February 2015 - Hunter Valley Scots Club

Page 1
Hunter Valley Scots
Club inc
Hunter Valley Scots
Hunter Valley Scots
Club inc
February 2015
Issue 211
Hello members!
Have an idea?
Maybe a new
event or place to
go?
Then please
Tell us about it .
In this issue
There is lots of information in this newsletter so take a few minutes to read it
and start planning for your 2015 activities with the Hunter Valley Scots club
BURNS NIGHT 24th January 2015
What a great night that was! Well organised, the program kept moving
along, with speeches and lots of dancing and fun, good food and fellowship.
See more on the next page
MEMBER’S NIGHT
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK
View of a first generation Australian Scot
Wednesday 18th February
Member’s
Night
18th February
Teralba Hall
7pm
Come and hear well known personality, Murdo MacLeod speak about
Scotland pre- and post– referendum. Murdo grew up in a small family-run
hotel outside Inverness in Scotland. After completing a Zoology degree at
Edinburgh University he embarked on a successful career as a broadcast
journalist and was for many years a science reporter and radio producer
with the ABC in Sydney and Newcastle.
As it is a social night you are welcome to bring drinks and nibbles
As well
- catch up with old and new friends
- hear about the plans for the Club for 2015
- enjoy other items/activities on the night
- relax over a cuppa and chat (cuppa provided by Club)
A
WEB PAGE
FOR THE
CLUB CAN
BE FOUND
AT
www.hvsc.
org.au
PS Yes, it is a week day but weekends seem to be tied up with other
activities, family, sport, or out of town. One week night every two months will
be a easy opportunity to meet with others of like interest in ‘All Things
Scottish’
PPS Don’t hesitate to bring along other interested people
BURNS NIGHT REVIEW
Gary putting his heart and soul into the
Address to the Haggis
Lots of energy and fun in the dancing
(how sorry was I that I’d had an eye op and couldn’t join in!)
Skilled and graceful Highland Dancers
Great music
Great speeches
Page
Page 3
3
Issue 211
Calendar of Events
2015
Hunter Valley Scots
club inc
Positions 2014-2015
President:
Gary Gray
0477691573
Vice Pres:
Peter Adams
Secretary:
Grahame Pricter
Treasurer:
Peter Tranter
Committee Members
Helen Fulton
Nance Adams
Joan Elliott
Mike Elliott
Newsletter Editor
Robyn Smith
andrew_robyn@bigpond.com
Note these dates in your diary now
February 18th—Member’s Night
April 8th—Member’s Night
March—Bowls night
Caledonian Night
May—Mothers Day
June—Soup and Damper (Bannockburn)
October—Hallowe’en
November—Golf Day 28th, St Andrew’s Day Church service 29th
December—Hogmanay
Watch out for more dates as the Committee works on
new ideas and activities.
If transport to HVSC events is a problem for you, please don’t
hesitate to contact us and we will endeavour to arrange some
assistance for you
OTHER SCOTTISH ACTIVITIES
Bundanoon: 11 April 2015
Glen Innes: 30 April—3 May 2015
Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival: 29 May—31 May 2015
Aberdeen: 4 July 2015
Gathering of the Clans, Norah Head: 5 September 2015
Clans on the Coast: Nelsons Bay: 19 September 2015
For information on these and other Scottish events see the HVSC web
page and follow the “What’s On” link to “Other Scottish Events.”
Page
Page 4
4
Issue 211
BITS AND PIECES
NEW OFFICIAL PIPER as announced at the Burns Night
Hunter Valley Scots
club inc
This year Graham Adams has announced his retirement as our Club
Piper. Since the formation of the Club in 1981, he has served us faithfully
except for a short time when he was away when Paul Ross ably stepped
in. All of us greatly appreciate the wonderful music he has played over the
years and thank him for what he has done
Adam Harvey
Adam started piping at Lake Macquarie PCYC at the age of ten years.
From there he moved to City of Newcastle RSL Pipe Band and started
Contact us:
solo tuition from Bill Durham
During his solo career as a young man he won several champion ‘Piper of
the Day’ awards, moving up to the Open Grade at only 16yrs of age being
the youngest piper in NSW to achieve this.
Hunter Valley Scots In 2000 Adam received the ‘Big Brother Scholarship’ and also a
scholarship from the Hunter Valley Scots Club which enabled him to travel
Club
and study with Gordon Walker, a several time gold medallist piper.
