Fortunas 32 - December 2013

REGIONAL DOLLAR
ACADEMY CLUBS
DOLLAR
Mrs Sally Sutcliffe (née Reeves)
12 Princes Crescent North
DOLLAR
FK14 7BX
sallyfiona@btinternet.com
DOLLAR ACADEMICALS
Mr Iain Mears
The Cottage
5 Chapel Place
DOLLAR
FK14 7DW
iainmears@btinternet.com
EDINBURGH
Mrs Fiona Frazer
15 Cammo Crescent
EDINBURGH
EH4 8DZ
ffrazer_2000@hotmail.com
NORTH OF ENGLAND
Mrs Deirdre Buchanan
One Oak
Hallgarth
PICKERING
North Yorkshire
YO18 7AW
adrian.grant@taspartnership.co.uk
GLASGOW
Mr Will Gibson
7a Briarwell Road
Milngavie
GLASGOW
G62 6AW
gibsonw3@sky.com
HIGHLAND
Mr Colin Milne
28 Tillybrake Gardens
BANCHORY
AB31 5QG
colmilne@aol.com
LONDON
Mrs Elizabeth C Heath
3 Redhill Close
SOUTHAMPTON
Hampshire
SO16 7BT
chris_eliz.heath@yahoo.co.uk
NORTH OF SCOTLAND
Dr Andrew A Burt
Cantlebrae
Pitgober
DOLLAR
FK14 7PQ
doctor.burt@virgin.net
2
CONSULS
Australia
Sydney
Jill Westwater
jill.westwater@googlemail.com
0061 404 400 554
Melbourne
Mark Plummer
mark.m.plummer@gmail.com
0061 404 467 924
Canada
Bruce Buck
brucebuck@hotmail.ca
001 905 468 1512
China
Beijing
Malcolm Thorp
malcolm@weemac.com
0086 1391 0075 452
Hong Kong
Eric Chan
dollaracademyhkfp@gmail.com
USA
California
Mohammad Diab
diab@sbcglobal.net
001415 710 8438
Arizona
Wendy Hurley
ahwatukee17@yahoo.com
001480 284 8244/001 480 389 8692
DATA PROTECTION
Dollar Academy sends out copies of Fortunas and its enclosures in envelopes addressed to former pupils,
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Academy by email: registrar@dollaracademy.org.uk. Similarly, in order that we may keep our data as accurate
as possible, you are asked to inform us of any change of address.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Editor: Heather Lumsden
Lumsden-H@dollaracademy.
org.uk
CONTENTS
Design: Peter Nelson
peter@peternelsonart.com
Around the Houses – Boarding at Dollar
Registrar: Elaine Gallagher
registrar@dollaracademy.org.uk
Archivist: Janet Carolan
Carolan-J@dollaracademy.org.
uk
Proof readers: David Delaney,
Jane Greenlee, Lesley Jeffrey,
Mairi
Leggatt,
Heather
Lumsden, Billy Prior
The opinions expressed in
this magazine belong to the
individual writers and not to
Dollar Academy.
Fortunas 33
Many thanks to everyone who
has contributed articles or images
to Fortunas 32; the deadline for
submission of articles for the
summer issue is Monday 21st
April 2014.
page
From the Rector4
Sponsored Walk 20136
10
Dollar Bids Farewell…13
Dollar Welcomes…18
Six Talk the Top Six20
Along the Corridors – News from the Classrooms
22
Prep School News22
Junior School News28
Beauty and the Beast – the Junior School Musical
28
Art & Literature34
Expressive Arts40
Footloose – the Senior School Musical
40
Learning sans frontières – Dollar Pupils Venture Forth
43
After the Bell – Co-curricular News
55
Charities55
Combined Cadet Force59
Focus on Royal Navy66
Sport 70
Cricket76
Sports Weekend83
Belfast Hockey Tour 86
Special Feature – The Dollar Lions
89
FP Forum93
FP News93
Obituaries105
From the Archives
112
Fortunas 32
December 2013
3
FROM THE RECTOR
4
If you flick through the following pages at a rapid rate of knots, you
will quickly realise from the photographs that a huge part of a
Dollar education is spent outside the classroom. Some outstanding
achievements are recorded in this magazine: a second Ashburton
Trophy for the shooting team at Bisley (Dollar being the only
Scottish school to win this event in the last 50 years); the
excitement of becoming joint HMC Scottish Schools T20
Cricket Champions; and CCF cadet success in both the
Scottish Military Skills and National First Aid competitions.
Success is easy to measure in open competition, but
those who enjoyed the flamboyance of our two wonderful
musicals last summer (Footloose and Beauty and the
Beast), or who experienced the inter-generational wonder
that is the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, would surely avow that
these occasions were no less impressive.
In many ways, however, it could be argued that
the most special event of all is the Sponsored Walk. It
is a rare thing, a genuinely whole school activity
whose raison d’être is to help others. I enjoyed
looking at the photographs of “The Walk” in this
magazine and being reminded of the event. I also
enjoyed some of the comments of the pupils.
Cecily Douglas, in Prep 4, wrote “The
whole school was very tired that night. We all did
this walk because we wanted to help other
people by raising money for charities. I was very
happy that I had raised some money for the
Malindi Project and I was proud that I had
walked a long way.” Quite right Cecily.
Additionally, I noted with
interest the closing lines of the two
poems written by Junior 1 pupils: “We
have raised £52695, For our charities!” I
liked the enthusiasm conveyed by the
exclamation mark (yes, punctuation is
important!) but what really caught my
eye was the phrase “our charities”. That
sense
of
community
symbolises everything that is
best about Dollar and I think,
when you have finished
flicking
through
the
photographs and have
found the time to sit down
and enjoy reading Fortunas
32, you will see what I mean.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
5
Fortunas 32
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6
Fortunas 32
December 2013
sponsored walk...
Tension growing,
Last preparations,
Bursting out with excitement,
Finally we’re away,
Strolling along Academy Place,
And up the Burnside,
River flowing,
Up the Mill Green,
Wave to Mrs Gibson,
And away we go,
Steaming up Castle Road,
Steep and hard,
Hillfoot Hill on the right,
Say “hello” to the sheep,
Past Maiden’s Well,
And through Glenquey Reservoir,
Shoes getting muddy,
Along we go,
Past Burnfoot,
To Glendevon,
At the lunch field,
Danny’s snacks going,
Scoffing our lunch,
Pictures by the teachers,
Do it all over again,
Starts off hard,
With a big hill,
The rest is easy,
I can’t believe it,
We’ve made it,
OMG,
We have raised £52695,
For our charities!
Max Dixon and Ben Clarke (J1M)
Arrive at the Junior School,
And through the big gates,
Excitement,
The path is getting narrow,
Buzzing like bees,
And steep,
8:50 the bell rings,
Danny’s snacks,
Rushing into class,
Are in sight,
Ready to start,
We finally get there,
The walk begins,
The lunch field,
Up the Burnside,
Slightly damp,
Past the Mill Green,
But we’re still having fun,
And away we go,
We are halfway to our goal,
Up the steep path,
But we don’t mind,
Passing the seniors,
As long as it’s for charity,
Getting tired,
And we have raised,
Out of puff,
£52 695,
6 miles to go,
For our six charities!!
Over the mini bridge,
Gabriella Forbes and Zara Kennedy (J1M)
Feet getting sore,
Through Maiden’s Well,
Fortunas 32
December 2013
7
8
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sponsored walk...
9
Fortunas 32
December 2013
GHOSTLY GOINGS-ON IN ARGYLL!
ARGYLL HOUSE
10
For many pupils, the start of one new school year is much
the same as any other. For boarders, it is different, as
returning for another year in the House is both familiar and
completely different at the same time. With 10 new faces
joining Argyll this year, there were a lot of new names to
remember, room plans to get used to, and people to get
to know. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me,
but for some of the newer returning boarders and also
all our brand-new girls, these were a daunting few days.
Those first few days at school always fly by, and before we
knew it we had the weekend ahead of us. Surrounded by
those new faces, it was an exciting prospect. On Sunday
morning the girls took part in what has over many years
now become a House tradition - the Treasure Hunt round
the school grounds. This gave us a fun morning to get to
know each other and, for some, the school grounds a little
better! That afternoon Mr and Mrs Welsh had arranged
for a great trip through to Glasgow to help the girls who
were not only new to the school, but also to Scotland to
get a feel for the place. (An opportunity for the slightly
more forgetful amongst us to pick up those last-minute
school supplies or essentials for boarding life that had
slipped our minds before!) After a trip round the shops,
we had dinner at a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, which
had been a popular choice last year. Thankfully it didn’t
disappoint. The food was excellent, and the spectacle of
the chef cooking on one of many large hot plates in front
of us proved as exciting as always. I can’t wait to see what
the year brings and to get to know everyone in Argyll
much better, and I know everyone else is looking forward
to the year ahead as much as I am.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
On the afternoon of 3rd November, albeit slightly late,
Argyll House participated in the traditional, and very
popular, Halloween party. There were some impressive
and truly terrifying costumes on show as everyone really
got into the spirit of the event. Classic party games such
as ‘wrap the mummy’ and ‘musical statues’ were met with
much enthusiasm (despite most of the girls being seniors!).
After this, a treasure hunt upstairs saw a number of the
older girls lying in wait for the groups. Much as some
may deny it, the screams were very real, and Mr Welsh’s
costume in particular could figure in many nightmares.
Finally, the favourite part for the organisers - the ‘Haunted
Dungeon’ which involved a series of messy challenges for
the groups to complete. These ranged from the standard
dookin’ for apples, to having your face pushed into flour
and jelly, and to eating doughnuts whilst being covered in
ice-cream sauce. Overall, the challenges and indeed the
whole party were met with great enthusiasm (and bravery!)
– another thoroughly successful Argyll event.
Lucy Taylor (Head of House, Form VI)
Xinyi He (Deputy Head of House, Form V)
around the houses...
HEYWORTH HOUSE
There are lots of things I could
write about life in Heyworth. It’s a
great, happy House filled with lovely
people, and I think the only way to
get a real feeling for the House is
through the characters in it. Rather
than writing a fairly lengthy and
potentially repetitive description of
each individual, we thought it would
be more fun to liken everyone to a
Disney character!
First we have Jess, our Head
of House – the beautiful Tinker Bell
of course! Then we have our Deputy
Heads, Anya the Fairy Godmother,
and Lisa – Rabbit! There is brave
princess Merida, the sporty and
independent Katie; Bethany is our
version of Hannah Montana, and
Anna is Sebastian the Crab from The
Little Memaid. Rachael is naturally
Winnie the Poo, because if she’s
not sleeping, she’s eating! Next up,
Kathleen’s beautiful voice makes
her Lumière, the singing candlestick;
Louise is the Disney Channel’s Emma
Ross; Lindsay is Stitch and Marta is
Geppetto, lovable and wise. Clearly,
Elena is Spirit, the stallion; Isadora is
Phineas to Adelina’s Ferb and Helen
is Piglet. Sherry and Elena are Abigail
and Amelia from the Aristocats as
they are inseparable. Finally, Megan
is Heyworth’s Genie, Meg’s fighting
spirit makes her Mulan, Daniela is
Perry the Platypus, and then Ellie, the
newbie, is our Alice in Wonderland,
because that’s what she must feel like,
surrounded by all these crazy people!
And not forgetting our
House Parents, Mr and Mrs Duncan suitably Mr and Mrs Incredible, with
Finnlay as Dash and Hannes as JackJack!
That’s Heyworth House this
year – what would Walt make of us
all?!?
Alice Thomson (Form III)
The boarding community extends
special thanks to Mary Stenhouse
who retired in July 2013. Mary worked
as an assistant in the boarding houses
for 39 years and is herself a Former
Pupil of the Academy. Her working
life started at Parkfield, a boys’
house, and continued there when
it became a girls’ house, Heyworth.
She was a popular member of staff
and will be hugely missed by pupils
and colleagues. All in Heyworth
House would like to wish her a happy
retirement and the very best for the
future.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
11
around the houses...
12
McNABB & TAIT HOUSE
The first weeks of any session is all about bringing
new boys into the House, making them feel welcome
while making sure you build on the good work of the
previous year. A positive, enthusiastic esprit de corps
is the key to a happy House. This last term has been
no different, and it has been heartening to see just how
quickly our numerous new arrivals were assimilated into
the welcoming atmosphere of McNabb & Tait. Although
our boys are drawn from the four corners of the globe,
the one activity that can bring them all together is the
pursuit of, what is for them, a rather bizarrely-shaped ball
around the muddiest corner of the school grounds. This
year we possibly have more boys playing rugby through
all the age ranges than ever before, and the commitment,
specifically, of some of the senior boys to the 2nd XV
has been most worthy of note. There are times when the
temptation has been to rename it the Boarders XV. Away
from the sporting field, there have been excellent boarding
outings to the International Climbing Centre at Ratho and
a first-class Ghost Walk through the underground vaults
of Edinburgh’s Old Town, where many boys had to face,
head on, their refusal to believe in the spirit world. Closer
to home, the boys have also enjoyed the old favourites of
Sunday afternoon trips to the Olympia swimming pool in
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Dundee and Laserquesting in Falkirk - some things never
change. This term also saw the wonderful Sponsored
Walk take the whole school into the Ochils on what was,
mercifully, a dry Friday. All our boys enjoyed the chance to
get their walking books on – sometimes alongside some
rather fetching headgear or unconventional attire – and
face down the challenge set by the 13 miles. All agreed that
it was a well-spent Friday, and one that raised a significant
amount of money for all the charities concerned.
Neil McFadyean
ELAN BORROWMAN
An extraordinary sportswoman who
is modest about her achievements; an
outstanding and very patient coach;
a committed proponent of school
sport – hockey, golf, swimming . . . ;
a devoted Head of Year; an excellent
organiser of PSE; a respected
authority on guidance matters on a
national level; and, most importantly,
an inspiring teacher. These were some
of the descriptions applied to Elan
by the Rector in his farewell speech
when she retired after 22 years of
dedicated service to Dollar Academy.
I would not disagree with any of
them, but perhaps above all I have
always admired something else about
Elan - her style: her great jewellery,
chic clothes, enviable sports car. .
. She is the perfect example of the
teacher who worked for her pupils
with selfless dedication inside and
outside the classroom, always there
when she was needed, and who still
did not ever compromise her faultless
eye make-up. Impressive.
Hailing from Dunfermline
where she excelled at school,
especially in sporting pursuits, Elan
trained at PE College in Edinburgh
and went on to teach in a number
of schools before arriving at Dollar
as a PE specialist in 1991. Even
then, her reputation went before
her. “Oh you’re going to Dollar,”
said a colleague at Stewart’s Melville
when I was about to make the move
north from the big city, “that’s Elan
Borrowman’s school. [Note the use
of the possessive . . .] You’ll like her.”
I did – from the start. One of my
earliest memories of Elan is of my
first Burns Supper when she sang
‘Philip is My Darling’ to a delighted
Deputy Head Boy (and kept her job).
That’s style.
Of course, all the pupils
were her darlings. From little Prep
1 swimmers, trying - successfully
- to please her by taking their first
tentative strokes in the pool, to Form
VI lads, trying - unsuccessfully - to
persuade her that they should be
allowed out of timetabled class to
complete UCAS forms, Elan loved
dollar bids farewell...
and cared for them all. As a Head
of Year, she was outstanding. She
knew every pupil in her year group
personally and many young people
have cause to thank her for her
support and care over the years. She
also made PSE fun – and was even
more entertaining in the staffroom
when recounting hilarious moments
of misunderstanding in her classes,
none of which I will repeat here, as I
could not do justice to Elan’s abilities
as a raconteur and to the impact
of her uproarious laugh. Elan, the
Heads of Year base is a quieter place
now. Your Guidance colleagues all
fully expect, however, that you will
arrive some day after school with the
cocktail shaker and glasses that we
gave you as a farewell present (what
else?) and insist that we sample some
of the contents . . .
Elan’s roles as a Head of
Year and PSE Co-ordinator came
later and these are the ones in which
I knew her best, but her earlier
accomplishments in sport, especially
hockey, are breathtaking. Asked by
the Rector at the Rugby and Hockey
Tea last spring how many times she
had been capped for Scotland for
hockey, she said vaguely, “Oh, a few.”
The answer was actually 57, plus some
GB caps as well – more caps than our
own John Barclay has (to date) for
rugby, and about the same as current
Scotland rugby captain Kelly Brown.
Rather more than ‘a few’ then. Again,
style.
Elan’s husband, David, was
a Dollar Former Pupil, and her three
children, Lyndsey-Anne, Suzanne
and Scott, all attended Dollar – so
they have always been and still are a
real Dollar family. It was, therefore,
no surprise that both girls chose the
school as a wedding venue. And now,
of course, Elan has a beautiful granddaughter, Murrin. I even hear on the
grapevine that she intends to change
her Spyder sports car for something
more practical in order to be able to
accommodate baby paraphernalia.
You may lose the wheels, Elan, but
the style? Never.
We miss you and wish you
every success in the multi-coloured
years that lie ahead.
Lesley Hutchison
Fortunas 32
December 2013
13
MAUREEN PENNIE
14
Maureen joined the staff at Dollar in August 2003,
bringing with her a wealth of experience as a classroom
teacher of Mathematics. She quickly established herself as
a key member of the Department and gained a reputation
for setting the highest of standards in her classroom –
failure was not an option for pupils in Mrs Pennie’s classes!
With her impeccable organisation, she naturally became
the guardian of the Department’s resources and would
always be able to locate that treasured worksheet or puzzle
from years ago. Her interest in departmental development
and encouraging pupils to enjoy recreational mathematics
was evident in the Games and Puzzles Club, which she
established and ran for Form I and II pupils. Her weekly
puzzles have, I am sure, kept countless pupils (and a few
staff, too) thinking. She used all of her skills in her role as
the treasurer of DATA, not just keeping Richard Johnston
right, but dealing with lots of ‘behind the scenes’ detail
that kept the organisation running.
We will remember Maureen for many things, not
least for making that long (and sometimes dangerous)
commute from Crieff to Dollar. The fact that she made it
in to work on some of our worst weather days was again
testament to her determination to do her best for Dollar
Academy. We will remember her telling us tales of how
she had spent the weekends and holidays transporting
bikes, canoes, Scamp the dog, and her daughter Fiona (a
professional canoeist of international standing) to farflung corners of the UK and beyond. We will remember
Maureen for many things, but at the foremost, we will
remember her for her dedication, commitment and her
devotion to the pupils in her care – she always put the
pupils first.
We will miss her, but we wish her and her husband
Nigel all the very best in their retirement together. We
hope that she now finds some time to devote to herself.
Jason Brooks
ROB MOFFAT
Mr Rob Moffat was with us for only two years, but it has
to be said that there can be few people who have ever
made such an impact at Dollar Academy in such a short
space of time. He arrived after a very successful career
in professional rugby, having previously been Head of
Physical Education at Earlston High School in his beloved
Borders.
He immediately threw himself into Dollar life,
and from coaching the 1st XV and a range of younger
rugby teams and individuals, to teaching Prep 1s in the
swimming pool, his incredible enthusiasm and ability to
motivate both pupils and staff soon became the hallmarks
of everything he was involved in. He was an energetic,
if rather cumbersome MC at Christmas Dances, with
his efforts at that Dollar anthem ‘YMCA’ destined for
legendary status. He spoke with genuine wit and charm at
the Burns Supper, and regularly gave up his own time to
help pupils and to take extra practices in a variety of sports
and activities.
Clearly it would be a huge understatement to say
that it was merely our rugby players who have benefited
from Rob’s experience and expertise. Every single pupil
knew him, respected him, and enjoyed being taught by him.
Every member of staff respected him for his achievements
and his warm, courteous character. There is no doubt that
the regular cries of ‘boom!’ which resonated around the
school grounds wherever he went will be missed by all.
We all wish him success in his new post as
Director of Rugby at Merchiston Castle School, but at the
same time hope that he loses at least one match each year!
Steve Newton
Fortunas 32
December 2013
dollar bids farewell...
ELSPETH AND SAM
If anyone were to ask me what makes
a great teacher of Art and Design, and,
I should point out immediately that
no one is actually likely to turn round
the corner, bump into me and consult
me on this matter, but if they did, I
would tell them that they would learn
a lot, as I have, from the multifaceted
brilliance of Elspeth Scott and Sam
Kennedy. To lose both in the same
year, as we did last session, was a
double blow from which we are now
happily recovering. Both teachers
have had such a significant influence
on all around them and they leave an
enduring legacy on a group of pupils,
colleagues and former pupils who
have been inspired by their presence.
So what is so great about
these two teachers? First, they are
superbly talented and imaginative
artists in their own right: the fluency
and skill of their drawing, their
appreciation of new and innovative
ideas, the depth of their insights into
the subject and the constant flow of
creative work that shone out of their
classrooms are underpinned by their
talent. The wave of invention and
interest that affected their classes is
the result of hours of preparation
and forethought; I often saw the
lights in their rooms long after school
finished and admired their passion
and commitment to the subject and
to their pupils. They have always
been keen to get involved in every
aspect of the life of the Department
and they enhanced departmental
events, photography trips and the
many exhibitions, pizza nights, trips
to Paris, Berlin, Madrid and London.
They also brought so much to
these occasions: who will forget the
rapping, the poetry and outfits for
last nights of trips?
Elspeth and Sam have made
a great impact on the Department, yet
for all this achievement, and they both
have a record of quite remarkable
results, they are delightfully modest,
open, obliging and self-critical. It is
from that combination of restless
innovation, willingness to get
involved and hard work, together
with a calmness and self-effacing
charm that we can all learn. I would
love to have been taught by Elspeth
Scott and Sam Kennedy and it has
been a delight to have had them
working at Dollar at the same time.
Elspeth Scott joined the Department
in 2006 from the PGCE course at the
University of Hertfordshire. She is
a Fine Art graduate of Edinburgh
College of Art. When Elspeth
arrived, I soon found that she was
a completely natural teacher: bright,
lively, and serious. She has the ability
to explain things with a clarity and
succinctness: a natural talent that
comes from a true communicator.
She has a host of artistic interests and
gifts and always a desire to expand
the scope of her knowledge. I will
remember her as a technically gifted
painter with a deep understanding
of the history of art, who passed on
her skill like a Renaissance master.
She was also a greatly respected
Form teacher, House tutor and
famously, more famously than she
would like, she took a lunchtime
class in belly dancing and once, to
the utter astonishment and delight
of all those present, performed in a
Berlin Turkish Restaurant. She was
also an outstandingly thoughtful,
reliable, diplomatic and calm editor
of Fortunas (- a very hard act to
follow! Editor)
Elspeth’s husband, Phil,
has taken a new position and,
together with their son, James, who
is blessed with his parents’ charm
and good nature, they have moved
from Edinburgh to Huntly. So
many of us have a great affection
for Elspeth. I remember talking to a
group of pupils, who were thinking
of taking Art, about the joys of the
new Intermediate 2. At the end of
what I thought was an informative
and thorough review of the course,
Fortunas 32
December 2013
15
I asked for questions. “Are we getting
Miss Scott?”
16
Sam Kennedy came to us from
Acland Burghley School, London,
and at once we were impressed by
her boundless energy, intelligence,
creative acumen, charm and style. A
style that can almost be deconstructed,
like a Higher Design paper: her
innovative tertiary colour, subtle
tone, compositional informality,
complex texture - these are the visual
elements of Sam’s appearance, and
they also reflect her personality. She
looks and is an original, inventive
individual, someone who shuns
the obvious visual platitudes by
stressing the individual nature of the
activities, and she asks pupils to reach
into their own experience, to their
singular perception of the world,
for ideas and creative avenues. She
studied printmaking at Duncan of
Jordanstone and by introducing this,
she created a whole new branch of
the Department; now it was possible
to have layered images and designs
for fabric that opened up a host of
new activities. She took over and
galvanised the Higher Photography
course with a new passion and
rigour: her deadlines were demanding
and her expectations of individual
and creative work were high, yet
she interacted with pupils with an
unassuming,
approachable
and
helpful manner.
For four years Sam made
the commute to Dollar from near
Blairgowrie, and she has now taken a
job just 10 minutes from her door at
Blairgowrie High. For her husband,
Gary, and their children, Frankie and
Peggy, this is a delight, but I am sure
they still see less of her than they
would like. One of many memories
of Sam’s radiant flair was in the
upstairs room of the restaurant Gare
de L’est, Paris, where she enacted
an impromptu poem that included
a witty line about each of the 56
members of the trip, a tour de force
that left the audience breathless:
that’s Sam.
Gus Maclean
FRASER JACKSON
Fraser joined the Music Department in 2010 as a sound
engineer and guitar teacher. We had just started teaching
new SQA Music Technology courses, and Fraser brought
his considerable expertise and experience to this new
developing area. I was immediately impressed by his
calm demeanour and the patience he demonstrated
with members of staff who were clearly frustrated and
exasperated with the existing technologies. Much to
my relief, Fraser started solving problems quickly and
efficiently, and staff became quite inspired about what
technology could bring to their lessons.
I was not only impressed with how Fraser could
relate to staff but even more so with how he could relate
to our pupils. His love of music and his passion for music
technology have been transmitted to numerous groups
of Form I and II pupils and many certificate classes. He
worked tirelessly with pupils and staff and his patience,
cheerfulness and willingness to explain things was greatly
appreciated. His role at Dollar also included recording cocurricular groups and setting up sound for a huge variety
of school functions, often at very unsociable hours. I
know that many of the staff were very grateful for his help
at Burns Suppers, Sports Days, charity events and School
Dances.
Although usually surrounded by leads, mics and
amplifiers, Fraser was never very far away from his guitar.
Our pupils have benefited enormously from his excellent
guitar teaching and also from his willingness to play many
guitar parts on their SQA recordings. Those who did not
know of his expertise had their eyes opened when they
heard his superb playing in the Senior Musical, We will
Rock You.
Fraser has moved on to a placement as a sound
engineer with the BBC, an exciting and challenging post.
One of his first tasks was to set up for a concert at the
Usher Hall, a test I am confident that he will have passed
with flying colours. We are very grateful for all the work
he did at Dollar and wish him every success in the future.
Karol Fitzpatrick
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December 2013
PREP 1 AND FORM VI
TEDDY BEARS’
PICNIC
Tuesday 18th June 2013
A fond farewell to the Class of 2013
– a warm welcome to the future
Class of 2025!
Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe
17
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December 2013
DON CASKIE
18
Don Caskie has joined the staff of
the PE Department in the role of
Director of Rugby. A qualified PE
teacher and RFU/UKCC Level 4
coach, he played professionally for
Gloucester for a number of years
and has been capped for Scotland at
various levels, from Scottish Students
all the way to Scotland A team.
He then moved into professional
coaching, enjoying success with
National League 1 side Moseley and
winning the EDF National Trophy at
Twickenham, before being recruited
by the Georgian Rugby Federation
to co-coach their national squad.
Georgia subsequently won a Grand
Slam in the ENC Six Nations and
performed extremely well at the 2011
World Cup in New Zealand, playing
against the likes of Scotland, England
and Argentina. Since then he has
been Head of the Georgian National
Academy of Rugby, leading a team of
14 coaches and working with national
youth sides, with the responsibility of
developing the game in Georgia. In
addition to his new role as Director
of Rugby at Dollar, he is currently the
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December 2013
Assistant Coach to the Scotland U18s
with specific responsibility for attack
and back play.
Don brings huge experience
of coaching at the very top level and has
introduced a new rugby development
programme throughout the school as
a whole. He firmly believes that rugby
within Dollar Academy should exist
to develop and sustain the values that
bring out the best in young people,
developing confidence, enthusiasm,
sportsmanship and independence
of mind. He is committed to giving
pupils the support they need to
represent the school and fulfil the
ambitions of a very proud schooling
tradition.
KYLE ELY
The Department of Mathematics
is delighted to welcome Kyle Ely
to make up its numbers. Born in
Edinburgh, she lived in Linlithgow
for the first 18 years of her life.
On leaving school, she returned to
Edinburgh to study Mathematics
and gained her BSc (Hons) from the
University of Edinburgh in 2008.
Having completed her PGDE at
Moray House in 2009, she crossed
the Forth to Dundee, where she
taught for three years at St. John’s
High School. 2013 has proved a
successful year so far for Kyle, as her
engagement in January was topped
off with her successful application to
join the Maths Department at Dollar!
Outside the classroom her main
pursuit is hockey and she currently
runs out for Linlithgow Ladies. She
also embarks upon the occasional
hill walk, weather permitting! Kyle
is thoroughly enjoying her time at
Dollar and is delighted to have the
opportunity to become involved in
coaching hockey.
dollar welcomes...
DUNCAN GIBB
Another addition to the Maths
Department this session comes
in the (lofty!) form of Duncan
Gibb. Duncan was born and raised
in Edinburgh, before heading
to Aberdeen University to study
Geography. Four years later, after
enjoying other courses more than
he had anticipated, he left with a
BSc (Hons) in Mathematics. After
a few years in various jobs and after
adventures that included the TransSiberian Railway and a 15,000 mile
road-trip of North America, he
returned to Aberdeen to complete a
PGDE.
Duncan joins Dollar from
the Douglas Ewart High School in
Newton Stewart. He loved being
in Galloway, with so many hill
walking, running and mountain
biking options on his doorstep. Not
many schools can compete in this
respect. However, he is now enjoying
exploring the Ochils and surrounding
countryside on his own, as well as by
assisting with the Running Club and
the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. His
only disappointment has been the
discovery of Dollar’s unusual microclimate!
Duncan has been impressed
by Dollar pupils’ enthusiasm in the
classroom and their extensive cocurricular involvement. He is looking
forward to helping them make the
most of both in the years to come.
MILO MacDERMOT
FRASER MUIRHEAD
Milo is the first of two new
appointments warmly welcomed to
the Department of Art and Design
this session. Born and brought up in
London, his early schooling there was
followed by a Foundation course at
Wimbledon School of Art. Thereafter
he left the Capital and ventured to
the University of Wales where he
attained a BA (Hons) in Ceramics.
After graduating, he spent some time
working in a variety of jobs ranging
from football coach to manager
of a pottery café to chalet host. He
also lived and worked in Vancouver,
Canada for a year, where he also
took advantage of the opportunity to
pursue his love of snowboarding at
Whistler Mountain.
Having enjoyed much time
working with children, Milo then
decided to undertake a PGCE in
Art and Design at the Institute of
Education, back home in London.
Before joining the staff at Dollar,
he taught in an inner London
school for six years, taking on many
responsibilities within the school
and developing his love of Art and
Design. The move to Scotland has
been an exciting one for him and his
family, with the added excitement of
a new addition to the MacDermot
clan in the first few weeks of term.
Milo is now looking forward to
working in a thriving department
and to bringing his own skills and
interests to the diverse co-curricular
life of the school.
Fraser grew up on the South Side
of Glasgow in Newton Mearns and
attended Hutchesons’ Grammar
School, where his love for art and
design was nurtured. His passion
fuelled by a clutch of awards in this
field, he enrolled at the Glasgow
School of Art to study Silversmithing
and Jewellery Design. His time at Art
School proved a great experience
that saw his work displayed in
Philadelphia, Glasgow, Edinburgh
and Dundee and earned him a
bursary from Goldsmiths’ Hall in
London. Following graduation, he
was involved in both the sales and the
design side of the jewellery industry
in Edinburgh and Glasgow before
studying for his PGDE at Strathclyde
University. This led to two hugely
enjoyable years at Carrick Academy
in South Ayrshire before taking up
the post in the Department of Art
and Design at Dollar.
Through his involvement
with church and charity work, Fraser
was also fortunate enough to visit
Peru to project-manage a ScottishPeruvian collaboration to design and
make jewellery for retail in Scotland,
the proceeds of which raised funds
for a charitable organisation.
A passionate Scot, when
not drawing or creating, Fraser
indulges his love of sport and can
regularly be found on a golf course
(more accurately in a bunker!) or
cheering on Scotland at Hampden
or Murrayfield. He is loving life at
Dollar: the stunning setting, the warm
welcome from both pupils and staff,
the skirl of the pipes over the school
grounds when the Pipe Band practise
– everything he was told about the
school has proved true!
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December 2013
19
This passion for music, or for just
generally being loud, led our Head
Girl to perform in the School Musicals
Cats and Footloose, where she sang
and danced her way around stage in
front of large audiences. She can also
be found demonstrating these talents
to a smaller, but no less appreciative
audience in the Sixth Form Centre.
by Joe
20
Joe Armstrong, Head Boy
Julia Hurry, Head Girl
Joe arrived at Dollar Academy in
Form I, making him not only the
youngest and tallest but also the
newest member of the Top Six.
Studying Advanced Highers in
Modern Studies and Music with
Technology, as well as modules in
Economics and Politics, he is likely to
be found rushing between the History
and Music Departments, making sure
to pause at the halfway point: the pool
table in the Sixth Form Centre. After
his time at Dollar, he is keen to study
Psychology at university to develop a
deeper understanding of the human
mind. The highlight of his school
career so far, apart from leading
his team to a mighty second place
at the Scottish University Ultimate
Frisbee Championships, is probably
earning the title of Lord Lieutenant’s
Cadet. Joe is the other Pipe Band
representative in the Top 6: as Lead
Drummer he helped the Band to
success in the most recent Cowal
Championships, and has himself
won the Scottish Senior Drumming
and Craigmount Solo Drumming
titles, not to mention his competing
in the World Solo Drumming
Championships. Like many Head
Boys before him, Joe is a talented,
determined and conscientious young
man; just don’t ask him to introduce
you at a dinner speech - you might
not get your glass back in one piece.
