a r in
and w e w o u id g ra b a sugary
S o uth Q u e e n s fe rry .
rew ard fo r an exhausting sail.
B a ttlin g th ro u g h som e intense
A fte r tw o and a half hours o f
w inds (and som e nonexistent
intense sheeting in and hiking
w inds as w ell), th e sailing team ,
out, and o ccasionally g e ttin g
ca p taine d by Sam L ip w o rth ,
rig ge d up and set sail fo r the
Firth o f Forth. In th e team, there
stu ck in th e m ud fo r some
tim e as well, a M cF lu rry never
tasted so good. I w o u ld like
were enthusiastic beginners,
to give a w arm th a n k you to
and som e less-enthusiastic
Mr S tre a tfe ild -Ja m e s and Mrs
pros. The half o f th e crew th a t
MacBain fo r fa ith fu lly d rivin g
had n o t already c o m p le te d
us every gam es day, w h e th e r
th e ir Stage 3s d id so in th e
th e re was a full m inibus o r only
last w eek w h ile th e rest o f the
one person. I am also g rateful
team sat back and laughed as
to th e s ta ff at P ort Edgar, and
Michael c o m p le te d his capsizing
a lth o u g h I was sprayed w ith
part. Tim, Sam, M artin and Alex
a p u m p fro m th e back o f an
m ainly preferred Lasers o r RS
in s tru c to r’s rib once o r tw ice, I
Fevas w h ilst Toppers were th e
g re a tly a p p re cia te d all th e hard
p rincipal b o a t fo r Kate, Michael
w o rk th e y c o n trib u te d to our
Jo and me. Try as he m ight,
sailing p ro g ra m m e to m ake it
Mr S-J still could n o t convince
one o f th e best experiences I’ve
me to skip p e r any b o a ts o th e r
had a t Strathallan.
than Toppers, a lth o u g h on
Alison Forsyth
th e final session I did dare to
IV Form Woodlands
crew a D art 16 (C atam aran)
T h e 2 0 0 8 - 9 season was
success. T h e se a so n a lso
o n e o f o u r m o s t successful
s a w tw o g irls , A b b e y K e m p
on re c o rd . A v e ry s tro n g
a n d E u g e n ia R a m o s p la y in g
te a m u n d e r th e le a d e rs h ip
in th e to p sid e fo r th e fir s t
o f J a c k ie W o n g w o n th e
tim e . F ro m th is e m e rg e d
p re -s e a s o n to u rn a m e n t a t
an e n th u s ia s tic g ir ls ’ te a m
M erc h is to n fo llo w e d by
keen to d e v e lo p th e ir skills.
w ins a g a in s t all o f o u r
J a c k ie p ro v id e d p le n ty o f
tra d itio n a l rivals.
e n c o u ra g e m e n t b u t p ro v e d
W e s ta rte d th e S c o ttis h C u p
s tr o n g ly w ith a 5 9 to 33 w in
a g a in s t S t A lo y s iu s fro m
h im s e lf a to u g h ta s k m a s te r
w h e n it c a m e to c o a c h in g
th e te a m .
G la s g o w b e fo re g o in g
T h re e p la y e rs w e re
d o w n c o n v in c in g ly to
re c o g n is e d f o r th e ir
c o m p e titio n h e a v y w e ig h ts
o u ts ta n d in g c o n tr ib u tio n to
Q u e e n A n n e ’s, D u n fe rm lin e .
th e te a m d u rin g th e ir tim e
T he se a so n sa w s ig n ific a n t
skill d e v e lo p m e n t as J a c k ie
b r o u g h t b a c k tra in in g
d rills a n d ta c tic s fro m his
in v o lv e m e n t w ith th e P e rth
P h o e n ix s e n io r te a m . T he
se a so n sa w th e e m e rg e n c e
o f th e S im p s o n b o y s as
b a s k e tb a ll p o w e r-h o u s e s
w ith S te ve a n d A n d y L yo n s
a n d M ich a e l W e lls p la y in g
a t S tra th a lla n . H a lf C o lo u rs
w e re a w a rd e d to J a y c o Sun
a n d K o n y C h e n w h ile fu ll
c o lo u rs w e re b e s to w e d u p o n
Ja ckie . O u r b e s t w is h e s g o
to o th e r d e p a r tin g loyal
te a m m e m b e rs W illia m
C h a n a n d M a rtin K w o k w h o
h a ve p la y e d w ith sk ill a n d
c o m m itm e n t th ro u g h o u t.
BAH
s ig n ific a n t ro le s in o u r
53
S P O R TS R E P O R T
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
Athletics and
Cross Country
A th le tic s and Cross C o u n try c o n tin u e
Flail's 19th place in th e u n d er 14s and Chris
and over 17 g irls’ pole vault. Chris Rennison
to th riv e a t S tra th a lla n . T h e b o d y -
Rennison's 17th place in th e u n d er 17s were
ran bravely to w in a well deserved bronze
c o n d itio n in g p ro g ra m m e o ver th e
p a rticu la rly notew orthy.
w in te r m o n th s is havin g an increasin gly
m edal in th e u n d er 17 boys 3 0 0 0 m . Toby
Culham missed o u t on a m edal in th e senior
n o tic e a b le e ffe c t on o u r s u m m er
In A th le tics we had close m atches w ith
p e rfo rm a n c e s , a n d w e a re fin a lly
Fettes, w in n in g and n a rro w ly losing th e
b e g in n in g to fill som e o f th e g ap s in
Senior b o ys’ and g irls ’ respectively, b u t
o u r fie ld events.
being to o fa r a d rift w ith th e m id dle age
javelin by 18cm. For o u r o th e r co m p e tito rs
this c o m p e titio n was m ost useful as an
in d ica to r o f how hard th e y will need to
w o rk fo r success next year.
groups. The boys p e rfo rm e d well against
The Cross c o u n try season was o u r m ost
successful fo r m any years, despite missing
o u t on m any o f th e fix tu re s d u rin g th e term .
The open girls team ran very well at Fettes
to w in th e ir relay, w ith th e u n d er 17 boys
c o m in g second.
A t th e S chools’ C ham pionship all seven o f
th e team s w e entered finished in th e to p
five, th e senior girls w o n a silver m edal, and
th e u n d er 14 girls, under 17 girls and senior
boys w o n bronze medals. Individually, Ellie
54
M erchiston and E d in b u rgh Academ y, and
As ever, it has been a pleasure to w o rk
b e a t G lenalm ond, b u t lacked consistency
w ith all th e squads this year, and th e ir
across all th e events. U ltim a te ly this was
g o o d h u m o u r and w o rk e th ic has been
th e s to ry o f th e A th fe tics season: we won
im pressive. Thank you also to th e s ta ff
en ough events to w in m atches, b u t we are
and th e pupils w h o do so m uch to help
go in g to have to w o rk hard on areas w here
events run s m o o th ly in o fte n try in g clim a tic
w e stru g g le to score points.
co n d itio ns, and especially to JRF and his
u n stin tin g d e vo tio n to th e success o f the
A t th e S cottish Schools th e senior girls
sp o rt a t Strathallan.
w o n a g o ld m edal a t th e 4x100m relay,
and Em ily M acLachlan and R obynne Sm ith
w o n g o ld and silver m edals in th e under 15
DMH
Karate
Golf
A little p ie c e o f g o lfin g h is to ry
This y e a r w ith th e a d d itio n o f K a ra te p u p ils fro m
w as c re a te d a t S tra th a lla n this
o u tw ith th e school; th e K a ra te C lu b has in c re as e d
y e a r w h e n , fo r th e firs t tim e in
to w e ll o ve r 2 0 p u p ils o v e r th e year. M ost o f th e
m e m o ry , a g irl w as cho sen to
p u p ils a re fro m R ile y H ouse a n d a fe w a re fro m
c a p ta in th e g o lf te a m . This w as a
th e s e n io r Houses b u t th e re a re n ow s tu d e n ts
th o ro u g h ly d e s e rv e d a p p o in tm e n t
fro m F o rg a n d e n n y th a t h ave s ta rte d a tte n d in g
g iv e n A n n a b e l N iv e n 's e x p e rie n c e
th is y e a r w h ic h has in c re a s e d th e d iv e rs ity o f th e
a t C o u n ty a n d In te rn a tio n a l level
s tu d en ts.
o v e r re c e n t years a n d th e fa c t
There was g re a t success in th e g ra d in g s last year and at
th a t she h ad a lre a d y e s ta b lis h e d
th e last grading:
h e rs e lf as th e no.1 g o lfe r in th e
scho ol th e p re v io u s year.
> a b row n and w h ite stripe d b e lt (one level below
bla ck)w as achieved by Sarah Hellewell
The season began w ith a trip to
St.A ndrew s fo r a m atch, on th e Old
> b row n belts achieved by Sam and W ill Steele
Course, against th e R and A fo r the
> Purple and w h ite fo r Grace C ochran-P atrick, Rosalind
S cottish W ayfarers. B oth Annabel
C outtes and R obbie Brown
and Michael M ckenzie p e rfo rm e d well
in th e ir m atches w h ich were closely
against local sides fo r th e firs t tim e
fo u gh t. A nnabel retained her tro p h y
since I have been running th e g o lf at
at th e PKSGA C ham pionships w hich
Strathallan.
were held at King James VI G olf Club
this year, m aking it th e th ird tim e she
has w on th e g irls ' event.
> O range belts fo r Pauric B atterham , Ellie Hall, Rory
A rth u r and Sophie L ig h tb o d y
A lso as well th e new beginners, tw o m ore experienced
Michael McKenzie had a fine run o f
Karate stu d e n ts have jo in e d th e school w ith John Dew
fo rm in th e m id dle o f th e season
(b ro w n and w h ite ) and C onnor Collin (b ro w n ) w hich
w h ich enabled him to retain the
has helped th e less experienced stu d e n ts to im prove
D espite th e play o f A nnabel and
School G o lf C ham pionship and
along w ith Mike C liffo rd (o u r sensei).
Michael w e really stru g g le d to
th e P itlo ch ry Cup C o m p e titio n . He
co m p e te in o u r team m atches
was ce rta in ly th e m ost co nsistent
as we clearly did n o t have the
p e rfo rm e r this year and has a real
s tren g th in d e p th to tro u b le m ost
o p p o rtu n ity to deve lo p his gam e
o f our op p on e n ts. Indeed, once the
in th e co m in g years and bring his
exam ination season kicked in w e o fte n
handicap down.
stru g g le d to raise enough players
fo r th e m atches and had to rely on
y o u n ge r and m ore inexperienced
golfers like Jam es W o rdie and Charlie
Hall to make up th e num bers on a
lot o f occasions. They d id th e ir level
best b u t in e vita b ly fo u n d th e level o f
c o m p e titio n challenging. H opefully
though, th e y w ill have learned from
this experience and w ill com e back
next year s tro n g e r and w iser a b o u t
how to co m p e te at this level. Until th e
exam season sta rte d we were able to
use Danny A nderson, Joe C o rle tt and
Tom Cargill in th e team , all o f w h o m
c o n trib u te d in th e ir respective ways.
Danny had a p a rtic u la rly g o o d season.
For a player w h o had previously
stru g g le d to make th e g o lf team,
he m ade a te llin g c o n trib u tio n and
was d eservedly rew arded w ith the
tro p h y fo r th e m ost im p ro ve d g o lfe r
o f th e year. V icto rie s w ere rare this
year, a lth o ug h w e d id m anage to see
o ff Fettes C ollege and M erchiston
Castle School on o u r hom e patch at
A uchterarder. W e lost all o u r gam es
As ever I am in d e b te d to Mr Kitson
fo r his u n stin tin g e ffo rts in helping
In th e Spring, Sensei Masao Kawasoe cam e to Perth
fro m Korea so som e o f th e Karate stu d e n ts w e n t along
to th e Perth Karate Club to train w ith him. For all w h o
a tte n d e d it was an inte re stin g experience and helped
everyone to im p ro ve th e ir te ch niqu e s immensely,
th o u g h t th a t it was in te re stin g to see th e techniques
p e rfo rm e d by a Japanese Sensei.
Sarah Hellewell V Form Thornbank
run th e g o lf section. His w illingness to
take th e team to w herever is required
m eant th a t we co u ld fu lfil a ve ry full
fix tu re list and his co a ching tip s a t the
"G o lf A ca d e m y’’ w ere well received
by o u r novice go lfe rs and m ore
experienced ones too. We were joined
by Dr C o o p e r this year w h o also
c o n trib u te d sig n ifica n tly to th e g o lf
experience at Strathallan, enabling
us to have a m atch o r c o m p e titio n
tw o tim es a w eek over th e course
o f th e season. I am very g ra te fu l fo r
th e ir enthusiastic assistance d u rin g
th e g o lfin g season. I w o u ld also like
to th a n k John Newall, th e previous
Head G roundsm an at th e school fo r
his e ffo rts in de ve lo ping th e school
course to th e level it is a t today.
This has becom e a real asset fo r the
school and w o u ld n o t have happened
w ith o u t J o h n 's interest, d e d ica tion
and hard work.
NS
55
S P O R TS r e p o r :
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
Boys’ Hockey
b u t th e team a p p ro a ch e d the
gam e in th e same m anner as
every other, 100% focused
on w inning. O ur firs t half
p e rfo rm a n ce w asn’t th e best
half o f hockey we played all
season; we gave possession
aw ay ch eaply and missed a
handful o f fa n tastic chances.
B ut co m e second half, o u r play
tra n sfo rm e d com pletely, go in g
up a few gears in all aspects
o f o u r game. We played
som e exhilarating hockey and
m anaged to score 5 second half
goals a llo w in g us to m aintain
ou r 100% record.
We then travelled to Fettes
fo r th e return fixtu re , kn o w in g
th a t this was one of, if n o t the
m ost ch a llenging gam e in o u r
season, as Strathallan victo ries
a t Fettes, have been very hard
R e a d in g th ro u g h th is y e a r’s e d itio n o f th e S tra th a llia n ,
gam e sw ung in o u r favour. Fie
it is c le a r th a t th e re has b e e n m uch success in all areas
g ra b b e d a well taken h a t-tric k
th ro u g h o u t th e year. H o w ever, I can say w ith c o m p le te
w h ich handed us a 3-1 lead.
c o n fid e n c e th a t th e 1st XI b o y s ’ h o c k e y te a m e n jo y e d o ne
The team w e n t o u t in an
o f th e m o s t successful seasons in re c e n t h is to ry and I w o u ld
im m ense defensive e ffo rt,
im m e d ia te ly like to h ig h lig h t h ow m uch o f a p le a s u re , and
w ith s ta n d in g m u ltip le Fettes
hon ou r, it w as to c a p ta in th e te a m to all its g lo ry.
attacks. We e ve ntually ran
o u t 3-1 w inners, and already I
to com e by in recent seasons.
Again, a slow s ta rt saw us
concede an early goal b u t
fo rtu n a te ly we were able to g e t
back on level te rm s ju s t before
half tim e. The second half
was fie rce ly co m p e te d , w ith
te m p e rs flaring at every um pire
W ith m any o f last year's 1st
Perhaps n o t an ideal o p p o n e n t
XI retu rn in g to th e side and
so early on in th e season, b u t
w ith several new a d d itio n s to
I fe lt th a t o u r p re p a ra tion had
th e squad, th e re seem ed to
been g o o d and I had a no
be th e p e rfe c t blend o f yo u th
d o u b ts th a t th e team w o u ld
and experience. It was a team
step up to such a big challenge,
season was a t Loretto, a
goal. F ortunately, w e m anaged
w h ich I held high hopes for, and
and th a t th e y did. W e played
g ro u n d at w h ich S trath have
to ’n ick’ a second half goal and
th e y ce rta in ly d id n 't disa p p oint.
som e g re a t c o u n te r-a tta c k in g
always stru g g le d to play g o o d
as th e final w h istle blew w e all
7 school games, 7 victories,
hockey w h ich led to an
hockey, and this year it was
fe lt a g re a t deal o f relief. This
sem i-finalists in th e N ational
e arly 3 -0 lead. A lth o u g h our
no d iffe re n t. We slum ped to
was p ro b a b ly th e firs t tim e in
in d o o r finals (a S trathallan firs t)
o p p o n e n ts staged a second half
an early 2 -0 d e fic it due to
th e season th a t we had really
and finalists o f th e S cottish
com e back to m ake it 3-2, the
som e slo p p y d e fe n d in g givin g
been tested; however, we
U-18 cup; by any standard, an
team held th e ir nerve and we
ourselves an uphill task fo r the
c e rta in ly show ed im m ense g rit
im pressive set o f achievem ents.
cam e o u t 4 -2 victors, a p e rfe ct
m atch. However, this m atch
and d e te rm in a tio n and because
B ut it m ust be p o in te d o u t th a t
w ay to kick sta rt o u r season.
e p ito m ise d th e sp irit w hich
o f this we were able to secure
such acco m p lish m e n ts were
This was on ly th e second tim e
th e team to o k w ith th e m and
th e win, keeping o u r hopes o f
no coincidence. I w o u ld like
I had ever beaten G lenalm ond,
show ed on num erous occasions
an unbeaten season alive.
to co m m e n d th e team on the
m aking th e w in all th e sweeter.
th ro u g h o u t th e season. We
c o m m itm e n t th e y p u t in week
in w eek o u t on th e training
p itch. There was a g re a t desire
to im prove and learn, and it
was to this th a t w e ow e m uch
o f o u r success.
N ext was a visit fro m Fettes,
n o rm a lly one o f th e stron g e st
team s on th e circu it, and one I
have never beaten in a regular
school fixture, and it looked
like th e gam e was go in g to go
was beg in ning to feel th a t this
season had th e p o te n tia l to be
so m e th in g special.
O ur firs t away m atch o f the
never fe lt th a t v ic to ry was o u t
o f reach and we m anaged to
claw o u t a 4 -2 victory. G ood
team s are capable o f n o t
playing especially well y e t still
w inning; this is exa ctly w h a t
w e did.
decision made. N either team
w a n te d to m ake a m istake and
b o th were try in g all th e y could
to g e t th a t a ll-im p o rta n t second
The p e n u ltim a te school
gam e o f th e season was the
q u a lity o u tfit o f W a ts o n ’s who,
norm ally, are ve ry w ell drilled
and a ve ry d iffic u lt team to
beat. U nfortunately, th e y g o t o ff
to a flier, keeping possession o f
The regular school season
in a sim ilar fashion a fte r th e y
sta rte d o ff w h a t w o u ld appear
g ra b b e d an early lead. However,
W e then hosted G ordonstoun,
to be th e b ig g e st gam e o f o u r
w hen super-sub Jonny Bain
a fix tu re in w hich S trath team s
O nce again, w e co n ce de d a
season; G lenalm ond a t home.
entered th e fie ld o f play, the
had o fte n enjoyed success;
goal, b u t as we realised, a one
56
th e ball w ith ease and keeping
us ca m p e d in o u r ow n half.
his a b ility to g e t th e best o u t o f
we w ere on th e losing end, and
feeling d e fe a t fo r th e firs t tim e
his players and it has been an
was e xtre m e ly bitter. However,
ab so lu te pleasure w o rkin g w ith
th e team gave an incredible
him over th e past tw o years.
p e rfo rm a n ce and such
I’d also like to th a n k F itz fo r his
d is a p p o in tm e n t should not
im p ecca b le u m p irin g and finally
take away th e brilliance in w h a t
Miss Sim e and Miss Carroll fo r
we had achieved th ro u g h o u t
always being on hand to o ffe r
th e season.
th e ir expertise a t any tim e.
The hockey to u r to Ireland saw
A n d now fo r m y final d u ty as
th e team play tw o schools,
captain, it is tim e fo r me to pass
M onkstow n and W esley
on th e ba ton to next ye a r’s
College. W e d id n ’t kn o w m uch
captain. I’d like to co n g ra tu la te
a b o u t o u r o p p o s itio n b u t it was
Freddie Colem an in being
clear fro m th e w ay th e y played
m y successor. His ta le n t on
th a t th e y were b o th ve ry g o o d
th e pitch, his c o m m itm e n t in
goal d e fic it is easily o v e rtu rn ed
A lth o u g h we did n o t w in the
o u tfits. A g a in st M onkstown,
tra in in g and his desire fo r high
as we had show n in previous
co m p e titio n , to g e t th a t far
we m anaged to over tu rn a 3-1
standards m ake him th e ideal
matches. W e k e p t o u r m istakes
and p u t in g re a t p e rform ances
d e fic it to com e o u t 5-3 w inners
ca n d id ate fo r th e job. It was a
to a m inim um and equalised
against full tim e in d o o r hockey
a fte r som e g re a t c o u n te r
pleasure w o rkin g w ith him as
ju st be fore half tim e. In the
players was u n q ue stio n a b ly an
a tta c k in g hockey and a well
m y vice -ca p ta in and I wish him
second half, o u r cool heads and
achievem ent in itself.
taken h a t-tric k fro m A n d re w
and th e team all th e best fo r
W hitelaw . W esley College, too,
next year, th a nk you.
im m aculate d iscip lin e saw us
com e o u t as v ic to rs w ith a 3-1
result in o u r favour.
In th e u n d er 18 yo u th cup
c o m p e titio n , a lb e it due to a lack
o f org a n isa tio n and fo rtu n a te
O ur final gam e o f th e regular
w e a th er co n d itio n s; we reached
season cam e a t hom e against
th e final against an excellent
Loretto. W e knew w e needed
Inverleith side w h o boasted
proved to be a d iffic u lt game.
Jamie King UVI Freeland
However, playing 2 gam es in
1st XI C aptain
2 days ca u g h t up w ith us. We
appeared all to o sluggish and
D is tric t H o ck e y
n o t playing o u r usual sharp
hockey. We th re w away th e
C o n g ra tu la tio n s to the
this v ic to ry to ensure th a t we
num erous in te rn a tio n a ls at
were th e firs t team in several
several age groups; b u t o f
years to have a co m p le te 100%
course, o p p o n e n ts in a cup
record and w e knew such
final are never g o in g to be easy.
