Part 1 - Strathallan School

Transcription

Hn
Building Contractor.
Union Street,
Cowdenbeath.
KY4 9SA
Telephone 510466
I
i
The Strathallian
1990
Vol. 15
No. 1
Contents
G overnors and S ta ff
S ch o o l A u th o rity, Salvete and E ditorial
S ta ff Notes
Speech D ay
H ouse Reports
ChapeI N otes
M usic
D ram a
O utings and A ctivities
Sports
C .C .F .
Creative Writing
Valete
Strathallian C lub
Page
2
3
4
5
8
20
22
28
30
34
54
65
72
76
Kditors:
Mrs A d a m
Callum D ru m m o n d
Peter G ooch’
R ichard T ow nhill
D avid Clark
Claire T om lin
Tracey M orion
Z o e Stephens
Kerry B oyd
Su za n n e Patterson
H eather Dewar
Paulina Sm ith
Back cover designed by Tanja Lannen
Front cover p hotograph o f T h o rn b a n k
by M r Burgess
1
Governors
Chairman:
J. W. Dinsmore, f r i c s
A. A. Arneil, F R I C S
J. J. Blanche, C A
A. S. C o o k e Esq
D. C. Fulton, m c . b l . w s
Professor P. Gifford ( U n i v e r s i t y o f S t A n d r e w s )
I. 0 . Jones, M A , L L . B , ws
Professor A. J. Kennedy
( M A . P h . D . Un iversity
o f G la s g o w )
Professor J. L. King, M A . P h D . F I M A
Mrs A. Laing
A. Logan
P ro fesso rG . S. Low den, m a . l l . b . c a
His H o n o u r Judge J . M cK ee, Q C . r d
W. A. McM illan, BL
A . M . Nicol Esq
Professor J. W. Parsons,
BSc.
PhD(Universityof
A berdeen)
R. S. Peters, M A
M r sK . M. W alker
D r A. P. D. Wilkinson, M l ) . BSc. M B . C h B
Bursar and Clerk to the Governors:
W. A. Bullard, a c i s , m b i m
HEADMASTER
C. D. Pighills, MA (C an t ab )
SUBJECT
Ph,
TEACHING STAFF
H. C . Addison, M A ( S t A n d rows)
D. J. Barnes, B A ( t . o u g h b o r o u g h )
G. A. B olton, B A . M S c ( L e e d s )
J. L. B road fo ot, B A ( L e ed s)
J. S. Burgess. B S c ( M a n c h e s t e r )
J. F. Clayton, B A ( L e i e e s l e r )
C. N. C ou rt, B E d . M P h i l ( S t i r l i n g )
N. T. H. Du Boulay, B A (W ar w ic k )
Mrs C. A. C. D un can, M A (E d i n b u r g h )
A. L. K. D u tto n , C e r t , E d . (St J o h n ' s , Y o r k )
P. J. Elliot, BSc ( M a n c h e s te r )
Miss E. A. E ngland, B A ( O x o n )
T. C. G. Fairbairn, M A ( O x o n )
J. N . Ford, B S e ( L o n d o n )
J. Forster, B A ( L e ed s)
D. R. Giles, B A (W ar w ic k )
K. Glim m , M A ( B e r l i n / K e i l / E d i n h u r g h )
T. S. G oo dy , BSc ( D u r h a m )
M. G ray, B S c ( D u r h a m )
P. R. A. G re e n , M A ( E d i n b u r g h )
P . J . S. K e i r , B E d ( C ol le ge o f St Pau l & Mary)
(I. J. Keith, B E d ( D u n d e e C o ll eg e E d u c a ti o n )
1lead of D ep artm e n t
H ead of D ep artm en t
Housemaster Simpson
I lead of D ep a rtm e n t
Second Master
Housemaster Nicol
Housemaster Woodlands
H ead of D e p a rtm e n t
H ead of Science
G . K itS O n , BSc(Ahcrdecn)
R e v .T . G. Longm uir, M A ( O x o n ) , B E d
A. Love, M A ( L o n d o n )
T. J. M acL eo d, D A ( A b e r d e e n )
A. M urray, M A (G la s g ow )
Miss L. H. Neale, M A ( E d i n b u r g h )
A . M . P earson, M A ( O x o n )
G. H. S. Pengelley, BA (Bristol)
A. N. Phillips, B E d ( L e e d s )
R. J. W. Proctor, M A (St A n d r e w s )
B. Raine, B A ( D u r h a m )
D . J . Ralfs, BSc ( N o tt i n g h a m )
F. N. R eed, B A ( R e a d i n g ) , G R S M , A R C O . L R A M
I lead of D ep artm e n t
I lead of D e p a rtm e n t
hnglish
I listory/Music
Chemistry
I listory
CDT
History
History
M athematics
Music
B iology/C omputers
P.E .
Econ. Bus. Stud.
Mathematics
Physics
F ren ch/G erm an
Physics
English/History
Chemistry/Biology
Biology
Design/Technology
G e og rap hy
French/Russian
C areers
C .D .T .
G . R . M . R O S S , BSc ( N o tt i n g h a m )
Miss L. J. Smith, B E d , B A ( D C P E / O p e n )
N. Smith, BSc. M A ( L o n d o n )
D. R. S n edd on , BSc ( S tra th cl y d e)
C. D. Stewart, BSc ( M a n c h e s te r )
A. C . W. Streatfield-James, M A ( O x o n )
P. R. Summersgill, M A ( O x o n )
A. Thomson, B A ( A b e r y s tw y th )
P. M. Vallot, BA (N ap ie r )
C. N. W alke r, BSc ( A b e r d e e n )
R. N. Wallace, B S e ( B r u n e l )
A. J. H. W ands, M A (St A n d r e w s )
M rsJ. W atson, B A ( L e e d s )
D. A. R. Williams, M A ( C a n t a b )
M. Wilson, RN
Mrs E. A d a m , b a ( D u b li n )
Mrs D. J . Balnaves, M A ( E d i n b u r g h )
Mrs E. D. Buchan, ( J or d an hi ll )
M rsJ. Forbes, B A ( A b c r d c c n )
M r s E . H am ilton, M A ( A b e r d e e n )
M r s D . H u n te r, D A (D u n d e e )
H ead of D ep artm en t
Housemaster Freeland
Housemaster Ruthven
Housemistress Thornbank
Housemaster Riley
I lead of D ep artm e n t
1lead of D ep artm e n t
PART-TIME TEACHING STAFF
English
Mrs L. J. Innes, B S c ( A b c r d c c n )
G eography/English
Mrs S. L am o nt, ( D u n f e r m l i n e )
G am e s
M lsK . L. M altm an , M A ( A b e r d e e n )
English
Mrs I. 1. M cFarlane, m a ( E d i n b u r g h )
Chemistry
Mrs F. N. N inh am , B A (St A n d r e w s )
Art
Mrs II. C. K. Segauld
A. Forsyth,
Medical Officer
m b , chB, D . O b s t . ,
m rcgp. r c o g
Science
G am es
French
English
M athem atics/French
G am es
School Authority
Captain of School
D. R. Logan
1lead
I lead
Head
H ead
H ead
I lead
I lead
of Freeland
of L eburn
of Nicol
of Rnthven
of Simpson
of T h ornb ank
of W oodlands
A. D. Lochore
A. J. Sinclair
R. A. Bond
W. K. Clark
D. W. Smart
A . T . M cM aster
C. F. Burns
School Prefects
K. J. Boyd
A. C. C ook
C. A. D u n b a r
K. Pattinson
SALVETE
RILEY HOUSE
A. M cD o nald, A. S utherland, S.
J.
C a ll a n d e r , N.
A. C h a rli e r, D.
G.
Christie, M. J. D evine, N. W. K ennedy,
D. H. M acD o n ald , D. M cIntyre, R, G.
McMillan, F. C, Nicolson, T. II. R anger,
B. M. Scott, H. Scott, J. W ard, L ." m .
W ebster, I. G. A n d erso n , K. A. A n d e r
son, M. A. Burrell, C. M. C o o p e r, K. I.
C oo p er, F. R. C urrie, S. Davidson-Dell,
J. N. D onald, A. J. F orbes, C. G d u la , J.
F. G o o d y , A. D. Hall, F. H am ilton, J.
R. H e n d e rs o n , A. Higgins, M.
G.
Honig, B. W. H u tto n , L. M. H u tto n , R.
O. M addox, D. I. M atheson. D.
C.
Moncur, A. G. M cM ullan, M. Narchi, J.
D. O sb o rn e, C. S. Perry, C. S. Rogers,
D. A. Stone, P. M. S u th erlan d, A. C.
Wilson.
FREELAND HOUSE
SIMPSON HOUSE
M. S. G o rd o n . R. C. L am b , G. D.
O b a n k , J. A. B ooth, A. B. D. D undas,
D. R. G. E lder, J. A. R. Finlay, G. J.
M cKendry.
B. M. I. Muir, D. A. MacM illan, D. N.
Sim mers, D. B. C lem en t, C. J. C oo per,
A. J. Y. D un can, D. G. O. Fergusson,
P. D. H o dgson, R. .1. Pollock, D. J. A.
Smith, W. Stewart, D. M. Weight.
NICOL HOUSE
R. A. C u m m ing, J. S. Ireland, D. Man,
A. C. B. M a rsham , N. E. L. Melville, K.
I. M orrison, A. Scott, I. D. Senior, J. D.
Turner.
THORNBANK HOUSE
J. Morris, K. L. Nicolson, F. H. C a m e
ron, K. L. Fowler, V. A. H en d e rso n , C.
L. Low.
RUTHVEN HOUSE
N. P. B rookes, G. R. Nicolson, D. G.
West, P. G. Love, L. J. Scott. S. D.
Storrie, N. J. G ibb , R. A. D. Williams,
J. P. Barlow, G. J. G em m ill, M. D.
G re sh o n , G. .1. Levack, A. J. Macdonell, I. R. Potts.
WOODLANDS HOUSE
K. E. Primrose, S. A llen, F. M. G ra in
ger, C. J. Burns, M. J. G illingham, K. L.
A. High, J. C. Malcolm, K. E. Yellowlees.
EDITORIAL
W elcome to this year's school m ag a
zine. It is doubtful th at it will m ake as
interesting reading to anyone connected
with Strathallan as did the Daily Record
but nevertheless I shall bludgeon on. O ne
merely has to read past editorials to
som ehow get the impression that the
energy n ee d e d to create the havoc
rep o rted , in that n ew spaper, is som ew hat
lacking here! (N o disrespect to previous
writers o f the editorials — I understand
the difficulties of the job believe me!)
In writing any editorial and particularly
one for the school magazine, one is
im mediately aw are that, in all likelihood,
it will not be read. D oes this give me
carte-blanche to burst into a blisteringly
off-colour and brutally honest diatribe
about life in general and Strathallan in
particular? — Stop gripping the a r m
chair so tightly! U n fo rtu nately , of course,
I must stay within the bounds of trad i
tional sensibility — which undoubtedly
will make less scintillating reading, but
such is life.
T h e year has had its mom ents: great
changes have taken place. It pained us all
to witness the demise of the old Ruthven
and Nicol study blocks (sob) but our
misery was alleviated by the en cam pm ent
in the new building where o u r senses
were asto und ed by how quickly the grass
grew. L eburn H ouse was the next victim
— not the building this time, but the
souls within it who were scattered to the
remaining four winds (houses!) w here, I
am reliably inform ed, they have taken
ro ot happily. The L eburn study block is
tem porarily occupied by Fourth F orm ers
this year, but demolition will follow the
com pleted building of Halls 3 and 4
(R .I.P .) .
T h en the establishment ot an o th e r
magazine within the school, rival to this
noble publication for which I write, must
be co m m en ted on. Chiefly the work of
m em be rs of the sixth form, the "Y ess"
magazine draws its readership from the
pupils and to the best of my knowledge is
not yet available to parents. So far, no
loss, but it’s improving.
H ow ever, here the usual gratitude
must be shown — and rightly so — to all
who have c ontributed to or helped with,
the magazine and indeed the school this
year; ou r thanks are definitely merited.
T h e results, I can assure the doubters
am ong you, w ill m ake interesting re a d
ing.
Jon Minihane
Colin Addison
As we went to press, we heard the tragic news of C o lin’s
death. E veryone at Strathallan feels a d eep personal loss, and we
send o ur heartfelt sym pathy to A n n e , Bruce and Gillian.
Sadly, a full appreciation o f his long years at Strathallan must
wait until o ur next issue, but for fifteen ou t of its twenty-one
years of existence, L eburn H ouse m ean t “ Colin and A n n e , ”
and all form er m em b ers of the H ouse wish to say how much they
appreciated his caring, patient and wise guidance.
3
STAFF NOTES
In last y ear’s staff notes you will see
the opening sentence reads “ For the
second year running we say “ G o o d b y e "
to a small n u m b er of leavers from the
C o m m o n R oom and again “ W elc om e "
to slightly more new m e m b e rs ." For a
n u m b er of reasons, not the least of which
is to m eet p are n tal e xpectations of
staffing ratios, there are yet again more
additions to the staff than there are
dep artu res.
T h ose leaving have not, sadly, been
long with us. Mr Cullen, after two years
as Flead of E conom ics, is changing his
life as a S choolm aster for th at of a
free-lance writer, Mrs McKillop from the
Language d e p a rtm e n t is returning to
C a n a d a and D r McLay leaves the Music
D e p a rtm e n t to return to the specialist
music school, C h eetam s. T hey all leave
for their very different habitats with our
best wishes.
PRIZE WINNERS
T h e Smith C u p for C aptain of School
— D uncan R. Logan.
T h e H ou sto n Prize for all round merit
— A lex an d er Lochore.
The Scanlon C up for merit (Girls) —
K ate M orrison.
Dux — A n d rew M. Marshall.
T h e William Tattersall A rt Prize A le x a n d e r II. C. Davidson.
T h e R ob ert B arr M em orial Prize for
Music — Neil N. C ockburn.
T h e P a tr ic k G r a n d i s o n Prize for
Strings — Susan Leiper.
T h e Wilfred H o a re Senior R eading
Prize — C a th erin e Burns.
T h e Richard Moffat Prize for History
— Kate M orrison.
T h e David Bogie Prize for Economics:
— A le x a n d er G . Johnson.
T h e Lord Kincraig Prize for English —
Laura Marshall.
G eo g ra p h y — Elizabeth C. Reekie.
F rench — Rhidian Davies.
G e rm a n — Rhidian Davies.
Politics — Morris T. Legge.
M r Nigel Smith, to g e th er with his family,
comes from Fettes to head the E c o n o m
ics d ep a rtm e n t and start the “ A " level
Business Studies course. Mrs McKillop is
replaced by not one but one and a half
linguists: Mrs D uncan full-time and Mrs
M altm an part-time. Mr Love comes to
the Music D e p a rtm e n t via L ondon and
Ireland. Mr Summersgill, tog eth e r with
family, comes, comes from Blackburn
G r a m m a r School to join the Physics
d e p a rtm e n t, and Mr M urray comes to his
first teaching position to join the English
staff.
Staff inevitably come and go in the
norm al business of a School's life. So also
are there changes within the School and
none more im portant than those involv
ing a change of H ou sem aster. All parents
are aware that as part of the redev elop
m ent p ro g ram m e involving the building
M a th e m a tic s — P enelo pe J. Carruthers.
Chem istry — Je re m y S. Parker.
Physics — Alan G. Davidson.
Biology — Nicholas D. Dempsey.
A rt — Laura Marshall.
C raft Design T echnology — David
Smart.
Oxford and Cambridge
C ong ratulation s to the six pupils who
gained places at O xford or C am bridge
this sum m er:
- Neil C o ck b u rn (L) Keble College,
O x ford, O rgan Scholar.
- Kate M orrison (W) Magdalen C o l
lege, O x ford, to read M odern L a n
guages.
- Kate Bowden (W ) University C ol
lege, O xford , to read Engineering.
- C a th erin e Burns (W) P em bro ke,
C a m b rid g e, to read Philosophy.
- Alex John son (L) Balliol College,
O x fo rd , to read Law.
- Rhidian Davies (L) Trinity Hall,
C am bridg e, to read M odern Languages.
4
of new stu dy /bedroom s for boys, Leburn
H ouse is to be discontinued for a time.
L eburn was chosen as by coincidence Mr
A ddison retires from the I louse after
completing his fifteen year reign. Never
having been a boy in the H ou se, it is
impossible to speak from first hand
experience but having heard so many of
the L eburn boys over the years speak to
me with such warm affection and respect
for Colin Addison I know I can say on
their behalf a sincere " th a n k y ou " for all
the care and concern th at Mr Addison
brought to his stewardship and also to
A nn e his wife for all the n um ero us extras
th at she so willingly carried out behind
the scene without anyone ever knowing.
They have o u r very best wishes for the
rest o f their time with us at Strathallan
for, although retiring from the H ouse.
Mr A ddison has still much to do else
where in the school!
Mrs Duncan and Mr Murray.
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
T h an ks to the many co ntrib uto rs, esp e
cially P eter G o o d y , Murray H am ilton, Mr
Burgess, Mr Barnes, Mrs M cF arlane, Mr
C ou rt and Mr Vallot.
If . . .
If I could tell you I would let you know.
But I cannot speak. I can write though.
My teeth are stuck to gether with glue.
But I can still write to you.
With my pen I can co m m u nicate,
Put across my message before it's too
late.
If it’s im portant you'll surely know.
For I can write — as you already know.
I may write of the w eath er, the sun and
the rain,
(People may think I am madly insane.)
I could write of the anim als in the jungle
trees.
My lions and tigers and chim panzees.
If I could speak I would tell you instead.
But as I c a n ’t my letter will be read,
I know.
Roderick Christie.
(After W. H. Auden)
SPEECH DAY
Strathallan School Speech Day was
held on 26th May and a more pleasant
s u m m er day could not have been chosen.
Sir R oger Y o un g, the form er principal of
G e o r g e W a t s o n ’s C o lle g e , trav elle d
from his hom e in Bath to a p p e a r as the
guest of honour.
T h e C hairm an of the Board o f G o v e r
nors, M r J. W. D in sm ore, o p en ed the
p roc eed ing s. M r D in sm o re reflected
upon two m ajo r changes that have been
made to the school: the introduction of
girls ten years ago and the m ore recent
dev elop m en t — the construction of the
new houses for boys. Both changes have
been a success: it is difficult now to
re m e m b e r Strathallan without the girls
and plans are being pushed ah ead to turn
the idea of study bed ro o m s for all senior
pupils into a reality.
T rib ute was paid to the staff for their
individual and collective contribution to
the School. T h e School's reputation was
steadily growing th ank s to the developing
resources, both hum an and physical, and,
thought M r D insm ore, would continue to
do so.
In his speech the H e a d m a ste r wel
com ed the new staff and praise was given
to those pupils that had excelled th e m
selves in sport, music and the recent
dram atic production "T h e B oyfriend."
A cademically the school has also done
well with th e G C S E resu lts being
approxim ately twice as good as the
N a tio n a l A v e ra g e . T h e H e a d m a s t e r
revealed plans for an o th e r d ev elop m en t
in the form of an exp an d ed careers
advisory d e p a rtm e n t, a n o th e r example of
the school changing with the times.
Sir R oger Y oung aw arded the prizes
and p ro ceed ed to m ake an excellent
speech in which he em phasised the
im portance of education from experi
ence. Sir R oger Y o u n g ’s m em ories of
walking in Nepal with his family brought
hom e to us the need to discover ou r own
limits, priorities, strengths and w eak n es
ses and most im portantly the benefits of
interdep end ency — som ething th at is
fu nd am ental for an effective school. Sir
R o g e r’s tale of the man who carefully
planted trees in a b arren valley related to
o ur situation here at Strathallan w here the
new dev elop m ents will b ear fruit in the
n ear future.
T h e speeches therefore shed light upon
many different aspects of school life and
at the sam e time looked forward to the
f u t u r e . P e r h a p s th e m ost p o ig n a n t
expression of this was in the H e a d m a s
te r ’s speech:
‘As an In d ep en d en t School it is so m e
times o ur privilege to exercise o u r In d e
p en den ce by doing nothing m ore than
standing still and not adapting to the
“ M od ern sid e” . Sir R oger had a re p u ta
tion at G eo rg e W atso n's for reading
poetry to the whole School at Assem bly.
I do not suppose at the time he ever
expected to be re m e m b e r e d for this but,
th at he has, gives me the courage to read
a short poem with which to close. It was
written by a friend o f mine w ho with his
wife had spent all his working life in
Schools, adm ittedly boys’ ones. It is
called “ B ackground M usic” and just
h appens to be abo ut hymns and c o m p u l
sory chapel, but it could be a b o u t so
many o th e r things. It reads:
All through o ur married life, we've
heard
T he sound o f b o y s — boys singing, in
School chapels, h y m n s — hymns which
for them
W ere old and dull, though th e y ’d be
stirred
O n big Speech Day occasions when
T hey roared out Blake's Jerusalem .
T hose boys will now be family men
In middle a g e — and, if they go
T o church at all, th e y ’ll want to sing
T hose old, dull hymns and he a r again
T h a t old full-blooded organ-flow
O f their school chapel rendering.
We little realise what we owe
T o things like hymns we hate, reject.
W ere bored with; and we bore o ur
wives
By going on abo ut them so
A nd so, unconsciously, select
T h e background music of ou r lives.
W hat a responsibility, what a
'challenge!’
Laura M arsh all
Governors and Headmaster 'at the helm on
Speech Day.
5
“ DO YOU HAVE GIRLS AT STRATHALLAN . . . ?”
(By Jonathan Forster (Housemaster Woodlands 1986-1
“ D o you have girls at S trath allan ?'' an
old boy asked me recently.
“ H ad them for ten y e a rs ,” I replied,
“ More than ten if you want to be precise.
Started with a few in the 6th form great success. Now got them all the way
through from Riley?”
“ Riley? You mean you have girls in
Riley?”
At this point I gave up trying to bring
up to date one of the very few people
who d o n ’t know abo u t the girls at
Strathallan. (This particular old boy had
a good excuse — he'd been in Australia
for twelve years). For those o f us who
have come to Strathallan in the last ten
years (abo ut 1,000 pupils and perhaps 30
m em be rs of the teaching staff), it's
difficult to imagine the school without
girls. You'll never convince the diehard
male chauvinist — the sort who believes
that “ a w om an 's place is in the w rong"
— but I have never h eard any m em b er of
the school (past or present) deny the
value of having girls at Strathallan. "T h e
boys wash more often now, and wear
after-sh ave,” the H ea d m a ste r will tell
you jokingly, but th a t’s just the begin
ning of the story . . .
T h e first few girls, all sixth formers,
lived in the first two bungalows adjoining
T ho rney shad es hockey pitch, and were
looked after by C o sm o and Annabel
Fairbairn, assisted by Mr and Mrs John
Brown, who lived in the third of the
original T h orn eysh ades bungalows. The
girls ‘h o u se ’ was in fact called 'T h o rn e y
shades', but as the girls were all sixth
form, wore no school uniform and only
n um b ered 12, the girls were merely
attending a boys' school — certainly
participating as fully as possible, but not
fully integrated. This arra ng em e nt obvi
ously proved to be extremely successful,
but of course limited, and very shortly
the decision was ta ken to admit girls from
thirteen plus, as full m em b ers o f the
school.
‘W o od land s' as the first girls house was
now nam ed, op ened in 1981. David and
Kay Williams — experienced cam paig
ners with fifteen years of Ruthven behind
th em , were installed as the first husband
and wife 'ho u sem aster' team . Obviously
it is not possible for a man to run a girls'
house without a wife to assist and advise,
and David and Kay w orked tog ether for
five years to establish girls at Strathallan
as equal, but different, m e m b ers of the
school. Girls became school prefects,
girls wore a uniform (as close as possible
to the boys'), girls played games and
won. The school's academic reputation
was enhanced by girls, who although by
no m eans always cleverer than the boys,
were usually b ette r m otivated, and cer
tainly more m atu re in their approach to
academ ic study. Music and d ram a b u r
geoned during this period — not that
there had not been good music and
d ram a before, but the influx of at first 30,
soon 60 and by 1986, 90 girls into a senior
school o f ab ou t 400 pupils, gave music
and d ra m a a greater emphasis in the life
of the school.
It's invidious in any general account to
select individuals for special attention. In
any event, as an o utsider during this era,
(1980-86) one ten de d to notice the girls
who starred in the classroom or in some
o th er sphere of school-life, and was less
aware of the girls who laid the solid
foundation of care and responsibility
within the house itself. ‘W oo dlan ds' was
alw ays p la n n e d to give single-room
a cco m m od atio n g ro up ed aro un d small
kitchen/social areas. In practice the
y ounger girls have often shared a room ,
which is usually a good idea, if only
because one learns to cope with som eone
whom you may not particularly like! The
senior girls, u nd er the Williams aegis
soon developed their own pastoral sys
t e m , c a r i n g fo r th e h o m e s i c k o r
d epressed , usually by blethering into the
early hours of the morning!
By 1983 a second wing had been added
to W oodlands, and num bers moved up to
60 and beyond. The decision to build a
third wing was ta ken soon after, and as
the Williams finished their five year stint
in 1986, a third wing was opened.
Needless to say,a house of 90 single
room s, a sick bay, com m on rooms, music
practice roo m , laundry and showers, is a
very big house, and w hoever took over
from David and Kay Williams would
need to be keen walkers! 90 rooms to
visit each day. Paula and I moved into a
gigantic building, p erhap s at first ov er
awed by the impressive day-to-day ro u
tine h and ed on to us. Did the Williams
really know so much ab ou t these girls? It
ap p e are d they did. Did David really
empty the tok ens from all the washing
machines and driers every week. He did
— A N D he knew how the boiler worked.
Once we realised that we would never
em ulate the efficency of the Williams,
and c oncentrated on getting to know the
girls, we began to cope.
Lyn Smith's arrival at Strathallan in
1987 heralded a m ore co h e ren t approach
to the coaching and structuring of a girls'
games p ro gram m e . Penny W alker. Colin
W alker and Jan C arratt had shouldered
the burden of all girls' games organisa
tion and had achieved som e excellent
results in hockey and tennis. Lyn's brief
was to develop team games whilst at the
same time introducing new options for
the non-team players. Individual sports
such as athletics have likewise blossomed
recently.
All this time — and by 1988 there were
112 girls in W oo dland s — “ W o o d la n d s”
and “ the girls at S trath a llan '' were
sy n on om ou s in the senior school. Inter
house com petition against boys is usually
not possible in most sports, for it is
pointless girls com peting in sports d e p e n
dent to some extent upon brute strength.
T h e weight of num bers and a feeling,
perh aps, that a boarding house in excess
of 100 could lead to anonym inity for
some of the qu ieter m e m b ers of the
house with so many o thers clam ouring
for the attention of the housem aster, his
wife and house tutors, led the governors
to authorise the building o f a second girls
house — ‘T h o rn b a n k .'
O n e wing of W oodlands was joined to
a new h ou sem aster's house, comm on
room and sick bay area and to a new wing
built at 90° to the existing west wing.
Some girls from W oodlands would be
moved into T h o rn b a n k and joined by
about thirty new girls. The achievements
of the first nine years of girls at S tra th
allan perh aps assisted the h ea d m a ster in
deciding th at the best man for the new
jo b was a woman: Lvn Smith. If I
c o m m ent only briefly on T h o rn b a n k 's
sporting successes in their first year of
existence (9 out of the first XI hockey
team , 22 out of 27 representatives on the
B arbados H ockey T o u r, a victory in all
but one of the inter-girls house sporting
competitions), it is merely because I'm
coming to the end of my allotted space in
the magazine!