Our fantastic Head Girl has been with
us at Dollar from the beginning of
Junior 2. Ever since her arrival Julia
has been a high achiever in all the
activities in which she has taken part.
Her academic track record speaks for
itself: from the early days of earning
General Excellence awards, to gaining
a clutch of top grades in her Higher
examinations, to that ridiculously high
UKCAT score – her achievements
are certainly impressive. Planning to
study Dentistry at university, she is
currently working towards Advanced
Highers in Biology, Chemistry and
Pure Maths, as well as Higher Latin,
which she stresses is not a dead
language! She is keen not to break her
bond to other departments, however,
and this has seen her take part in
many trips (to the Swiss Alps, the
Battlefields of the Somme and, most
recently, the Grand Canyon), despite
not actually studying the relevant
subjects…. In her spare time, Julia
explores her creative side, taking part
in a wide range of cultural activities
which have earned her another
coloured band on her blazer. As
violinist of the First Orchestra and a
member of the Mixed Voice Choir,
she has taken part in Christmas
Concerts at both Perth Concert Hall
and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, which
she describes as fantastic experiences.
by Julia
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December 2013
Danny Dineen,
Head Boy
Deputy
Danny joined the school in Prep
5 and since then he has made a
huge impression on Dollar with his
wide range of co-curricular skills
and kind-hearted personality. He is
currently studying Advanced Highers
in Maths, Physics and Mechanics,
which will hopefully help him gain a
place at university next year to study
Aeromechanical Engineering. It also
comes as no surprise that he is taking
Higher PE, with rugby forming such
a huge part of his life. To date, he
has already represented Scotland in
the U16 team, has played on foreign
shores with Stirling County and now
serves as Secretary for the school’s
1st XV. Despite being injured at
present, it is hard to arrange anything
with Danny as he is either at training
sessions, matches, or just simply away
in his own wee world. In between
all this, he somehow manages to
fit in time for music, playing alto
saxophone in the school’s jazz band,
DAJO. He also has a talent for singing,
but is unfortunately too shy to admit
this to Mr McGonigle, so regrettably
this talent remains hidden. Instead,
Danny stays behind the scenes,
working as the Sound Technician for
school productions. The list doesn’t
end there: our Deputy Head Boy is
six talk the top six...
also part of the CCF and is proud
to captain Dollar’s Shooting team,
having shot for Scotland against
LMRA. Despite his protestations to
the contrary, he is, perhaps, the most
emotional and sensitive member of
the Top Six; we all know it’s true and
will continue to support him.
Vale Family Centre. It comes as no
surprise, then, that she is planning to
study Social Work at university. I wish
her all the best in getting that place.
Fiona Keith, Deputy Head
Girl
Cameron Prentice, Deputy
Head Boy
Ciara O’Connell, Deputy
Head Girl
Fiona, sorry, ‘Fee’, came to Dollar
in Junior 1 and has been singing and
dancing her way through the Academy
ever since. She gives vent to her lively,
bubbly personality in all forms of
dance, from modern to ballroom,
tap to ballet. The Music Department
has not been slow to harness her
talents: she is involved with DAJO,
sings in the Chamber Choir and has
impressed in lead roles in the most
recent School Musicals. And she has
still been able to find ‘spare’ time
outside school to be involved with
the Youth Music Theatre Scotland
(YMTS) and to represent Scotland in
the 2013 U.Dance Festival in Leeds.
She hones her acting abilities on
unsuspecting members of the Top
Six with ridiculous fibs which she
makes so believable, it is so hard not
to fall for them... Music also features
on her academic timetable this year,
along with Advanced Higher Modern
Studies and Int. 2 Maths. She did
start off the session taking Art, too,
but when she seemed less inspired
in the classroom than in the Sixth
Form Centre, she switched to Higher
Geography, resourceful girl, so that
her new colouring pencils would not
go to waste. Helping others is a big
part of Fee’s life, and she has recently
returned from the Gambia where
she worked with local children and
helped refurbish classrooms as part
of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award. Her voluntary work has made
a difference in more local areas, too,
as she gives time to the Salvation
Army, Seamab School and Cornton
Generally considered to be the
serious member of the Top Six,
Cameron came to Dollar in Prep 4.
His obvious abilities and dedication
to his work were recognised at an
early stage when he was awarded the
honour of Dux in the Junior School.
His interests and achievements have
not been restricted to the classroom,
however, and his aptitude for piping
has seen him demonstrate equal
commitment to Pipe Band. With
many hours of practice, often when
the rest of us are just dragging
ourselves out of bed for school, he
has progressed from the ‘B’ Band
in Form I to the ‘A’ Band by Form
V, and has since helped the Band to
victory in many major competitions,
the most impressive of these being
the Cowal Championships last
session. Cameron’s horizons also
extend into the wider world beyond
Dollar. Indeed, he has a special
interest in astronomy and can often
be found staring at the stars and
contemplating life. His true passion
(for some reason) lies in Geography,
and he enjoys roaming the hillsides
in his spare time. A highlight of his
time at Dollar was the Geography
Department’s trip to the USA, which
I am told, was an amazing experience.
He hopes to carry on this passion to
university and I wish him the best of
luck in ‘colouring in’! Cameron never
fails to give 100% in all that he does
and he is honestly one of the nicest
and most genuine people I know. It is
great to have him in the Top Six and
I look forward to the rest of the year
with him.
Ciara arrived in the Junior School
seven years ago, and was quick to
grasp the chance to participate in
many co-curricular activities, but it
soon became clear to all that it was
on the sports field that she was most
at home. Hockey is her first passion,
and she honed her obvious talent with
many hours of practice and training
to become a valuable member of
the 1st XI Hockey team in Form IV
and she can now be seen barging her
way across the pitch captaining the
team. Her success in school has not
gone unnoticed: she has represented
Dollar playing for the Midlands U18
team and more recently received an
invitation to the U18 Scotland trials.
She has even demonstrated her talents
overseas, travelling to South Africa
on the combined Rugby/Hockey
Tour and more recently to Ireland.
An apparent lack of coordination did
not prevent Ciara also playing for the
1st VI Tennis team last year. Somehow
she has also managed to fit in the
many hours necessary to complete
the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to
Gold level, putting many of the boys
to shame on the expeditions. But
there does come a time when even
Ciara has to return to the classroom.
A keen scientist, her academic home
is the Dewar building and her study
of Advanced Highers in Chemistry
and Biology this year will hopefully
help her pursue a career in her chosen
field of medicine. Ciara applies
herself fully to everything she does,
both on and off the sports field, and
it is a joy to work alongside her.
by Danny
by Fiona
by Ciara
by Cameron
Fortunas 32
December 2013
21
PREP 4 VISIT ST ANDREWS
BOTANIC GARDENS
On Tuesday 8th October two excited
Prep 4 classes boarded a coach to St
Andrews Botanic Gardens because
we had been learning all about plants
in class. When we arrived we sat
outside in the sun to have our snacks
and then we were quickly put into
four groups to start our activities.
We did lots of interesting things like
collecting poppy seeds and dissecting
plants as well as looking in the
greenhouses and gardens at millions
of plants! We got to taste real nectar!
It was a great trip and we all enjoyed
it.
Fraser Gallagher
22
We learned about the life cycle of a
flower, it was very interesting. We all
saw these huge mushrooms, everyone
thought they were wood but they
were not! Some of the plants were
poisonous but most of them weren’t,
phew! Some of us tasted nectar, it
was a bit sweet. One group got to
dissect flowers but the other didn’t.
There was a big bird that I saw, it was
amazing because it was such a strange
creature. A fun part was when the
teacher let us collect some conkers.
Freddie Horn
Fortunas 32
December 2013
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Fortunas 32
December 2013
24
Fortunas 32
December 2013
along the corridors...
PREP 4 ASSEMBLY
We had lots of rehearsals for our Assembly. Dress
rehearsals and practices for many weeks before the big
day. Thankfully these were all put to good use as it was a
great success. The Assembly was about flowers. The cast
included dogs, people, seeds, umbrellas, wind, binoculars
and all sorts of items which made our Assembly so good.
We worked very hard and enjoyed entertaining the Prep
and Junior School. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we
enjoyed performing it.
Our Assembly was about flowers and seed dispersal. I was
a bird-watcher aka a twitcher. Unfortunately a large piece
of bird poop landed on my shoulder! We sang “I Like
the Flowers” quite wonderfully. Lastly we explained to
everyone to look out for wild flowers on the Sponsored
Walk. The audience gave us a rapturous applause. Bravo
P4MB!
Theodore Letford
Sophie Henderson
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December 2013
25
PREP 2
This term, pupils in Prep 2 have been
learning about the Harvest season and
paid a visit to Wester Dollarbeg Farm,
where Farmer Jane Edwards showed
the classes around and answered
lots of questions. An Autumn Walk
through the school grounds provided
an ideal opportunity for the pupils to
spot the signs of autumn.
26
Fortunas 32
December 2013
along the corridors...
PREP FENCING CLUB
Pupils in Prep 4 and 5 have the chance
to learn the basics of fencing with
Mr Cook on Wednesday afternoons.
We are using foils and are learning
many fencing moves, such as parry,
disengage, feinte, lunge and retreat.
We also have to remember to use our
‘fencing feet’ when we move! As well
as learning new skills we play lots of
fun games which let us practise these
skills. We really like ‘Capture the Flag’
and ‘Assassin’ best. Our goal is to take
part in the next Olympic Games when
we fence for Scotland! En garde!
27
EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE WITH
MALINDI
In May, the Prep and Junior Schools received a visit from
Mr Festus Chibungu, a teacher from Malindi Primary
School HGM on the East Coast of Kenya. His trip
was part of the British Council Connecting Classrooms
Scheme; the school had previously welcomed his Head
Teacher, Mr Mwangala, on a similar project.
The partnership between Scotland and Malindi
comes from Dollar Academy’s close links with the St
Francis Small Home for Disabled Children. The charity,
‘The Malindi Project’, is based right next to Malindi Primary
School. Many of the disabled residents are educated there,
or in two special education classes built by the Small Home
for children with greater needs.
The British Council’s schools partnership scheme,
however, enables a non-charitable, educational relationship.
It is a relationship that offers pupils and teachers unique
insights into the similarities and differences that occur in
two countries many thousands of miles apart.
During Mr Chibungu’s visit, the pupils in
Junior 1 held a World Water Day, the culmination of a
programme of work investigating what is involved in
finding and cleaning water in many parts of the world.
Malindi’s water supply is mostly supplied from boreholes.
Pupils ran experiments to test water; they designed filters
and pumped water from deep aquifers. Younger pupils
compared the homes, animal life and climate zones they
had been studying with those that the pupils in Malindi
know. Meanwhile, the oldest pupils began to develop
lessons on discrimination and children’s rights, lessons
which they will share across the world.
Heather Moore
Fortunas 32
December 2013
28
JUNIOR SCHOOL
MUSICAL
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
It was utterly dark and silent. Anxiety
and excitement were hanging heavily
in the air. The stage doors loomed in
front of us. From within, the rustling
of paper and expectant whispers of
the audience could just be heard.
It was the first night of the
Junior 2 Musical…
This year we had the exciting
opportunity to stage Disney’s
production of Beauty and the Beast.
The uplifting and inspiring story
of the girl who fell in love with the
beast is one that we were all brought
up with. And, luckily for Belle, the
fierce Beast actually turned out to be
Fortunas 32
December 2013
a handsome prince! The show was
staged from 12th-14th June after
many, many weeks of hard work and
tremendous effort from the entire
cast and supporting crew of teachers,
parents and senior pupils.
I was delighted to play the
part of Belle, one I think every little
girl dreams of playing. I had the most
fantastic experience working with the
rest of the talented leads, supported
by the rest of the cast as they danced
and sang their way through the three
spectacular nights of the show. These
memories will stay with me through
my entire school career and the rest
of my life.
Toby Douglas gave a
powerful portrayal of the Beast,
perfectly acting his transformation
from bitter and cursed prince to
kind and gentle hero. We had a lot
of fun working alongside each other,
especially when I forgot to take his
hand on the first night and it was left
hanging awkwardly in mid-air until
I finally remembered! I will never
forget the journey from the auditions
to the final night. Also, Daniel Robins
played the perfect, dashing and
arrogant Gaston, and I thoroughly
enjoyed rejecting him! The castle
servants were equally outstanding,
especially Duncan Warnock, Naomi
along the corridors...
Langford-Thimm, Beth Duddy and
Zoë Price, who played Cogsworth,
Lumière, Mrs Potts and Madame
de La Grande Bouche respectively.
Duncan’s comic timing would give
some professional comedians a run
for their money; Naomi’s French
accent is made all the more impressive
when you realise that she actually
speaks like the Queen; Beth’s stunning
rendition of the main ballad, ‘Beauty
and the Beast’ fortunately drew
the audience’s attention away from
myself and Toby’s dancing; and Zoë’s
transformation from a wardrobe to a
beautiful lady-in-waiting showed us
that she looks better as a human than
she does as a piece of large furniture!
We must not forget, of
course, Aidan Humphrey, Julia Parish,
Brooke McMullan, Ellie Lapsley, Evie
Wills and Gabriella Greenwood, who
played LeFou, Babette, Chip and the
Silly Girls. Their acting and singing
greatly enhanced the show and
entertained the audience.
The stunning and cleverly
designed set made by Mr Sharp and
the great props made by Miss Horne
and her Craft Club were also vital in
making the performance come to life.
Also, thank you to Miss Horne and
Mr Christie, whose talents far surpass
the Spielbergs and Lucases of this
world!
However, the show would
not have been such a success without
the whole year group putting in such
an amazing effort. Hopefully this
musical will be performed again at
Dollar, as although it was very hard
work to make it all come together and
to learn all the lines, it was extremely
satisfying to be part of, particularly
because we all so dearly love the story
of Beauty and the Beast.
29
Rose Scott
Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe
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December 2013
J2 TRIP TO THE ISLE OF
MAY
GEOGRAPHY
PASSPORT DAY
30
Junior 2 pupils enjoyed a day of
activities to mark Geography Passport
Day on Tuesday 18th June.
The children were divided
into small groups in order to work
on eight different activities. These
included a treasure hunt and trying
to identify photographs taken around
the school grounds. They also had
the challenge of identifying flags and
had to complete a physical features
wordsearch puzzle. Other challenges
included trying to identify ports and
cities, demonstrating their ability to
use Ordnance Survey maps and grid
references, and also calculating the
steepness of a slope, all with the help
of Mr McConnell and some Form
VI Geography experts. Finally, they
worked to complete a big puzzle of
Great Britain.
It was a day of many
challenges during which pupils had
to put their knowledge of Geography
to the test, both on paper and in
practical, real-world exercises. The
competition was hotly contested,
but the winning team on the day was
the Alabama Troopers, comprising
Abdur-Rahman Cheema, Brooke
McMullan, Zoë Price and Charlie
Walker (J2D).
Fortunas 32
December 2013
“The Geography Passport Day was
really fun because it was exciting
doing all of the activities with my
friends!” – Aidan Humphrey
“…we did a set of activities that
challenged us all to our limits.” – Iain
Harkness
“I think that my group worked very
well as a team because we all listened
to each other and cooperated well.”
– Zoë Price
“I was really excited for Geography
Passport Day because I really wanted
to find out lots of new and different
things about Geography. It was a
fantastic day!” - Ellie Lapsley
On Sunday 26th May, around 30
Junior 2 pupils went on a trip to the
Isle of May. To get there we took the
Isle of May ferry from Anstruther.
From the boat you could see many
brightly-coloured puffins swimming
on the gloriously blue water, and
numerous guillemots and razorbills
which are birds that fly just above the
water and which from a distance are
hard to distinguish.
Once at the island we got out
of the boat and went up a slope to a
wooden hut where we were split into
groups and a ranger started to take
us round the island. First we went to
look at the cliff faces. On the way you
could see many eider ducks nesting
very close to the side of the path,
mostly camouflaged by the rough
grass. With binoculars you could
see the white-stained cliff faces with
many kittiwakes and shags nesting
on the cliff faces. Just above, on the
grass, you could see many puffin
burrows where occasionally a puffin
would come out then hastily run back
inside, much to our disappointment.
After this we went and looked over
a cliff edge at the birds nesting and
the sea below where some birds were
swimming. One of the eider ducks
was nesting almost half-off the cliff
edge! At another cliff there were
fewer birds, but we saw a proudlooking seal spread out on a rock
which was half-submerged under
water. Next we went and looked at
a worn lighthouse which was very
interesting to learn about. While at
the lighthouse we saw lots of baby
rabbits bounding about everywhere.
along the corridors...
After we looked around the
island some more and saw even more
spectacular wildlife, we all got on the
boat and went a different way back.
On the way we saw dozens of seals
lounging on rocks and swimming
casually in the water. Finally once we
got back on dry land we had delicious
fish and chips and played on the sand.
Overall I really enjoyed
visiting the Isle of May and I would
recommend visiting if you love
seeing miraculous birds and animals,
or if you just like fish and chips!
Katie Robertson (Junior 2)
31
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DOLLAR SUCCESS AT BIG BANG
FAIR
On Friday 14th June, Aisla Gordon and Rachel Hubbard (then
Form III) travelled to the SECC in Glasgow in order to present
their Silver CREST project at the Big Bang Science and Engineering
Fair. They were presenting, at this stage, for the regional competition.
Here the girls recount their experience.
32
At 7:30am, a very over-excited minibus-ful of pupils
travelled to the SECC in Glasgow, where we began setting
up our numerous projects and experiments. The hall was
buzzing with the excitement of many other school and
science groups who also had high hopes of winning. After
carefully setting up our display board, we took a look
around the rest of the hall, checking out the competition
and all the companies that had prepared presentations.
Having already explained our project a number of times
to various people passing by, we realised that our judging
time was upon us. Nerves built up inside us and, despite
Rachel talking non-stop, we finally calmed down. At first
the judges didn’t smile and seemed rather frosty, but after
we had explained our project fully they seemed to warm
to our idea. By the end they were laughing and smiling and
had some very interesting points and comments which we
heartily took on board.
The award ceremony was rapidly approaching as
we finished our lunch. “We’re so going to win this!” Rachel
exclaimed in jest to Ms Hussain as we found our seats. We
sat down as the ceremony started and within minutes our
hands were sore from clapping so much. There were quite
a few prizes to be presented, and all the worthy winners
went up onto the stage to collect their prize and have their
photo taken.
It came to our prize.
The lights dimmed.
Our hearts stopped.
“That’s us,” Rachel whispered.
“And the winner of The Silver Crest Award 2013 is…..
‘Swim with Sound’, by Aisla Gordon and Rachel Hubbard!”
While going up onto the stage, we couldn’t help
laughing from the sheer shock and thrill. We couldn’t
believe we had actually won the top prize.
We were awarded our prize and certificate as we
shook hands with Greg Foot, the science presenter. Our
photo was taken as we returned to our seats, only to return
Fortunas 32
December 2013
a few prizes later to be awarded with a FINALIST badge
and a nomination to compete nationally. Then another
photo was taken with the other nominated groups,
including ‘The Effects of UV’ by Elise Camilleri-Brennan
and Ellie Mahoney.
The bus home was full of excited phone calls
to shocked parents, and tired but satisfied chatting.
In the weeks since the SECC event, we four
finalists have not been able to stop talking excitedly
about Birmingham. Whenever one of us is down we can
always be revived by excited shrieks of “We’re going to
Birmingham!”
Aisla Gordon and
Rachel Hubbard (Form IV)
The girls will now go on to compete at the national final to be held at
the Birmingham NEC in March, 2014. Watch out for an update
on their progress in Fortunas 33!
COMPUTING DEPARTMENT
SCRATCH COMPETITION 2013
This year the judging for the annual Form II Scratch
Programming Competition was difficult as the standard
of work was very high with many impressive entries.
Congratulations to all the teams who made the shortlist
and, of course, to the winners. A special merit award was
given to the Tutti Fruitti team for their clever use of a
MaKey MaKey board to interface with their program.
The Scratch projects have been converted to Flash
files and can be viewed on the Dollar Academy website.
Rosemary McGuinness
along the corridors...
A TASTE OF SPAIN
¡Nos gusta mucho la comida española! (We like
Spanish food very much!)
First: MiniGore by Robbie McIntyre, Ross Broomfield and Ross McCran
Second: Commonwealth by Guy Stewart, Finlay Balfour, Nathan Cosgrove and
Jonty Haywood
Pupils in the Form I Spanish classes thoroughly enjoyed
making torrijas in the summer term. This ‘sweet’ is
traditionally eaten during Lent, in the 40 days leading up to
Easter. It is believed that torrijas originated in Andalucian
convents during the fifteenth century as a way to use up
stale bread. Today it is a popular breakfast food all over
Spain. The torrijas proved to be extremely popular with
the pupils and the majority have decided to make them at
home.
Third: Space Dodger by Nic Vetta and Freddie McFadyean
Just before the October mid-term break, Mrs Malcolm in
the Home Economics Department kindly agreed to give
a cooking lesson to the Form VI pupils studying Spanish.
A regular visitor to Spain, she told pupils all about
Spanish cooking and ingredients before teaching them
how to make arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). Ingredients
including chorizo, paella rice and Spanish spices were
used, and the pupils very much enjoyed the lesson - and
eating the resulting dish. We hope to be able to repeat
the experience and extend our repertoire of Spanish food
later in the year!
The pupils would like to express their gratitude to
Señora Malcolm and Señora McGill for their enthusiasm,
expertise and supervision.
Cheryl Bowie
Jacqui Young
Special Merit: Tutti Fruitti by Anna Glasgow, Sunita Burgul, Rachael Cartwright and Jenny Harkness
Fortunas 32
December 2013
33
34
NATIONAL POETRY
DAY, OCTOBER 3rd 2013
Theme: Water
Form I pupils were played an array
of water sounds, ranging from the
soft pitter-patter of summer rain, to
the crashing vehemence of a storm
at sea. Responses to visual stimuli
were elicited by an assortment of
pictures, and each class was loaned
a veritable giant mollusc, which they
were able to touch, from a collection
of beautiful and valuable shells. Also
examined were a number of poets’
existing writings about water and the
sea, including works by Coleridge
and Emily Dickinson.
Once suitably inspired,
pupils were let loose to create their
own works of watery wonder on
‘mermaid scales’ that were collated
for our display.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
art & literature...
MOMENTS OF FLIGHT
like I was flying
It’s all about placing the feet. You need a run-up and to
spread your arms for balance. And then you are in the air,
leaving the ground for just a few seconds, committing to
the air. How different moments of flight can be. What
I experienced one winter morning a year ago, could not
have been more different from the controlled atmosphere
of the ballet studio, even though the exhilaration felt the
same.
like I was flying
I was in my usual rush. However this was not
going to turn out to be a normal school day. Traffic was
busy and vehicles were rushing from every direction.
School bags were hanging off my arms and my breakfast
was in my blazer pocket. I had forgotten to set my alarm
the night before and so the morning had been a nightmare
of chaos.
The weather had a harsh coldness about it. It was
still fairly dark, even though street lamps were on. The
ground was wet, but it was not raining and there was a
strange mist lurking on the tops of buildings. The air felt
heavy, condensed. Dull and gloomy comes to mind when
thinking back to that morning.
I did not know where my brother was; however,
if the bus arrived I could make it wait for him. My mother
had a meeting she needed to get to and therefore could not
drive us to school. It felt as if everything was dependent
on me in order to get to school. I kept trying to cross the
road at every possible gap in traffic I saw, but it was too
busy for me to get across successfully. The unmistakable
double-decker bus became visible from around the corner,
so I went for it. I crossed the road but suddenly, shockingly,
was stopped in my tracks. The driver of a small car was
heading for me at three miles per hour over the speed
limit. Perhaps if he had not been, he could have stopped
before he hit me. I can still hear the sickening screech of
those tyres on the road.
I wonder now, looking back, what the bus driver
saw. Did he see a slight, uniformed figure dash out into
the jungle of vehicles? Did he notice me? Did he try to
break and feel the heavy thrust of the huge vehicle moving
forward through the autumn darkness of early morning?
The bonnet dipped and flipped me up, above the
car. I did not know what was happening, everything felt
surreal. I landed on the windscreen which cracked into
thousands of pieces. I slid down the front of the car and
ended up in a heap on the road. The shock and adrenaline
hit me. Things seemed to go by quickly from then on, and
yet when I was in the air I felt
like I was flying
in slow motion. I felt alone, although I was surrounded by
the everyday observing public staring with their judging
eyes, transfixed by this out-of-the-ordinary drama that had
taken place before them. The embarrassment that also
drenched me was unexpected and I felt stupid.
I know I will never forget the feeling. The split
second that seemed to expand into a strange timelessness.
A moment of flying, of flight – was it, I wonder, a kind of
escape? But from what?
I am haunted by this moment of flight.
Alexis McNicol (Form V)
35
MEMORIES OF DARKNESS
It was nearly over. The light filtering through the skylights
slowly changed from grey to white. Birds sang their six
o’clock chorus, phased out slightly by the thick glass
panels. I watched the faint glimmer of light play on the
wall, feeling nothing. People say that your mind is never
truly blank but they’re wrong. Mine was. Every single day,
from midnight until sometime after six, I stared at that
wall feeling nothing but the slowly growing nausea and
the pounding of my head. These are my memories of the
darkness, a blank emotionless canvas, what you do with
them is up to you.
I hated the feeling of nothingness. Some people
are terrified of spiders, some of heights and some of
clowns. Me, my phobia was the feeling of nothingness.
It was what total loss of control felt like: my body tuning
into autopilot and making my decisions for me. I could go
whole days and not remember a thing about them.
During those days I lost me.
The only real thing was a physical ache set in
Fortunas 32
December 2013
36
the centre of my chest. When I was a child I believed it
was where God (or whoever was up there) had pulled my
soul out and taken it, leaving nothing but the burning of
an aching hole. Behind this aching hole, I just ceased to
exist. So I tried to shake it off, focus on something real,
something grounded in the here and now. I focused on
the rhythmic strumming of the guitar playing through my
speakers which harmonised perfectly with the patter of
rain behind my curtains. None of this mattered, however,
because there was the faint smell of washing powder
emanating from the sheets in the icy room. There is a
distinct difference between a smell when it is warm and a
smell when it is cold. The cold was the one I feared. It was
the one that told my brain it was time to shut down and
protect itself. I had run out of time.
I could hear the groan of a shower in the distance,
sounding like an incredibly elongated yawn. The kettle
had been turned on in the kitchen and it was bubbling
away happily to itself. The house had come to life, but
the sounds were oddly unrealistic when blanketed by the
closed door. My space was as silent and still as it had been
for the last eight hours. However, that all changed with a
buzzer that cut through the stillness like a knife, causing
my pounding head to scream in protest and my heartbeat
to pick up a notch or six.
My hand flew out and slammed down on the ‘off ’
button, silencing the chilling sound. I had to face the day.
I felt myself slowly fill with dread at having to be around
people and the concentration they required. At this point
I knew that it wasn’t going to be a nothingness day. Today
was a trapped day. I would be trapped in the shell of my
body, aware of what was happening, but still unable to
change or influence a single thing. It wasn’t unlike watching
a film. Except this was real, most of the time too real.
“One, two, three.” I shoved up off the bed in a
lightning fast movement and swung my legs round to touch
the floor. The room spun wildly, doing several full threesixties before slowing, finally settling on moving slowly up
and down. Nausea hit me like a tidal wave and I forced my
shaking fingers to pop a travel sickness tablet out of its
crinkled foil wrappings and place it in my mouth, carefully
followed by the taste of slightly stale water from a dimpled
plastic cup on the table. I forced myself into a standing
position with the room still pitching, and stumbled to
my wardrobe. Another day. Identical to all that had come
before it and all that would come after.
It was six o’clock in the evening before anything
changed from the formulaic routine. I heard the rumble
of the garage door and shortly after my dad swished
through the door, already slinging off his jacket and
loosening his purple striped tie. He brought a smell which
can only be defined as a ‘hospital smell’ with him. One of
the only smells on earth which has connotations of both
ultra-cleanliness and germs. He turned to greet my mum,
who had been standing in front of the oven, telling the
chicken inside to hurry up and turn crispy, and then my
sister, who was floating around doing her homework in
Fortunas 32
December 2013
the least time-efficient way possible, all the while singing to
herself. He then turned to me and held up a green bottle. I
was instantly wary. It looked too much like the herbal pills
he had brought for me the month before to try and make
me sleep. They had tasted disgusting and did absolutely
nothing. It went in the pile along with every other sleep
treatment known to man. Believe me, I had tried them
all: light boxes, meditation, flower waters, sleep hygiene,
acupuncture. Nothing had ever worked.
“This,” he declared proudly, “is melatonin.”
With a smile he went on to explain that melatonin is the
hormone in your brain which makes you sleep and that I
have Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. Apparently my brain
does secrete melatonin, but at about six in the morning
rather than about eleven at night, like most people. These
pills were apparently the answer: two before I went to bed
every night and I would sleep. The pills weren’t a long
term solution, but with any luck they might help make my
natural sleeping pattern much more ‘normal’. I might get
to be normal for the first time in my life. He finished his
medical ramblings with a chuckle and stated “Well that’s
the theory anyway.”
That night I took the melatonin and found
myself back in my bed staring at the wall, now blanketed
in darkness. The sheets’ smell was back to warm again and
the slowly strumming guitar fell into sync with my steady
heartbeat. There was only one thing different about this
scene. It was a peace that I rarely felt. My body felt heavy
and relaxed, like a weight was pressing down on my limbs,
but it wasn’t uncomfortable. At the last minute I panicked,
feeling a loss of control coming on and not quite able to
restore it. However, my body got heavier and heavier, my
breathing deeper and much steadier. I found myself not
really caring about control if I could feel this at peace.
I slept that night. For the first time in my life I
slept all the way through the night. No nightmares visited
me, I didn’t wake, I slept deeply and soundly, finally at
peace.
After that night everything changed. I changed.
I found I had gained a lot of strength and determination
from fifteen years of zombie-like morning rituals. I
laughed in the corridors with friends, made jokes, spoke to
a wide range of people and made weekend plans without
batting an eyelid. These were all things that I hadn’t even
thought to do before. I no longer feel the nausea or the
need to control the shaking. I can be me completely, with
no limitations, and I have found out that, although I’m not
perfect in any way, I like being me. I still have to take the
pills every night and I do worry about what life would be
like without them. However, on those days I just sit and
remember that first morning when I woke up with a smile
on my face.
Alice Green (Form VI)
art & literature...
37
Oliver Page (Form VI)
Alex Despopolous (Form VI)
Alice Hudson (Form VI)
Amna Arshad (Form VI)
Sarah McCann (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Beatrice Kerray (Form VI)
38
Kaytlin Scott (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Sarah McCann (Form VI)
Sandy Steele (Form II)
art & literature...
Oliver Graham (Form VI)
39
Kaytlin Scott (Form VI)
Mackenzie Shepherd (Form VI)
Rebecca Reid (Form VI)
Cameron McCracken (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
SENIOR SCHOOL
MUSICAL
FOOTLOOSE
Warm-ups,
wigs…
40
workouts
and
They warn you how scary it is.
Singing in front of that type
of audience; Mr McGonigle is
notoriously difficult to please. First
auditions for the musical are kneeknockingly scary, but the elation felt
when you see your name sitting with
the rest for the callbacks is worth
every goosebump.
However.
That elation soon morphs
into absolute terror when you
understand what lies ahead. Not just
singing in front of ‘Von McGon’,
but singing, dancing and acting in
front of Mrs Fitzpatrick, Mrs Robb
and all those senior pupils, most of
whom you have looked up to for
years. Those who have been there,
done that and worn the costume.
Those who have had the prime roles
and the plum roles. But you swallow
the rabid pterodactyls pounding
against the walls of your stomach;
ignore the screaming ‘mandrakes’
that inhabit your being for those
two hours. And when you come out,
friends ask you “How did it go?” and
you have no idea.
It was at least two weeks
before anyone heard a squeak of the
words ‘cast list’, and any time those
words were mentioned auditionees
perked up like meerkats in the hope
of any morsel of news they could
get their performing paws on.
CAST LIST: The two most fiercely
apprehensive words any performer
will ever come across. Looking at
a cast list, of any type, requires an
equal balance of, what I call the
“How wonderful, I thoroughly look
forward to the witty banter the next
two months will hold” look, and the
gracious head tilt, and nod in respect
of those who were not so fortunate
(basically, try your best to look like
you have just come out of a P.G
Wodehouse novel).
In the midst of May,
Fortunas 32
December 2013
that month of recycled revision,
morbid mind maps and persistent
practice papers, the ‘break’ is the
most intensive three hours of it all Footloose rehearsals, twice a week, in
the auditorium.
Some say Mrs Robb’s
dance rehearsals are the best
preparation for the rigours of the
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold
Expedition. Just when you think
your brain is finally connected to
your feet, they ask you to sing in
conjunction… Multitasking: a useful
training for us all. The pace is fast
but fun and everyone is expected,
nay obligated, to keep up.
As the show progresses so
do relationships among the cast,
band and crew. Strangers become
acquaintances and acquaintances
become friends. But with these
friends it feels as if you have known
them for much longer as you grow
as performers and come to rely on
each other both on stage and off –
‘The Footloose Family’.
Just when it feels like this
will be the routine forever, the end
of term hits the horizon, meaning
the week of performances is nigh.