The to u r to Ireland was a
D istrict th ro u g h o u t th e
prestige was w ith in to u ch in g
In th e firs t half, it fe lt like we
fa n tastic success and enjoyed
season
lead on tw o occasions and
fo llo w in g boys w h o were
could on ly m anage a 4 -4 draw.
selected to play fo r M idland
distance. W e w ere m uch
were chasing shadow s as th e y
by all m em bers on th e tour. I
th e b e tte r team th ro u g h o u t
m oved th e ball around th e p itch
w o u ld like to th a n k Mr Giles fo r
and co n tro lle d th e gam e
w ith ease. We have to th a n k o u r
o rganising it and Mr Vallot, Miss
co m pletely; we scored som e
keeper, Douglas B ritto n , w h o
Carroll and Mr R obertson fo r
exquisite goals and ran o u t
m ade countless sp e ctacu la r
givin g up th e ir h oliday tim e to
P atrick M orris-E yton
c o m fo rta b ly 4-1. A t this p o in t I
saves, and som e resilient
be th e re w ith us.
and M urdo Elwis
w o u ld like to m en tio n Marcus
d e fen d in g th a t w e o n ly w e n t
A d a m s’ stu n ning half volley
in to half tim e 1-0 dow n. As the
strike; th e best in d ivid u a l goal I
second half w ore on, we started
have ever seen and one w hich
to g e t m ore and m ore in to the
tru ly e p ito m ise d th e q u a lity o f
m atch, keeping possession and
hockey we had p ro d u ce d
crea tin g chances. We m anaged
week in w eek o u t th ro u g h o u t
to equalise, and w ith th e scores
the season.
level b o th team s w ere really
It was n o t o n ly d u rin g o u r
regular season th a t th e squad
throve. The cup c o m p e titio n s
also b ro u g h t considerable
success. D espite being knocked
o u t o f th e S cottish schools U-18
cup, we m anaged to q u a lify
fo r th e national in d o o r finals, a
Strathallan first, and w ere able
to make it to th e semi finals.
g o in g fo r it. W ith tw o m inutes
to go, d e b u ta n t M urdo Elwis
g ra b b e d w h a t we had th o u g h t
was th e winner, how ever a
m o m e n t o f class fro m the
o p p o s itio n ca p tain saw the
gam e head to extra tim e. It was
U18
lain McKenzie and
Douglas B ritto n
U16
U15
The hockey team a ccom plished
Michael McKenzie,
A lista ir W ood
som e o u tsta n d in g
(C aptain), Craig
achievem ents this year and,
Rintoul, A lex Murray,
inevitably, such success w ill be
Daniel A dam s & H enry
very hard to em ulate in fu tu re
Melville
seasons. I personally w o u ld like
S c o tla n d S e le c tio n
to th a n k each m em b e r o f the
squad fo r th e c o m m itm e n t th e y
Very well d o n e to lain
p u t in on and o ff th e pitch. Your
M cKenzie w h o was selected
desire fo r success, w illingness
into th e U18 National train in g
to learn and im prove and
squad and M urdo Elwis w ho
flawless d iscip lin e m ade m y jo b
m ade th e U16 tra in in g squad.
as ca p tain far easier.
M urdo g o t his firs t Scotland
U16 cap w hen he played
I w o u ld also like to th a nk Mr
a g ru e llin g 20 m inutes, b u t w ith
Giles fo r g u id in g us th ro u g h
no-one breaking th e stalem ate
th e season. We owe a lot
th e gam e headed to w a rd s
o f o u r success to his te rrific
p e n a lty strokes. U nfortunately,
kn o w le d g e o f th e gam e and
fo r th e team in Ireland and
m anaged to score a goal in
his firs t game.
57
S P O R TS R E P O R Tj
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
Girls’ Hockey
go a lke ep e r o f th e to u rn a m en t;
an in credible achievem ent!
On th e w eekend o f th e Ball
five o f us set o ff fo r G lasgow
fo r th e In te r-D is tric t Indoor
Tournam ent. Due to th e Ball
m any o f th e o ld e r players w ere
n o t available w hich gave th e
yo u n g e r ones th e chance o f
gaining th e experience. Heading
there w ith a very young team ,
e xp e cta tio n s were n o t high.
This soon changed as we beat
W est 3-1. We co n tin ue d by
1st XI
A fte r th e re la x a tio n o f a
stunning p e n a lty by Ina we
The end o f te rm cam e w ith the
w on in sudden death b ring in g
s ta rt o f th e In d oo r season in
beating N o rth 2-1. This m eant
th e fo rm o f th e M idland Senior
th a t we o n ly needed to draw
the tro p h y hom e fo r a n o th e r
lo n g s u m m e r h o lid a y s , it
successive year.
c a m e as a b ig sho ck to
e v e ry o n e to b e ru n n in g
O ur success co n tin ue d
‘d o g g ie s ’ a t p re -s e a s o n
w ith an 8 -0 hom e w in over
hockey. As ever, th e scho ol
w as fille d w ith th e m oans
G o rdonstoun b u t u n fo rtu n a te ly
w e co u ld n 't p ro d u ce the
In d oo r Tournam ent. Here we
w ith South to w in overall. A nd
beat M orrisons 1-0, Bell Baxter
th a t is exa ctly w h a t w e did.
2-1 and Perthshire 3-1. However
A fte r a to u g h 14 m inutes the
w e w ere beaten by D undee
score was 2-2 m eaning M idland
High 0-1 m eaning w e finished
D istrict had w on fo r th e first
second b u t still q u a lifyin g fo r
tim e in a t least 3 0 years!
a n d g ro an s o f 4 0 g irls as
same triu m p h th e fo llo w in g
th e y a tte m p te d to p la y
day w here w e exited the
h o c k e y on legs w h ic h
Ind ep e n d e n t Schools
A fte r a m uch needed Christm as
T ournam ent a fte r a close
re fu s e d to w o rk .
d ra w ing w ith East 0 -0 and
th e National In d oo r Finals.
The season ended w ith a
co uple o f 7’s to u rn a m en ts. A t
break w e retu rn e d ready fo r
H u tch e son ’s to u rn a m e n t we
O nce all th e s tiff m uscles had
fo u g h t sem i-final w h ich we
o u r S cottish Cup sem i-final,
were 2nd in o u r section b u t
vanished, we set o u t to Madras
lost 2 -3 on penalties.
M idland Cup final and National
w ith 4 sections we d id n ’t make
fo r o u r firs t to u rn a m e n t o f th e
season. W e sailed th ro u g h the
g ro u p stages w in n in g all three
o f o u r gam es and s e ttin g up
a final against D undee High
School. The tense m atch ended
We th e n had o u r firs t S cottish
Cup m atch against R obert
G o rd o n ’s w hich again tested
o u r p e n alty flick skills, a fte r a 1-1
full tim e draw, this tim e co m ing
o u t on to p w ith a 3-2 win.
In d oo r Finals. We sta rte d w ith
it to the sem i-finals. The H eriots
th e In d oo r Finals n o t long
7s d id n ’t go e n tire ly as planned,
a fte r th e sta rt o f te rm and
w ith me needing a trip to A&E
finished 3rd in o u r section w ith
and 8 stitches. The team played
wins over A berdeen G ram m ar
on w ith 1-0 w ins against bo th
School and Peebles High.
w ith a 1-1 d ra w so it w e n t to
C on tin u in g o u r w in n in g streak
In th e S cottish Cup semi final
p enalties w here we m anaged to
we beat Fettes 4-0 , Kilgraston
we were beaten 1 - 3 b u t we
seal v ic to ry on th e grass fo r the
8 -0 and St. George's 6-0.
p u t this behind us and sealed
firs t tim e in 5 years.
A t th e in te r d is tric t to u rn a m e n t
Two weeks later we w ere
faced w ith th e M idlands 1st XI
Tournam ent, held at hom e fo r
th e firs t tim e, and we co n tin ue d
in N ovem ber S trathallan had
12 players in E d inburgh to
c o m p e te and this tu rn e d o u t to
be a hig h ly enjoyable tw o days.
o u r success by finishing second
in th e g ro u p stage m eaning
O nce th e team was back
we played Perthshire in the
to g e th e r we co n tin u e d our
sem i-final. A lth o u g h th e gam e
success w ith an 8 -0 v ic to ry
was q u ite o n e-sided o u r strikers
over QVS and a 2 -0 w in over
d e cid e d to leave it to th e last
Dollar. F ollow ing this we had
fe w m inutes b efore p u ttin g
o u r firs t tw o M idland K n o ck-o ut
tw o q u ick goals past th e
Cup m atches against M orrisons
keeper to secure o u r place in
and D undee High w h ich we
th e final. Here we m e t D undee
w on 2 -0 and 1-0 respectively.
High School once again, this
In th e S cottish Cup q u a rte r final
tim e w ith no score in e ith e r
we beat Bonagrass Grove 7-1
norm al o r extra tim e. However,
w ith Ina scoring an incredible
thanks to som e excellent
4 goals.
saves by Elizabeth and a
58
St. Georges and D ollar b u t
finished 4 th th e section due to
a 3 - 1 w in over D ollar in the
M idland Cup final, and th e re fo re
q u a lifie d fo r th e N ational
O u td o o r Schools Finals.
2 loses and a draw.
All in all, I th in k th e team did
in cre d ib ly well especially being
q u ite young and you should all
be p ro u d o f w h a t you achieved.
I have th o ro u g h ly enjoyed
leading a g ro u p w h o were so
The O u td o o r Finals proved
en thu sia stic and dedica te d . I
slig h tly m ore successful than
w o u ld like to say a huge thank
th e in d o o r w here we cam e 2nd
you to Miss Sime and Mr Giles
in o u r section. We beat Selkirk
fo r all th e tim e and e ffo rt
HS 3 - 0 and A b e rd ee n GS 3
you p u t in to coaching us and
- 0 b u t lost to High School o f
keeping th e standard so high
G lasgow 0 - 1 . This m eant we
th ro u g h o u t th e school. A lso to
were to face G eorge W a tso n ’s
th e g ro u n d s ta ff fo r keeping the
in th e sem i-final. This was an
p itch playable and o f course, to
e xtre m e ly w e ll-fo u g h t m atch
F itz fo r all y o u r um piring.
w here u n fo rtu n a te ly th e ball
m anaged to trickle over th e line
succeeding in kno ckin g us o u t -
G ood luck fo r next year and
enjoy yourselves!
o f th e to u rn a m en t. It w a sn ’t all
Robynne Smith
d o o m and g lo o m th o u g h as
1st XI C aptain
Elizabeth Cachia was aw arded
Representative
Hockey
Well d one to th e fo llo w in g girls
w h o were selected to represent
M idland D is tric t th ro u g h o u t th e
season.
M id la n d U15
Laura Glasgow
Eugenia Ramos
M idland U16
N icky Cochrane
Hannah Cox
Ciara Elwis
Philippa O rr
M id la n d U18
Robynne Sm ith, C aptain
Elizabeth Cachia
Jayne Carm ichael
Ina Elier
Alice Farrar
Lynsey Knowles
Kirstin L a m o tte
Jenny W ood
M id la n d In d o o r
R obynne Sm ith, Captain
Nicky Cochrane
Hannah Cox
Ciara Elwis
4th Form Hockey
and 1-0 v M orrisons), dra w ing
3rd Form Hockey
one ( 0 - 0 v Bell B axter), and
Personally I w o u ld say th a t
losing one (0-1 v G lenalm ond).
The 3rd fo rm A ’s have had a
w e had a successful hockey
In th e semi final, w e played th e
ve ry rew arding season. O ut
te rm this year. W e sta rte d o ff
High School o f Dundee, the
o f th e 9 m atches we played
w ith th e a d d itio n o f a new
g am e ended 0 -0 and then w e n t
we on ly lost one game. We
GK, Nicki, w h o is c u rre n tly in
on to g o ld e n goal extra tim e.
have been very lucky to have
th e S cotland D evelopm ent
A t th e end o f th e extra tim e the
so m any ta le n te d players on
squad. Even th o u g h our
score was still 0 -0 and so th e
th e team , especially o u r goal
results m aybe do n o t clearly
gam e w e n t to p e n alty flicks...
keeper, Laura Glasgow, w h o
re fle ct th e im p ro ve m e n t the
we won, w ith Nicki saving all
has been selected fo r th e U16
team m ade this year, I can
o f th e HSD flicks, and K irsty
S cotland Training Squad, I m ust
assure you th a t th e re has been
G lasgow scoring to win. Sadly
pull o u t a few gam es in w hich
g re a t im p ro ve m en t Overall
w e then w e n t on to lose to
I th o u g h t th e team played
we w on 9 o u t o f 2 0 o f o u r
G lenalm ond in th e final, 0-1 in
e xtre m e ly well. O ur firs t gam e
games, (in clu d in g to u rn a m e n t
gold e n goal extra tim e.
on grass against Kilgraston, we
m atches). Many o f th e gam es
Philippa O rr
co u ld have g one e ith e r way,
C ong ra tu la tio n s to tw o young
b u t we d id also g e t beaten by
goal keepers w h o c a u g h t the
b e tte r team s like fo r exam ple
eye o f th e N ational Coaches.
G eorge W atson's, th o u g h we
m anaged to keep th e score
S c o tla n d U16 T ra in in g S q uad
N icky Cochrane
Laura G lasgow
N icky w e n t on to play fo r the
Scotland U16 d e ve lo pm e n t
squad in m atches against Ulster
in Ireland
dow n, th e y o n ly beat us by one
goal. However, we also had a
co u p le o f m atches w hich we
w o n 5-1 w ith Rachael C am pbell
L ater on in th e season, w e w on
scoring an am azing pe n alty
th e firs t 3 gam es a t th e in d o o r
flick and th e te a m ’s to p goal
to u rn a m e n t, w hich m eant th a t
scorer, Ella Coleman, scoring
th e last m atch was th e final,
tw o goals. The vice- captain,
because HSD had also won
Linda G ordon, and myself,
th e ir games. U n fo rtu n a te ly we
w o u ld like to th a nk th e team fo r
lost 0-2, b u t we all played well
all th e ir e ffo rt in to th e team . On
th ro u g h o u t th e to u rn a m en t.
b ehalf o f th e team we w ould
w on 6 -0 (ag a in st G ordonstoun
Two m em bers o f o u r team g o t
like to th a n k Mr R obertson
and A lb yn ).
into Midlands, Eugenia g o t into
a n d 'D r Gibson fo r th e ir tim e,
M idlands U15, and Nicki g o t into
d e d ica tio n and skills th e y have
We had 2 g re a t Midlands
to u rn a m en ts, in d o o r and
M idlands U16.
ou tdo o r. We reached th e final
Mhairi Bannerman
o f th e o u td o o r to u rn a m en t,
4th Form Captain
co m in g runners up in our
p u t into th e team . We hope to
ca rry on o u r success next year.
Claire Mendelson
3rd Form Captain
section w in n in g tw o (1-0 v QVS,
59
S P O R TS REPORJ
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
Boys’ Tennis
Results 2 0 0 9 Sch oo ls F ix tu re s
G ordonstoun
W
5 -4
8 - 1
Fettes College
W
6 -3
D ollar A ca d e m y
L
4 -5
S te w a rt’s M elville
W
7 -2
M erchiston Castle School
(The Tennis A ca d e m y)
W
5 - 4
G lenalm ond College
L
3 -6
L o re tto School
W
6 -3
S ta ff v Pupils
House C o m p e titio n
Pupils w o n 6 - 3
Nicol House w on
Mixed Doubles T ournam ent - runners-up in th re e sections
Nicol House m anaged to snatch
te rm w ith b o th teams. We
th e House Tennis C o m p e titio n
regularly had up to 35 boys o u t
fro m Sim pson in a closely
playing tennis w h ich is m ost
fo u g h t final w hile W illiam
e n couraging to see.
Lyburn w on th e Singles Title.
W illiam had been run n e r-u p
in th e firs t tw o years o f the
Tennis a t S tra th a lla n
Lakes School in Cum bria,
to u rn a m e n t so it was a case o f
c o n tin u e s to g o fro m
and again had to travel to
th ird tim e lucky; well done, Will.
s tre n g th to s tre n g th .
play. The team , m ade up o f
W ith a re g u la r c o a c h in g
Michael Wells, Ruairidh W atson,
p ro g ra m m e o p e ra tin g
A la sta ir H unt and Christian
th ro u g h o u t th e year, th e
Kolb played e xtre m e ly well
te a m s a re fu lly p re p a re d fo r
against d e te rm in e d o p p osition .
w h e n th e season s ta rts in
th e S u m m e r te rm .
A fte r th e Singles m atches we
w ere 2-2 and we w e n t into
During th e course o f the
th e doubles sets needing to
year we co m p e te d in various
w in both, and this th e boys
to u rn a m en ts, local and national.
did. W ith this w in it m eant we
Early on in S e p te m b e r Ruairidh
W atson w o n th e Perth and
D is tric t U16 Singles title w ith
Michael W ells runner-up, w hile
Mark McGuire was a semi
Regular 1st team players
th e year ahead. As th e y now
included Michael Wells, A lastair
m ove on fro m S trathallan we
Hunt - captain, Ruairidh
see y o u n g e r players m oving
W atson, W illiam Lyburn,
up th ro u g h th e School and the
C hristian Kolb, Steven W atson
A ca d e m y program m e.
and Oli Bain. W e w ere also able
to field a 2nd team on a few
occasions w ith th e team facing
m ixed fortunes.
W ell d one to th e Boys Team this
year and g o o d luck to Ruairidh
W atson w h o is to ca p tain the
team in th e year ahead. Colours
were aw arded to Michael Wells
in B o lto n fo r a second year in
Program m e now well
and A la sta ir H unt w ith Half
succession. W ith coach Tom m y
en tre n ch e d at S trathallan we
C olours being aw arded to
O g ilvie on c o u rt th e y played
are sta rtin g to see progress.
Ruairidh W atson.
very well a t B olton against th e
Tom m y O g ilvie is o u t coaching
o th e r seven fin a list schools.
all year round and spends
m uch tim e d u rin g th e Sum m er
During th e tra d itio n a l school
Boys title . C hristian Kolb sta rte d
tennis season o f th e sum m er
his tennis career at Strathallan
te rm we had m ixed fo rtu n e s
as a semi fin a list in th e U18
a gainst o u r o p p o sitio n . We
Section. This was an excellent
w ere w in n in g som e very g o o d
s ta rt to th e new season and
m atches y e t we also suffered
th in g s were o n ly to g e t b e tte r
an u n e xpected d e fea t o r two.
W e also lost a fe w m atches to
th e w e a th er w h ich was m ost
u nfortu n a te .
C o m p e titio n we were draw n
against St Leonard's and
In th e annual m ixed doubles
B e lm o n t House School. In
to u rn a m e n t we were runners-
b o th these m atches we
up in each o f th e three sections
played aw ay fro m S trathallan
and thus finished runners-up
and th e team w on b o th the
over all.
m atches convincingly. We
were th e n dra w n against The
60
Michael and A la sta ir are looking
to fu rth e r this q u a lific a tio n in
W ith th e Tennis A ca d e m y
Callum Thom son w on th e U14
In th e Senior Boys National
players co m p le te th e ir level 1
coaching qualifica tio n, and bo th
were o ff to th e N ational finals
fin a list in th e U12 Section.
as th e year progressed.
For th e firs t tim e w e had tw o
Ali Hunt UVI Simpson
S P O R TS RE P O R TS
Girls’ Tennis
In th e U14 g ro u p Jayne Thom s
& Rachel Cam pbell, Lucy
Colem an & C hristy Knowles
finished 2nd in th e ir sections
and ju st missed o u t on
q u a lifica tio n. Eleanor Kem p
and Clare S te rritt w ere the
o u tsta n d in g co u p le in th e U16
section. They d e feated couples
fro m Kilgraston, G lenalm ond
and Fettes, They th e n w on
th e q u a rte r- final m atch v
K ilgraston b u t u n fo rtu n a te ly
lost to th e eventual w inners in
th e sem i- final.
In th e senior g ro u p C aptain A ilie
M acGeoch and Sara Chalm ers
finished to p o f th e g ro u p
d e fe a tin g G lenalm ond 3rd
Couple, Fettes and Kilgraston.
The girls returned full of
energy and enthusiasm for
pre-season tennis and it was
to 3rd Form 1st C ouple Jayne
u n know n o p p osition .
In th e q u a rte r final it was 6 - 0
Thom s and Rachel C am pbell
W e played New castle Central
a gainst Fettes and 6 - 3 in the
w h o have had a p a rticu la rly
and D urham Johnstone
semi final v G lenalm ond 2nd
obvious from the beginning
strong season and have helped
Schools and a lth o ug h we lost
Couple. A ilie was in th e final fo r
that getting a place in the
senior teams was going to
th e 3F 1st VI to g o o d victo ries
b o th th e girls gained valuable
th e 4 th year in a row - A ilie and
experience.
be a com petitive business. It
was great to see so many girls
against Fettes (7 - 2), K ilgraston
(7 - 2) and G lenalm ond (7 - 2)
In th e S co ttish Schools cup
opting to play tennis and this
In th e S trathallan girls singles
th e 1st IV d e feated Madras
has definitely helped lift the
standard of play. Eight girls
ch a m p io n sh ip s co n g ra tu la tio n s
C ollege and Grove A ca d e m y
featured in the tennis academ y
this year and we could see
the benefits of all their w inter
training when it came to
playing in the summer.
to Sara Chalm ers w h o d efeated
b u t eve n tu a lly w e n t o u t o f
Hannah M ather in th e senior
th e c o m p e titio n to a strong
final and Eugenia Ram os w h o
D unblane side. Three o f o u r
d efeated Rachel C am pbell
senior players played in the
p a rtic u la r tro p h y fo r th e 2nd
year in a row. A special m en tio n
m ust go to A ilie w h o has w on
a t this to u rn a m e n t fo r fo u r
years in a row - q u ite a record.
m ixed dou bles c o m p e titio n
C o m pe titio n .
at G lenalm ond - Ailie, Sophie
Colours
Lyburn and Sophie Beamish. All
Congratulations to Sophie
Tournaments
o u r couples played e xtre m e ly
Lyburn who achieved her full
colours award and to Sara
o f schools’ fixtu re s along
w ith to u rn a m e n ts and
Quite a few of the girls took
national co m p e titio n s . Some
part in the Perth & District
Singles Tournament at the start
o f th e h ig h lig h ts w ere g o o d
6 - 2 . S trathallan w in n in g this
in th e final o f th e Junior
The 1st VI had an excellent
season and played a n u m ber
Sara b o th played e xtre m e ly well
to beat G lenalm ond 1st Couple
well in th e round robin
c o m p e titio n , w in n in g 11 o u t o f 15
m atches. In each o f th e sections
Chalmers who was presented
with her half colours.
of the year and we were all
we finished runners up and,
Finally, m any thanks to all
overall w e finished in 2nd place
th e girls w h o have w o rked
(7 - 2) and G o rdonstoun (7 - 2).
delighted when Ina Eller won
the U16 girls final (6 - 7, 6 - 0,
10 - 4 ) and brought the trophy
The ju n io rs co n tin u e to develop
back to Strathallan.
w ins against Fettes (6 - 3),
Kilgraston (9 - 0 ), M orrison's
b u t a special m en tio n m ust go
The senior girls to o k p a rt in
in th e to u rn a m en t. Well d one to
hard over th e Sum m er te rm
all th e players.
to im prove th e ir tennis and
K ilg ra s to n T o u rn a m e n t
also fo r all th e ir hard w o rk in
th e m atches. To th e s ta ff w h o
th e A b e rd are Cup. British
This was a real highlight to
the season for the girls and
Schools and th e S cottish
it certainly produced good
Schools to u rn a m e n ts this year.
performances across all the
age groups. In the U12 section
In th e A b e rd are Cup th e firs t
have p u t in th e tim e to lift th e
standard o f play and finally
a special thanks to Tom m y
O gilvie o u r Tennis A ca d e m y
was a co n vin cin g 5 - 1 victory.