PO Box 34
Adam has competed in Scotland 6 times with various Australian bands
Kotara NSW 2289
including St Mary’s Pipe Band, Canberra Burns Band, and The Pipe Band
Club.
Website:
He is currently with the United Mineworkers Pipe Band and also playing
hvsc.org.au
as a guest player in Grade 1 Auckland and District Pipe Band. This year
he will be playing in the New Zealand Championships and also travelling
to Spain with the band
Email
Adam has told us he is honoured to be asked to be the Scots Club Piper
scots@hvsc.org.au
and accepts the position with pleasure
Website
Facebook
Don’t forget to ‘like’ Have you looked at our website lately? It has been updated .We are also
Hunter Valley Scots on Facebook now too. Don’t forget to ‘like’ us
Club
John and Ellen Kilpatrick
John and Ellen, are foundation and valued members of the Club. John
has been one of our Patrons for many years.
As well as John being a former Lake Macquarie mayor, they have also
been very active in Anglican Care, John being Chairman of the Board for
Anglican Care for 34 years. Quote Colin Osbourne “The Kilpatrick family
have been extremely supportive of Anglican Care and all that we do for
our residents—in particular Ellen, John’s wife, who has been enormously
helpful over the years”
The new residential aged care facility at Toronto is to be named Kilpatrick
Court
Congratulations John and Ellen!
Page
Page 5
5
Issue 211
VALE Jessie McGeachie
(Abbreviated version of daughter
Rosalie’s eulogy )
Hunter Valley Scots
club inc
Born, Eileen Jessie McGeachie, on 4 November 1918, the first born
daughter of Eileen and Ronald McGeachie. Her father was a winding
engineer in the mines and the family was of Scottish origin
She was born at Holmesville weighing only 2 1/2 pounds and was
wrapped in cotton wool soaked in brandy. She had a sister Heather (just
turned 92) and sister who died at birth.
She always said she had a happy childhood starting school at Wallsend
Public and subsequently went to Cardiff Catholic school where she had
piano lessons from the nuns. She moved to Cardiff Public for her later
primary years and eventually to Wickham High. She enjoyed school,
Hunter Valley Scots particularly Algebra and Art and played Vigaro. After her second year of
Club
high school she became a dressmaker at Smith’s at Cessnock. She would
PO Box 34
have liked to be a signwriter but her mother did not want her to have to
Kotara NSW 2289
travel into Newcastle for the course
Contact us:
Website:
hvsc.org.au
Email
scots@hvsc.org.au
She often talked of her early years around West Wallsend, Holmesville,
Killingworth and Cardiff. It was at the ‘Wid Hoos’ at Killingworth that she
enjoyed the family sing songs around the piano with many McGeachie
cousins
In 1938, aged 20, she married Jim Osland a motor mechanic in Cessnock.
They lived in Merewether as he worked at Macleod, Kelso and Lee. She
had five children Ronald, Stewart, Stephen, Rosalie and Mark. When Jim
Facebook
died in early 1955 she became a widow raising 5 children aged 4 months
Don’t forget to ‘like’ to 14 years. She did what she was renowned for -just got on with it!
Hunter Valley Scots
Club
In 1965 she married Wyn Baker, an ironworker at Lysaughts who had
grown up in Wales. They lived in Waratah West. During this time it was
the era of grandchildren—9 in all. There were many social gatherings for
family and friends and she joined Western Suburbs Leagues Club. She
attended Newcastle Workers Club to hear entertainers and this began her
interest in collecting records and autographs. She also had a knack for
winning raffles.
She encouraged Wyn to attend the Welsh Society functions and she
became a foundation member of her beloved Hunter Valley Scots Club.
She traced her McGeachie name to the Donald Clan, joined the NSW
branch and began trips to Sydney to march proudly in her tartans.
After Wyn’s death in 1989 she moved to Lynden Grove Retirement Village
at Cardiff and changed her name by deed poll to McGeachie. As she had
always been called Jessie, she reversed her given names to Jessie
Eileen. Around this time she began to welcome great grandchildren. She
suffered some ill health but made a remarkable recovery.
Page
Page 6
6
Issue 211
Jessie McGeachie (cont)
In her 80’s she made a trip to Gallipoli for Anzac Day and purchased an
onsite caravan at Salamander Bay.