Fortunately the performances are
preceded by a week in the theatre,
getting used to the surroundings,
honing our stagecraft. We are
finally able to see the magic of Mr
Delaney and his stalwart crew’s
set and everything simply comes
together in our minds. We see Ren’s
(Euan Johnstone) embarrassment
in church, Reverend Moore’s
(Iain Leggat) anger, Ethel’s (Beth
Hamilton) turmoil, Vi’s (Kitty
Anderson) despair and we admire
Ariel’s (Fiona Keith) independent
spirit. Who would have anticipated
that Chuck Cranston (pronounced:
Ch-uh-ck Cray-an-stu-hn) - local
bad boy - was in fact our very
respectable Head Boy (Rory Weir),
or that Willard Hewitt (W-ih-l-lard
H- you-itt), who could barely string
two words together without a typical
southern “H-yuhh”, was our very
articulate Deputy Head Boy (Adam
Gilbert)?
The costumes of Mrs
McFadyean and Mrs Webster (with
their dedicated team of costume
girls, who catered for our every
need, whether it was a wardrobe
malfunction or simply running up to
McDonald’s for some ‘nuggs’) made
you feel like the cowboy/girl Toy
Story had promised since childhood.
The enthusiasm and skill of Miss
Sharp and her Make-up Team
transformed us from fresh-faced
Dollar kids to leathery, weathered,
deep, 80s southerners. My particular
favourite moment was being
introduced to my wig – christened
‘Geraldine’ by a member of the cast,
as she had far too much personality
to be merely ‘Hannah’s wig’.
Opening night.
Bu-bup-bup-bu-bup-bup
BRRRRRRRRRR…..
The familiar bars exploding
up from the band in the pit, and
then the curtain was up. Each
performance had its own unique
flare which would make Stanislavski
proud.
The skill, energy and
commitment from Producer Mrs
Fitzpatrick, Choreographer (and
Roller-Skating Coach) Mrs Robb
and Musical Director Mr McGonigle
were thoroughly appreciated by all
the kids of ‘The Footloose Family’
and, I know, the audiences too.
As for me, as Betty, I
managed to stay on the right side of
the skates - just, even if Geraldine
demanded a solo spot. But let’s just
keep that our little secret…
Hannah Leggatt (Form V)
Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe
music...
41
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DAJO STAR SHINES
BRIGHT
Following in the footsteps of
Dollar FPs Jamie Anderson (tenor
saxophone), Tom Adamson
(piano and drums), Iain Campbell
(guitar) Euan Stevenson (piano),
and Jonathan Silk (drums) - all of
whom have gone on to carve out
very successful careers in the music
profession - is Form V’s sixteenyear-old pianist, Fergus McCreadie.
Fergus has enjoyed universal
praise over the past year for his
stunning virtuosity in performances
with DAJO, the Fife Youth Jazz
Orchestra, and as a solo artist,
culminating in the well-deserved title
of Young Scottish Jazz Musician
of the Year 2013 (Under 17). So
impressed were the judges by his
performance in the Aberdeen
Final (recorded live on BBC Radio
Scotland) that he was invited to
compete in the Under 23 final. Since
then he has performed live on BBC
Radio Scotland’s Jazz House. We
await the next chapter with eager
anticipation.
42
John McGonigle
Fortunas 32
December 2013
FORM III GEOGRAPHY
FIELD TRIP TO
MALHAM
On Tuesday 28th May, the Geography
Department took 28 Form III pupils
to Malham. Travelling by train, they
were bound for the Malham Tarn
Field Studies Centre, which would
become their home for the duration
of the four-day trip.
The aim of the trip was to
see beautiful limestone scenery, and
this was certainly achieved despite
some misty, chill conditions. Topics
covered over the course of the four
days included the impact of the
working quarry the pupils visited,
the changes in pH and conductivity
in a limestone lake and the impact of
tourism. Pupils also had to conduct
a microclimate study and their own
learning sans frontières...
fieldwork.
This is the first time the
trip has run, and its focus was upon
developing the knowledge and
skill required for the new National
5 course, bringing the academic
subject matter to life. The pupils very
much enjoyed the hospitality of the
Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre
and, overall, deemed the trip a great
success.
Heather Moore
ADVANCED HIGHER
GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO
ABERFELDY
2nd-4th October 2013
Despite still recovering from the
Sponsored Walk that had taken place
the previous week and amber weather
warnings, the 15 Form VI pupils
taking Advanced Higher Geography
this session set off for Aberfeldy
in jovial spirits. In prospect was a
whirlwind three days, learning a
wide range of fieldwork techniques
that they would need to use in order
to complete their own field study
projects. Fieldwork is an integral part
of the Advanced Higher Geography
course and the field study counts for
40% of the final grade.
Through the rain the pupils
measured rivers, analysed soil,
recorded the impact of wind turbines
and conducted settlement studies on
the town of Aberfeldy itself. The
data from this will be used to teach
statistical and graphical analysis over
the next few weeks. What the pupils
have learned will be used to conduct a
myriad different studies of their own
over the next few months.
Home for the three days
was a bunkhouse on the hill above
43
Aberfeldy, giving what should have
been panoramic views across the
glaciated valley in which the town sits.
We finally had the chance to see this
on the last day as the mists cleared. All
meals were planned, prepared (…and
eaten) by the pupils themselves, with
assistance and advice provided by the
Home Economics Department prior
to departure.
On the final day the pupils
had the opportunity to try white water
rafting on the River Tay, providing a
suitably wet ending to a particularly
wet fieldtrip. The group returned to
Dollar Academy tired, slightly damp,
but full of enthusiasm for starting
their own field study projects.
Alastair McConnell
Fortunas 32
December 2013
ADVANCED HIGHER
BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP:
Investigating Kindrogan
A bus full of noisy Form VI pupils
draws up into Kindrogan Field Studies
Centre in Perthshire and is met by
the Centre staff – crazy, enthusiastic
biologists with hats and dreadlocks,
ready to help us on the long journey
of our practical investigations, an
integral part of the Advanced Higher
course. We found our allocated rooms
and it was an immediate scramble for
the best beds - the highest bunks, or
even those with a river view. Once
settled, we headed out to do kicksampling at different points of the
river – samples were collected and
everyone was soaked, thanks to the
some party tunes as we worked and
spoke to others who wandered past.
The atmosphere was generally happy
and the Centre staff visiting us as we
worked always raised a cheer, as well
as the reggae music blasting from the
Centre.
Evenings at Kindrogan were
spent working on results – poring
over them until ten at night, working
out what went right and wrong, and
planning the following day’s work.
Some evenings were spent outside
again, dragging a poor Biology
teacher out to assist in crawling
through thickets of bushes to dig yet
more pitfall traps, or to take more
samples for analysis in the soil lab.
Bedtimes were never a quiet affair,
as movies were watched, rooms were
rain and the rather vigorous kicking
that came from extremely exuberant
Sixth Years. That night involved
a tasty dinner, theory work and
planning for the beginning of our
own investigations the next day.
Investigations evoked mixed
responses from people; some ran
into the woods, armed with quadrats,
metre sticks, light meters and a skip in
their step; others trailed in, dragging
everything behind them, or looking
cautiously behind in the fear that
they may not be completely alone
amongst the dark conifers, which
creaked painfully in the wind and
rain. Pitfall traps were dug – 150 in
the case of my friend and me, who
kept our momentum going with
dashed into before teachers came
round, and laughing was smothered
as they walked past the doors.
Kindrogan
undoubtedly
involved the hardest work of any trip
I have been on. Nine-to-five doesn’t
even begin to cover the hours we all
put in, both inside and outside, as we
slogged away. We were warned that
this would be one of the coldest and
hardest experiences we would have to
date, but none of us believed it. Now
we will pass on our words of wisdom
to the budding biologists sitting their
Higher right now....we recommend
a onesie, extra-sugary foods, warm
boots and an enthusiastic attitude to
have as enjoyable and successful a
trip as ours.
44
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Emma Buchanan (Form VI)
Project Title: A study into the
effect of light on internodal
length in Dog’s Mercury
(Mercurialis perennis)
While carrying out my investigation,
I recalled the work I did during my
Higher year on plant etiolation - the
effect that dark conditions have on
plant growth, causing them to grow
tall in an effort to reach the light.
My study allowed me to explore this
phenomenon in the wild. 180 light
intensity readings, 40 soil samples,
and 180 measurements of plant
internodes later, I can finally say that
my investigation is sadly over. My
results allowed me to conclude that
Dog’s Mercury (my chosen plant)
learning sans frontières...
project. With the help of teachers
and Kindrogan tutors (without
whom I possibly would have cried),
my investigation transformed into
determining a difference in the
abundance of freshwater shrimp
in relation to substrate particle size.
I believe the trip to Kindrogan
extended and expanded my scientific
skill set, which will help me during
my university career. The trip caused
my stress levels to heighten and my
wellies to be soaked through, and I
eventually discovered there was no
correlation between my two sets of
data whatsoever! However, I consider
the trip to Kindrogan a success as
it has shown me the realities of
planning and carrying out a largescale scientific study.
of species lived in this area. Possibly
the increased levels of nutrients in
the water increased algal growth,
which in turn increased biodiversity.
Zoe Mitchell
Project Title: Is there a
significant difference between
the abundance and/or diversity
of invertebrate communities
in deciduous and coniferous
woodland?
Kindrogan, for me, turned out to be
Ellie Scott-Gray
45
strived in areas of dark woodland
and grew taller in order to reach the
light source. Whenever I see Dog’s
Mercury I will forever be reminded
of the vast amount of mud I dug up
from the ground and the ‘soil sample
song’ I created in order to keep team
morale up for my fellow pupils and
myself.
Carla Haldane
Project Title: Investigating
the distribution of freshwater
shrimp in relation to substrate
particle size
My Biology investigation proved the
need for flexibility when it comes
to projects. Initially I intended
to investigate the abundance of
swimming mayfly in different
substrates. Unfortunately, due to
extremely low water levels in the
river, there were no swimming mayfly
and no difference in substrates as
all the beaches and muddy shallows
were exposed. So I had to adapt my
Project Title: An investigation
into the effects of pollution on
the biodiversity of freshwater
communities in the River Ardle
My
investigation
involved
comparing biodiversity upstream
and downstream from a source of
pollution (a septic tank outflow).
My hypothesis was that I would find
greater biodiversity in the cleaner
water as there would be a higher
concentration of dissolved oxygen at
the clean water site. During my time
at Kindrogan I spent around 8 hours
a day at the river, sampling my study
sites in rain and shine. I had as many
as 6 layers on, and got very wet feet.
I succeeded in carrying out around
40 kick-samples of 2 minutes each so
that I had an accurate and reliable set
of results. All this hard work resulted
in my discovery that the source of
pollution was not having the effect I
had expected; in fact a higher diversity
a series of ups and downs, as I was
given the ‘privilege’ of studying the
many plant species found within
coniferous and deciduous woods,
including wood sorrel (with an applelike taste), grasses and, of course, the
never-ending list of mosses. 6 sample
sites, 90 quadrats, 16 soil samples, 8
pH readings, 8 light intensity readings
and 8 temperature readings later, I
was able to conclude that there is a
significant difference between the
species diversity within the two types
of woodland, so my overall aim was
eventually achieved. There is no
doubt that Kindrogen was a tough
experience and I must admit that, at
times, the only thing that truly kept
me going was the sound of Carla
Haldane’s ‘soil sample song’ echoing
through from the forest opposite. It
did give me the opportunity, however,
to greatly expand my biological
knowledge, as well as my friendships.
Amna Arshad
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December 2013
46
THE BATTLEFIELDS
EXPERIENCE
On Wednesday 16th October 2013
we stood at the bronze doors of the
school and were cast into the mindset
of a British soldier by our tour guides;
this all seemed a bit weird at first, but
as we left the school and headed to
the Front Line we were all full of
excitement. Our tour guides, Margaret
and Sandra, were very enthusiastic
about their topic and immediately
immersed us in the history of the
First World War. They informed us
quite soon into the journey that the
Battlefields Trip was not like a trip or
a holiday, but was an experience, and,
by the end of it, we had all realised
this was absolutely true.
This bus journey was long,
although it was through the night
so we did manage to get some sleep
(except for a few!), but the ferry
journey was a lot faster than expected,
and before we knew it we had arrived
by bus in Bruges, a small, idyllic town
in Belgium. We had a few hours to
explore before heading to our hostel.
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December 2013
We settled in for our first night and enjoyed our first Belgian meal. The next few days were spent in Belgium and France where we visited
many cemeteries and memorials. Some pupils on the trip had relatives’ graves
that we visited and that was very moving. Gregor Stewart played his pipes on
a few different occasions which was very emotive, as it made us all reflect on
what we had learnt about those who had given their lives for our country. It was
a very emotional experience. Two of the most memorable places we visited were Beaumont-Hamel
Newfoundland Memorial and Tyne Cot Cemetery. Beaumont-Hamel was
where the Battle of the Somme had been fought, and some of the information
that was delivered to us by Margaret was shocking and really made us think
about how bloody and horrific the First World War had been. One of the
many memorials erected at Beaumont-Hamel was of a Scottish soldier. It was
designed by George Henry Paulin, a former pupil of Dollar Academy, and this
made us feel very proud of our school. At this memorial we stood and held our
first special remembrance ceremony with Gregor on the pipes. When we visited
Tyne Cot Cemetery we were shocked by the number of graves there and also by
the 32,000 names along a wall at the back of the cemetery representing those
bodies which had never been identified or found. On the last evening of the trip we held our second ceremony of
remembrance led by our tour guides. We all stood with lit candles in our hands
as Imogen Macleod (Form IV) read a beautiful poem in memory of the soldiers.
This last ceremony was extremely moving, and on the way back to the hostel in
the bus all of us, for once, were stunned into silence. The Battlefields Trip was an incredible trip and an unforgettable
experience.
Georgie Finlay (Form IV)
learning sans frontières...
47
THE LFA PROJECT
Learning At Auschwitz
In late October I travelled with Elspeth to Auschwitz
with the Lessons from Auschwitz Project. LFA is a notfor-profit programme funded by the British government
and dedicated to educating sixth-year students about the
Holocaust. Two sixth-years from most of the schools
in Britain participate in a three-day course all about the
Holocaust, and more specifically Auschwitz. The first
and final days were spent in a hotel in Edinburgh, but
the second was a one-day trip to Poland. The Project has
been running for twenty-five years now and it shows. A
lot of TV shows and movies try to shock people about
the atrocities committed in death camps and most of
these are entirely valid and moving pieces of work.
But LFA does not ever rely on the imagination of a
good writer to recreate the scenes of horror; they have
the testimonies of survivors for that. On the first day,
Kitty Hart-Moxon spoke to us about her experience in
Auschwitz. She grew up in Bielsko, fifteen miles away
from the camp, and was a prisoner there for over a year
before walking out of the gates in a death march. She
told us about the living conditions in the camp, if you
could even call them that. She told us how your bowl
was your life, how she had once to load her sick friends
onto a van towards the gas chambers, and how her
mother had saved her life by taking a risk and asking a
German officer if her daughter could travel with her.
Kitty recalled with the greatest detail how she had had to
use a hidden penknife to slice a hole into the bottom of
an airtight train car while women around her died from
asphyxiation. I think everyone, including myself, was
expecting Kitty to falter at some point, to show the great
emotional turmoil that is expected from one who has
lived through hell and survived. It never happened. She
spoke with such conviction and determination, she told
us several times that she needed people to know about
what happened to her and to her family. This is evident
from her life after liberation. Kitty spent a large amount
of time publicizing her story: in her book, in interviews,
and in documentaries. She showed us the documentary
made on her first visit back to Auschwitz, in which she
took her son and tried to explain to him what her life
there had been like. He had presumably heard some of
these stories before, but it is another thing entirely to
see someone stand within a wooden hut, next to a bunk
bed and tell you that is where she spent her first night in
the camp. Even more so as she told him that the woman
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December 2013
48
she slept next to died that night and in the morning she
took the bread off the corpse. In the documentary she
was more emotional, her voice affected by the rush of
memory.
The second day was spent in Auschwitz One
and Auschwitz Two, also called Birkenau. Auschwitz
One was mainly a camp for political prisoners and used
for medical experiments. Now it is a museum that shows
the extent of the crimes committed. Each building has
a different purpose; one to show the forced migration
of the Jewish people; those that detail the extremes of
camp life; and the most famous one houses an exhibition
on the items collected from prisoners as they entered the
camp. There are rooms in that building that most people
wish had never existed. There are rooms where people
just should not take photos. These rooms rip through
time and history to show the present how these people
who died were simply people. There are twisted piles of
glasses, a swimming pool of pots and pans, and a plane’s
cargo-worth of suitcases all behind a pane of glass. The
room where the shoes are kept is more like a hallway
with glass cases on either side. Each case, about six or
seven metres long and three metres deep, is filled with
shoes. This is only five per cent of the shoes collected
by the Nazis at Auschwitz. The thing about shoes is
that they show if a person is practical or loves colour or
comfort. Shoes tell the story of their owner in a depth
that photographs sometimes lack. Just before heading
into a room that contained the hair of 140,000 victims,
everyone in our group was handed a poem that asked
the reader to imagine the schoolgirl pigtails that the hair
had been braided into before being shaved off. I think
that it is details like that which make trips with LFA so
powerful.
After Auschwitz One, we visited Birkenau. The
camp is constructed mainly of wooden shacks that were
originally used as horse stalls for 50 horses. 200 humans
managed to fit into one most nights. Our group was
large, 220 students exactly; nobody had failed to show
up for this trip. We walked along the train tracks towards
the gas chambers. I did not know what to expect. We had
earlier walked though the only remaining gas chamber in
Auschwitz One, but this felt different. I had never seen
a picture of what the end of this line had looked like.
Along the way, we were read excerpts from books written
by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi about what is was like to
arrive at the camp and about life there. I had read Elie
Wiesel’s book before and was familiar with the passage
in which he lets go of his mother’s hand and that is the
end of their life together. It was disturbing to read the
passage while safely in Scotland, it was entirely more
harrowing to hear it standing on the platform where it
occurred. At the end of the rails stands a monument built
by the USSR soon after the War in typical communist
style. Here there was a large group of young people
from Israel paying their respects by playing songs on the
guitar and lighting candles. We had our own ceremony
at the end of the day, led by a Rabbi who had travelled
from London to speak to us. He spoke not only of the
tragedy that had happened to his people, but of genocide
that was occurring to other people in other parts of the
world. He reminded us that we shouldn’t keep the lessons
we learned that day to ourselves, and that we have a duty
to the people who died to spread the word that they
were just as ordinary as anyone else who existed then or
now. Among the things collected at Auschwitz are keys
brought by Jews who thought they would one day need
them to open their front door. Such an ordinary act.
The LFA Project made this trip possible for me
to undertake. Even now, with the wealth of context that
I gained on the trip, I have only scratched the surface of
what occurred there 70 years ago. I just hope that my
account can add to the records of history so that one day
people will remember, not just what is easy to remember
– facts and dates - but that lives were taken away even
from those who survived.
Anya Kaufman (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
learning sans frontières...
Learning From Auschwitz
When we are taught about the Holocaust at school
or learn about it through its portrayal in the media, it
becomes very easy to dehumanise the event – simply
to see the numbers of those who were exterminated
and become too overwhelmed to see anything else. It is,
however, exceptionally important to understand that each
one of the people involved had their own story and took
their own journey to and, for a fortunate few, from the
concentration camps. One of the main aims of the LFA
Project is to show the participants that it was individual
people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust. The
personal insight that comes from hearing survivors’
testimonies offers an opportunity to gain a better
understanding of unbelievable events.
The Holocaust is so monumental that it becomes
almost impossible for someone like me to begin to
understand it. It is for this reason that it is so important
for people of my generation, and the generations to
come, to read and listen to the accounts of those who
survived. The Holocaust is something that can and must
not be forgotten. It is our duty, as the next generations to
keep the accounts of survivors alive after they themselves
are not, so that we may learn from what they have said.
There is so much that we must learn from the Holocaust
itself: to avoid judging people, to maintain justice, and to
endeavour to achieve complete equality in society. Those
who suffered the persecution of the Nazi regime were
degraded and were, at every opportunity, made to feel
as though they were sub-human. We must learn from
the past and never allow people to be treated in this way
again.
Now that I have been to Auschwitz, I find
it impossible to believe that there are people in the
world who can deny that the Holocaust ever happened.
I challenge the deniers to go to Auschwitz, to stand
where so many people were murdered and still deny it
happened. Kitty Hart- Moxon returned to Auschwitz
with a group of neo-Nazi Holocaust deniers and still
they refused to admit the truth of what took place there
more than 70 years ago. It raises questions - what do
they suggest happened there? How do they explain the
deaths of 6,000,000 people? And how can they ignore the
evidence? I know that I, personally, will never forget the
things I saw on my visit to Auschwitz and that I cannot
adequately thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for
the opportunity I received and the education about the
Holocaust with which they provided me.
The Holocaust is a subject that is often avoided
and one that should be discussed more openly. People’s
desire to sweep history under the carpet and pretend that
it is not there is why the world has not yet fully learned
from the past. Since the Holocaust the world has seen
genocide in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. Genocides
of this nature should never have happened and should
never be allowed to happen again. It is now, when so
many more people in the world are educated enough to
understand and have the resources to learn, that projects
like the Lessons From Auschwitz Project become so
important because we can no longer avoid it or talk about
it in hushed whispers for fear that it is a ‘taboo subject’.
The LFA Project aims to make us think about the
individual and, in that same way, if it had been members
of our family who had been persecuted, we would never
want people to forget what had happened. It is the
education and new viewpoint the Project has provided
me with that inspires me to urge us all no longer to be
afraid to talk about the Holocaust, as we must learn from
the mistakes of the past, not ignore them.
Having stood within the gates of AuschwitzBirkenau after hearing Kitty talk about her experiences, I
feel that I have gained a better degree of understanding
of the Holocaust. I cannot say that I fully understand
the motives behind this attack on innocent individuals
– and I doubt anyone can ever truly comprehend what
happened – but I feel as though I have a duty to those
who have died. I believe that it is the duty of all those
who live in a free society, which we often take for
granted, to educate ourselves and educate others about
the unjust actions suffered by those kept prisoner – for
what? For one thing, because they were different. Rabbi
Barry Marcus, who spoke at the memorial service we
held at Auschwitz-Birkenau, made a point which we must
all learn from these events: we must not judge people
for being different and we definitely must not hate them
for it, for, if we do, we will end up hating everyone, as
everyone is different. It is the words of the Rabbi and
of so many of the educators involved in the project that
have opened my eyes to the lessons we can take from the
Holocaust.
Elspeth Drysdale (FVI)
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December 2013
49
50
L’ÉCHANGE FRANÇAIS
A group of around 30 pupils left Dollar on the 5th of
June as part of an exchange with French pupils at the
Lycée Agricole Olivier de Serres in Ardèche in the south
of France. The area was surrounded with vineyards and
was very picturesque. It was great to be able to experience
French school and day-to-day life. The Lycée had also
arranged many special activities for us.
We visited scenic villages, and experienced the
culture at first hand as we walked through streets that had a
distinct Mediterranean feel. We participated in a “Bike and
Run” race with our exchange partners in which we took
turns at cycling and running a circuit in the countryside.
We also visited a Nougat factory where we saw how it was
made and took full advantage of the free samples! Another
great trip was to the caves beneath Ardèche and also to le
Pont d’Avignon, where we were able to visit a modern art
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December 2013
museum. There was also a football match against our host
school (which we unfortunately lost). At the weekend we
were kept busy with the activities that our host families
had prepared for us, which included canoeing, canyoning,
and even a visit to a Haribo factory.
It was excellent to see our exchange partners again
when the French pupils visited Scotland. They experienced
classes taught in English, and visited Edinburgh, Glasgow
and Loch Lomond. They also enjoyed a tour of the school
and a visit to Castle Campbell, as well as the activities that
the host families had planned for the weekend. There was
a much-needed Scotland versus France football rematch,
and thankfully this time we won.
The trip was rounded off with a ‘farewell ceilidh’
which also served as a ‘welcome ceilidh’ for the German
exchange group. It was a great way to send off our French
visitors, the band was fantastic and, most importantly,
there was lots of dancing. This ‘Trilingual Ceilidh’ was a
great success and a good time was had by all.
Ross Laird (Form III)
learning sans frontières...
AMBERG EXCHANGE
This year’s Amberg exchange was
another huge success, with 20 Dollar
pupils having the time of their lives
under a baking-hot Bavarian sun.
One of this year’s highlights was a
visit to the Hirschau Hochseilgarten,
where we spent two wonderful
hours swinging about in trees, riding
zip wires, climbing monkey frames
as well as being stung to death by
an extraordinary assortment of
less-than-friendly German insects!
Our visit to Regensburg was also
enjoyable, and after visiting the Dom
– that’s a Cathedral for you nonlinguists – we took a boat trip down
the Donau, finishing off our day with
a visit to the Weltenburg Kloster,
Germany’s oldest monastery and a
place where they brew beer of an
astonishing quality. At least, that is
what I am told for, naturally, I didn’t
try any myself. We also spent a day in
school having special lessons and this
was most enjoyable as we were able
to impress our German hosts with
our knowledge of German and help
them out in their English lessons. We
also received special instruction in
Bavarian folk dancing in preparation
for the Abschiedsfeier, the leaving
party on our last night. We were all
51
impressed when Frau Brooks, a native
of Passau in deepest Bavaria, turned
up in her green and white Dirndl,
the traditional Bavarian costume, and
put us all to shame with her dancing
skills. Our trip was rounded off by
a visit to Bayern Munich’s Allianz
Arena where we were allowed to set
foot on the hallowed turf of the new
European champions. But the most
enjoyable and rewarding part of the
exchange was the fact that we made
such good friends in Amberg and
many of us have plans to visit each
other over the next few years. We
were received with great kindness by
our German hosts and treated like
members of the family. All in all, this
was a fantastic week and we have all
made great progress in our German.
Katy Robson (Form III)
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December 2013
FELLBACH DESK-TO-DESK
52
When five sleep-deprived, caffeineaddled teenage boys stumble into
Edinburgh Airport at an hour far too
early for their liking, the atmosphere
has a propensity to be one of
torpidity and annoyance. Fortunately,
on this particular occasion, we five
in question were in especially jovial
spirit, eagerly anticipating what was
to be one of the best months of our
young lives.
We were participating in
what is known as the ‘desk-to-desk’
programme run by the school for
those pupils taking German (and,
soon, French) in Forms IV and V.
One spends a month in the country,
living with a host family and attending
school with an exchange partner for
three weeks. For the final ten days,
one undertakes a work placement
in an area of one’s choosing. The
plethora of options available is
diverse; in the past, Dollar pupils
have carried out work experience in
zoos, nurseries, media, and even at
swimming pools. Clearly, this type of trip is
much more demanding than those
offered further down the school,
though the ultimate linguistic benefits
more than repay the challenge.
However, such concerns were not too
close to heart when we touched down
at Stuttgart Airport a few hours later;
our nerves were jangling so much that
the primary objective was to mumble
as much basic German as necessary
to survive Day One. Needless to
say, all our worries were utterly in
vain; the hosts were exceedingly
pleasant, friendly and welcoming (a
fact which should encourage those
contemplating a replication of our
venture, I would hope).
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December 2013
Our anxieties soothed, we
quickly plunged into the deep end,
with classes starting at 07.50. For
even the most advanced German
speakers among us, the first few
lessons provided us with at least
an element of bewilderment; none
of us had ever been exposed to
German so, so complex, so, well…
native. Our teachers had forewarned
us of difficulties on the first day
(a day which, owing to the early
start, finished at 13.30, with more
than enough of an afternoon to
bask in the 30° summer sun), and
our persistence was rewarded with
a greater understanding of rapid,
colloquial German.
Soon, that pesky little thing
called routine took shape, as days,
then weeks passed without notice.
We became so immersed in the
school system that, not only were
we comprehending all subjects
completely, we were actually starting
to contribute actively to class
discussions. Duncan scored full marks
in a Maths test; Gavin corrected his
partner in Chemistry; Isaac and Cam
answered questions faster than the
native students; and I wrote on the
board in Languages. Not only did our
reading, writing and listening skills
improve, but the fantastic support
and encouragement we were afforded
from our host families and peers
meant that speaking German became
second nature to us, especially as we
were able to take part in the myriad
events on offer in summertime
Germany: concerts, theme parks,
and outings all helped us discover
more about German culture, as well
as being incredibly good fun. So
much so in fact that, before we knew
it, it was time to switch from the
classroom to our work placements.
Talking about it now, the
group unanimously agrees that the
work experience was like ten days
of congratulations. We were allowed
to see just how much our German
had come on in merely three weeks
by putting it into practice in real
situations of responsibility. Working
in a French/German bilingual
pre-school, I personally found it
fascinating that both languages
simply seemed to fall (coherently)
out of my mouth, an experience with
which the entirety of the group drew
parallels. We were moving from easy
fluency to a real, incipient Sprachgefühl,
and this was never more evident than
when, on one of our last days there,
we decided to congregate at the
local park. Upon seeing some other
youths accidentally damage part of
the apparatus, Duncan exclaimed,
“Look! They’ve kaputted the swings!”
This particular statement resonated
with me, as it saw the languages and
structure of English and German
collide and fuse.
When
five
well-rested,
energetic teenage boys stumble into
Stuttgart Airport at midday, the
atmosphere has a propensity to be one
of joy and excitement. Unfortunately,
on this particular occasion, we five
in question were in especially glum
spirits, knowing that one of the best
months of our lives had just ended.
We didn’t want to go home.
Jack McNicol (Form V)
learning sans frontières...
AN EMPIRE IN ITS
RUINS
Mackenzie Shepherd (Form VI) was this
year’s recipient of the MacNaughton Travel
Award. Here he recounts details of his trip
to the heart of the Roman Empire.
Even after 2000 years, the symbols
of Roman power are still prevalent
in Italy’s capital city. Despite the
demise of the Roman Empire
and the many sackings of the city,
buildings such as the Pantheon
and the Colosseum can still be
appreciated today. Even some of
the original paved roads and water
pumps are still visible throughout
the city. Although some Roman
symbols paint the empire as a brutal
and expansionist society, there is also
evidence that the Romans were just
as ingenious and civilised. Using the
generous funding provided by the
MacNaughton Travel Award, I was
able to travel in the holidays to visit
the city, in order to gain a deeper
understanding of the key factors that
shaped Roman society.
The first location I visited
was the remains of the Circus
Maximus, the site of Rome’s main
53
chariot racing stadium. Situated just a short walk from the Colosseum, there
is relatively little left to see today except for the side banking where spectators
sat and the long central island of the track, around which chariots would have
turned during races. Walking into the Circus Maximus, a spectator would have
been greeted by a cacophony of sounds from the audience, cheers and boos,
when races were on. Money would have changed hands as bets were placed
on which team was going to win the race. The arena itself was originally built
from wood but, after several fires, the Emperor Trajan decided that stone
and marble were better materials for the structure. In its time, the stadium
would have dwarfed the much later Colosseum and even most modern stadia.
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December 2013
54
Archaeologists working at the site have reckoned that
the original building measured over 600 metres long
and 100 metres wide and could accommodate around
150,000 spectators. The stadium would surely have been
an awesome sight and would have made a huge impact
upon the crowds of spectators, both local people and
foreigners.
After spending a time walking the Circus
Maximus (now a public park), I walked down the Via Di
San Gregorio to the Colosseum, originally known as the
Flavian Amphitheatre. Despite this being my second visit
to this building, I was still blown away by its sheer size
and prominence in the centre of Rome. Perhaps the best
known of Rome’s ancient buildings, this arena hosted
gladiatorial fights, prisoner executions and even mock
naval battles. The morning of the Games would see
fights between lesser known gladiators followed perhaps
by a dramatic recreation from myth. During lunch, the
spectators would have the ‘joy’ of watching criminals
being executed. Then, the main headliners would enter
the arena. These would have been the top gladiators of
their time, held in a similar regard to the best footballers
today. The atmosphere at these games would have been
ecstatic, with the crowd reacting to every blow that the
gladiators suffered. It was no surprise then, that the
politicians of the time would personally fund these
events in order to gain the support of the masses. Titus
held 100 days of games in order to regain the support
he had lost following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79
AD. It could be said that the funding of these games by
politicians was a way of showing that they would spend
money for the Roman state instead of on themselves.
The Colosseum can also be seen as a metaphor for
Rome’s dominance at the height of its power, as it
brought together animals and slaves from every corner
of the empire to fight each other. In this way, Rome
boasted its supremacy over foreign peoples and even the
natural world.
The Arch of Titus crowns the hillock near
the Colosseum and provided the entrance for my next
visit: the Roman Forum. The arch itself was built
after Emperor Titus’ death in order to celebrate his
victory over the Jewish rebellion in 70AD. As such,
the monument bears several reliefs showing Roman
Fortunas 32
December 2013
soldiers carrying off religious spoils, including two
carrying off a sacred menorah. Titus himself is depicted
as triumphator (‘man of triumph’), his head crowned
with a laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of victory.
Public figures such as senators and generals would build
monuments like these in order to ensure that their legacy
was continued, as well as to proclaim the success of the
Roman state.
Following in the footsteps of a Roman victory
parade, I entered the Roman Forum itself, one of the last
locations that I visited. Today the Forum is surrounded
by looming medieval buildings because of its burial
for several hundred years under layers of silt and sand.