Eliza Younger and Phoebe
Arnot played extrem ely well
coach, w h o does a g re a t jo b
H ow ever th e girls cam e up
defeating both Craigclowan
th ro u g h o u t th e term .
a gainst stron g o p p o s itio n from
and Kilgraston to go to the
St G eorge’s in th e next round
quarter-finals losing out
to a stronger couple from
round m atch v G lenalm ond
and lost by a sim ilar m argin. In
th e British Schools it was g reat
w ith th e 1st and 2nd girls
AS
Craigclowan.
to play against co m p le te ly
61
...a collection
Kilgraston Scottish
of amazing
Schools Equestrian
Championships
20 0 9
results across
the board...
Strathallan Teams have gone
fro m stre n g th to stre n g th at
these ch a m pionships in recent
years, and this year was no
exception. In fact, we had a
co lle ctio n o f am azing results
across th e board.
The day sta rte d o ff successfully
w ith th e Junior Team
p e rfo rm in g really well in b o th
Dressage and Show ju m ping .
They finished w ith a 3rd place
(o u t o f 16 team s) in th e Team
Dressage (beaten by on ly 0.5
mark.), a 3rd place overall
(Dressage and Show ju m p in g
ju m ping . Every m em b e r o f
h isto ry a t these cham pionships.
th e team p e rfo rm e d well and
The on ly title n o t taken was fo r
all w ere d e lig h te d w ith th e ir
"Individual Show ju m p in g ”, last
results: 3rd in th e Team Show
w o n fo r S trathallan by Helen
ju m p in g (o u t o f 11 team s), 2nd
Sum m ersgill in 2007. However,
in th e Team Dressage and 2nd
H eather Larson p u t in an
over all. Many co n g ra tu la tio n s
excellent e ffo rt w ith a
go to:
fast d o u b le clear and I w ill
co m b in e d ), and Rosie W illiam s
to o k th e sash fo r th e best
individual in Dressage and
Show ju m p in g . Well d one to:
Rosie W illia m s (C a p ta in )
Robyn S o m e rville
G areth W a tt
Phoebe A rn o t
The Interm ediate Team had a
fa n ta stic day, g re a tly im p ro vin g
on th e ir results fro m last year.
Flora Hay to o k 2 sashes herself
fo r individual Dressage, and
C om bined Dressage and Show
F lora Hay (C a p ta in )
look fo rw a rd to w a tc h in g her
m ake a serious challenge fo r
E m ily M acLachlan
Jem m a B a ttiso n
Em m a Cheape
this title next year (no pressure,
Heather.)
Fergus Baird and A n d re w
The Senior Team had a hard
G lover repeated th e ir
a ct to fo llo w as last year's
o u ts ta n d in g p e rfo rm a n ce s o f
results o f 6 o u t o f 8 title s
last year to w in 2 sashes each
was a fo rm id a b le record to
fo r Best Dressage and Best
beat. It is th e re fo re w ith g reat
C om bined D ressage/S how
pleasure th a t I can re p o rt th a t
ju m p in g . They w ere su p p o rte d
7 o u t o f 8 title s w ere w on this
b rillia n tly by H eather Larson
year. This is ce rta in ly o u r best
and Bronya W oodes Rogers
p e rfo rm a n ce in Strathallan's
and th e team e ve ntually cam e
away w ith firs t places in Team
c o m p e titio n a t th e P o n y C lu b
O p e n R e g io n a l T e tra th lo n
o f th e F ife H u n t G am es
Dressage, Team Show ju m p in g
R e g io n a l c h a m p io n s h ip s
te a m . She c o m p e te d in th e
te a m w h ic h q u a lifie d fo r
and th e Overall C ham pionship.
re p re s e n tin g S tra th e a rn
B ritis h Y o u th P e n ta th lo n
th e N a tio n a l c h a m p io n s h ip s
Many, m any co n g ra tu la tio n s
P o n y C lub. H er sc o re h e lp e d
c h a m p io n s h ip s a n d is
in D erby. She w a s a lso a
go to :
S tra th e a rn to w in th e te a m
c u rre n tly ra n ke d 11th in G re a t
m e m b e r o f F ife H u n t’s N o v ic e
e v e n t a n d to q u a lify fo r th e
B rita in .
S h o w ju m p in g , D re ssag e
Fergus B aird (C a p ta in )
N a tio n a ls. She has g a in e d
A n d re w G lover
su cce ss in E v e n tin g as well,
H eather Larson
a c h ie v in g tw o s e c o n d p laces
in B ritis h E v e n tin g In tro
Bronya W o o d e s Rogers
O th e r new s a n d results
c o m p e titio n s th is year. A t
T u rn b e rry she had a m o s t
su cce ssfu l tim e b e a tin g m a n y
Andrew Glover is a m em b e r
o f th e S co ttish U25A Dressage
squad. He has qua lifie d fo r the
a d u lt British Dressage S cottish
W in te r Regional Finals at b o th
e lem entary and m edium level,
and he has been selected to
o th e r rid e rs in c lu d in g a d u lts
to w in th e R e g io n a l Finals
o f th e "B ritis h E v e n tin g 9 0 "
c h a m p io n s h ip s and, as a
ye a r S h o w ju m p in g in BS JA
helped th e S cottish team to
c o m p e titio n s . She b e a t a
finish second.
s tro n g fie ld o f o v e r 7 0 rid e rs
to w in th e 1.05m O p e n a t
E v e n tin g p o n y tria ls a t b o th
N o v ic e a n d In te rm e d ia te
h e ig h t. She w o n th e "J u m p in g
a n d S ty le ” e v e n t a t H a rtb u ry
C ollege, b e a tin g 5 4 o th e r
rid ers, a n d she w as 4 th a t
th e C e n tra l S c o tla n d (S c o n e )
Rosie W illia m s w o n th e
O p e n in d iv id u a l D re ssag e
has q u a lifie d fo r several
a t B la ir C a stle g a in in g tw o
m a jo r W o rk in g H u n te r P o n y
h ig h p la ce s in W o rk in g
c h a m p io n s h ip s .
H u n te r P o n y classes. He
has c o n tin u e d to c o m p e te
re g u la rly in D re ssag e and
he to o k p a rt in a D re ssag e
F estiva l in w h ic h he c a m e 6 th
H u n te r C h a m p io n s h ip C u p
o u t o f f if t y c o m p e tito rs .
a t B a lb e g g ie Show . F lora has
JAS
also c o m p e te d s u c c e s s fu lly
in H u n te r tria ls a n d she ca m e
s e c o n d a t B re c h in C a stle in
th e In tro se c tio n .
th e S c o ttis h H o m e P o n y
E m m a C h ea p e has p e rfo rm e d
In te rn a tio n a l, a n d she c a m e
v e ry w e ll in H u n te r tria ls
fir s t in th e lm O p e n a t th e
a c h ie v in g h ig h p la ce s a t b o th
"C h a m p io n s o f S c o tla n d ”
A u c h lis h ie a n d H a lly b u rto n .
show . S he fin is h e d se co n d
She has a lso c o m p e te d
in th e "1m N a tio n a l L e a g u e ” ,
s u c c e s s fu lly in several
a n d she q u a lifie d fo r th e
D re ssag e c o m p e titio n s ,
S c o p e F estiva l a n d th e Royal
g a in in g s e le c tio n fo r F ife H u n t
H ig h la n d Show.
P o n y C lu b 's R e g io n a l N o v ic e
c h a m p io n s h ip s in th e J u n io r
R e g io n a l N ovice.
his h a n d to S h o w in g th is
y e a r a n d w a s su cce ssfu l
a n d she w o n th e W o rk in g
Ju n io r U18 c o m p e titio n and
G a re th W a tt has tu rn e d
c h a m p io n s h ip s , a n d she
H o rse T ria ls” .
c o m p le te d a su cce ssfu l
tw o to p te n p la c in g s in B ritis h
BSJA's S c o p e F e stiva l a nd
B ronya W o o d e s R ogers has
c h a m p io n s h ip s .
T ra ilb la ze rs S h o w ju m p in g
th e P o n y class a t P e rth S h o w
U21 ch a m pionships he w on the
H e a th e r Larson has a c h ie ve d
th is year. She q u a lifie d f o r th e
th e fin a l a t " B a d m in to n
Jen n y S u m m e rs g ill has
in E v e n tin g a t th e R e g io n a l
S h o w ju m p in g c o m p e titio n s
Flo ra H ay w a s C h a m p io n o f
th e S co ttish team . A t M arlton
w a s p la c e d 4 th in d iv id u a lly
success in b o th S h o w in g a nd
resu lt, she has q u a lifie d fo r
co m p e te in 3 Internationals on
a n d E v e n tin g te a m s a nd
C o rrie S te w a rt has a ch ie v e d
D re ssag e Team.
q u a lifie d fo r th e N a tio n a l
Sarah C h e a p e w a s c h o s e n to
T e tra th lo n c h a m p io n s h ip s
tria l fo r th e S c o ttis h G am es
a n d she w a s s e le c te d fo r th e
te a m , a n d she w a s a m e m b e r
63
S P O R TS R EP O R TS
SPORTS
REPORTS
Swim Team
I th in k I s p e a k fo r b o th m y s e lf a n d th e g irls ’ c a p ta in , V ic k i
a strong b a ckg ro u n d in the
w o rk as I’ve seen th e m do over
G ow , w h e n I say th a t le a d in g S tra th a lla n ’s S w im Team
pool and th e skills necessary to
th e last tw o years w ith same
in s tille d a sense o f p rid e as th e y e a r p ro g re s s e d . A tte n d in g
m o tiva te th e team over th e next
d e te rm in a tio n w h ich produces
g alas a n d o th e r c o m p e titio n s k n o w in g th a t w e h ave p u t
year w h ich w ill h o p e fu lly have
th e results we see.
in th e w o rk a n d k n o w in g th a t w e h ave th e a b ility to b e a t
a lm o s t an y te a m on th e scho ol c irc u it is s o m e th in g th a t th e
w h o le te a m sho uld b e p ro u d of.
th e desired affect.
Roy Cameron
In th e m eantim e, I can only
UVI Freeland
Swim Team Captain 200 8-2 0 0 9
tru s t th a t th e team con tin ue s to
As in years gone by, th e
ve ry funny... we also th a n k him
Swim Team has n o t failed
fo r helping a t various events
to pro d u ce som e excellent
th ro u g h o u t th e year w h ilst
results against rival schools.
pursuing his a m b itio n o f ranking
Strathallan Swimming Results
2008 - 2009
Having n o t co n ce de d a v ic to ry
in Australia's to p tw e n ty. Also
all year is a te s ta m e n t to the
central to th e Swim Team this
g ru e lling hours o f tra in in g we
year is th e D ire cto r o f Sport,
p u t ourselves thro u g h , and
Miss Sime w h o shows equal
were represented by Joe L ip w o rth , Jayne Thom s, Rhuaridh W atson
fu rth e rm o re , to o u r coach
enthusiasm to w a rd s sw im m ing
and Craig Rintoul. Joe b ro u g h t hom e th e W illie Milne tro p h y fo r the
Elaine Johnston. W ith o u t
as she does w ith all sp o rts
The s ta rt o f th e school year fo r S trathallan begins w ith th e M idland
D is tric t Schools sw im m in g ch a m p io n sh ip s in D undee w here we
boys U16 100 free style c o m p e titio n
her devotion, c o m m itm e n t
w ith in Strath. She is largely
The Tayside Schools S w im m in g C ham pionships in N ovem ber
and enthusiasm sw im m ing
responsible fo r organising our
takes place over 2 evenings in Dundee. The sw im m ers had an
at S trath m ay still be in its
co m p e titio n s and galas - we are
o u ts ta n d in g c o m p e titio n and w ere successful in b rin g in g hom e
infancy, and w o u ld ce rta in ly
always ve ry ha p py to host swim
37 medals in to ta l w h ich by fa r exceeded th e n u m b e r w on by any
n o t have progressed to th e
team s at Strathallan.
o th e r school in Tayside.
O ver th e su m m e r h oliday o u r
TAYSIDE S C H O O L S S W IM M IN G C H A M P IO N S H IP S 2 0 0 8
standard th a t we enjoy today.
The q u a lity o f coaching is
also show n by th e range o f
abilities a c c o m m o d a te d on
a d a y -to -d a y basis. A t any
given tra in in g session you can
have de ve lo ping sw im m ers to
in te rn a tio n a l c o m p e tito rs w ith
C o m m o n w e a lth and O lym pic
aspirations sw im m ing side
by side, n o t to m en tio n the
sessions available fo r Riley.
There are few coaches in the
profession th a t ca te r fo r this
spread in a b ility and th e re fo re
we th a n k Elaine again fo r
her in vo lve m e n t th ro u g h o u t
th e year.
sw im m ing pool u n d e rw e n t
on o u r retu rn we were greeted
w ith a new ly lined pool, 'w e t
wall' panels, a pool cover, new
lig h tin g and so u n d -p ro o fe d
an unlikely area o f th e school...
th a t being th e staff. The Riley
g ap year student, Hamish W ise
regularly a tte n d e d train in g
g iv in g us a reliable train in g
range o f sw im w e a r w hich
fu n n ily enough c o m p lim e n ts
th e fru itfu l year th e Swim
Team has had. He is also very
15/16 BOYS RELAY
M aggie Luck
Joe L ip w o rth
17/19 BOYS 2 0 0 IM -
Jam es Pak
Roy C am eron
R huairidh W atson
BRONZE MEDALS
12 & UNDER BOYS RELAY
13/14 GIRLS RELAY
3 0 0 litres o f w ater! O ver the
Duncan S cott
Jayne Thom s
next 2 weeks w e travelled to
Mark McGuire
Eilidh Gibson
S tirlin g U niversity w h o gave us
A ngus Gibson
Siobhain Forbes
th a t was m issing rou g h ly
p ool tim e w hile o u r pool was
C am eron Hirst
Emma Cheape
co m p le te d . The sw im m ing pool
17-19 BOYS RELAY
12 & UNDER 5 0 BR -
is now a m uch m ore pleasant
Derek Hui
Mark McGuire (PB)
train in g e n viro n m e n t and
Julius Schulte
co n tin ue s to enjoy regular use
Ken Seeska
th ro u g h o u t th e year.
Roy Cam erson
On th a t note, I w o u ld like
12 & UNDER BOYS 5 0 FLY -
to reiterate how valuable a
D uncan S co tt
resource th e pool is at Strath.
12 & UNDER BOYS 5 0 F/C -
Being used fo r an array o f
Duncan S co tt
13/14 GIRLS 2 0 0 BACK Eilidh Gibson (PB)
13/14 BOYS 100 BR -
events th ro u g h o u t th e year
it is suitable fo r a n yb o d y and
w o u ld encourage anyone
partner. W ith him he a b ro u g h t
a c o lo u rfu l/’q u e s tio n a b le ’
15/16 GIRLS 100 F/C -
N ick W alker
ceiling. The on ly n o tab le th in g
Unlike years gone by, we
hosted a new m em b e r from
GOLD MEDALS
q u ite an e xtra o rd in a ry facelift:
15/16 GIRLS 2 0 0 IM M aggie Luck (PB)
a t S trath to make use o f it at
15/16 BOYS 2 0 0 IM -
one tim e o r another. This year
Joe L ip w o rth (PB)
com ing, 2 0 09-2010, w ill be
15/16 BOYS 100 BACK -
ca p taine d by Sarah M aclachlan
Joe L ip w o rth (PB)
and Oli Luck w h o b o th have
SILVER MEDALS
Craig Rintoul
13/14 BOYS 100 F/C Craig Rintoul
15/16 BOYS 100 F/C Nick W alker (PB)
15/16 BOYS 100 BACK James Pak (PB)
17/19 GIRLS 2 0 0 IM Vicki Gow (PB)
17/19 GIRLS 100 BR Sarah M aclachlan (PB)
...we have the ability to beat
almost any team on the
school circuit...
64
15/16 GIRLS RELAY
M aggie Luck (PB)
17/19 BOYS 100 BR -
Yasmine Forbes
Ken Seeska
Em ily M aclachlan
17/19 BOYS 100 FLY -
Tasha Jaworski
Roy Cam eron
S C O T TIS H S C H O O L S
W IS E IN T E R N A T IO N A L
S W IM M IN G
S W IM M IN G E V E N T
C H A M P IO N S H IP S 2 0 0 9 ,
TO LLC R O SS, G L A S G O W
As a result o f his success
a t S cottish Schools
As a result o f sw im m in g at
C ham pionships Joe gained
Regional level, th e to p 20
his 1st S co ttish Schools Cap
sw im m ers fro m all S cottish
w hen he was selected to
Regions in each event are then
represent S cotland in th e WISE
selected to c o m p e te in th e
In ternational in March this year
S cottish Schools S w im m ing
in Cardiff. Joe was a g reat
C ham pionships in G lasgow
c re d it to th e school at this
on S aturday 31st January
event w here he swam 100 back,
20 0 9. S trathallan School were
2 0 0 IM and th e m edley relay.
represented by 9 sw im m ers
over th e course o f th e finals
w hich resulted in 2 g o ld m edals
UK S C H O O L S G AM ES
and 1 silver m edal.
S W IM M IN G T E A M -
Joe L ip w o rth fo llo w e d his
success earlier in th e m onth
Swansea, S e p te m b e r 2 0 0 9
Joe was also picked to
w ith an o u ts ta n d in g w in by
represent S cotland as p a rt
over 5 seconds in th e boys 15/16
o f th e UK Schools Games
200IM . Joe recorded a tim e o f
S w im m in g Team in Swansea.
2.14.96 a personal best tim e.
Joe swam in th e 2 0 0
Later in th e day Joe swam in
b reastroke and w o n this event
the boys 15/16 100 b ackstroke
in an o u tsta n d in g tim e o f
w here he finished in Silver
2.24.76 w h ich was a UK Schools
po sitio n w ith a n o th e r personal
Games Record. W ell d one Joe
best tim e o f 1.03.11.
on this fa n ta stic achievem ent
One o f Strathallans y o u n ge st
sw im m ers D uncan S c o tt was
IN T E R -S C H O O L M ATCHES
fastest q u a lifie r fo r th e final o f
the boys 12 & u n d er 50 b u tte rfly
T h ro u g h o u t 2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9
and carried on to w in G old in
S trathallan had a n um ber
a personal best tim e o f 33.14.
in te r-S ch o o l m atches against
Duncan also co m p e te d w ith
G lenalm ond, Fettes, M erchiston
A n d re w Young, A n g u s Gibson
and all o f w h ich S trathallan won
and Mark McGuire in th e boys 12
convincingly,
In te rm e d ia te G irls
M aggie Luck,
Yasmine Forbes,
& under 4 x 50 fro n tc ra w l relay
Em ily M acLachlan
w here th e y finished a cred ib le
and A zlyn Edens
7th w ith all sw im m ers recording
IN T E R -H O U S E S W IM M IN G
personal best tim es.
STANDARDS 2 0 0 8 -0 9
A lso sw im m ing fo r Strathallan
The in ter-house sw im m ing
were Roy Cam eron, 17-19 2001M
standards this year was one o f
finished 6th, M aggie Luck 15/16
th e closest fo u g h t b a ttles w ith
2 00IM finished 14th, 15/16 100
all 6 houses m aking a superb
freestyle finished 14th and Craig
e ffo rt to fie ld a full team in all
Rintoul, 13/14 100 breastroke
events. The overall w inners
J u n io r Boys - B ronze
finished 13th - all three
were T ho rn b an k w ith 380
M edal W in n e rs
sw im m ers had excellent swims.
points.
A ngus W atson,
1st
T h o rn b a n k
3 80
2nd
R uthven
354
3rd
W o o d la n d s
349
4 th
Freeland
303
5th
N icol
299
6 th
Sim pson
271
Jordan Curtis, Charlie
Mearns and C am eron
Hirst
65
SPORT'S
REPORTS
Swimming
Fencing
co n tin ue d
IN T E R -H O U S E S W IM M IN G
RILEY INTER-DIV SW IMMING
C H A M P IO N S H IP S 2 0 0 9
COMPETITION
On th e 6 th March 2 0 0 9 , the
The Riley In te r-d iv c o m p e titio n
sw im m ing pool was full w ith
in June is always one o f the
sw im m ers and su p p o rte rs
noisiest, well su p p o rte d events
fro m all o f th e 6 houses. This
on th e school calendar. This
tu rn e d o u t to be th e closest
year was no exception. There
in ter-house m atch th a t I had
was a n u m b e r o f o u tsta n d in g
ce rta in ly w itnessed. A to ta l
record breaking swim s and
o f 16 new records w ere set on
ve ry closely fo u g h t races.
th e n ig h t w h ich again shows
The eventual w inners in 2 0 0 9
th e im p ro ve m e n t in sw im m ing
were Dron.
standards a t S trathallan over
1st
Dron
2nd
G lenearn
3rd
B alm anno
de cid e th e eventual winner.