T he new slim-line W o o dland s (back
down to seventy girls) has benefitted
from the opening of T h o rn b a n k — see
the W oo d lan ds H ouse R eport. A nd two
interesting facts em erged during the final
hours of last su m m er term . W oodlands'
new head of house (Fiona M owat) is the
sister of the first W oodlands head of
house to be a school prefect. Carolyn
Mowat. The second bit of news may not
have reached the old boys in the outback
of A ustralia, but the H e a d m a ste r yet
again picked the best man for the job ot
H ead of school when he asked Nicola
R o b b to be S c h o o l C a p t a i n fo i
1990-1991.
Yes, we do have girls at Strathallan!
Above right: First girts at Struthallan (IV7V-H0)
with Mr anil Mrs Fuirbairti anil Mr anil Mrs
Brown anil family.
wi JAjnJ
rm
GOT TO DO WJ'JTJ
o?5jwJG h mm'XL a c c o u n t?
go m u m
um
D id y o u k n o w t h e A fr ic a n e l e p h a n t
is t h e o n ly a n im a l in t h e w o r ld w it h fo u r
H e re’s a tip , n e v e r b e t o n a n e le p h a n t
to w i n g o ld in a h ig h ju m p c o m p e t i t i o n .
Sahara i f y o u h a v e n ’t b r o u g h t a lo n g an e l e
p h a n t. It ca n u s e its tru n k t o s n if f o u t w a te r
k n e e s ? T h a t it m a k e s a p i l l o w fo r i t s e l f
fro m 3 m ile s a w a y C le v e r t h in g an e l e p h
b e f o r e it g o e s t o s le e p ? O r th a t i t ’s hard to
a n t ’s tr u n k , it c a n p ic k u p p in s , p u ll u p
in s u lt o n e b e c a u s e i t ’s s o th ic k s k in n e d ?
tr e e s, e v e n u n c o r k b o t t le s o f w in e . (A n d
(O n e a n d a h a lf in c h e s t h ic k to b e p r e c is e .)
y o u t h o u g h t y o u r la b r a d o r w a s c le v e r .)
T h e A frica n e le p h a n t is v er y p ro u d o f
A n y w a y , w h a t h a s a ll t h is g o t t o d o
its s k in a ctu ally, m a s sa g in g it, p o w d e r in g it
w it h b a n k in g ? W ell t h is m u lt i- t a le n t e d
w it h d u s t, a n d b a th in g as o ft e n as p o s s ib le .
p a c h y d e r m a ls o h a s a p h e n o m e n a l m em ory.
(I s t h is w h y i t ’s s o w r in k ly ? )
A n d th a t’s th e p o in t. W h e n th e tim e c o m e s
M ayb e th e b a th w a t e r it u s e s is n ’t h o t
fo r y o u t o o p e n a b a n k a c c o u n t w e ’d lik e
e n o u g h , b e c a u s e th e A frica n e le p h a n t a ls o
y o u to b e a b it o f an A fr ic a n e l e p h a n t a n d
g e t s a lo t o f c o l d s . (S o i f y o u e v e r s e e o n e
( T h e y ’re th e o n ly a n im a l o n ea rth th a t c a n ’t
w it h an e l e p h a n t s iz e t is s u e , d u c k . Its
g e t o f f t h e g r o u n d .)
s n e e z e is s o p o w e r f u l i t ’s b e e n lik e n e d
to an e x p l o d i n g b o ile r .)
r e m e m b e r t h is n a m e .
Qa Clydesdale Bank
N o w , t h is c o u ld b e u s e f u l. N e v e r
fin d y o u r s e lf s t r a n d e d a n d t h ir s ty in t h e
7
We c a r e a b o u t m o r e t h a n your mone y.
30STVINCENTPLACE, GLASGOWG12HI.. TEL: 041-2487070.
AmemberofIMRO,
RILEY
DIV. PLAYS oh no! th e y ’re on again.
We waddle on stage as cowboy or hen.
Ten points at stake, we m u s tn ’t lose!
W e're all so brilliant how can they
choose?
RUGBY’S TEAM was rath er young.
A n d yet a match or six were won.
We may have been a bit too small.
But we knew what to do with an odd
shaped ball.
Expensive BATS and leather PADS?
We do n't need them w e're the Riley lads.
With Ste ph en's bowls and Logie's drives.
They were lucky to escape with their
lives.
But we won eight matches and lost just
one.
Wait for next year! H e re we come!
JUNIOR GIRLS HOCKEY on the Riley
pitches?
People thought they would laugh till in
stitches.
But with Lucy in goal and o ur forwards
up front.
O u r opposition were in for a bit of a
shunt.
W hen all was over, played and do ne.
We had only lost just the single one.
We love NETBALL, yes indeed.
No m atter the colour or the creed.
You'll love Mrs Buchan — ooh she's
great—
She's now here n ear her sell-by date!
M atron , Bessie; biscuit ban.
Rush to the match in a Pennywise van.
Sit in the back seat, talk about R . A . D . A .
W o ndering if life does ever get harder!
Oh the FUN RUN is a great affair.
With loudest of clothes and bunched up
hair.
E m erging from the lush green grass.
O h good — it's Rowan. I'm not quite
last.
W e ’ve got ou r badge and can of coke.
Tim e to relax and have a soak.
8
Screaming crawler.
M o th e r caller.
H e a d a ch e m ak er
peace b reaker.
T oy chewer,
Small spewer.
U nsucceeding walker,
Makeshift talker.
Silly squabbles,
T e m p e r wobbles.
New hobbies,
A n noying bobbies.
Height o f fashion.
Clothes are sm ash in’
Studying hard,
O ff work card.
Fine jo b,
Dirty snob.
Executive suite,
Life is neat.
I
E
_
X
M
Growing old,
G o t a cold.
Life we steer.
D eath is near.
U p in H eaven ,
Back to seven.
Struan Fairbairn
David MacLeod
Form I
TENNIS IN RILEY with B orgy’s skill.
G o o d first serve and in for the kill.
W e won all o ur matches by m ore th an a
game.
W e ’ve reached the Scottish final! H ere
comes fame!
FOR ENTERTAINMENT it s S amson's
show.
The audience are laughing when his
muscles blow!
H ere comes Delilah with looks so fair,
S am so n ’s excited h e ’s lost his hair!
9
THE SEA DEVILS
Long and R o un d,
M akes no sound.
Terrible sight.
H ere comes a fight,
Stripey Sails,
Beats Gales,
This Devil afloat,
Is a Viking Boat.
Morag Bruce
T h ey killed the M onks one by one.
T h ey threw them to the ground.
T hen they went inside the church.
T o take the gold they found.
Robert Barr
T h ey liked to raid and plunder.
O r to work the land.
But when it was time to die.
T h e y ’d die with sword in hand.
David MacLeod
We are going a-Viking,
T o rape and plu nd er and kill.
W e ’ll be loaded up with riches.
A n d all because of o u r skill.
Douglas Patterson
T h e Vikings came.
With death in their n am e.
Large striped sails.
Blowing in the gales.
Elizabeth Outlaw
Form I
THE
BATTLEFIELD
T h e mangled bodies dying.
T h e injured soldiers lying.
U n d e r the stars.
Praying to Mars.
T he G o d of the fight.
W h o gave the R o m an s might.
He has now vanished.
A fter the caledoneii he'd vanquished.
B ut the R o m a n s still m arched on to
destroy,
A nd in the village a little boy.
W ept . . .
A n d wept . . .
A n d wept . . .
Nicholas Morley
Form I
Above: Pauline McCracken and Peter Brown
lake to the water in an 'Enterprise'.
Right: Mignonne Khazatu's alternative to lines.
10
FREELAND
This year a fine exam ple was set by
those at the top of the H o use. Rarely can
th ree School Prefects in a H ouse have
given such an exam ple of integrity, and
consequently the house was a happier
place for everyone.
Now then — attitude to work. Few
people enjoy w ork, particularly when it
reaches the excruciatingly boring stage of
revision. In the H o u se this year some
people, particularly in the fifth form,
have w orked very hard indeed. O th ers,
particularly in the U p p e r Sixth, have left
everything until the last minute. O ne or
two have d on e nothing. It is impossible to
m a k e people work. O f course sanctions
can be used, pu nishm ents given or even
positive en co u rag em en t. If boys wish to
spend their p a re n ts ’ m oney in c o m m it
ting academ ic suicide, so be it. B U T , and
this is the real point, they must not
interfere with the work of others. A game
of cricket in the passage with a milk
crate, ten n is'b all and hockey stick does
little for the concentration of others in
the vicinity. A co m m unity attitude must
develop in which it is the norm to work
hard and in which it is not acceptable to
disturb others. It would be a pity if
draconian m easures were to be d eem ed
necessary.
A f te r last year's excellent p e rf o r
m ance, it was unlikely that this year
would be so good on the sporting front.
Nevertheless it was far from bad and it
was particularly pleasing to see so many
less than brilliant natural athletes con tri
buting to the cross-country cup (the
C oro n ary Cup for staff is u n der consider
ation). Pleasing also was the final A th le
tics victory with som e exceptional indivi
dual p e rf o rm a n c e s (n e v e r mind the
Relay).
I can no t re m e m b e r being so sorry to
see a group of leavers go. Freeland
without the intellectual sparkle of a
L ogan, without the whinny (or bray) of
S panner, (who is going to captain every
thing?), without M ark's hairstyle (or
H-C's). No more Spanish sub-culture.
T h ere are good points though. A n o th e r
dorm itory will be available now that
R obert and Kristien have picked up their
clothes and there will be flights available
to the Philippines. (Incidentally, parents,
three pupils from the Philippines, over a
period of five years plus, clocked up less
early leaves and late returns than one
lo c a l pupil over a sh o rter period. W orth a
thought?) Perhaps the highlight of the
year in some ways was the Prefects’
dinner. O rganised by C N C and the
Prefects and p ro du ced by themselves
(with great co-operation from the kitch
ens) this was sym ptom atic of their overall
attitude. As a group o f leavers they had
had their ups and dow ns but their
friendliness and sociability rem ained.
T o C harles C o u rt, w ithout whose
assistance I would have long ago been
com m itted to an asylum (it could still
h app en) and to a sup erb group of
academ ic tu tors — Simon Pengelley (who
does evening duties as well), A dam
■Streatfield-James and G eoff Bolton go my sincere thanks. My thanks go also
to the m em be rs of the H ouse whose
overall attitude has been excellent. I
w o n d er how we will get on when I'm 'on
site’. Beware!
R .W .P .
Mr Court is taken away at high speed.
SKI EQUIPMENT
AND CLOTHING
SPECIALISTS
SKIS — Rossignol,
Dynastar, Blizzard.
Head,
BANKS OF PEBTH
Fischer,
29 ST JOHN STREET
PERTH
Telephone: (0738) 24928
BOOTS — Nordica, Salomon, Dynafit,
San Giorgio.
BINDINGS — Salomon, Look, Tyrolia,
Emery.
JACKETS — Nevica, Tenson, Phoenix,
Berghaus.
Send for our SKI CATALOGUE
Walking Boots, Breeches, Rucsacs,
Country Style Trousers, Curling Shoes,
Curling Trousers and Accessories,
Sailing Suits, Bouyancy Aids.
W ATERPROOF
FOUL W EATHER WEAR
G OGGLES, SUNGLASSES, GLOVES,
HATS, SOCKS.
SKI S E R V IC IN G
BACK
PACKING
OUTFITTERS
Be advised by David Banks, form er Scottish Ski
Champion, and his experienced sales team on
the selection of Ski Equipment and Clothing.
II
TENT EXHIBITION 19 Mill Street, Perth
LEBURN HOUSE — VALETE
Ed. These reports were written before the sad and unexpectedly sudden death of Mr Addison.
“ H ou se tragically slaughtered — only
21 years o ld .” Yes, I'm afraid it’s true,
L eburn is being d isbanded at the end of
this term , and by the time your read this
the non-leavers will have spent their first
no n-L ebu rn term at Strathallan.
I cam e into L eburn in S e p te m b e r 1985.
A t that time it was seen by us e x -G n om e s
as the most p o p u lar and most friendly
H ouse with the most m o dern buildings
(suppress the chuckles please — this is a
requiem- after all). We green thirdform ers had h eard the usual senior school
chat ab ou t semi-slavery, cold showers,
wicked co rrup tab le scheming prefects,
but it never quite materialised. In fact, as
1 progressed up the school everything was
fine, great, super, until the su m m er of
the fourth form when they cruelly and
callously chopped down the cherry blos
som tree. A fairly u n im p o rtan t thing in
itself perhaps but it heralded . . . Hall
One! Yes, there was a d ark , evil side to
th ose great “ New H o u se s" you have
read a b o u t in these pages and this act was
the beginning of the end. But in 1986 we
were all still too young, foolish and naive
to un derstand the im plication of what
was h ap pening before o u r very eyes!
L eb urn has been living in limbo since
the 23rd Ju n e, for it was th en th at the
“ E n d of L e b u r n ” party o r the “ L eburn
W a k e ” to ok place chez M r Pighills.
D espite an air of accepted inevitability,
the atm osp here was relaxed and good
h u m o u r prevailed th ro u g h o u t the e v en
ing. E very b o d y en jo y ed the m o u th
watering eats (chicken casserole followed
by straw berries and cream ), and the “ fun
and g am es " which took place in the
L e c tu r e T h e a t r e a ft e rw a rd s . M essrs
C ockburn and P ark er wrote the sketch
“ Fruity M o m e n ts” , a p aro dy of Julian
C lary ’s “ Sticky M o m e n ts ,” and it was
well received by all. O u r Q u een of
C o m p eres , Neil C o ck b u rn , dressed up in
a slinky outfit with full m ake-up, stole the
show. A g reat evening en d ed with a
presentation to M r and Mrs A d dison of a
crystal deca nte r, crystal glasses, and a
cheque from the assembled c om pany and
the L ebu rn O ld Boys.
As a H ouse we have had quite a
Swansong — without wishing to deride
past efforts o ur achievem ents this year
have certainly been the most impressive
since I ’ve been here. T h e zeal to go out in
a blaze of glory was very definitely to the
fore. Certainly, d earest to Mr A d diso n's
h eart, and one of the highlights of the
year was o u r half share in the senior
H ouse rugby cup. C apta ine d by A nd rew
Sinclair the team played with good spirit
and co m m itm en t th ro u g h o u t the c o m
petition and in the final against Simpson
hopes w ere high th at a G len n Jon es try in
the first half might be enough to win the
game. H ow ev er, it was not to be, for
Sim pson scored an equalising try in the
second half, and though two of Keith
Salter's penalty kicks went tantalisingly
close, there was no fu rth e r scoring even
after extra time. It was a great gam e and
having been the ou tsiders we were
delighted to share the spoils. W e won the
Rowan Cup for S tand ard s once again,
after an effort by alm ost everyone and in
squash we also reigned su prem e — the
com petition was rath e r novel this year in
that it to ok the form of “ Us versus the
R est."
On a more academ ic plane, 1 led the
debating team of Fraser R ea and Sandy
Milroy to victory in the inaugural H ouse
D ebatin g com petition — the stand ard of
debating in general was acknow ledged to
be high and it was very satisfying to win a
com petition which hopefully will becom e
established as a prestigious event in the
school calendar.
A n d now for a few notable individual
achievements. Neil C ockburn won an
O rgan Scholarship to Keble College,
O xford and m ade history as the first
Strathallian to win such a distinguished
aw ard. C ongratulations Neil and good
luck. Rhidian Davies just needs an A A B
‘A ’-level com bination to gain a place at
Trinity Hall, C am bridge and we all hope
he m akes it. W e m op pe d up five prizes at
Speech Day — Neil C o ckb urn (music),
Rhidian Davies (French and G e rm a n ) ,
Alex Joh nso n (economics) and Morris
Legge (politics). A nd rew Sinclair was
selected for the P residen t’s XV and was a
m e m b e r of the Scottish U-19 schools
squad, and Keith Salters played for the
school at cricket, hockey and squash
whilst still in the fifth form.
A n d re w 'Ferty' Sinclair, a scrupul
ously and som etim es sickeningly fair
head o f house, got the backing of the top
co rrid or and helped to create w hat was a
very good cam a ra d e rie am ongst the
U-VI. Fraser R ea has d em an d e d a n o th e r
mention and one th erefore rem arks that
he recovered well from a th eatre trip
during ‘T he Fall', and continued to play a
lively, though less authoritative role in
the affairs of the school thereafter!
T h e A ddisons have been m e ntioned
already, but after 15 years of being in
charge of L eb u rn , deserve a bit more.
T hey have always been to lerant and
helpful, and Mr Addison was a very
highly respected H ou sem a ster. L eburn
would like to wish him and his wife all the
best for the future. M r G lim m , o u r nine
year-old tu to r (service not age!) will be
missed by all on W edn esday nights and
Mr Kitson proved himself to be a most
w orthy sporter of the H ouse Colours tie.
after only a year. T han k you gentlem en.
Finally, Mr Addison has req uested two
things — firstly a L eburn R o om where
the L eburn m em orabilia can reside so
that Old L eb u rn e rs can wallow in a bit of
nostalgia when passing by. and secondly
he hopes to h e a r from us all in the future.
O k a y M r A ., how a b o u t a reunion party
at your place, in say 10 years! See you
then.
A. G. Johnson
“ Born 4th O c to b e r, 1969, passed away
peacefully 29th J u n e , 1990” . L eburn has
been an integral part of Strathallan for 21
years, and I am very sad th at circum
stances dictated th at the I louse should be
disbanded at this time. 1 feel sad too for
the late Mrs L e b u rn who christened the
H o u se in m e m o ry of her h u sb a n d ,
G ilm ou r L e b u rn , a distinguished Old
Strathallian. I h o pe th a t n eith e r the
H ou se n or the n a m e G ilm o u r L eb u rn
will be forgotten.
T o those of you who have passed
throu gh Leburn: I hope most o f your
m em ories o f the house are happy ones.
Like every H o u se , we have had o u r trials
and tribulations, but I think we can be
justly p rou d of o u r ‘re c o r d ’ of both
individual and c o rp o rate achievem ents
over the years, and of the contribution
which m e m b e rs o f the H ou se have made
to all aspects of school life. U n fo rtu
nately, th ere is always a small minority
within a H ouse com m un ity who try to
sabotage o n e 's a tte m p ts to create an
atm o sp h e re of trust, decency and loyalty,
and we have had o u r share of saboteurs,
but in spite of th em , my feeling is that
o ver the years, L eb urn has been a happy
place. If this has been the case, and if
L eburn is re m e m b e r e d as such, I will be
well satisfied.
I am extrem ly indebted to all the
H o u se T u to r s , H o u s e C a p tain s and
prefects who have helped me in Leburn
o ver the last 15 years, and o f course to
my wife A n n e for all her su p p o rt in so
m any, m any ways. We were thrilled with
the crystal d e c a n te r, glasses and cheque
which A n d re w Sinclair p resented to us at
the H ou se party on beh alf of L eburn and
L eburn O ld Boys, and o u r sincere thanks
to all co n cerned . T he cheque will be
converted into golf clubs and hopefully
my gam e will be reju ven ated as a result!
Sadly, the L eb urn ‘leave’ is total this
year. H ow ev er, paradoxically, m any who
are leaving will in fact be returning and
joining a n o th e r H o u se , and I hope they
will be happy and successful for the
re m a in d e r of their time at school. 1 wish
all who are leaving Strathallan the very
best for the future and I h op e to hear
from you, and see you, long before the
reunion party!
H .C .A .
Above: First Leburn House photograph.
Left: A. J. Sinclair, Leburn's last Head o f
House.
Below: Leburn’s lust poet!
DEFY THE DARK
G ra ve tides of night, stalking.
Insidious, inexorable Gloom
O bscures all but this brief
Pool of light, my room .
T h e waves o f work
Lap at my dim edges.
E roding my sand-spit.
Enticing me with their touch.
I would like to merge.
T o give up the ghost.
Let the d epth s wash over, e n sh rou d me,
A n d keep me close.
Y et the candle light flickers
O n. Spatters.
As I remain dry,
Refusing the line of least resistance,
T h e opposite attraction of the waters.
Working, weaving my way on through
this night.
Rhidian Davies
13
NICOL
This has been a good year for Nicol.
We at last won cups in each of the m ajor
te am sports.
In mild first half of the spring term we
played some spirited rugby. In the senior
com petiton we faced the might of R u th
ven (10 1st X V players) with only two
stars (Jimmy W h itm ee, who had a fine
season for the school and Chris Clark,
who had been injured). In a gritty
perform ance we limited them to a couple
of penalties. A ltho ug h we had 5 u n der 15
A XV players (including captain Philip
Ainsw orth who represen ted the Mid
lands), the odds were also against beating
Freeland in the Ju n io r final. T rem e n d o u s
tackling from all the backs kept them at
bay and G ra h a m A d dison crashed over
to win the cup.
It was the turn of the seniors in indoor
hockey. Again a strong F reelan d side was
beaten by the odd goal, and , although we
d id n ’t play so well in the final, we just
shaded Sim pson. Jimm y W h itm e e (1st XI
captain) and Chris Clark were the key
m en , but D uncan R ob ertson confirmed
his prornise as a k eeper. T h e juniors
defeated L eburn 5-2 but disappointed in
the semi-final against Ruthven.
T h e enthusiastic squad of juniors came
good again in the cricket term . A fter an
easy victory over Simpson (120 played
40), we had Freeland 5 for 5 in the final.
T h ey gallantly struggled to 40, Mark
Silver (7 for 13) and Jam e s H end erso n
doing the dam age. O u r batting faltered
bu t th at man Silver scored 20, stubborn
resistance from G u y S tephens saw off
their o p eners and we got hom e by three
wickets. A lthough we had only one 1st
XI player (M ark Tench — half colours
and in with a chance of a Scottish u nd er
16 cap), it was good to see so many
‘oldies’ coming back to cricket.
Individually o u r athletes had a fine
year. R og er B ond was outstanding. He
again collected a bronze in the Scottish
P
Schools 1500m (despite an early 'pit
s to p ’), sm ashed the senior cross country
record by two minutes and led a Nicold om in ated team to win the R annoch
M arath on (Riki Sang was third and
A n d rew Buchan fourth). U nfortunately
we c o u ld n ’t pack well enough in the
H ouse cross-country, so, despite Riki
Sang’s middle win, we su rren de red the
cup. T h ere was a big effort in standards
(even from the u p per sixth!), but only
third place. Before Sports D ay, with wins
from Alistair B en n ett, Riki Sang, Jam es
H e n d e rso n , Chris Clark, Riki Sang and
inevitably R og er Bond, we were lying
second, but on the day we didn't have
enough com petitors and fell to a n o th er
third. “ N ever mind the width, m a d a m ,
feel the quality’’ might be o u r m otto. The
eagle-eyed will notice th at Nicol boys
hold 13 out of the 34 athletics records.
M i n o r s p o r ts d i d n ’t go so well.
Cancellation of the skiing and squash
pro bably saved ou r blushes. Swimming is
still not o u r forte, although we did beat
T h o rn b a n k , and o ur fo rm er strength at
shooting seem s to have gone. T h e young
golf team disappointed and in the ruleri d den sailing, capsize and collision
d id n ’t help. The football and tennis cups
also escaped.
T h e re were som e cultural successes
too. The ju n io r house play, produced by
Azim D e en , was too obscure to win but
provided an excellent stage for Jam es
D u c a t’s comic talents and he won the
acting cup. H e and J o n a th an Taylor also
figured in the school production of the
Boy F riend, bu t the real star here was
Colin P etting er’s bumbling old gent.
S o m eo ne unkindly suggested th at he
d idn't need to act! Colin and Jon ath a n
also turned ‘p ro ’ with the Perth Festival
O p era. John Maxwell won the senior
reading prize and to gether with Sebastian
H ead (leader), Philip A insw orth, E uan
Smith and Raj A ru m u g a m , was a m ain
stay of the O rch estra. Paul Mainwaring
and R o bb ie Wilson join ed some of these
in providing an abo v e-p a r contribution to
the C hoir. A n d rew Marshall was o u r best
piper, even at 20,000 feet. H e, Jimmy
W h itm ee and Jam es D ucat kept up the
Nicol tradition in the Pipe Band.
A m o n g s t all th i s a c t i v i t y s o m e
academ ic work crept in. T h e ‘plus score’
o f most o f the juniors was excellent and
reflected in effort prizes for Duncan
T ay lo r, John G r e e n , William Livingston
and Raj A ru m u g a m . W h e th e r the U p p er
Sixth and Fifth Form have been quite so
successul rem ains to be seen.
T h e great treat of the year was the
dem olition of the ‘Spanish H o te l’ and the
move to ‘Hilton Hall 2'. Nicol boys were
surprised to find th at w ater now only ran
into wash basins, b u tter could be kept on
b read and th at R uthv enites are h u m a
noid. T h e old ‘cheek by jow l' existence
had gone and with it many of the frictions
of H ouse life. A lready people are finding
it is possible to live like p ro p e r toffs. We
look forward to 1991 and the ‘final
solutio n ’. T h en it will be up to the
incum bents to m ak e sure th at the old
friendly Nicol survives.
It is the prefects who create the
am bience of a H o use, and this year it has,
for the most part, been good. O n e o r two
strain at the leash in their final year and
set bad examples. W e h op e A ndrew
B uchan and the new te am will pick up
only the good points shown by most of
R o g e r’s crew.
O u r good wishes go to all our leavers
with the old plea to ‘k eep in t o u c h ’ My
than k s go to Joh n Burgess and A nd rew
W ands for being such supportive T utors
and to P eter G re e n and David Giles for
their academ ic guidance of the juniors.
T h e latter now move on to the frighten
ing task of supervising an old L eburn full
of fourth form ers. We wish them luck.
TIMOTHY’S
Licensed Restaurant and Cocktail Bar
24 ST JOHN STREET, PERTH
JN.F.
^
Renowned for their relaxed and inform al atm osphere.
Specialising in Home Cooked Beef and Home Cooked Ham,
Fresh Salmon in Season, Lobster and Smoked Trout and
Timothy’s Own Smorrebrod.
^
Ring to reserve a table
Telephone (0738) 26641
14
jy
Top left: Colin Pettinger exits pursued by his
"wife"! Top right: Roger Bond takes a breather
after his record time in the 1500m. Bottom left:
David Clark with his prize-winning cat flap,
shows o ff his new frame-disjointing technique.
Bottom right: The old Nicol block bites the dust.
15
RUTHVEN
T h e year may well be best re m em b ered
for two things. Firstly, the rath er sad, but
necessary move from o u r original site to
Hall No. 2. C onsidering how badly it was
built, Ruthven can be proud o f the fact
that successive years m an age d to leave
the building in marvellous condition. The
settling-in process has now been c o m
pleted an d, in term s of facilities, there is
no co m parison , but we have yet to find
the 'h om eliness' th a t was part of the old
R uthven.
Secondly, as I write Will G uy , who
was in R u thv en. is preparing himself for
the Scottish O p e n , having won the Bell’s
Assistants 36-hole to u r n a m e n t with a
record equalling 7 u n d er par 63 on the
King Jam es VI course. No do u b t, Bruce
will be giving him invaluable advice and
wishing he was playing as well. Best of
luck, Will!
T h e autum n term , blasted as we were
by ’flu epidemics and severe w eath er,
was. perh aps, most notable for the Ju nio r
H o use Play entitled 'R a d io S to rn o w ay ’.
I'm not sure w h e th e r my view of the
H ighlands and Islands will ever be the
same but the play was an excellent effort.
If it did not win the 'B est Play’ aw ard,
which m any of the cognoscente felt it
should, it did win the ‘Best Script’ award.
C o ng ratulation s to Jo hn Tindal. F o rfa r’s
answ er to Steve W right, and Mark Laird
for the time and expertise they devoted
to scripting and directing, to all involved
and, especially, to the lead characters,
C am ero n Hill and Calum Nicol.
R uth ven was well rep re se nted in the
1st X V with C a m e ro n C oo k as captain,
S c o t t G i b b , T o n y G i b s o n , T im
L aw ren ce, Malcolm D ippie, G ra h a m
M acL enn an and Robin Stewart as regu
lars. C aptains of o th e r te am s included
Jam es W inchester, Alec Burrell and
Jam es Garvie.