Although it has only been excavated in the last 400
years, the significance of the Forum in Roman history
cannot be understated. As the political, religious and
administrative centre of the city, this location was close
to the Palatine Hill, the emperor’s home, as well as the
Capitoline Hill, where the Temple of Jupiter once sat.
Inside the Forum, one of the first buildings to attract
attention is the cremation site of Julius Caesar. This
small building can barely hold ten people but the queue
to get inside was sizeable. It is apparent that even after
2000 years, Caesar still has an appeal to people around
the world due to his legacy as both an inspiring military
leader and the person who laid much of the groundwork
for the subsequent Roman Empire. Not far from the
site of Caesar’s cremation stands the Rostra, a platform
from which politicians and lawyers gave speeches to
enthusiastic crowds. The Rostra was key to political
control, especially during the civil wars. Mark Antony, in
the wake of Caesar’s death, nailed the heads and hands
of his political enemies to the platform in an attempt
to consolidate his own power. During the later civil war
between Antony and Octavian (later Augustus Caesar),
control of the Rostra would prove key to swaying public
opinion against your opponent. From here, I continued
on towards the Roman Senate House. This building is
in surprisingly good condition having suffered relatively
little damage despite being in place since the 1st century
BC. Many of the Forum’s artefacts are housed inside.
These range from small religious statues to glasswork,
such as bottles and jewellery from the time. Such items
can provide a valuable insight into the lives of citizens in
the Forum, reminding us that the area was the centre not
only of religious and political life, but also of the social
life of Rome. My trip to Rome in the summer provided
a fascinating insight into the city’s history, through
exploring sites that shaped the Roman Empire both for
the good and the bad. Whilst temples such as those in
the Forum and the Pantheon reveal Rome to be a society
that valued religion, visits to sites such as the Colosseum
and the Rostra have brought home to me the brutality
and violence which also shaped the legacy of this aweinspiring Empire.
art & literature...
CHARITIES
CHARITIES WEEK 2013
The end of the school year 2012-13
brought yet another successful week
for the
Charities Committee. Their efforts all
kicked off with a new event to raise
fun
ds for
the chosen charities - the Tug o’ War.
The sun was shining as both pupils and
teachers
gathered eagerly by the Prep School pitc
h to spectate this highly-anticipated add
ition
to the Charities calendar. The teachers
’ teams comprised the appropriately
named
‘Playfair’ and ‘Dewar’. They battled
it out in the first round of heats, with
Playfair
coming out the victor. Mr Lindsay of
Team Playfair proudly commented, “We
were
preparing ourselves for the calibre of
team we faced, but thankfully we won
as we
hoped we would.” The victorious teac
hers then faced a new challenge - the
pupils!
The ‘Sports Most Elite’ consisted of
many First XV and First XI players;
it was a
hard-fought final, but in the end the pup
ils triumphed!
The Fairy Godmother Auction followed
, always a popular event in the senior
school. The pupils gathered in mass in
the Assembly Hall. A number of Sixt
h Years
kindly volunteered to be ‘bought’ by
pupils to act as their ‘Fairy Godmother’
for the
afternoon. Godmothers, including mem
bers of the Top Six and even some
‘rugby
lads’, were eventually ‘sold’ for as muc
h as £40! The event raised a great
sum of
money, and some lucky pupils had com
pany (or someone to run their errands
!) for
the rest of the day.
Finally the highlight of the week: the
Custard Pie Auction. As ever, the
turnout was high to witness various
teachers and peers being pied in the
face by
lucky pupils, all in the name of charity!
Teachers involved included Mr Duncan
, Mr
McEwan, Miss Spencer, Mr McConnell,
and Mr Blezard, along with Sixth For m
pupils
Andrew Raw and Stewart Martin. In
good spirits, the teachers sacrificed thei
r clothes
to the smell of dairy. Bids were high,
with Andrew Raw being ‘sold’ to his Sixt
h For m
peers for a stag gering £70!
Altogether the events resulted in £1000
being donated to both the local Alloa
Food Bank and the international cha
rity, ‘Wonderful Love’, associated with
Project
Trust. Once again the teachers and pup
ils of Dollar were generous with bot
h their
energy and their money, ensuring that
the efforts of the Charities Committee
were a
huge success.
55
Sarah Everington (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DOLLAR PUPILS’ MARATHON CHARITY EFFORT
In May of the summer term, Niall MacMillan and Jamie Melling (then Form V
and IV) ran 27 gruelling miles over, around and through the Ochils in an effort
to raise funds for the charity, Help for Heroes. They completed their run in a
most impressive time of 5 hours and 27 minutes. They had been rigorously
coached by Physics teacher and school Running Club organiser, Mr Andy Johns
- no stranger to long-distance runs himself. The boys are very committed to
this worthy cause and have already raised £1600 for this charity, which provides
practical, direct support for servicemen or women who suffer life-changing
injuries in the line of duty.
Should anyone wish to celebrate the boys’ achievement and support
Help for Heroes charity, they may do so by visiting bmycharity.com and
searching for Niall MacMillan.
Heather Moore
ECO COMMITTEE
ESTABLISHES DOLLAR
ECO GROVE
56
Last session the Dollar Academy
Eco Committee raised money from
two Bag2School collections with the
intention of donating the funds to a
Scottish environmental charity. Now,
as a result of that fundraising, the
Eco Committee have established the
Dollar Eco Grove in the Caledonian
Forest, under the auspices of
the charity, Trees for Life. This
environmental organisation
is committed to restoring the
Caledonian Forests in the Highlands,
which have been progressively
destroyed since humans started
living in Scotland.
The Dollar Grove will help
to expand the ancient woodlands on
Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness
- land purchased by Trees for Life in
2008. Presently, the grove consists
of 57 trees. The planting enabled by
Dollar’s sponsorship of the grove
is scheduled for autumn 2013; the
trees planted will be native species
Fortunas 32
December 2013
after the bell...
grown from locally collected seed.
Scots pine, willow, rowan, birch,
hazel, alder, holly aspen, and bird
cherry are the predominant species.
The grove will expand naturally by
regeneration to help grow forests of
the future; it will also help link the
remnants of Caledonian Forest in
Glen Moriston with those in Glen
Affric. The Eco Committee also
hope to add to the Dollar Academy
grove by raising money from other
Eco activities in the future.
For further information and an
opportunity to add to Dollar
Academy’s donation and dedications,
visit treesforlife.org.uk and search for
Dollar Academy.
Heather Moore
57
SURF CLUB
This autumn saw the best block of lessons I can remember since starting the
Club five years ago. The first trip produced perfect, glassy waves that allowed
everyone to ease back into things after the summer. Many of the pupils have
been coming surfing for some time now and these conditions were ideal
for them to make real progress. All members of the groups were sitting out
back and catching green, unbroken waves and riding them into the beach.
The progression was really evident as old hands like Chris Clark and Duncan
Fisken (both Form IV) showed they were really getting the hang of turning
and controlling the board. We had the most enthusiastic new starts ever with
us, in the form of Cameron Turner (Form IV) and Matt Laing (Form III),
both of whom did really well - Cameron standing up on his first wave ever and
Matt showing the benefit of summers spent in Biarritz. The atmosphere was
fantastic as we all competed to see who could get the longest ride and we all
came home with happy smiles. The following week saw a flat spell, but the surf
school is now set up to take us Coasteering on such days and we spent a brilliant
evening scrambling around the cliffs by Dunbar harbour, culminating in a funsize jump where front flips, back flips and swallow dives were the order of
the day. (Remember: seaweed slippy; barnacles grippy.) The final two sessions
produced great waves in the chest- to head-high region. The final session had
some fairly big sets coming through which were a good challenge for our, by
now, pretty competent group. The atmosphere on all four trips was excellent,
and I thank all those involved for their entertaining company and incredible
enthusiasm. Just remember – the best surfer is the one who’s having the most
fun.
Charlie Ainge
Fortunas 32
December 2013
COMENIUS PROJECT
COMES TO AN END THEORETICALLY!
58
Dollar Academy has just completed
a two-year project which involved
pupil volunteers working with people
in the community on various aspects
of I.T. The project was funded by
a grant of 20,000 Euros from the
European Comenius programme via
the British Council. The school has
been awarded five of these grants to
date, and has benefited hugely from
the programme, in which schools
from across Europe collaborate on a
specific theme.
This particular project was
carried out in partnership with the
Gustav-Stresemann-Gymnasium,
Fellbach, Germany and the Instituut
Mariawende-Blydhove,
Brugge,
Belgium. The project focussed on
the use of technology (iPads, PCs
and photography) to enhance the
learning environment and learning
experiences of a range of people. The
aim was to bridge the digital divide
between those with technologicallyrelated skills and those without, and
to promote social inclusion. We feel
that the project has succeeded in
accomplishing both of these aims.
Pupils from each school were trained
in the use of I.T. and in working
with people with various care needs.
The Belgian and German schools
each worked with one local group of
youths or adults with special needs.
Dollar Academy ran five
four-week courses (one 90-minute
lesson per week) for local over-65s,
in which pupils worked one-to-one
with them on aspects of I.T. which
were relevant to them. Initially PCs
and laptops were used, but after one
course many of the ‘client’ group
expressed an interest in using iPads,
and the focus switched to this for
the last few courses. Clients learned
to shop online, use Word and Paint,
organise and edit photos, use Skype,
Facebook, email and much more.
These courses are now ongoing,
with new and familiar faces attending
each one. An iPad training course
is scheduled to run at the time of
writing.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
The Academy also ran a
four-week course for teachers and
classroom staff at Seamab School, a
local residential school for children
with emotional and behavioural
difficulties. The focus of this course
was to familiarise the staff with the
use of iPads for educational and
social purposes, with pupils again
working one-to-one with staff at the
school.
A third focus was a group of
disabled adults in a photography group
at the local Whins Resource Centre.
Pupils met with the group weekly
and helped set up their computer to
view and edit photographs taken by
the group. They produced a calendar
of their best photos which was
copied and bound by the school and
distributed to members of the group
and their families.
The final focus was a social
group for disabled children (Play
Alloa) at which pupils from the
Academy have helped over the course
of the two years. They socialised with
the children and helped them to use
iPads with great success. They also
produced a calendar with photos
of the group which all members
were given by the school. Pupils at
the Academy continue to volunteer
with Play Alloa, which now runs a
befriending scheme.
Each of the partner schools
produced one or more work packages
based on their experiences, which can
be used by other schools working
with a similar client group. Many
of the products of the project are
available for access through the EST
website,
europeansharedtreasure.
eu - enter ‘Dollar Academy’ into the
‘search an institution/organisation’
bar and select ‘International
community learning of ICT’. There
are then options for looking at
shared products and products from
the individual partner schools. The
products include a list of apps which
have been rated by pupils in terms of
usefulness for various user groups,
along with instructions for using
20 of the most popular apps. Some
software is also available which can
be used to help to teach basic literacy
and numeracy and I.T. skills. The
calendars produced for Play Alloa
and the Whins Centre can also be
viewed.
We hope to apply for
more funding from the Comenius
programme next session and are
delighted that our pupils carry on the
spirit of this project by continuing to
volunteer in our local community.
Lucy Payne, Susanne Stanhope and Karen MacBean
after the bell...
INDIA SHIELD AND
INSPECTION DAY
We have been privileged to welcome
back to Dollar many successful
Former Pupils over the years, and
this year has proved no different.
On Friday 14th June the Rt Hon Sir
George Reid (FP) and Lady Daphne,
along with Lt Colonel Neil DenMcKay (FP), Commanding Officer
of 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment
of Scotland (5Scots), joined in the
final day of competition for the
India Shield (the CCF’s Inter Section
Competition). Sir George, as Lord
Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire,
took this opportunity to present
Sgt Eleanor Taylor (then Form VI)
with her Lord-Lieutenant Cadet
parchment paper for her year’s service
and to award Eleanor’s replacement,
Drum Major Joe Armstrong (Form
V) with his LLC badge of office and
a certificate. The parade finished with
Colonel Den-McKay presenting the
India Shield to the winning section Infantry; section i/c - Sgt Taylor!
Dollar Academy CCF held its
Biennial Inspection Day on Monday
14th October. The Inspecting Officer
this year was Lt Col Mike Hay, Chief
of Staff 51 (Scottish) Brigade (FP).
He was welcomed by over 270 pupil
and staff members of the CCF, and
the day included an Inspection and
March Past followed by lunch with
the Rector and Senior Cadets. In the
afternoon, he visited a wide variety of
cadet activities, accompanied by RSM
Robert Henson (Form VI). At the
final parade, Lt Col Hay promoted a
number of the cadets and presented
Major Julia Adamson with her Cadet
Force Long Service award, marking
12 years of service to the Combined
Cadet Force.
59
Craig Stewart
Inspection Day photos courtesy of Jan van der
Merwe
Fortunas 32
December 2013
MILITARY SKILLS
COMPETITION 2013
60
On Friday 27th September, ten of
Dollar Academy’s best cadets travelled
to Barry Buddon training area on the
east coast to compete in the Scottish
Military Skills Competition. The team
was led by Tim Torrance and Ben
Ward (both Form VI) and consisted
of Robert Henson (Form VI), Angus
Clark, David Kennedy, Christian
Lao, Megan Montgomery, Gavin
Roderick, Duncan Smith (all Form
V), and Sam Ward (Form IV).
The competition was made
up of several stands, each of which
tested a different tactical skill, such
as Section Attacks, Patrolling, First
Aid, Observation, Map and Compass
and Military Knowledge. The whole
event took place over three days
and two nights, during which time
the team slept under bashas (nylon
sheets strung between two trees with
some bungees) and ate army ration
pack meals. We arrived on the Friday
evening and spent the night getting
some rest after the School Sponsored
Walk which had taken place that day.
We awoke the next day to
what was quite a cold but, mercifully,
dry morning. We collapsed our
campsite and prepared to move to
our first stand. Over the course of
the day, all of the teams taking part
in the competition had to navigate
between various stands in different
locations around the training area.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
At each stand, the team was assessed
by a soldier from the Cadet Training
Team, who allocated marks based on
teamwork, aggression, leadership and
the team’s competence at that stand’s
particular skill. We were lucky that our
first stands were ones that we were
particularly good at, and the Dollar
team therefore gained momentum
throughout the morning.
At the end of a long day of
stands, the team returned to the basha
site, exhausted from a tough day of
heavy physical activity. Shortly after
a meal and a brief rest, however, we
got ourselves fired up in time to be
off again. This time we were to take
part in a timed Night Navigational
Exercise, in which we navigated
between a number of grid references,
over extremely tough terrain, with very
limited visibility. The determination
of the team was outstanding, as the
cadets pushed themselves between
each point, through ditches and
chest-high grass. All of this was done
with a rifle, full webbing belts and kit,
but despite the physical challenge, the
team found every one of the nine
points, covering approximately five
kilometres, and made it back to the
start in an exceptional time. Everyone
was exhausted as they collapsed into
their bashas that night, physically
aching with the exertion of running
with heavy kit for an hour in the dark.
The final day of the
competition was spent completing
the remaining three stands - the
obstacle course, the speed march and
the shoot. We stretched off our sore
muscles and prepared to tackle the
obstacles in front of us, including
tunnels, six- and ten-foot walls,
stepping logs and a lot of crawling.
The team finished in a good time,
but then had to set off on the speed
march, a 1.5 kilometre forced march
with full kit. On arrival at the end
point, we then moved straight into
the shoot, which tested our accuracy
with the cadet A2 rifles that we had
been carrying slung around our
bodies all weekend.
After this, our competing
was done. All we could do was sit
and wait for the scores to be counted.
Then, during the final parade, the
results were announced and, to our
delight, we were placed first. The
team thoroughly deserved the victory,
as the cadets had worked extremely
hard throughout the competition
and through all of the training
beforehand. It was a great feeling
to come away with a win, having
narrowly lost the year before, and it
made all of the team members’ and
adults’ work towards the competition
worthwhile. A special mention must
go to Captain Scott for running the
Night Navigational Exercise with us,
and to the rest of the adults who kept
us going throughout. For me, this has
been the culmination of my time as
a cadet and I am extremely happy to
have come away with a win in my final
year. Form VI now pass the mantle
on to the younger years, to retain the
trophy in the future.
CSM Tim Torrance (Form VI)
after the bell...
NATIONAL SUCCESS
FOR FIRST AID TEAM
After securing a fantastic victory
at the Scottish Military Skills
Competition, the Dollar cadets
endured the very next weekend the
seven-hour bus journey to RAF
Cranwell to compete at the National
First Aid Competition. They had
already qualified by sweeping away
the field at the Scottish Competition
in June, winning the best CCF and the
best Scottish Team prizes, so before
they even set out they were already
representing the CCF for Scotland.
After a full day of
preparation
for
the
biennial
Contingent Inspection, the team,
which consisted of RSM Robert
Henson (Form VI) Cpl Duncan
Smith, L/Cpl Benjamin Collins, Cpl
Christian Lao and Cpl Angus Clark
(all Form V), travelled to Grantham.
The weekend was split into two
competitions, with Dollar having to
rank first or second place on Saturday
in order to qualify for Sunday’s event.
The cadets were tested individually
and as a team, treating injuries such
as fractured jaws, broken ribs and
punctured lungs. By the end of the
first day, the Dollar team had won the
CCF Competition for the eighth year
in a row, collecting the London Cup
and making it the best CCF team in
the country. Special mention must go
to L/Cpl Collins, who achieved the
top individual score of 37 out of 40.
As current CCF National
Champions, the team then had the
honour of representing not only
Scotland but the whole of the UK at
the Inter-Services Competition. The
cadets faced a second gruelling day
competing, which involved dealing
with a challenging parachuting
accident. This competition was
between the top teams from every
branch of the cadet forces, including
the Army Cadet Force, the Air
Training Corps, the Sea Cadet Corps
and the St John’s Ambulance Cadets.
Dollar performed extremely well and
was placed second in this prestigious
competition. The team leader,
RSM Robert Henson, won the top
individual prize with a fantastic score
of 57 out of 60. This is the fourth
year in which he has won this – an
unparalleled achievement. The team
would not have seen such success
without the support of their coach,
mentor and advisor, SMI Tracy
Scott, and the Contingent Executive
Officer, Captain Mark Scott, who
have both worked extremely hard
to organise and run many hours of
training before the competition.
It was, all in all, a very successful
weekend, with the Dollar Team
winning the National CCF and the
National Cadet Titles.
RSM Robert Henson (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
61
62
BISLEY SHOOTING
SUCCESS 2013
The focus of the training for Dollar
Academy shooters is the summer
competition held at Bisley. The events
in Schools Week are for cadets, and
this year from Monday 8th to Friday
12th July over 50 schools, represented
by 700 members of their respective
Combined Cadet Forces, competed to
win individual and team prizes every
day. The premier event is undoubtedly
the Ashburton on Thursday; schools
enter a team of eight shooters, some
of whom must also wind-coach the
others to shoot at 300, 500 and 600
yards. In the shooting world, we
recognize that some schools may be
able to find a few individuals who are
cracking good shots, but the schools
which can bring together a team of
eight, plus others to make up a Cadet
Four and a Schools Four, must have
real breadth of talent. We were very
Fortunas 32
December 2013
proud to prove that we are such
a school this year by winning the
Ashburton Shield. Dollar is the only
Scottish school to have won the event
in the last 50 years, previously in 2005
and now in 2013. The winning team
consisted of Billy Dineen, Captain
together with Lindsey McKerrell,
Louis Stewart (Athelings), CJ
Macdonald (Atheling Reserve) – all FP
2013; Alex Black, Seonaid McIntosh,
Danny Dineen (all Form VI) and
Megan Montgomery (Form V). The
London Scottish Vase, presented to
the best shooting school in Scotland,
was won again by Dollar for the 16th
consecutive year. We also won the
Cadet Fours and the list of individual
cadet prizes is astonishing (as is the
collection of pots and medals that
we have brought back to display in
Dollar Academy). Special mention
must go to Gregor Stewart (Form
IV) who, despite having to forego
shooting after our Captain shut his
fingers in a minibus door, piped
on the Scottish Contingents (with
very straight fingers) on Ashburton
Thursday.
The Imperial Week
From Friday 12th to Saturday 20th
July, the competition changes from
a CCF to a civilian event. By Friday,
Bisley had absorbed over 1100 target
rifle competitors of all ages, from
school pupils to elderly veterans, all
trying to achieve the highest possible
ranking in the Grand Aggregate (11
competitions over 5 days), as well as to
qualify for second and final stages in
major events such as the St George’s
and the Queen’s Prize. Throughout
the week, selectors for County, Cadet,
all Forces and National Squads are
watching the scoreboards for shooters
with the potential to do well for their
team matches, held from the fifth to
tenth days of the Imperial Meeting.
Throughout this week, our Dollar
after the bell...
63
Academy pupils and Former Pupils
continued to shine. Jacqui Rankin
(FP) had an outstanding result in the
Grand Aggregate, being placed 7th,
with Lindsey McKerrell just missing
out on a place in the top 100, but still
winning the prize for the highestplaced cadet in the Grand, closely
followed by Julia Melling (FP) in 146th
and fellow Atheling Louis Stewart
in 167th place. The top 200 reads
like a ‘Who’s Who’ of International
names and Commonwealth Games
competitors, and our pupil placings
were remarkable. Also worthy of
note were Seonaid McIntosh in
237th place with a total 676 with 69
V Bulls, and Ewan Scougall’s (Form
V) placing of 299th with a score of
672 with 58 V Bulls; only four points
behind, but almost 60 places in the
tight competition!
Lindsey McKerrell was
selected to shoot for the Scottish
National Squad in both the National
Match at short range and the
McKinnon Match at Long Range,
and Former Pupil, Jacqui Rankin,
was selected for Great Britain in
the Kolapore Match; these are truly
outstanding achievements. FPs
Johnny Boreland and Julia Melling
also achieved Scotland caps. Ewan
Scougall, Seonaid McIntosh, CJ
Macdonald, Louis Stewart, Danny
Dineen and Lyndsey McKerrell were
also selected for prestigious cadet
competitions with the Athelings, The
AG Bell team or the UK cadets. To
wrap up an extraordinary week, our
pupils won the Gary Jones Cup - an
aggregate of scores from the Imperial
Meeting, reflecting their skills at both
Long and Short Ranges.
you also to the group of parents who
came as supporters, photographers,
tent carriers and, later in the day,
bearers of huge trophies. We very
much look forward to displaying
the pots and photographs. Special
mention must also go to our own Lt
Colonel Stewart, who returned from
Canada in late August this year; he
was the 2013 Commandant of the
Athelings, the top 16 cadet shooters
in Great Britain, in their matches
against Canadian cadets and those
civilians who attend their ‘Bisley’, the
DCRA Meeting, in Connaught this
year.
In
conclusion,
Dollar
Academy shone at Bisley this year,
and we were delighted that both the
Rector and the Chairman of the
Governors, John Cameron, were there
on Ashburton Day to share some
remarkable memories with us. Thank
Full details of all the titles and prizes
won by the Dollar shooters at Bisley
can be found in the table on page
64, which charts the entire range of
impressive achievements of the team
this year.
Julia Adamson
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December 2013
DOLLAR ACADEMY
SHOOTING RESULTS
64
WINNING 21 MAJOR COMPETITIONS
The Ashburton Shield
Scottish Schools Winners – Eight, Pair, Four and Reserve
Ashburton (Bisley) – The Cadet Fours
The Gary Jones Challenge Trophy
London Scottish Vase
London Scottish Cup (16 Times)
Strathcona
BSSRA Drabble Cup
Schools and Universities Challenge Cup
Cheltenham Cup
The Allhallows Salver
Devon (1st Scottish School Ever)
Lucas
DSG Trophy
Victoria Tankard
Epsom Trophy
Kinder
Green Howards Country Life (sb)
BISLEY INDIVIDUAL RESULT
300yrd Agg (7 in top 100) 5th Megan Montgomery
500yrd Agg (8 in top 100) 3rd Megan Montgomery
600yrd Agg (7 in top 100) 6th Seonaid McIntosh
Cadet Rifle Agg (9 in top 100) 1st 2nd and 3rd all Dollar
Cadet Monday Agg (12 in top 100) 1st Seonaid McIntosh
Cadet Tuesday Agg (10 in top 100) 1st 2nd and 3rd all Dollar
Cadet Wednesday Agg (4 in top 100) 6th Seonaid McIntosh
The Schools 100 (9 in top 100) 1st Seonaid McIntosh
The Cadet Grand Agg (10 in top 100) 3rd Seonaid McIntosh
The Wellington (7 in top 100) 3rd Megan Montgomery
The Iveagh (7 in top 100) 2nd Lindsey McKerrell
Victoria Tankard (8 in top 100) 1st Lindsey McKerrell
London Scottish Century Challenge Cup - Imogen Macleod
Fortunas 32
December 2013
RUNNERS UP FIVE MAJOR COMPETITIONS
Staniforth
Rutland
Green Howard Country Life (500x)
Cadet International
Anstey
BISLEY TEAM RESULTS
The Ashburton (1st)
Anstey (2nd)
Garry (3rd)
Garry Jones (1st)
Devon (1st)
Reserve (3rd)
Kinder (1st)
The Epsom (1st)
Victoria College Trophy (7th)
Cadet Pairs (10th)
Cadet Fours (1st)
Schools Fours (7th)
OTHER INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
BSSRA individual - Seonaid McIntosh
Bob Scott Trophy, West of Scotland - Lindsey McKerrell
East of Scotland Tyro Class - Lindsey McKerrell
Fraser Cup - Lindsey McKerrell
West of Scotland - Lindsey McKerrell
East of Scotland Championship - Louis Stewart 1st
(CJ and Lindsey finalists)
Monday Agg - Seonaid McIntosh
Tuesday Agg - Lindsey McKerrell
Schools Hundred - Seonaid McIntosh
Cadet Rifle Agg - Megan Montgomery
Victoria Tankard - Lindsey McKerrell
Imperial Cadet Grand Agg - Lindsey McKerrell
after the bell...
PIPE BAND
Mornings, evenings and any spare moments in
between, the pipers and drummers of Dollar Academy
had put everything they had into the final preparations for
the five Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA)
major competitions throughout the summer. This
season was particularly exciting for Dollar, as its young
Novice Band was making its debut in these international
competitions.
Having earned a consistent top two ranking
in the first three competitions and a third placing at the
World Championships, the Pipe Band was raring to go
for the last competition at the Cowal Gathering. After
an early start, everyone prepared for a final push to get
a major championship title under our collective belts.
This year is the last that Cowal will be considered a major
championship, so thoughts of being the final victors of
the Juvenile competition spurred us on.
A sleepy bus ride, a lot of final tuning and 65
burgers later, the bands both performed to a very high
standard that made our tutors proud. Marching into
the massed bands with Champion of Champions Field
Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band, everyone began the
anxious wait for the results. News that the Novice Band
had finished in fifth place, a real achievement considering it
was its first time entering the competition, built the tension,
excitement and nerves for the older members of Dollar’s
Pipe Band. Then, the moment came. The moment that
will go down as one of our loudest and most emotional:
we had won the Juvenile Competition. The band erupted
in cheers and tears in equal measure as we soaked in the
pride that comes with winning a major championship.
This was a perfect end to a successful season. It was also
65
a truly well-deserved win for our leavers, Rory Weir and
Jamie Gallagher. After both dedicating several years to the
Pipe Band, they were particularly emotional at the victory
in their final competition.
Playing through the streets of Dollar on the
return from Cowal reminded every member of the pipes
and drums of Dollar Academy how lucky we are to be
part of the notorious ‘Pipe Band family.’ This of course
includes our talented and patient tutors, without whom
no success would be possible and 8am practices would
seem a lot drearier. The pride and excitement that radiated
from every member that night is something that none of
us will forget and this achievement will go down in Pipe
Band history.
Laura Manson (Form V)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
FOCUS ON ROYAL NAVY
FIRE FIGHTING AND
DAMAGE CONTROL
COURSE
66
Anxiously we waited on the front
steps of Portsmouth and Southsea
train station, wondering which of the
passing buses would pick us up. Our
journey had been a long, stressful
and tiring one – eight hours in total
– but nevertheless we soldiered on
with wide, anticipating smiles on
our faces until our transport finally
arrived. Our first night was our time
to recover: catch up on missed school
work (what we hadn’t managed to do
on the train journey), prepare our
kit and bags and brace ourselves for
the mysterious events that lay ahead.
HMS Excellent is a vast base, as we
discovered on our walk to dinner, but
we did not mind too much; the sight
of HMS Bristol was a reassuring yet
spectacular one.
5.30 am. Top of a threebunk-high bed. No ladder. Phone
with alarm set more than three metres
away. Recipe for disaster? Thankfully
not; I managed not to damage
anything, anyone else or myself
on my way down to get rid of the
annoying alarm sound. After a nice
refreshing shower, I woke everyone
up at 6am; this was probably the
most stressful moment of the trip, to
switch on all of the lights, as I didn’t
Fortunas 32
December 2013
know how well the girls would react
to such a sudden awakening! Uniform
on and bags packed, we set off on
our journey through the maze that is
HMS Bristol and made our way up to
the top deck, where we pegged out
and marched to the food hall. We
were going to need all the energy we
could get for what we were about to
do.
In the waiting area of Atrium
3, we waited nervously to be guided
to our classroom, where we received
a safety briefing and an introduction
to the day’s courses. Our next step
was to learn how to fight a fire. Now,
as daunting as this sounds, after a
very well-executed demonstration,
it all seemed to make a bit more
sense; there was a different method
or extinguisher for each type of fire.
They set props on fire and it was our
job to make sure they were properly
extinguished. After proving that we
could do this, they decided to trust us
with big red hoses which were fitted
with ‘fire-fighters’. They are able to
distribute water in two main ways: a
wall of water that projects out at all
angles to protect the fire-fighter, and
a jet to put out the fire. After testing
each setting, we were challenged to
put out a fire within a simulated engine
room (obviously only a controlled
fire) with the help of a partner to hold
the hose. Alive and burn-free, we were
then allowed to play with the thermal
imaging cameras and communication
helmets, which admittedly we found
much more entertaining than we
should have!
The second half of our
day was in my opinion the highlight
of the trip. We didn’t really know
what we were in for after being
handed enormous white overalls and,
ironically, shoes that looked a lot like
boats. Nevertheless, we bolted to the
changing rooms, pulled on our new
outfits and headed to the briefing
room. Here, we received a safety
briefing and then a ‘run through’
with our guide, Freddy. Thankfully,
he showed us how we would cope
with being thrown into a ‘sinking
boat’, as it were. We were each given
a hard hat and a green numbered
vest. Team 1 set off first, noticeably
more nervous than us, as we would
be able to hear any screams during
their time in the simulator and could
watch just how much it tilted from
side to side; we would know what to
expect. Eagerly, we watched from the
balcony as their simulation began. We
after the bell...
could hear the water swishing from
side to side and pouring out from
the bottom each time the unit tilted.
The odd raised voice was heard, but
as it is part of a real boat, the metal
is reasonably thick, so we assumed
it was going well. About 30 minutes
later, Team 1 trudged out of the
unit, squelching with every step they
took back up the stairs towards us. A
mixed response was received; either
“I nearly died!” or “It was SO fun,
I want to go again!” and, of course,
the enthusiastic “TEAM 1 WIN!” to
which we responded with the truth,
that in fact we would win... It was
game on.
Team 2 assembled at the top
of the stairs. We discussed our plan
of action: we were going to back each
other up at all times and work together
to save the ship. We descended the
stairs, then back up into our mess
deck which would in a few minutes
be flooding. The situation was that
we were on a warship which had been
struck by an enemy missile and our
section of the boat was beginning
to flood. Our mission was to save it.
BANG… “JUNIOR MESS DECK
2 LIMA… FLOOD, FLOOD,
FLOOD!” Through the hatch, down
the stairs, into the mess deck, wading
through the water…we stopped.
The water was getting deeper and
deeper; our plan kicked into action.
We split equally between each
gushing hole, and through a series
of shouts, hammers and wedges we
pounded away at the walls, trying to
stop the flow of water. Laura, Amy
and myself had gravitated towards
each other, so quickly became the
main ‘wedge team’. Hammering away
at the small wooden wedges whilst
being thrown from a bunk bed by
the sheer force of the water shooting
out of the wall was much more
tiring than expected. The boys and
ourselves took turns trying to plug
holes into the wall, along with having
to split wedges into different sizes as
none of the holes were the same. The
‘wedge team’ then relocated to a new
hole – the most difficult one – and
thankfully managed to stop the water
from hitting us in the face. Our time
was up before we knew it. Hammers
down. Feet back on the ground. Water
drained out. After compliments from
the instructors on our good work, we
went back up and into the briefing
room where we received a wedge
decorated with a plaque. It read “Una
Nos Servo Navis… Together we saved
the Ship”; it was the first they had
given out to a group of cadets, so you
can imagine how pleased we were to
receive it. The rest of the day seemed
extremely average compared to our
earlier activities!
Our second day was our
‘cultural day’, when we would have the
opportunity to visit Admiral Nelson’s
ship, HMS Victory, and the Mary Rose
which sank in 1545 and was later
recovered in the Solent. The Mary Rose
museum proved to be an extremely
interesting and slightly overwhelming
experience. The main attraction is
that the museum is arranged so that
one is able to walk along the decks as
if one were actually on the boat. Our
second stop was a short walk around
HMS Victory, which although a little
hazardous for taller people, was very
impressive. Every aspect of the ship
has been restored to its prime. Here
we learnt that the famous painting
of Nelson’s death is in fact very
inaccurate, for reasons I will not spoil
for any future visitors! A fun fact:
Nelson’s body was stored in a barrel
of brandy to preserve his body on his
journey home.