4 th
D u p p lin
1st
T h o rn b a n k
123.5 p ts
O ver th e past 12 m onths
2nd
W o o d la n d s
120.5 p ts
th e last 12 m onths.
The Girls c o m p e titio n cam e
d o w n th e last race in o rd e r to
The boys c o m p e titio n was also
e xtre m e ly intense th ro u g h o u t
and w ith an u n fo rtu n a te
S trathallan were also
represented a t UK, S cottish
and D istrict level u n d er the
banner o f various sw im m ing
clubs across Scotland by
d isq u a lifica tio n fo r Nicol in th e
Duncan Scott, Eilidh Gibson,
final relay it m eant th a t fo r the
A zlyn Edens, M aggie Luck,
1st tim e ever there was a tie fo r
Jayne Thoms, Roy Cam eron,
1st place b etw een Nicol and
Ruthven.
Joe L ip w o rth and Hamish
Wise. The sw im m ers have won
1st = N ico l and R uthven 72 p ts
3rd
S im pson
59 p ts
4 th
Freeland
43 pts
m edals at national level and
d is tric t level on a n u m b e r o f
occasions and p ro d u ce d vast
S C O T TIS H S C H O O L S RELAY
C H A M P IO N S H IP S 2 0 0 9
This event to o k place in
G lasgow in June 2 0 0 9 w hich
u n fo rtu n a te ly clashes every
year w ith A level exams so our
entries were s lig h tly depleted.
However, o u r 2nd fo rm boys
team w h ich consisted o f
num bers o f personal best tim es
Each T u e s d a y a n d Thu rsday,
g o o d tim e. As well as organised
in th e process. The sw im m ers
w e h ave m e t an d a fa m ilia r
school trip s to co m p e titio n s,
co n tin ue to be a c re d it to
rh y th m has d e v e lo p e d : a
several pupils have gone
Strathallan in th e w id e r
w a rm -u p g a m e , fo llo w e d
to c o m p e titio n s e ith e r w ith
by s tre tc h in g , fo o tw o rk ,
parents o r w ith friends. Sarah
b la d e w o rk a n d th e n fre e
Thanks m ust go to Vicki Gow
Hellewell, Torii D ouglas-Song,
p la y and in d iv id u a l lessons.
and Roy C am eron fo r th e ir
Niclas Rehmann, D om inik
F o r F orm V a n d up, it is a
o u tsta n d in g roles as Captains
G am es c o m m itm e n t, and
over th e past year and we wish
th e T h u rs d a y session is on
sw im m ing com m unity.
th e m well as th e y m ove on
a t n o rm a l G am e s tim e s . On
fro m Strathallan.
T uesdays, it is on a b it later,
Charlie Mearns, Angus W atson,
Elaine Johnston
Jordan C urtis and Cam eron
Strathallan Swim Team Coach
Hirst cam e hom e w ith a bronze
an d p u p ils in o th e r years
h ave c o m e a lo n g
C o m p e titio n h ig h lig h ts include:
n u m b e r o f personal best tim es
o f co m p e titio n s as a group: the
th ro u g h o u t th e c o m p e titio n
S co ttish Schools individuals,
schools teams, th e British
Youth C ham pionships, some
o f th e Youth D evelopm ent
Series co m p e titio n s and the
o f these events.
th e g irls’ team co m ing second
W e've g one along to a n u m ber
66
co m p e titio n s, and still m anaged
to b ring back m edals from m ost
as an A c tiv ity .
m edal. D espite no o th e r m edals
...37 medals
in total.
Blackburn all travelled to
c o m p e te at age g ro u p o r O pen
an d ta k e n p a rt in fe n c in g
th e sw im m ers recorded a
and a g o o d day was had by all.
Durig, Jon a th a n and C onnor
D undee Duel (a o n e -h it epee
c o m p e titio n .) W e’ve usually
com e back w ith som e medals,
and we have ce rta in ly had a
in th e S cottish Schools girls
epee; Sarah co m ing 3rd in
b o th th e U16 g irls ’ foil and
sabre a t th e S co ttish Schools
Individual C ham pionships, as
well as co m in g and 2nd at the
C um berland O pen later in the
year, and C onnor w in n in g the
overall Youth D evelopm ent
Series over-16 Boys sabre,
SF
Rounders
W ith o n ly fo u r s e n io r
th e experience o f M anchester
schools p la y in g c o m p e titiv e
behind us we bravely faced the
ro u n d ers all m a tc h e s
England team s and th e England
are e a g e rly a n tic ip a te d .
um pires. O ur scores were m uch
U n fo rtu n a te ly in c le m e n t
closer this tim e, th e ul5s fin a lly
w e a th e r p la y e d h avo c w ith
w in n in g a m atch against a
o u r a lre a d y sm all fix tu re
m ixed N ew castle team by half a
list. R ile y p la y schools on
rou n d e r- ve ry exciting!
th e p re p scho ol c irc u it
c u lm in a tin g in th e an n u al
K ilg ra s to n T o u rn a m e n t.
These co m p e titio n s are gre a t
fun, th e girls love playing
rounders w h e th e r th e y w in or
Ski Season
co m p le te d th e team b u t a
Partly due to the cancellation
of several events, the Ski Team
does not have a tremendous
series o f m isfortunes am o n g st
o u r boys m eant th a t th e g o ld
am ount to boast about this
m edal on w h ich th e y had set
season. The snow certainly did
th e ir hearts was n o t to be.
fall, but often at the
The w in te r te rm was a rolle r
wrong time!
coaster o f g re a t hopes and
This year again, th e S cottish
d espair as th e snow came
Schools D ry Slopes Ski
su d d en ly and in vast am ount,
C ham pionships to o k place on
o n ly to disa p p ea r ju s t as
th e last day o f o u r h a lf-te rm
quickly. Races w ere scheduled
This year S cotland R ounders
not, th e y love th e bus journeys
break. For th e Senior race,
were in vite d to play a t tw o
and th e endless DVDs (n o t
we were unable to fie ld a full
International Tournam ents .One
fo rg e ttin g th e fo o d sto p s) b u t
girls' team (som e o f them
at M anchester on 16th May and
m ost o f all th e y love singing
were in high dem and fo r o th e r
one in N ew castle on 13th June.
"Oh Flow er o f S c o tla n d ” louder
sig n ifica n t s p o rtin g co n tests)
than anyone else can sing th e ir
b u t o u r boys were available, and
ow n national anthem .
as d e d ica tio n dictates, A dam
Luckily, Jo MORRISON did find
PIPER, A n d re w W HITELAW ,
som e snow abroad and excelled
Ross ALE XAN D ER and A lasdair
on num erous occasions. He
W O O D were prepared to face
achieved th e fastest q u a lifyin g
th e n o to rio u sly challenging
run fo r th e European Youth
We decid e d to select fo u r
team s this year.
Trials were held on
Thorneyshades on Friday
evenings and girls cam e
along fro m Fettes, Kilgraston.
C o n g ra tu la tio n s to the
fo llo w in g S trathallan girls w ho
represented th e ir c o u n try this
year.
and re-scheduled several tim es
b u t th e rig h t c o n d itio n s never
c o in cid e d in o rd e r to a llow a
S chools’ race to take place in
safety.
slope o f th e M id lo th ia n Ski
O lym pics trials. He was chosen
G lenalm ond, and C raigclow an
Em ily Barnes, Sacha Taylor,
Centre, Hillend. They finished
to represent G reat Britain in
as well as fro m Strathallan.
C hristy Knowles, Rachael
9 th over all, ahead o f a fu rth e r
Poland fo r th e European Youth
Cam pbell, Clare Mendelsson,
e ig h t teams. In th e M inors
O lym pics. He also becam e
M ariam K udehinbu, Hannah
G irls’ Race (U n d e r 14), Severine
th e fastest Ju n io r 1 (u n d e r 18)
Johnstone, Lucy Garvie, Nicki
THOMPSON, Eilidh GIBSON,
a th le te in th e G iant Slalom as
Cochrane, Lucy Coleman,
Robyn SOMERVILLE and Claire
well as in th e Super-G discipline
Ella Coleman, Anna Younger,
MENDELSON represented
a t th e B ritish Land N ational
Sophie A rn o tt, Yasmine Forbes,
Strathallan fo r th e firs t tim e and
C ham pionships in Meribel,
finished a respectable 7th,
France.
Taylor, R obyyne Sm ith, A b b e y
As a result, o u r boys gained a
L e t’s h ope th a t this is e n ough to
Kemp, Sam Gray, Jay W hitelaw ,
se lection fo r th e B ritish Schools
inspire o u r racers and w h o e ve r
Jem m a Bryson, Fiona Johnston
Dry Slopes Ski C ham pionships
is in charge o f d is trib u tin g snow
and Rachel Terrill.
which, to o u r de lig h t, also to o k
in Scotland, so th a t we have an
place a t Hillend. GB yo u th
active season next year.
For th e M anchester to u rn a m e n t
we to o k ul3, u l4 and ul5 team s
play to against England and th e
Isle o f Man, We d id n ’t w in any
m atches b u t a fte r 4 m atches o f
2 innings each w e had ce rta in ly
played a lo t o f Rounders,
learned a lo t and m ade some
new friends. We also m anaged
to w a tch 6 D VD’s! Special
m entions g o to Lucy Colem an
fo r being to p scorer in th e u l4
Lucy Garvie, Rachael Stewart,
Stephanie Harrison, Gina
team and Hannah Johnstone
Many thanks to Miss Laurie,
fo r ca p taining th e u l5 team and
S e iio rita de Celis and Miss
also to A b b e y Kemp, Robynne
G rant fo r co aching th e team s
Sm ith and Jay W h ite la w fo r
and fo r all th e s ta ff and parents
helping w ith th e coaching.
w h o b ro u g h t th e girls to
A t th e New castle to u rn a m e n t
practices and early m orn in g
we to o k o u r 3 ju n io r team s
p ick ups.
plus a senior team m ade up o f
Sandra Fleming
m ainly S trathallan girls. W ith
team m em b e r Jo MORRISON
Fabienne Thompson
...Jo Morrison did find some snow
and excelled...He w as chosen to
represent Great Britain for the
European Youth Olympics...
67
S P O R TS R EP O R TS
SPORTS
•22
r e p o r ts
Rifle
Club
Shooting has been mixed
this year w ith some good
weeks and some not so
good. Shooting is a great
skill to learn; it teaches you
concentration and control, you
have to take your tim e and
keep a steady hand and try to
hit the target as close to the
‘Bull’ as you can. The regular
shooters are : Torii DouglasSong, Chris Thompson, Molly
Barnes, Anna Younger and
Eleanor Allingham. Occasional
shooters are Charlie Rutherford
The season was e xtrem ely
and Callum McDonald. There
have always been quite a few
w h ile how ever it looked like
enjoyable and fo r this o u r
from Riley House and the III
th e re w o u ld be no c o m p e titio n
thanks m ust go to Mr V allot for,
Form coming along.
- always a big event for the
since it was m oved to High
as always, g ivin g up so m uch
Strath shooting team . The first
W yco m b e - m aking th e bus
tim e every W ednesday and
four (G Murdoch, I McKenzie,
jo u rn e y th a t little b it lo n g e r and
F riday as well as d e d ica tio n
S McBride, P Morris-Eyton)
even w hen w e were on th e bus
behind th e scenes in m aking
came through to trium ph w ith
it looked like there w o u ld be no
sure th a t events happen.
The year started w ith
- w in n in g co m fo rta b ly. For a
preparations for the Scottish
National Clay Championships
O ur results are usually high
w ith o n ly a few glitch e s here
and there. We are g e ttin g
scores in th e 80s and 90s - the
ta rg e t is 100 - Chris T hom pson
great aplom b despite the
co m p e titio n - even half an hour
Thanks are also due Ben Kass
intense pressure. The Bs and
be fore w e arrived. W hen w e did
fo r his s h o o tin g kn o w le d g e and
Cs also shot well and showed
sh o o t th e c o m p e titio n , however,
general banter. We also had
good potential for next year.
th e team did reasonably well
th e pleasure o f being jo in e d by
The school rifles are well made,
The girls w ere also successful
en d urin g an 8 -h o u r bus jo u rn e y
Mr M acBain and Mr Ham ilton.
ea sy-to -h an d le -22s, th e y are
in winning the championship
to co m e fo u rth o u t o f tw e n ty -
W e th a n k th e m b o th fo r th e ir
m ade o f w o o d and m etal and
against a field of great depth.
five. There was, nonetheless,
tim e and enthusiasm . The
w e learn how to be ve ry careful
a tw in g e o f fru s tra tio n as, had
School beat th e Strathallians on
w hen we handle them . We
th e organisers a ctu a lly to ld us
Strathallian Day to regain the
always stick to th e sa fe ty rules.
th e rig h t date, we fe lt we could
John Lascelles Shield. Lastly,
have been m ore co m p e titiv e
thanks also to Ian McKenzie fo r
w ith a n ig h t’s q u a lity sleep
his inspiring leadership and fo r
under o u r belts. The last event
g e ttin g us "Back on Form !’’ to
o f th e season is tra d itio n a lly
W ill Fraser fo r his b u reaucratic
W ith th e S cottish
ch a m pionships already in the
bag, Mr V allot called fo r a
ce le b ra to ry sh o o tin g meal...
Anyw ay, focus now had to
tu rn to th e B ritish nationals.
Weeks o f tra in in g u n d er Ben
Kass and th e o d d classic
session w ith Ian D M cG regor
prim e d us fo r th e co m p e titio n .
We had a p ra ctice fix tu re
against Mr I D M cG re g o r’s
St A n d re w s U niversity side
68
th e inter-H ouse co m p e titio n
talent, essential fo r the
and this year Freeland secured
d e p u ty's position.
ye t a n o th e r v ic to ry - well done,
fellows. This was fo llo w e d by a
fa n tastic end-of-season meal
and I w on prizes at th e Perth
S h o o tin g co m p e titio n .
W e all have a g o o d relationship
w ith o u r coach, C aptain
Kilm artin. U nfortunately, he
is leaving a t th e end o f th e
sum m er term , we are very sorry
to see him go and hope th a t
th e clu b w ill still be in existence
Grant J Murdoch and
w hen w e com e back a fte r the
Sam I W Lipworth
sum m er holidays.
U6 Freeland
in th e Tartan room prepared by
Torii Douglas-Song
Finola and Kirsty,
IV Form Ruthven
Angling Club
and Sim on M cBride were
The econom ic news may
season and a cco u nte d fo r some
o f a fish? C e rta in ly m em orable
have been bad all year but,
te rrific baskets o f fish b u t a
was th e 'craic' b etw een Toby,
regular anglers and all im proved
for the anglers of Strathallan,
m ore tra d itio n a l ap p ro a ch was
Ian and G rant as th e y hooked -
th e ir fishing te ch niqu e d u ring
and som etim es lost - fish.
th e season a lth o u g h Grant's
the 2 0 0 8 /0 9 session was an
also to th e tro u t's liking (Are
excellent one. Flies w ere cast
y o u sure there's a lo t o f likin g
and many fish w ere caught by
g o in g on here, A n th o n y? Ed).
the able group of pupils who
accom panied the Bursar to
various venues in the
local area.
Thanks m ust go to John Nicol,
th e p ro p rie to r fo r his su p p o rt
The use o f tra d itio n a l w e t flies
o f th e Club and fo r o ffe rin g
was to be pra ctise d to g reat
concessionary tickets.
e ffe c t all season by Charles
G iffo rd and he invariably to o k
Golden Loch, by Lindores,
fish on each o u tin g. As th e
becam e a p a rtic u la rly p o p u la r
season progressed ta c tic s
Frandy, in Glendevon, also
proved a challenging b u t
successful venue w ith G iff and
th e Bursar p ickin g up fish on
venue as th e tro u t proved eager
changed and w h o w ill fo rg e t
and h a rd -fig h tin g . The nature o f
th e evening session w hen d ry
th e loch changed th ro u g h o u t
sedge p a ttern s b ro u g h t the
th e season, g iv in g o u r anglers
fe isty finned residents to the
a d iffe re n t challenge on each
hook? O r perhaps etch ed on
visit, as well as th e m arvellous
th e m e m o ry was th e sig h t o f
sig h t o f th e fishing te c h n iq u e o f
th e Bursar craw lin g on th a t
the local osprey. Buzzer fishing
same n ig h t to th e w a te r’s edge
Toby Culham, G rant M urdoch,
proved very e ffe c tiv e early
to d ro p a small nym ph in fro n t
Ian McKenzie, Charles G ifford
tra d itio n a l p a ttern s even in
te stin g co n d itio ns. As ever,
F randy proved to be a venue
fo r th e hardy as chill w inds
helped keep m ost fish o ff the
feed and th e anglers shivering.
u n w arranted lack o f co n fid en ce
seem ed to be tra n s m itte d do w n
his line to th e fish w h o were not
to o b lig e him.
In a d d itio n to th e fishing
trip s o f th e seniors, th e Riley
pupils once again spent
m any c o n s tru c tiv e hours in
th e w in te r te rm ty in g flies
u n d er th e Bursar’s tu te la g e
and in p e rfe ctin g th e ir fly
casting on th e p a d d o c k in the
Spring. If th e ir enthusiasm and
inventiveness continues, the
fu tu re o f th e Club w ill be in
g o o d hands.
A.C. Glasgow
SPORTS
r e p o r ts
Sports Day
This y e a r’s S p o rts Day was
In th e sprints, Craig Rintoul
h e ld in b e a u tifu l e ve n in g
(R), Marcus A dam s (F ) and
su nshine on th e 2 2 n d May.
A n d y Hall (S) were co m fo rta b le
Boys House C h am p io n s h ip
In v ita tio n R ile y H ouse
Nicol
108
R iley Boys 100m
This was q u ite re m a rk a b le as
w inners o f th e ir respective
Ruthven
105
1
w e had som e o f th e w o rs t May
100m races and in th e girls
Freeland
103
2
G a re th W a tt
w e a th e r fo r som e tim e rig h t
events th e re was a g o o d '1-2'
Sim pson
103
3
Josh H e n d e rso n
up u n til th e e v e n in g itse lf.
fo r th e Ju n io r W oodlands
W e were d e lig h te d to w elcom e
pa iring o f Jenny Sum m ersgill
th e parents o f this season’s girls
and Lucy Coleman. A lth o u g h
Girls H ouse C h am p io n s h ip
and boys a th le tics captains, Mrs
Kirstin L a m o tte w on th e Senior
W oodlands
133
Ju d ith Carm ichael and Mr Juraj
Girls 100m race and Patricia
T hornbank
91
Sabol to present th e awards.
Moyo achieved a d o u ble in
it was a p p are n t th a t any
ch a m pionships there w ere a
hope th a t T hornbank had o f
n u m b e r o f close field events
d e fe a tin g W o o d la n ds was fast
and p a rtic u la r h ig h lig h ts were
disappearing. On th e o th e r
Toby Culham (R) b e ating
hand th e Boys c o m p e titio n
A n d re w Lyons (S) by 3 0 cm
had never been closer w ith
in th e Senior Boys’ Javelin,
4
C am m y M ack
5
Josh A n d e rs o n
6
D uncan S c o tt
R iley G irls 100m
th e Ju n io r 2 0 0 m and 3 0 0 m ,
D uring this y e a r’s
C h a rlie Mearns
V ic to r / V ic trix L u d o ru m
1
A n n i A rth u r
J u n io r G irl:
L u cy C o le m an
2
R obyn S o m e rv ille
J u n io r Boy:
C raig R in to u l
3
E m ily Barnes
4
S o p h ie L ig h tb o d y
5
Sarah N ico l
M id d le Boy:
M arcus A dam s
o n ly 2 po in ts separating
S e nior Girl:
R o b ynne S m ith
Ruairidh H unter (S) e d g in g o u t
all 4 houses w ith Freeland
Dan Cowe (R ) in th e M iddle
S e n io r Boy:
T oby C ulham
m arginally leading as w e cam e
Boys' Discus and Heather
to th e final event, th e Senior
1
Josh A n d e rso n
M itchell (W ) th ro w in g 10cm
Boys 4x100m Relay.
2
C hris van D o rt
m ore than Lizz Vine (T ) in the
R iley O p e n 8 0 0 m
Senior G irls’ Shot P u tt to w in
In a d ra m a tic finish, Nicol,
3
C o n o r H o lb o rn
th a t event.
w ith a well balanced q uartet,
4
E llie Hall
held o ff th e fast closing A n d y
5
Ja ck Bruce
Hall o f Sim pson fo r victory.
6
R obyn S o m e rv ille
On th e track, th e lead changed
several tim es d u rin g th e Junior
A t th a t p o in t Mr Giles, in his
Boys’ 4 x 4 0 0 m relay before
final year as Housemaster,
7
Euan Gray
8
Ross M acG arvie
e m o tio n and was seen ju m p in g
9
Jo Barrack
around w ith his team as th e y
10
L illy T h o m p so n
Sim pson prevailed against
co u ld no lo n g e r co n tain his
Freeland and Nicol. W h ilst in
the b a ttle b etw een tw o o f our
to p m id dle distance runners,
celebrated th e ir overall success,
Chris Rennison (S) again beat
Jam ie A d d iso n S c o tt (N ) in the
JRF
M iddle Boys’ 8 0 0 m . There were
’d o u b le s ’ a t senior level
fo r Clara Elwis (W ) and Juraj
Sabol (R ) over 8 0 0 m and
1500m w ith the ta le n te d O lw yn
M r Giles, in his final year as Housemaster,
could no longer contain his emotion and w as
seen jum ping around with his team...
Jenkins (W ) d o in g th e same in
th e J u n io r events.