In the spring term we came within a
w hisker o f w inning the In ter-H o use
Cross-C ountry and Swimming C o m p e ti
tions. David Ismail and Bruce W eb b did
extremely well to marshall o ur resources
and there were som e terrific individual
perfo rm ances in both competitions. The
Juniors, in particular, deserve credit for
winning their section of the Cross C o u n
try wth Craig G ibson 3rd and Martin
Fitchie 5th. Malcolm D ippie and G r a
ham M acL enn an were 2nd and 3rd
respectively in the middles and C am eron
C o o k was 3rd in the seniors. The
o u t s t a n d i n g sw im m in g p e r f o r m a n c e s
came from Bruce W eb b , Tim Lawrence,
Joh n and Robin Stewart and G rah am
M acL ennan.
Malcolm Dippie deserves a special
16
mention for his selection,for the Scottish
U16 hockey squad, in the international
to u rn a m e n t in H olland. It was a relief
that his shoulder recovered in time for
him not only to m ake the squad but to
co m p ete at the international level again.
A lthough sadly som e of o u r m em bers
have op ted ou t of the Pipe B and, it was
good to see J o n ath a n F ram e involved in
the q u a rte t which came second in the
Lady L auriston E vening as well as
A n d re w Q u in n , Alisdair G aw and Alex
M acL eod who contributed tow ards the
Pipe B a n d ’s success at the Scottish
C hampionships.
Continuing on the musical side, Ruthv e n ’s answ er to Jason D on ov an (Nick
Q u inn ) perfo rm ed extremely well on
stage as Tony in the School’s production
of the ‘Boy F rie n d ’. Also involved from
the H ouse in this excellent perform ance
were D erek Jones. Daniel Breves and,
backstage, Francois Piganeau.
T h e sum m er term brought very n ear
misses in the golf, in which Jon ath an
Fram e won the Individual Stroke Play
but the H o use just missed out on winning
the overall C om petition ; the R owan Cup
for S tan dards, w here we came second:
and in the Athletics C om p etitio n where
we lost by two points. In the latter, we
did, how ever, win both the senior and
ju n io r sections and th ere were som e first
class pe rform a nce s from C a m e ro n Cook
and Jo n a th a n W allace, both so n ear to
being V ictor L u d o ru m , and from Tony
G ib son , M artin Fitchie, Tim Lawrence,
D ave Ismail and Richard Fawcus. In
addition, we did win the Inter-H ouse
T ennis C o m pe titio n thanks to Daniel
B re v e s, J o n a th a n W alla c e , Jam es
W inchester, M att Gilliver, Craig G ibson
and R ichard McNally.
O nce again things have run smoothly
in the H ouse and I am indebted to Kirk
Clark and the re m a in d e r o f the Prefects
for their efforts. Kirk has do ne an
excellent jo b not only in keeping every
one aware of the p a ra m e te r s of discipline
an d o rd e r but also in maintaining a good
and happy atm osp here .
As always my th ank s go to Dave
B arnes, w ho still m anage s to put time,
e n th usiasm and a lot of T L C into
R uth v en ; and to Joh n B ro ad fo o t, who is
willingly taking on m ore and m o re, and
whose care and concern is much a p p re
ciated. We say ‘g o o d b y e ’ to Steve C u l
len, who has been academ ic tu to r to the
lower sixth; we wish him and his wife all
the very best in their new and brave
venture. Finally, but by no m eans least,
we are increasingly in deb ted to Mrs
H owie who is not only a valued m em b er
of the H ouse te am but w hose care and
concern for R uthv en and all its m em be rs
extends beyond the call o f duty.
B.R.
SIMPSON
Sitting down to write the house report
-at the end of the academ ic year, in June,
is a rem in d er of the iniquitous timing of
public exams. In practice, 'A ' level and
‘O ’ level’s rep lac em en t, G C S E , have
slipped back from late June-July to May
and early June. P erhaps exams take
longer to mark! Y et to m ake the e xam in
ers' life less bu rd en so m e both ‘A ’ level to
an extent, and G C S E incorporate a
c o n s id e ra b le a m o u n t of c o u rs e w o rk
which is internally assessed. Judging by
the lack of feedback from at least one
b oard , their scrutiny is not excessive. The
ramifications of this tim etable change are
considerable. T he A u tu m n term is exces
sively long. Its mid-term break effectively
creates a four term year, causing overseas
parents to fund yet m ore air tickets.
U nfo rtun ately its therap eutic effects are
inadequate to stop pupils and staff alike
being reduced to fractious zombi-ism by
m id -D ecem ber. Some candidates year
after year forget the original advice that
exams are fast looming and the pre-exam
panic only hits home in March and course
work takes up a considerable am o u n t of
the Spring term. Finally, the S um m er
term is no longer a period in which a
co heren t revision pro g ram m e can be
carried out. Exams take place virtually
from day o ne, and continue u n rem it
tingly. T hey seem to come in clusters,
followed by long breaks, and many
candidates finish well before the end of
term . It is a credit to the great majority,
that they respected the time of those who
still had to work, and did not allow idle
hands to make mischief. As the H e a d
master pointed out on Speech Day, there
have been a n u m b e r of educational
reforms over the last decade. It would be
encouraging if the dem ocratic pow er of
Parliam ent could move exams to a more
desirable time. The current situation
merely puts unnecessary pressure on
individual boys and girls.
These co m m ents obviously do not
apply to Sim psonites alone, but they do
have an effect on those in their final and
G C S E years, and how they spend their
time. To a g reater extent the success of
the House is a reflection of the calibre of
the U p p e r Sixth; calibre being a com bi
nation of talent, character and solid
en deav ou r. O f the fo rm e r there was no
lack. David Smart. Nick D em psey, Alex
and Alan Davidson all won Speech Day
prizes. M urray H am ilton was aw arded an
R A F university bursary. T hey included
amongst them six who played for the 1st
XV, four for the Hockey XI, and two
un der G a re th T h o rb u rn 's captaincy in
the Cricket XI. Strength of characte r and
en d eav o u r in and o ut of the classroom,
were less in evidence, and I trust that
these facts will not be b o rne out by exam
results. A little m ore individual and
collective ambition would not have gone
amiss.
T h ere were plenty of merit-worthy
perform ances. Pride of place must-go Ky
Kay who won a Gold Medal at the
Scottish Schools A thletic Cham pionships
for the Discus, and has been picked to
represent Scotland, and Jo na tho n Brooks
who won a Bronze Medal in the sprint in
the British In dep en d en t Schools Final,
despite slipping at the start. The most
coveted o f the cups is u nd oubtedly the
House Rugby. We en tered the final as
favourites but were p erhap s lucky to
achieve a draw after extra time. Leburn
made the most of their resources, and in
p a r t ic u l a r K eith S alters utilised his
strategic skills. L eburn's success was a
fitting tribute to Mr A ddison in his final
year as H o u sem as te r and to the demise of
the H ouse itself. The introduction of
Y .E .S .S ., an alternative magazine e m a
nating principally from Hall 1, was an
interesting, controversial and overdue
innovation. “ Zip O ' L ightning", the
Ju n io r H ouse play, was amusing and
entertaining, and ra th er better than it
was acclaimed. H ow ever, as I have yet to
agree with any of the final winners over
the years, I am probably not the best
judge. Craig F orster was selected to play
golf for Perthshire Schools, and with
solid support from Stuart W alker and
Alan D avidson, won the School trophy.
The o th e r Davidson bro th ers and Ian
Ford retained the Sailing Cup. Alan
Keddie also retained the Ju n io r T ennis
Singles, as he was kind e nough to remind
me, but unfo rtunately we were just
pipped by R uthven in the Pairs final. T he
Football com petitions were played at all
17
hours, which seem ed to suit us, as both
Senior and Ju n io r were won. The sw im
mers. a small elite squad, recap tured the
C up , while the Jun ior Indoor, and Senior
O u td o o r Hockey C ups were also won.
A lto ge the r this was an impressive array
of cups and achievements.
Less satisfactory was the general sta n
dard of tidiness, self-discipline and the
ability to work without direct su pervi
sion. T o o many were con tent to allow
others to clear up after them in studies,
brewing room s, c o m m on room s, strip
room s and do rm itories alike. T h erefo re
all the more thanks go to those who
cle a ned, replaced and repaired. The
adm irable can-collection scheme did not
help, and let us hope for less unsightly
receptacles in future.
O nce again, relations with Freeland in
the shared “ H all” were rem ark ably good
and says much for the accom m odating
nature of the Strathallian.
O n the Staff side. I would like to thank
the tutors: Mr Vallot, whose unfailing
energy and enthusiasm is invaluable, and
Mr Ross, plus the academ ic tu tors who
have m ade the pastoral side work so well.
U nfortun ately Mrs H am ilto n, who was
brave enough to vo lun teer herself to
S im pson, has been lured off to W o o d
lands by " L o u M acari” Forster.
Lastly, thank you to David Smart and
his prefects and farewell to the leavers.
They were an interesting and idiosyncra
tic bunch with many endearing features. I
would like to wish them well as they find
their respective niches.
N.T.H.DuB.
THORNBANK
Coming Together is a Beginning
Keeping Together is Progress
Working Together is Success
As I sit listlessly listening to the chants
of Italia or the plonk of “ fluffy ball” , I
try to engage the brain into gear to put
down on p ap er the first T h o rn b an k
report. O u r H ouse m o tto above conve
niently divides into three phrases and
thus three terms. This should jog my
m em ory in what seem s to have been the
quickest session in my 13 years of
teaching.
Coming Together: How many recall
that wet first day of the year with
w o rk m e n s’ Daily R ecords down to p r o
tect the new floor; signpost directions to
wings but no names on doors; the smell
of fresh paint and the fluff on new
carpets?
T h ree weeks of term came and went
and all, old and new, settled in without a
homesick sob to Mum and D ad , mainly
because the telep ho n e was still not
c o n n e c t e d ! E i g h t e e n d a y s o f te rm
elapsed before the c om m on room was
officially o pen ed on the occasion of
Susan A rn o tt's (and one other) birthday.
How many re m e m b e r the many hours
spent in the C hapel for those roll calls,
meetings and fire practices? O ne w o n
ders if this second home for T h o rn b a n k ers en couraged so many to be confirm ed
later in the year.
I re m e m b e r clearly in the early weeks
living from m o m en t to m o m e n t, how
ever, and all credit to th em , the girls were
well into School R ou tine, all beginning to
show signs of coming to g eth er w h eth er in
the orchestra for the H e a d m a ste r's music
led ably by Susie Leiper or combining
to geth er to produce a successful script in
the H ouse D ram a com petition, written
by Jill G rieve and Karen Miller. The 3rd
form p erform ed tog eth e r in the H ebri
dean W eaving Lilt on St. A n d re w ’s Night
and there were visits to Perth T h e atre for
perform ances of Sweeney T o d d while an
Early Music C oncert bro ught both W o o d
lands and T h o rn b a n k girls together again
as did willing volunteers to help at the
successful R ace Night, raising funds for
the Girls' Hockey T our.
W o odlan ds the b ad m inton and tennis
tro ph ies and ou r swim ming prowess
found us in 6th place, beating only one
bo y’s House. W e talked ourselves into
the final of the debating com petition and
although Carol, Dani and Nicky argued
well, we finished runners-up to L eburn.
Pulling to geth er within H ouse c o m
petitions is progress and should not be
discouraged. My thought for the year and
indeed the future is th at the truth will
out. Keeping tog eth er is not progress if it
is to save your own skin, and I trust those
throu gh ou t all forms who have received
my “ words of co m fo rt” on such matters
have learnt th at honesty is the best policy
— right from the start!
T alen t again came to the fore at E aster
with the production of “ The Boyfriend” .
Many girls in the H ouse were involved in
the chorus, p ro g ram m e design, m ake-up,
co stu m es and o rc h e s tra with Kirsty
W ood playing a leading role as Polly.
Working Together: T im e alone will tell
w h ether the a tm o sph ere created in the
H ouse was a productive one for those
who sat external examinations. Third and
fourth form ers m ad e sound progress in
their respective courses with success for
Karen Miller and E m m a Smart who were
aw arded form prizes. T he L ow er Sixth to
their credit did realise th at this stage is
not “ a year off". In mid-June Alison
E d m o n d s. Sonya R eid , Clo dagh Meiklejo hn and Rachel Taylor gave superb
athletic p erfo rm an ces at the Scottish
T h e H o use end -of-term Christm as
party saw young and old mix well,
enjoying thoroughly the en tertain m e n t
organised by Susie, accom panied by
YVonne and Ailsa. It had been a long
term , not without illness, but by the end
of it T h o rn b a n k was well and truly
established and things were beginning to
come together.
Keeping Together: H ouse affinity was
n ever more pro m in ent than when many
of the Inter H ouse com petitions were
played. A ltog eth er, wins against W o o d
lands in hockey, netball, cross country,
athletics a nd cricket w ere recorded.
M o r e c o m p e t e n t ra c k e t skills won
18
Schools C ham pio nsh ips and the Loch
R ann och Run gave Rachel h er second
place victory and her second Caithness
glass rosebowl.
If anything goes drastically w rong with
any U p p e r Sixth results, they can work
successfully tog eth er as brickies, joiners
or painters. T h ey are alm ost experts in
these fields now, as in their w hole time at
Strathallan th ere has always been some
construction underway.
Seriously, I wish all the U p p e r Sixth
h ap pin ess an d success. W ith o u t the
excellent leadership of Ailsa and Kirsty
and all the H ouse Prefects, I may well
have had the nervous bre ak d o w n I’ve
been promising myself all year. They
have set the H ouse on the right track.
T hose who rem ain will do their best not
to let them down.
My th ank s to Miss N eale, Mrs Watson
and Mrs A d a m for duty nights and
academ ic tutoring. T h a n k s too to Mrs
B arnes who looks after us A L L and to
M adge an d M orag who put up with our
mess. Sadly we say go odbye to Dr.
McLay ( “ T h e D o c ” as she is affection
ately k now n). We wish her well in her
new post back in M anchester.
A pologies if I have om itted your
m o m en to u s event o f the year. T he whole
session has passed all to o fast. Perhaps by
the time this is being read at C hristm as,
all co n tra cto r's work will be co m pleted in
T h o r n b a n k an d I may have finally
u npacked my removal from W oodlands.
L.J.S.
WOODLANDS
T ”Ax VaIcxsrUrr C,h.Ltj^
V 'L c u x S U S t h l
*
Q
P \O u U \Q /jt.d L
Crvnrr\ Ttacktr of- Was
k- crcj ctnub VrcjLcj-LX
Chctt boy
W CUTLOT
a ilZ T *«*<?<*
(c h L ,M „ e r j
—
T c r h m
t U
n
^
b
O
u . f U
u ^ -
■
E L L o .“
C jr o ^ 'b
F a r t s t lr
of. ( fo P a r l i t
o j- & jl
5 U / 2X / 1 w a i d j i s i S
p ro ttcto rb of {jjL- SOuUiA
Characters in Penelope Carrulhers' comic saga o f school life.
You will. 1 am told, h ear tales of
‘derring -do ’ in the north wing kitchen in
W oo dlan ds elsewhere in this magazine.
Do not believe all you read. O ccasion
ally, the north wingers did go to bed
before midnight, though they did, it was
to be adm itte d, often get up again to
continue their training for the Perth
Festival ‘non-stop talking-in-a-loud-voice
com petition'. W inner: Gold medal Tessa Dunlop.
T h ose were, indubitably. The Days!
W hen one casts o n e ’s mind back to the
academ ic year just passed, inevitably one
thinks of the su m m er term: those days of
lying on Big A cre in the drizzle, rejoicing
th at exams are over, and w ondering what
a day-long walk at Loch T u m m e l with the
Fleadm aster will really be like.
T h e term end ed very cheerfully, and
even if the ‘A ’, H ' and G C S E ex am in a
tions did not all go according to plan,
no-one allowed gloomy thoughts to cloud
a very pleasant week o r ten days of
well-earned relaxation.
As I write this repo rt — w atching the
drizzle — my main m em o ry of the year is
^ & c rc L u i
one o f cheerful en deav ou r. Results else
where will show that W oo dlan ds was
usually kind enough to allow o ur young
sister, T h o rn b a n k , to win most of the
prizes on the games field. We did SO
want to win the first inter-house girls’
cricket trophy, and nearly did, losing by
th ree runs. T he inter-house tennis cup
was won by W o o d la n d s , th ank s to
Gillian, Jo, G erald ine and others for
their sterling service (get it?!). The house
sailing team , lead by Pauline McCracken
and Elizabeth Reekie came second out of
all the senior school houses, as did the
shooting team o f C aitriana Barr, Jodie
Cust and Sally Cust.
F u rth er back in time — yes, I can
re m e m b e r last N o v em b er — Marianne
Rustad and others in the 3rd and 4th
forms too n um ero u s to mention won the
annual house d ram a com petition. New
girl, Jill Kelly, picked up an award for
best supporting actor. Most of the house
were involved either on the stage, backs
tage or the orchestra in an outstanding
school production of ‘T h e Boyfriend'
special mention must go to Jennifer
19
U -C u ^ c L -ti
Scouller for her perform an ce as Maisie:
well done!
T h e biggest h ead ache at the beginning
of the year was settling 26 new girls into
the third form , plus six into the sixth
form. The success o f this difficult task
was in great part owing to the prefects,
led by C ath erine B urns, Carol G reen
and Katie Pattinson. Each prefect in her
own way con trib uted greatly to creation
o f a cohesive, well-disciplined and happy
atm o sp h ere . Som eh ow any p roblem s we
had in 1989-1990 (and we, of course,
always have a few p roblem s) seem ed less
difficult to h and le, and this was chiefly
owing to the honest and enthusiastic
su pp ort from the senior girls.
Both Paula and 1 wish all who are
leaving every success in futu re, and look
forward to an o th e r very productive and
happy year in ‘slim line’ ‘W o od lan ds'.
Incidentally, we miss old friends (now in
T h o r n b a n k ) , but inform them th at the
cricket trophy will be back where it
belongs before long!
J. F.
CHAPEL NOTES
T h e C hapel is for worship. People
worship for many reasons. We worship in
o rd e r to recount the Christian story, and
to set th at story within the fram ew o rk of
history, as expressed in the books of the
Old and New T estam ents. T herefore it
may be helpful to think of worship as a
d ra m a , the d ram a of salvation. In each of
the Sunday Services we are rem inded,
first of all, of hum an sin and need,
secondly of G o d 's response o f love,
given fullest expression in Jesus Christ,
an d thirdly, of the ways in which we may
best respond to that love.
In this d ram a, however, we are not
merely spectators but participants. We
re m e m b e r the story, but we also make
ourselves part of it. It is a never-ending
story . . . as those who a tte n d e d the
C om m u n io n Services each Friday m o r n
ing at 7.30 a.m. began to realise.
W e worship tog eth er, and not just by
ourselves. W orship always asks us qu es
tions — are we open and welcoming to
the stranger in o u r midst, are we alert to
the needy in o u r w orld? In worship,
though we are rem inded of o ur responsi
bility, we also have the chance to admit
w here we failed, and be rem inded of
G o d ’s forgiveness to all who regret their
failure and wish to m ake a new begin
ning.
W e worship so th at we consciously
allow ourselves to be draw n into G o d ’s
presence w h erever we are: at work in the
classroom; at meals in the Dining Hall; as
we participate in te am sports; o r alone in
o u r studies, but in worship we delib
erately place th at at the front of our
minds, and try as much as we can to
experience the mystery of G o d.
In worship the d eepest longings of our
spirits are expressed — the longing for
meaning and pu rpo se, for acceptance and
freed om , for celebration and hope. The
rituals, signs and symbols, far from being
peripheral, help us to express this need.
Assisting in o u r worship in the School
C hapel during the A cadem ic Y ear were
the following visiting preachers:
Autumn Term
T h e Revds D r David Ross (P eterh ead
O ld ), T om Balfour (E d in b u rg h ), Hugh
O rm iston (Industrial C haplain), W. Uist
M acdonald (P erth ), Iain Davidson (H oly
R ud e, Stirling), David Mill (G re en o c k ),
W. J. C hristm an (A yr), Jo hn L. Paterson
(St M ichael’s, Linlithgow), David B eck
ett (G reyfriars T o lbo oth and Highland
Kirk, E d inb urgh ). The Very Revd Dr
A n d re w H erro n (Glasgow) and The
Very Revd Professor Joh n M acIntyre,
C V O (E din bu rg h).
Spring Term
T h e R e v d s W . U is t M a c d o n a l d
(Perth ), G ra h a m H o uston (L etham St
M ark's Perth), D uncan Stenhouse (D unbarney and F o rga nd enn y), Stanley Strachan (M uthill, Trinity G ask and Kinkell), Colin Williamson (A berdalgie and
D u p p I i n ), G o r d o n S t e w a r t ( S t
L e o n a r d ’s - in - t h e - F ie l d s an d T rin ity ,
P erth), R o b ert P. Sloan (N orth Kirk.
Perth) and Ewen Gilchrist (St M a tth
ew's, Perth).
Summer Term:
T h e Revds L aurence Whitley (M o n
trose O ld), David O gston (St John's
Kirk. P erth). J a m e s H a rk n e ss O B E
( C h a p la i n - G e n e r a l , M O D ) . A lan T.
Birss (Paisley A b b ey ) and at F ou nd er's
Day and the Valedic tory Service, The
D ean of the C hapel Royal, The Very
Revd Prof Robin B a rb o u r, MC.
A t th e C o n f ir m a t io n Service the
P reacher was the Very Revd D r Fraser
M cLuskey (St C o lu m b a's , Pont Street)
and the E ucharist was celeb rated by the
Rt Revd Michael H are D u k e (Bishop of
St A n d re w s, D u n k e ld and D u nb lane).
T o the two C hapel Prefects, Alec
L ochore and David Sm art, for the steady
p erfo rm a n c e of their duties and their
welcome to visiting p reachers, to the
team of flower arrang ers who never
failed to co ntrib ute to the beauty of
worship, and to the H o u s e k e e p e r and her
ladies w ho coped with the tram p of 500+
feet in the C hapel week by week — go
my thanks.
T.G.L.
20
AN IRREVERENT LOOK AT DEATH
Cosy coffin.
I’ve often thought
O f giving up the ghost.
I’d m ake a date,
C o n su m m ate,
A n d join you past the post.
Rhidian Davies
If . . .
If I could tell you I would let you know.
If my h eart would open and let speech
flow.
If you could just see me and know.
I would explode with passion that you
d o n 't know,
I would fly and dance and never feel low.
If I could just see you and slow.
You are p ro ud and you are fair.
You are beautiful and you are there.
O h . If I could just tell you,
I would let you know —
But I can't.
Jonathan Frame.
(After W. H. Auden)
SUNDAYS
T h at worn feeling
Y ou get after too many cups of tea.
A d am p chill, rotten leaves
A n d n ew sp ap er print staining fingers.
Seemingly endless,
Sundays are im m easurably au tu m n .
A n d inevitably O ctober.
Being at church by 11 a.m.
A n d hom e again for lunch no bo dy wants.
They too are really undesired, out of
place.
A hiccough in the strict routine
O f the w eek th at works.
khidian Davies
CAREERS
T h e C areers D e p a rtm e n t continues to
develop, and over the last two years there
have been som e m a jo r changes in the
service and facilities offered to pupils.
T h e n u m b e r of Fifth form ers opting to
tak e the ISCO A ptitud e tests has greatly
increased. In 1989-90 only four parents
declined to join the ISCO G uidance
S cheme (although a few others did not
reply). In view of this very high take up,
all pupils will be automatically enrolled
from 1990, including new en tran ts to the
L ow er Sixth. T h e benefit to pupils is that
all subsequent ISCO services will be free
(apart from some expenses incurred on
C a r e e r s E x p e r i e n c e C o u r s e s ) , a nd
p arents will no longer have to pay
directly for enrolm ent.
In fact, 40% of the L ow er Sixth went
on at least one C areers Experie nce
course this year, and virtually all found it
very w orthwhile. I hope th at more still
will apply; details of courses are sent
home with the L ow er Sixth in D ec em ber.
T h ere is a wide variety: some may be a
day spent at a professional institution,
others offer ‘hands o n ’ work experience
for a w eek or so.
W e are also making increasing use of
the com pu ter. Details of h un dred s of
careers are in a d ata b a n k , which can be
accessed by any pupil at any tim e, and all
reference sources m entioned there are
available in the C areers R oom . O th e r
p ro gram m es, which allow for different
levels of exam ination success, help us to
advise on careers and on possible univer
sity courses. This is particularly useful for
m em bers of the U p p e r Sixth who have
had a ch ange of mind since Fifth Form
days.
In arranging visits away from school
one has to be careful not to cause
disruption o f classes and achieve a
counter-productive effect. H ow ever, vir
tually all U p p e r Sixth atten ded the O pen
Day at Glasgow University. We also
took advantage of the excellent H igher
E ducation C o nvention arranged by the
Tayside C areers Service. Some seventy
pupils atten d ed this, and everyone had
the oppo rtu nity to talk individually to a
representative from any and every Scot
tish university and college of further
ed ucatio n, as well as from many universi
ties and polytechnics south of the border.
Many found this a most useful and
informative visit.
A n u m b er of visitors have given talks
at the school on a variety of careerrelated subjects and on m atters of more
general interest. T hey include:
Mr Bill Baird: 'University E ntranc e'.
D r Ian Birss (O S): ‘A tom ic Energy'.
M ajo r David B ro ad fo o t M B E: ‘N o rth
ern Ireland'.
Professor A nth o n y Bussutil: 'T h e role
of the Forensic Pathologist in Crime
Investigation'.
Mr Cowan Ervine: ‘A career in Law'
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn Q C MP: 'The
changing face of Eastern E u ro p e '.
Dr Ian H unter: 'St A ndrew s U n iver
sity’.
M a jo r C aro ly n Je n k in s W R A C :
‘W o m en in the Services'.
School Fees
Assurance
To safeguard your children’s future
school fees H olm w oods offer a
special School Fees Assurance
policy. It will ensure th a t should
you die funds w ill be m ade
available tow ards the cost o f vour
children’s education.
For fu rth er details please contact:
Peter N cw nh am
H o lm w o o d s
R ock w ood H ou se, 9 -1 7 Pcrrvm ount Road
Havwards H eath, W est S ussex R H 1 6 1TA
Telephone Havwards H eath (0 4 4 4 ) 4 5 8 1 4 4
Holmwoods
T H E S P E C IA L IS T S IN E D U C A TIO N IN S U R A N C E
Ms A nn ie M acL ean : ‘C a re e rs with the
B B C ’.
M rs H e le n M a c N eill: ‘S e c re ta ria l
courses and careers'.
Mrs Jo an Reid: ‘M aking decisions in a
changing w o rld ’.
Mr A lasdair R o b ertso n (O S): ‘Life
with the G u rk h a s on a short Service
C om m ission ’.
W e are rpost grateful to all these ladies
and ge ntlem en for giving their time to
come and see us.
A rm y , Royal Navy, Royal Marines
and Royal A ir Force Liaison Officers
have visited the school each term , and
ab ou t forty pupils have benefitted from
their advice.
T h e re has been a regular p rog ram m e
of video p resen tatio ns on a wide range of
careers, to co m p lem en t visits. N o do ub t
if these were shown during prep, a tt e n
dance would rocket! T hese videos are
very well p ro du ced and highly in fo rm a
tive. and I hope th at m ore will use the
o p p ortun ity in the future.
Pupils are introduced to the School
C areers Service in the Third F orm , and
they are enco u rag ed to use the facilities
of the C a re ers R oom which is very well
supplied with up-to-date m aterial, and
within a couple of years, as part of the
general re-allocation of space in the
school, we shall have a new, m ore central
location. I expect th at this will quickly
bring a g re a te r aw areness of the im p o r
tance of forward thinking at an early age.