After Slt Stanhope and
Captain Scott treated us to a game of
Laser Quest, it was time to head back
to the port to get ready for home.
Our next thing to look forward to
was the sleeper train home, and
school on Friday morning. I think I
can speak for us all when I say that
the trip has left us with tremendous
memories, all thanks to Slt Stanhope,
Captain Scott and the adults, officers
and instructors involved. It really
makes one appreciate what being in
the Royal Navy Section is all about.
Lexy Graham (Form V)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
67
68
Fortunas 32
December 2013
after the bell...
RN COMPETENT
CREW COURSE
Heather: In one month I have been
down to HMS Excellent in Portsmouth
for two very different courses. I
have tried out my firefighting skills
and found out how I would cope
in a sinking ship through the DRIU
(Damage Repair Instructional Unit)
machine, and now I have also been
a crew member of a sailing boat in
the Competent Crew Course. It was
amazing.
We did not get a table on
the train on the journey south, which
ruined our intentions of catching up
on school work, but do not worry
teachers…the return journey was
far more productive! That feeling of
not really having an idea what I was
doing only kicked in when I set foot
on HMS Bristol. I hoped it would
all come back to me when put into
practice. I had never sailed a yacht,
been dinghy sailing or power-boating
before, which worried our Skipper,
Piers Baker, a little.
Lexy: The course was aboard STC
Amaryllis alongside HMS Bristol in
Portsmouth. The yacht is a Sigma 38
and is very well-equipped and well
looked after. This course followed
on from the previous ‘Start Yachting
Course’ which the majority of cadets
aboard had completed. Our first night
consisted of settling in, being issued
foul weather gear, hearing what we
would be aiming to achieve, and
getting to know our fellow cadets.
Heather: We sailed for the week of
the October break with our Skipper
and Zoë, and three amazing cadets:
Lloyd, James, and Max. It was slightly
awkward for the first night, as we
were all strangers. Soon, we all had
realised that we were all equally weird,
so we got on really well! It is slightly
disturbing how many ginger nut
biscuits one can eat on a daily basis!
Lexy and I stayed in the
bow cabin which was really small
but surprisingly comfortable. We had
breakfast every morning at 0730, but
we could only get up when the boys
did - our door was barricaded at night
because there was not enough space
for everyone’s massive bags, so we
would often climb through the hatch
onto the deck and come through the
main hatch to make food.
Lexy: On Monday morning, we set
sail to Cowes and prepared for what
the coastguard had warned us would
be a very bumpy ride. I knew what
this meant – fun!
Heather: The first day was really fun
because it was so windy, but I got
really seasick which put a massive
grey cloud on my view of sailing. But
throughout the week I grew to love it.
Lexy: Throughout the entire week
we sailed in challenging conditions;
the wind varied from force 6 to
force 8, which a novice crew would
not normally sail in. Our first night
was spent in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Our first task there was to buy our
supplies for the next few days. With a
limited budget, specific list and a limit
on the packets of ginger nut biscuits
we were allowed to buy, this proved
challenging; however together we
managed to get everything required
to live comfortably on the yacht.
On Tuesday, we set sail again
for Yarmouth where we were given
a quiz which involved wandering
around the town and discovering its
history. Something I am sure raised
a few giggles was the question “How
many planks are there on the pier?”
Enthusiastically, I ran along the pier
and counted every individual plank.
I thought no one was following me
out of laziness but as it turns out, the
answer is written on a board at the
start of the pier! Our third night was spent
in Lymington, where the five of us
spent part of the evening in the local
park, then returned to the yacht for
a delicious meal prepared by the
boys. Our last night was spent in Port
Hamble where we were treated to
a meal in a local restaurant – which
was just sublime – and enjoyed a
nice relaxing evening of chatting
and having a meal cooked for us
rather than cooked by us. The next
morning, I was given the pleasure of
navigating our way out of the port
which was by far the trickiest place
we had stayed so far. Thankfully, with
a little guidance, we made it out safe
and unharmed!
Heather: I knew we were safe, but
at times I would remember the risks
involved in what we were doing. At
one point, when we were taking the
jib sail down in the wind, it hit me in
the face and the boat had gone about
so I fell onto the rail. Thankfully my
leg had been caught in my harness;
that could have been a very cold
experience! Gradually over the week
the workings aboard a yacht began to
become instinctive with practice.
Lexy: After a final debrief with
Skipper, we were issued our signed log
books and sent off to pack our bags.
It is a week I will always remember;
from the tricky weather conditions,
exploring new places, trying out every
job on board, all these things made
the October break of 2013 such an
enjoyable and memorable one.
Heather: I am really grateful Lexy
told me about this course. The
variety of courses we can apply for
is tremendous, and Navy Section is
definitely one of the best things you
can do in the CCF. We are already
planning to do our Day Skipper
course next year.
Heather Downie (Form V)
Lexy Graham (Form V)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
69
2014 RYDER CUP
YEAR-TO-GO
CELEBRATIONS GLENEAGLES
70
The 23rd September 2013 turned out
to be one of the best days I have
ever experienced. I had been selected
through the Development Centre
Programme run by Scottish Golf
to be one of 16 young golfers to be
given the chance to play a golf hole
with Tom Watson and Paul McGinley,
the American and European Team
Captains for the Ryder Cup 2014
taking place at Gleneagles next
September.
I was collected from school
at break and driven to Gleneagles by
my parents to be met at the Dormy
Clubhouse, where I received from
the organisers a blue Ryder Cup bag
full - and I mean full! - of goodies.
We changed into our gear and took
ourselves down to the driving range.
Never before have I had a range
closed just for our use! There was
a bank of television cameras and
photographers waiting there for our
arrival and following everything we
did. Those who know me are well
aware that photos are not something
I relish being taken, but even I must
confess the official photo turned out
quite well.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Tom Watson and Paul
McGinley arrived with very little
fuss, and came over and introduced
themselves to us in a very informal
manner, making jokes and helping
everyone feel a little less nervous. By
this time we had been told who was
playing on which hole. I was to tee
off on the 1st - great, no pressure
then!!
After
many,
many
photographs and interviews with
Dougie Donnelly, we were finally able
to get on with it. Tom Watson drove
into the rough, Paul McGinley into
the bunker - that helped us. The two
boys (one of whom, Jack, was playing
in my team) drove into the rough,
and then it was the girls’ turn. Yes,
off the ladies’ tee!! I was last to tee
off and took out my driver. I don’t
like people watching me play golf at
the best of times so I was even more
nervous than normal. I hit the ball
straight down the fairway and just
short of the green - who can say they
have out-driven both Tom Watson
and Paul McGinley - albeit they were
using hybrids and off the gents’ tee but I did it! Jack and I won that hole,
so Team McGinley was ahead. That
all took 50 minutes for one hole! The
pressure was off and I could really
begin to enjoy the atmosphere and
experience.
The 10th hole for those who
don’t know it is a short par 3 and
was to be used for the ‘nearest the
pin’ competition. We knew nothing
about any prizes at this point, but
would be told on the 18th. The boys
were Team Watson, the girls Team
McGinley. Tom hit his ball onto the
green but short, and Paul missed the
green entirely. All we girls needed to
do was to get the ball on the green. I
used a 7 iron as the ground was hard,
and it landed and rolled towards the
pin - but as I was second to tee off,
I had no idea if it had been a good
enough shot - but I knew I was on the
green, yay!
The 18th loomed, and
after even more photographs and
presentations, Dougie Donnelly
announced that the four girls who
had made the green all had won four
tickets to the Thursday practice day,
along with three for the Wednesday
just for being selected. I was going to
be a very popular girl - then I heard
my name - what?! I was nearest the pin
and had won two Opening Ceremony
tickets for the Friday - one for me
and before I become everyone’s best
friend, the other is going to my Dad.
By this time we were all very
tired, hungry and cold, but what a day
we had experienced, definitely one to
remember. Sorry Rector, but next
year I’ll be needing three days off
school at the end of September!
Jennifer Allan (Form V)
sport...
71
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Edinburgh University
Beginners’ Tournament
Over the weekend of the 12th to
13th October, two mixed teams from
Dollar Academy’s Ultimate Frisbee
Club were invited to compete in a
beginners’ tournament organised
by Edinburgh University. As this
is a sport predominantly played
by university students, the two
Dollar teams relished the challenge
of competing against much older
individuals from universities from all
over Scotland, Ireland and Northern
England.
Saturday morning presented
the teams with an early start at
Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium.
Nevertheless, the morale of the
group was undoubtedly high as the
players prepared for the five matches
to be played in order to establish the
rankings for the finals, which were
to be held on Sunday. ‘Dollar 1’
faced particularly tough competition
throughout Saturday, ending the day
having both won and lost an equal
number of very tight matches. ‘Dollar
2’, however, pulled together to secure
victory in all five of their matches,
and were rewarded with being ranked
third out of the 24 teams who
participated during Saturday’s group
stages.
With stiff legs and tired
bodies, both Dollar teams deserved a
rest on Saturday night in preparation
for the Sunday finals. As we arrived
the next morning, much fresherfaced than the university teams, the
three games that lay ahead were
eagerly anticipated. Dollar 1 gelled
extremely well to win two out of
their three matches to take 11th
place overall, after a weekend full
of toughly-fought matches. Dollar 2
were able to carry on where they left
off on Saturday, and in winning the
first two matches on Sunday morning
were able to play themselves into
the final, facing off against a strong
and confident St Andrews University
team. Unfortunately, Dollar 2 were
denied in sudden death, losing a very
close match 9-8, but were highly
commended by all present for gaining
the runners-up position for the
tournament and for the spirit with
which they played all their matches.
All those who participated over the
weekend were really grateful for the
opportunity to be involved in such a
challenging and enjoyable sport, and
Dollar Academy can without doubt
look forward to more success in this
area as the school year continues.
Lottie Mallin Martin (Form VI)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
FOOTBALL
72
Dollar’s SISFA cup campaign got off
to a good start with a 7-2 win over
newcomers, Albyn School, in
November. Calvin Carruthers (Form
V) and Francesco Carletti (Form V)
grabbed a brace each, with Euan
Dawtrey (Form V), Andrew Graham
(Form VI) and Andrew Johnston
(Form IV)also finding the back of
the net. Truth to tell, the home side
had gone in to this game with a
certain degree of trepidation in the
wake of some less than convincing
performances in their friendlies, with
heavy defeats registered against the
likes of Queen Victoria School and
George Heriot’s. Following the loss
of players of the quality of Sandy
Cunningham and Jack Cousin as well
as the departure of coaches Jacopo
Columbini and Philipp Züfle, it was
perhaps inevitable that there would
be some question marks over how
this year’s team was going to shape
up. However, spirits were raised by
some excellent performances against
Dollar’s staff team, with the lads
inflicting heavy defeats on the latter
in two, let us say, ‘rumbustious’
encounters. (We will draw a discreet
veil over the precise score in these
matches for fear of inflicting further
damage on some already bruised
egos!) Our second cup match came
away against St Leonard’s. As in the
Albyn game, Dollar came under some
intense pressure in the first half, with
the home team unlucky to find Dollar
‘keeper Euan Drummond in fine
form, pulling off two or three topFortunas 32
December 2013
class saves in the opening 20 minutes.
Once the Dark Blues found their
feet, however, there was no stopping
them and they eventually ran out 7-1
winners. Calvin Carruthers was on
outstanding form in this match,
netting the first with a fine driven
shot after being set up beautifully by
William Picken (Form IV). Carruthers
turned provider for the next goal,
executing a nimble step-over and
drag back, before laying the ball on a
plate for Jack Ballantine (Form VI)
who calmly slotted home Dollar’s
second. Next on the agenda is a trip
to Gordonstoun followed by a home
match against Queen Victoria. These
promise to be tough encounters but
the boys are up for the challenge.
New captain, Andrew Graham,
believes his team shows good promise
and he is looking forward to taking
on two sides who will be thirsting for
revenge after losing against Dollar
last year.
FORM I/II FOOTBALL
Dollar’s Form I/II Football team
rounded off their season with a 5-3
win in a friendly against old rivals
Queen Victoria in Dunblane in the
last week of term. This was one of
the most impressive performances
by a Dollar team in many a long year
and each and every one of the players
could be singled out for praise, from
Peter Bery (Form I) in midfield, to
Calum MacPhee (Form I) on the
wing, from Lachlan Peterson (Form
II) – who scored with the last kick of
the match – to Ryan Hartley (Form I)
in goal. As already indicated, there are
any number of outstanding talents
in the Dollar side and the future of
football here is bright indeed.
John Fotheringham
sport...
73
SANDY CUNNINGHAM
Dollar F.P. Sandy Cunningham has
made a big impact in his first full
season for Stirling Albion, having
already netted five times with barely a
quarter of the season gone. One of
his goals came at Hampden against
Queen’s Park, while another proved
crucial in helping the Binos overcome
Whitehill Welfare in a Scottish Cup
tie. Well done Sandy, and here’s
wishing you success for the rest of
the season.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
SHOW SUCCESS
Hamish D’ath (Form III) has won
the prestigious Prince Philip Cup at
the 2013 Horse of the Year Show
Mounted Games Finals, held at the
Birmingham National Exhibition
Centre in October.
With his pony Ultima,
Hamish competed as part of the
Strathearn Pony Club. Seeing off the
competition from 250 pony clubs
from across the UK, Strathearn won
the national heats and scooped the
title at the Scottish Horse of the
Year Show in Gleneagles along the
way. Qualifying for the final six, they
travelled to the Birmingham Arena
for the televised finals. This is the
second time in consecutive years that
the team have made the HOYS final
and their hard work and preparation
paid off this year with an outstanding
performance.
The Prince Philip Cup was
introduced in 1957 for ‘ordinary
children on ordinary ponies’ and has
been fiercely contested ever since. It is
a huge achievement to win this highly
sought after title. Hamish has been
committed to his training and has
demonstrated great sportsmanship
throughout the competition.
You can watch the Strathearn team’s
success at:
h ttp ://www.yo utub e.co m/ watch?v=1JCgpIuuls&feature=youtu.be
Hamish is on the black and white
pony, Ultima.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
74
TENNIS CLUB
Tennis Club Results
2013 proved to be another very
successful season for Dollar
Academy’s Tennis Club, with a
record number of boys and girls
turning out to play. The courts have
been particularly busy at lunchtimes,
when pupils have the opportunity to
come and develop specific aspects of
their game. The Prep 4 and 5 Club
that was established last year proved
very popular again this season, with
over 40 pupils attending every week.
Junior 1 Club was no different, with
up to 50 boys and girls out on the
courts. This season saw the first
ever Junior 1 fixture against The
Glasgow Academy. Miss Allan and
Mr Newton set off with a coach full
of very excited Junior 1s! The fixture
was a huge success and we hope to
have more opportunities for our
younger players to compete against
other schools next season. A number
of national competitions are already
underway, such as the Aegon Girls
and Boys, and I would like to wish Mr
Newton and the teams the best of
luck in these tournaments.
1st VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
15.06.13
George Watson’s
2nd VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
15.06.13
George Watson’s
Form IIIA VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
08.06.13
High School of Glasgow
15.06.13
George Watson’s
Form IIA VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
08.06.13
High School of Glasgow
15.06.13
George Watson’s
Form IA VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
08.06.13
High School of Glasgow
15.06.13
George Watson’s
Form IB VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
Junior 2 A VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
08.06.13
High School of Glasgow
15.06.13
George Watsons
Junior 2 B VI
01.06.13
Glasgow Academy
Kilgraston Tournament
08.06.13
Hannah Worsley & Anna King
Boys
Lynsey Allan
05.06.13
Loss
Win
3-6
7-2
Win
Win
9-0
8-1
Win
Win
Win
8-1
5-1
9-0
Loss
Win
Loss
4-5
3-1
0-9
Win
Win
Win
9-0
8-0
6-3
Win
9-0
Win
Loss
Win
6-3
4-5
3-2
Draw
3-3
1st place
Strathallan
Loss
2-4
Mixed Doubles
05.06.13
Glasgow Academy Tournament
4th place
DOLLAR GIRLS
SUCCEED IN
KILGRASTON TENNIS
TOURNAMENT
Hannah Worsley and Anna King
(both form IV) won the annual U16
Kilgraston Tennis Tournament on
Saturday 8th June. Ten schools took
part in a day that afforded some
superb tennis play throughout,
despite the blazing hot sun that made
it all the more challenging for the
players.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
The
girls
first
beat
Glenalmond in the semi-final which
led to them facing Strathallan in
the final. This match finished 6-6,
providing a tension-filled tie break
which Hannah and Anna won 7-3.
They are to be hugely congratulated
upon this success.
Heather Moore
FORM I PLAYERS ACHIEVE
VICTORY
Sara Cooke and Sophie Ferguson
(both Form I) were successful
winners of the Senior 1 Morrison’s
Academy Tennis Tournament held
on Thursday 9th May. Pupils from
five other schools (each with their
own strong tennis teams) competed
in the tournament: Ardvreck,
Craigholme, Kilgraston, Strathallan
and Morrison’s Academy. The girls
played exceptionally well, gaining 18
points which granted them victory
over both Kilgraston and Strathallan
who had each gained 14 points.
The Form 1 Tennis ‘A’ Team
have had a very successful season.
The team consists of: Erin Stevens
and Jen Alexander (first couple); Sara
Cooke and Sophie Ferguson (second
couple) and Georgia Robertson and
Katrina Fyfe (third couple). Other
girls who have played regularly in this
very promising team include Lois
MacMaster, Suzie Green and Annie
Tilsley.
The first couple, Jen
Alexander and Erin Stevens, played
in another section of the Morrison’s
Tournament and came third place.
They managed to gain the best
result against the winners of their
tournament (Ardvreck) and narrowly
lost 3 games to 2, the last game having
gone to advantage.
75
Heather Moore
BRODIES SCOTTISH
SCHOOLS
SWIMMING TEAM
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wednesday 13th June saw Dollar’s
youngest swimmers acquit themselves
very well in a major national
competition held at the newlyrefurbished Royal Commonwealth
Pool in Edinburgh. A record 65
primary and secondary schools fielded
329 teams at the Brodies Scottish
Schools Team Championships, and
more than 600 young swimmers
competed.
The primary girls’ relay
team, composed of Amy Salmon
(Junior 1), Katharine Robertson,
Joanna Rae and Kirstin Lawrie (all
Junior 2), gained bronze medals in
the 4 x 50 metre Freestyle Relay. Mr
Niall Gallagher (Teacher of PE) was
particularly impressed, saying, “All of
the pupils performed very well and
Kirstin Lawrie, in particular, swam a
very strong last leg of the relay to win
the bronze for the girls’ team.”
The boys also did well: the
primary boys’ relay team, composed
of Calum Rae (Prep 5), Harry Gray,
Finlay Johnston, (both Junior 1), and
Daniel Robins (Junior 2), managed
to qualify for the finals of the 4 x
50 metre Freestyle Relay and gained
sixth place.
Dollar’s Form I boys’ team
was made up of Cameron McCall,
Lachlan Kelly, Rory Duncan and
Chris Licence. They, too, managed to
qualify for the final of the 4 x 50 metre
S1 Medley Relay and were delighted
to have gained seventh place against
some very talented swimmers.
Heather Moore
Fortunas 32
December 2013
CRICKET
1st XI 2013
76
The season got underway on a
cloudy morning at the picturesque
grounds of Fettes College. Hopes
were high after the months of preseason training. The squad had
shown excellent potential, and the
first opportunity to display this came
with the ball, as Fettes elected to bat.
Alex Knapman (Form VI)
struck with the third ball of the first
over, raising spirits even higher. A
tight fielding display saw Fettes reach
101-6, with Euan Dawtrey (Form
IV) taking 3 key wickets, but a lapse
in concentration over the closing
stretch allowed the home team to
put on 36 runs in the last 5 overs,
bringing the total to 137-8.
The chase began well, as
Dollar reached 77-3 but, after some
madness in the middle, a serious
batting collapse saw the score slip to
101 all out. Only 2 players managed
more than 10 runs; Rory Weir (Form
VI) played well for 48, and Alasdair
Mackie (Form VI) hit a quick 18.
After a promising display in the
field, the batting let the side down
– a problem that would recur the
following week.
The second match saw
Dollar travel to Edinburgh again,
this time to play George Heriot’s.
Another strong fielding display saw
Dollar restrict Heriot’s to 83-5 from
20 overs. To the spectators, the total
Fortunas 32
December 2013
of 83 seemed almost indefensible
on a good wicket. However, another
monumental collapse saw Dollar
lose their second match in a row,
slumping to 65 all out.
The first home match of
the season was against Merchiston,
on an extremely wet pitch. The
visitors batted first, and yet another
strong fielding display produced a
very chaseable total of 106-8 from
25 overs. Despite a constant stream
of wickets, the chase looked as if it
could not fail as Dollar reached 1005 from 22 overs, requiring only 7
runs from the last 3 overs to achieve
the first victory over Merchiston
in twenty years. Rory Weir looked
poised to take Dollar over the line,
but threw his wicket away, being run
out for 46. The seemingly inevitable
ensued, as Dollar collapsed once
more but thankfully managed a tie at
least when Alex Knapman sneaked
a single off the last ball. This match
stopped the rot, and Dollar would go
on to win every other inter-school
match bar one played in the season.
Against Strathallan, away,
in the group stages of the Scottish
Schools T20 tournament, Dollar put
on another fine bowling and fielding
display, holding Strath to 121-6.
As we sat in the changing rooms
between innings, in our brandnew blue T20 kit, we realised the
importance of the match and, with
some words of encouragement from
Mr Frost, we set about chasing the
total. Tim Torrance (Form V) and
Rory Weir took the game away from
the hosts, putting on a partnership
of 95 in just 12 overs, before Rory
Weir was caught behind for 39.
Harry Waterston (Form V) and Tim
Torrance then took it home in fine
style, the latter making 37 as Dollar
secured victory in the 17th over.
After the elation of the
victory over Strathallan, Dollar
hosted a very strong MCC side,
including Ryan Watson, the all-time
top runs scorer for Scotland. The
MCC batted first, and put on a very
impressive 212-3, to which Dollar
could only reply with 97 against
an excellent bowling attack. This
was followed by a defeat against
a strong Dollar CC side, despite
Tim Torrance taking 3 wickets and
scoring an unbeaten 58.
On a poor pitch against the
High School of Glasgow, the team
produced an excellent performance.
A fine display of power hitting
saw Matt Mills (Form VI) score
66, and Alasdair Mackie 57, in an
impressive 125 run partnership.
sport...
Dollar thus reached 221-8 off just
30 overs. A weak Glasgow batting
line-up crumbled before Dollar’s
strong bowling attack, and they
were cleaned up for just 82. Spinner
Calum Weir (Form IV) bowled
superbly taking 4 for 27.
The quarter-final of the
national T20 competition saw Dollar
host Glenalmond in front of a large
and excitable crowd. The visitors
batted first, and, after some strong
batting from the top order, suffered
a collapse and were bowled out
for 130. Keshae Bovell (Form VI)
took 3 good wickets, and Alasdair
Mackie and Alex Knapman took
2 apiece. A time penalty of 5 runs
would have been added to the total,
had it not been for wise umpire
Les Radford who pointed out that
there had been delays created by the
batting team. Dollar’s reply started
well, as the opening pair of Matt
Mills and Tim Torrance put on 48.
Rory Weir provided some powerful
hitting in the middle overs and made
a respectable 33 and Tim Torrance
finished with an excellent 47. In a
thrilling last over, Alasdair Mackie
won the match on the penultimate
ball, after hitting 23 from 16
deliveries.
Dundee High School were
beaten at home, on a beautiful day.
The toss was lost, and Dundee
elected to bat, finishing on 137-7.
Alex Knapman, Ross MacGarvie
(Form V) and Rory Weir all took 2
wickets, despite the fielding being
below its usual high standard. Matt
Mills and Tim Torrance put on a
solid opening stand of 52 in reply,
and the chase looked to be on
course, until some quick wickets
left Dollar needing 33 off the last
3 overs. Calum Weir and Cameron
Prentice (Form V) then provided the
most exciting finish of the season,
knocking off the runs with 2 balls
to spare, in excellent style. Calum
Weir produced some fine stroke play,
allied to a cool head, and scored 22
from just 14 balls.
After that, it was no surprise
that the following match against
George Watson’s College was one of
the best team performances of the
season. Watson’s were put in to bat,
and managed a respectable 133-8.
Alasdair Mackie took 3 wickets, and
spinner Tim Torrance took 4. In
reply, Matt Mills and Rory Weir put
on 77 to take the total to 91-2. Matt
Mills finished on 43, and Rory Weir
finished on 54 as Dollar won by 7
wickets in 27.3 overs.
The following week, a
strong Stewart’s Melville side won
the toss, elected to bat, and put
up an impressive total of 160-6.
Alex Knapman was the pick of the
bowlers, finishing with impressive
figures of 4 wickets for 19 runs
from his 5 overs. The reply started
well, with Rory Weir scoring a solid
64 before holing out, and Ross
MacGarvie playing well for his 34.
Unfortunately it was in vain, as the
team fell 9 runs short, finishing on
151-7.
The most exciting match of
the season came in the semi-final of
the T20 cup, against Gordonstoun
at home. In an electric atmosphere,
Dollar won the toss and decided to
bat, and Matt Mills got the team off
to the best start imaginable, scoring
22 off the first over! The total was
51 from just 5 overs, and this run
rate was maintained through the
innings. Matt Mills finished with
an awesome 66, and Rory Weir
chipped in with a quick-fire 29,
helping the team along to 186-8.
While the Gordonstoun reply was
admirable, Dollar’s total was too big,
and some tight bowling at the end
by Alex Knapman helped restrict
Gordonstoun to 153. This excellent
win ensured the team reached the
Fortunas 32
December 2013
77
78
final of the cup. Unfortunately,
the final could not be scheduled,
which meant Dollar finished the
season as joint national champions
with Stewart’s Melville College, and
were denied the chance of being
champions outright.
The last match of the
season was the annual match against
the Rector’s XI, and this ended
up being a great way to finish a
very successful season. The 1st XI
won the toss and decided to bat.
Rory Weir made 54 before being
bowled by Mr Frost, and decent
contributions were made by Alasdair
Mackie and Tim Torrance, helping
the team along to 108-6 from 20
overs. The Rector opened the
batting, notching a nice 22, and
his XI reached 94-3 with 1 over to
go. In an eventful last over, they
managed to score 11 runs and lose 2
wickets, finishing just 3 runs short.
Despite the early setbacks,
the season was a hugely successful
one and was greatly enjoyed by all
members of the side. The strong
bowling attack and excellent fielding
were ultimately complemented by
more consistent batting and the team
became better at finishing off games
and playing under pressure. The T20
competition was a thrilling event
Fortunas 32
December 2013
and the team was rightly proud to
become joint Scottish champions.
Five members of the very
successful 1st XI produced statistics
for the season gaining them a listing
in the annual edition of Wisden.
Rory Weir scored 440 runs at an
average of 34; Matthew Mills
scored 246 runs at an average of
21; Tim Torrance scored 223 runs
at an average of 28. In the bowling
department, the top wicket taker
was Alex Knapman with 19 wickets
at a rate of just 13 runs per wicket,
followed by Alasdair Mackie with
12 wickets at a rate of 23 runs per
wicket.
At Prize Giving, the batting
prize was won by Rory Weir, the
bowling prize was won by Alex
Knapman and the fielding prize was
won by our excellent wicketkeeper
and entertaining shot-maker, the
irrepressible Henry Melville (Form
VI).
At the end of the season
it is important to thank a number
of people for their hard work
and dedication in supporting the
development of cricket at Dollar
Academy. Firstly, the Dollar
Academy cricket coaching staff: Mr
Moore, Mr McConnell, Mr Hose,
Mr Gallagher, Mr Moffat and, on
the girls’ side, Mrs Childs. There
have also been a number of external
coaches who have come in to assist:
special thanks to Mr Ian Shaw,
Mr Calum Watson, Mr Graeme
Anderson and Mrs Kari Carswell. Mr
Meldrum, the Head Groundsman,
and his team worked hard preparing
the wickets and the Dining Hall staff
have provided excellent catering.
Mrs Weir should be thanked for
her knowledge, expertise and
commitment as 1st XI scorer. A
very special thanks should go to
Mr Les Redford who retired at the
end of the season from his position
as 1st XI umpire. Les has umpired
for more than 7 years at the school,
and the boys have really appreciated
his support, attention to detail and
dedication as our official umpire.
He will be greatly missed and we
wish him well. Finally, Mr Frost
coached me in Junior 1 and again in
the 1st XI. My cricket at Dollar has
gone full circle and it is appropriate
that I thank him for all his hard
work coaching the team, organising
fixtures and running cricket for the
school as a whole. I hope next year’s
1st XI team has as enjoyable and
successful a season as we did.
Rory Weir, 1st XI Captain
sport...
79
GIRLS’ CRICKET
Girls’ cricket has gone from strength
to strength this season. Indoor
training in the spring term allowed
skills to be developed, and girls from
Junior I to Form V attended regularly.
The highlight of the indoor sessions
was the attendance of coaches from
the National Girls’ Cricket Fast-track
Programme, who invited several girls
to take part in a trial for the local
district squad. Some of the successful
girls trained with and played matches
for the Tayside and Fife district team
throughout the summer. With several
girls from Junior 1 up to Form V also
playing for local club teams, girls’
cricket at the school is in as strong
a position as it has ever been, and
fixtures against other teams are able
to be organised once more.
At the start of May the senior
school team played a game against
Carlton Cricket Club. This was the
first fixture for some of the girls and
they played well against experienced
opposition.
One of the successes of the
season was the Junior School team
which has played its first ever games,
taking part in the Loretto U12 Kwik
Cricket festival in June and the Kwik
Cricket tournament organised by
Cricket Scotland at the end of August.
Out of the eight matches played over
the two tournaments the Dollar team
won six. A huge amount was learned
about playing cricket under the
pressure of a match situation, and all
the girls who played made excellent
progress with their cricket skills and
showed great potential for the future.
At the same time as the Kwik
Cricket tournament, Cricket Scotland
also ran a training match for the U17
Scotland squad as well as other local
teams. Five Dollar girls took part,
including Sarah McCann (now Form
VI) who has been part of the U17
squad for the last 18 months. Sarah was
presented with her Internationalist tie
in September, having been selected to
play for Scotland in four matches in
July against English county teams.
Catherine Childs
Fortunas 32
December 2013
ATHLETICS CLUB REPORT
2012-13
80
Another busy Athletics season kicked
off in April with good weather, which
undoubtedly encouraged more than
a hundred pupils out onto the track
each Monday and Tuesday. Many
pupils, particularly the youngsters,
managed to juggle commitments
to Tennis and Cricket Clubs and
divided their time equally between
each activity. Once again the sessions
were led by PE staff, but we were ably
assisted by other members of school
staff, including Mr Cameron Smith,
with his very popular sprint school,
Mrs Jane Greenlee and Mrs Amanda
Dearden. Bevhan Trevis (Form
III) also gave up her time to coach
younger members of the school and
passed on her experience at national
level in both shot-put and discus.
Our competitive fixtures
began at the end of April with the
visit of Cargilfield School from
Edinburgh to compete against our
Junior boys and girls. On a somewhat
blustery day, Dollar athletes showed
their strength in depth, running out
comfortable winners, with a strong
showing from the girls in particular.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
On 7th May two busloads of
excited Form I-III pupils headed to
the south of Edinburgh for the much
anticipated annual match against
George Watson’s College. Watson’s is
without doubt our strongest rival on
the circuit, and glorious sunshine met
us on our arrival at Myreside. Notable
performances by Georgia Smith
(Form I) and Charlie Dineen (Form
II) helped keep the scores close
throughout the match, with the girls
just being edged out of contention
by the time the relays came around.
The boys powered ahead, gaining
multiple points in their relays and
were comfortable winners in their
match. Unfortunately there was a
breakdown in the administration of
the scores, but we were assured the
boys triumphed in the end.
May 24th saw us head to
Grangemouth Athletics Stadium
to mount our 7th defence of the
Forth Valley Schools Athletics
Championship. On the way to
retaining the shield, our Forms I-III
girls’ and boys’ teams achieved 28
medal performances, with 13 gold
medals in both individual and relay
events.
On June 11th we travelled
with two busloads of Junior II-Form
II boys and girls up to Forgandenny
for our annual ‘Triangular’ with
Strathallan and Queen Victoria
School. This event stretches into
the early evening and the light was
beginning to fade as we approached
the relays. Dollar amassed a grand
total of 475 points to Strathallan’s
431 and QV’s 289. The girls’ teams
finished off the summer term with
excellent wins in matches against St
George’s and George Watson’s and
a final triangular against Balerno and
Mary Erskine.
Both Mrs Galloway and I
were delighted with the application
and enjoyment displayed by all our
athletes this season. The decision to
focus upon and develop the younger
members of the school has been
a successful one, and we will press
forward with this in 2014. Athletics
continues to be both popular and
strong at Dollar Academy, and
we look forward to the upcoming
summer session.
Martin Hose
Christine Galloway
sport...