70
Navy Sailing Trip
summer 2009
Our trip started with a wet and windy
A fte r th e co m m o tio n and dram a we
th e back in a place called O tte r Bay. By this
journey from Strath, but w ith the joy of Mrs
decided th a t heading fo r Barra w o u ld mean
tim e th e crew sm elt, o u r hair was greasy
MacBain’s road rage this didn’t dam pen
our spirits. W hen we reached Oban, the
we w o u ld be sailing late into th e n ig h t so
fro m no showers and we were all knackered
we m ade th e choice o f anchoring in the
a fte r a ja m -p a cke d w eek o f fun and
large ferry that we were expecting turned
out to be a fisherm an’s boat, which took
Borrow dale Islands in a place called Loch
excitem ent. This was a g re a t o p p o rtu n ity
Nan Uamh. The w hole crew was de term in e d
fo r th e skipper to break th e news th a t we
to see som e so rt o f w ild life as we had been
were cleaning th e entire boat, inside and
to ld th a t the previous week, three killer
o u t th e fo llo w in g m orning. Som ething th a t
whales had been sighted. Sadly, th e m ost
som e m em bers o f th e crew were n o t to o
us across to a little island named Kerrera.
As we approached the 70 foo t ketch that
was to be our home for the next w eek we
all realised w hat w e’d let ourselves in for.
After the initial bunk fight we were briefed
and im m ediately set off for Loch Aline
we saw was one seal th e entire week! On
pleased a b o u t... Sally! On the last evening
th e long sail to Castlebay, Barra w e had
we finished w ith a gam e o f Jenga and
some g o o d co n sta n t sailing w ith speeds o f
enjoyed dra w ing on each o th er's faces; this
a round 6 knots. W e were also lucky enough
d id n 't exactly aid us fo r the ene rg e tic clean
The next m orn in g we set o u r sights on
to hear the tale o f how Mr and Mrs MacBain
up th a t was exp e cte d o f us the next day.
th e O u te r Hebrides w hich we w orked
m et on the seas and m any o th e r stories
Eventually we g o t d o w n to w o rk and the
o u t w ould take around 10 hours to reach.
fro m various d iffe re n t people.
b o a t was shipshape and Bristol fashion by
which was just around the corner.
Unfortunately, o u r plan d id n 't w o rk o u t as
th e w inds around th e Sound o f Mull m eant
th a t the team g o t very g o o d at ta ckin g b u t
it also to o k us a lo t longer than planned.
Then as we past A rdnam urchan P oint the
w e a th er tu rn e d fo r th e w orse and th e swell
m eant th a t som e o f th e cre w ’s stom achs
d id n 't q u ite hold out. As th e w e a th er was
rocky, w e saw th e tru e colours o f our
skipper as th e cruise we'd p u t o u r names
d o w n fo r tu rn e d into a hardcore sailing
experience and it was all hands on deck.
On th e jo u rn e y back fro m Castlebay the
w in d was behind th e sails so it was a fla t
m idday a fte r w hich w e headed back to p o rt
to end o u r voyage.
ride. As it was a sm oo th sail som e o f us
The sailing trip was an am azing experience
to o k it upon ourselves to make a cake.
and w e w o u ld very m uch recom m end it to
U nfortunately, we d id n 't have any caster
anyone w h o has th e o p p o rtu n ity. We w ould
sugar so we ended up w ith a granulated
like to say a big th a nk you to Mrs MacBain,
cake w ith an extra crunch. We anchored
w h o parte d w ith Nell fo r th e firs t tim e just
up in Loch D rum buie and from here m ade
to acco m p a n y us. Also thanks to th e crew,
o u r way to a beach in Oban. Unlike typ ica l
w h o added to th e awesom eness th a t was
S cottish w e a th er it fe lt like a Caribbean
th e sailing journey!
clim ate, som e people were even brave
enough to g o fo r a dip. U n fo rtu n a te ly our
Sally Lungmuss and
Lucy Murdoch V Form Thornbank
w eek was co m ing to an end and we had to
head back to Kerrera, b u t this tim e round
71
CCF
.no more ten minute delays to
deal with jammed weapons,
just point and shoot!
Contingent
on th e Ocean Youth Trust’s
A lba Venturer,
Commander’s
report
W a rcop fo r th e second year
The Autum n Term was a
running - we had so m uch fun
team effo rt from a num ber of
in 2 0 0 8 th a t we ju s t had to go
directions since S /L t MacBain
back. This year w e had a sim ilar
Central Cam p was held at
was away on m aternity leave
program m e, b u t w ith enough
- the RN section is a large
change to m ake th e w hole
one to run single-handed and
experience very w o rth w h ile -
it was only w ith the help of
and th e a d d itio n o f th e new
Captain Walker, Mr Barnett
C adet Rifle m ade th e m ilita ry
and a lot of first-class input
elem ents ve ry exciting: no
from the Senior Cadets that
m ore ten m in ute delays to
the term was possible.
deal w ith ja m m e d weapons,
ju s t p o in t and shoot! The
C aptain W alker yielded to
D ire ctin g S ta ff were excellent
persuasion (n o t to o reluctantly,
and m any had g o o d w o rds
i hope), and kin d ly agreed to
fo r o u r cadets (I w o n ’t record
take th e helm o f th e Royal
in p rin t w h a t th e y said a b o u t
Navy Section fo r th e A u tu m n
Jenny W o o d ’s p e rfo rm a n ce as
Term. In a change to th e norm al
Platoon Sergeant). O ur b u d d in g
program m e, th e IV Form
Senior Cadets had a g o o d
w ere in tro d u ce d to row in g in
week, gaining experience o f
th e sw im m ing pool and the
leading and organising, and we
w h o le Section w e n t o u t fo r an
had stron g s u p p o rt fro m th e V
a fte rn o o n o f leadership train in g
Form M arines in N ick Walker,
at FIMS Caledonia. Mr B a rn e tt
Ben Giles, Keith W igley, Callum
was able to d rive th e Seniors to
Reid and Callem M cW illiam s.
P ort E dgar fo r th e firs t half o f
m
term , so th a t th e y co u ld finish
As usual w e ran a n u m b e r o f
o ff th e ir p o w e rb o a t and d in g h y
o u tin g s over th e year, s ta rtin g
courses. W illiam C am pbell-
w ith a tra in in g w eekend at
Gibson and R obynne Sm ith
Barry B u ddon fo r th e M ilitary
ensured th a t th e year w e n t
Skills and Pringle Trophy teams:
sm oothly, and th e ir c o n trib u tio n
JJ Chalm ers (RM, OS) tu rn e d
- b o th in th e ir A Level year
o u t to help w ith this, and
and w ith a heavy p ro g ra m m e
indeed gave a g reat deal o f his
o f o th e r co m m itm e n ts - was
tim e over th e A u tu m n Term to
e xtre m e ly valuable. W illiam was
help train th e Royal Marines.
also a p p o in te d as th e Senior
A t th e sta rt o f th e Sum m er
C adet o f th e C on tin g en t, a role
Term we were back a t Barry fo r
w h ich he fille d w ith the
th e R ecruits’ Exercise, w h ich
u tm o s t aplom b.
c o n flic te d this year w ith the
Taking over fro m Robynne
gave th e A rm y Section NCOs
and W illiam are A b b e y Kemp,
th e chance to take charge and
Royal Marines D inner - b u t th a t
Joanna M acLachlan and O liver
hone th e ir ow n skills - and th e y
Beetschen: all had a big role to
rose ve ry well to th e challenge.
play in s u p p o rtin g R obynne and
W illiam and, I am glad to say, all
The A rm y Section has been
have vo lu n tee re d to stay on and
b u ild in g up in size and
make th e ir m ark on th e Section.
e xperience over th e last
fe w years, and fo r th e first
M ajor m ilestones o f th e RN
tim e in a w hile we have a
year w ere th e inaugural RN
g o o d corps o f UVI and LVI
Dinner - fo llo w in g th e now w e ll-’
NCOs w ith m o tiv a tio n and
established p a ttern o f th e Royal
enthusiasm . Jenny W o o d has
Marines and th e Arm y, and the
been a p p o in te d to th e p o st
ya ch tin g e x p e d itio n fro m Oban
72
o f Senior Cadet; Jenny W ood,
g o o d deal o f th e Sum m er Term
Ruairidh Clark and M urray
ta kin g th e Recruits clim b in g
Hall all w o rked to pass th e ir
o u tdo o rs. Those w h o were
M ethods o f In stru ctio n cadre
keen also had th e o p p o rtu n ity
(Jam ie D odd is still refining his
to a tte n d th e A vie m o re AT
personal d rill be fore re-sittin g
Cam p at th e end o f th e Spring
th e test). We also w e lcom e
holidays - a five day cam p
Katie V a llo t and O livia Q uick as
based at R othiem urchus
LVI NCOs (b o th a p p o in te d on
Lodge, fro m w here there were
a strong p e rfo rm a n ce on
hillw alking, clim b in g , canoeing
Centra! Camp).
and m ou n ta in b iking trips. This
The A rm y Section sent a team
to th e 51 Brigade M ilita ry Skills
is always a g o o d event and this
year we had superb w eather!
Forces use, it was singularly
and cadets alike. W e could
C o m pe titio n , held (unusually)
A b it o f nostalgia to end w ith:
d iffic u lt to use, ja m m e d every
achieve n o th in g a t all w ith o u t
at Dreghorn, and despite
tw e n ty one years a go w hen
o th e r sh o t and ra ttle d like a
Mr Lindsay, b u t all th e O fficers
being s h o rt on tra in in g and
I jo in e d th e C o n tin g e n t (M r
...... well, like a rattle. This is all
have w o rked u n stin tin g ly
experience th e y w ere m aking
C o u rt was i/c Arm y, CCF was
leading up to th e day this year
over th e year to lay on w eekly
a fair show ing u n til Sean
co m p u lso ry fo r boys in Form s
w hen th e Cadets in Scotland
training, exercises, cam ps and
M endelson was o b lig e d to
IV and V, girls were n o t allow ed
-
e xpeditions. So th a n k you
return to School due to illness.
to join....), we had an a rm o u ry
th e UK to receive these - were
full o f .303 No 4 rifles - th e
issued w ith th e w eapon w hich
MacBain, Lt de Celis Lucas
so rt o f th in g you see in black
we should have had tw e n ty
and C aptain H ig g in b o tto m
and w h ite film s. These were
years ago. It is, m ore o r less, the
fo r all th e ir su p p o rt and
replaced, a b o u t a year later,
real th in g - and experience o f it
enthusiasm - and to Marine
by th e L98A1 C adet GP Rifle.
at Central Cam p shows th a t it
Chalm ers fo r spending his
This was n o t m uch o f a step
is, as th e Regulars always like to
W ednesday a fte rn o o n s back in
fo rw a rd s, since a lth o u g h the
say, a "g o o d b it o f kit".
his old playground.
A n d th e thanks: all we do is
ACWS-J
A d ve n tu ro u s Training is a key
pa rt o f th e CCF, som etim es
happening on W ednesday
afte rn o o n s - th e n Mr
H ig g in b o tto m sp e n t a lo t o f
tim e in th e Spring conveying
the m a jo rity o f th e C o n tin g e n t
to A V ertical W o rld in Dundee
fo r in d o o r clim b in g , and a
and we w ere th e firs t p a rt o f
w eapon looked (fro m one side
at least) like th e one th e A rm e d
d one w ith volunteers, sta ff
to Captain Walmsley, S /L t
C LU B S
Debating
That’s right, w e’re back (although technically we
never left). Thought to be dead by some, debating
is, in fact, alive and kicking (alb eit q uietly) in the
fiction library. The society has faced numerous
problems over the past few years mainly due to a
lack of tim e occasioned by increased workloads
among the Sixth Form and that well known malady,
‘peer pressure’. Many w ould-be debaters have
succumbed to this over the years and this academic
year was no different with ranks o f potential
speakers stomping off too embarrassed or fearful
to speak their minds. Debating at Strathallan is not
solely about winning the argum ent but overcoming
the fear of speaking in public, one which all of us in
the society have felt at one tim e or another.
D espite record low a tte n d a n ce we had g reat
successes in d e b a tin g c o m p e titio n s as th e fo rm e r
d e b a tin g captains Sam L ip w o rth and Morag Elwis
reached th e St. A n d re w s D ebating C o m p e titio n
final in a superb p e rfo rm a n ce th a t d id th e m and the
so cie ty proud. The same pair reached th e regional
final (S c o tla n d ) o f th e C a m brid g e Union co m p e titio n .
W e said g o o d b y e to a n u m b e r o f b rillia n t debaters
a t th e end o f last year, we are also sorry to see the
Reverend Q uick retire fro m th e p o st o f 'sta ff m em ber
in charge o f d e b atin g '. The Rev sp e n t fo u r years in
this sta tio n c o -o rd in a tin g o u r o fte n d isjo in te d ideas
and did a g re a t jo b o f it; w e wish him God speed
in his c o n tin u in g role as chaplain at Strathallan. In
his place Mrs Billing, w h o joins us as a new m em b e r
o f s ta ff this year, steps up to th e plate to steer the
d e b a tin g tille r to m ore sheltered w aters (are y o u sure
a b o u t this m etaphor, D o d d y? Ed).
C o m p e titio n s a b o un d as th e new co m m itte e , freshfaced and s lig h tly to o enthusiastic, step in to the
shoes o f th e previous U p p e r Sixth, ready to make our
m ark on th e society. We are aim ing to n u rtu re the
skills o f th e y o u n g e r years in Riley and plan to launch
an Inter-S chools d e b a tin g co m p e titio n .
WATCH THIS SPACE.
Jam ie D odd
Thought to be dead by some, debating is,
in fact, alive and kicking...
LVI Nicol
Chess
B oth M atthew and Jordan played really
well, M atth e w achieving q u a lifica tio n
fo r th e sem i-finals w h ich were in
O ldham , Lancashire on 19th July.
M a tth e w P a tte rs o n and J o rd a n C u rtis
(b o th R ile y) q u a lifie d fo r th e “ m e g a
fin a l” o f th e UK Chess C h a lle n g e
2 0 0 9 w h ic h to o k p la ce in E d in b u rg h
M atth e w p e rfo rm e d successfully in the
sem i-finals w in n in g 3 o f his 6 m atches.
This is th e firs t year a S trathallan pupil
has q u a lifie d fo r this p re stig io u s event
on 10th May 2 0 0 9 . T his was a huge
and he m ust be c o n g ra tu la te d on
e v e n t w ith o v e r 145 p la y e rs in va rio u s
age g ro u p s.
achieving this excellent result,
74
JAS
C LU B S
Wildlife
Photography
Day
Concert by
Argentine
Schools
One d a rk e ve n in g in th e w in te r was lig h te n e d by a liv e ly c o n c e rt
in th e ch a p e l p ro v id e d by th e p u p ils o f tw o sch o o ls fro m Buenos
A ire s in A rg e n tin a . The sch o o ls, St G re g o ry ’s C o lle g e and B ric k
Towers C o lle g e , had fo rm e d a c o m b in e d S e n io r Band w h ic h was
to u rin g th e B ritis h Isles w ith a d e lig h tfu l p ro g ra m m e o f L a tin
A m e ric a n a nd o th e r p o p u la r ja z z m usic.
This g ro u p o f 4 0 yo u n g peo ple w ith acco m p a n yin g s ta ff had
already p e rfo rm e d in Dublin and Belfast. A fte r S trathallan th e y w e n t
on to p e rfo rm in Edinburgh, Manchester, York and London.
In M arch, p u p ils fro m R iley
A s id e fro m th e ty p ic a lly B a ltic
th ro u g h to U p p e r S ixth
S c o ttis h w e a th er, th e w ild life
F orm to o k p a rt in a W ild life
p h o to g ra p h y W o rk s h o p was
P h o to g ra p h y W o rk s h o p run
an e n jo y a b le and o ve ra ll
by fo rm e r p u p il P h ilip Price
su cce ssful e xp e rie n c e fo r all
(R u th ve n 98 ).
th a t a tte n d e d .
Philip now runs a successful
C a p tu rin g a ctio n shots o f
business called 'Loch V isions’
birds, searching fo r insects and
th a t in tro d u ce s w ild life
learning how to use th e cam era
p h o to g ra p h y to small groups
was e xtre m e ly challenging.
w h ilst also ta k in g excellent
But, needless to say, w hen th e
im ages him self. Philip was
p e rfe c t sh o t was achieved, it
e xtre m e ly e n thu sia stic and
was u n b elievably rew arding.
helpful w h ils t covering the
Thanks to Mr G oddard and
basics o f d ig ita l p hotography,
Philip Price - legends!
s e ttin g up th e cameras, fin d in g
suitable subjects o u t in th e field
T iti F inlay
U6 Woodlands
Dra. Gabriella Seisdedos,
Direetora General of St
Gregory’s said, “The
students are having
a chance to immerse
themselves in different
cultures and create bonds of
friendship with youngsters
from these countries.”
As well as th e m usic fro m th e A rg e n tin e Band, th e audience in th e
chapel w ere e n te rta in e d by S co ttish tra d itio n a l m usic on fiddle,
ciarsach and bagpipes, played by Anna O laffson, A lice Inglis, A dam
and in tro d u c in g Photoshop
Michie and Sean Townsley. The A rg e n tin e pupils also had th e
back in th e classroom . A very
“ pleasure" o f a tte n d in g a co n ce rt in th e m usic room w here
enjoyable day and I hope Philip
th e p e rfo rm e rs w ere teachers w h o are n o t on th e m usic staff,
w ill pay us a vis it again some
nam ely Richard F itzsim m ons, G erry Kennedy, Irene M cFarlane and
tim e in th e future.
R oger Quick.
JG
IIMcF
75
G E O G R A P H Y F IE L D -TR IP
Our tour guide
warned us
several times
“keep your
fingers to
yourself’...
D ay tw o was Mr Barnes' birthday.
D ay 3 was n o t q u ite as eventful - th e
A group of twenty-six VI Form pupils
accompanied by Miss Wilkinson,
Mr Barnes, and Mrs Thompson left
A fte r singing ha p py b irth d a y to him
previous one being hard to beat.
o u r gu id e gave us a n o th e r singing
We travelled along th e road to th e
on a geography field -trip headed
rendition: h appy b irth d a y in Icelandic.
basalt colum ns and volcanic sand
In th e m orn in g we visite d Skogar
beach. Here th e ge o gra p h ica l features
for Iceland at the end of the Easter
holidays. After departing at 7 in
the morning from Strathallan and
w a te rfa ll and clim b e d th e 314 steps
included stacks, stum ps, caves, arches
spending seven hours in Stansted
airport, Ian experienced his first plane
(co u n te d by Jo rd a n ) to stand at the
and more. W e w alked to th e to p o f
to p o f th e cataract. W e also visited
th e c liff edges to lo o k across th e black
journey. W e arrived at Reykjavik late
Seljalandsfoss w a te rfa ll w here you
beach w h ich was kilo m e tre s w ide
that night and although it was dark
on our bus trip to the hotel, we were
overcome by how flat and cold the
can usually w alk behind b u t on this
as th e tid e had g one o u t so far. The
occasion it was far to o icy to even
stru c tu re o f rocks and features o f this
reach th e steps. W e then w e n t to
beach w ere n o th in g like we had ever
country was.
th e Soheim ajokull g la cie r w hich
seen in Scotland; q u ite bizarre in fact.
had retre a ted 10m in th e past year.
A fte r o u r beach adventures we
W e w oke up and saw fo r th e firs t tim e
w h a t Iceland had to offer; fla t land
and th e N o rth Sea. A fte r showers and
breakfast we returned to o u r room
to be hit by th e sm ell o f eggs. A fte r
bla m ing th e sm ell on each o th e r we
A fte r clim b in g half w ay to th e top,
headed back to w a rd s Reykjavik,
a voiding th e crevasses, we sto p pe d
s to p p e d to lo o k a t p se udo-craters
on th e iciest patch possible to take in
and w e n t to a p ond to sit by fo r lunch.
th e vie w and did a b it o f sliding on
W e also visited th e Prim e M inister's
th e w ay back dow n.
a ter discovered it was th e sulphur
The m ost m em orable m o m e n t o f th e
pro d u ce d by th e g e o th e rm a l heat th a t
trip (m a yb e o u r life) was o u r near
is used in th e show er water.
d eath FREEZING experience. We
We h o p pe d on to th e Icelandic express
coach and drove to th e Hellisheid
G eotherm al Pow er S tation b o m b a rd ed
on th e w ay w ith facts fro m o u r
c h a tte rb o x guide. W e were extrem ely
lucky to have such a clear and sunny
day y e t there was still a lo t o f snow.
A t th e p o w e r sta tio n w e were given
a ta lk by one o f th e ir w orkers and we
w ere show n ho w Iceland harnesses th e
g e o th e rm a l energy to th e ir advantage.
tu rn e d up to a shack in a deserted
area o f th e c o u n try w earing ski jackets
and jeans b u t w ith o u t hats o r gloves.
We had no idea o f w h a t was to come.
B e n e d ict drove us up to th e icecap on
his hom em ade orange lo rry /b u s w hich
house w h ich w e were surprised to
fin d was to ta lly u n p ro te cte d - we even
w alked in his garden. We sp e n t the
rest o f th e a fte rn o o n in Reykjavik, fo r
rest and relaxation, e xp lo rin g w h a t
th e ca pital had to offer. C onsidering
it contains 80% o f th e c o u n try ’s
p o p u la tio n it d id n o t seem ve ry busy.
We had a lovely meal out, to finish o ff
o u r last n ig h t in Iceland.
w e all exp e cte d to stay in ..... b u t no.