Hunter Valley Scots
club inc
Contact us:
Following her 90th Birthday she moved to Westcott and great
grandchildren 8,9,and 10 came into the world. She liked nothing better
than visits from family. She made new friends and enjoyed the new
experiences that Westcott offered.
Jessie lived for 96 years always managing to adapt with change. She
lived through 4 distinct periods of her life with a new name for each time.
Wherever she lived she created her own space with photos, embroidery
and crotcheted rugs. She was resilient and determined and took a
pragmatic approach when challenged.
Two granddaughters, Jessica and Stephanie, also reminisced at her
Hunter Valley Scots funeral speaking of their memories of the great times they had with
Club
grandma. Jessie’s love of family history, travelling to Scotland to trace her
PO Box 34
family history, writing the story of her life with happy memories and
Kotara NSW 2289
photos. As well as saving memories, she made memories for the children
with crafts and special treats and generally being spoiled as kids;
Website:
Christmas dinners at Cardiff; summers at Salamander Bay.
hvsc.org.au
Elma See, foundation member and past President recalls Jessie
McGeachie, then Jessie Baker, and her sister Heather Cook served for
Email
many years in the early days of Hunter Valley Scots Club. Together with
scots@hvsc.org.au
the Thomsons, the Douglases, Alex Flett and Tom Wallace they gave
many years of dedicated service to give the new Club a firm foundation on
which to build. They were still there when Bill Ball with the help of Joan
Facebook
Bremner saw the Club incorporated and the lease of Teralba Hall. Many
Don’t forget to ‘like’
Hunter Valley Scots relatives and friends attended her funeral on Friday 23rd January in the
Westcott chapel at Stockton, (Piper Graham Adams) and is fondly
Club
remembered by all who knew her
Reverend Tony Lang
Congratulations on receiving an Order of Australia medal this year.
Tony is known to the Cub for involvement such as the Annual Lunch,
when he spoke on his trip to Scotland and his books, one at least on his
time in Scotland, and for the St Andrews service in 2013
In 1990 he conducted the 75th anniversary of the Anzacs dawn service at
Gallipoli travelling with 58 veterans aged between 93 and 103 years.
He was army chaplain 1976-1992 then police chaplain in Queensland and
now NSW. His insight on counselling—” It’s amazing what can be solved
over a cup of tea and a biscuit”
Page
Page 7
7
Issue 211
AND THERE’S MORE!
THANK YOU to all who contributed to the Burns Night—(in no order
Hunter Valley Scots
club inc
Contact us:
of importance) band, pipe band, piper, MC, dance caller, setting up,
pulling down, highland dancers, speech makers, haggis maker , Club
Macquarie staff, program organiser, raffle donators,
And particularly to YOU who attended and brought your friends along—it
could not happen without you
Scottish Country Dancing classes starting for 2015.
Colleges class: Beginners and regular classes start on Friday 13th Feb
2015 at the Uniting Church hall, Corner Brunker and Glebe Rds,
Adamstown. 7:30 – 9:30 pm, followed by supper.
Hunter Valley Scots
Club
Strath Hunter class resumes Monday 2nd March 2015 at the Uniting
PO Box 34
Church Hall, Metcalfe St, Wallsend. 7:15 – 9 pm.
Kotara NSW 2289
Website:
hvsc.org.au
Email
scots@hvsc.org.au
Facebook
Don’t forget to ‘like’
Hunter Valley Scots
Club
See the RSCDS – Hunter Valley branch website for more details of these
and other classes.
Bush Dancing
For beginners and experienced dancers. Australian and multicultural.
3rd Sunday of each month Feb-Nov. Cost $5
All Saints Anglican Hall, Cnr Oxford and Cromwell Sts, New Lambton
CARING FOR OUR MEMBERS
We are a Club more than 100 members—large enough to be worthwhile
but small enough that we can be know and be caring of our members.
Life does not always run smoothly in life, and especially for some of our
older long term members, their health is failing. If you are aware of
members who could do with our support please let us know so we can
pass the message on (obviously you need to check with them first)
Or on a more positive note: there are joys and celebrations that members
experience that we could recognise in this newsletter. Just let us know by
contacting one of the Committee, myself, or through the contact points (to
the left of this page)