2013 ATHLETICS RESULTS
Cargilfield
24th May –
Forth Valley
Championships
Gold
Silver
Bronze
107
56
Form I Girls
2
2
2
Junior 1 Boys
86
76
Form I Boys
-
2
-
Junior 2 Girls
101
61
Form II Girls
1
1
1
Junior 2 Boys
92
69
Form II Boys
3
1
1
Overall
386
262
Form III Girls
2
1
-
Form III Boys
2
2
-
29th April
- Dollar v
Cargilfield
Dollar
Junior 1 Girls
7 May - George
Watson’s
College v Dollar
Dollar
George
Watson’s
Form I Girls
66
54
Form I Boys
-
-
Form II Girls
48
83
Form II Boys
-
-
Form III Girls
60
71
Form III Boys
-
-
Girls Overall
174
208
Boys Overall
Dollar won, points
not known (see
report)
th
Form I Girls
Relay
Form II Girls
Relay
Form II Boys
Relay
Form III Girls
Relay
Form III Boys
Relay
1
1
1
1
1
Dollar
St George’s
(Home)
George
Watson’s
Overall
300
213
249
3rd June
Dollar
Morrison’s
(Home)
Queen
Victoria
Form I Girls
77
48
33
Form I Boys
59
70
46
Form II Girls
68
45
41
Form II Boys
77
50
45
69
69
37
71
49
54
421
331
256
29th May
Forms I and
II Girls
13th May
Dollar Academy v Morrison’s Academy
Cancelled
15th May Edinburgh
Academy v
Dollar
Dollar
Junior 1 Girls
40
29
Junior 1 Boys
37
40
Junior 2 Girls
36
52
Form III
Girls
Form III
Boys
Junior 2 Boys
34
54
Overall
Overall
147
175
Edinburgh
Academy
11th June
Dollar
Overall
475
Strathallan
(Home)
431
13 June
U/14 Girls
U/16 Girls
Overall
th
Queen
Victoria
289
Dollar
76
69
145
Mary Erskine
42
59
101
Fortunas 32
December 2013
81
82
SCOTTISH CROSS
COUNTRY RELAY
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The National Championships were
held in Cumbernauld in October.
Of the 121 girls’ teams entered, the
gold-winning Central team featured
two Dollar girls, Jenny Walls (Form
II) and Kathryn Gillespie (Form VI).
The Junior Girls race is
run over three legs of a 2500 metre
course. Jenny led the team off on
the Under 13 leg to post a time of
10 minutes 40 seconds, finishing in
eighth place and just 33 seconds off
the lead. Central’s Kate Gallagher on
the Under 15 leg took the team up to
fifth place with a time of 10 minutes
7 seconds. The last Under 17 leg saw
Kathryn Gillespie slice through the
field to eventually win, in a time of 9
minutes 20 seconds, the fastest time
of the day.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DOLLAR ATHLETES
SHINE ON UK STA
The
England
Under
15/17
Championships held in Bedford at
the end of August provided Kathryn
Gillespie (Form VI) and Charlie
Dineen (Form III) with an excellent
opportunity to gain experience
competing against the best athletes
from throughout Britain and Ireland.
The young athletes participated as
members of Central Athletic Club,
which saw many personal bests and
club records set over the course of
the weekend.
Kathryn Gillespie became
Central’s first UK champion for
7 years in the Under 17 Women’s
1500m as she ran a tactically perfect
race, timing her finish to perfection to
take gold. The race started in typical
fashion for a major championship,
at a pedestrian pace with nobody
prepared to take it on. The slow
pace played right into Kathryn’s
hands, as with a previous UK medal
at 800m, she was confident she had
the speed for the finish. With 2 laps
to go, she moved into 2nd, perfectly
placed to cover any breaks; when
the break never came, she hit the
front herself, Mo Farah style, as the
race entered the back straight on
the final lap. She then paced herself
perfectly as an attack came from Ellie
Barker of Hertfordshire. Once in
the home straight Kathryn produced
a devastating burst of speed and
crossed the line beaming with delight
to claim her first ever UK title. With
the slow start, the winning time
of 4:39.19 was irrelevant, well off
her personal best of 4:30.43, but
this gold medal shows she is back
to her best after an injury lay-off.
This win demonstrates Kathryn
has every chance of following her
elder brother Matthew, who broke
the 4-minute mile barrier earlier this
year, into becoming a senior GB
internationalist.
Charlie Dineen also gained
invaluable experience in his first
UK championships. The Scottish
Schools’ Champion battled hard
but was unable to progress in the
Under 15 Boys 80m hurdles against
impressive opposition. Both athletes
will undoubtedly have gained a huge
amount from this event and we look
forward to reading of their future
successes.
Report details courtesy of Central AC
sports weekend...
PREP SCHOOL SPORTS
Dollar Academy Prep School Sports
took place in glorious sunshine on
June 20th, a marked contrast to the
rainy, cold weather which led to the
event being cancelled the previous
year. The pupils were fully involved
as competitors and as spectators.
Many of the teachers remarked how
well the children had supported each
other, whether they had triumphed
or trailed along. Before the final
relays, four young Prep 5 pipers
and drummers, Cameron Denham,
India Bell, Jack Menneer and Millie
Wright, joined the massed bands for
their first public performance. At
the beginning of the Prize Giving,
a special presentation was made to
Mrs Jean Henderson, formally Miss
McDougall, who had attended her
first Prep School Sports as a teacher
in 1953, 60 years ago. The flowers
were presented by Sophie and Amy
Henderson (Prep 3 and 5), whose
father was taught by her.
As the prizes were
presented, the children posed for
pictures proudly wearing their
red, orange and green badges.
The announcement of the Boys’
Champion, Ben Salmon (Prep 5),
was loudly applauded as was the
discovery that, for the first time
anyone could remember, there was
a three-way tie for Girls’ Champion.
Joint winners Rebecca Hogg, Millie
Wright and Natascha Pert (Prep 5)
couldn’t have been more exuberant
about sharing their award. The prizes
this year were presented by former
teacher, Mrs Anne Alexander; Craig
Sharpe (Prep 5), Captain of the
winning House, Stewart, led the vote
of thanks and 3 cheers.
Julia Adamson
83
Fortunas 32
December 2013
84
SPORTS WEEKEND 2013
Champions
Senior Girl – Lucy Taylor (Form V)
Senior Boy – Rory Sculthorp (Form VI)
Intermediate Girl – Bevhan Trevis (Form III)
Intermediate Boy – Charlie Dineen (Form II)
Junior Girl – Georgia Smith (Form I)
Junior Boy – Reece McAllister (Form I)
Junior 2 Girl – Aoife Fitzpatrick
Junior 2 Boy – Finn McIlwraith
Junior 1 Girl – Lucy Smith
Junior 1 Boy – Alex Wilson and Euan Smith
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Steve Newton
sports weekend...
85
SPORTS WEEKEND 2014
All Former Pupils, parents and
friends of Dollar Academy are
warmly invited again to attend Sports
Weekend during the weekend of 2122 June 2014. Information regarding
the itinerary, School Musical, Supper
and Music event and Pipe Band
performances will be posted on the
website nearer the time. We hope to
see many of you then.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
SHAMROCKS AND
LEPRECHAUNS:
Belfast Hockey Tour 2013
DOLLAR HOCKEY
WELCOMES
SCOTLAND SENIOR
INTERNATIONALIST
86
Scotland striker Holly Cram has
joined the hockey coaching team
at Dollar Academy, where she will
provide high-level training for pupils
of all ages during lunchtime and
after-school sessions.
Holly starts at Dollar having
recently completed her Post Graduate
Diploma in Physical Education
at the University of Strathclyde,
following an Honours degree from
The University of Edinburgh. She
brings with her a wealth of hockey
experience, with 137 Scottish and
Great Britain Caps. We are fortunate
to have her with us until the end of
the school hockey season, at which
point she will begin training on a fulltime basis in preparation for the 2014
Commonwealth Games. The girls
will undoubtedly learn a great deal
from working with such a high calibre
player and will be inspired watching
her play for Scotland at the Games.
Girls from Junior 1 to Form
III first met Miss Cram at the recent
coaching clinic held at school on
Saturday 12th October, where our
goalkeepers were also put through
their paces by Scottish goalkeeping
coach, Graham Stuart.
Lynsey Allan
Fortunas 32
December 2013
THE JUNIOR 2 HOCKEY
TOURNAMENT
We were sitting on the bus buzzing
with excitement as we travelled
towards Stewart’s Melville’s hockey
pitches. When we arrived we were
very nervous and excited! We played
really well and made it to the semifinals. It was a close match against
Heriot’s, but with a result of 1-0 we
made it to the final. Pouring with
rain, it was not really the best weather
and it turned out to be a rough
match against Mary Erskine’s ‘A’
team. Finally we scored the winning
goal, making us the champions of
the Tournament. Mrs Galloway was
screaming WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!
Rosie Biggart (J2H)
“I’ll never let go, Jack, I
promise . . .”
And then she does. How
could she let Leonardo DiCaprio
go? There was so much room on that
massive bit of wood! Aside from
being an utter cinematic triumph and
one of the highest-grossing films
of all time, James Cameron’s Titanic
is also the moving portrayal of the
greatest tragedy to ever take place at
sea. This was just one of the reasons
why the 1st XI Hockey team were so
excited for our four-day trip to Belfast
on the 24th October. The Titanic
Museum, even from the outside, is
a truly impressive sight. Our visit
proved to be a deeply informative
experience as we descended through
the beautifully-designed building to
travel through every aspect of the
Titanic’s construction on the very site
on which it was built over a century
ago. This gave us a fresh perspective
on the social structure of Northern
Ireland at the time, a history that was
further enriched by the explanation
of the ‘Troubles’ on our tour of
Belfast. Lindsay, our bus driver and
tour guide, was always quick to point
out the various landmarks of Belfast.
However, what I found even more
fascinating was the incredibly detailed
murals that adorned the sides of
countless buildings - large, colourful
paintings depicting various political
images and slogans.
However, we were of course
there to play hockey, and it turned out
to be the most challenging hockey
we’d played all season. The first of
three matches was against the best
sport...
school in Ireland, Lurgan College,
who could easily thrash George
Watson’s. After an incredible first ten
minutes, which saw us with a plethora
of chances in front of the goal, the
intensity of the game and consistency
of the opposition got the better of
us, and the final score was 6-0, a score
which belies the Dollar performance.
After the game we had dinner with the
opposition, and it’s always fascinating
meeting people of different cultures,
even one just across a narrow strip
of water, as we found ourselves
struggling to understand their accents
and weird school year group system.
Our second match was a
close draw, 2-2 against Ballyclare High
School. The whole team put in an
excellent performance, with the first
goal going to Emma Dearden (Form
IV), after a rocket of a hit from the
top of the D that flew right by the
goalie. It was 2-1 to them in the last
ten minutes when I luckily managed
to score the equaliser following a
one-on-one with the goalie. The
most satisfying noise you can hear in
hockey is that ball colliding with the
backboard of the goal (obviously the
worst noise if you play in defence!).
During the high tension of the
match, our Captain, Ciara O’Connell
(Form VI), managed to provoke the
referee and bagged herself a green
card in the final seconds of the first
half. This was most likely because
he got confused between Ciara and
Isla Keith (Form IV) in the centre.
A fantastic player, Isla nearly always
wins in a 50/50 scenario. It’s safe to
say Ciara was not at all impressed by
this decision! That night we celebrated
Lucy Taylor’s (Form VI) 17th birthday
over dinner at Frankie & Benny’s,
which prompted us to partake in the
Godfather Challenge. This essentially
consists of trying to eat a massive
mound of ice-cream in the fastest
time possible. It was, regrettably,
impossible for my team to win as I
had only Nicola Scott-Dodd (Form
V), Mhairi Dick (Form VI) and Lisa
Mukaro (Form IV) as teammates.
But of course, any team which has
O’Connell in it in an eating-related
competition will obviously win.
Our third and final match,
and best performance, was against
Victoria College. Unfortunately
we went down 2-1, but this game
contained possibly the greatest
piece of hockey ever performed
by a Dollar Academy side . . .
affectionately referred to since as
our ‘Olympic goal’ (after Miss Allan
proudly labelled a brilliant pass down
the inside channel by Beth Alexander
(Form V) as ‘Olympic standard’).
Now, I absolutely cannot resist
describing this Olympic goal in full,
firstly, because it was the very epitome
of skill, and secondly, for the benefit
of all our hockey-playing Former
Pupils! It was the result of a stunning
passage of play that began in defence,
with a double transfer round the back
four. After a series of beautifully
precise passes that went from Beth,
to Ciara, back to Beth, and then over
to Catherine ‘Doug’ Allan (Form
VI), and from there out to Anna
King (Form V), who hit a brilliant
ball down the line to Lucy Taylor.
Lucy eliminated several players as she
approached the D, and that’s when
I made a lead towards the top left
corner of the pitch. Lucy gave me a
perfectly-weighted straight ball and I
drove along the baseline towards the
penalty spot. I sent a quick lifted ball
over the last opposition defender to
Hannah Worsley (Form V) on the
Fortunas 32
December 2013
87
88
back post, and Hannah slammed it
into the back of the net. It was even
more incredible than it sounds! The
inspiration for this goal undoubtedly
came from Mrs Galloway’s pregame team talk, when she read out a
mnemonic she had prepared for the
words ‘Dollar Academy’. The words
for each letter ranged from ‘accurate’
to ‘reactive’, but our favourite was
definitely the one assigned to the ‘y’
. . . Ya beauty!
After the match we visited
the Giants Causeway, a beautiful
expanse of hexagonal basalt prisms
on the north coast, sculpted by an
ancient volcanic eruption. It’s hard to
believe these mysterious formations
were carved by the hand of nature.
The more plausible explanation is
the old folk legend that they are the
remains of a vast causeway built by
notorious Irish giant, Finn McCool, to
fight the Scottish giant, Benandonner.
However much steeped in legend, the
whole experience was slightly tainted
by an absolutely horrific display of
torrential rain and wind. It was an
effort worthy of the darkest hours of
Scottish weather.
Another highlight of the
tour, for some more than others
(Emma and Hannah!), was randomly
bumping into judge of the ‘The Great
British Bake-Off ’, Paul Hollywood,
at our hotel. The aforementioned
pair had utterly succumbed to fan
girl hysteria and were falling over
each other in tears beside me. Even
more surprising was the sudden
outburst by a flustered Mrs Galloway,
hiding behind us, as he passed,
yelling ‘WE LOVE YOU.’ After the
inevitable pictures, there was then a
bit of a Facebook war as Hannah and
Catherine tried to get more likes than
the other on their photos with Paul
. . . oh dear, ladies. Although it must
be said that everyone at home was
probably already getting incessantly
spammed by Anna’s (literally)
hundreds of Snapchat ‘selfies’. Prize
for best selfie face, however, has to
go to Ellie Couser (Form VI), for her
legendary ‘chin face’.
Our final night in Belfast saw
the whole team engaging in an initially
very competitive game of ten-pin
bowling. I personally was shocked by
Fortunas 32
December 2013
the complete lack of skill displayed by
what I had previously thought were
very coordinated athletes. I will quite
willingly proclaim with full awareness
of my arrogance, that I thrashed
everyone. However, the best shot of
the whole game must be attributed to
our goalie, Lucy McCran (Form V),
who pulled a stunning strike out of
the bag in the final seconds of the
competition after scoring an average
of 3.4 in the preceding rounds.
That night we also had lots of fun
straightening Bevhan Trevis’ (Form
IV) usually very curly hair! However,
it’s safe to say that for the Sixth Years,
the events following the bowling
proved even more memorable. All
I’ll say is Amy Hogarth’s (Form IV)
goalie kit . . . crash . . . hotel trolley .
. . elephant!
At the end of the eventful
and exhausting four days, we were
all gutted to find ourselves in the
airport again on the Sunday night. In
keeping with tradition, Miss Allan,
Mrs Galloway, and Nicole Scott,
our tour rep (or ‘Dora’ as we like
to call her), had organised several
prizes. The awards for best players
went to Beth and Catherine for their
consistent efforts in defence. The
‘Best Tourist’ prize could only go to
Lucy McCran, who actually boarded
the plane wearing an Irish flag jacket
and a ridiculously tall Irish hat with
bells on it. (Isla Cubitt (Form V) also
invested in this jacket, but the girls
assure us they will only wear them in
public together as a ‘joke’).
This was my third and final
hockey tour at Dollar Academy after
Madrid and South Africa, and I can
honestly say it has been one of my
favourite trips. It is truly incredible
just how much fun you can have
in four days with seventeen good
friends, and the success of the trip
is a credit to Miss Allan and Mrs
Galloway. I can’t express how much
I’ll miss playing hockey for this school
when the season is over after the past
nine years, but experiences like the
Belfast Hockey Tour will ensure that
the memories stay with me forever as
some of the fondest of my life.
Bethan Scott (Form VI)
sport...
TRAINING WITH
LIONS!
Thursday 16th May 2013 is a day that
then Junior 2 pupil Finn McIlwraith
is unlikely ever to forget, as it was
spent in a rigorous and inspiring
training session with the British &
Irish Lions. Along with 22 other
talented young rugby players from
clubs across Britain, he was selected
to play with the HSBC Cubs at the
Lions’ pre-departure training camp.
Finn had been named a ‘player of the
tournament’ in an HSBC-sponsored
club event in the build-up to the 2013
Lions Tour to Australia, earning him
a highly-coveted place on this training
session. With just over two weeks
until the Lions’ first game of the
Tour against the Barbarians in Hong
Kong, the aspiring rugby players were
rewarded for demonstrating the core
values of rugby - teamwork, courage,
fair play and integrity - at the mini
rugby festivals and were invited to
meet and train with their rugby idols.
Here, Finn recounts his experience
of the day.
“On the 14th April I played for Stirling
County in their rugby tournament
and I won the most amazing prize.
The prize was awarded to me for
being ‘player of the tournament’, and
I was to go down to Wales to spend
a day training with the British Lions!
I couldn’t believe how lucky I was,
and neither could my mum when she
heard she was coming with me!
So, on Wednesday 15th May
my mum and I flew down to Cardiff,
then on to our hotel. I was amazed to
see my name and my Club name on
the door of our hotel room.
I don’t think I slept much
– I was quite excited! All of the
prizewinners travelled together in a
bus to the very big, posh hotel where
the British Lions were staying and
training. We were then each presented
with our Lions shirt by Gareth Davies,
a British Lion many years ago. I went
out to the toilet hoping to see some
of the players and bumped into Sam
Warburton, the captain!
89
It was then time to get back
on the bus and head to the rugby
ground for our training session. I’ll
never forget my first view of the
rugby pitch - very green, very flat,
with the shortest grass I’ve ever seen!
Not like I’m used to here! Boots on,
and we warmed up with a couple of
the coaches. It was hard not to drop
the ball as I was trying to keep an eye
on the big red jeeps that were arriving
with the players inside. Then they
started arriving. The British Lions!
To start with I had Owen Farrell,
Vunipola and Toby Faletau in my
group, and this was great, but I was
slightly disappointed that there was
no Richie Gray or Stuart Hogg.
After some training, more
jeeps arrived. At last, out walked
Richie Gray and Stuart Hogg. At first
I thought that Richie must be on stilts
under his trackies, but no! The longest
legs in history. More training, then a
kicking session with Owen Farrell,
Stuart Hogg and Leigh Halfpenny.
After training, we all went to
have lunch with the Lions, and I sat
with Stuart Hogg and Owen Farrell.
I couldn’t believe the amount they all
ate!
This was a day that I will
never forget (neither will my mum!).
It’s my dream to be a Lion, and this
makes me want it even more.”
Finn McIlwraith (Form I)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
90
PIPING THE LIONS
DOWN UNDER
I am a huge rugby fan! I love watching
Scotland, and was looking forward to
watching the British and Irish Lions
in Australia on television, right up
until the night before the First Test.
Then all of a sudden, my Aunt Judy
in Australia had managed to get her
hands on tickets to the Second and
Third Tests. I was off to Australia! As
all the family in Australia emigrated
originally from Scotland, I decided
to take my bagpipes with me. We
made a pipe banner from my Lions
shirt from the 2009 Tour. This would
bring me luck!
The journey was long and
tiring - we flew to London and on to
Melbourne via Dubai - over 26 hours.
We were picked up at the airport by
my Uncle Alastair and driven back
to a warm welcome from my ‘new’
extended family.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
The Second Test
On the day of the Second Test we put
on our kilts and Lions jerseys, stuck
the pipes in a rucksack and headed
off by train to the game. It was a
beautiful sunny day in Melbourne. At
the docks we saw wave after wave of
red shirts. I played my pipes for the
first time and when I finished there
was a huge cheer, so I asked to ‘busk’
for a bit. I did very well!
When we went into the
stadium we found ourselves in the
Australia section, which was good
fun. I played some more and when
I stopped I got a tremendous roar
from the crowd which felt amazing.
There were some great bits of play in
the match, but it was a disappointing
result, we lost 16-15. It was still a
fantastic experience.
The next couple of days I
remained in Melbourne with family.
The highlight was a trip to Healesville
Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw
loads of animals, but my favourite
was the dingoes. My uncle and I then
travelled to Sydney mid-week. As
soon as we landed we got a cab to the
Sydney Aquarium, where we met my
Dad. Here we saw eels, sharks, rays
and other exotic sea animals. It was
out of this world.
Amazing Good Fortune Part 1 – and a
reason to learn the bagpipes!!
Before we left home, we knew that
Dollar residents Alan and Linda
Lawson would be travelling to
Australia, as Alan was President of
the Scottish Rugby Union. We had
arranged to meet in Sydney on the
Friday before the Third Test. On the
Wednesday night Linda mentioned
that we would need to meet in the
afternoon, as they had the ‘Lions
Run’ in the morning. “Would the
President of the SRU perhaps require
an ‘official’ piper?” she was asked...
“Perhaps” Linda replied…
And so we found ourselves
on the coach to the ‘Lions Run’, the
final closed training session before
the Third Test, as guests of the Lions.
sport...
91
We travelled with Lions legends Ian
‘Mighty Mouse’ McLaughlin and
Bill Beaumont, and at the ground
we met David Campese. Then after
watching the training session, I met
all the players as they were leaving
the field, had my photo taken with
most of them and got a ball signed
by them all. I then played them onto
their coach. At the end Andy Irvine
gave me a Lions blazer badge. What a
wonderful experience!
That afternoon we climbed
the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was
very windy and pretty scary! It took
about two hours but was great fun.
My uncle had been in Australia for 50
years but it was his first trip, too.
Amazing Good Fortune Part 2 – another
reason to stay on the pipes!!
My Dad served in the Army with
Guy Richardson, Operation Director
for the Lions. He had kindly arranged
for us to stay in the same hotel as
the Lions on the Friday and Saturday
nights. We met that night and got
an idea of the plan for the next day.
At some point, Guy was asked…
“Would the Lions require an official
piper to pipe them onto the bus to
the final Test”?...
The next morning, I piped
the Test team onto the bus from the
grand staircase of the Intercontinental
Hotel. I will remember this moment
for the rest of my life!!
The Third and Final Test
We then went to watch the match
from up high in the wings of the
stand. During the game I played my
pipes. In the second half every time I
played we won a penalty. The crowd
was going wild. Then they scored the
three brilliant tries in our corner. We
won the match by 41 points to 16. It
was electric!!
Finally, we got back to
our hotel, and I was asked to play
again by the hotel manager. I had
developed quite a set by this point:
all the Academy favourites, ‘Flower
of Scotland’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and
even a bit of Star Wars, taught to
me by Pipe Major Lucy Ferguson.
Just before I was about to play,
the strangest thing happened – we
bumped into Mrs Morrison – how
bizarre! Imagine travelling half-way
round the world and bumping into a
teacher!
Finlay Johnston (Junior 2)
To see Finlay in action in Melbourne
Docklands, search youtube.com for
‘Highland Cathedral in Melbourne’ – his
is the first hit.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs of 1941-2. Gus Black is sitting in the middle row, third from the left, as Captain of the 2nd XV. The 1st XV is in the middle and the 3rd XV on
the right - look at their socks!
92
THE PRIDE OF
DOLLAR LIONS
From Finn and Finlay, our pair of
aspiring Lions, to a veteran Lion who
is still going strong today, aged 88. In
May of this year, ahead of the British
and Irish Lions Tour to Australia,
Scotland on Sunday ran a feature
on Dr Angus ‘Gus’ Black, the last
surviving Scot to play for the Lions
team of 1950, and a Dollar FP from
1938-42. School photographs from
that time show him as a boarder in
Tait House (2nd to the right of Mr
Henderson) and as Captain of the
2nd XV in the season 1941-42 – it
would appear that not making it into
the Dollar 1st XV was no barrier
to playing for the Lions! He did,
however, turn out for the school’s
1st Cricket XI. Gus left Dollar at the
end of Form V, and requiring only a
lower French to get into Edinburgh
University to read Medicine, he
completed his Sixth Form in his
home town of Dunfermline at the
High School. He played against the
Dollar 1st XV that year but records
show that Dunfermline, even with
a future British Lion in their ranks,
were still comprehensively beaten by
Dollar.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
In the article, Gus recalls his
Lions experience, now more than 60
years in the past, from his home in
Lundin Links. Back then, the team
set sail out of Liverpool aboard the
Ceramic, a ship normally reserved for
sheep and lambs, and after 31 days
and nights at sea, they arrived into
Wellington Harbour in early May. The
team boasted five Scots in its ranks,
with four of the five no longer with
us.
Up until 1947, Black’s
appearances for Scotland were not
the stuff of legend, but all that
changed when he impressed against a
ferocious French side on New Year’s
Day in Paris. In his position at scrumhalf, he was quick, his passing slick.
When the offer came through three
years later, Black was undecided what
to do, torn between his new family
and academic studies of Medicine
on the one hand, and the lure of a
rugby adventure on the other. The
adventure was too tempting.
He has shirts from the
first two Tests in 1950, a 9-9 draw
in Dunedin and an 8-0 loss in
Christchurch. It was in this second
Test match that things really started
to go wrong for Black, in the form
of a destructive New Zealand flanker
called Pat Crowley. As Black recalls,
he spent most of the match up in the
air rather than on the ground. After
that, he admits, he gradually lost
interest and simply wanted to be back
home again.
Unlike many Lions, Gus
does not view his time with the team
as the pinnacle of his career, and
acknowledges that he did not bring
his best form to New Zealand, but
he is proud nonetheless. Politely
declining invitations to reunions and
anniversaries, he prefers to celebrate
the memory with a quiet satisfaction
in his own mind.
Adapted from an original article by Tom English
which appeared in Scotland on Sunday, 5th May
2013. Photograph of Gus by Ian Rutherford.
VIELE GRÜSSE AUS
WIESENTHEID!!
A Gap Year in Germany
fp forum...
Two pupils from last session’s Form VI are currently
carrying out a gap year as English language assistants in
schools in Bavaria, Germany. They are, in strict alphabetical
order, Euan Johnstone (former Deputy Head Boy) and
Scott Gillen. As their first half-term draws to a close, it
seemed a good time to catch up with how they are getting
on.
Firstly, boys, how are you enjoying it out there?
Scott …. It’s tremendous. I’m having the time of my life
and getting paid for it! A year away from exam stress,
study-deadlines and nagging teachers. I just sit back, relax
and absorb the language. Bliss!
Euan …. Yeah, learning a language has never seemed more
enjoyable! It’s great!
On that topic, how are you coping with the language?
Euan … Well, at the start I was a bit nervous. But people
here have been very patient and understanding, always
happy to help you improve. In less than a month I was
being told my German was already a lot better! The
Bavarian accent took a bit of getting used to, but everyone
speaks standard German as well, and it was fun learning
the phrases that are unique to Bayern. Scott … I’ll back that up. Besides, within the school
communities, everyone speaks ‘normal’ German. There
are actually boarders here from all over Germany, so you
find yourself learning what all the different dialects and
accents sound like. It just varies from person to person
as to how strong their regional accent is, exactly like in
Scotland. One thing I would say, though; if you want to
master a language, there is no substitute for going out to
the country and spending time there. The progress you
make is rapid and the language quickly becomes second
nature.
Euan … Agreed. Although that doesn’t necessarily
mean ‘classroom German’ is obsolete! From what I’ve
experienced, I think it’s really important to have a good
grounding in a language before you go out to the country.
That way, you avoid developing bad habits and common
errors. Being submerged in German, it soon becomes
automatic; I have only been here two-and-a-bit months,
and I now find myself at times subconsciously thinking
in German. And what about your everyday life?
Scott … There is a routine to it. I am paid to help with 12
hours’ conversation practice per week. I mostly either help
a teacher in class, or take children after school for oneto-one practice in pronunciation or vocabulary. Despite
taking up a chunk of my evening time, I find the latter
part really rewarding as I get to see the progress that each
student makes in English, and get to spend time with the
non-boarders in a more relaxed environment. The rest of
the time is mine, and I spend it socialising with the pupils in
the boarding house in whatever they’re doing that evening.
I’ve found myself involved in all sorts of things, some of
which are carried on from Dollar, like music and chess,
and some of them new, like table tennis. I’ve also visited
a couple of Chemistry lessons, in order to keep a hand
in before continuing with the subject at university next
year. While at the same time avoiding blowing anything up
during the experiments, it’s been interesting to see how the
German courses place more emphasis on different topics
to their Scottish counterparts.
Euan … I have the additional advantage of working in
two different secondary schools as well as in a primary,
so I have a variety of contacts. This fills my hours very
profitably – and I have to say I get on really well with
Markus Spörer, who is my mentor/colleague, and a former
German assistant in Dollar. He, his wife Bernadette, and
their three young children have become like a second
family to me. I’m well looked after. As for my free time,
I could of course do nothing, but I am determined to
get the most out of this year. Therefore, I have joined
an orchestra, a local church and a youth group. On top
of that, I regularly play music and sport with the other
boarders and have even joined a rugby team, having
considered myself finished with the sport years ago. I
would say Scott and I have the perfect arrangement too;
we live close enough to each other so that we can meet up
at weekends, if we are both at a loose end …
Scott … but not so close that we are spending every spare
afternoon in each other’s company, which would defeat
the purpose of immersion in German for a year.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
93
94
You’re both living in boarding
houses. How does that suit?
Euan … Well, it probably has all the
advantages that Boarders in Dollar
have …
Scott … with the additional perks of
being considered a member of staff,
like getting your own room.
Euan … Exactly. Most evenings
there’s some sort of activity, and
the older pupils tend to socialise in
the common room as well, which is
always a good laugh as well as good
German practice.
Scott … As assistants, we are in a
slightly different situation from the
pupils who are our own age, but,
as long as we are mindful of that
and show common sense, no one
objects to our socialising with the
older pupils – in fact, it is positively
encouraged. Everyone is welcoming,
and I have already made friends here
who will, I am sure, be part of my life
well beyond my year in Wiesentheid.
What about the food?
Scott … Well, there had to be a
drawback! I eat school canteen food,
and it is, I suppose, no better and no
worse that canteen food anywhere
else. At least there’s plenty of it; the
Germans don’t do small portions!
Euan … In any case, the kitchen is
closed during the weekends, meaning
we have to cook for ourselves. This
Fortunas 32
December 2013
offers me a great opportunity to
(hopefully) improve my cooking
skills. Thankfully Amberg, where I
live, has a great Italian just down the
road, so if I ever get lazy I just go
pick up a pizza.
Scott … The town I am in,
Wiesentheid, is much smaller, but
a trip to the local bakery will do the
trick if I don’t fancy what’s on the
menu at the school. There’s also a
great pizzeria just around the corner
and a takeaway on the same street.
A word of warning, though. While
I mentioned that Euan and I are
both paid for the job out here, our
meals and accommodation form part
of that payment, and the money we
receive is not a huge amount – really
just pocket money.
Euan … Yes. Nobody should do this
gap year in the hope of returning
with a lot of money saved up. In fact,
the best thing is to use the money
you earn to travel around and get to
know other parts of the country and
continent. If you plan in advance, it’s
not too expensive.
What do you think you are getting
out of this experience? Euan … Well, the main thing
obviously is the language. However,
there is also the social side, which is
brilliant. And gaining an insight into
the world of work. Along those lines,
I have found it particularly fascinating
comparing the education system here
with my own experience at Dollar,
as well as seeing what school is like
from ‘the other side’. For example,
marking English exercises is harder
than it sounds; you have to work
out what they actually want to say,
before you phrase (in the best way
possible) how to actually say it. And
it’s a complete waste of my time
when people don’t make the effort
with their homework… surprisingly
irritating!
Scott … The year-out also has the
advantage of giving us a gentle
introduction to life away from
parental care. While all our needs are
catered for in the boarding house,
we also have a level of independence
that you don’t get when you stay with
your parents. When we both head off
to uni in September of next year, we
will already have had an experience
of living away from home. We’ve
been able to take our time this year
learning and getting used to what
everyone else has to do in a hurry.
The absence of exam-deadlines,
study pressure, and all the stress
that my former Dollar yearmates
have been telling me about helps as
well. I would definitely recommend
it to anyone doing a language in the
current senior school at Dollar.
Euan … As would I… In fact, I think
everyone should take a gap year.
There are so many years of work
ahead, so why not take a break first? I
don’t think I know anyone who’s said,
“Gee, I wish I hadn’t taken that year
out”. And finally – what has been the
highlight of your stay so far?
Scott and Euan … Oktoberfest!!!
Interview courtesy of David Delaney,
fp forum...
BEHIND THE CANVAS
I remember, aged four, being asked in
my first year at Dollar Academy what
I would like to do when I grew up.