On th e Last day o f o u r trip, we headed
W e sto p p e d and w ere tra n s p o rte d in
to th e Blue Lagoon, a p o p u la r spa.
an open to p g ia n t sledge a tta ch e d
The w a te r here was heated n a turally
to th e back o f a Pistie-Basher th a t
by th e vo lca n ic rock below. Certain
travelled up o n to th e M yrdalsjokull ice
areas w ere so h o t som e peo ple even
cap. B e n e d ict w a rned "do n o t stand
had to g e t out. It was so relaxing and
We th e n visited th e fam ous S trokur
up, d o n o t bend over, d o n o t p u t y o u r
a p e rfe c t w ay to finish o f o u r trip. We
Geysirs. Before leaving th e bus our
hands o u t and hold on tig h t,” None o f
covered ourselves in w h ite mud, w hich
to u r gu id e w arned us several tim es
his in stru ctio n s were possible as it was
was a p p a re n tly g o o d fo r yo u r skin. We
"keep y o u r fin g e rs to yo u rs e lf” because
to o co ld to move. W e w ere all frozen
th e n had lunch and headed back to the
o f th e b o ilin g w a te r heated by the
b u t su rp risin g ly Jordan survived in his
a irp o rt to g o home.
earth. W e w e n t on to visit T hingvellir
sh o p ping jacket, Jam es bond glasses,
th e on ly place on Earth w here you
jeans and trainers. A t th e to p o f the
can see th e crust p u lling a p a rt a t the
icecap th e view was breathtaking,
m id A tla n tic ridge. Here w e sto o d in
well w o rth th e jo u rn e y and th e
th e g ap b etw een th e N o rth A m erican
singing on th e way back kept
and Eurasian plates; a strange and
everyone in g o o d spirits until we
ve ry inte re stin g experience. That day
reached th e w arm coach. W e spent
we also visite d a cathedral w here our
th e th ird n ig h t in a d eserted hotel
to u r gu id e su d d en ly bu rst into song
on th e South coast, near Vik, w here
and H arry blessed him self w ith holy
w e cele b ra te d Mr Barnes' b irth d a y
water. A fte r d in n e r we all w e n t to the
and sp e n t a g o o d th re e hours in the
local sw im m ing pool and discovered
ge o th e rm a l h o t-tu b s.
Icelandic com m unal showers.
On behalf o f th e VI Form g ro u p we
w a n t to th a n k Miss W ilkinson, Mr
Barnes and Mrs T hom pson fo r ta kin g
us on an am azing trip and m aking it
as enjoyable as it was... even w ith the
p e rm a n e nt egg smell, and deserted
countryside, we all loved it. For anyone
co n sid e rin g g o in g on this g e o gra p h y
trip o r to Iceland on holiday w e w o u ld
th o ro u g h ly reco m m en d it as it was a
g reat experience.
Sarah Maclachlan and Kirstin Lamotte
LVI Thornbank
76
C LU B S
78
C LU B S
Pipe Band
The pipe band has had another busy and
successful year, winning a total of 10 prizes
and awards.
The Aw ard w in n in g began w ith Jam ie
Parker ta kin g fo u rth prize in th e Novice
Piping Section o f th e S co ttish Ju n io r Piping
C ham pionships at A rb ro a th . A t th e S cottish
Schools' Q u a rte t Piping C ham pionship
w here o u r senior team o f Pipe M ajor Adam
Michie, Pipe Sergeant Sean Townsley,
Pipe Sergeant Etienne M elville and Piper
W ill Frazer played ve ry well to w in th ird
prize. O ur ju n io r trio played well b u t was
unplaced; th e y gained lots o f experience
fro m ta kin g part.
Adam m ade an excellent jo b o f th e Lam ent
on R em em brance Day.
A t th e school c o n c e rt in November, Adam ,
Sean, Etienne, W ill, Jam ie and JSRH played
a m ixed selection in clu d in g hornpipes, jigs,
strathspeys, reels and a slow air w h ich was
very well received. The pipers then played
Highland C athedral w ith th e School Choir
and K in g d o m Brass a t a co n ce rt in St
Ninian’s Cathedral, Perth, a gre a t experience
fo r o u r players.
A t th e C ra ig m o u n t High School Solo
Piping and D ru m m in g C ham pionships, in
December, A d a m w on th ird prize in the
th e band soon g o t in to th e sw ing and
M ost Im proved C hanter Player -
p e rfo rm e d very well in th e ir firs t try a t the
Charlie Mearns;
event. All o f th e m appeared to enjoy the
C hanter - Justin Tsang;
e xperience and are lo o kin g fo rw a rd to
N ovice Piping - Sam Gray;
next year.
Ju n io r Piping - Jam ie Parker;
Speech Day this year saw a g o o d display
from th e band on th e lawn. A g ro u p o f new
d ru m m ers m arched on w ith th e band to
show o ff th e ir new skills.
Piobaireachd section w hile Sean to o k sixth
O ur c o n trib u tio n to H eadm aster’s Music
prize in th e March, S trathspey and Reel
in th e su m m e r te rm was A dam and Sean
section. This is one o f th e to p co m p e titio n s
p laying a piece w ritte n fo r th e ir Higher
fo r ju n io r pipers in th e country.
m usic exam.
H o rnp ip e & Jig - A d a m Michie;
Senior Piping - A dam Michie;
Piobaireachd - A dam Michie;
Best C o n trib u tio n to th e band A dam Michie.
Piping C ertificates w ere aw arded to
C ra w ford Niven, Cam eron Hirst, Charlie
Mearns and Finlay W ilson. D rum m ing
C e rtificate s were aw arded to Alex
In January, th e band was invited to play at
The band th e n tu rn e d o u t a t Perth
Balnacraig School w here th e y p u t on a very
Racecourse w here th e y played a n u m b e r o f
MacGregor. W ill Frazer and Etienne M elville
g o o d perform ance. O ur y o u n g e r m em bers
tim es in various locations to e n terta in the
were aw arded half colours fo r piping.
did very well to represent th e school w ith
public. They also played as a massed band
a g o o d p e rfo rm a n ce fo r th e pupils and
along w ith M orriso n ’s A ca d e m y w h o were
guests. Etienne th e n played a t th e Rannoch
also there.
Day Centre fo r th e ir Burns C elebration
w here his playing was ve ry m uch enjoyed
by th e assem bled com pany.
O ur last big c o m p e titio n o f the year was
The S cottish S chools’ Cham pionships
held this year at Strathallan. The band
A dam finished second in th e senior solo
were unplaced in th e band co m p e titio n ,
piping event at th e G eorge W a tso n ’s
b u t to o k th ird place in drill and tu rn o u t.
College co m p e titio n .
A dam to o k th ird prize in th e Senior Piping.
A t th e G lasgow H ighland Club Schools'
C o m p e titio n this year th e band m em bers
C o n g ra tu la tio n s to all!
O ur last event o f th e year was o u r solo
excelled them selves to w in fifth prize in
p ip in g and d ru m m in g event. The m ajor
the band c o m p e titio n . O ur soloists also
w inners were as follow s:
kept our nam e "in th e fra m e ”, A d a m again
M ost Im proved D ru m m e r - Gavin Keddie;
played very well to take second prize in
N ovice D ru m m in g - Alex Robertson;
th e Senior Piping C ham pionship, Sean to o k
Ju n io r D ru m m in g - Cam eron Mack;
th ird prize in th e Senior Piping event.
Senior D ru m m in g - Jo n n y Bain;
The band also to o k p a rt in th e S cottish
Bass and Tenor D ru m m in g - Jo n n y C lifford;
S chools’ Beating Retreat at E dinburgh
M ost Im proved Piper - W ill Frazer;
Castle this year, th e young pipers in
Robertson, Jam es Barrack and Logan
The solo co n te st finished w ith us saying
g o o d b ye to Adam , Etienne, Sean and W ill
w h o are o ff to fu rth e r th e ir careers. We
wish th e m every success in th e future.
W e look fo rw a rd to th e challenges o f
next year.
J.S.R.H.
a mixed
selection
including
hornpipes, jigs,
strathspeys,
reels and a
slow air which
w as very w ell
received...
79
Valete
N am e+ lnits
Surnam e
YG
House
Ad date
Leave Date
Horriya A
Callum L
W alter R
Daniel J
Jam ie G
O liver
Fergus 1W
Jill A
Em ily K
lain D W
A lista ir J
George
Lauren M
C athryn R
R obert F
A n d re w R
David R
Roy S
W illiam B N
Tom
Jayne
Jessica G M
Man C
Shi K
Zi H
Jonathan K
Joseph
Lindsay A N
Bradley J
Toby P D
Daniel C F
Philippe S L
Bianca
Jonathan D F
Anna E
Dom inik
A n to n io
Katharina J
Morag A
W illiam H
Christina J
Yan C
Alison H
Francesca C
W illiam D
Lucy M
Maksym
Elizabeth F
Rory G
V ictoria M
M om m e
Aleksandra
Katarzyna A
Clemens
John S
Jonathon
A n drew J
Nicolas R
Emma L
Alastair J
Rory A
S tuart A
Henry
Sally A
Steven
Jamie D
Simon
Julia
Abdo
Airey
Alexander
A nderson
A rn o t
Bain
Baird
Bardon
Battison
Bonn
Brown
Burbury
Burns
Bush
Cachia
Caldwell
Cameron
Cam eron
Cam pbell-G ibson
Cargill
Carmichael
Carson
Chan
Chen
Chen
C lifford
C o rle tt
Crowe
Cruse
Culham
de Haer
de Haer
Dem bke
Dickson
Dove
Durig
Elias Castellon
Eller
Elwis
Farm er
Finlay
Fong
Forsyth
Fraser
Frazer
Garven
G oncharov
G ordon
G ordon
Gow
G randt
Guz
Guz
H aidinger
Harrison
Healey
Heaney
Heger
Howell
Hunt
Jevon
Johnson
Jones
Keir
Kennett
King
Krem er
Kupfer
S3
S3
S6
S6
S4
S6
S6
S6
S6
S5
S6
S5
S4
S6
S6
S4
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S5
S5
S6
S6
S6
SI
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S5
S2
S5
S6
S6
S6
S4
S3
S6
S6
S4
S4
S6
S2
S6
S5
S6
S6
S5
S6
S5
S6
S5
S6
S6
S3
S3
S6
GUEST
S5
S6
S5
S6
T
N
N
S
F
N
S
T
T
R
N
R
W
W
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S
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F
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T
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R
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R
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R
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W
N
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W
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N
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R
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F
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01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 5
07 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 007
01 09 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
05 10 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
29 10 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
04 09 2002
04 09 2002
04 09 2002
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 007
01 09 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 007
05 0 9 2001
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
0 5 02 2001
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 5
05 01 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
07 01 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
0 5 01 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 007
0 5 0 9 2001
11 12 2 0 0 7
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
16 12 2 0 0 8
0 6 02 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
20 09 2 0 0 8
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
03 11 2 0 0 8
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
23 05 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
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0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
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F
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V A LETE
N am e+ lnits
Surnam e
YG
House
Ad date
Leave Date
Kar C
A lison Y P
Harry
Ben T
Samuel 1 W
Chun K
Finola D
Sara E
Hugh D
Sophie P
Stephanie A
Caitlin E
Stephen J
Kirsty F
A ilie J
C atriona M
an R
Callem R
Melissa M
Hamish C
Paul
Etienne P
Sean G
Theophile A R
Adam D
Heather J
Jo M A
G rant J
Anastasiya E
Samuel B C
Magnus E
Duncan J P
Eleanor G
Alice
Adam D K
Ben D T
Niclas
Neil M
Juraj
A nita S
Julius
Kirsty M M
James W
Ken
Claire J
Elizabeth L
Robynne E
Rayko 1
Liam
Und
Katy A
A lista ir N S
Jiakang
Yu
Lauren
Callum J
Sean M
Elizabeth S R
M oritz
Michael D
Tim J U
A n d re w A
Evan L
Chun H
Sarah J
Melissa
Yiu-Hang
Jennifer A M
Kwok
Lee
L’Estrange
Lewis
L ip w o rth
Lo
Lundgren
Lundgren
Lungm uss
Lyburn
Lyon
Lyons
Lyons
M acdonald
MacGeoch
MacKenzie
McKenzie
M cW illiam s
M agum ba
M alcolm -W atts
Marshall
Melville
M endelson
Meunier
Michie
Mitchell
M orrison
M urdoch
M usiyachenko
Nicholson
Olafsson
O ’Reilly
Parkinson
Perry
Piper
Q uick
Rehmann
Ronald
Sabol
Schoberl
Schulte
Scobie
S cott
Seeska
Simpson
Sinclair
Smith
Stanev
Stelzer
Stelzer
Stevenson
Stewart
Sun
Sun
Sutherland
Thom son
ToWnsley
Vine
W e isbrodt
Wells
W elp
W hitelaw
W illiam s
W ong
W ordie
Yerdelen
Yeung
Young
S6
S6
S5
S3
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S4
S4
S5
S3
S6
S6
S4
S6
S6
S5
S6
S6
S4
S6
S6
S4
S5
S6
S6
S5
S5
S6
S6
S5
S6
S5
S5
S4
S6
S6
S5
S6
S4
S6
S6
S6
S6
S6
S3
S6
S6
S5
S6
S5
S6
S6
S6
S2
GUEST
S4
S6
S
W
N
F
F
R
T
W
N
T
T
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
07 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
23 11 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
30 10 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2001
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
07 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
0 4 0 9 2002
01 0 9 2 0 0 5
21 0 4 2 0 0 9
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
0 4 0 9 2002
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 7
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 3
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
01 0 9 2 0 0 4
07 0 9 2 0 0 5
01 0 9 2 007
01 0 9 2 0 0 8
11 12 2007
01 0 9 2 0 0 6
01 0 9 2 007
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
16 12 2 0 0 8
05 01 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
17 11 2 0 0 8
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
16 12 2 0 0 8
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 09 2 0 0 8
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 6 02 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
26 03 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
0 4 07 2 0 0 9
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16 12 2 0 0 8
20 0 4 2 0 0 9
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0 4 07 2 0 0 9
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81
P R IZ E W IN N E R S
Prizewinners 2009
The S m ith Cup
fo r Head Boy
Jam ie King
The M orle y Q uaich
fo r H ead G irl
Jayne C arm ichael
The D ra p e r Cup
fo r D e p u ty Head Boy
A la s ta ir H unt
The D ra pe r Cup
fo r D e p u ty Head G irl
R o b ynne S m ith
The H o u sto n Prize
fo r A ll R ound M e rit
Roy C am eron
The S canlan Cup
fo r M e rit
R obynne Sm ith
The T ho m so n Salver
fo r A c h ie v e m e n t
Sara L u n dg re n
UVI Form
Prizes
UVI A Level B io lo g y
C atriona M acKenzie
UVI A Level Business
S tu d ie s
K a ty S tevenson
The Jo h n F u lto n
M em o ria l Prize fo r
O ve ra ll C o n trib u tio n
M orag Elwis
The H a yw ard A w a rd
fo r C itiz e n s h ip
C h ristina Stephenson
The C a m p b e ll A w a rd
fo r Best A ll Round
S p o rtsm a n
A n d re w W h ite la w
The C a m p b e ll A w a rd
fo r Best A ll Round
S p o rts w o m a n
H e a th er M itchell
The G ary R ogers Prize
fo r C re a tive W ritin g
S tra th a lla n T ra v e llin g
S ch o la rsh ip (M u sic)
Anna O lafsson
M urd o Elwis
The L o rd K in cra ig Prize
fo r English
V ic to ria G ow
The P a tric k G ran d iso n
Prize fo r S trin g s
S tra th a lla n T ra ve llin g
S ch o la rsh ip (M o d e rn
La n gu a g e s)
The U n iv e rs ity o f
D un d e e E n glish as
an A d d itio n a l
L a n g u a g e Prize
Cyrus Ng
The W illia m P asfield
Salver fo r M usic
The R ichard M o ffa t
Prize fo r H is to ry
M orag Elwis
M orag Elwis
Joanna M aclachlan
W illia m C a m p b e ll-
Sam L ip w o rth
Q u a ich CCF Prize
The C h o ir Prize
Joe C o rle tt
W illia m C a m p b e ll-
Royal N avy S e ctio n
Prize
G ibson
D avid Cam eron
The W illia m T a tte rsa ll
A r t Prize
C a trion a M acKenzie
The M cM aster Q uaich
fo r P ip in g
The W ilfre d H oare
S e n io r R eading Prize
A d a m M ichie
Dux
Helen S um m e rsg ill
UVI H ig h e r M a th e m a tic s
UVI H ig h e r English
M ichael W ells
F inola L u n dg re n
Jayne C arm ichael
UVI A Level Spanish
UVI H ig h e r F rench
UVI H ig h e r Physical
E d u ca tio n
A la s ta ir H unt
Jayne C arm ichael
E lizab e th Vine
UVI H ig h e r Business
M an a g e m en t
UVI H ig h e r G e o g ra p h y
UVI H ig h e r P h ilo s o p h y
Jayne C arm ichael
A nastasiya
E lizab e th Vine
UVI H ig h e r G erm an
M usiyachenko
UVI H ig h e r B io lo g y
Jo n a th a n C liffo rd
UVI A Level F rench
UVI A Level P ro d u c t
D esign
Juraj Sabol
UVI A Level C h e m is try
UVI A Level Music
W illia m C a m p b e llG ibson
UVI H ig h e r H is to ry
O live r Bain
R obynne S m ith
UVI A Level G erm an
Je n n y W o o d
A la s ta ir Brow n
UVI A Level Physics
UVI A Level G e o g ra p h y
O live r B eetschen
The R ick T ro p h y
A rm y Prize
UVI H ig h e r P ro d u c t
D esign
UVI A Level C o m p u tin g
Jam ie King
G ibson
M orag Elwis
Sara L u n dg re n
A la s ta ir H unt
Ben M elville
The H a viston
B ro a d sw o rd Prize
The R o b e rt Barr
M e m o ria l Prize fo r Music
The R o b e rt R ankin Prize
fo r M a th e m a tics
Juraj Sabol
UVI A Level Classics
The D a vid B o g ie Prize
fo r E co n o m ics
Juraj Sabol
Julia K u p fe r
R o b b ie Cachia
LVI Business S tu d ie s
LVI C o m p u tin g
LVI F rench
LVI Music
C h ris to p h e r Rennison
A n n a b e l Niven
Joanna M aclachlan
O live r B eetschen
Prizes
LVI C h e m is try
LVI P ro d u c t D esign
LVI G e o g ra p h y
LVI Physical E d u c a tio n
LVI A rt
Chwei Peng Tieng
K irstin L a m o tte
Jam ie C a rra g h e r
Ryan H ood
R uairidh Clark
LVI L a tin
LVI E co n o m ics
LVI H is to ry
LVI Physics
LVI B io lo g y
C h ristia n Kolb
C h ristia n Kolb
Rayko Stanev
A n d re w G lover
Lower Sixth
Chw ei Peng Tieng
Fifth Form
Prizes
V th F orm A r t
A nna O lafsson
V th F orm B io lo g y
Keith W ig le y
LVI Classical C iv ilis a tio n
LVI English
LVI M a th e m a tics
LVI Spanish
Jam ie Parker
Rayko Stanev
Kuo H ong W ong
Ja ck C hartres
V th F orm
Business S tudies
V th F orm D esign
T e ch n o lo g y
V th F orm G e o g ra p h y
V th F orm M a th e m a tic s
Josiah B ircham
T im o th y Heaney
P a trick M o rris-E yto n
Fiona Jo h n sto n
V th F orm G erm an
V th F orm M usic
V th F orm C h e m istry
V th F orm English
C laire Sim pson
M arcus A dam s
T im o th y Heaney
Josiah B ircham
V th F orm H is to ry
V th F orm Physics
V th F orm C o m p u tin g
V th F orm F rench
T im o th y Heaney
T im o th y Heaney
T im o th y Heaney
M ichael M cKenzie
V th F orm L a tin
V th Form Spanish
Ben M elville
M ichael M cKenzie
IV th F orm G e o g ra p h y
IV th F orm M a th e m a tic s
Jam es Gray
Ju stin Tsang
Ju stin Tsang
IV th F orm G erm an
IV th F orm M usic
IV th F orm English
A d e e b Naasan
S a n tia g o G arcia Serrano
A d e e b Naasan
Ju stin Tsang
IV th F orm H is to ry
IV th F orm Physics
IV th F orm C o m p u tin g
IV th F orm F rench
A le xa n d e r Falconer
Ju stin Tsang
A d e e b Naasan
A d e e b Naasan
IV th F orm L a tin
IV th F orm Spanish
Jam es Gray
M hairi B annerm an
Fourth Form
IV th F orm Business
S tudies
IV th F orm D esign &
T e c h n o lo g y
Prizes
Lewis W atson
IV th F orm C h e m is try
IV th F orm A rt
A nna M cN eill
IV th F orm B io lo g y
M hairi Bannerm an
Third Form
82
Frances M ya tt
O lw yn Jenkins
S ophie B u rd e tt
M illie Galashan
H a rrie t S m ith
CH A R ITY EVENTS
Charity Race
The previous days had been show ery and
th u n d e ry b u t th e clear blue sky returned
w ith m any fa m ily m em bers, frien d s and
On May 17th at 7pm, over eighty
athletes lined up in front of the Art
School for the 10th edition of the
5-mile road race.
pupils cheering. Chris Rennison (S im pson)
placed 6 th overall behind a handful o f
m uch -resp e cte d S co ttish clu b runners. Ben
Giles (R u th ve n ) finished 4 th Ju n io r in his
firs t a tte m p t a t this event. Maths te a che r
Jacqui H ig g in b o tto m , finished 2nd Lady,
placing 14th over all w h ilst Riley M atron
Tracey M ansfield, n o w fa m ilia r w ith this
event, c o m p le te d th e course looking strong,
slig h tly ahead o f S trathallan p arent Jane
Gibson. The race was w on by Carnegie
H arriers’ Tom m y Laurence.
Everyone enjoyed a generous po st-ra ce
b u ffe t o f baking and sandw iches p rovided
b y Carnegie Harriers, All w e n t sm o o th ly
thanks to tim in g e xperts John Flem ing
and A u d re y Sime, helped by a strong
ba ck-u p team . This year again, th e pupils
w h o m arshalled th e race d id a grand job.
D onations and e n try fees g e n erated a to ta l
o f £870. Cancer Research, C.H.A.S. and Get
Kids Going! have each been presented w ith
a £ 2 9 0 cheque.
83
H IS T O R Y
“Welcome to S trath allan School.
I hope you and Florence w ill be very happy.”
So sp o ke th e H eadm aster, D a vid P ig h ills,
to o n e o f th e new te a c h e rs a t th e
b e g in n in g o f S e p te m b e r 1979. “ By th e
way, yo u w ill be h a v in g a c o u p le o f g irls
as lo d g e rs . I h o p e th a t w ill be a lrig h t
w ith y o u .” C a n te rb u ry w a sn ’t like th is.
In fa c t, th a t ‘c o u p le o f g ir ls ’ tu rn e d o u t
to be a d e lig h tfu l a d d itio n to th e P ro c to r
h o u s e h o ld d e s p ite e a rly a p p re h e n sio n s.