D.A .R.W
THE BUSINESS
WORLD
T h e b u siness w o rld , th e business
world.
W here life before you is unfurled.
With life insurance, income tax. A nd
many a bulging file-o-fax.
To survive you must be ruthless, tough.
By retire m ent age, you've had enough!
But after all is said and d on e.
T h ere is no prize, nothing won.
Share of stock prices rise and fall.
Is there any point to this at all?
Yuppies all ‘hang o ut' in Sloane S quare,
It takes some cunning to m ake it th ere.
F ortunes are m ade and as swiftly lost,
A new Porsche is bought at no great cost,
L o ndon is packed out over the lunch
hour.
Yuppies in wine bars, oozing with pow er.
G o shopping at F o rtn um s, have tea at
the Ritz,
You can't ever afford to just call it quits.
Just get to the ear-phone and make a
quick call,
IS there any point to this at all?
Jill Grieve
Form IV
MUSIC ROUNDUP
m
A n o th e r year has passed, and I have
an o th e r repo rt to write for the magazine.
H as it been just an o th e r year? W h a t is it,
I asked myself, tha t m akes up “ just
an o th e r y e a r? ” T h e answ er seems to be
“ Q uite a lo t."
O v er the past academ ic year, the music
staff have given 173 individual pupils
5603 music lessons, o r 224,120 minutes of
their time and expertise — 3735 hours of
accum ulated experience in the pursuit of
individual musical excellence. T o achieve
this, they have covered 45,784 miles from
d o o r to d o o r in all w eathers, cheerfully to
await the arrival of their well practised
pupils. H ow many minutes of practice
d on e in a year, 1 h ea r you ask? G oo d
question!
T h e young musicians have bought and
learnt from 330 new books of music. In
the case of w oodwind players, they have
chewed their way through 114 new cane
reeds! String players have consum ed
merely 21 new blocks o f rosin, and in the
case of the heavy-handed or the unlucky,
37 new strings have passed through the
books to be fitted and tuned. T h e piano
tu n e r has had to ease, pull and bash 8019
high tension steel piano strings back into
tu ne. 891 notes have been inspected or
regulated to produce an even finger
action, and cleaned to rem ove the d e p o
sits th at the. 1000 fingers o f the plethora
o f sticky-fingered pianists leave behind.
T h e S te in w a y C o n c e r t G r a n d , (all
£37,000 w orth of it, should we have to
replace it to m o rro w ) has been given the
equivalent of a 12,000 mile service in
readiness to m ee t its fast-approaching
100th birthday, and the anticipated celeb
rations tha t such long service dem ands.
N o t one of the possible 6500 sounding
notes of the C o p e m an H a rt O rgan , used
goodness knows how many times this
year, has had to be even tuned or
replaced, even though approaching 4500
verses of Sunday and w eekday hymns
have been accom panied on it. 448 Organ
Voluntaries have been practised and
p erform ed and 50 anth em s rehearsed and
sung.
T h e 42-strong choir has corporately
spent 1932 “ m a n ” -hours singing and
learning music at full rehearsals, not to
m en tio n the 64 hours of post-P rep
sectional rehearsals so cheerfully sus
t a i n e d . T h e m u s ic p e r f o r m e d has
included most of the m ajo r C athedral
rep erto ire, and the standard of pe rfo r
mance, in an empty C hap el, has been
every bit as good as the many minor
C athed ral choirs ever attain. Sadly, when
confronted by the 400 tightly-packed
congregation in their approximately 3000
yards of kilt-tweed, the sound quality
changes dramatically!
T h e string O rch estra, Dance B and,
C o n c e rt B an d, Brass G ro u p , String
Q u a rte ts and C h a m b e r music groups
have each put in more th an 35 hours of
formal rehearsals o ver the year, and their
efforts have been heard and ap preciated
by many in a wide variety of venues, and
testified to by the convincing and confi
dent ensem ble playing.
The personal achievem ents of the
musicians can be partially guaged by
success at Associated B oard exams, and
this year, 46 candidates presen ted th e m
selves to the B oard examiners in the
Music R o o m , offering a motley collection
of scales, arpeggios, sight-reading, aural
tests, studies and pieces, along with
T heo ry exams. The standard achieved
can be judged by the 5 Distinctions, 7
Merits, 10 passes and ....... . so far, the
current results are not yet to hand. O f
these 46 candidates, 3 offered G ra d e 8, 6
G ra d e 7, 5 G ra d e 6, 9 G ra d e 5, 7 G rad e
4, 7 G rad e 3, 4 G ra d e 2 and 5 G ra d e 1.
O f th ese, Laurie C ru m p m anaged a
superb 145 out of 150 at G ra d e 7
R ecorder, and this notable achievem ent
has been rew arded by a special Bursary
A w ard from the Associated B o ard , to be
used in fu rtherance of his studies with a
distinguished international teacher, or at
a music course of his choice.
We do not o p era te an “ all exams to be
ta k e n " policy, and the te achers and
pupils decide on the grade and the
m o m e nt for each exam. So much of the
real “ stuff" o f music is not covered, or
covered only very cursorily in these
grades, th at their use is at best only a
rough yardstick of im prov em en t and
standard.
Music, after all, w h eth er it be history,
theory or practical, is ab ou t sounds and
p atterns, and is for playing. E njo ym en t
springs from the appreciation of the
personal achievem ents and expertise of
the players, and of their sharing these
with the audience; only then can the
c o m p o s e r’s intentions be fully recreated.
M a r g a r e t M c L a y 's arriv a l in the
d e p a rtm e n t heralded the long awaited
boost to Riley music-m aking, by creating
for them times and o pp ortun ities to play
in small groups, and at regular re h e a r
sals. T h eir efforts were brought together
twice in the form of musical e n te r ta in
ments for the house, one for the parents,
and a small instrum ental and group
ensem ble com petition.
In the Solo section, Struan Fairbairn
took first place with a most an im ated and
en tertaining p e rfo rm an ce of the song
“ Five E yes". Kirsty B uchanan took the
Solo Piano section with a perform ance of
the first m o vem ent of the “ M o on ligh t”
S o nata of B e ethoven. A most profess
ional sounding “ Riley T rio " , comprising
Nicholas Morley (C larinet), D uncan Fo r
bes (Cello) and Colin Stephen (Piano)
stole the en sem b le class with three
splendidly played “ Lyric Pieces" by
Grieg. T h e talents and activities of all the
musicians bo des well for the future. My
thanks to M argaret for steering these
young players throu gh the initial steps to
stard o m , and in deed the many o ther
musicians she has helped during the year.
She returns to C h e e th a m s Music School
in M anchester.
O ld e r musicians of all stand ard s, ages
and instrum ents have again this year
tro d d en much new gro un d, and scaled
many dizzy new heights. Music repo rts of
the “ B oy frien d” and the Perth Festival
perform an ce are testimonies to this and
are found elsew here in the magazine.
W hy do we go on doing it? Probably
for the same reason m ou ntain walkers go
walking, even without a dog to exercise,
simply because the hill is there! Getting
there brings its own rew ards, spills and
thrills, each experience completely differ
en t, but com p lim entary to those of
everyday life. Each musical experience,
rich ch rom atic ch ord , string of fast notes
or com plicated rhythm m astere d is a
fulfillment of the fascinating creativity of
music. I ho p e teach ers and those taught
continue to draw strength and pleasure
from this activity, all the while discover
ing new talents and abilities.
ft is p lann ed th at before too much
longer, the musicians can fix upon a time
and venue for an ‘aw ay’ tour. A ustria or
a H ig h lan d s a nd Islands to u r have
already been talked ab o u t, for after all,
giving pleasure to oth ers is not confined
to playing with ball-shaped missiles on
white-lined fields.
A lthough the achievem ents o f the year
are due to no one group o r individual,
and here all the staff and enthusiastic
pupils deserve credit, mention must be
made of ou r visitor from G e rm a n y , for
w hat becam e a whole year, Henrich von
K o p p - C o l o m b . H e n r i c h , w h o so on
showed us that he was the very personifi
cation of the A udi advert — “ Vorsprung
d u r c h T e c h n i c ” has b r o u g h t su ch
h u m o u r and cheerfulness to ou r activi
ties. He has left every musical group he
has played with — and that is most of
them — very much the richer for his
generous sharing of goodwill, c o m p a n
ionship, and expertise.
Sadly, he is not the only one to d ep a rt,
and a g ro up of musicians who have been
bo u nd up with perform ances over many
years disap pear to g reater things. With
these, Joy W atson (Viola and Violin
coach) leaves to set up her own string
qu artet. Fred Parry (Cello) after a threeyear spell, returns to Glasgow to full
time cello-teaching there. Jerem y R a n
dalls (F lute) leaves after a glorious and
School orchestra play the hinchtime concert' 111 St John's Kirk, Perth. (Photo hy courtesy o f Louis
Flood, Photographers, Penh.) See review from "The Courier" below.
^ f 7 r7 l££ lfrrjii-Qir *
colourful year to set up hom e in Sicily,
where his wife plays in the o p era house.
O u r grateful than ks to all those leaving
for their unstinting efforts and good
ch eer, all of which is quite impossible to
quantify in statistics, and ou r very best
wishes go to them all for the future.
F.N.R.
Patrick Grandison Prize for Strings:
Susan Leiper.
Robert Barr Prize for Music: Neil
Cockburn.
T h e pu pils o f S tr a th a lla n School
brought a re m a rk ab le degree of maturity
to their lunchtim e concert in St Jo h n 's
Kirk, Perth, yesterday.
In a p ro g ram m e which was both varied
and adv enturou s, the vocal and instru
mental g roupings achie ved stan d ards
which fully justify the inclusion of this
series of school recitals in the diary of
mainline festival events.
It was clear from the professional way
in which music m aster Nicholas Reed
directed the pro g ram m e th at much of the
inspiration em a n a te d from his own musi
cianship and his ability to com m unicate
this to his pupils and to the audience.
Clean incisive playing m ark ed the,
opening bars of K enneth P latt’s "Satur-"
day O v e r tu r e ," which o p en ed the p ro
g ram m e, and the disciplined playing from
each section was m aintained th rou gh ou t
a well-shaped perform ance.
I n c r e d i b l y t h e i r firs t p i e c e w as
surpassed by a virtually flawless reading
of A d ria n o B anchieri’s “ E cho F a n ta
sia."
T h e same group later excelled in a
23
setting of the con sp irato rs’ chorus from
V erd i’s R igo letto."
Sir H ub ert P arry’s setting of Milton's
w ords in “ Blest Pair of S iren s" is
considered one o f his finest c om posi
tions, and the Strathallan choir captured
Milton's ch aracter in a p erform ance full
of d eep feeling and intensity, admirably
borne along by Geoffrey B olton's effec
tively registered organ acco m pan im ent.
A change of m ood and pace was provided
by a very promising string q u artet in a
delicately played M inuet and T rio by
Boccherini.
T h e choir cap tured nicely the idiom of
B a rto k ’s “ F ou r Slovak S o ng s,” with Mr
Bolton accom panying.
T h e com bined forces massed for a
grand finale consisting of Saint-Saens’
.po p u lar “ Carnival of the A nim als" — a
p erfo rm an ce which in many respects
would be hard to match.
From “ The Courier” .
ORGAN VOLUNTARY
A t risk of boring you I th ought I'd
write ab o u t, you've guessed it, organs
and organ playing, or rath er, try to
answ er som e of those questions about
what goes on up there in the organ loft . .
First of all, it ought to be m ade quite
clear th at we organists cann ot in fact
watch the latest thrilling ep isode of
“ N e i g h b o u r s " on th a t c o n v e n ie n tly
placed T .V . screen on top of the console
(n or even Sticky M om ents — though it
has to be said, such a treat would on
certain occasions, not have gone amiss).
A lthough “ W h e n ” I h ear you say “ are
eith er of those p ro g ram m e s on T.V .
when we are in C h a p e l? ” O . K . , point
tak en , but then what is on T .V . at 8.35
a.m . ap art from the G reen G oddess?
N o, th at screen along with the cam era
which always seem s to be pointing at you
w herever you may be in the entire
C hapel, is merely to enable the organist
to view the con d u c to r whilst a cco m p any
ing one of the c h o ir’s an th e m s, which
th oug h I say it myself, are always
stunning!
T h e n , of course, th ere is the question
of why organists always seem to be
bobbing up and down or flinging their
arm s ab ou t from side to side. Well, for a
non-organist the first look at a cathedral
organ console (and in deed, though it is
electronic, o u r organ is o f cathedral
organ p roportions) is nothing short of
staggering, and I have seen many a jaw
fall. N ot con ten ted with just using our
hands, we organists revel in doing acro
batics with o u r feet — there is an entire
row of notes for the feet (know n as the
pedal board) which is set o ut just like a
norm al piano k eyboard only on a much
larger scale to enable you to play single
notes with each foot (or som etimes
chords — a feat m ore easily p erform ed
wearing high-heels — not th at I've tried
it!) T hen there are three ‘p ed als’ known
as ‘swell boxes,' resembling som ething
like a car accelerator and they control the
volume (although only p a r t ia l ly — this is
a bit too complex to explain in this
article). T h en on o ur organ there are a
fu rther eighteen gold(ish) buttons or ‘toe
pistons' which control the m ov em ent of
the stops (those round white things which
come o ut and go back in again from time
to time — they control what sound the
organ is actually m aking, e.g. tr u m p e t or
flute).
So, whilst all you can see o f me is from
the waist upw ards, there are a multitude
of things going on down below — hence
the bobbing and swaying as I dive with
my foot for a different piston or pedal.
T h e th e m e ffom “ th a t piece which
everyone knows as ‘the R e v .’ is going out
of c h ap el” ’ (T he T occata, from Leon
Boellm ann's ‘Suite G o th in q u e ’, for the
m ore edu cated am o ng us) is in fact
played with the feet on the pedals —
m eanw hile the hands are playing ‘loads
fit; M
'V i V v / j
Neil at the console o f our exciting new organ.
of notes' and are. to look at, frankly just
a blur — they are m eant to be th at way
though — it’s not th at I can't play it —
honest!
A s for swinging your arm s arou nd ,
som e people think tha t this looks ‘artis
tic,’ and as a result m ak e a meal of it
(actually it looks daft) but one has from
time to time to push or pull a stop
manually and this is a very tricky m a n
oeuvre while playing, h ence the fast arm
m o vem ent.
Finally, for the back row boys, that
very loud and very rude noise which
em a n a te s from above you periodically, is
not due to the fact th at we have overfed
the organ, but the 32 foot reed — so
called because on a pipe organ the
24
re son ato r of the lowest note would be 32
feet long. If used sparingly and heard
from the front of the chapel, from where
the balance is best, this gives a very
thrilling addition to the last chord of a
piece, for exam ple ‘G o d is gone up' by
G erald Finzi. H ow ever, used in the'
w rong context, this ‘no ise’ can either be
quite irritating or amusing — you take
your pick.
Anyw ay, I hope that this has cleared
up most of the co m m o n queries a b o u t the
organ. It’s great fun to play and rath er
sad th at m ore people do not take it up
(budding pianists take note). T h ere is
always a shortage of organists and plenty
o f reasonably paid posts to be found!
Neil Cockburn.
RILEY MUSIC
Riley music to ok on a new look this
year. Individual instrumentalists found
th e m s e l v e s 'v o l u n t e e r e d ' into small
groups. The variety of these has been
impressive, ranging through a saxophone
qu artet, brass trio, violin duo , cello duo,
to the Riley Trio of clarinet, piano and
cello. (Could any senior house match this
wealth of talent?) Pianists were catered
for, too , with a Piano Club which at least
a tte m p te d to explore some of the myste
ries of im provisation. T he Riley Choir
provided many h arm on iou s m o m en ts at
C hapel services, with the an them s rang
ing form Russia to South Africa and
dating from the 17th to the 20th c e n tu
ries.
A n o th e r innovation was a series of
h alf -te rm ly c o n c e rt s fo r th e w hole
H ouse. T he first was a relatively modest
affair lasting 50 minutes with con trib u
tio n s fr o m Riley C h o i r an d som e
instrumentalists. This proved so success
ful th at the next concert lasted two hours
and contained items by Riley d ram a
groups, and recitations, as well as music.
T h e stage was set th erefo re (excuse the
pun) for the Riley E n tertain m en t for
p arents (o ur next concert). T he main
item here was a p erfo rm an ce o f S w in g in '
S am son in which the C hoir provided the
music to a series o f tableaux depicting the
Bible story. Singer and actors alike
resp ond ed to an appreciative and e n th u
siastic audience.
T h e year will end with a competition
for instrumentalists. T h ere will be three
classes: 1 piano solo, 2 o th er instrumental
/ vocal solo, 3 ensem ble. The prize
winners will play at the final Riley
C on cert on Ju n e 26th.
I have not singled out any individual
names for mention here, since so many
have c ontributed to the best of their
ability. Riley Music is fl o u ris h in g — long
may it do so.
M .M cL .
THE GUITARIST
It's evening, as
in front o f the
T h e lone father
ro om , to play
the family settle down
TV ,
sneaks off to his little
his sacred guitar.
H e worships it for its elegance,
Yet curses it for its difficulty.
T h e time consum ing hobby.
T h a t drives him up the wall.
Steel hard c oncentration.
Frowning on the brow.
H ands poised, like attacking vipers.
Waiting to strike their prey.
T h e first note struck out u n c ere m o n i
ously.
Shattering the silence.
T hen followed by the rest of the tu ne.
Played with the vicious flow of an
am ateur.
T h e musician played, tickling the belly of
the fish.
He so w anted to conquer.
With bended back and tapping foot.
He struggled into the night.
The tu ne flowed through him.
Avoiding and fighting the abysmal offkey notes.
W ithout loss of co ncen tration the man
m anaged to straighten his back.
A nd relax his mind as he started to en joy
his labour.
From key to key and tune to tune.
The man played all he knew.
T h en finally he sto pp ed for he had played
all that he could.
All that rem ained was a lingering tu ne.
Which he whistled as he left the room .
James Reekie
Form III Runner-up
[2 .
-*~ 0 ~ 0 -
ff
-0 — 0 -
iP iiip P
0 0 1 0
JAYEM Office Equipment
Refurbished Equipment
always available
with Guarantee
T y p e w rite rs , P h o toc o pie rs , F a csim ile,
Office fu r n itu re and all S ta tio n e ry
QUALITY
1 VALUE
\ \ \ __
7 SERVICE
SALE
RENTAL
LEASE
t a y s i d f - f jf e
-P E R TH S H IR E
(W ritte n d e ta ils on re q u e s t)
6 Panm ure Street. Dundee
S A LES & S E R V IC E O F M O S T M A K E S
COPIERS, TYPEWRITERS, FAX, ETC.
DUNDEE (0382) 27600,27543 & 25003
PIPES AND DRUMS
D ue to limited literacy am ongst senior
m em be rs of the B and, or due to my low
resistance to persuasion, the lines have
fallen to me — and thus I present this
y ear’s R eport.
T h e first Term passed peacefully with
hockey taking precedence for Messrs
W hitm ee and Low, who m anaged only a
few more a p p earances at practices than
the “ all-singing, all-dancing, holy’’ Pipe
Band President. T h e de ath of “ The
B attle o f K illiecrankie" was greatly
m ou rn ed by all Band m em b ers, none
m ore so than the Judge and his m entor.
In the Spring T e rm , the n u m b e r of
Band engagem ents rose dramatically to
an incredible “ T W O ” ad ven tures, un fo r
tunately both to a place where no man
had d ared march b efore, Perth Ice Rink!
(Actually, the Band has played th ere on
seven occasions in the last th ree years. —
T G L ) D uring the final day of the Ice
R i n k ’s e x is te n c e , the B an d a lm o st
becam e stars of slippery stage and screen,
but failed miserably in gaining natio n
wide recognition even on “ Scotsp ort” at
10 minutes to midnight. We were heard
but not seen, but the usual high standard
of play was m aintained th rou gh ou t the
p erform ance, as was the B and's collec
tive appetite over the Buffet Lunch.
T he next m ajo r event of this B and year
was the “ Duty F re e ’’ pilgrimage by the
two senior pipers, Messrs Marshall and
D u n b a r to a festival held at RoissyCharles de Gaulle A irpo rt in “ Gay
P a r e e ." T h a t jau nt had to be classed as
one of the best Band eng agem en ts ever.
Pity the B and w asn’t there!
D ue to a quite spectacular feat of skill
and dexterity, T h e Lady Lauriston Piping
C om petition m anaged to clash with the
V lth Form Ball. T h e stand ard of piping
from all schools was extremely high, with
G lenalm o nd taking the h onours just
ah ead of Strathallan. N evertheless, it was
gratifying to have so m any schools taking
part and to have so many juniors from
Prep Schools present. The Band's D rum
C orps — always feeling neglected provided a magnificent D rum Fanfare
before the Finale.
T h e rem ain d er of ou r Spring Term
practices were dis rupted by o u r young
aspiring thespians and incredible hockey
talent.
But before moving on to the S um m er
T e rm , a brief respite from the pupils’
activities and the first word of thanks to
o ur Instructors. In the course of the year
Pipe M ajor B arron was hospitalised and
his son, R oderick, took over the Piping
Instruction and tightened up on our
discipline. M r Clark and Mr Braid
devoted countless hours of their spare
time to decorating “ T h e Piping Palace"
which n e a rly becam e wholly ours (no one
daring to evict M r G limm from his
mysterious annexe!). T h ro u g h o u t the
y ear we e njo yed new lighting, a new
d eco r and Royal Stewart curtains — We
w ere proud to be there. D uring their
herculean and nocturnal exploits came
the news that we were to be moved fairly
soon. Nevertheless, their work was not in
vain, since we proved to the A rm y that
not only did we deserve premises, but
also th at we could look after them . We
have o u r suspicions that the demolition
of “ T h e R a n g e ” on the Main Drive and
the building of a new complex on East
Drive owe their planning in no small
m easure to Mr Clark and Mr Braid.
So to the S u m m er T erm , which was
fraught with danger, partly due to the
im m inent arrival of m u ch-n eed ed new kit
(O h! T he m u tte re d c o n v ersatio n s
betw een the C haplain and the three
Instructors and the freq uen t use of a
calculator, but finally and superbly su p
plied by the m o th e r of a pupil at School
and generously financed by the G o v e r
nors) and partly due to the d ep artu re of
Nick Q u in n , twice! We nevertheless
seem ed to m uddle through to Speech
D ay, which was a great success and, from
the co m m e nts heard both during and
after, enjo yed by all. We fielded 26
pipers and drum m ers.
With The Scottish Schools' C C F C o m
petition looming even nearer, the three
wise monkeys (alias Pipe M ajo r Bert
B arron , D rum M ajo r G eo rg e Braid and
the ever-enthusiastic disciplinarian David
Clark) sm o o thed out rough edges.
T h e C o m petition was held at Glasgow
A cad em y and we were thrilled to see that
C o m m a n d e r CN W alker (M aster i/c
C C F) and the H ea d m a ste r were present.
T h e final results were astounding:
Junior Piping Competition:
1st— Hamish M cC artan (Strathallan) (14
com petitors).
Junior
1st —
tors).
2nd —
3rd —
Drumming Competition:
Glasgow A c ade m y (9 co m peti
Iain Wilson (Strathallan).
A n d rew Q uinn (Strathallan).
Senior Drumming Competition:
1st — Peter Sochart (Strathallan) (12
com petitors).
Drum Bass Section Competition:
1st — Russell G riev e (S trath alla n):
H enry Brown (Strathallan); Ja m e s Steel
(Strathallan).
2nd — Dollar A cadem y.
3rd — G len alm o n d (3 competitors).
Pipes and Drums Competition:
1st — Edinburgh A cad em y (9 co m p e ti
tors).
2nd — Strathallan.
3rd — Daniel Stewarts & Melville C o l
lege.
26
Drill and Dress Competition:
1st — Strathallan (9 com petitors).
2nd — D aniel Stew arts & Melville
College.
(H ad o u r Ju n io r D rum M ajor, Jam es
Steel, c o m p eted , there is no dou bt that
he would have ta ken the 5th Trophy!)
So over the past five years Strathallan
School’s Pipes & D rum s has not been out
of the top three School B ands, never
mind ou r success at the T A V R C o m p e ti
tion in 1989! O u r return jo urney from
Glasgow was rath e r noisy!
A r r a n g e m e n ts m a d e by “ D o u g ie "
H end erson three years ago to play at
Bridge of E arn H ospital’s 50th year
R e u n i o n F e te w as c o n f i r m e d a n d
fulfilled, an d. in spite of the absence of a,
“ Beer T e n t ." was e njoyed by us all.
So to ou r “ Farew ells": to A n drew
Marshall (he of the whispered con versa
tions); to Russell Grieve (he o f the
un-hirsute elegance)' to Scott G ib b (the
doyen of W o od lan ds, T h o rn b a n k and his
m inder — David G ault) and lastly, to
Pipe M a jor Charlie D u n b a r (he of the
m em o rable "Listen in! T h e Old 3/4s").
The Strathallan Piping
Competition Results:
& Drumming
Junior Drumming:
1st — P eter B orgen-N ielson; 2nd — R.
Bevan; 3rd — M. Burns (all Riley!).
March, Strathspey & Reel:
1st — C harles D u n b a r; 2nd — A n d re w J.
K. Marshall.
Hornpipe & Jig:
1st — C. A. B. D u n b ar; 2nd — J o n ath an
Frame.
Senior Drumming;
1st — Peter Sochart; 2nd — A. J. Q uinn;
3rd — I. D. J. Wilson.
Pibroch:
1st — C. A. B. D u n b ar; 2nd A. J. K.
Marshall; 3rd — 11. M cCartan.
President’s Cup for Service to the Pipes
and Drums:
Russell G rieve.
Pipe Band l ies awarded to:
A lasdair G aw , Alex Macleod and Jam e s
Steel.
A m o m en to u s effort was put in by
every m e m b e r of the Band throu gh ou t
the year. We are all indebted to o ur three
Instructors without w hom we would not
be “ T he Strathallan School Pipes &
D ru m s .”
Russell Crieve
(with AJKM's help)
PIPE BAND
G o on lads! face the cro w d s and
judges,
Taste the su m m er breeze,
Let them find no hints of mistake.
Let the drum s crack and spit forth their
song.
Have been to w ards this.
T h e snares snarl, while the bass drum
calls forth — ,
T h e rumbling of a waking m onster.
A n d then — soaring melodies of ecstasy.
Piercing the air to fly erratically.
Let the spirit and life of the song inflame
your soul.
Be ta ken away: let the perform an ce
em erge from within —
Prancing and frolicking, playing on the
ob serv ers’, ears and innerm ost e m o
tions . . .
D raw up your chests, to full height,
Smart and u niform ed, tightened belts.
Sporrans gleaming, flowing plaids and
bits.
G lengarries m o ulded to your heads.
Pull on the face of discipline,
March forward in precision, rank and file
in sweet coalition.
T h e rich tu ne fleeing to g re ate r heights.
D ancing and reeling.
The march strong to rouse the m o u n
tains.
T h e reel, playful, could will a baby to
slumber.
T he tu ne will close — pull out
lightning — to silence.
T ak e down the pipes soundlessly.
T o h ear a mouse's heart beat.
W ithdraw with co n ten tm e n t.
A n d know y o u ’ve done your best.
Let all taxing practises, and long circles
on the lawn.
P un ctuated finger exercises of precision.
D evoted winter nights.
All that was w orked towards.
Be sum m o ned up today.
T h e hard hours polishing, buffing m etal
w are.
Pressing hat and kilt.
Scrubbed spats, and blackened brogues
shining.
Split out the circle so perfect.
T h a t no com pass may match.
Lift knees graceful to please the eye.
Yet formal and regulated.
Allow your fingers to accentuate the
tune.
G am bolling as if possessed by immortal
spirit.
Lilt the tu ne.
Keep taut the bag, steady the tone.
like
W hen you have, th e r e ’ll be no doubting
your reward:
Scottish Schools Pipe Band C ham pions.