“Artist” I said. This was the start of
my passion, a love for art, colour and
the female form that was so strong,
it was my only desire. After winning
a number of art prizes, I left school
early due to ill health, and started
to approach galleries with my work
at age 16. It was not long before I
was offered my first solo exhibition
at the MacRobert Arts Centre aged
18. I gained funding from The
Prince’s Trust and the following year
my inaugural exhibition, ‘The Last
Hope’, opened. It was a great success;
I was interviewed on arts news
programmes and gained exposure in
the press. My career as a professional
artist had begun.
With a number of solo
exhibitions under my belt, I undertook
an Honours degree in Psychology,
an MSc in Health Psychology and a
PhD in Mental Health, Disability and
Art, my decision here spurred on by
my experiences working with other
95
people with disabilities. I gained my teaching qualification in both Psychology
at university level and in Art, working in local hospitals, prisons, mental health
secure wards, and children’s hospital wards.
Commissions followed to complete artwork in Australia, America,
Ireland, France and beyond, and I have exhibited work in America, London,
and China. My main body of work concentrates on the human form, examining
both internal and external structures. The restraint and inner torment can so
often silence the will to live, but art can be a weapon to fight an inner battle,
just as it is a weapon to attack the hearts and minds of those who ignore the
oppression of others.
In 2012 I was invited to show my work in China on a fully-funded
two-week visit. My stay included visits to the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, the
Great Wall of China, and Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Tianjin, and The Bund
in Shanghai, all in 5-star luxury! After a gruelling interview, I was offered a solo
show in the Chen Tang Zhuang Art and Technology Gallery and Museum in
December 2013. ‘The Possibility of Something Other’ is all about life’s cycle, as
the artwork I create is deeply personal and expresses my experiences in a visual
narrative depicting life’s cycle. The power and fragility of life and nature are
closely echoed in flowers, trees, still life and the human form. I aim to create art
that is articulated in such a way that it permeates deep within the subconscious
to generate a hopefully haunting yet beautiful image of our human physicality
in all its beauty of strengths and weakness. These are passions I have sought to
express in each of my major series of works, ‘The Bow Series’, ‘The Leg Series’
and ‘The Form Series’.
Emma Scott-Smith (FP 1982-89)
Further information on Emma and her artwork can be found at www.emmascott-smith.com
Fortunas 32
December 2013
RETURN TO MINSK
96
In 1977, three years after leaving
Dollar, I spent three months in Soviet
Minsk as part of my undergraduate
degree. This summer, after an absence
of 36 years, I returned to attend
the XV International Congress of
Slavists. It was fascinating to compare
and contrast what has changed in the
meantime and what has not. In 1977
Minsk was stereotypically Soviet, with
a few interesting quirks; I found one
of the best seafood emporia I’ve seen
in my life (where once a rumour of
fresh trout caused a rush to the store).
But I simply did not bother shopping
for clothes, the less said about the
bookstores the better (the Englishlanguage newspaper choice was the
Morning Star, the Daily World (US
Communist Party), and the Canadian
Tribune (Canadian Communist Party),
and every single kiosk had numerous
displays of the latest volume of
Brezhnev’s Leninskim Kursom). There
were continual Soviet-style shortages,
generating long queues, the most
spectacular being when the city ran
out of beer at 11.00 am on May Day.
But imagine my astonishment to hear
someone from a small town outside
Minsk saying, “So many goods in
the shops!”; to people from the
countryside and small towns, Minsk
was a sort of shopper’s paradise!
And then there’s my own
stock of anecdotes, involving
eavesdropping, surveillance, etc.,
etc., to which anyone who visited the
Soviet Union can relate. I will confine
myself to mentioning one: apparently
Jock Milne used to recall that in 1930s
Germany, he would walk across a
pedestrian crossing at a red light and
be waved back by a cop, even in the
absence of traffic. I had exactly the
same experience in Soviet Minsk in
the 1970s.
In between then and now,
I moved to Canada and the Soviet
Union collapsed. I also attended
a few of the International Slavist
Congresses (one of which was
mentioned in the Dollar Magazine in
1989). The first Congress was held
Fortunas 32
December 2013
in 1929 in Prague. World War II
precluded the actual meeting of the
1939 Congress planned for Belgrade,
and then the sequence resumed in
Moscow in 1958, and continued
every five years thereafter, normally
in the capital of a Slavic country.
I’ve had papers at six of them, and
actually attended four. This year’s was
attended by over 600 scholars from
35 countries, from Slavic countries
and much further afield. The smaller
Slavic countries such as Slovakia,
Slovenia, and Macedonia are very
proud to host the Congress, and
the Belarusians were no exception.
Oddly enough, this time no scholars
from Bulgaria turned up, apparently
through lack of funding; Bulgaria’s
Education Minister came instead, and
was given a slot during the opening
session to explain the situation. That
raised some eyebrows.
There had been many
changes in Minsk in the intervening
years. The underground, vaguely
talked of in 1977, has actually been
built; the amount of traffic has
increased by factor of x; there is
far more consumer choice in the
well-stocked shops (especially the
bookstores); and people look more
prosperous, in stark contrast to Minsk
under Brezhnev. A further example
of the changes is provided by the
Confucius Institute at the Minsk
State Linguistic University, which
would have been impossible in Soviet
times. The Soviet-era’s wearisome
offers for fantastic deals on the
currency ‘black market’ are gone. In
contrast, however, Victory Square
fp forum
looks almost as it did in Brezhnev’s
time, and certain names are still there:
one of the underground stations is
called Lenin Square and hammer and
sickle signs can still be seen. Belarus
has distanced itself less from Russia
than nearly all the other former
Soviet republics. One reason may be
the language issue: Belarusian differs
from Russian much as very broad
Scots does from English.
In addition to all the Slavic
languages, English, French, and
German are official at the Congress.
No translations are provided during
the sessions, and it would not be
unusual for a paper to be delivered
in Russian followed by questions in
German from the floor. I deliver my
own papers in English, and invite
questions in any official language
of the Congress and keep my
fingers crossed that no-one will ask
something really difficult in Slovenian.
I would like to take this opportunity
to repeat my appreciation for the
excellent level of language teaching
I enjoyed at Dollar, which provided
me with a wonderful grounding in
French, German, Latin, and Greek.
In retrospect, the teachers involved
therein really did have encyclopedic
knowledge! The Belarusians were very
keen to get interviews from the
visiting delegates. I gave two TV
interviews (available on request, at
colkitto@rogers.com) and one radio.
As I was leaving the radio station, a
young lady came in, and I was told
she was the manager of their new
German-language programme. On
exchanging a few words in German,
she immediately invited me to give
them an interview in German – which
would have been too surreal. I pointed
out that there were several delegates
from Germany and Austria in Minsk.
The manager of the radio station told
me, somewhat shamefaced, that he
couldn’t really speak Belarusian.
Congress participants were
given free access to museums and art
galleries, and there was an excursion
to Nowogródek, west of Minsk,
where various memorials to Adam
Mickiewicz are located. Mickiewicz
himself is a figure who symbolizes
the complexity of the local linguistic
situation - he is renowned as Poland’s
greatest poet, but his main memorials
are located in Belarus, which he would
have called Lithuania at his time. A far cry from that Dollar
summer so long ago, when two
minor, albeit in retrospect pivotal,
incidents coincided. Neil L’Amie had
given us an assignment to look up
the Greek alphabet. At the time my
mother was doing a Russian-language
radio course. I had already glanced
at the book she was using, noted the
strange alphabet, and then almost
forgotten about it. The back of my
children’s encyclopedia included the
Greek and ‘Russian’ alphabets side
by side (the latter incomplete, missing
the hard and soft signs and including
one letter dropped in 1918, and in
any case, it should be referred to as
Cyrillic, as it actually was first used in
the Balkans, and only spread to Kiev,
and then further north, some time
later. This was actually suggested
in the encyclopedia itself, as over
the page, there was an example in
Bulgarian (on a stamp), but not
Russian). I started looking afresh at
the dialogues in the book my mother
was using, promptly got hooked, and
… you know the rest.
Prof. Robert Orr (FP 1962-1974)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
97
98
LAWRIE
ROBERTSON
In April of this year Claire Lawrie (FP 1988-1993) joined
the global professional services firm Ernst & Young as
their Oil and Gas Advisory Leader for Africa. This new
appointment will involve Claire leading over a thousand
consultants across 33 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Any Former Pupils passing through the streets of Dollar
will observe that a familiar corner has recently enjoyed
something of a facelift. That other Dollar institution,
Henderson’s Outfitters, has chosen to focus its business
in Stirling, and the site on the corner of Bridge Street
and McNabb Street is now home to Robertson Fine Art.
The venture of Former Pupil Gordon Robertson (FP
2000-2008), the gallery showcases the works of a range
of contemporary artists, in addition to glass- and giftware
for the home. Gordon would like to take this opportunity
to offer FPs and the parents of pupils currently at the
Academy a special discount on the framing of schoolrelated photographs or memorabilia (rugby or hockey
shirts, cricket bats, etc.).
NELSON
Peter Nelson (FP 1979-1992) has presented Children’s
Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) Fundraiser Laura
Campbell with a cheque for just over £1,000, raised from a
donation of his sales at an exhibition held at the Academy
at Sports Weekend.
Peter has been a familiar face at the school for
over thirty years; as a pupil, then a member of staff in the
school’s Art Department, and latterly as the designer of
Fortunas. An accomplished artist, Peter holds regular
exhibitions across Scotland. His summer event in Dollar
showcased recent work and comprised, alongside his
beautiful still life and portraits, many landscape paintings
of the local area, including a spectacular image of Dollar
Academy’s Playfair Building and school grounds, which
featured as the cover of Fortunas 31. CHAS Fundraiser Laura Campbell said, “We are
thrilled that Peter has chosen to support Rachel House
Children’s Hospice in this way. £1,000 allows us to
continue our support and care for over 300 families across
Scotland”.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Born 1941-1943?
A historic 55 FP Reunion is planned for Sports
Weekend 2015.
All FPs from this era are warmly invited to attend.
A letter with proposed details will be sent out in
January 2014.
If you do not receive the letter – perhaps the school
does not have your latest contact details – please
contact Adams-K@dollaracademy.org.uk
th
fp forum...
VANSTONE
Lewis Vanstone (FP 2000-2008) has been made the first
recipient of the IMS Trainee Chartered Accountant of
the Year Award. This new award is presented by ICAEW
(Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and
Wales) to the trainee with the highest marks in their
advanced stage exams. Lewis, of PwC, not only gained
the highest marks in Scotland, but was in the top 5% for
the whole of the UK. December will see him make the
move out of auditing to PwC’s Corporate Finance office
in London, where another Dollar FP, Karen Stewart (FP
1990-1997), is a Director.
Photograph courtesy of Members in Scotland
WILKIE
Dr Patricia Wilkie (FP 1949-1956) has been awarded
the OBE for Services to Health Care in the NHS in the
Queen’s Birthday Honours List this year.
Born Patricia McGregor, she moved to Dollar
from Grantown-on-Spey with her parents and sister,
Ursula, in 1950 and joined the Academy in Junior 2, where
she was nicknamed ‘Wee Mac’. She claims her proudest
achievement was playing for the First XI at hockey, but
nevertheless she gained University Entrance before leaving
CLASS OF 1963 & 1964 – 50-YEAR REUNION
Friday 20th June 2014
in 1956 to train as a nurse at the Western General Hospital
in Edinburgh. There she specialised in neurosurgery
before marrying, David, an actuary, now Professor Wilkie,
and then moving to Switzerland.
The couple returned to Edinburgh in 1963,
and after the birth of her second child, Patricia went to
Edinburgh University and gained an MA 2:1 in Sociology
and Economic History, followed by a PhD in Psychology
and Medicine from Stirling and Glasgow Universities.
While spending most of her ‘paid’ working life
as a researcher in academic departments of medicine,
she always carried out a great deal of voluntary work
supporting patients, and when David’s work relocated the
family to Woking 25 years ago, she continued with this.
She has chaired a national patients’ charity, sat on various
government committees and advised medical and other
professional organisations on patient concerns to help all
to improve the quality of patient care. During this time
she was awarded Honorary Fellowships from the Royal
College of Radiologists and the Royal College of General
Practitioners.
Patricia is currently President and Chairman of the
National Association of Patient Participation (N.A.P.P.).
She and David continue to live in Woking and they have
two children, Fiona and Alasdair, and five grandchildren.
Article courtesy of Ursula Stewart
There will be a Class of ’63 and ’64 reunion on 20th
June 2014 (Friday evening of Sports Weekend) at
Dollar Academy. Now is the time to look out old
photographs, fixture cards and any other memorabilia.
If you were in the same year as FPs Hugh Webb and
Judith Grieg, then this is an event not to be missed!
A letter and Booking Form will be circulated
in February. If you do not receive a letter, contact
Gus Carnegie (guscarnegie15@gmail.com)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
99
GLASGOW DOLLAR
ACADEMY CLUB REPORT
100 An important date for your diary:
our Club Annual Dinner will be
held in the Western Club, Glasgow,
on Thursday 13th March 2014.
Invitations to this event will be sent
out at a later date.
The Dempster Trophy was
once again closely contested at our
annual golf competition on Friday
20th September, for this the first time
at the Killermont course of Glasgow
Golf Club, Bearsden. We were
delighted that the Rector agreed to
join us along with, at his suggestion,
two recent leavers currently studying
in Glasgow, bringing our number
up to twelve. It was a good day.
Modesty prevents your Secretary
recording here just who has to keep
a shine on our handsome silver
trophy for the coming year!
The possibility of an
informal gathering for some of
the Club’s younger members, in
particular the students, has been
raised. Any members willing to be
involved in this are asked to please
get in touch with the Secretary.
Will Gibson
Fortunas 32
December 2013
CLASS OF ’83 REUNION
On the Saturday of Sports Weekend, 22nd June 2013, the Class of 1983 held its
30-year reunion in the Castle Campbell Hotel. After a bubbly welcome drink
and an informal finger buffet, we held a raffle in aid of the Joanna Morgan
Jones Educational Trust, a charity set up in memory of Joanna, who was Head
Girl in 1987 and went on to study Medicine at Aberdeen University. The other
beneficiary was the Dollar Academy Rugby Squad. We managed to raise a
surplus in ticket sales of £179 as well as £286 from the raffle, so our total of
£465 has been split between our two recipients. I would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who contributed
to the evening’s success: to Jennifer Fraser (née Stout, Class of 1983 FP) and
her staff at the Castle Campbell Hotel; to those who donated raffle prizes,
including the Rector, who gave us a painting of the school which was won by
Robin Smith, now a consultant chest physician in Dundee; to the SRU who
donated a rugby ball signed by the Scottish international team (aptly won by
Joanne Fulton, whose father, Kelso, was an international player); to Craig
McMurdo, who donated CDs; to Stuart Bowman, who donated tickets for the
Globe Theatre’s production of Macbeth; and to everyone else who so generously
provided us with some interesting and amusing items to raffle. Finally, thanks
to my committee of Jane Waddell and Shirley McIntosh, and to all those
classmates (at least one third of those attending!) who travelled to Dollar from
abroad, from as far away as New Zealand, to celebrate our 30 years since leaving
the Old Grey School. Here’s to another 10 years.
Fiona Grounds (née Donaldson, FP 1970-1983)
fp forum...
From left to right:
Tony Sweet (FP 1960-68), Margaret Davidson (née Anderson, FP 1949-54), Tom Redpath MBE (FP 1962-68), Gordon Wilson (FP 1942-54), Bill Redpath (FP
1960-68), Helen Mason (née Vaisey, FP 1959-62), Alison Strang (née Lyle, FP 1942-46), Roy Strang (FP 1937-44), Carole Sweet (née Neeves, FP 1961-69)
DOLLAR ACADEMY
CANADIAN FP REUNION
September 20-21, 2013
Following the successful (east of
Canada) reunion last year, it was
time for those of us in the west to
follow suit, although, as Bruce Buck
points out in his recounting of last
year’s event, distances in this country
render terms such as ‘the west’
almost meaningless. Nevertheless, an
enthusiastic group of nine FPs and
partners gathered near Nanaimo on
Vancouver Island in late September,
a quite beautiful time in this part of
the world.
We kicked off with a wine
reception on Friday evening which
proved, if ever there was any doubt,
that Dollar FPs whatever their
history, ages or peculiarities, have little
trouble in finding common ground.
Although many of us had never
met and, indeed, represented a wide
spectrum of ages and experiences,
the conversation and reminiscences
flowed freely, assisted by a variety
of photographs and memorabilia
including a 1950s-era rugby cap
sported by Gordon (Spud) Wilson
and a hockey blazer which, despite the
intervening half-century or more, still
fitted Margaret Davidson beautifully.
A Daily Express over-the-top account
of the fire of 1961 occasioned much
discussion about the day itself as
well as the variety of alternative
accommodations that we were
forced to suffer. It was a tribute
to the staff of the day (as well as a
disappointment to the pupils of the
day) that, despite the massive damage,
we were all back in class on Monday
morning. My most abiding memory
of that morning is witnessing from
my Mylne House dorm the laying of
hoses along Academy Place which, as
soon as they were filled, gave vent to
hundreds of tiny fountains. It was,
without doubt, a traumatic event
for staff, pupils and townspeople
alike, but there was never any doubt
that the headline in the Express the
following day, ‘We Build Again’,
would be fulfilled.
As one would expect, stories
of the vagaries and peculiarities of
Dollar teachers occupied a great deal
of our time. Some of the best accounts
of random acts of punishment came
from Tom Redpath who, by his own
account, developed a substantial
tolerance to the sting of the belt
during his years at the school. Tom, it
must be mentioned, had travelled all
the way from his home in Duns to
visit his twin brother, Bill, and attend
the reunion. A fine storyteller with a
sharp memory for detail, he brought
many long-forgotten personalities
and events to life.
The next day we met
for dinner at The Beach Club in
Parksville. The venue was a fine one
and, once again it was as if the group
had known each other for much
more than a weekend. Roy Strang,
the senior FP of the evening, arrived
sporting a World War II-era school tie
which reached barely half way down
his shirt front. When I drew attention
to this, he reminded me that “in those
days material was in short supply” –
a sobering reminder of the strictures
of that time.
The evening passed with
amazing ease and, without doubt, we
were reminded that, in one way or
another Dollar leaves its mark on all
those who enter through its bronze
doors.
Our thanks go out to Bruce
Buck, Canadian Consul, and Elaine
Gallagher, Dollar Registrar, for their
help in bringing this event to fruition.
Tony Sweet
Fortunas 32
December 2013
101
BIRTHS
We are delighted to welcome these
new additions to the extended Dollar
family:
BUNTON
Anne (née Brain, FP 1986-1994) and
Mike Bunton would like to announce
the arrival of their third beautiful
daughter, Katie Victoria, sister to
Emily and Lucy. Born 5th June 2013 in
Lower Hutt Hospital, New Zealand.
BUTLER
On 29 March 2013, to Katherine
(née Rainbow, FP 1990-2000, Dewar
and then Heyworth House) and Ben
Butler, a son Harry Benjamin Butler.
Born at the Great Western Hospital
in Swindon.
th
CARROLL
To George and Amy (née Vanstone,
FP 1997-2003) on 6th November
2013, a daughter, Isla Wallace.
CORBETT
On 23 December 2012, in Aberdeen,
to Helen Little (FP 1988-1994) and
102 Neil Corbett, a son Eoin Neil Robert
Corbett.
rd
DUNCAN
To Silke and Euan Duncan (current
staff and Boarding House Parents)
on 2nd June 2013 at 4.32am, a boy
Hannes Maver Duncan, weighing 7lb
10oz.
GEDDES
On 23rd November 2012, to Gregor
and Gemma (née Anderson, FP
1996-2002), a beautiful boy, Jack
David Gregor.
KAVANAGH
Michael and Louise (née Davie, FP
1994-2000) Kavanagh are happy to
announce the birth of their daughter,
Martha Elizabeth, on 25th March 2013
in Kirkcaldy. A wee sister for Padraig.
LINDSAY
To Richard and Susan Lindsay (both
current staff) a daughter, Cerys
Elizabeth, on 11th July, weighing 7lb
4oz.
MOORE
To Heather (current staff) and Alan
Moore, a son, Jonathan Stalcup, on
Monday 12th August, weighing 8lbs
2oz.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
PEARCE
To Emma Pearce and Alex, a son,
Alfie Arthur Farr, on Saturday 12th
October, weighing 7lbs 2oz.
SANDERSON
On 16th May 2013, to Jennifer (née
Wilson, FP 1991 - 1996) and Iain, a
daughter Naomi Mirren, a sister for
Archie John.
MARRIAGES
We wish every happiness to…
ANDERSON – GEDDES
WEBSTER
To Pamela (current staff) and Chris
Webster on the birth of their son,
Arlo Alastair James, on Sunday 18th
July, weighing 8lb 4oz.
WELSH
To Ryan (current staff) and Tricia
Welsh, a daughter, Rachel Jennifer
Welsh, on Sunday 9th June 2013 at
9.41pm, weighing 7lb 10½ oz.
WILSON
To Matt Wilson (current staff) and
Tina, a daughter, Anna Mairi, on
Tuesday 19th November, weighing
7lbs exactly.
WYLLIE
To Gordon Wyllie (FP 1986-1994)
and Sarah, a daughter Imogen Wyllie.
A sister for Will, born in Freemasons
Hospital, East Melbourne, Australia.
ENGAGEMENTS
KIDD - ROBERTS
Both families are delighted to
announce the engagement of
Winston Roberts and Rebecca
Kidd; (FPs 2000-2008). Winston
is currently a trainee solicitor in
Dundee and Rebecca (Becky)
is working in London in legal
marketing until she begins her
legal traineeship in Edinburgh
next year. Childhood sweethearts
since 2006!
On 6th September 2013, at Solsgirth
House, Dollar, Gemma Anderson (FP
1996-2002) and Gregor Geddes of
Inverness. The wedding was attended
by a number of former and current
pupils, including Greig Anderson,
Claire Pickles, Nikki Bwye, Gregor
Bwye, Andrew Adamson, and Kirsty
Sanders (née Gillies).
ASHTON – MITCHELL
On 26th May 2012 in Wigtownshire,
Scotland, Mary Ashton (FP 19881994) to Iain G. Mitchell.
McKENZIE - RAO
On 5th May 2013 at Balbirnie House,
Markinch, Dr Lynsey McKenzie (FP
1996-2002) to Dr Vincenzo Rao.
MENZIES - MUKOMBA
On 30th March 2013 at Tayside
Christian Fellowship, Perth, Janey
Menzies (FP 1981-1994) to Evan
Mukomba. The couple live in
Lusanka, Zambia where they
continue with children’s work under
Mwana Ministries.
PEDEN - HOLL
On 24th August 2012 at One
Marylebone Road, London, Katie
Aline Peden (FP 1991-1999) to
Samuel Holl. Bridesmaids included
Louisa Baxter, Former Deputy Head
Girl (now Louisa Botha) and other
Former Pupils; Elaine Konov (née
Algie) and Jacqeline Bosscher (née
Bell).
SLAVEN - SHARP
On 28th September 2013, at Camelon
Parish Church, Andrew Sharp
(Current Staff) to Kathryn Rebecca
Slaven.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
The following Former Pupils are to be congratulated on their recent achievements:
fp forum...
University of Aberdeen
Kathryn Birrell MA (Hons) 2:1
Sociology
Elliot Chadwick
MA (Hons) 2:2
Geography
Jamie Chalmers
MA (Hons) 2:2
Rural Surveying and Spatial Planning
Megan Gwynne
BSc (Hons) 2:1
Geology-Petroleum Geology
Ruairidh Macdonald BSc (Hons) 2:2
Geology-Petroleum Geology
Iona MackayBScPhysiology
J. Elliott W. Milton LLB (Hons) 2:1
Matthew Moggach MA (Hons) 2:2
Real Estate
Jonathan Shepherd LLB (Hons) 2:1
Iain Wellman
BSc (Hons) 2:2
Chemistry
Katie Wyllie
MA (Hons) 2:1
Management Studies
University of Durham
Jamie Andrew
LLB (Hons) 2:1
University of St Andrews
Victoria A. Elder
MChem (Hons) 2:1 with Medicinal Chemistry with Industrial Placement
Gordon McCracken MA (Hons)
International Relations and Spanish (Distinction in Spanish)
James A. Smith
MA (Hons)
Modern History
Bocconi University, Milan
Giovanna Dughera BA
103
International Economics and Management
University of Dundee
Gillian C. Baird
BMSc in 2011. MBChB in 2013.
Ryan Paterson
MBChB
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Catherine Reynolds BMus Honours and has just started her MA in Classical Voice at the Royal Welsh College
of Music and Drama
University of Oxford
Charlotte Lennon
BA (Hons)
Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
Heriot-Watt University
Daniel Carruthers
BSc John Caskie
BEng Roderick Ewles
BEng
Scott Laughland
MEng
Psychology (Applied)
Chemical Engineering
Robotics and Cybertronics
Mechanical Engineering
University College Birmingham
Emma Brown
BA (Hons)
Events Management
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DEATHS
Our deepest sympathies are extended
to the family and friends of the
following Former Pupils:
BROWN
Ian Brown (FP 1938-1948) died
peacefully on Saturday 29th June at
the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy
after a short illness. (See obituary in this
edition).
BROWN
William C. Brown (FP 1933-1945)
died aged 85 years on 22nd May 2013.
He is survived by his wife Jean,
children Jim and Elizabeth, and four
grandchildren. Also by his brother,
George, and sister May, who along
with their late brother, Jim, were all
Dollar Former Pupils. Willie was
a Bursar, Milne Medallist and Pipe
Sergeant.
CHRISTIE
104 Freda (née Scott, FP 1951-1962),
formerly of Hillfoot Farm, Dollar,
died peacefully in May 2013 after a
brave fight against cancer.
CHUNG
Joseph W M Chung (FP 1986-1989,
Dewar House) died on 4th March
2013 in a car accident at Disneyland
Hong Kong, where he had worked as
an Imagineer for almost ten years.
HARDEN
Louise Harden (née Arbuckle, FP
1980-1986) died on 9th May 2013 at
Ipswich Hospital following a short
illness. Louise is survived by her
husband Mark, brother John (FP
1981-1989) and parents, Anne and
Harry.
HUNTER
David Hunter (FP1945-51) passed
away on 15th August 2013. (See obituary
in this edition)
KIRKWOOD
Bill (William) Kirkwood (FP 19281935 and Head Boy) died on 18th June
Fortunas 32
December 2013
2013, aged 95 after a short illness. (See
obituary in this edition)
MACDONALD
Duncan Macdonald (FP 1932-1940)
passed away on 7th February 2013 at
the age of 88. McNAIR
Henry McNair (FP 1936-1944) passed
away on 7th September 2013, aged
87 years. On finishing Form VI at
Dollar Academy, he was conscripted
into The Black Watch to begin his
National Service. In 1948 he entered
The University of Edinburgh where
he studied Psychology and went on
to become a lecturer at Moray House
College of Education. In 1969 he
took up a post as a Senior Lecturer,
Faculty of Education, University
of Hong Kong, where he worked
until retiring to Scotland in 1986.
He is greatly missed by his wife,
Mary, and his children, Don (FP
1972-1973), David and Jane, and his
grandchildren, Andrew and Katie.
MOORE
Simon T. Moore (FP 1973-1981)
died suddenly in Shenzen, China on
Wednesday 30th October 2013. (See
obituary in this edition)
POW
In June of this year, in Norway, after
a period of illness, Alistair David
Rawley Pow, brother to Roddy,
Cynthia, Andrew and Jonathan.
Alistair had been a member of the
Music Department at Dollar from
1968-70.
WHYTE
Donald L. Whyte (FP 1947-1953)
passed away on 26th May 2013 after a
long illness. (See obituary in this edition)
WILLCOX-JONES
Colin Willcox-Jones (FP 1949-1962)
died in Maidstone Hospital on 13th
September 2013, aged 68 years, after
a very short battle with cancer. (See
obituary in this edition)
YOUNG
James Neil Young (FP 1955-1965)
died on 4th August 2013. He is
survived by his wife, Enid, his
children Nairn and Ailsa, and sister
Susan (FP 1953-1963).
obituaries
IAN BROWN
(FP 1938-1948)
1930-2013
Ian’s life was as complex and
colourful as his character – it
spanned eight decades and almost
as many continents. He was born in
Dunfermline to Effie and William
Dick Brown, and it was William’s job
as a banker, the first not to be in the
family linen and laundry business,
which took the family overseas to the
Far East.
As a child of parents living
overseas, Ian was sent home to
Scotland aged eight for schooling
at Dollar, with war-time holidays
spent at Carrick Castle in Argyll. His
parents were in Malaya and decided
to head to Japan where they might
find a safe haven away from the War.
This was not to be, and so ensued
almost a year when Ian did not
know the whereabouts of his family,
particularly his father, or indeed if
they were alive or not. Thankfully,
they turned up fighting fit in South
Africa after a very convoluted, and
indeed hazardous, journey, but that is
a story for another time. Ian stayed at
school until he was 18 when he went
to do National Service. He was in
the Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers and spent most of his
time chasing tanks around Germany,
attending to their needs. He narrowly
missed serving in the Korean War,
and instead came home to Scotland
to attend St Andrews University and
study Chemistry.
Finally ready for the
working world, Ian secured a job
with ICI China in Hong Kong and
was soon at their training facility in
Welwyn Garden City, where he was
indoctrinated in the ways of the
company, including their rather harsh
leave routine. Once installed in Hong
Kong in the mid-1950s, he signed up
to the Hong Kong Defence Force, or
‘The Volunteers’ as they were known.
He held the rank of Major by the
time he retired.
Ian saved up his leave and
eventually managed to get enough
time to undertake a trip across Canada,
and it was on the homeward-bound
journey, during an uncomfortable
sea passage, that he met his soon-tobe wife, Val. Almost the entire boat
was suffering badly from seasickness
and those unaffected were left to
fend for themselves. Legend has it
that they met in a largely abandoned
dining room. The travelling rugby
team members, who had been
making the ladies’ heads turn, were
all confined to quarters, and Ian was
able to exercise his legendary charm
undisturbed. Having first secured the
permission of his superiors at ICI
to wed, Ian and Val were married in
1961 in Ealing in London, close to
Val’s family home, before returning
to Hong Kong to begin married life.
Ian was always very modest
about his achievements; if you asked
him about the boat in Hong Kong
he would tell you he owned no more
than “two planks and a couple of
screws”. That same modesty never
allowed him to boast that if you
bought anything made of plastic in
the late 1970s and early 80s and it
was made in Hong Kong, Korea or
Japan, there is a high likelihood that it
was his team which had sold the raw
materials to make it.
Ian became a proud father
to Neil in 1965 (FP 1976-84) and
Colin in 1967 (FP 1978-86). The boys
remember their colourful childhood
and even more exotic experiences
at the Dragon Hall School of
Equitation, a very grand name for a
very modest establishment. And so
began a long and fulfilling connection
with horses and riding, including
Riding for the Disabled, which
became an even bigger part of Val
and Ian’s lives when they returned to
the UK in 1982.
After a brief period staying
with Granny Brown in Kinghorn,
they settled near Leslie and began
putting down roots, joining the local
church where Ian became an Elder
and got more involved with Riding
for the Disabled.
Ian’s natural inclination to be
engrossed by detail, particularly of
financial matters, made him the ideal
man to be a treasurer, and he was
soon signed up as such for the local
church and a number of charities, as
well as acting as financial advisor to
most of the family. We will all miss
his sage, informed, sceptical advice 105
on these and other matters.
Ian and Val were both
modest characters, and their
donations, both financial and of
their time to good causes were largely
unspoken about, but they have left
an indelible mark on the world. The
William Dick Brown Travel Prize and
The Brown Endowment at Dollar
Academy have inspired many young
lives. The Brown Fund for the RDA,
the first and only fund established to
help riders and carers attend training
and competition events, has literally
changed scores of lives. By a quirk
of fate, few members of RDA were
able to attend Ian’s memorial service,
as they were using the Brown Fund
to travel to the annual meeting down
south.
Ian remained fit and active
until his final illness, and even in
hospital he was restless about leaving
the grass un-cut!
Colin Brown (FP 1978-1986)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
WILLIAM KIRKWOOD
(FP 1928-35)
1918-2013
106 DAVID HUNTER
(FP 1945-51)
1933-2013
Born 29th April 1933 in Alloa, David obtained a bursary to
Dollar Academy where he studied from 1945-1951. Whilst
there, he developed two strong interest – mathematics
first, and later music. He played the violin and viola in
local orchestras and sang in various choirs, most recently
the Halifax Choral Society (the oldest in the country).
David won the Kennedy Medal for best pupil in Form
V in 1950 and the Milne Medal for best in Form VI the
following year.
From Dollar he went on to the University of
Edinburgh in 1951 and obtained an MA in Mathematics
and Natural Philosophy with 1st Class Honours, followed
by a Ph.D. in Mathematics. He then worked for six
years in the computer services department at G.E.C. in
Birmingham.
David and I married in April 1959 and moved
in 1964 to Bradford, where he worked as a Lecturer in
Mathematics at the University of Bradford, eventually
becoming Senior Lecturer. During this time we moved to
Ilkley and adopted our children, Judith and Gavin, who
later made us proud grandparents to three boys, Kyle,
George and Max. David also worked as an Associate
Lecturer for the Open University from 1984-2011.
David was the most patient and kindest of men,
and he bore his final illness with incredible courage and
calm.