S a lly R u th e rfo rd and Gail F itz p a tric k
w e re ju s t tw o o f th irte e n g irls w e lc o m e d
to th e s c h o o l th a t S e p te m b e r to b e g in
A -le v e l classes as p a rt o f a tw o year
e x p e rim e n t o rg a n is e d by th e G overnors;
D a vid P ig h ills w as n o t o ne to b o w to
s u p e rs titio n in th e k n o w le d g e th a t a
fo u rte e n th m em b e r, C h ris tin e Lee, w o u ld
a rriv e in January. A fu rth e r 21 g irls w o u ld
a rriv e a ye a r later.
However, they were not the first girls to
attend classes. There was one forerunner,
Margaret, the daughter of the Second Master,
Bobby Burnet, who had passed her exams the
previous summer with flying colours. The boys
at Strathallan had also met with the girls of
Kilgraston at official dance lessons organised
by Miss Le Mesurier, and one of the new girls,
Caroline Wilson, had appeared in the last
Strathallan play. Nor were Sally and Gail the
only lodgers. Other girls were settling into the
staff houses of Alan Pearson, Alan Reid, Trevor
Goody, David Williams, Cosmo Fairbairn and
Bobby Burnet.
The preparation for the girls had extended to
the building of three bungalows at the top of
the old Thorny Shades Park. The top bungalow
was to hold the study rooms and those girls
who were there will remember - four in the
lounge, two in each bedroom and three in the
dining room. The next bungalow was to be the
tutor studies and changing rooms, while the
third was accommodation for the tutor. And
what better name for the new girls’ House
than Thorny Shades. David Pighills had
already visited Repton School which had just
stared taking girls, especially for the sciences,
and had seen the need for a broader education
than that provided by the large number of
ladies academies.
A full day was prepared as the girls attended
chapel each morning; yes, each and every
morning, worked in lessons until lunch, then
games; prep in the evening and to their houses
by nine. So, on Tuesday 11th September, Susan
Douglas, Lorna Frame, Morag McMinn,
Karina McTeague, Wendy Rogers and Clarissa
84
H IS T O R Y
Rowe began their one year Post Highers
studies at Strathallan. Into the Lower Sixth
two year post O-level courses came Gail
Fitzpatrick, Carla Gilmour, Barbara McLaurin,
Lindsay Naylor, Sally Rutherford, Caroline
Wilson and Gail Wishart.
David Pighills, reflecting at half term, felt
that ‘W hat appeared a brave innovation, had
become so much accepted as part of normal life
of the School that it scarcely seems to warrant
now as news’. Certainly, matters had settled
comfortably in the school with a refurbished
Sixth Form social lounge and Jan Carratt’s
games program. Jan was also new to the school
and worked in the French Department but
she had made excellent inroads into setting up
the first sports and activities programs for the
girls. The Strathallian reported that ‘without
tempting fate, their arrival at Strathallan
appears to have passed uneventfully’.
Interestingly ‘the appearance and manners of
several gentlemen improved over the term’ and
budding Casanovas appeared everywhere. A
couple of dinner parties went down well
And the girls, what did they think? A male
chauvinist pig tie worn by one member of staff
was not really appreciated and being called
as ‘You boys’ on several occasions made life
interesting. The coffee lounge had practised
apartheid for a while and the frequent number
of visitors to the bungalows necessitated several
girls to rush for towels. The girls also had to
do their own washing and wear pink and blue
aertex shirts for games when they would have
preferred white ones. All in all, the practical
side of settling down went slowly but they
also felt ‘already a part of the large family that
is called Strath’. Thorny Shades had arrived
under the auspices of the Housemaster and
Housemistress, Cosmo and Annabel Fairbairn,
and their tutors, Jan Carratt and John Brown
and his wife Jenny. It was deliberate that
none of the girls had prefect duties in this the
first year, or joined the school authority.
Instead Susan Douglas became the senior girl
of the House.
The final term; the examination term, was part
of along, hot summer. It was left to Karina
McTeague, already part of the Strathallian
editorial team, to look back over the year.
Despite the small number, the girls had
85
H IS T O R Y
formed several teams to represent Strathallan
at skiing and cross country as well as joining
the shooting team and other activities,
especially social services. Typing classes had
been enthusiastically joined by everyone. But
even with a small number, Morag M cMinn
and Clarissa Rowe managed an appearance on
the stage at Speech Day; a feat to be repeated
the following year by Lindsay Naylor, Sally
Rutherford, Barbie McLaurin and Irene
Mason. The girls were under no illusion as to
their ‘guinea pig’ role; now seen as successful
and enjoyable. As some way of celebration,
Thorny Shades House staged a final party,
courtesy of the Headmaster, though not
probably aware of the theme. The girls decked
themselves out for a ‘Tarts and Tramps Do’,
each inviting one boy. The report was that
Messrs Pighills and Fairbairn, in particular,
made the effort.
It was inevitable that plans would be made
for expansion of the House but this would
take another year before finalising the plan to
include younger girls. Meanwhile a new Sixth
Form intake arrived for the second year. In
September arrived Alison Anderson, Jennifer
Aston, Carolyn Belch, Charlotte Cantley,
Jocelyn Christie, Sandra Crabb, Rona Kite,
Jennifer Locke, Irene Mason, Carolyn Mouat,
Lesley Murton and Lindsay Rhodes. Again, the
staff provided accommodation, now for twenty
one girls as Thorny Shades House began its
first growth spurt. Everyone could now witness
the clearing of the grounds for the first phase
of the new girls’ House to be ready in a year.
Meanwhile, it was back to the bungalows. In
January, Riley House received its first girl, Lara
Clayton, to be joined a year later by Ghillian
Lawson and Julia Nicholls
Cosmo and Annabel’s one year had turned into
two but at least this year they had a head girl,
Clarissa Roe, who went up to Balliol and was
replaced by Barbie McLaurin at Christmas.
There was further news which may have calmed
their nerves. Thorny Shades would be taken
over for three years by David and Kay
W illiams who were just retiring from an
extended tenure at Ruthven House. David
visited his old Housemaster at Repton for
advice on his new role.
“H ow do you treat girls?" enquired David.
“Ju st treat them like boys1 came the reply.
“So how do you treat boys?"
“Ju st like children. ”
Some thirty one girls across the age range
joined the former Lower Sixth girls in
September but had to wait a whole term
before the new accommodation was ready. The
new tutor, Jane Atkinson, actually lived at the
Whins with six of the girls for that period.
Woodlands House finally opened its doors
for the start of the spring term, 1982. By the
next morning, someone had placed a poster
on the front door - AA 5 Stars; contrary to
belief, there was no reception desk and no room
service. Jenny Aston was made the first head
girl with Jill Bridges her deputy, and the rest
of the Upper Sixth became official prefects, or
nannies as they are known. Jenny was actually
parted from the camouflage jacket that she had
worn throughout the previous year.
The second wing was already under
construction that winter. (The west wing now
forms the east wing of Thornbank House).
This was to give accommodation for up to
seventy girls. Meanwhile, the House-warming
returned everyone to the colour pink. David
allowed each girl to provide two names of
potential beaux and then selected his own list
which made the evening a roaring success. His
own performance in full dinner jacket will be
remembered for many years. David and Kays’
three years became five during which time a
third wing was added to provide a full House
for some 120 girls.
I suppose we could say the rest was history
which many will have tucked away as there own
memories - the way the new House provided
the incentive for new boys’ accommodation;
the building of second House to be named
Thornbank and .... well, you know the rest.
One thing that may be unknown to but a few
is that the House crest was designed by Aimi
Macdonald during her year as head of House
and remains the emblem to this day.
David and Kay left the House with a prayer
which can still be seen in the entrance hall.
Philippians IV, VIII was to encapsulate their
feelings at such a time and carry their best
wishes for the future that they had worked
so hard to secure for all the girls. The new
order was also left with some advice - Get a
microwave oven; get a video recorder and join
Dunning Golf Club.
GRMR
I!
David had a hand in constructing the new
House which would be used for holiday
lets - hence every room has a shaver point,
and matching carpets and curtains. The new
accommodation was to get a new name as well.
From this time it would be Woodlands House,
devised as a tribute to the Woods family who
formerly owned the Freeland estate. And there
was to be a new uniform designed by Kay
Williams. Up ‘til now, girls were allowed the
privilege of wearing their smart casual clothes;
a distinction lost on a later headmaster. Gone
were the pink trousers; replaced by a grey
A-line skirt and blazer. The effect was to be
smart and happy, and individual enough not to
be a uniform until several girls were together.
86
H IS T O R Y
nun
think
i t ’s too
absurd f \
words," a n n ou n ced t h e n ew g -r l, looking
about h er d efia n tly , “ Ulhfft ever b a ^
to censored m a il, Q ortid cZor/ns^
and interminable 'boredovn^_ ”
87
D U K E O F E D IN B U R G H
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
There are fiv e s e c tio n s to th e D o f E
G old A w a rd : Physical, S kill, V o lu n te e rin g ,
E x p e d itio n a nd R e sid e n tia l. How ever, it is
fo r th e E x p e d itio n s e c tio n th a t D o f E is
fa m o u s, and fo u r g ro u p s se t o u t a t Easter
to c o m p le te a fo u r day e x p e d itio n a ro u n d
th e s o u th e rn C a irn g o rm s.
Three o f th e g ro u p s w ere ta kin g p a rt
in th e ir firs t p ra ctice e xp e dition , w hile
th e fo u rth included, tw o girls w h o were
u n d e rta kin g th e ir th ird aftd final e xpedition.
Each g ro u p had to ca rry all o f its own
e qu ip m e n t: stoves, pans, fo o d, tents,' :
sleeping bags and spare clo th in g . The first
day saw th e g ro u p s w alk in fro m d e p artu re
p o in ts along th e Dee to th e fo re st n o rth o f
d e rry : Lodge, with, a fantastic.view , o f D erry
C airngorm . The n e xt day th e g ro u p s all
crossed th ro u g h Clais Fhearnaig, and do w n
.to th e fo o tb rid g e a t Linn o f O uojch, then
upstream to a w o n d e rfu l.w ild ca m p in the
Caledphiao pine fo re st by Q uoich water.
The th ird day was th e longest, sta rtin g With
a b it o f 'h ea th e r b a sh in g ’ to fin d a pa th to
.th e .n o rth o f th e Q uoich, w b iQ h fh e n cu t
so u th east to w a rd s Intyerc&uld House, and
th e n to o k a sharp tu rn and headed due
N orth, g iv in g th e g ro u p s a long slow pull
to c lim b oyer the fla n k s .o f Cula.rdoch hill
(w h ic h gave a fantastic, view fo r miles in
all d ire c tio n s ) th e ft d ro p d o w n to spend a
fro s ty final n ig h t beside Loch Builig, before
w a lking o u t on th e last day in stunning ;
sunshine to th e fa rm at Braenaloin.
he g o o d w e a th er c o n :in u e d fo r the
e x p e c itio n th a t w e in o u t n the last wee'<
o f the sum m er term ; tms tim e to 'G le n Doll ,,
and BalmoVsf Tvvo g ro u p s w a ite d from
th e Doll to w a rd s BroacTc.airn, and over
to Loch Miifck, then o n to Balm oral, w hile
a n o th e r tw o g ro u p s w alked in th e o p p o site
d irectio n ; one fo llo w in g a sirriilar route in
reverse, w hile a g ro u p o f boys to o k to the
•*tops and b a g ge d a few lylunros.
A lo n g th e way, th e g ro u p s n a vigated th e ir
w ay th'rough w ild country, cooked th e ir own
foed, p itch e d cam p each n ig h t and struck
ca m p eachiphprn'iiig.
Their next trip w ill be an e x p e d itio n to
Lo ch ab e r in Septem ber, w here these skills
w ill be p u t to th e final test.
88
____________________________________________________ STAFF
Staff valete
E liza b e th Adam
tra n s m itte d it to th e m in a th o ro u g h
we were s ittin g w o rkin g w h ile she
and id io syn cra tic way. Her opinions
Was m arking, w hen su d d en ly she
W h e n b ro a d c a s te r D o m in ik
a b o u t g reat lite ratu re were
b u rst o u t singing "Jerusalem ” . She
D ia m o n d , sp o ke th is ye a r to th e
ab so lu te ly firm . W illiam C am pbell-
finished a verse, and then co n tin ue d
VI Form , he in e v ita b ly re m in isce d
Gibson, w h o has also ju s t co m p le te d
w ith her m arking.”
a b o u t his days as a p u p il at
S tra th a lla n in th e 1980s. O ne o f
his b e st and fa v o u rite te a ch e rs, he
said, was E liz a b e th A dam .
his final year a t Strathallan, recalls
her saying, "There’s fa r to o m uch
sex in th e A-level syllabus! W hy are
you reading F itzge ra ld and Proulx?
It is th e case th a t, w hen in terview ed
You should be stu d yin g Keats and
a b o u t th e ir lives and influences,
W o rd sw o rth .”
m ost people w h o are renow ned in
w h a te ver field th e y have chosen
will a lm ost invariably dw ell on the
inspiration p ro vid e d by a p a rticu la r
school te a che r w h o recognised
som e g ift in th e m and encouraged
A keen th e a tre g o e r herself, Mrs
A dam organised th e a tre trip s fo r
pupils. For a n u m b e r o f years in
th e 80s and 90s she was e d ito r o f
th e Strathallian w here she ruled
her c o n trib u to rs w ith an iron rod in
For W ill, also, Mrs A dam was his
term s o f c o n te n t and accuracy.
fa vo urite teacher. Classes w ith her
were, "the best lessons o f th e week.
In her roo m it was like being in a
d iffe re n t tim e zone. She was such a
g o o d te a che r - a "p ro p e r teacher.” ”
th e m to deve lo p it. I am sure th a t
Know ing Mrs Adam , th e re w ill be no
such th in g as retirem ent. The hours
spent at Strathallan w ill be filled
w ith m any o th e r a ctivitie s to join
th o se w hich she already enjoys - a rt
fo r a considerable n u m b e r o f
It is n o t ju st th e q u a lity o f her
Strathallians, th a t te a che r w ill be
te a ching w h ich im pressed W ill,
rearing her animals, being o n ly a
Mrs Adam .
b u t also his m em ories o f som e o f
few. We wish her every happiness.
her slig h tly m ore e cce n tric traits.
O ver her 23 years at Strathallan,
Elizabeth A dam inspired young
people w ith her love o f English
“ I’l l never fo rg e t her black and
pink s trip y tig h ts", he said. "And
appreciation, a rchitecture, travel,
I IMc F and
W illia m C am pbell-G ibson
UVI Freeland
then there was th a t tim e w hen
language and literature, and
C a ro l Duncan
Time flies when you are having
fun, they say, and it only seems
yesterday that Carol joined
Strathallan. It was longer ago than
it seems, for Carol has been with us
since 1990.
In th e intervening nineteen years
a generation o f Strathallians has
passed th ro u g h th e School and
many o f th e m th ro u g h M odern
Languages R oom 1, They have
prospered u n d er Carol’s e xp e rt
tutelage. It has to be said th a t
we are n o t all keen linguists, b u t
under th e guidance o f M adam e D
pupils o f all a b ilities have achieved
se ttin g the Higher exam in Russian,
co n fid en ce and success in French.
and has guided a n u m b e r o f pupils
W h a t m arks her o u t as special, and
to success b o th at H igher and at
is p ro b a b ly th e key to her success
A Level - b u t by far her greatest
as a teacher, is her deep e m otional
success has been in French.
in vo lve m e n t in her p u p ils’ progress
and welfare.
Her c o m m itm e n t to th e School
w o u ld be hard to equal - beyond
Carol has led th e languages
th e classroom Carol has been the
d e p a rtm e n t fo r over ten years now,
heart and soul o f th e Com m on
ta kin g over fro m Ja n e t W atson
Room, a d e d ica te d T ho rn b an k
and m atch in g her c o m m itm e n t to
Tutor, m oth e r o f tw o o f th e m ost
languages fo r all pupils and high
successful Strathallians o f past years
standards o f achievem ent. She has
and th e valued frie n d o f all. W e wish
ke p t alive th e g lim m e r o f Russian
her and Ian th e ve ry best fo r a long
w herever possible - Carol has fo r
and happy retirem ent.
m any years played th e key role in
ACWS-J
hig h ly in fo rm e d passion fo r the
Com passionate, fa ir b u t firm he
su b je ct was passed on to his
show ed a natural un d ersta n d in g o f
A n d re w G o rd o n jo in e d S tra th a lla n
pupils. A w ay fro m th e D epartm ent,
w h a t was required. I w ill g re a tly miss
in S e p te m b e r 2001 and in his e ig h t
A n d re w th re w him self into the
his counsel, b o th as a colleague and
years w ith us th e re is no d o u b t
e xtra -cu rricu la r a ctivitie s o f the
a friend.
A n d re w Gordon
th a t he b e ca m e one o f th e m ost
re s p e c te d and h ig h ly th o u g h t- o f
m e m b e rs o f s ta ff by th e e n tire
S tra th a lla n C o m m u n ity .
School, and his w o rk as a Riley
gam es master, in w h ich his natural
enthusiasm was there fo r all to see,
ca n n o t pass w ith o u t m ention,. As
His tireless w o rk in th e DT
Senior T utor in Nicol House, A n d re w
d e p a rtm e n t saw m any a pupi
excelled. He w o u ld leave no stone
expand th e ir horizons and achieve
u n tu rn e d to ensure th a t the pupils
results far above th e ir e xpectations.
in his charge g o t th e best deal.
Strathallan have lost a tru e School
Master, but we all wish Andrew,
Claire, Seren, Inez and M aggie the
very best o f luck as th e y fo rg e th e ir
new life to g e th e r in Thailand.
DRG
It was a b so lu te ly clear th a t his
89
O B IT U A R IE S
Obituaries
I a in H H F r a s e r
P a tric k L ee
1 9 2 6 -2 0 0 9
1961-2009
lain H. H. Fraser w h o d ie d on th e 18th
I am sad to re p o rt th e u n tim e ly d e a th , in May o f th is
o f N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 o f a g e d 83 was a t
year, o f S tra th a llia n P a tric k Lee.
S tra th a lla n in th e years 1 9 3 8/4 2 and was
v e ry p ro u d o f his a s s o c ia tio n w ith th e
S ch o o l and k e p t h im s e lf fu lly a p p ris e d o f
its p ro g re s s and d e v e lo p m e n t.
U pon leaving school lain jo in e d th e RAF
and qualified as a b o m b e r p ilo t in Rhodesia.
A fte r th e w a r he jo in e d th e RAF V o lu n te e r
Reserve and did m ost o f his flyin g from
Scone in Perthshire. Fie qua lifie d fo r a civil
licence and o b ta in e d an in stru m e n t rating
w hich was to prove sig n ific a n t in being
selected fo r his eventual career. A t a b o u t
this tim e he acquired a p a rt share in a Tiger
M oth a irc ra ft and to o k g re a t pleasure in
P atrick jo in e d S trathallan in 1979 as a Sixth F orm er in
o rd e r to s tu d y A-levels and was a m em b e r o f Sim pson
House until he le ft in 1981.
P atrick had le ft Malaysia to com e to S trathallan in
1979 to c o m p le te his education. He had never been
o u t o f th e c o u n try before, never seen snow o r w orn
a kilt. He q u ickly a d a pte d to school life and m ade
lasting friendships. He had a real a ffe ctio n fo r school
w h ich lasted all his life. He played a full p a rt in th e life
o f th e school, e njoying ru g b y and cricke t and, already
an a cco m plished vio lin ist on his arrival a t school,
w ill be rem em bered m ost fo r his exquisite musical
a b ility d e m o n stra te d by his regular p e rform ances
H eadm aster’s music,
fly in g it.
His firs t civilian o c c u p a tio n was th a t
o f trainee a c c o u n ta n t b u t his heart was
never in it and he carried o u t a co m p le te
career change by a p p ly in g fo r a jo b in A ir
Traffic C ontrol. He was picked fro m a large
n u m b e r o f ap p lica n ts and served a t several
airfields around th e UK, w h ich involved
le n g th y p e riods o f tim e at RAF U xb rid ge
Patrick w e n t on to S tra th clyd e U niversity w here he
stu d ie d Pharmacy, g ra d u a tin g in 1985. He w orked
in itia lly in hospital p h a rm a cy in S tra ca thro Hospital and
then m oved to co m m u n ity pharm acy. He was m uch in
w here he was well know n as a hard and d ilig e n t worker.
He was know n to be able to run single handed a shop
th a t usually required tw o pharm acists!
Patrick was proud o f his co n n e ctio n w ith Strathallan
fro m this very d e m a n d in g and responsible
and, as an active m em b e r o f th e co m m itte e , regularly
role in 1985.
a tte n d e d th e su m m e r 'O ld Boys’, la tte rly Strathallian,
lain was a ta le n te d person w ith a w ide
Days and annual dinners.
range o f interests and had g re a t charm
Patrick m arried Diane in 1987 and th e y have three
and p e rso n a lity and possessed h u m our
children, Graham, now a s tu d e n t at st A ndrew s
in abundance. He was a ve ry kind and
university, Mei Lin and Jamie, b o th se co n da ry school
generous man. His sparkle and sense o f fun
pupils. They se ttle d in Paisley. Patrick w orked hard to
were in fe ctio us and one fe lt th e b e tte r fo r
p ro vid e a safe and secure life fo r his family. He lived
having shared his com pany. He is survived
his ow n life sim ply, and was ve ry generous w ith his
by his w ife Pam and th e ir children Simon,
tim e and talents. He was also a ve ry to le ra n t person
Hamish and Alexandra.
w h o w o u ld ju d g e o th ers by w h a t was in th e ir heart and
Watson Linton
n o t by race, religion o r class. He was a t his happiest
a t home, p o tte rin g around do in g DIY o r playing his
beloved violins. He pursued his m usic again as the
children g rew older, and passed exams to becom e an
A ssociate o f T rin ity College, L o ndon w here he was later
aw arded th e ir L ice n tia te D iplom a in violin perform ance,
an achievem ent o f w h ich he was im m ensely proud.