Ilamish McCartan
Form IV Runner-up
Below: The Scottish Poetry Library visited the
school. Tessa Ruinsford gave a lecture and we
hud the chance o f borrowing from u selection o f
books which she brought with her.
THE BOYFRIEND
(A masochist’s view)
First I'd just like to say “ Hi D a d " and
th at this is not going to be a conventional
‘It was absolutely su p e r and e v e ry o n e
was a sta r’ type school play review — I
was in it, so I d o n 't have to say that.
Right. T h a t's that.
T h e plot of Cole P o rter's wonderful
pseudo-20's all-singing, all-dancing, allfamily e n tertain m en t musical ex trav a
ganza with a cast o f thousands was . . .
well . . . a little tiny bit shallow. Basically
it runs som ething like this: Polly (Kirsty
W oo d) is a beautiful li'l rich gal, dau g h ter
of millionaire Percival Browne (James
D u cat), who w o n 't let her see boys,
because ‘one d a y ’ she will be rich, and he
d o e s n ’t w ant her married for her money
(to be). H er friends are, how ever, wellen do w ed on the ’ole boyfriend front —
“ T h e L e a d e r of the P ac k" is archflirtress Masie (Jenny Scouller), who has
AND
D
A
N
C
I
N
D u tc h - c u m - A m e r ic a n B o b b y V an
H eusen (D an Breves) on her tail. The
o t h e r s — Dulcie (Liz R eek ie), Fay (Fiona
M ow at), and Nancy (Frances Low) are
e n a m o u re d (and, let’s be fran k, who can
blam e th e m ? ), by A lp ho nse (D e rek
Jo nes), Marcel (Kris L an n e n ), and Pierre
(Y ours Truly) respectively. F u rth erm o re,
th ere is a chorus o f young beauts at said
School for Y oung Ladies (H elen Swin-
banks, Gillian M cA voy, Dayveen Dalrym ple, Lesley-Anne D e w ar, Eilidh C u r
rie, Kate T u rn e r and Jill Kelly) flirting
with strange boys who climb in their
French Windows (Jon Taylor and Ian
Fergusson). A nyw ay, after the all too
necessary nam e drop ping (to appease the
T h espians amongst us, you u nderstand
d a h lin g ? ). Back to Nice . .
28
C urtains o p en , revealing a very reve
aling H o r te n s e (K a te M o rris o n ) skimply and scandalously clad, I might
add — distracted by noisy girls. T here
follows Polly with a letter from her
“ bo yfrien d” and t h e r e ’s a dance. Mine
D u b o n n et (K ate B ow den), presumably
distracted by the inform al clacking of tap
shoes in her school, chastises th em , reads
(quite rudely) Polly’s letter, and shock, gasps — it’s not from Paris, but
Nice — She's writing to herself. T hey go
aw ay, Bobby and Masie C harleston to an
eerily om n ip re se n t o rch estra ( ...? ) and
Percival e n t e r s — It transpires th at ‘Kiki’
D u b o n n e t and he were w ar-time lovers.
As if this startling im probability was not
enough (and it always struck me as odd
that a p aren t should never have met the
o w n e r of his dau g h ter's school), the boy
delivering Polly's dress gives it straight to
her — and T o ny (that's his na m e, well
actually he prefers “ Nik Q u in n " ) is
English! Quelle surprise! Polly meets
D addy — happy end of Act I.
A fter the positively nauseating “ Sur la
Plage" n u m b e r (in which we all happily
mimicked doing B reaststro ke) Polly and
Tony m eet at the ban dstan d (cliche). In
their “ O h , In'it s w e e t" d u e tte , “ R oom
in B l o o m s b u r y " , T o n y c o n s is te n tly
seem s m ore interested in the springiness
of the bed than her pie for two . . . and
i
Kirsty d id blush every night (!) — but
their make believe happiness is crassly
shattere d by H o rten se (in equally slight
T wenties gear) p rom en ad in g with the
boys and girls. (La risque can-can n u m
ber, ‘Nicer in N ice’, and a new side to
H o rte n s e ’s character). E n ter Kiki and
Percy, being reluctantly ro m an ced; say
‘H i’ to Lord B rockhurst (Colin Pettinger)
—
a right pervo. Lady B Laura Marshall)
has him on a very tight leash however
(and 1 must ask if th a t’s what he wanted
all along . . .) Again ultra-coincidence —
th e y ’re in Nice to find their son (a
runaway) — guess who? Yes! Tony —
not really a m esseng er boy, but a
black-sheep Baronet! Maisie continues to
flirt shamelessly (the hussy!) and so the
end of the Act a p proac he th — T ony and
credit m ust be given to Kirsty for not
Polly are tog eth e r but when Lady B sees
collapsing into giggles (it was all so O T T ,
him, she calls for the policemen (M artin
dahling). H ortense (still a la skimp) finds
Ross; he moonlighted as a waiter too)
Tony and persuades him to go to the ball.
and everything gets confused 'cos every
T h at he does and happiness is (wait for it
o ne thinks T ony is a thief! P o o r Billy
- you know it’s coming, and I’m so
sorry, but I d id n ’t write it) sealed with a
kiss. Nooo! Argh! Percy tells Polly h e ’s
m arrying Kiki, and the girls accept the
boys. Ail the parents m eet, and despite
that before T ony had fled from his
disgusting lewd father and ear-splitting
shrill m o ther, h e ’s happy to see th em (? ).
Final rendition of ‘T he B oyfriend’s and
u m p teen th ‘1 could be happy with y o u ’ —
with Balloons! Curtain closes — screams
of “ M ake up re m o v e r!’’
A fter getting this far, you may well be
thinking “ W ho was the Acid Victim who
picked that on e, t h e n ? ”
Mr “ Say you hate m e " B roadfoot. It
was a g reat play to be seen in (I refuse to
write ‘be a part o f ) — and a welcome
extrem e to M a c b e th of last year and
everyone knew it was completely unreal,
which really made it work. M r B also
deserves credit as o u r prod uc er, and
(hack!) who will take her to the ball now?
Sob!
Act III reveals all — (H o r t e n s e ’s dress
gets even shorter) — Kiki and Percy get
to gether, and the boys propose to the
girls — who w o n ’t give a definite answer
’til midnight (a hilarious p rank . I’m sure)
- but to console the audience now on
the edge of their seats, a devilish (YES!
Y O U D O IT A N D Y O U W IL L SE E!)
“ new ’’ dance (invented by som eone with
three legs, a m etro n o m e in his h ead, and
a mania for con tortion ) — “ T h e Rive ra " . Q uite un forgetta ble were Lord B
and D ulcie’s p e rfo rm an ce of “ N ev er too
old to fall in love" — a gratuitous,
bawdy, licentious, in nu endo-ridde n piece
of bottom smacking, finger licking filth.
Yes F IL T H . Incidentally, it was very
funny — Liz’s nonchalant Betty Boop
voice and Colin's anxious Englishness
were not to be missed. Sorry if you did.
Well, after a cloying story of heartach e, a
truly tum ultuously tacky finale was ine
vitable. Polly, needless to say really, is
manic-depressive Pierette — and all
29
d i r e c t o r — you try to make a dance break
look “ n atu ra l” and “ im p ro m p tu " . Mr
R eed conducted the school orchestra as
well as “ coaxing out o ur u nta p p e d wells
of singing m agnificence” . It would be
completely unfair to give one m e m b e r of
the direction team extra atte ntio n, but I
will — T ony Ellis, o u r D ance Instructor,
transform ed (m e at least) from a shuffling
wreck, n ear to wracking sobs at his own
in eptitude, to a “ lean, m ean , d an cin ’
m ach in e” , (well alm ost). His classes may
have been effective, but they reduced
p o o r L.M. to a quivering mass and she
ran away . . ! Well done Tony. Mr
G oo d y made the lights light (or not),
w ith usual flair, a B u rn s - R i d d o c h P arker-P ig ene au-B .O . Schlee team built
the set (u n d er expert help from Mr
“ Fairy Lights" Ross), and Mrs H u n te r
with her A ddison-Clark — Pattinson and
(Y es, it was tru e, 1st XV Captain!
C heez!) C O O K team m ade us all look
like we had m ake up on. We did. T here
were a lot of stagehands. Hi. You
re m e m b e r who you were. Finally, Katriona Bell told us to shut up. Actually she
was trainee stage m anag er here at the
Strathallan A m a te u r D ram atics Society
(o r S A D S , as w e ’ll call o urselves,
dahling. in the biz).
Well I liked it, and I’ve a pretty good
idea everyone did. I und erstan d next year
t h e y ’re d o in g a few p ie c e s ‘flu n g
to geth er' by C h eko v, in the FreudoO edipal interpretation. (In the original
U kranian dialect). As for tap dancing and
C harlestoning — Ha! They'll be doing it
on roller skates! See you then.
Alex Johnson.
P.S. T o all of those who accused me so
unfairly of doing the play to shirk games
(the very idea) — Y O U go to a dance
practice for an hour!
(Alex does his stuff — top right,
previous page).
VERSE SPEAKING CLUB
In a new v entu re, 18 individual pupils
and the whole of III Set I m ade forays
into Perth for the verse speaking/Bible
reading classes of the Perthshire Musical
(C o m petition) Festival in the City Hall in
March. T h e expeditions proved to be
very fruitful, despite the fact that for
many of the participants it was the first
time they had p erfo rm ed on a stage
before an audience and an adjudicator, A
few, sadly, discovered that if one leaves
the learning of the poem s until the last
m inute then the pressure and tension of
the occasion will inevitably bring lapses
of mem ory.
T h e following pupils achieved distinc
tion certificates (85-89%): Julie J o h n
stone, for fine readings from the Old and
New T estam ents; Tracey M orton and
M arianne R ustad for recitations from
Burns; and Paul Jo hn ston , who p er
form ed poem s by the Perth poet, William
Soutar. Distinctions also went to Richard
Townhill and H e a th e r D ew ar for recita
tions of two very difficult poem s by
Edwin M uir and P hoebe H esketh. First
place in that class went to Tessa Dunlop
who also perform ed splendidly in the
Burns class for the senior age group. She
gained high praise from Mr T om Martin,
the ad judicator, and a score of 9 2 % , the
highest mark I can ever re m e m b e r being
aw arded for recitation in Perth. This was
for a rendering of “ A d dress to the
H aggis." “ She will be much in d em a n d
for Burns S u p p e rs," Mr Martin said.
Having p erform ed two Scots poems
chorally at last N o v e m b e r’s St A ndrew s
Night. Ill Set I decided to try the choral
verse speaking class at Perth. They
achieved a distinction for en ergetic
renderings of poem s by Charles Wolfe
a n d O g d e n N ash. T his resu lt was
obtained despite the distraction caused to
the ad jud icato r by Laurie C ru m p who
was spotted scratching his leg during the
second poem!
In May, five girls took part in the
speech and d ram a classes of the E d in
burgh C o m p etitio n Festival, held in
Musselburgh. All five came h om e, arm ed
with certificates. Tracey M orton and
Tessa D u nlo p achieved merit (85-89%)
for reciting a poem by Marion Angus. In
the class for the p erform ance of a short
scene from a play. H e a th e r D ew ar
and Louise W eston attained a merit for
boldly tackling the dialogue in “ H enry
V " betw een C ath erin e and Alice — in
French! M arianne R ustad won two firsts,
with a merit certificate for a p rep ared
reading of prose, and a splendid I lonours
(over 9 0 % ) for “ A ddress to the T o o th a
ch e" by Burns. As the a d jud icato r said,
it was such a realistic p erform ance that
we all suffered with her.
I. McF.
Below: Form III smile with relief til llteir
success.
1CDAOi
rmmc
mmi
-
............... ..
30
DEBATING SOCIETY
In a p p a re n t contrast with previous
debating years, the School D ebating
Society has had a very successful and
productive session this year, characte r
ised by en couraging perform an ces in the
more “ usual-' areas, and also by exciting
excursions into related spheres of activ
ity.
With a series of debates in the A u tum n
T e rm with such diverse titles as: “ This
H ouse believes that the individual's first
responsibility is to him self'' or “ This
House would legalise cannabis" (by far
the b e tter-atten d e d de ba te !), the o p p o r
tunity was given for the School's latent
debating talent to realise itself. This il
did, with encouraging success and e n th u
siasm — those who d eba te d doing so,
eith er for the challenge it offered, for the
public exposure it afforded, or just for
the joy of arguing. Many of those
motivated by the latter were just giving
free rein to their belligerent urges,
aw ak en ed , though partly frustrated, as a
m e m b e r of T h e H ouse at earlier debates.
A m ongst the more notable exam ples of
talent exposed were Joh n M inihane,
L a u ra M arsh all, A lec Jo h n s o n and
Daniel Breves. Hopefully, those going
into U p p e r Sixth will continue to develop
their abilities as well as allowing their
urges to remain unbridled.
In addition to these fairly standard
features of "T h e D eb ating Y e a r" , there
were some exciting develop m en ts into
previously un explored areas of debating.
The most significant of these has to be
the “ In ter-H o use D ebating C o m p e ti
tio n " . brainchild of C ath erin e ("th e
skirt") Burns, " M r S p e a k e r" as Mr
L o n g m u ir kept insisting. Run on a
knock-out basis, judged by a Team of
judges drawn from houses not taking part
in that particular d e b a te , the com petition
was contested by te am s of two (from a
pool of 3) from each house. D eb ate titles
ranged from the philosophical:
“ . . . Justice cann ot be achieved
through R e v e n g e ", to the topical:
"M rs T h a tc h e r should stand down
before the next electio n." Each debate
was chaired by a M aster (mostly by Mr
L ongmuir) but with vital contributions
from Mrs F orster and Mr Bolton.
T h e L eburn team of Alex John son ,
Fraser R ea and Sandy Milroy won the
competition though this was not without
fierce and impressive competition from
the W o o d lan d s', R u thv en, and particu
larly the T h o rn b a n k team of Danielle
Muir and Nicola Robb. With a d eb ate
being held every w eek, organisation and
adm inistration (or "m a n ip u la tio n " as
som e bad losers would have it), was
hectic and becam e increasingly difficult
to w a rd s th e e n d . th e very w ord
“ D e b a te " coming to signify a bore, if not
a vile curse that the C o m m ittee had
brought upon itself. H ow ever, it must be
recognised that the C om petition came off
very successfully, especially for a first
time run. This was due particularly to the
enthusiasm and c o m m itm ent of a certain
J erem y P ark er and also to the advice and
support of the Chaplain. Ultimately, I
think that everyone found the co m p e ti
T h e star of the Balloon D ebate held in
the last week of the A cadem ic Y ear had
to be L e b u rn 's very own Alex Joh nso n as
“ W an d a W hip lash". A ttired in a fetch
ing pair of black fishnets, a micro-skirt, a
blonde wig and leather jacket, and
illustrating his/her arg u m en t with a parti
cularly striking p ro p. Miss "Big A l”
W an d a e n te rta in ed all with her account
of good old-fashioned sin and corruption.
(A subject with which T h e Big A is not
unfam iliar.) T h e o th e r d eb ate rs used
equally innovative if flimsy argum ents.
T h e H oo ds (J o n ath an Leiper, Daniel
M cGilvray) "W e'll kick yous in if you
d on 't vote f'ru s " . Lord T h arg (David
Ismail — in riding breeches, riding boots
and wielding a riding crop) " I 'm unbelievebly o p u len t, so do as 1 say ", Jason
D o no van (T arra n t Steele) “ I'll sing at
you if you d o n 't co m p ly ". Mr A n o n y m
ous (Nick D em psey, looking a bit like
" T h e Invisible M a n " but clad in a full
A m erican Football face-mask) "I don't
know who I am , so definitely vote for
m e " (?) and Z a rta The M aster D eb ater
(Sandy Milroy) “ Since I'm the all-time
M aster D e b a te r, th en I'll beat you all at
deb ating , so you w on't be able to fling
me out . .
All hugely convincing
a rgu m en ts . . . Even if they w eren 't, they
m ade us laugh, which was the actual
point of it all. Final mention should also'
be m ade o f the C h a irm a n . Jerem y
P ark er, as Col. M u h a m m e d Q u 'a dd afi.
the tim e-k eep er, Neil C o ck bu rn as a
colourful Q u e e n , Rhidian Davies (Ed:
C lad in an Aristotlian sheet which fre
quently cam e u nd o n e) and the Chaplain
as T h e C ho rus in his natty scarlet O xford
rowing blazer and boater. T ho ug h he
may not have attained the same philoso
phical depths as Sophocles, he did have
the seeming om nip resence and of course
the audibility of a classical G re e k chorus.
With all du e respect, of course. “ Pace” .
31
tion rewarding and fun, made even more
so by the following verbal contortions
and contradictions thrown up by beleagured minds in times of debating duress
(the less enlightened might term them
“ D ebating B oogers"):
“ . . . killing people saves lives"
". . . W ho 's going to have the baby,
the man or the w o m a n ? "
", . . In 1939 there was an o u tb r e a k of
Hitler".
A n o th e r new develo pm en t this year
has been the introduction, by p op ular
request, of Ju nio r D ebatin g for the third
and fourth forms. A lthough attendance
at the maiden d e b a te was discouragingly
low, s u c ceed in g d e b a te s have been
enthusiastically sup po rte d and look set to
be equally w ell-attended in coming years.
In spite of the fact that some argum ents
suffered from u n d e r-p rep aratio n and
p o o r delivery, this can be rem edied.
W hat is of prim ary im portance is the
actual a ttem p t. Nevertheless, several
Ju n io r D eb ate rs of high calibre em erged ,
amongst them: Pauline L ockhart. N icho
las Hartley, Jason Kaye and Matthew
D over, who all look as though they might
develop their latent abilities in the future.
O ne problem that has arisen from the
current a rran g em en t of Ju n io r D ebating
for the third and fourth form ers, and
Senior D ebating for the sixth form only,
is the co n sequent neglect of fifth form
debating — should they be incorporated
into Senior debating, or attached to the
third and fourth forms? P erhap s the
whole structure needs rethinking to allow
for mixed d ebate s? I hope that next
year's c om m ittee will apply them selves to
resolving this situation.
An equally significant, yet less publi
cised expansion was that into the area of
" I n t e r - s c h o o l D e b a t i n g ” . In e a rl y
O c to b e r, the School en te re d a team
a g a i n s t M o n t r o s e A c a d e m y in a
nationally-organised competition being
held that night at Fo rfar A cad em y. In
spite of a valiant a ttem p t by debating
" h e r o e s " . Rhidian Davies and C atherine
Burns, we were knocked o ut in the first
round by a te am of hysterical neurotics
(fem ale), c o m m e n d e d , ludicrously, by
the Judges for their “ em otional involve
m e n t" in their argum ent. H ow ever, this
em otional exhibitionism didn't stop them
from losing the actual vote of the H ouse
( “ T h e im p o rta n t b it " , we co nso led
ourselves). O n a less satirical note,
how ever, the com petition did serve to
show just how high the stand ards of
deb atin g elsewhere can be, and gave the
Chaplain the o p po rtu nity to insist upon
correct deb ating p ro c e d u r e " , thus laying
the ghost of the co m placent attitude that
“ because w e're Strath, we must be
g o o d " which prevailed for the past 5
years.
Rhidian Davies
HOUSE DRAMA
1989 m arked the sixth annual “ H ouse
D ra m a Festival” , and this year Mrs
F orster assumed the difficult task of
organising the event. So it was, after a
brief period of scriptwriting and reh ears
ing (very brief in some cases), th at all
gath ered for the ultim ate co m petition, by
offering their plays for evaluation by the
two judges, Mrs Ross and Mrs McFarlane.
O n N o v em b er 3rd at 7 p .m ., what
ap p ea red to be h un d re d s o f third and
fourth form ers squeezed into the lecture
th ea tre, compacting them selves into the
rows o f seats and jostling for space in the
aisle and on the floor. By 10.30 p .m .,
when the ritual finally en d e d , the room
resem bled som ething n e are r to a turkisfi
b ath, and the bathers seem ed exhausted
after the m ara th o n dip into house dram a.
It would be im practical to describe each
o f the seven plays th at were p erform ed,
but some are w orthy of a mention.
W ood lan ds' “ Vegetables Believe In
H e a v e n ” f e a t u r e d som e c o u ra g e o u s
singing and dancing by a throng of rugby
and hockey playing grocers. T h e aud i
ence and judges (who adm itted to being
“ lost” ) were baffled by the storyline, yet
it was obvious that this was the most
sophisticated and rehearsed play of the
evening, and it was rew arded with the
“ Best Play" prize.
Jam es Ducat (Nicol) was by far the
evening’s most e ntertaining and im press
ive actor as an alcoholic defence lawyer
at the trial of a Mr Schneider, and he was
rightly recognised as “ Best A c to r" . Jill
Kelly (W o od land s) was aw arded “ Best
S upporting A c to r" in her role as Miss
C louding, the mysterious wiltsleader of
the vegetables. Peter Brown (F reeland)
and C am ero n Hill (R uth v en ) provided
more laughs as did Rhesa O bineche
(L eb u rn ) in his a p p r o p r ia t e ^ ) role as
Goldilocks. R uthven, who had a highly
original storyline, won the prize for
"B e st Script" with “ Radio S torn ow ay ",
followed by T h o rn b a n k 's " L'activitie on
d e c k " as runner-up.
While the standards of writing this year
seem ed to be lower than th at of previous
y ears, th e judges se e m e d generally
im pressed, stressing that the im portance
of the festival lay in the rehearsing and
perform ing rath er than in the judging.
Excitement over th en, we must wait until
next year when once again potential
playwrights and actors will wrack their
brains and unveil their powers.
Nicola Rohb.
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
T h e ‘M o d e r n ’ in M od ern Languages
D e p a rtm e n t has ta ken on a new signifi
cance this year since two of the four
classrooms have been provided with
T a n d b e rg 600 Learning Labs, carpeted
and d ecorated. W e now have room s
which are a pleasure to work in and
eq u ip m en t which has perm itted us to
broad en o u r range of teaching activities.
This has had a very positive effect on the
pupils, as you may read from their
c o m m ents below. W e are looking for
w ard to the m od ern isation of the two
rem aining room s, when all pupils will be
able to take advantage of new e q u ip
ment.
“ T he fact th at we can rew ind and
replay parts as many times as we need to
is a great advantage. This helps to make
sure th at the inform ation need ed is
ha m m e re d into a few thick skulls. Pity
that the teac h er can listen to what we say,
th o u g h !”
(Rhesa Obineche, Form 4).
to your p a rtn e r abo ut things you d o n ’t
un derstan d or ‘call te a c h e r’. M ad am e
W atson can also talk to individual groups
o r the whole class. She can also record
o nto all tapes at once from her console.
W e can be listening to different re co rd
ings as well. A ltog eth er, I like ‘les
casq u es '."
(Colin Stephen, Form 2).
stand the French b etter and even record
your own speech, then rewind it and find
out your mistakes. This becam e an
everyday thing!”
(Hanna Kranenborg, Form 2).
“ Last year any sort of listening e x er
cise was a m ajo r jo b , as there was only
one tape reco rd er for the whole class.
H ow ever, once the 'listening labs’ were
installed, you could go at your own speed
(instead of th at of yo u r tea c h er), u n d e r
"L es casques sont tres bien. J'aim e
b eauco up eco uter les cassettes francaises.
J ’aim e parler avec un accent francais et
avec les casques les exercises sont tres
bien et pas difficiles.”
(Ben Ward, Form 2).
. . . It is good as no-one can h ear you
making a mistake . .
(Ross Gardner, Form 2).
“ Helps you more because you can
co ncen trate b e tter with the head p h o n es
o n .”
(Richard Wilson, Form 4).
“ T he lessons feel m o re like a French
lesson in France than a French lesson in
S co tlan d .”
(Kushla Hansson-Holt, Form 4).
“ T h e tapes bring a bit of fun into
learning French . . . it also gives pupils a
chance to help each o th e r with their
learning p ro b lem s."
(Jill McGarrie, Form 4).
“ I quite like the machines because you
can have a go at recording, you can talk
Qomrades from Form 111 try out some Russian lanes.
A GERMAN COLUMBUS
IN SCOTLAND
C olum bus was really a very re m a rk
able man when he left Spain to find the
best way to India in 1492. Y et I d on't
w ant to just rem ind you th at the year
1992 does not only mean a new step in
the history of the E . E .C . but also a
reason for A m erica to celebrate the 5()0th
anniversary of its discovery by C o lu m
bus, when he put his feet on A m erican
soil on the 12th of O cto ber.
T h a t was only the start: later, o ther
people realised tha t C o lum bus had found
a “ New W o rld " and to becom e an
explorer of this New W orld was a very
p op ular “ profession” . So different kinds
of people from different countries went
to A m e ric a with different purposes.
Some tried to start a new life, and others
were more interested in exploring the
country, som etim es with considerable
force and bloodshed.
In som e way I belong to this explorer's
tradition because I came to Strathallan
School and explored and discovered a
completely new world. I had never been
at a Boarding School before, so I enjoyed
this different world with its obligations
such as chapel which has such an indirect
influence on the pupils. I also discovered
its atm o sp h ere , which is created by being
tog eth e r 24 hours a day, and its noises
(especially those in the Dining Hall).
My main aim in coming was to try to
reach and un derstand the British people
and I really hope th at this year also did its
best to im prove my English. But I wasn't
here long eno ug h, p robably, because I
failed to u nd erstan d one o f the H e a d m a s
t e r ’s very good jokes in his speech on
Speech Day. It dealt with two foreign
students to a British School and on e of
them who was obviously upset abo ut
what his English master said: “ He thinks
th at I know d am n nothing, but I know
dam n all!"
I discovered Scotland geographically
with a to ur during the E aster holidays,
and I enjoyed the sights and varied
countryside a lot. But at the same time I
could discover Scotland b etter through
h er people: those with whom I could
stay, which was very nice, or those who
were so friendly in giving this over-tall
boy with his rucksack a lift.
“ T w o W orld W ars and one World
C u p " was a typical sentence to call me to
o rd e r and calm me down not to con tri
bute too much to the conversation. This
sentence sum m arises very briefly my
handicap (although I d o n 't really include
the W orld Cup as a very serious one!). In
spite o f attem pts to convince me o th e r
wise, I think the same about the nostaligia
in war films, w ar comics and war books,
which fo rtunately d o n ’t have too serious
an influence at Strathallan. But what about
their influence on those who don't receive
such good history lessons? This also has
a n o th e r side effect: “ I know a little bit of
G e r m a n ” and th at person will present
me very proudly with what he knows —often only consisting of “ c o m m a n d o "
vocabulary such as “ A chtu ng E n g lan
d e r ! ” , “ E in s , sw ei, e in s , s w e i”
. . . or " H a n d e h och!" From “ AlloA Ilo" they already have form ed the
range of G e rm a n pronunciation. “ The
G e sta p o will get y ou!" is G erm an ise d by
pronouncing the “ t h ” in the G e rm a n
way and by adding several “ Y a ’s".
W h e th e r the literature and films had
also an influence on the a ttitude tow ards
G e rm a n re-unification, I d o n ’t know,
but the Strathallan students seem very
o p e n -m in d e d a b o u t it. I was really
impressed by the positive attitu de reve
aled by a very good d e b a te , but 1 had to
fight very hard with the sch oo l’s barbers
w ho really fear tha t a n o th e r H itler and
a n o th e r W orld W a r would be produced
by a U nited G erm an y . This might also be
the reason why the G e rm a n G o v e r n
m ent is calm ing the anxieties of its
neighbours by reviving the old idea of the
U .S .E . (U n ited States o f E u ro p e ). This
could turn the nationalism to in tern a tio n
alism, as a m a jo r cause for wars. It would
also bind G e rm a n y m ore strongly to a
union of countries. But then the b arber
(who himself is a Scottish N ationalist)
would go on to argue th at one w o u ld n ’t
be able to pass laws which would be
suitable for Scotland and G ree ce at the
sam e time. In fact I think you can pass a
law which would be general and could be
defined and ad ap te d individually for
every country. While I was here, ev ery
one was keen on hearing my opinions
which m ade life very interesting.