Grace A. Hunter
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Born in 1918, my father came to
Dollar shortly after the First World
War ended with his mother, who had
been the first woman from the Isle
of Bute to gain a university degree.
She arrived as the widow of a Church
of Scotland educational missionary
who was killed at the end of the war.
Sadly my father never knew his own
father. Dollar Burgh Council built
some houses for war widows and
their families, so she was possibly the
first council house tenant in Dollar.
Also, at that time, education at
Dollar Academy was free for Dollar
residents, thus enabling my father and
his sister Janet to attend; they went on
to become Head Boy (1934-35) and
Head Girl (1930-31).
After school he enrolled
at the Royal College of Science
and Technology, later Strathclyde
University, eventually becoming a
Chartered Engineer BSc., ARCST,
AMIMechE, AMILocoE. As part of
his training he served some time in
the railway workshops in Springburn,
and in the Glasgow shipyards. He
retained a passion all his life for steam
power, particularly railway engines.
Then along came World
War II. He enlisted in the Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders, but
when it was discovered that he was
obituaries
an engineer, he was transferred to
the Royal Engineers. However, he
always retained a strong affection for
the Argylls. His war service included
time in France, the Netherlands
and Germany - it was, however, a
subject he never really spoke about,
in common with many other soldiers
of that era. He received a war-time
commission of Major. It was at this
time that he met his wife, Blanche,
while she was stationed in Dollar.
After the war he joined a
Brazilian railway company, opening
up some of the remote parts of
Brazil with railways. Thereafter he
moved to work in Persia, now Iran,
and later joined Standard Oil New
Jersey, the forerunner of ESSO, in
the Dutch West Indies on the Island
of Aruba, which at the time boasted
the largest oil refinery in the world.
While there, a Welsh colleague bet
him the price of a kilt that he would
not step off the KLM plane in Aruba
wearing the aforementioned garment.
The Welshman lost his bet, so father
had the luxury of having a kilt made
by one of the best kiltmakers in
Scotland. When he returned from his
travels to live in Scotland, he wore
only kilts: one a ‘posh’ kilt, one a day
kilt and one a pub or beer kilt. As you
all know, a kilt can last many years,
and is therefore very economical.
After Aruba he trained as a
lecturer, and taught at Falkirk Tech.,
then Chittagong in Pakistan, Kenya
Polytechnic, Japan and Botswana.
I trust you are beginning to
get a picture of him: a well-qualified
Scottish engineer, working all over the
world, and careful with his spending
– unless it was on beer, dry sherry
and West Indian dark rum.
Apart from family, work
and travel, his main and undying
interest was rugby. Without doubt,
he should go down in history as
Dollar Academy Rugby’s most
faithful supporter. Bearing in mind
he captained the School XV in 1935,
his support was unwavering for the
best part of 80 years. If the weather
was reasonable he would try to watch
the school home games even when
well into his 90s. Everyone in Dollar
will retain the clear image of him, and
he is fondly remembered by notable
fellow spectators:
“If ever there was a kenspeckled
figure, it was Mr Kirkwood Senior,
and Dollar will never be quite the
same without him.”
“I found him simply my favourite
FP.”
to youngsters with the players’
behaviour on and off the pitch.)
In the period after Aruba,
we all lived in Dollar for about eight
years, and during this time he became
an elder at the church in 1965. In
the early 60s each week (after church
‘parade’) the traditional Sunday roast 107
was taken with only one topic of
conversation – the previous day’s
rugby matches. I can still see my three
sisters rolling their eyes! My own
children have benefited greatly from
the privilege of having both sets of
grandparents living into old age and
celebrating over 60 years of marriage.
Thankfully, although his
body became frailer with the passage
of time, in general he remained sharp
as a tack to the end. This is evidenced
by his desire in March of this year
to renew his passport and driving
licence. When asked why, he said that
if Scotland voted YES next year, he
was going to leave the country and
live with us in France. Such was his
opinion of Alex Salmond.
Peter Kirkwood (FP 1950-1963)
Just as the rugby ball caused
him joy beyond measure, his distaste
for football was refreshing in these
politically correct, media-driven days.
(His reason for this being that the
game of football sets a bad example
Fortunas 32
December 2013
SIMON TWYFORD
MOORE
(FP 1973-1981)
1963-2013
It was with a great deal of sadness
and shock that I heard of Simon’s
sudden passing.
Many will remember Simon
as a pocket battleship of an athlete,
explosive rugby player, quick bowler
and sticky-handed, agile fielder on
the cricket pitch. He was one of the
first of our peer group to mature
physically, with a barrel chest and
tree-trunk legs at the age of 12,
though by Form III most of us had
leapfrogged him in stature, earning
him the sobriquet ‘Stumpy’ which he
adopted in typically good humour.
Upon leaving Dollar, Simon
attended Stirling University before
embarking on a peripatetic career in
108 financial services in London and the
Isle of Man, client services in a golf
resort on Gran Canaria and finally
teaching English in China. A trawl of
his Facebook page after his passing
showed just how many friends he had
accumulated on his travels and the
high regard and deep love which he
engendered.
I had lost touch with him
over the years, but through the
magic of social media got back in
touch and we managed to meet a
couple of times, a pair of middleaged mates ruminating on sport,
music and women. Plus ça change.
We exchanged messages concurring
that neither of us had changed (or
is that grown up?) and it seemed like
months since we had last met rather
than decades.
We remembered with some
fondness the two cheeky kids walking
back from a very early Iron Maiden
gig in Dunfermline, speculatively
sticking our head round the door of
the King Malcolm Hotel to get some
autographs, and being invited in by
the band members to sit down and
enjoy a drink and a chat with them.
I wonder whatever happened to Iron
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Maiden?
We went to many gigs
together and have so many shared
memories, it seems kind of fitting
that the last time I saw him we went
to see Santana in London.
Simon spent the last couple
of years of his life teaching English
in China, which he threw himself
into with typically great gusto. I’d
often send him daft things that made
him laugh and usually got a message
back saying, “I’ll use this in my lesson
tomorrow”.
It was in a lesson that he
collapsed and we lost a good man
who engendered the love and respect
of pretty much everyone who crossed
his path.
The plan is to have a tree
planting in Shenzen on April 20th
in his memory. A signal date, as
that would have been both his 51st
birthday and wedding anniversary.
Simon is survived by his
brother, Christopher (FP 1964-1972)
and his ex-wife, Karen – with whom
he remained on good terms – of
course.
Ken Barkway (FP 1973-1981)
DONALD L. WHYTE
(FP 1947-1953 )
1934-2013
It is with great sadness that I write of
Donald’s passing on 26th May 2013
after a long illness bravely born.
Donald was born in
Dunfermline in July 1934 and
educated at a local primary school,
before attending Dollar Academy
as a boarder in McNabb House in
1947. He enjoyed many happy years
at school, and in particular his sport,
playing cricket, rugby and hillwalking.
On leaving school, he joined the Royal
Air Force in 1953 for his National
Service, after which he joined the
family plumbing and heating business
in Dunfermline and studied at the
Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh.
Donald and I married in
1959 and in 1963 and 1967 we had a
daughter, Linda, and a son, Stewart,
to complete our family. Before our
marriage, Donald was in the Rover
Scouts and to get his Baden-Powell
Award he emptied the business’ van
of equipment and, with two of his
friends, drove and slept in it on his
way to climbing the three highest
mountains in Scotland, England and
Wales in a weekend. No motorways or
Forth Road Bridge in those days! This
adventure confirmed his love of the
obituaries
hills, climbing many of the Munros
and smaller Scottish hills. He then
climbed abroad, scaling Kilimanjaro
and the Annapurna range. Golf was
another favourite pursuit which he
played from the 1960s until forced to
give up in 2010 due to his advanced
illness.
Donald joined the Round
Table in the 60s and became
Chairman in 1974-75. It was during
his Table days that he was introduced
to curling and so began his longterm interest in the game. After this,
he was invited to join Dunfermline
Rotary Club of which he was a
member for 17 years. It was at this
time that he started his ‘10-year
project’ (his words) to physically build
his own lovely house in Crossford, a
mammoth task, as he was running his
business at the same time. He joined
Dunfermline Curling Club in 1977
and enjoyed playing in competitions.
He became Club President in 199192, Area 7 Secretary 1991-96, and was
President of the Royal Caledonian
Curling Club 2002-03, captained the
Strathcona Cup, Canadian Tour 2003
and was convener of the Millennium
Grand Match, where Scottish curlers
played indoors in every Scottish ice
rink at the same time on the same
day, instead of playing on outside ice
as a traditional Grand Match would
have been played – there had been no
frozen lochs for years!
Donald told me before he
died that he had enjoyed his busy life
and had gained tremendous pleasure
from his sport, making many friends
at home and abroad. He had also kept
up with many of his friends from
his school days at Dollar, and I can
certainly vouch that everywhere we
went, we would always meet someone
he knew from Dollar or curling. He
was extremely proud of all his greatnephews and -nieces’ achievements
at the Academy – Sean Sarafilovic
being Head Boy and his sister Talia
Head Girl, and Natalie being part of
the Shooting Team and winning the
Ashburton. He was a true gentleman,
always smiling, and will be sorely
missed by family and friends.
DR COLIN WILLCOXJONES
(FP 1949-1962)
1944-2013
Colin was born in Stirling, and
in 1946 moved to Allsop Place,
Dollar. He often talked about his
childhood school experiences. He
enjoyed playing the drums in the
Pipe Band and the cross-country
racing; however, he did not find his
time at Cultybraggan with the School
Corps so congenial! Colin loved the
outdoors and with his friends would
roam the Ochils and cycle for miles
with Chris Blenkinsop. He had a
lifelong passion for interesting cars,
and in the 1950s a home visit from
the local GP driving an MG gave him
the incentive to study medicine at
Edinburgh University.
Colin loved to travel and talk
with the local people - in France he
said Jock Milne’s French helped him
to get by, and his Latin was useful in
Italy! In 1964 he had a memorable
time with John Grant in the USA,
and later he made it to South America
by being a ship’s doctor.
He met his wife Angela at
her Freshers’ Ball. They married in
1970 and moved to Kent, where
Colin joined the Snodland Medical
Practice to become Senior Partner.
He had an insatiable curiosity about
all things and this made him an
excellent diagnostician.
In 2000 his passion for
cars was realised with his purchase 109
of a 1969 E-type Jaguar. Many new
friendships were made through the
Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, and he and
Angela enjoyed the annual Jaguar
Entente Cordiale in France.
Colin’s childhood friends
remember him as being uplifting
company, an energetic, jovial creature
with an infectious laugh and a story
to tell. This description fitted him for
the rest of his life. The huge turn-out
at his funeral was evidence of the
esteem and affection in which he was
held.
He is survived by his wife,
Angela, daughters Lucy and Fleur,
four grandchildren and his sisters,
Heather and Valerie.
Heather Emerson (FP 1946-1959)
Mrs Carol Whyte
Fortunas 32
December 2013
DOLLAR’S MASTER MARINER
ACCEPTS THE INEVITABLE
As the chilly Dollar evenings begin to draw in, your Editor’s
heart is warmed by cordial greetings and news from FPs
in warmer climes. Graham Hornel (FP 1956-64) sends
word from Western Australia of his friend and fellow FP
‘Admiral A’ from Bunbury, aka Captain Bob Allsop (FP
1927-1938). ‘An amazingly sharp, still feisty Old Seadog’
(to quote his friend), Captain Bob mourned the demise
of the 149-year-old timber jetty in Bunbury Harbour
earlier this year, despite efforts by conservationists who
had campaigned for decades for the preservation of the
historic structure. As the port’s longest-serving Harbour
Master, Captain Allsop commented: “It’s a sad day but also
a happy time, too, because now this area can be developed
into a marina”. Our best wishes are sent Down Under as
Admiral A recuperates following a shoulder operation.
110
AUCTION OF FP’S
BOOK COLLECTION
MEMORIES ARE MADE
OF THIS
The astonishing private book
collection of the late Bruce Ritchie
fetched £226,000 at auction in May of
this year. His treasure trove of books
included first editions of classic
novels including The Great Gatsby,
Dickens’ Christmas Carol, children’s
classic The Wind in the Willows, Evelyn
Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and James
Joyce’s Ulysses. Bruce had been a
Former Pupil and Head Boy of the
Academy (FP 1950-1961) and had
taught English at Merchant Taylors’
School in Middlesex. His passing was
marked in Fortunas 31. The collection
was described by Lyon & Turnbull as
“one of the most remarkable private
libraries of English literature” to
come to auction.
Reading Fortunas 31 certainly
brought back so many memories.
Roy Chapman’s description of the
‘Commie dinners’ was absolutely
correct. I was a boarder in Tait House
(a senior boarding house in those
days) in the late 40s and early 50s, and
these self-same meals were served
up from Monday to Friday. The only
difference was that there was no fee
attached. They really were awful, and
there is no comparison with the lunch
menus enjoyed by children in schools
today. As boarders we also ‘enjoyed’
breakfast, supper and weekend meals
in our Houses. They were pretty
Spartan. The occasional food parcel
from home was most welcome!
However, we should remember that
food rationing was still in force and
it must have been a nightmare trying
to satisfy the appetites of 27 teenage
boys. The House cook did her best,
but the memories of haggis for
breakfast and a small portion of cold
Fortunas 32
December 2013
meat after rugby on a Thursday linger
on. The only luxury was at supper on
Sunday when a small cake was added
to the menu, but, of course, the
choice was on the basis of seniority
so the youngest, most junior boy got
the poor remainder. We survived, but
only just.
George Murray’s description
of the rugby matches with Loretto
brought back memories of that awful
storm which took the lives of so
many, not only on the Princess Victoria
but in so many places on the east
coast of England. I was in the 1st XV
on that day and it was one of the last
matches I played at school. We won
the match but my abiding memory of
it is of the pitch beginning to flood
at high tide close to the end of the
game. When we left the pitch the
water was ankle-deep.
George also mentioned
Alan Todd who, in addition to being
Chemistry master and rugby coach,
was also commanding officer of
the RAF section of the CCF. He
did a great deal to prepare us for
fp forum...
THE DOLLAR
CONNECTION BY A
COULD-HAVE-BEEN
FP
the impending National Service,
not least by bringing Service NCOs
to the school to take us through
the activities we would face during
basic training. This made the pretty
tough initiation to Service life that
much easier. He also sent a glowing
reference to the RAF when I applied
for a commission. He was a most
friendly, enthusiastic and talented
man who typified the very best of the
staff at Dollar.
Campbell W. (Charlie) Miller (FP 1946-53)
A little story that may be of interest
to readers of Fortunas? I am William
Andrew White, retired and living in
Ottawa, Canada. I grew up on a small
family farm near Ayr and attended Ayr
Academy (founded 1233) for twelve
years. In 1945 my father had enrolled
me, aged twelve, at Dollar Academy.
He told me there were no boarding
places available, but owing to my
grandfather having been dux, the
school agreed to take me. Living on a
farm, I had a beautiful chestnut horse
and many pets, plus an old 250cc BSA
motorbike. So when the time came, I
refused to go to Dollar Academy!
When home on holiday in
2003, I was visiting Oban with my
niece Julie. On the return journey
to Ayr, I noticed we had left Argyll
and were in Stirlingshire. I knew
that Clackmannanshire was near
Stirling, so I asked Julie if she would
do me a great favour and side-track to
Dollar; she kindly agreed.
Arriving at the Academy
and entering the imposing grey
stone building, I informed the
receptionist of my story and I was
immediately welcomed. She contacted
a retired teacher (Editor: thought to be
Bruce Baillie) and in the meantime had
a senior student take me on a grand
tour of the school. Returning to the
library I met the retired teacher and
searching through the old archives
we found the class records of my
grandfather. William White FP was
born at Sheardale, Dollar in 1848,
and went on to be first in most of
his classes in 1861 and 1862, earning
several awards including a silver
pen and the position of dux. I left
that day from Dollar Academy with
copies of my grandfather’s reports, a
video called ‘The Old Grey School’,
lots of brochures and with a very
strong feeling that all the students
were happy, smiling and enjoying
their time at the Academy.
Recently I started to go
to a new gym, and when parking
there I noticed a gentleman getting
out of a car with a St Andrews flag
displayed on the window! This is
how I met Ian McClymont (FP 194245). I discovered he had attended
Dollar Academy Prep School when
his father was serving in World War
II as a pilot in the Royal Air Force.
We exchanged our Dollar Academy
memorabilia and I have been an avid
reader of Fortunas ever since!
My grandfather, William
White FP, graduated from Edinburgh
University in 1870 with a degree
in Law. He then went on to own
a cork factory in Dublin, selling
corks to Guinness for their beer
bottles and becoming one of the
first shareholders in Guinness stock
when it went public in 1885. Aged
55 he retired to the Isle of Bute and
married Rothesay’s Bailiff George
Livingston’s youngest daughter,
Elizabeth, aged 25.
That is my little story and it
goes to prove, it really is a very small
world! William A. White
(Could-have-been FP)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
111
Responses sent to the
Archivist about Dan
MacLachlan’s 1939 trip
112
to Kanawana Camp in
Canada and back home
in the T.S.S. Athenia
(Fortunas 31)
Stan Borthwick: I was also on
the Canadian trip in 1939, but as a
schoolboy at Glasgow High School.
Little did I realise then that Harry
Bell was to be my Headmaster from
September 1939! I guess the various
schools which took part in the trip
kept together as a school.
Our itinerary was as follows:
T.S.S. Letitia from Glasgow to
Quebec to Montreal to the camp
which was supervised by Scout
masters. I recollect this because the
Canadian Scouts we fraternised with
attempted to fool us into believing
that the woods were full of wolves by
imitating wolf howls from midnight
until 4 am! We then visited a Canadian
Plant Research Station near Buffalo
(similar to our Australian CSIRO),
Niagara Falls, Thousand Islands,
Toronto and then back to the Athenia
at Montreal. The submarine which
sank the Athenia was placed there
Fortunas 32
December 2013
Dan MacLachlan and friends in Toronto (note the ‘sporran and kilt’ , centre)
pre-war, which certainly was not
considered ‘cricket’ at that time.
I noticed at least one
Dollar boy wearing a kilt: kilts were
mandatory on Glasgow High School
trips and, oddly enough, mandatory
on Sunday mornings at Dollar
Academy in my time.
I became a career officer
in the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm)
before emigrating to Australia in
1967 and I find it surprising that one’s
long-term memory can easily span
74 years! Incidentally, my son Iain
Andrew Borthwick – FP 1963-1967
– is a Staff Specialist at a hospital
in Queensland, having gone from
a research Molecular Biologist to
Physician.
I very much look forward to
receiving Fortunas – it brings back so
many good memories for me.
Stanley Hood Borthwick – FP 19391942, Resident in Adelaide Australia since
1967. Life member of the Glasgow Dollar
Academy Club.
Bob Paget: While leafing through
the latest edition of Fortunas, FP
Mary Paget (née Murray 1939-42)
spotted her husband Bob’s youthful
eyes twinkling back at her from the
sepia-tinged photograph on page
128. Bob, then a 15-year-old pupil at
Glasgow Academy, was one of the
youngest members of the 1939 trip
to Canada brought to light in the
photographs from the album of FP
Dan MacLachlan. Bob recalls it being
one of the momentous experiences
of his long life. Indeed, it truly was
a ‘once in a lifetime experience’,
for Bob has never felt the need to
venture abroad again. Mrs Alison
Morrison (Assistant Rector), Bob’s
neighbour on the Isle of Islay, wrote
down these memories for Bob during
the summer holidays:
The cost of the trip he
recalls was £30 for 30 days away,
a fairly significant sum of money
at that time, and he still feels very
fortunate to have been offered such
an opportunity. The outward journey
took six days aboard the Letitia,
from the archives...
Group Photo: Bob Paget 2nd row on right, Dan MacLachlan front row 3rd from right, Harry Bell front row 6th from right.
departing from Glasgow, and docking
first at Belfast and then at Liverpool
to pick up passengers before making
the journey across the Atlantic to
Quebec. They were the only school
group on the ship and, as schoolboys,
felt privileged to be offered the full
menu alongside regular passengers in
the 3rd Class Dining Room! On arrival
at Quebec they went ashore and
enjoyed a tour of the city, including
the Heights of Abraham, before reembarking on the Letitia for the 24hour journey to Montreal.
They were billeted at the
YMCA in Montreal and after a tour of
this city the party split. High School
of Glasgow pupils made up about
half of the group and they proceeded
to Camp Kanawana while the rest
– Bob thinks about 13 Glasgow
Academy pupils, nine from Dollar
Academy and a few from Hamilton
and Ayr Academies, proceeded to
Ottawa by train. In true recognition
of what really matters to a 15-yearold boy, the highlight of the train
journey was the Coronation Chicken,
which he tasted for the first time.
After spending a few days in Ottawa
visiting the Parliament building and
other important landmarks, the party
moved on to Toronto, scaling the
highest building in the world at that
time, and then to Hamilton from
where they visited Niagara Falls.
The next stop was Kingston,
Ontario and a trip around ‘The
Thousand Islands’ before returning
to Montreal and on to Camp
Kanawana. This was a tented camp
in true outward-bound tradition with
eight boys to a tent. The Scottish
boys mixed in with Canadian and
Norwegian boys and enjoyed long hot
days diving into the lake and canoeing
around the many islands.
The return voyage was on
the Athenia and the party returned to
Glasgow on the 29th or 30th August.
While they were aware of escalating
tensions and the presence of U-boats
in the area, Bob’s abiding memory
of the voyage home was a 48-hour
marathon bridge-playing session.
When war broke out on 3rd September
the Athenia was sailing back across the
Atlantic, returning other groups of
passengers to Canada, when she was
torpedoed off the coast of Ireland.
Bob continued at school and
then completed his studies at West
of Scotland College of Agriculture
at Auchincruive in a class that began
with 23 and finished with just 11.
Throughout that time he served in
the Home Guard (quite reminiscent
of Dad’s Army, I’m delighted to
hear!) He has spent the rest of his
long industrious life on Islay, and a
more active 89-year-old it would be
hard to find. Always on the go, and
with a cheery wave for everyone he
sees, he spends his days cultivating
a beautiful garden and growing
vegetables in his allotment. The 167th
Islay Show in August was, once again,
the venue for further triumphs in the
produce section. I have been the lucky
recipient of sweet, juicy strawberries,
beautifully fragrant sweet peas and
freshly laid eggs, courtesy of Bob’s
chickens, and enjoyed hearing stories
about yesteryear whilst sipping a
dram from one of Bob’s treasured
barrels of Bruichladdich, or enjoying
a tot of his signature sloe gin. And
he still farms his croft, tending his
flock of 30 sheep. It has been both a
pleasure and a privilege to travel back
in time in the company of Bob Paget.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
113
114
Probably Form 3c, 1938-39
The teacher is Captain Handley (killed in WW2). Archie Baird is beside Captain Handley. The signatures on the back are (not in order): John Walker, D. Leitch, Daniel
MacLachlan, A. M. Wilson, P. Brown, I. T Carrington, James Kennedy Cullen, Eric J. Dempster, A.S. MacLagin (?), James Crawford, W Campbell, W Robertson,
George S. Moir, Hugh R. Allan (?), Stanley S. Scott, J. Ball, William Angus Mitchell, G. Graham, A.S Mull, A.A. Watson, A. H. Jack (or Inch), John Scott, W.S.
Halley, Dennis Henderson, Charles R. Munro, S.K. Watt, Alex U. Reid, L. Grigson, W. Gordon, Archie Baird.
FROM ARCHIE BAIRD
FP 1936-40
Archie Baird (FP 1936-40) sent this
class photo to the Archivist. He
wrote: “My brother Roger and I did
enjoy our time at Dollar. It ended
in October 1940, when we were
evacuated to California (Coronado,
off San Diego). We were cared for
by Hunter Clarkson who was at
Watson’s with my father, Archie W.
Baird. Hunter’s parents both died
and my grandfather (Archie) took
him in and cared for him until he
finished school. He then went to the
USA to seek his fortune and married
the daughter of the President of the
Santa Fe Railway.
In 1940 Hunter sent an
invitation to my parents to send
me and my brother (and a cousin
Christine) over to the States. This we
did, in a convoy which lost two or
three boats on the way to New York.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
We were lucky and took the train to
Chicago and so to Los Angeles.
We were very well looked
after for two years. Our guardian’s
business declined, but I had enough
credits to get into New Mexico State
College and worked my way through.
I was now 18 and the US Army began
to chase me, so I did a bunk up to
Canada and trained as a fighter pilot,
reurning to the UK in a liner packed
with servicemen. I volunteered for
gliders and survived the war.”
Archie sent the Archivist
a fascinating diary he wrote during
the trip across the Atlantic. It is
interesting that he sailed on the
Cameronia, which had picked up some
of the survivors from the Athenia (see
article in Fortunas 31). There is no
reference to Archie being frightened
- his main interest seems to have been
food. Some extracts:
Friday 18th October 1940: We were
taken to Glasgow by our parents and
at 5.15 embarked on S.S Cameronia…
Went to dinner at 6.30. Had cold
Beef then Pudding, then Ice Cream
then coffee all Damn Good…. Slept
quite well.
from the archives...
Thursday 24th: Sea was terrific. Waves about 30 ft high.
Spume was being tossed about and the breakers were a
sight to see. Stood up on Boat Deck in the morning but
was feeling not good. Had Turkey for dinner and had a
sleep in the afternoon. Oh, I forgot, about 10 of us got
hauled up to the Captain for making a mess and kicking up
a racket but he found me ‘not guilty’.
Friday 25th: During the night we passed Newfoundland.
In the morning played shuffleboard and mucked around.
Feeling safer but damned warm. We are now in the Gulf
Stream and the wind is very warm and the sea is calm.
Had a dance at night and did not get into bed till about 12
o’clock. Put back the clock as usual.
Saturday 26th: Sea got calmer and calmer as the day got on
and by 5 o’clock was a ripple….Good meals all day!
Sat 19th: Next day did nothing much until 12.20 when
boat was towed out to mid-stream. Passed destroyers,
cruisers, tankers, cargo boats (some with holes in them)
and ferries. Saw a Sunderland flying boat and Blackburn
Skua at Dumbarton Rock. At 3 o’clock had life-boat drill
and from now on until further notice we must carry lifebelts. Grub again very good….
Sunday 20th: Woke up rolling a bit and with a headache.
Was sick all day till 4 o’clock. Bought 50 Players for 2/-!
We are now in convoy with 5 other boats, 3 destroyers
and one sloop. Had a marvellous Dinner (fish, Chicken,
Luncheon Sausage, Pudding, ice cream, apple, biscuits,
coffee…. Supermarine ‘Walrus’ was flying about at lunch
time. The ‘Arundell Castle’ (20,000 tons) is in our convoy.
Sunday 27th: Sea was rougher and there was a good wind
blowing. There was a divine service but of course I was
there. We saw a tanker going the same way as us. We heard
that the ship with all the masts had been sunk and only
four people saved. It was in our convoy. No dances or
anything.
Monday 28th: We saw America at about 10 o’clock and
stood up on deck until 12 when we went down for lunch.
Three reporters interviewed us (Colin and I) and after
dinner we stood on deck and saw all the sights. First we
saw Connie [Coney] Island and the Fair Ground there,
then we passed countless clusters of barges, bizarre ferries,
fussy tugs, business-like cargo boats, defiant-looking battle
ships and aloof liners, among others the Queen Elizabeth,
the Normandie and the Manhattan. We pulled alongside
the quay at about 2.30 after seeing all at one time the two
biggest liners in the world and the highest building in the
world (the Empire State Building).
Tuesday 22nd: Saw porpoises in the morning. Had a good
breakfast. Passengers consist mostly of Austrian and
German refugees, merchant navy men and evacuated
British children…
Wednesday 23rd: Sea rough. The waves were about 20 ft
high. Gale blowing. Went out on deck after breakfast. Still
feeling O.K. but was [not] feeling too good after lunch….
No ships seen all day. Rougher at night. Got into bed at
about 12 o’clock. Put watch back an hour. We have now
done about 1500 miles.
Fortunas 32
December 2013
115
CAN ANYONE HELP?
“I am Tom Inglis, I was at Dollar
Academy from 1951 (Junior 1) until
1956 (Form 4C). From school I went
to Glasgow Technical College on a
Pre Sea-going Navigation Course.
I joined Blue Funnel Line as a
Midshipman in November 1957 and
started a sea-going career.
In November 1959 I met
an old school friend from Form
4, Graham Ewing, in Amsterdam.
He had also decided to follow a seagoing career. We had an evening on
the town together and then sailed
away our separate ways.
Photo taken in Amsterdam – Graham on
far left, Tom in the centre
I have often wondered if
Graham stayed at sea or where his
sea-going experience took him, and
I would like to make contact with
him. You have my name and details
on your database, but I wonder if you
have any trace of Graham Ewing?”
The school does not have
Graham’s details – has any FP kept in
touch with him?
116
Cookery and Laundry room (now Biology D12)
100 YEARS AGO
This 1913-14 Dollar Institution prospectus, found in a
batch of books donated to the Red Cross shop in Alloa,
was recently given to the School Archivist. Photographs
from the booklet show how some Dollar Academy
classrooms looked 100 years ago. (Dollar Institution
changed its name to Dollar Academy in 1918.)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
from the archives...
Physics Laboratory
(now Chemistry Lab 1 and D3)
Art Room
(now the Girls’ Cloakroom)
117
Gymnasium
(now the Sixth Form Centre)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
THE CAIRN ON THE HILL
Former Pupils who attended the
Academy at the time of the Second
World War may well recall the
events of January 16th 1943, when
three Spitfires on a formation flying
exercise from RAF Grangemouth
crashed into the side of King’s Seat
Hill in poor visibility. Two of the
pilots, Flying Officer H. G. Reynolds
and Sergeant G. M. Duda, perished
on impact, but Sergeant V. P. Daly
miraculously survived, dragging
himself downhill towards Dollar
Glen, despite a broken leg which he
had managed to tie in a rough splint to his other leg using his scarf. All three
men were 21 years of age. Daly was found two days later by Mr Ian Cullens
of Dollarbank Farm and Mr Willie Dow, a local shepherd, suffering multiple
injuries, double pneumonia and frost-bite following two nights on the hill.
To commemorate this tragic accident, a local group was set up, including
current School Janitor and Dollar Academy CCF Staff Sergeant Instructor
Chris Cairns and his now close friend and project leader, Brian Imrie. Chris was
moved on reading about the accident in 2008 in the notes of Mr Allan Kirkland,
a boarder in Tait House from 1939-1945. Today, near the spot where the planes
crashed, by the side of the path up King’s Seat, you will now find a handsome
memorial cairn, which was unveiled on September 12th 2009 at a Service of
Dedication and was marked by a flypast of three aircraft from the Battle of
Britain Memorial Flight.
Further information about the accident, the aftermath and the cairn
itself can now be found on the group’s Facebook page – search for King’s Seat
Hill Spitfires.
118
Images courtesy of Chris Cairns
FORTUNAS ARTICLE – OTC
CAMP SUMMER 1931
John Prescott noticed an error in
the description of the gun shown in
photos from OTC Camp 1931 in last
Fortunas. He says: “I expect you have
been advised already about the ‘How
to use the Bren Gun’ photograph
in the article. It’s actually a Vickers
medium machine gun. I watched
one of them being demonstrated at
Cultybraggan Camp on a C.C.F. trip
and was most impressed. That was
probably sometime around 1954. Just
showing off, but the giveaway is that
a Bren was air-cooled, used a bipod
and had a magazine, holding around
30 rounds, stuck on the top. Unlike
the Vickers which was belt-fed, watercooled and needed a tripod.”
John Prescott (FP 1947-1955)
Fortunas 32
December 2013
This photo gives a better view of the gun, being demonstrated by an instructor.
The Joanna Morgan Jones educaTional TrusT
Scottish Charity: SCO43504
The Trust was set up in
2012 in memory of Joanna
Morgan Jones, Head Girl of
Dollar in 1987-88. Joanna’s
early death from Brain
Cancer in 2012 was an
immense loss to her family,
her friends, and to the
medical profession where she
had a successful career as a
Physician and a Psychiatrist.
Already, the Trust has
raised over £60,000.
Already, two young students
have been welcomed to
Form 5 at Dollar Academy.
Already, a donation for
over £10,000 has gone to
Brain Cancer Research.
Already, a second open lecture
is planned for future students and
their parents on 4 March 2014.
Already, a second fund-raising evening is planned
for the 1 March 2014.
• T
oestablishanannualopenlecturetoinformand
inspire young people thinking of a medical career.
Current giving is directly benefiting individual students
who will contribute to society in future. Current giving
is directly supporting an area of research that will
impact on many lives.
• T
oprovideatwo-yearmeans-testedbursaryat
Dollar Academy to fund a potential medical
student not currently attending the school.
You will find more information on the Trust website
www.jomorganjones.com Very generous donations have
already been received and any contribution you wish to
make will be welcomed and individually acknowledged.
• T
osupporttheBrainCancerResearcharmof
Cancer Research UK.
Joanna’s family has been immensely touched by the
enthusiasm of so many to date. They see Jo’s Trust as a
living reflection of Joanna’s altruism and care for others.
The Trust fund-raising aims are clear:
The Joanna Morgan Jones educaTional TrusT, 23 WesT Burnside, dollar FK14 7dX
T: 01259 740515 e: jostrust@gmail.com W: www.jomorganjones.com
Fortunas 32
December 2013
119
120
Fortunas 32
December 2013