Patrick becam e ill su d d en ly in D ecem ber 2 0 0 7 and was
d iagnosed w ith a m alig na n t brain tum our. He endured
aggressive ra d io th e rap y and c h e m o th e ra p y w ith m uch
bravery and fo rtitu d e b u t sadly th e tu m o u r recurred
and no fu rth e r tre a tm e n t was possible. He passed away
peacefully at hom e w ith his fa m ily around him.
Patrick is survived by his w ife Diane, th re e children, his
parents in Klang, Malaysia, and his sister Christine, now
o f Australia, w h o had jo in e d him a t S trathallan in 1980
as one o f th e firs t intake o f fem ale pupils.
Diane Lee
Ian T u rn b u ll
dem and as a locum in th e w e st o f Scotland and beyond,
and P restw ick in senior positions. He retired
90
P a tric k Lee
Jo h n Buchan Ross
O B IT U A R IE S
E w e n M a c C rim m o n
Jo h n B u c h a n R o ss
Ia n T u r n b u ll
1 9 2 5 -2 0 0 9
A ir C o m m o d o re (R e td )
1 9 3 2 -2 0 0 8
A n a p p re c ia tio n
Ewen was a t S tra th a lla n in th e e a rly years
RAF, QHS, MB, ChB, DTM&H
3 Ju ly 1912 - 24 Ja n u a ry 2 0 0 9
Former pupil Ian Turnbull, a prominent
East Neuk of Fife farm er died aged 76 on
Decem ber 2 0 th 2 0 0 8 .
o f th e 3 9 /4 5 war. He was a m e m b e r o f
Jo h n Buchan Ross was b o rn on th e 3rd
N ico l House le a v in g in 1942. His p a re n ts
o f J u ly 1912 in T a yp o rt, Fife, ju s t n o rth o f
Born at Sandyhi 11, K ingsbarns in 1932, he
w ere in India and I re ca ll Ew en’s sa ying
St. A n d re w s, th e son o f a d o c to r w h o had
a tte n d e d Strathallan School, w here he was
h o w k in d Mr H a rry R iley was to w a rd s him
w o rk e d in S o u th A fric a and W est A fric a .
d u rin g s u m m e r h o lid a ys; Mr R iley to o k
th e fe w boys w ith p a re n ts overseas to
h o lid a y d e s tin a tio n s .
As w ith m any children o f pioneering
parents w h o were w o rkin g in th e colonies,
John was sent to S trathallan School as a
D uring th e w ar Ewen's m o th e r to o k the
b o a rd e r fro m an early age and entered
risk o f sailing fro m India to B ritain and
Freeiand House in th e 1920s. He rose
a fte rw a rd s w ro te a m ost interesting b ook
to becom e C aptain o f th e House and a
de tailin g her experiences. I have read the
respected m em b e r o f th e First XV Rugby
book, and co n clu d e th o se on board the ship
Team. His passion fo r s p o rt and fitness,
w ere fo rtu n a te n o t to have been to rp e d o e d
w h ich th e School instilled, was to remain
en route.
w ith him all his long life. A t th e same tim e,
A fte r Strathallan. Ewen jo in e d th e Royal
Navy, and I recall his te llin g me o f service
in a C orvette, h u n ting G erm an 'U' boats
head boy in 1949/50. He was th e firs t o f
three generations o f th e fa m ily to a tte nd
th e school. During his year as head boy he
was ve ry p ro u d to unveil th e W ar M em orial
th a t is still on display in th e entrance hall
o f th e m ain building. On leaving Strathallan
Mr Turnbull gained a BSc in a g ric u ltu re at
Edinburgh, before retu rn in g hom e to join
his fa th e r and uncle on Boghall Farm, also
a t Kingsbarns.
He m arried A nn S co tt In 1959 w ith w h o m
he becam e interested in his fa th e r’s w o rk
he had three sons Mark, S co tt and James all
as a d o c to r and so, a fte r leaving in 1930,
o f Nicol house. O ver th e years Mr Turnbull
fo llo w e d in his fo o tste p s to E dinburgh
and his sons steadily expanded th e farm
betw een th e Azores and th e naval base at
U niversity w hence he g ra d u a te d as a
business a n d -cu rre n tly keep suckler cows,
Gibraltar. A fte r th e w a r Ewen stu d ie d and
Bachelor o f M edicine and Bachelor o f
finish large num bers o f lam bs and g ro w a
S urgery in 1935.
full range o f arable crops and potatoes.
on th e s ta ff o f Findlay's G ilm our Smith,
He then jo in e d th e Royal A ir Force, and
Mr Turnbull served th e fa rm in g co m m u n ity
C.A., in Glasgow.
before th e o u tb re a k o f th e Second W orld
locally and na tio na lly as a S cottish d ire c to r
Ewen becam e an active m em b e r o f
W ar was sent to th e M iddle East w here he
o f insurance co m p a n y NFU M utual until
served as a S quadron Medical O ffice r in
1997. He was past pre sid e n t o f A n s tru th e r
Iraq. On May 11th 1938, John m arried Myra,
branch o f NFU S cotland and a board
a girl fro m E dinburgh. W hen w a r broke out,
m em b e r and vice chairm an o f th e Leven
becam e a C hartered A cco u n ta n t. He was
W illiam w o o d G olf Club, on th e south side o f
Glasgow, and qualified fo r a low handicap.
D uring his final year at Strathallan, Ewen
he was then posted to th e Far East w here
based co-o p e ra tive, Central Farm ers Ltd. He
was a House Prefect, kn ow n as "G in g e r”,
over th e next five years he was engaged on
was also President o f Fife Show in 1974.
w h o exercised his a u th o rity w ith com m on
active service, specialising p a rticu la rly in
sense; and was w ell-liked. A fte r school he
tro p ica l m edicine and th e tre a tm e n t
rem ained a bachelor. One s lig h tly unusual
o f malaria.
Mr Turnbull was a passionate cu rle r and it
was this enthusiasm th a t p u t him on the
national and in te rn a tio n a l stage. He was
record w hich I believe to be still held by
Ewen was fo r th e distance he co u ld th ro w
Betw een his u n accom panied overseas
pre sid e n t o f Cam bo C urling Club and East
a c ric k e t ball on th e lawn. I am in no d o u b t
tours, he fa th ere d Je n n ifer and lain - th e
Fife Province before be co m in g a council
th a t he w ill be g re a tly missed by his friends.
la tte r fo llo w in g him to S trathallan School
m em b e r fo r Area Seven. He th e n served as
(Riley and Ruthven 1958 - 6 4 ) - and later
p re sid e n t o f th e Royal Caledonian C urling
Stuart Mitchell
a n o th e r daughter, Sue.
A fte r a successful career spanning a fu rth e r
30 years, he to o k early re tire m e n t fro m the
RAF as an A ir C o m m o d o re having also risen
to becom e H onorary Surgeon to th e Queen
and a C o m m a n d e r o f th e O rde r o f St, John
and been tw ic e m en tio n e d in Dispatches.
He retired to Portugal in th e late 60s w here
he sp e n t a ve ry h appy and active retire m en t
until his death earlier this year a t th e age o f
Club in 1983-84 and ca p taine d th e S cottish
to u r to eastern Canada th a t season. He was
a long serving convener o f th e Grand Match
c o m m itte e and to o k q u ie t p ride in having
played in th re e o f these rarely held events in
1959, 1963 and 1979.
He also had a lifelong d e d ica tio n to the
w orks o f R o b e rt Burns and was noted fo r
his skills as a speaker on th e su b je ct and fo r
his re cita tio n s o f th e w orks o f th e Bard.
96 years. R ight up until this tim e, he never
C o n trib u te d by loving g ra n d d a u g h te r
lost his love o f S cotland and th e School
Nicola Turnbull (T h o rn b a n k 2001 - 2 0 0 6 )
th a t had given him so m any o p p o rtu n itie s
in his life.
la in Ross
91
CHARITIES___________________________________
Charities
In J u ly 2 0 0 8 Miss Sim e w e n t
The Trust A ca d e m y were
o f th e raffle and w ith th e help
o u t to M alaw i to v is it and
desperate fo r books fo r th e ir
o f M arketing w ro te le tte rs to
te a c h in several schools.
library. To p ro vid e a lib ra ry fo r
businesses in th e Perth area.
She was ta k e n to th e se
pupils and s ta ff o u r pupils were
A c o m p e titio n was held to
s ch o o ls by c o n ta c ts a t St
asked to d o n a te unw anted
design a p o ste r fo r th e event,
A n d re w ’s C hurch in M zuzu.
books suitable fo r children
th e winner, Jo Barrack, decid e d
In S e p te m b e r Miss Sim e spoke
aged 3 to 12. By th e end o f
by th e M arketing Team. The
to th e C h a ritie s C o m m itte e
te rm Miss Sim e’s classroom was
course itse lf was designed by
and s h o w e d th e m p ic tu re s and
o ve rw h e lm e d w ith books, such
pupils and th e n parents were
v id e o s o f her tim e in M alaw i.
was th e response to th e plea. In
appro a ch e d fo r som e o f the
These p ic tu re s and v id e o s
w ere th e n s h o w n to th e w h o le
s c h o o l in C hapel. Two sch o o ls
in p a rtic u la r s to o d o u t fo r
o u r p u p ils as n e e d in g
s u p p o rt: T rust A c a d e m y and
M osa n to S chool.
M osanto School (fo r children
June w e were able to send the
item s n o t available in school.
books o u t to Malawi th ro u g h
Thanks go to Mrs C urtis fo r
th e auspices o f The Raven Trust
su p p lyin g tyres and Mr Purvis
w h o regularly send a co n taine r
fo r th e barrels. Thanks to o to
o f d o n ate d item s out. The
th e m any cooks w h o baked
m oney and th e books w ill be
cakes fo r th e baking stall and
sent to St A n d re w ’s Church to
to Mrs Y ounger w h o b ro u g h t in
pass on to th e tw o schools.
aged 4-12) had one bu ild in g
In N o ve m b e r th e Kilt and Rugby
and was in desperate need
sh irt day raised funds fo r The
o f m ore so th a t pupils could
S a n dpiper Trust, C ap a b ility
be ta u g h t inside. Parents had
Scotland and CHAS,
been m aking bricks b u t needed
have been b e tte r The children
enjoyed them selves hugely, g o t
very w e t and raised a w o n d e rfu l
to ta l o f over £ 3 0 0 0 . This was
financial s u p p o rt to g e t the
In th e su m m e r term , w ith no
d ivid e d b e tw e en th e three
b u ild in g w o rk started. They
m ajor c h a rity event planned
charities as th e ch ild ren had
needed £ 2 5 0 0 to b uild the
by th e senior school Riley
asked on th e ir sponsor form s.
school o f th e ir dreams.
d e cid e d to have th e ir ow n fu n d
To raise m oney fo r this school
raising event, A co m m itte e
th e c o m m itte e decid e d to
was dra w n up o f Riley pupils.
hold a N o n -u n ifo rm Day in
The firs t m ee tin g explored
D ecem ber w ith a neon them e.
som e w ild and fa n ta stic ideas
To raise m ore fu n ds co lle ctio n s
fo r fundraising. Eventually it
w ere m ade a t th e House
was d e cid e d to have a W ater
Music C o m p e titio n and at the
O bstacle Course w ith pupils
H eadm aster's Music in
being sponsored to ca rry
Perth C o n ce rt Hall. In to ta l
co n taine rs o f w a te r over
we w ere able to send £ 3 0 0 0
various obstacles. The pupils
to th e school th ro u g h
also decid e d on th e charities
St A n d re w ’s Church.
to raise m oney for. A long list
was eve n tu a lly w h ittle d do w n
This is an email Miss Sime
to three: Help fo r Heroes, Young
received fro m Levi N yondo
Carers and Rachel House.
a b o u t M osanto School a fte r the
A g ro u p o f girls to o k charge
m oney had been used:
DEAR
AUDREY,
THANKS
FOR
YES,
RECEIVED
I
MOSANTO
SCHOOL
TO
YOUR
AND
WE
BLOCK
COMPLETE
MOSANTO
SCHOOL
YOU
ALSO
MONEY
THE
HONEY
HAVE
WITH
TO
I WILL
EMAIL.
ONE
SENDING
THE
THE
SAME
TEACHER'S
SOME
GOD
BLESS
TO
YOU
AND
A
USED
AND
YOU
ALL. LEVI.
BUILD
MONEY
AND
THE
TEACHERS
WHICH
FOR
ONE
ABLE
I WILL
FOR
DETAILED
WAS
POUNDS
HOUSE.
PICTURES
BLOCK
SEND
3000
MANAGED
BOUGHT,
92
plants fo r th e pupils to sell. The
w e a th er on th e day co u ld not
BE
NEW
HOUSE.
REPORT
MATERIALS
OF
HOW
WERE
K S -J
----------------------------------------------- — _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SCH O O L DEVELOPMENTS
G len brae
O ver th e past c o u p le o f years I have
scant preparation fo r the arrival o f the new
w a tc h e d G lenbrae a p p e a r fro m th e
residents. An e m p ty Boarding House feels
g ro u n d s m e n ’s ya rd . The h u ts and b o a t-
as if there is som ething lacking and, at
shed seem a d is ta n t m e m o ry e ffa ce d
th e s ta rt o f September, G lenbrae becam e
by th e c le a rin g o f th e site and th e slow
co m p le te as the m em bers o f the House
ta k in g -s h a p e o f th e s tru c tu re .
Much debate to o k place as to w h e th er
m oved th e ir m any trunks and suitcases in.
W h a t had been a very q u ie t e m p ty space
th e large glass w in d o w s w ould w ith sta n d
becam e filled w ith noise and people and
a d ire c t hit from a cricke t ball; rum ours
very soon ceased being the ‘New House’
spread th a t all the room s were en-suite;
and sta rte d to develop its id e n tity as
requests fo r room s w ith a view o f the lawn
'G lenbrae’.
were p u t forw ard. W hile there was a flu rry
o f a c tiv ity d uring the sum m er te rm it was
still hard to believe th a t this w ould be a new
hom e fo r me and sixty-plus girls.
N othing can prepare a new Housemistress
fo r taking over a House b u t the w hole
process has been made sig n ifica n tly easier
thanks to the girls o f Glenbrae and I am
A sum m er spent planning, w ritin g
looking fo rw a rd to w o rkin g w ith them
handbooks, creating form s, arranging
over the next few years.
fu rn itu re and assigning room s was
FMB
Strathallan - an E co S ch o o l
Strathallan has been a Scottish eco school
for some years now, and in only the past
school to process chip oil and have a m ore
fe a ture d Pete P ostlethw aite and focused
sustainable way o f fuelling o u r m inibuses.
on how we can b u t d o n ’t co m b a t clim ate
year we have done a great deal not only
to raise awareness about dam age to the
A lth o u g h we are always try in g to im prove
environment but to raise money and
we already make significant e ffo rt to
directly com bat climate change within our
own school.
environm ent, fo r example the school runs a
The m o tto o f the Strathallan Eco
C om m ittee is ‘m ind y o u r carbon fo o tp rin t’
and this is a very a m b itio u s goal
considering th a t a very large p ro p o rtio n o f
reduce o u r waste and im p act on our
change, and we also had a guest speaker,
Dr. Richard Dixon, head o f W W F (W o rld
W ild life Fund) Scotland w ho answered
questions in gre a t detail fo r the viewers.
m inibus service to get children to and from
Furtherm ore, on Friday the 19th o f June
hom e m ore e fficie n tly and a fo rm e r pupi
w e had a th o ro u g h ly m em orable ch a rity
w ro te a p rogram to tu rn o ff all the school
event a b o u t w hich you can read a rep o rt
co m p u te rs at 11 p.m to save energy.
in this magazine.
o u r pupils com e from places as far as China
There have been a num ber o f events held
In sh o rt th e Eco C o m m itte e has had a very
and Am erica, and w ith students from five
this academ ic year by the co m m itte e to
successful year and h o p efu lly this success
co n tin en ts the C o m m itte e does its best to
help our cause, on Saturday the 6th o f June,
w ill co n tin ue into next year and we will
reduce everyone’s im pact.
The A ge o f S tupid was given a prem iere
achieve green flag status in the w in te r term ,
We hope th a t by half w ay th ro u g h next year
we will have a fu lly fu n c tio n in g recycling
centre and our status as a green flag eco
school, a long te rm aim is also to try and
build a biodiesel p ro d u c tio n p lant w ith in the
show ing in Strathallan’s th e atre and this
being one o f th e firs t Scottish in dependent
g rip p in g and, frankly te rrify in g film really
schools to achieve this.
grabbed the im agination o f the audience as
to w h a t exactly the w orld could be like 50
Jamie Parker LVI Freeland
years from now; a scary th o u g h t. The film
93
ACTIVITIES________________
Reels
The tw o sides line up. Tensions are high. The
ta rta n -c la d individuals stand, w ith sw eat on
th e ir brows, w a itin g w ith e xcite m e n t fo r th e
signal to begin. The beat starts up. The tw o
sides charge upon each other, and piercing
cries resonate around. Kilts sweep and the
pace is fast. Exhausted and exhilarated,
th e y ca rry on - well, a t least until th e half
tim e food.
No, this is n o t in fa c t an a n cie n t S cottish
battle, b u t th e 4 th and 5 th fo rm reels
- w h ich was especially g o o d this year,
and I ve ry m uch enjoyed. The splendid
s o u n d tra ck p ro vid e d by th e Neil C opland
C eilidh Band really m ade th e evening, along
w ith all th e w o rk p u t In by th e staff. A fte r
th e infam ous O rcadian S trip The W illo w
everyone m ade th e ir way back to house (in
one piece) tire d b u t satisfied. This was, as
always, a highly successful and e xtre m e ly
fun Reels evening.
Josiah Bircham
V Form Freeland
VI Form Common Room
W ell, here we are finally
basking in the glory of the
revamped, all-singing, all
hyperactivity and OMG justtoo-m any-goodies-to-think-of
Sixth Form Common Room.
Take a lo o k at th o se superw id e screens. Flave a listen to
th o se m e g a -b u ck Bose sound
systems. Relax, Enjoy.
(I feel there m ay have been
enough th a n kin g o f the Bursar
fo r one e d itio n o f the magazine,
so I'm c u ttin g th a t bit. Ed)
94
VI FO R M A C T IV IT IE S
VI Form B urn s S u p p e r
The 2 5 0 th anniversary o f the birth of
Robert Burns was celebrated by the VI
Form and staff at the annual Burns Supper
in the music room. A change to the
normal pattern saw the Im m ortal Memory
being proposed by a pupil, Morag Elwis.
And as all great traditions have to begin
somewhere, we intend this to be the
practice in years to come.
Mrs Irene M cFarlane chaired the evening
and in tro d u ce d A dam M ichie w h o piped
in th e haggis, w h ich was addressed by Mr
A n th o n y Glasgow. The chaplain delivered
th e Selkirk Grace. The to a st to th e lassies
was pro p o se d by H enry Jones; Vicki
Gow replied. The to a s t to Strathallan was
pro p o se d by W illiam Farm er; Mr David
Barnes replied. Songs and tra d itio n a l m usic
were p ro vid e d by Natasha Potts, W illiam
Cam pbell-G ibson, Sam L ip w o rth and Morag
Elwis. Ollie W ale and David C am eron gave
recita tio n s and Jayne Carm ichael delivered
th e vo te o f thanks.
II McF
Hypnotist Night
W ith the w inter term drawing to a close, and the snow
sub ve rsio n . S oon th e large n u m b e r o f vo lu n te e rs
falling on a gloom y Saturday afternoon, a lazy night-in
had d w in d le d d o w n to a se le ct few. W ith c o m m e n ts
seemed to be the most attractive proposition for the
be in g b a n d ie d a m o n g th e a u d ie n ce such as "This
m ajority of the VI Form. But little did w e know,
the hypnotist was on his way to Strathallan
School. Rumour, that savage beast,
pricked her ears and cleaved her way
isn 't g o n n a w o rk !” and "This g u y ’s a m e n ta lis tl” ,
w e w e re all fla b b e rg a s te d and fra n k ly
e c s ta tic to be p ro ve d w ro n g as w e w ere
s u b je c te d to such visio n s as; W ill C -G ’s
through the VI Form, like a hot knife
u n c o n tro lla b le laughter, Je n n y W o o d
through butter. Soon, everyone’s
and S teph Lyons' fris k y a n tic s w ith
plans had changed...
th e m ale p o rtio n o f th e audience,
Oli B e e tsch e n ’s frig h te n e d
A t 7 O 'clock, w e le ft th e sa n ctu a ry
re a ctio n to seeing an “ E le p h a n t”
o f o u r w a rm Houses, tru d g e d by
(a lth o u g h som e say it was o n ly
th e icy expanse o f th e law n and
F itz sn eaking in a t th e b a ck)
en tere d th e g lo o m y darkness o f
and o f co u rse Jam ie Parker, th e
th e m ain b u ild in g . E n te rin g th e
hero o f th e n ig h t s cra tch in g , yes,
m usic room , no o ne q u ite knew
scra tc h in g places fe w dare to go.
w h a t to e xp e ct, and w h e n th e
h y p n o tis t, w a lke d in, a silence fell
O verall it was an eve n in g o f
o ve r th e audience. He in tro d u c e d
h im s e lf to us and asked fo r vo lu n tee rs,
and s lo w ly b u t surely, th e b ra ve st heroes
o f th e VI F orm s te p p e d fo rw a rd .
W e w ere s u b je c te d to a series o f tasks d e sig n ed
to te s t w h e th e r w e w e re su sce p tib le to m en ta l
hilarity, joy, am a ze m e n t, and sheer
d e lig h t fo r all w h o a tte n d e d . W e h ope
th a t n e xt year's h y p n o tis t n ig h t w ill be
as successful and e m p o w e rin g as
th is y e a r’s!
OB, OW , JP, JD
95
VI FO R M A C T IV IT IE S
The Ball
B all
W inter
warm amidst the kind lights and gaudy costumes
spinning, spinning
96
Ceram ics, c lockw ise fro m to p left:
S o p h ie H o w e ll, C h a rlo tte B ro w n ,
L u c y M u rd o c h , A n n a O la fsso n
a n d H a n n a h S te w a rt
Cover art:
H e a th e r M itc h e ll
Strathallan School
Forgandenny
Perth
PH2 9EG
www.strathallan.co.uk
UVI W o o d la n d s

Part 9 - Strathallan School

Transcription

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