C olu m b us re turne d hom e with the
knowledge o f a sea way and of A m erica
which was then to start a completely new
ch a p te r of history. I too go back, after
having enjoyed this year, subtly changed
and surely with S trath allan ’s influence on
my life — and mine perhaps left on the
Scottish people I m et.,
Henrich Von Kopp-Columb(us).
P.S. I shall always re m e m b e r the H e a d
m a s te r’s music, because I had never
played the organ in a kilt b efo re, and it
was rath er alarming, suddenly, not to see
the feet, but only the kilt!
In the A u tu m n T erm last year, we
were pleased to be visited at Strathallan
by Frau M argret G eh lha us, a tea c h er of
English at the Ralschule am Niesentieich
in P a d e rb o r n . S ub sequ en tly, and at
rath er short notice she invited ou r pupils
to visit P a d e rb o rn , an offer which was
accepted by a m odest five — holiday
p lans an d G C S E revision d e te rrin g
many.
H ow ever, P aderbo rn was well worth
the visit: the group was shown round the
tow n, miraculously rebuilt after almost
total destruction in a couple of hours at
the end of the war; we were personally
welcomed by the Mayor; th ere was also a
look at the school (very m od ern and
pleasant), the to w n ’s hi-tech th eatre, and
(my favourite), a vast op en-air museum
of historic houses.
T h e re were gains for all involved in the
trip: Hamish McCartan found Helga, and
Jill G rieve found o ut why she had been
learning G e rm a n for two years, while
M a rian ne found that she could speak
quite happily, in G e rm a n . T he two
G C S E girls, Suzy Walls and Caitriana
B arr, found inspiration for th eir exams.
Incidentally, all th re e fourth year pupils
subsequently cam e top in the end of term
oral exam , and Suzy and C aitriana both
gained an A g rade. Bis bald!
A.C.W.S-J.
33
This season started once again with a
to ur to N a rb o n n e with gam es against
Pezenas (19-32), C an et (16-0), Porte-laNouvelle (10-6) and C halab re (10-10).
T h e tou r proved to be very successful
both on and off the field, with the
greatest overall benefit being in e d u c a
tion towards the game. Perhaps the best
pe rfo rm an ce was against a very strong
an d physical P o rt e -la - N o u v e l le side
because,, although we were un der consi
derable pressure in a n u m b e r of areas in
the first half, we tu rn ed round only 0-6
down. T h ere seem ed to be much more
de term ination to win in the second half
and, suddenly, the tables were reversed.
N ot only did we drive their pack back but
we rucked well and by using the ball well,
we stretched their defence. J!his resulted
in two well e arn ed tries and an excellent
O n return, it was down to preparing
.,s .for the school matches. The XV which
played the first match was as follows:—
R. G. Jo h n s to n . A. L ochore, A. C.
C ook (c;apt.), II. A. D. Blanche. A. B.
G ibson, C. C lark, J. W h itm ee , A. J.
Sinclair, M. R. D ippie, R. Stewart. M.
D. M artin, J. d ’A th , S. R. G ibb, D. W.
S mart, F. J. Rea.
O u t of this side only C am ero n Cook
had played regularly for the 1st XV the
season before and two very talented
backs, Alec I.ochore and Chris Clark,
were to break their wrists during the first
two games of the season and not play
again until the very end.
W e lost o ur first game 8-24. despite
having the potential to score a lot of
points ourselves. H o w ev er, we did not
produce enough ball for the backs, Alec
broke his wrist after 20 minutes, the
Glasgow A cadem y back row covered
exceptionally well to prevent vital scores
and ou r defence in the backs was not
good enough. O n e sparkling try and
some exciting running by Alec was a
sample of what we were to miss.
S u b stan tial victories against Perth
A cadem y (52-0) and R annoch (36-9) with
tries in the fo rm er for Tony G ibson (3).
C am e ron C ook (2). Ham ish Blanche (2).
Scott G ib b, Jimmy W hitm ee and Mike
Martin; and in the latter, for C am ero n
C o o k , Tony G ibson, Hamish Blanche,
Dave Smart, Jimm y W hitm ee, Fraser
R e a an d R o b in J o h n s to n p ro v id ed
enough running rugby to build up the
confidence. C ertainly, the concentration
was much b etter against Perth A cadem y,
but we were not really tested. As
m entioned above, u nfortunately, we lost
Chris Clark: it was evident in this match
that his control of the gam e and maturity
would have helped considerably th r o u g h
out the season. D om m age!
O u r first fixture against St. Aloysius
saw a som ew hat changed te am due to
injuries. It read as follows:— H. A. D.
McKenzie-W ilson, G. A. C urrie, M. .1.
C lem en t, G. R. M acL en n a n , A. B.
G ibson, R. G. Jo h n s to n , J. W hitm ee,
A. J. Sinclair, M. R. Dippie, R. Stewart,
J. d 'A t h . M. D. M artin, S. R .-G ib b , F.
G. R ea, T. P. Lawrence.
With six players injured and Dave
Smart going down with a bug on the
morning of the game, we were som ew hat
depleted to face the Scottish Schools Cup
champions. H ow ever, with A n d y Sinc
lair, as captain, doing a magnificent job
and a touch of the A gincourt speech
ringing in their ears, the 1st XV on the
day p e rfo rm ed valiantly. N one m ore so
than the completely new centre pairing of
G ra h a m M acL enn an and Michael C le
ment. Jimmy W hitm ee was also showing
what a valuable m e m b e r of the team he
was to be. H ow ever, the bigger and
stronger St. Aloysius pack increasingly
d om in ated the game and Mark Craig, the
Scottish Schools winger, scored a hattrick of tries. T h e loss o f R obin Stewart
with concussion also did not help our
cause. But the fact th at the score was
only 4-7 at half-time and th at it was from
one of o ur attacks in the second half that
the opposition got their next score
show ed th at this was a de term in ed
perform ance.
With a considerably w eaken ed front
and back row we faced a tough match
against Fettes w ho, on the day, deserved
their victory. We were unable to produce
much good ball and C a m ero n C o ok 's
missed penalty attem pts did not allow us
to capitalise on pressure situations. F o r
tunately, for the G len alm o nd match we
were much n earer full strength.
Hans McKenzie-Wilson was by now
settling well into the full-back role and
Robin Joh nsto n had adap ted quickly and
intuitively to the fly-half berth. Mike
C lem en t, now on the wing, was to
contribute extremely well, not just in this
match but throu gh ou t the season to both
offence and defence. A hat-trick of tries
for Hamish Blanche and one by Mike
Martin after som e terrific support play
gave the 1st X y a well ea rn ed victory by
lj6-6, but, again, too many kicks at goal
were missed.
, A i confident start against Merchiston
did n o t produce the points th at were
34
available and a very strong Merchiston
X V, especially up front, gradually wore
us down. Missed tackles and o p p o rtu n i
ties plus two p ush-over tries led to a score
of 3-8 after 30 minutes. Yet Merchiston
con tin ued to apply the screw, capitalising
on o u r faults and driving o u r much lighter
and in experienced pack. R onnie Erikson, the P resident's XV captain and
Scottish Schoolboy centre controlled the
gam e well and with powerful forwards
such as Mark R u th e rfo rd , the Scottish
Schools h oo k er, despite som e valiant
tackling, we w ere eventually out-gunned
and out-played by a fine opposition
perfo rm ance.
E d in bu rgh A cad em y were u nb eate n at
this stage of the season and were an o th er
very stro ng side, with two Scottish
Schoolboys in their pack. O u r loose play
was much b etter in this match with Tim
L aw rence, now at wing forward playing
well in a scavenging offensive/defensive
role. With two scores down we came
back very well but could not capitalise on
scoring positions and again we could not
m aintain possession. This resulted in
a n o th e r E din b u rg h A c adem y score just
before half-time. We pro d u ced some
very d ete rm in ed play in the second half
and with a try by G ra h a m M acL ennan
we were by no m eans disgraced with a
final score o f 6-26.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y the M o rris o n 's and
D ollar games were cancelled because of
flu and scrum-pox respectively. T hus we
m oved into the final phase of the season
with a very strong pro g ram m e to finish,
including two strong touring sides in
C ole raine and T on brid ge. Kelvinside
were first on the list an d, as usual, they
provided very strong opposition, esp e
cially up front. H o w ev er, by winning and
utilising sensibly a lot of second phase
bali we kept this heavy pack turning and
running backw ards. This brought a lead
of 7-0 at half-time from a penalty and an
excellent try by Mike C lem en t. Robin
Jo h n s to n , who had set up Mike's try,
took the next score himself with a very
. neat individual effort on the blind side
from a five yard scrum. At this stage we
lost co ncentration and alm ost the game:
fortunately o u r resolve held.
C am ero n C o o k ’s move to full-back
made a considerable difference in these
last few games as did the com bination of
G r a h a m M a c L e n n a n an d H am ish
Blanche in the centre. O u r next fixture
against C oleraine had to be transferred to
E d inburgh due to frost at Strathallan.
Terrific driving, rucking and support play
p rod uced good second and third phase
ball and , with som e very positive back
play, we scored three excellent tries
(C am ero n C oo k 2 and Jimmy W hitm ee 1)
in the first half. A gain, kicks at goal were
missed and we turned round 12-3 ahead.
C oleraine came back very strongly in the
second half which coincided with a lapse
in concentration in midfield on o u r part.
W hat had been devastating first half
tackling was now slack. Despite a lastm inute surge, with Dave Smart and Andy
Sinclair providing fu rth er inspiration, we
lost this game 12-13 and th ere is no do ub t
that we threw this one away.
L oretto f|ad b eaten M erchiston: thus
o u r task here looked daun ting to say the
least. Yet th ere was no lack of confidence
in o ur prepa ration for this game. U n fo r
tu nately, we had to switch venues again
due to frost, losing hom e advantage.
T h rou gh some silly mistakes we gave
L o retto a c om fortable 7-0 lead and then
started to play well. We continued to play
som e first class rugby with Robin Jo h n s
ton going over on the blind side from a
five yard scrum as a result of continued
pressure within their 22. A gain, L oretto
capitalised on a mistake amongst our
backs and scored to make it 6-11. This
galvanised o u r 1st XV into action and a
phase of play that was as good as
anything we had p roduced th ro ug ho ut
the season. It included counter-attacking
from real dep th and close support by
backs and forwards. O n e of these support
plays down the left p roduced an excellent
try by C a m e ro n C o ok but the score
rem ained at 10-11 despite a sustained
final surge by Strathallan, including being
held up over the line and a desperately
close-run chase and touch down to a chip
through by H amish. T en se, nail-biting
and exciting stuff!
U n d e r the worst possible conditions,
including hard ground a nd a blizzard, we
faced T o nbridge School. They started
much m ore strongly than we did and
were able to forge ahead . H ow ever, we
were able to stem the tide and the final
score of 7-16 was a fair reflection of the
game. Two fu rther touring sides played
after C hristm as: St. A n d re w 's Scots
School from B uenos Aires and Porte-laN ouvelle from France.
T he fo rm er beat us comprehensively
34-0. This was certainly one of the best
schoolboy sides 1 have ever seen and it
was a delight and a privilege to watch
them play. T h eir speed of th ought and
action were on a different level to most
U .K . sides and a lesson to us all. With
little training possible prior to this match
we were unable to cope with such an
effervescent and skilful all-round perfo r
mance.
T h e latter was o ur final match and
again due to the w eath er we had to
transfer to E d inburgh. H ow ever, we did
start well in this game and put them
u n d e r considerable pressure. U n fo rtu
nately, by giving away to o many penalties
we allowed them into the game and from
us being ah ead, Porte-la Nouvelle moved
to 13-9. T h e re followed a terrific phase of
play tow ards the e nd with a cheeky try by
Jimm y W hitm ee, which b rought a welldeserved draw.
T h us the season came to an end with a
considerable im balance in terms of won
and lost. Yet this was a side with a
com bination of youth and inexperience
and injuries to key players did not help
o u r already stretched resources. Even so,
in the final run of fixtures in D e cem b e r
the 1st XV played som e excellent rugby
against a com bination of the best sides
from Scotland. England and Ireland and
were unlucky not to win the majority of
these. It was also an e njoyable season
from a coaching point of view as there
was no lack of co m m itm e n t and willing
ness to learn; hopefully, this will pay
dividends next season.
1st XV colours w ere aw ard ed to
C a m e ro n C o o k , H am ish B lan ch e,
A n drew Sinclair and Dave Smart. Half
colours were aw arded to Jam e s W h it
m ee, Jam es d 'A t h , Robin Jo h n s to n , Tim
Lawrence and Scott G ibb.
R e p resen tativ e honours: A ndrew
Sinclair and Dave Smart played for the
P resid ent’s XV and A nd rew went on to
gain a Scottish Schools trial.
O f the rem aining school sides the 4th
X V , c a p ta in e d by J o n a t h a n L eip er
almost had an un beate n season. A fter
losing their first match they went on to be
a very useful com bination making full use
of a very mobile pack. The back row of
Jo n a th a n Leiper, John K eddie and Jam es
T o rno s were outstanding and behind this
was an excellent half-back pairing of
E ddie A n d erso n and Keith Salters. The
6th XV also had a good season, losing
only to M erchiston. M r Ross, their
coach, co n cen trate d on fifth year boys
and was well pleased with their pe rfo r
mance. T he games were generally fairly
close and won by good team w ork and
good defence.
T h e fourth form 'B ' X V , coached by
Mr B ro adfoo t, ably assisted by Kirk
C lark, was u nb eate n and with a squad
th at changed considerably due to injuries
and m o ve m en t betw een Bs and A s, it is
to their credit that they did so well. It is
also w orthy of note th at out of a n u m ber
of boys who rep re sen ted the M idlands at
U-15 level, A n d rew W oo d and Alan
Keddie w ent on to the final trials for
Scottish Schoolboys.
T h e third form ‘A ’ X V, capta ined by
Paul Jo h n s to n , had a very good season
too , losing only to G le n a lm o n d and
M erchiston. T hey had a;, good set of
f o r w a r d s a n d a p o w e r f u l w in g in
Jo n a th a n Wallace, who scored 20 tries.
T h e most pleasing result was the 6-6 draw
against an u n bea te n L oretto side. A new
m e m b e r of the staff, M r G re e n , helped
M r du Boulay at this level adding his
y o u th f u l e n th u s ia s m to the la tte r 's
experience.
A t the Riley U-13 level, there was
som e splendid rugby. A lthough he and
his team were a bit light, C h ristop her
N in h am , the cap ta in , led by exam ple and
they achieved some good results. Six of
the side will still be available next year.
T he U-12s were talented but quite small,
the m ajority not having played rugby
before, but they m ad e up for their lack of
experience by plenty of enthusiasm .
It was good to see m em b e rs of the sixth
form who were unable to play th e m
selves, helping m em b e rs of staff with
coaching. In addition to Kirk already
m en tio n e d , the o th e rs were D ave G ault,
Nick Q uin n and Jason Sim. My than ks go
to them an d, of course, to all the staff
coaches, who c ontinue to give unstintingly of th eir time and w ithout w hom we
would be unable to field so many sides
and play in the very competitive, circuit
which we do. T h a n k s also to Mrs Clayton
an d the sewing ro o m , to Sister and to
Craig Y ou ng and the catering staff for
adm inistering to the bo ys’ various needs.
B.R.
Drawing by Robert Marshall
35
RUGBY RESULTS 1989/90
1st
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
XV
Glasgow A cad.
Perth Acad.
Rannoch
St Aloysius
Fettes
G lenalm ond
Merchiston
Edinburgh Acad.
Kelvinside A cad.
Coleraine
Loretto
T onbridge School
St Andrews Scots School
Port La Nouvelle
Lost
Won
Won
Lost
Lost
Won
Lost
Lost
Won
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Drawn
8-24
52-0
36-9
4-19
3-10
16-6
32-4
4-26
11-6
12-13
10-11
7-16
0-34
13-13
Played 14, W on 4, D raw n 1, Lost 9
Points for 179
Points against 229
2nd XV
v. Glasgow Acad.
v. Q V S 1st XV
v. St Aloysius
v. Fettes
v. G len alm o nd
v. Merchiston
v. Edinburgh Acad.
v. Kelvinside Acad.
v. L oretto
v. A rb ro a th HS
v. H owe of Fife
Lost
Won
Won
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
Won
Lost
15-26
21-12
13-8
10-20
4-28
0-57
0-26
0-7
0-18
52-0
4-32
XV
Glasgow Acad.
R annoch 2nd XV
Q V S 1st XV
Fettes
G lenalm o nd
Merchiston
E din bu rgh Acad.
Kelvinside Acad.
Loretto
Lost
Lost
Lost
Won
Lost
Drawn
Lost
Won
Drawn
8-28
0-20
7-10
7-4
10-20
4-4
0-23
20-0
12-12
Played 9, Won 2, D raw n 2, Lost 5
Points for 68
Points against 121
4th
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
XV
Glasgow Acad.
Q V S 2nd XV
St Aloysius 3rd XV
Fettes
G len alm o nd
Merchiston
E din bu rgh Acad.
Kelvinside Acad.
L o retto
H ow e of Fife
Port La Nouvelle
XV
Glasgow Acad.
R annoch 3rd XV
Fettes
G lenalm on d
Merchiston
E din bu rgh Acad.
Kelvinside Acad.
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Lost
Lost
Lost
30-0
8-15
48-0
0-48
10-20
10-24
4-6
XV
Perth A cad. 2nd XV Won
Fettes
Won
G lenalm o nd
Won
Merchiston
Lost
L oretto
Won
Q V S 3rd XV
Won
E dn b u rg h A cad.
Won
18-8
40-0
14-9
0-14
15-0
14-0
16-6
Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5
Points for 110
Points against 113
6th
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
Points for 117
Points against 37
7th
v.
v.
v.
v.
XV
Q V S 3rd XV
G len alm on d
M erehiston
A rb ro a th US 2nd XV
Lost
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Points for 261
Points against 75
Form 4A XV
v. Rannoch
v. Perth A cad.
v. St Aloysius
v. QVS
v. Fettes
v. G len alm o nd
v. Merchiston
v. E dinburgh Acad.
v. Dollar Acad.
v. Kelvinside Acad.
v. L oretto
Lost
Lost
Lost
W on
0-18
0-38
0-70
12-6
Form 4B XV
v. Aberdeen GS ‘A ’ XV
v. St Aloysius
v. Fettes
v. G lena lm o nd
v. Merchiston
v. E dinburgh Acad.
v. G lenalm o nd
v. L oretto
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Lost
Won
Lost
Form 3C XV
v. Aberdeen GS 'B' XV
v. Q V S 'B ' XV
v. Merchiston
v. G len a lm o n d
18-4
60-4
10-4
24-7
22-4
0-4
16-15
6-17
10-25
49-4
0-12
Form 2 ‘A ’ XV
v. Perth A cad.
v. Rannoch
v. St Aloysius
v. Q VS
v. Fettes
v. Merchiston
v. E din bu rgh Acad.
Lost
Won
Won
Drawn
Won
Drawn
Lost
8-14
46-0
8-0
4-4
30-0
4-4
8-12
Won
W on
Lost
Won
32-8
24-12
4-16
14-12
Won
Won
Lost
Won
Lost
Lost
W on
12-6
36-0
6-18
28-8
0-18
10-12
28-0
Won
Won
Won
20-0
40-10
36-4
Lost
Lost
Lost
4-34
0-30
6-26
Played 7, Won 4. Lost 3
Points for 120
Points against 62
Form 2 ‘B ’ XV
v. St Aloysius
v. Q V S B' XV
v. Merchiston
D rawn
Won
Won
Won
Won
D rawn
Won
Won
Played 8, W on 6, D raw n 2
Points for 216
Points against 18
36
Form 3B XV
v. Aberdeen GS 'A' XV
v. St Aloysius
v. G len alm on d
v. Merchiston
v. Edinburgh Acad.
v. G lenalm o nd
v. L oretto
Points for 74
Points against 48
Played 11, W on 7, Lost 4
Points for 215
Points against 100
20-24
23-6
38-3
44-0
15-13
22-10
18-4
12-9
7-6
28-0
34-0
Form 3A XV
v. Rannoch
Won
20-0
v. Perth Acad.
Won
70-0
Won
46-0
v. St Aloysius
Won
42-6
v. Q VS
Won
62-0
v, Fettes
v. G len alm o nd
Lost
0-14
Lost
10-16
v. Merchiston
Won
v. E dinburgh Acad.
13-8
Won
v. Kelvinside A cad.
38-0
D rawn
6-6
v. Loretto
Played 10, Won 7, D rawn 1, Lost 2
Points for 307
Points against 50
Played 7, Won 3. D rawn 2, Lost 2
Points for 108
Points against 34
Points for 12
Points against 132
Points for 119
Points against 234
3rd
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
5th
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
v.
12-12
44-6
40-0
52-0
4-0
0-0
38-0
26-0
Played 3, Won 3
Points for 96
Points against 14
Form 1 XV
v. Craigcrowan
v. A rd vreck
v. E d inburgh Acad,
Played 3, W on 0, Lost 3
Points for 10
Points against 90
HOCKEY
E ncouraged by a hard evening’s work
u nd er Scottish Coach Billy McPherson
and internationalist Jimm y Cox, the
senior indoor team looked promising.
C lem ent and W hitm ee were secure at the
back and McKenzie-W ilson's striking
and L o c h o re ’s speed m ea nt goals. In the
first g am e, against the Old Boys, we
do m in ate d , but Mark Russell's brilliant
goalkeeping kept us at bay and we only
managed a 7-7 draw. Away to R ann och ,
we started slowly, an d, although 4-1 up at
half time, we only got into o u r stride after
the interval with short corners flying in
regularly. G le nalm o nd were a tougher
nut. T hey were physically stronger and in
the confines of the Sports hall we were
edged out by the odd goal. Prospects for
the Bell’s T o u rn a m e n t th erefore looked
rea s o n ab le, but even indoor hockey
succumbs to the climate in Scotland! The
Tay rose rapidly, the hall flooded and
Bell’s shut for months. The G len alm o nd
organisers enterprisingly switched to the
new 'astro ' surface at M acD iarm id Park
and, just before half term , an o u td o o r
six-a-side competition was held. We were
badly d e p le te d by rugby calls and
co u ld n ’t quite reach the semi-finals. We
lost narrowly to Stewarts Melville and
L o retto , but m anaged a good win against
some skilful Perth players.
Back at ho m e the H o use in do or
to u rn am en ts were played with their usual
enthusiasm and occasional skill. In close
matches Simpson won the Ju n io r and
Nicol the Senior Cups.
A surprise snowfall after half term
m eant we had no o u td o o r practice before
playing the ScottisTi Under-16 squad.
Malcolm Dippie (later to be selected for
Scotland Under-16s in both their in tern a
tional t o u r n a m e n t s ) , played for the
opposition. U n d er the circumstances we
did well, but the Under-16s g reater skill
and cohesion just told. G eorge W atson's
were not so strong as in recent years. At
M ead ow b ank we do m in ated , created at
least 15 chances and scored 3 without
reply. T h e Old Boys bro ug ht their
best-ever side, including internationalist
Mike Yellowlees. We had a hard-fought,
enjoyable gam e, super-sub A nderson
clinching the win with a fine goal.
More snow cancelled the Fettes and
A b bey games. T h en, at h om e, Harris
A cadem y were quickly d om ina ted ; our
go alkee per was only involved twice and
we cracked in eight.
T h e mini-tour to the N orth is always
dem anding. Yet more snow on the
jou rn ey looked like preventing o u r play
ing G o rd o n sto u n , but the M oray coast
was clear. Inevitably the pitch was heavy
and the gam e quickly de teriorated into
end-to-end hitting and bad tackling. We
escaped with a draw and no serious
injuries in an awful encounter. Next day
A b e r d e e n G r a m m a r w ere unusually
weak and o u r speed overaw ed them.
Again we scored eight.
Back at Strathallan, Morgan A cadem y
had a skilful side, but o ur backs tackled
securely, we took ou r chances and won
2-0. W e then returned to M acD iarm id
Park for a round robin with G lenalm on d
an d R a n n o c h . N e ith e r se rio u sly
th rea te n ed us and we scored freely to win
the trophy. Grass pitches are never to
o ur liking and a strong L oretto side
quickly had us u n d er pressure. They
scored three goals and panic set in.
Several players looked tired and slow,
b ut, to the t e a m ’s credit, it n ever gave in
and the attacks o f the last ten minutes
could easily have b rought a draw. The
final fixture with Monifieth is always a
tough match, but we were in no mood for
an o th e r defeat. T heir team w ork broke
down and we had little difficulty in
winning.
With only one loss against a school it
was a good, if not vintage season.
Captain Jimmy W hitm ee was probably
the o utstanding player. Fast and accurate
in the tackle, he saved many dangerous
situations. Alongside him David Smart
had some very good matches, but could
be c u m b e r s o m e . G o a l k e e p e r S tu a rt
W alk er seldom m ade serious mistakes,
his speed to the edge of the circle being
o u t s t a n d i n g . In m i d fie ld , C a m e r o n
Philip, Malcolm Dippie and Chris Clark
all w orked well. Michael C lem ent missed
most of the games through illness and
C raig F o rs te r s u b s titu te d w h o le
heartedly. At the front H ans McKenzieWilson and Keith Salters always looked
likely to open defences and they scored
most of o u r goals. H ans had some
train ing with the U nd er-1 8 national
squad. In Alec Lochore and Jason Low
we had high speed on the wings, but both
could be c o u n te red by thinking d efen
ders. Jason trained with the national
under-16 grou p, as did Senior Colts
g o a l k e e p e r D u n c a n R o b e r t s o n , and
came very n ear a cap.
T h e o th er Senior XIs had modest
seasons, but the 2nd XI play mostly
school 1st XIs so their record was not
bad. T h ere w asn't quite so much talent in
this y e a r’s Senior Colts as usual, but,
with A lan K eddie and D ouglas G reen
selected for u n d e r - 15 national training,
they m anag ed to win most games. The
Ju n io r Colts sides were equally success
ful, losing only th ree of their 12 games, so
the future looks secure.
This year was the tenth Strathallan
Sixes for Prep and Ju n io r schools. For the
second year running, L o re tto Nippers
w on, just beating New Park in the final.
In a mixed season of 11 -a-side results,
Riley reached the q u a rte r final only to go
out to a talented Cragilfield six. O u r
th anks go to Mrs V alentine for kindly
presenting a trophy for the runners-up
and giving out the prizes on the day.
I also thank all who coached, clothed,
fed and generally en co urag ed hockey
players. O u r stan dard s rem ain high but
with more and m ore schools playing on
artificial grass pitches we could be soon
overhauled.
J.N.K.
SUMMER HOCKEY
For various reasons this has been a
fairly non-com petitive year. The 'o ption '
list at the beginning of term showed that
while there was a nucleus of good
players, the supporting cast m ade it
unlikely th at we would be able to turn out
a boys’ XI capable of taking on those
schools whose winter first XI played on
through the su m m er term. Thoughts
therefore turned to a p ro g ram m e of 'A '
XI and 'm ixed' XI m atches, but in the
event only two of these materialised.
In the first a boys’ XI travelled to
Rannoch only to m eet with a 4-1 defeat
- while victory went to the stronger
team , the score would have been closer
had we been able to take advantage of
n um erous chances which fell to us. A
'm ixed' XI played against the E dinburgh
A cadem y towards the end of term — this
time a 1-1 draw was the o utco m e of a
match which again showed ou r reluctance
to put the ball in the goal when the
o pportunity offered.
Ja m es W hitm ee captained the team in
matches (and enjoyed playing cricket for
38
the rest of the time!), while Mark Taylor
deserves special mention for his p e rp e
tual enthusiasm and competitiveness.
I hope that next year will see more
players choosing the gam e as one of their
su m m er options so that full first XI
matches can be restored as well as
'm ix ed' XIs, and th at am ongst them will
be som e genuine forwards who can score
the goals which seem to have been
lacking over the past few seasons.
A .M .P .
CRICKET
N ot just for Strathallan but th rou gh ou t
the Scottish school circuit, this was a very
odd season. T h e ball d om in ated the bat
in an u np reced en ted m an ner. A com bi
nation of po or wickets, m o d erate batting
and good bowling m ade runs very diffi
cult to get. Only one of ou r main
inter-school fixtures went the whole way.
Wins were recorded over Fettes, E d in
burgh A cadem y, D ollar and Stewarts
Melville; losses against L o re tto and
M erchiston; a draw with G len alm o nd .
With such a young side (seven fifth
form ers by the en d), this is not such a bad
balance sheet, but considerable work will
be n eeded on basic batting technique in
o rd er to m ake the most of natural talent.
In addition, the production of good
w ickets th r o u g h o u t the circuit must
becom e a priority. H ours of coaching in
the nets followed by a ball in the teeth is
hardly productive of confidence.
The First XI had perhaps the best
bowling attack of any in the past ten
s e a s o n s. T h e p ace a tta c k o f H an s
McKenzie-Wilson (36 wickets at 12.15)
and Mark Tench (23 wickets at 18.91) was
followed by the su prem e co nm anship of
Jam e s d ’A th (16 wickets at 13.56) and the
spin of Keith Salters (33 wickets at 12.15)
and G a re th T h o rb u rn (7 wickets at
15.42). This attack, backed up for most of
the time by good fielding and the very
prom ising w icket-keeping o f A n drew
W oo d m ade o u r o p p o n en ts work hard for
runs. O utstan din g am ong the p erfo r
mances were H ans' 6-25 against Fettes
and 8-67 against M C C and K eith’s 5-13
against the A cadem y and 5-83 against
G len alm on d. It is, alas, much more
difficult to find pleasure in the batting.
Five batsm en made scores of over 50 but
few found any consistency. Stuart W alker
showed his usual d eterm inatio n (some
would say bloody-m indedness) as an
o p e n e r and hit a high point with an
un beate n innings lasting for three hours
against the XL Club. Hugh Lochore
produced two highly effective innings
amongst som e low scores. G a re th T h o r
b u rn , H an s M cK enzie-W ilson, M ark
V ance, Hamish Blanche, Robin Jo hn ston
and, tow ards the en d. Martin Smith all
had their mom ents. Only Keith Salters
fo u n d any real c o n siste n c y and
a pp ro ach ed a batting average of 30. As
eight players return next year and seven
the year after, the prospects are quite
good but th ere is a lot of work to be
done.
T h e Second XI. once again, produced
some exciting cricket. A sound bowling
attack, some excellent fielding and some
good batting perform an ces (notably by
the mercurial Jam es Winchester) resulted
in a good season. U n fortun ately only
Martin Smith and. in the festival, E dw ard
A n d erso n , showed the ability to step up a
league. Nevertheless there will be several
players in contention for First XI places
next year.
T h e T hird X I, much younger than
usual, did not reach its usual heights and
C N C was unable to p ro du ce his cyanide
concoction for G len alm o n d . N e v e rth e
less one o r two of the younger m em b ers
of the side will m ake useful players.
T h e Senior Colts, by far the most
difficult age group, p ro du ced the odd
really fine pe rform an ce, notably in a
thrilling final win against G lenalm on d.
T h ere is considerable individual talent in
the group but not eno ug h realisation th at
it is a team game requiring patience. T o
som e extent the sam e criticism should
apply to the Ju n io r Colts but with
ho no urable exceptions. T he Senior and
Ju n io r Colt B sides did well but it is
increasingly difficult to find meaningful
fixtures and alm ost impossible to find
matches for P M V 's killer gro up , the
Ju n io r Colt Cs, w hose single match
resulted in a win by over 280 runs.
I am deeply grateful to th ese who run
the various gam es and who put in
considerable time. O nce again I am
particularly grateful to N T H d u B for his
coaching, umpiring and im perviousness
to snarl. T h e re is considerable potential
for good cricket in the School. It is up to
us to p ro du ce the conditions and the
motivation to m ak e the most of it.
R.W.P.
HOWZAT!
Cricket: game of cunning and skill,
tension and excitem ent, stum ps and
bails, ducks and googlies, bats and balls.
B efore coming to Strathallan my only
contact with cricket was eith er watching a
few white figures on the television, or
worse, listening to it on the radio for the
benefit of my dad in the car. Cricket on
the radio consists of two old men sitting
and talking and trying to m ake what is
happening sound interesting. U n fo rtu
nately most of the time nothing is
ha ppening so they spend their time
rem iniscing a b o u t o th e r even m ore
exciting events in the history of cricket.
C om ing here did not do much to
continue my enthusiasm for the game.
A fter a quick spell of trying my hand at it
in third form I discovered it was quite a
lot less e njoyable than rounders. Why
this easier and much more amusing game
isn't taken seriously I d o n't know.
So what is it th at m akes cricket such a
p op ular sport? Most sports fall into two
categories: sp ectato r sports and co m p e ti
tion sports. Cricket d oe sn 't a p p e a r to fall
into either as most of the time there is
nothing for people to watch, and most of
the time the team s a re n 't doing anything.
Obviously in Test Cricket there is the
ad ded interest of streakers and players
featured in the scandal pages of tabloid
newspapers. Strathallan, as far as I know,
has never had a streaker at a cricket
match and when it does com e to reported
scandal I d o n ’t think any of o ur local
new spapers know the rules.
I begin to w on der if people participate
in the sport out of a sense of guilt. The
spectators who would much rath er be
sunbathing and reading a book do so, but
in o rd e r not to be labelled lazy they make
the effort to m uster up som e polite
applause and conversations. T heir co n
science is clear. Likewise the team
m e m b ers feel they must do som ething
before they go and have their cricket
teas. Certainly it's not the winning that
counts but the taking part. A fter all, any
hard feelings just w ouldn't be cricket.
H o w ev er, a n o th e r possible and e m i
nently more realistic reason for the
popularity of cricket is the completely
new vocabulary th at comes into the
game. A ny gam e which involves such a
rich array of ducks, in my opinion, is
enough to bowl any maiden over. I think
the most h eartening thing ab ou t cricket
must be the fact th at you can shout,
without the slightest feeling of being a
jerk; H O W Z A T !
Kichard lownhill.
GIRLS’ GAMES
This y ear sees reports on H ockey,
S w im m ing, N etb all, T e n n is, Sailing,
Cricket and A thletics all written by the
respective captains with not too much
prodding from me. G enerally it has been
a year of young, inexperienced team s and
as a result o u r successes in fixtures and
to u rn am en ts have been limited but this in
no way should d etract from the am o un t
of effort these players put in during this
session. T h eir gradual im prov em en t in
skills and co m m itm en t to their team s has
been very rew arding to watch and I am as
hopeful as they are th at next session will
see an abu nd an ce of victories. May I take
this opp ortun ity on their behalf to thank
all m em bers of staff who work on the
G irls’ G am es p ro g ram m e for their d ed i
cation and hard work th ro ug ho ut the
year. It is your enthusiasm which e n c o u r
ages the girls to do well and this is
appreciated by all.
L.J.S.
First XI HOCKEY REPORT
T h e start of a new year also m eant the
start of a new First X I, with only three of
the team remaining plus Carol A n derso n
from the Second XI. T h e team was a
relatively young mixture. Rachel T aylor,
a Fourth form er, as the youngest m e m b e r
of the te am e arn ed a well-deserved place.
C on gratulations go to Sonya Reid for
being in the pool for the Scottish Schools
U18. U n fortun ately she was not selected
this year, but all the best for next year,
Sonya.
A fte r a shaky start, all te am s had clean
sw eeps against A lb yn , St G e o r g e ’s,
W estb ou rn e and St C o lu m b a ’s.
A fter half term we took time to settle
again and had o u r usual hard matches
against D u n d ee High School and Dollar,
losing to both. Following this how ever,
we had clean sw eeps against both the
High School of Glasgow and Fettes.
New fixtures for the juniors against
Crieff High School and R ob ert G o r d o n ’s
in A b e rd e e n , the latter now taking girls,
resulted in the F ourth Form losing but
Third Form and Second Form winning.
A goalless draw against L oretto by the
First XI b rought to mind the I n d e p e n
dent T rop hy to be played in a m o n th's
time. An im pro vem ent in this score
would have to be necessary for us to
retain it, and a convincing win over Waid
A cadem y set us on the right track, for the
to u rn a m e n t to be held at Bell B axter in
l a t e N o v e m b e r . W in s o v e r W a id
A c a d e m y , Bell B ax ter, Kinross and
fixtures, the team w ithstood the pressure,
played well and held on to the trophy for
yet an o th e r year.
The spring term brought its usual gaps
in the fixture list due to the w eather and
Harris gave us the twelve goals for us to
qualify in o ur section for the semi-finals,
w here we met D u n d ee High School.
Sadly, we cou ldn 't maintain o ur goal
scoring and we lost 0-2 to the High
School, the eventual winners.
G o rd o n sto u n visited us on the after
noon of the to u rn a m e n t and a very tired
First XI enjoyed their match despite
losing 2-1 but the honours were upheld
by the Second XI yet again drawing 1-1!
In d oo r hockey is being played more
and more at school and district level
nowadays, and to their credit Sheila Dow
and Carol A n d e rso n gained places in the
M idlands In do or District team for the
second season.
O u r match against Fettes in early
D e c e m b e r for the S econd. Third and
Fourth Form resulted in a win and two
draws.' A t the same time the First XI
were playing at L o re tto at the In d e p e n
den t Tournament.Having wins over: G o rd o n sto u n 1-0.
F ettes 2-0, L o retto 2-0 and despite having
p o o re r results against these team s in
A
/v
A
\ O //
despite settling well against W estb ou rn e
- juniors winning all matches — there
were some losses against St K ath erine's,
D ollar and H e rio t’s, the Second XI
losing only to Dollar.
In d o o r hockey against R annoch kept
us fit. with losses in the first round and
two wins in the second ro un d. Despite
m ore time being spent on ind oo r hockey,
the senior team were unable to get
th rough their section in the Midlands
S e n io r I n d o o r C h a m p i o n s h i p s . T h e
ju n io r team obviously did benefit from
the sessions and reached the finals in
their M idlands T o u r n a m e n t with wins
over: M organ 2-0, Bell B axter 3-0,
Strathallan 2 2-1, D u n d e e High School
1-0. Semi-finals: Crieff 2-0, but lost 0-1 in
the finals to M orrisons after a very good
match.
A draw against St C o lu m b a ’s, wins
ov er R an n o ch , St G e o r g e ’s and Laurel
Bank gave us som e confidence before the
H e r io t’s 7’s tow ards the end of the
se a s o n , but unlike th e In d e p e n d e n t
T ro p h y , we could not get the ball in the
back of the net, to get through ou r
section and retain o u r title o f last year.
All in all it has been a mixed season
with regard to results. H o w ev er, with the
Second XI scores being constant and
encouraging, all looks well for the future.
As a rew ard for their efforts, colours
were aw arded as follows:
Full Colours: Lynne M eld ru m , Sonya
Reid.
Half Colours: Susan A rn o tt, Kirsty
Boyd.
Full Colours for Minor Sport (indoor
hockey): C arol A n d e rs o n , Sheila Dow.
Lynne Meldrum, Captain.
THE VISITING ARGENTINIAN TEAM
T h e highlight o f the season was when
St A n d re w ’s Scots School, A rg entin a,
came across to play both hockey and
rugby. T hey arrived on 7th February and
were staying with us till the 10th. To o ur
surprise, the girls arrived in aboveknee-length kilts and here we were trying
to keep warm! T hey were then split up
and ta ken to their billets o r taken to
W o od lan ds o r T h o rn b a n k .
W e were delighted to discover that
they could speak very good English, and
were delightfully talkative. They also
tried to teach a few of us Spanish but to
no avail.
T h e evening before the match there
was for the first time a com bined hockey
and rugby dinner. It was a really good
evening, both team s getting on extremely
well!
T h e match was to be played on the
all-weather pitch — the First XI's p re
41
ferred surface. W atching them practise
told us that this was going to be a tough
match. T he w ea th e r was cold but not
rainy, until just at the beginning of the
second half the heavens op en ed . Despite
this, we led 1-0 till the last few minutes
when they equalised and m ade it 1-1. It
was a very good game despite the
w eather.
L .M .
I
j
Miss Smith with the Hockey team in Barbados
caterer ' k® fa l P rovidev
p r o ie s f1^
etc. on
of t o o d ^ a lge scale.
a Srtaner Merch^ 0{
?
u
p
^
e
«
*
»
o
f
(
GARDNER MERCHANT
CATKRING BKVONDTHK CALL OF DUTY
'5y! Trusthouse Forte
WHATEVER YOUR CATKRING REQUIREMENTS, LARGE OR SMALL, SIMPLE OR SOPHISTICATED, PLEASE CONTACT
WILLIE DEWAR, GARDNER MERCHANT, 67-83 SHANDWICK PLACE, EDINBURGH EH2 4SDOR
TELEPHONE 031 228 6787.
42
Top: Form IV Army Section at Cultybraggan Assault
Course during summer camp.
Above: Flat out.
Top right: Cinderella on her way to the Sixth Form Ball.
Below: Levitation!
Below right:
1st XV v Scots’ School, Argentina.
Bow ring M acalaster
& Senior Ltd
IN S U R A N C E BR O KER S
To
STRATHALLAN SC H O O L
THE BOWRING BUILDING
151 WEST GEORGE STREET
GLASGOW G2 2NZ
Telephone: 041-204 2600
Telex: 77100
Telegrams: MACALI GLASGOW
A MEMBER OF THE BOWRING GROUP AND
m a r s h & M c l e n n a n c o m p a n i e s u .s .a .
Below: Stralhallan girls meet the President and the Viee-President o f the West Indes' H ockey Association.
43
GIRLS’ HOCKEY TOUR TO
BARBADOS, JULY 1990
By the time this report is read, the
peeling will have st opped and the tans
will have long since disappeared. Many,
i ncl uding staff, pa r e n t s and friends
wished us luck on holiday! Yet, ask any
of the girls or Miss Smith or Mr Keir on
their return if it was a restful two weeks
on a beach and you will be met with
laughter. This was a Hockey T o u r — and
a very successful one at that.
It seems so long ago (June ’89), that
letters were circulated to see if there
would be a response to such a venture.
Response there was and early in the
session, 89-90 places were drawn for the
“ lucky” 27.
Every Sunday t hr oughout the S u mme r
T e r m saw either a 9 a. m. or an after
chapel training session where both teams
learnt skills and set-pieces. Wednesdays
saw the fitness pr o g r amme , which went
down really well! In fact, the girls asked
many sensible questions about the b e n e
fits of fitness and fitness-testing, but it
was not until we were out in Barbados
playing in heat of 80°C + and 70%
humidity that they fully appreci ated that
being fit meant skills would not d et er i or
ate so rapidly while the body copes with
heat and little fresh oxygen.
T he Senior T ea m, made up of many of
the 1st XI, had less difficulty in jelling
together. T he Juni or Te a m with some
2nd and 3rd XI plus 4th Form team
players had to work hard on individual
skills a n d b e c o m i n g f a m i l i a r with
changed positions and playing mates.
T hey had a lot of ground to make up and
in all fairness they appreci ated this and
tried. Mr Keir certainly had his work cut
out.
T h e trip was not cheap, but once the
inital cost was met the girls were most
inventive at thinking up ideas to raise
further funds. A word of thanks to all
those who contribut ed in any way, large
or small, towards the financing of touring
tops, playing strips and kit, trips and
e nt er t ai nment , t r ansport costs to the
Hockey Federat ion of Barbados, food
bills and the all-important dep a r t u r e tax.
In the end we were able to take a
magnificent sum of money away with us
after paying all bills.
T he tour member s ret urned to school
after a very brief 5 days away and, after
phot o calls for the press and then two
days of extensive training (furnished
with magnificent school holiday b r e a k
fasts), depar t ed at midnight by bus to
travel to Manchester. A two and a half
hour flight delay did not d a mp e n spirits
nor did the refuelling stop at G a n d e r
(where?), or the crew change in Bangor,
Maine, or even the heavy rain that met us
on arrival in the West Indies. It was hot
rain! From the Friday morning when we
got up, to arrival at the hotel, we
calculated, with the four hours time
change, we had been on the go for 42
hours. However, a long lie was prevent ed
by an eager tour rep. who wished to talk
us t hrough all Ba r b a d o s had to offer.
From the end of that talk till we landed
back h o me it was non-stop. Free sn o r k
elling lessons in the pool, swimming in
the beautiful sea, out for training on the
wonderfully manicured pitch at Garriston
Savanah, going on a trip to the Museum to
see “ 1627 A n d All T h a t " , surviving the
Jolly Roger and Harbour Lights, trying to
keep awake at After Da r k , waiting for a
disco at the Ship Inn (not that everyone
hung a round all the time for that), jet
skiing and windsurfing or just catching
the sun (Tracey) on the watersports trip,
visiting the local hospital to have stitches
put in or t aken out (Sheila) or making
ourselves known at the local police
station (Suzy), shoppng, eating Big Macs
or Kentucky Fries, sampling the st raw
berry daquir ies (5th F o r m) , maki ng
popcorn or filling the sink with the tea
(Ailsa) or enjoying sitting outside rooms
watching the sun come up. This alone
was enough to fill two weeks, but there
was some hockey to fit in — 10 mat ches
in fact!
Thr e e wins, a draw and only one loss
was recor ded by the J uni or team against
school and juni or club sides. An excellent
effort. T h e side notched up 17 goals and
only c onceded 4. O u r earlier fears were
unjustified as the girls improved with
each mat ch a n d wor ke d really hard.
T h e Seniors amassed 17 goals also in
their 4 wins and one loss touring display.
44
concedi ng 10. T h e maj ori ty of the goals
were given away — 6 in one match — but
it will be a match that stays in the mind of
these girls for many a year, playing
against a full Int ernat ional side. T he last
match the Seniors played was at Kensing
ton Oval, the West Indian Test Cricket
ground and there they met the Barbados
W o m e n ' s national side w h o were looking
for a training mat ch before leaving for
South Ame ri ca for the 5 Nations Cup.
This same t eam will represent Barbados
at the P a n - A m g ame s next year. We held
them for the first 10 mi nutes in a 70
mi nute mat ch but this took a lot out of
the girls. We went three down in the first
half followed by a n o t h e r three in the
second — consistent if nothing else. It
was a great experi ence for all those who
played — and for the coaches. We all
learnt a great deal on helping a team cope
with pressure, physical differences in
strength, speed and panic situations. We
were ab o u t to score on three occasions,
which was a magnificent effort against
such a team.
O u r grateful thanks go to Ramsay
Worl d Travel , Perth, for their superb
package which included a trophy for the
best tourist, won by Julie Clark. O u r
a p p r e c i at i on also to Mar k Norville,
vice-president of the Bar b a d os Hockey
Federat ion for his wonderful organisa
tion — including a picnic tour of the
island.
All in all it was a very successful
Hockey T o u r and as we study our
me mor i e s c a pt ur e d on film — it was a
great holiday!
L. J. S. and l \ K .
(m o re photos — see pages 42 a n d 43)
GIRLS’ ATHLETICS
Girls’ Athletics has without doubt
seen the most successful season ever this
year. Very nearly every track record has
been smashed and most of the field
records too have been thr eat ened or
broken.
The sprinting squad, coached by Mrs
Broadfoot and Mr G r e en , have a n u m
ber of very talented juni or sprinters in
the form of Tizi Nicholson, Lindsey
Moir, Eilidh Currie and Sophie Murray,
but the lime-light this year was definitely
stolen by Alison E d m o nd s who won gold
in both the 100m and the 200m at the
Scottish S c h o o ls’ Scottish Ju nio r
Champi onshi ps and double Silver in the
British I n de pe nde nt Schools' C h a m p i o n
ships. H e r electrifying last effort at the
Scottish Schools' Relay Champi onshi p
also helped the team of Kate Morrison,
Sarah Semple and Sonya Reid to win. Of
course, Alison gained a bronze and so
nearly a silver medal in an event where
Strathallan has never even ma d e the final
before. I mpr oveme nt s have also been
seen (and noted) in Fiona Mowat , who
unfortunately missed the end of the
season due to illness, as well as Claire
Corri e and Sheila Dow.
The middle distance squad u nder Mr
Raine and Mr Barnes probabl y had one
of the hardest seasons ever, (even if this
appears to be the general opinion every
year), but the headaches and nausea that
followed this y e a r ’s repet i t i ons and
“ Fart leks” certainly payed off. At the
Scottish Schools Rachel I aylor ran
almost a minute faster than ever before
over 3000m to win a bronze medal in
Badge Standar d time. Clodagh Meiklejohn ran a n o t h e r personal best of 5 mins.
07 secs, again winning a bronze medal,
with Flo Griffiths comi ng in 6th in the
same strong field and Sonya Reid ran her
personal best over 400m to t ake the silver
in a badge st andard time. Lucy Quarry
t oo ran a c o mme n d a b l e race over 1500m
in her first visit to this daunti ng event.
T h e day at the Scottish Schools was then
capped when it was ann o u n c e d that
Strathallan was to share the Paisley
Shield for the best Scottish School.
The field squad, although not quite so
successful as the track, still had some
e n c o u r a g i n g r e s ul t s . C l a i r e C o r r i e
recorded her personal best in both high
and long j um p , Bonnie Stevens threw
shot and discus consistently well all
season and Alison E d m o n d s recorded
some excellent throws in the shot putt.
L uc y Y o u n g , L e s l e y - A n n e D e w a r ,
Rachel Tilford and Kris Filmer also gave
promising performances.
T h e season has been mor e than just
o u t s t a n d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e s , h o we v e r .
Ru n n i n g tights spor ted by some likely
lassies a p p e a r e d for the first time. (Defi
nitely a must for everyone next year) and
mind over ma t t e r exercises (compli ment s
of Mr Barnes) may well have contributed
to the success of the squad.
Sports Day this year resulted in fairly
average per f o r man c e s across the boar d in
the light of the t e a m ’s achievements, but
this was definitely excusable after the
hard season. T h e house trophy went to
T h o r n b a n k H o u s e , as p erhaps expected,
and the Victrix L ud o r u m to Alison
E dmo n d s .
In a report it is always difficult to
ensur e e verybody deserving has had a
ment ion and I'm sure there are people
I’ve missed out, but finally ^however I
would like to thank all those who d o n ’t
normally do Athletics who t ur ned up to
help us out when we were short of
number s. It was very much appreciated.
So n y a R eid
Joint winners o f the Paisley shield were: Buck L
to R Alison Edm onds, Sonja Reid and Flo
Griffiths, front L to R Lucy Quarry, Clodagh
M eiklejohn and Ruche! Taylor.
GIRLS’
SWIMMING
With nineteen girls now representing
the swimming team we are becomi ng
stronger and mo r e competitive. It is
difficult to believe that it was only two
years ago that the girls began swimming
a gai ns t o t h e r school s. Ha v i n g won
against Rannoch for the second year
running we were confident of a victory
over St. Leonards. However, they again
proved to be the stronger t eam, but with
the point s’ margin now reduced to as
little as ten this was an excellent effort,
considering the vast difference in n u m
bers.
Even though the original girls' team
had been split (both houses with new
recruits), they still managed to subject
the boys to tough competition. With
continuing enthusiasm and c o mmi t me nt ,
which has been c o mme n d a b l e this year, it
is eventually hoped to see a girls' victory
in the interhouse competition. However ,
until t hen, we have to be cont e nt ed with
beating Nicol — which both Wo odl ands
and T h o r n b a n k did this year.
Susan Arnott
45
CRICKET
(Yes . . . for girls!)
Al though you will not have read any
details about our activities in the school
magazine before, in fact this was the
second year of “ Girl s” Cricket, and
although we have not been able to
overcome ou r title of “ Girls” , we have
shown that we are rapidly becomi ng a
force to be reckoned with. Whilst we
are not quite ready to challenge the 1st
XI boys t eam, Riley have proved to be
within our grasp.
Last year ou r mat ches brought us
victory over a Lorett o Girls’ T e a m and a
mixture of boys from Riley (they think
we only won because we did not play the
U13A — but we think we would have
won anyway!). T he team me mb e r s were
very grateful to Loret t o for giving us our
first ever match — it was useful to see if
any one r e m e mb e r e d anything from all
the practices we had both during the
winter and s um me r term.
This year o ur cricket saw a great boost
due to the enthusiasm of many of the
third formers. It would not be right to
forget to ment ion the talents (or lack of)
which some m e m b e r s displayed at the
start *— Eilidh Nicolson in particular.
However, despite any original probl ems
with co-ordination, there was a dramati c
and rewarding i mpr ov e me n t in every
one' s skill (maybe just as well).
As before, the team was coached by
the careful eyes of Mr Giles, who takes
revenge quite seriously, and Mr Forster,
for whom revenge is all part of the game.
Undoubt edl y the windmill t echni que of
bowling would not have been so well
mastered had they not been present.
This growth in techniques became
self-evident in our only match of the
season. ( Unfort unatel y the match with
Lorett o was cancelled due to rain). This
mat ch, an Int er-House compet it ion, p r o
vided an appropr iat e end to the year. The
general opinion after the game was that it
was some of the best cricket ever played
by the girls. For me, t he final o ut co me of
a narrow victory of T h o r n b a nk over
Woodl ands was conclusive evidence of
this.
Finally I would like to say thanks to
Messrs Giles and Forster and to all those
who came to play cricket who t hought
that there was no chance for them to
actually learn how it was done — I hope
this year has proved you wrong. Cricket
is a game for everyone and with a little
help anyone can learn to play and enjoy
the game as is so clearly shown in the
successful unbeat en record which the
St r a t ha l l a n Girl s' Cr i cke t t ea m has
achieved.
Carol Anderson
TENNIS
With the nature of the t eam, as regards
me mbe r s, changing constantly thr o u g h
out the season in o r d e r to a c co mmo d at e
G C S E and A Level exams, the results
were perhaps a little disappointing for the
Seniors, and did not fully reflect the
effort exerted and the skill d emons t r at e d
by many individuals.
T h e season began with a fairly c o n
vincing defeat at St Le ona r ds and ended
with a disappointing ('lie from the old
rivals, Kilgraston, but good tennis played
by S t r a t h a l l a n b r o u g h t s u c c es s at
Lorett o, Laurel Bank and Dollar.
Th e Juni or team played consistently
and impressively well and it is e n c o u r a g
ing to see such strong players working
their way up the school.
Next season it may be useful for the
whole team to enrol the help of Peter
Derbyshi re for coaching purposes in
or d e r to develop skills and exploit talents
mor e fully, and to get the team working
as a unit.
Lastlv. a mention must go to the
Strathallan success in the Midland Bank
compet it ions this year by the Li 13 Riley
boys, who battled t hrough the first round
to beat Ge o r g e Watsons and then win
against the High School of Glasgow to
reach the Scottish Finals to be played
indoors in September.
All that is left to say is to wish future
teams the very best of luck from Jo and
me.
_ a- ^
L jji l
Gillian Addison.
* V*
JUNIOR
NETBALL
The Juni or netball squad has had quite
an even term: they won a few games and
lost a few. O u r first match against
Rannoch was 7-9 against and that was
just our trial. Next to beat was Mor ri
s o n ’s and beat them we did: the score was
18-7. O u r real challenge was to do well
against Go r d o n s t ou n and the out c ome
was a first time victory for Strathallan,
the score being 11-7. Next was Fettes,
30-3 to us again. Wh e n we played
Kilgraston they were winning 10-5 in the
first half and in the second half we did
our best to come back to ma k e the final
score 23-11. Sadly in the next mat ch we
just didn' t have enough breat h and
Rannoch beat us again 12-18.
O v e r all I think the J uni or Netball
squad did really well and I hope they do
as well next year.
Victoria Forster: Captain
46
NETBALL
The st a n d a rd of netball again
improved with new players from prep
school keen and ready to play and those
left from last season having acquired new
skills. Several me mb e r s of last year' s
junior team moved up to the seniors,
leaving spaces for the promising new
players at the lower level and the set
moves which we learned helped pull the
team toget her and made for a much
tighter st andard of game. T h e way the
sport is seen by others has also improved
as people are now beginning to take note
and take us seriously. T h e t ur n-out at the
match against the staff was proof of this.
O u r first match was against Dun de e
High School and although it was a good
game we failed to take p r o p e r control
until the last quart er. We did. however,
finish with a very respectable score of
11-14.
This year o u r fixture list increased
dramatically with schools such as Mor ri
s o n ' s , F e t t e s , K i l g r a s t o n a n d St.
G e o r g e ’s having t aken up the sport
recently. Th u s mor e even st andards were
expected. We played away to Morrison's,
Kilgraston and St. G e o r g e ’s and had
convincing wins of 27-7, 29-3 and 26-3
respectively.
We e njoyed a very exciting, close game
against Fettes in which both sides were
thoroughly tested as to their ability to
play as a team and draw on their
experiences to get the u p p e r hand. The
out come was a narrow win for us: 19-16.
Th e Go r d o n s t ou n match was not one
of our bett er games and although we
knew that we were playing against a
bett er team, we failed to pull toget her and
show our true form. We were outclassed
and outpl ayed and ther efore suffered a
heavy defeat. Maybe in a few years' time
the up-and-comi ng players will be able to
get revenge for us.
T h e st andard of the inter-house c o m
petition was high but T h o r n b a n k Seniors
played their way to a 21-11 victory and,
combi ned with the Juniors' victory, took
the int er-house shield.
Th e match against the staff was an
interesting affair with an unusual mixture
of the serious and light-hearted. The
Senior t eam was sponsored per goal with
the proceeds going to the Hockey Tour ,
thus a 22-15 victory helped the netballers
do their bit for the Hockey Tour.
An unex p ec t ed match was played
against a Civil Service T e a m in Perth
during the S u mm e r term and we were all
e xhaust ed by the end.
All in all we had a very successful
season a nd next t erm promises to be even
bett er with the team feeling mor e like a
p r o p e r recognised team with official
netball shirts. G o o d luck.
Susan Brown
SOME SUMMER TERM
SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS
Strathallan win the Scottish Schools
Sailing Trophy.
Strathallan reach the National Finals of
the Bank of Scotland U13 Te nnis C h a l
lenge (will be played next term).
Craig Foster is selected for the Pe r t h
shire Schools Gol f Team.
David Reid and Kristian Lannen play
for the Tayside Region U18 Basketball
team in the Scottish Regional C h a mp i o n
ships.
Keith Salters and Mark Tench have a
final trial for Scottish U16 Cricket next
month.
U 14 C ’s XI score 297 for 3 dec. (James
Reekie 104 n.o. ) and dismiss the opposi
tion for 10 runs!
Sonya Reid is selected for the s u mme r
training pool for the Scottish Schoolgirls'
Hockey Te a m.
Strathallan win 15 medals at Scottish
Schools A thletics C ham pionships
(including 3 Golds) and the Girls share
the Tr o p h y for the school with the best
p erf ormances at the Champi onships.
Ky Kay is selected to throw the Discus
for Scotland in the Schools H o m e Int er
national Athletics meet ing at Meadow-
bank.
Alison E d m o n d s confirms her status as
the fastest U19 female in Scotland by
winning both the 100m and 200m in the
Scottish Juni or Cha mpi onships.
J o n a t ha n Brooks wins a bronze medal
100m at the British I n d e p e n d e n t Schools
C h a m p i o n s h i p s in L o n d o n ( A l i s o n
E d m o n d s wins silver in both the 100 and
200).
Strathallan take the first F IV E places
in the Loch Ra n n o c h 12.5 mile road race
for Schools and win both the Boys and
the Girls team trophy.
D avid Gritten hands the baton to Jonathan Brooks — U I7 4x100m Scottish Schools Championship.
47
BOYS’ ATHLETICS
A unique year . . . definitely one that
could not have been predicted! We
managed to win 15 medals at the Scottish
Schools Champi onships, three medals at
the British Independent Schools C h a m p
ionships, the boys were totally outshone
by the girls and we still only manage d to
win two mat ches outright! Several fea
tures have not changed though — Roger
Bond still came third in the Scottish
Schools Senior 1500m (and still failed to
win a single 800m), o ur field events (with
two notable exceptions) were weak but
had great charact er and yet again “ Not
the Strathallan Sports D a y " turned into a
comical farce!
As usual the first match provided us
with a few surprises, none mor e so than
Alec Lochore' s mad 100m dash that
lasted for 400m! C a me r o n Co o k also
silenced his critics by winning the 200m
against “ one of those dark chaps"!
Fettes proved to be d o mi na nt in the
field events but with a little (well. O K
t hen, a lot) of help from our Girls we just
managed to win. Gl ena l mo n d also p r o
vided a not her big shock — we beat them!
Notable perf ormances were given by
G r a ha m Macl ennan and Mur ray Dick.
R a n n o c h is n e v e r the easi est of
ma t ches , especially wh e n c o mp e t i n g
away. This year we had the added
difficulty of having no u p p e r sixth due to
exams! The middles won, the seniors
didn't.
The final match was against Merchis-'
ton and needs no further ment ion suffice to say we came second. Actually,
it should be noted that the middle
u nbeat en record ended here by the
narrowest of margins — a single point!
J onat han Brooks' 100m. David Gritten' s
400m and the mi ddles’ 4 x 100m relay
victories were highlights of an oust anding
meeting.
After the Merchiston match, we felt
that things could get bett er and this
proved to be true at the Scottish Schools
Relay Champi onships. The Senior Boys
just failed to make the last six, while the
Middles quart et of G r a h a m Macl ennan,
T o ny G ib s o n , David G ri t te n and
J o nat ha n Brooks won silver medals and
broke “ badge s t an d a r d " and the Girls
also excelled by bringing h o me the
Bronze, also at “ badge st andard".
T he Scottish Schools Individual
Champi onships was also a great success.
Ky Kay won the Gol d in the U I 7 Discus
. . . congratulations and good luck
throwing for Scotland in the Ho me
International in July! Roger Bond just
failed to emul ate his "Ch a r i o t s of Fire"
hero by taking the Bronze in the Senior
1500m (and that after spending the early
part of the race lying flat on his back on
the track — these club athletes are rough
— thanks guys!). O t h e r outstanding
efforts came from J am es T o rn o s ,
Jo n a t ha n Brooks, Iain Wilson, Ca me r o n
Co o k and our very own Alec Lochore.
The girls will tell their own story — don' t
miss it!
This was nothing in comparison to
“ Not the Strathallan Sports Day"!!? In
front of a capacity crowd no-one failed to
look ridiculous. Th e r e were "special"
p e r f o r m a n c e s by S i mon " m e d a l l i o n
m a n " H-C in the limbo and Julie Clark in
managi ng to win “ Scop the Seagull".
Athletics has also thrived in anot her
area this season — that of road running!
O u r own internal “ fun r u n " for the
Ba r b a d o s T o u r provided a victory for
R o g e r B o n d a n d o n c e a g a i n Tim
Lawr ence came in just behind. O t h e r
Left: Duncan Logan to the fore in cross
country. Right: Murray Dick U17HOOtn Scottish
Schools ( hampionship.
48
excellent pe rf orma nc e s came from Piers
Du C a n e Wilkinson. A n d r e w Buchan
and o u r trainer DJB. All those training
sessions trying to keep up with us
obviously paid off!
At the Loch Ra n n o c h Mi ni-Marathon
(12.5 miles) we decided to launch a maj or
assault this year. T a ki ng a strong squad
of six plus hoards of Riley G n o me s (to
intimidate the opposition) we managed to
get the first five finishers and take the
individual and t eam prizes. Well done
Rachael Taylor on breaki ng your own
course record in the Girls competition
and to our fearless female squad for
sharing in the top girls t eam prize!
Th a n k s to all those at Ra n n o c h and to the
event sponsors for a great day out!
T ha nk s also for the Bauchaille Dash — I
think!
All in all it was an outstandi ng season.
It's a shame that circumstances deprive
us of great er dept h in our squad but
credit must be given to all those athletes
who c o mp e t ed (yes, even you Rod!) and
o u r sincere thanks go to all o u r coaches.
T h a n k s for a great season.
Roger Bond
FULL COLOURS: R. A. Bond ( C a p t . )
A. C. Co ok
Ky T. Kay
HALF COLOURS: I. D. J. Wilson
A. B. Gibson
J. M. Brooks
D. J. Grit ten
J. A. T o r n os
G. R. Macl ennan
T. P. Lawr ence
A. D. Lochore
S. D . H o u i s o n Craufur d
FUN RUN
T o one such as myself the idea of a run
being fun was well beyond my grasp. Yet
when a notice went up asking who would
be i nterested in running 12 miles in aid of
the Girls' T o u r I signed my n ame up with
all the grace and ease of s o me one who
had do n e this many times before. Wha t
was I thinking of, you ask? Th a t is a
question I often ask myself. Could it have
been pride? No. Could it have been a
sense of duty to help the girls? Maybe,
but 1 think not. So was it basic stupidity
or a change of image? Well I'll let you
decide. T h e reason why I "signed u p "
those many mo n t h s ago is now lost and
irrelevant. T h e fact was that when I
arrived back this t erm I was officially on
“T h e Strathallan School Barbados Fun
R u n " and I could not back out — that
was it: I was on.
Being who I am, I could not take the 12
mile course too lightly. In fact I had to
treat it with more respect than even my
H o u s e ma s t e r warrant s, a considerable
a mo u n t to say the least! Unfort unatel y
just treating the Run with respect was not
going to get me r ound the t hree laps of
the four mile course. This, of course,
meant T R A I N I N G . Just saying the word
sends shivers down my spine even now.
Yet, if I was going to d o this run then I
had to get the ball rolling so o n e r or later.
Wh a t bett er way to start than with a
“ Pilgy". It was not until I had finally
finished my first one that I realised that it
was not a ball I had to get rolling but a 10
ton boulder! Th a t was when the true fact
of the mat t e r struck me, I was going to
run T W E L V E MI LES! I must confess
that I felt like chucking it all in and telling
P.K. that I did not want to do it anymore.
For maki ng me stick with it I must thank
Piers. He dragged me r ound and slowly,
very slowly, I got fitter.
Drawing by Tim Lawrence
T h e 20th May l oomed ever closer. By
May 8th I could run four miles without
too much bother. On 9th I tried two laps.
It was slow, une njoyabl e, tedious and,
mor e importantly, absolutely shattering!
" O h , o h ” , I t hought , “ I’ve got a long
way to g o . ” So with increased anxiety I
trained (me— training!) a bit harder. I
like to look at my progress as impressive
and, to me, being able to run 8 miles in
u n d e r an h our (59m 58s to be exact) by
May 14th was an impressive achieve
ment. With a week to go I made final
preparations. After a quick consultation
with my dietry adviser, Dr P. Un j a b , I
got a carbohydrate-l oading diet for the
last week. “ Only three training days
left,” he said. “ T h en rest. ” In those
three days I ran four miles a day. I now
had t hr ee days left of eating solid
carbohydr at es and no exercise (nothing
could be easier!).
W e l l , fi nall y S u n d a y , Ma y 20th
arrived. T h e day of the Strath Fun Run
49
was here. T h e day was hot and humi d
and tension filled the air by the main
gates where a bout 130 people gather ed at
1.30 p. m. for the start at 2 p . m. I think it
would be fair to say I was just a touch,
and only a touch mind you, worried. It
was not the fact that I might not be able
to finish the R un that worri ed me, but the
fact that Julie might beat me!
Anyway, at 2 we set off. I sat at the
back of the pack, with my reasoning
being that then I might overt ake people!
As the Run progressed the pack thinned
considerably and I found myself running
on my own. I suppose if I am honest, and
it pains me to say this, I did actually
enjoy the Run. I compl eted my three laps
without T O O much b ot her and in a
respectable time, at least for me, of 1
h our 32 minutes. I feel I must ment ion
that there were some outstandi ng per f or
mances: Roger Bond (whose race n u m
ber was 007) s o meh o w flew round the
distance in a r e markabl e time of 1 hour 1
minute, Tim Lawrence hot orkhis tail at 1
h our 2 minutes. A big upset in third
place, with no disrepect int ended, for
Piers du Cane Wilkinson in 1 h our 7
minutes, managi ng to beat DJB (it must
have been training with me that did it).
Also worth a large ment ion are Rachel
Taylor who finished in 1 h our 15 minutes
which is great for anyone, but for an
u nder 16 girl it is fantastic, the same goes
for An d r e w Jeffreys who compl eted the
course in 1 hour 17 minutes. Also I
suppose I must admi t defeat and c ongr a
tulate Julie for beating me (oh dear!) in a
time of 1 h our 30 minutes. I am sure I
have missed out many fine perf ormances
and for that I apologise.
I believe that on all accounts the Run
was a great success, hopefully we m a n
aged to raise enough mone y to help send
our beloved girls on tour, and maybe
mor e importantly we helped to set up an
event that will be conti nued annually.
Finally I must, on the r u n n e r s’ behalf,
t hank all who helped organise the Run,
especially Mr Keir and Miss Smith. Mr
Ross and his crew should be congr at u
lated for the results service and Mr Vallot
and Mr Elliot’s crew for organising the
watering stations.
1 must also t hank, on behalf of Mr
Keir, Miss Smith and the girls going on
tour, all those who ran and helped to
raise money. O h , and let us not forget Mr
Proctor who, at great personal loss, let us
borr ow and set up our “ we did it”
barbecue after the Run. T ha n k you. Sir.
Results
Fastest OAP:
Dave Barnes
Biggest race upset: P du C Wilkinson, 3rd
Time
1:08
1:07
Your melodramatic reporter:
Tarrant (I really ran 12 miles) Steel.
SPORTS DAY
Those who were there, and who were actually watching the Athletics, will have noted some excellent track and lield performances under dillicult
conditions.
. .
The high standards achieved by our athletes this season arc a reflection ol their ellorts and the latter have been considerable.
Congratulations to all those who set new " P B s " , my thanks go to all those colleagues who helped with arrangements prior to and 0 1 1 Sports Day and to
Mrs Margie Logan who so kindly agreed to present the prizes.
We have found Rachel Taylor, but where was Roger Bond . . .
D.J.B.
G IR L S’ R ESULTS
Event
100m
100m
100m
200m
200m
200m
400m
400m
400m
800m
800m
800m
1500m
1500m
1500m
H ig h J u m p
H igh J u m p
H igh J u m p
Long Jum p
Long Jum p
Long Jum p
Shot
Shot
Shot
4 x 100m R e la y
4 x 100m R e la y
Age
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
J
S
Ri
.1
S
J
S
Winner
P e a r m a n R. C.
N ic h o ls o n E. A.
E d m o n d s A.
K r a n e n b u r g H. C.
C u r r i e E. M.
E d m o n d s A.
D o o d s o n L. A.
T ilfo r d R. E.
R e id S. J.
B r y a n s L.
T a y l o r R. S. G .
R e id S. J.
D u t t o n S. M.
T a y l o r R. S. G .
M e i k l e j o h n C. K.
B ryans/D oodson
B l a c k s to c k S.
C o r r i e J. C.
Sang T.
L a n n e n T . L.
B o y d K. J.
Sang T.
Y o u n g L. J. S.
E d m o n d s A.
W o o dlan d s
T hornbank
E v en t
100m
100m
100 m
100m
200m
200m
200m
200m
400m
400 m
400m
400m
800m
800m
800m
800m
1500m
1500m
1500m
1500m
H igh J u m p
H igh J u m p
H ig h J u m p
H ig h J u m p
Long Jum p
Long Jum p
Long Jum p
Long Jum p
Shot
Shot
Shot
Shot
D iscus
D iscu s
D iscus
Javelin
Ja v e lin
Ja ve lin
4 x 100m R e la y
4 x 100m R e la y
4 x 100m R e la y
4 x 100m R e la v
Age
Ri
.1
M
S
Ri
J
M
S
Ri
.1
M
S
Ri
J
M
S
Ri
.1
M
S
Ri
J
M
S
Ri
J
M
S
Ri
.1
M
S
I
M
S
J
M
S
Ri
I
M
S
W in n er
Price M.
W a lla c e .1. P.
G i b s o n A . B.
C o o k A . C.
B a r r J. D.
W a lla c e J. P.
L ow J . C.
C o o k A . C.
Price M .
B e n n e t t A . .1. B.
L ow J. C.
L o c h o r e A. D.
C a m ille r i D. M. A.
W ilson 1. D. J.
D ick M. .1.
L o c h o r e A . D.
Price M.
W ilso n I. D. J.
S a n g R . T . D.
B o n d R. A.
Hall D. A.
W a lla c e M.
T o r n o s .1. A.
L a n n c n K. L. F.
1 W o o d G . C.
Hill C . L.
G r i t t e n D. .1.
L o c h o r e A . D.
H all D. A.
W a lla c e M.
S o c h a r t P. D. H.
S in c la ir A . I.
F e r g u s o n P. J.
K ay Ky T.
C l a r k C.
H e n d e r s o n P. R.
L ow J . C.
C l a r k C.
B a lm an o
Leburn
Freeland
R uthvcn
Record
14.30
13.00
12.12
2<S. 61
27.79
25.20
69.95
66.00
60.00
2 .4 3.3 7
2 .3 2 .1 0
2 .37 .0 0
5 .3 9 .0 0
5.24.2(1
5 .0 9.10
1.36
1.45
1.55
4.0S
4.46
4.58
8.20
8.55
9.49
56.90
54.54
Time/Dist.
15.34
14.44
12.70
32.00
32.38
2<S. 3 I
77.66
71.97
62.68
3 .0 6.00
2 .3 5.64
2 .4 2.40
7 .3 3.00
5.19.22*
5 .3 1.1 2
1.15
1.25
1.30
3.48
4.12
4.35
6.52
7.04
7.01
58.31
52.74*
Year
Holder
1988
N in h a m C.
1982
S t r e u lc K.
1990
Edm onds A.
1988
B la c k s to c k S.
1988
R e id S.
199(1
E d m o n d s A.
1988
B la c k s t o c k S.
1987/90
R e id S . / T a y lo r R.
1990
R e id S.
1988
T a y l o r R.
1990
T a y l o r R.
1990
R e id S.
1988
H o o p e r C.
T a y l o r R. N e w S c h o o l R e c o r d 1990
1990
M e i k l c j o h n C.
1988
B la c k s t o c k S.
1984
O r r K.
1987
R u t h e r f o r d R.
1984
B rodie A.
1985
G o r d o n S.
1989
C a r r u t h c r s C.
1984
O r r T.
1985
S m ith .1.
1990
E d m o n d s A.
1985
E ast W in g
T h o r n b a n k N e w S c h o o l R e c o r d 1990
BO Y S’ RESULTS
Record
12.14
12.00
10.9(1 '
1 1.00
25.34 .!■
24.50
23.20
22.80
59.30
56.50
52.50
50.30
2.24 .4
2.12 .9
2 .0 3 .6
1.55.2
4 .5 5 .0
4.32.7
4 .14.5
4 .0 9.2
1.48
1.63
1.775
1.895
5.00
5.55
6.17
6.52
1 1.29
1 1.43
14.73
12.90
36.27
4 2.00
40.26
49.81
49.81
57.07
56.70
50.50
46 .60
45.50
Tim e/D ist
13.84
12.49
12.10
1 1.49
32.25
27.25
25.71
24.62
64.83
64.19
55.80
53.31
2 .5 1.00
2.17.2 8
2.13.50
2.09.94
5 .3 0.32
4 .4 0.17
4 .3 8 .0 0
4.38.00
1.24
1.6(1
1.65
1.45
3.95
4.69
5.15
5.22
9.76
9.80
10.96
9.01
26.93
37.20
24.42
28.20
39.51
38.15
60.47
52.75
48.79
47.90
50
H older
C o o k C.
L ing T.
O gilvie
L och art/L i n g /S m ellie /JG rk land
S t e w a r t R.
C o o k C.
L ing T.
L ing T.
S t e w a r t R.
C o o k C.
Millar
Roger G
S t e w a r t R.
L a w r e n c e C.
L a w r e n c e C.
R oger G.
L a w r e n c e C.
L a w r e n c e C.
B o n d R.
B o n d R.
T o r n o s .1.
H olm es
C u t h b e r t s o n A.
Roger G.
T in d a ll
L e a r C'.
L aw so n
Sm e llie D.
Kay K.
K n o x S.
M cK enzie G.
C a ll a n d e r
K n o x S.
K n o x S.
M cK enzie G.
M c B r i d e .1.
M c B r i d e J.
M c B r i d e J.
D ron
R uthvcn
Sim p so n
Freeland
Year
1985
1971
1978
1971/78
1987
1987
1973
1974
1987
1987
1977
1982
1987
1984
1985
1982
1984
1985
1988
1989
1987
1965
1984
1982
1961
1967
1967
1978
1987
t'974
1973
1979
1974
1976
1974
1969
1969
1971
1987
1987
1972
1981
V IC TO R ES LUDORUM
M iddle Boys: J a s o n L ow
Riley: M a rk Price
J u n i o r Boys: Iain W ilson
S e n io r Boys: A lec L o c h o r e
V IC T R I X L U D O R U M
J u n i o r G irls: Eilidh C u r r ie
S e n io r G irls: A lison E d m o n d s
BOYS I N T ER - H OU S E A TH L E T I C S
C H A MP I O N S : Freel and
GI R LS I N T E R - H O U S E A T H L E T I C S
C H A MP I O N S : T h o r n b a n k
Riley: H a n n a K r a n e n b u r g
R OWA N C UP F OR A TH L E T I C S
STANDARDS: L E B U R N
FINAL HOUSE POINTS T OTALS:
G irls: T h o r n b a n k 165,
W o o d l a n d s 109
A lex Lochore receives his cup fro m Mrs Logan.
lain Wilson wins the HOO marcs.
TOP OF THE FORM
Boys: F r e e la n d 129, L e b u r n
94, Nicol 118, R u t h v e n 127,
S im p so n 79
FENWICK’S
FOR SCHOOLWEAR
OF PERTH
O ffic ia l O u tfitte rs to Strathallan School
We have now moved to
21-23 HIGH STREET, PERTH. Tel. 0738-37843
, r|-
We look forward to seeing
(F orm erly C a ird ’s o f P erth )
A s w ell as to p q u a lity school an d le isu re wear, w e n ow o ffer a
c o m p le te ly n ew S p o rts D e p t., sp ec ia lisin g in H ockey, R ugby,
. ™ , , C ricket,
_,
at renwiClf S Where
personal service comes first
yOU
eq u ip m e n t in clu din g sh oes b y lea d in g m anu facturers. There
is also a R id in g D ep t., in clu din g Jodh purs, H ackin g J a ck ets,
H ats, Boots, p lu s a ran ge o f le isu re wear.
51
GOLF
I’m glad to report that golf continues
to be a very popul ar s u mme r sport and
that the team has once again e njoyed a
good season.
Al though we lost the first two matches
against Me rchiston and Morrison's
Ac a de my, we won four of the remaining
matches. Unfort unat el y, losing to Mor ri
s o n ^ meant we finished runner s-up to
them in our section of the Perth and
Kinross Schools League for the second
year in succession, and I just hope this
d oe s n ’t become a habit. As last year,
they went on to win the final and we
congrat ulat e them on their success. All
the mat ches were most enjoyabl e and
played in a very friendly spirit, with the
one against Blairgowrie G. C. Juniors
played over the R os e mo u n t course rated
particularly highly.
Colours were awarded to Jonat han
Fr ame, Craig Forster and David Reid.
All were a bit inconsistent at times but
they nevertheless played solid golf over
the season and gave a good account of
themselves in the matches. Jamfes Garvie, the fourth m e m b e r of the league
side, gained in confidence after a shaky
start and should do well in the future.
Craig was the ‘find’ of the season — his
FOOTBALL
This s um me r term saw upwards of
thirty boys from Fourt h Form to U p p e r
Sixth choosing to play soccer, and over
the course of the first mont h this was
increased by at least ten refugees from
ot her sports. T he game was given added
interest by a visit from Mr Ken Wh ar t o n ,
a f or mer Ast on Villa player who was
talent-spotted by David Giles in Inters
port. Mr Whar t on kindly agreed to give a
coaching session, and promised to return
weekly . . . in any case, we were all very
grateful to him for the time which he did
manage to spare us.
We played two fixtures against Qu e e n
Victoria School, the first at home, which
we won by 2 goals to 1; the second away,
which we lost 3-2. The squad from which
the team was picked consisted of a group
of very keen players, and indeed they
were a creditable side. Individual p erf or
mances of note came from Mike Clement
in goal, Angus J ohns t on, Jamie Scott and
Scott Gi bb as the strikers and Stephen
Wilson, Malcolm Dippie and Fraser Rea
in midfield and defence.
T h e S e ni or H o u se Ma t ch e s were
played over two weeks towards the end
of term; despite the failure to complete
two of the matches, the final points total
left Freel and in an unassailable position
with eight points, no o t he r House having
mor e than four.
A.S-J.
switch from cricket to golf in his final
term worke d out well, and in his quiet,
undemonstrat ive way he ma d e quite an
impact. He was runner -up in the Schools
Individual Compet it ion at Crieff and was
selected to play for the District in the
Coca Cola Te a m Champi onships.
R u t h v e n ’s long run of success in the
Ho me Compet it ion finally came to an
end this year — Simpson' s 3 round
aggregate being just 2 shots bett er than
theirs. Leburn, well led by Colin Smith
who scored 79, came a close third.
However. ‘Joffie’ Fr ame saw to it that
the Stroke Play Cup stayed in Ruthven
by scoring 76, one bett er than David
Reid.
Th e r e is no d oubt that Frank Smi t h’s
coaching sessions on Thursday after
noons have helped all who were present,
from the raw beginner up to those of
team st anda rd, and on behalf of everyone
I thank him for his patience and expert
advice.
H .C .A .
Captain: J. S. Frame.
Te a m: J. S. Fr a me , C. Forster, D. I.
Reid, J. Garvie.
(E. Wa t s o n , C. A. Smith. A. Davidson,
R. McNalley).
\
I think we should go for it . . . I think
w e ’re ready,
L ook, will you pay attention Freddie!
I want you to go out there and be
aggressive,
But for G o d ’s sake . . . you had bett er be
impressive.
Ther e are a lot of people out there
watching you. you and you;
T h e y ’re fed up with the old faces — they
want s ome one new.
I’m sure y o u ’ll like the fans, (and t he r e’ll
be a good few).
I want you to go out there and show them
how to play the game.
G o speak to t hem, even tell them your
n ame,
Tell them you h a v e n ’t yet cracked it.
Yo u know that old tactic.
I’m getting a bit tired of the chatting in
the back.
Y o u ’ve got to grow-up, you could do
with a good smack.
T h a t ’s w h a t ’s wrong with you boys,
Y o u ’re still at the age of playing with
toys!
Y o u ’re all fitter, and mor e experienced
than the rest.
So just go out there and do your best.
I want you all to feel the glory.
A n d most import ant come back with that
trophy!
Jill McGarrie
52
Mat ch Results
League:
v Mo r r i s o n ’s A c a d e my
v Crieff H. S.
v Kinross U.S.
v A u c ht e ra r d e r H.S.
v Gl e n a l mo n d
Lost 1/2-3 >/2
Won 3-1
Won 2 '/2-1 Vi
Won 4-0
Halved 2-2
Friendlies:
v Merchiston
v Blairgowrie Juniors
Lost 11/2-21/2
Wo n 5'/2-2'/2
SWIMMING
As a games option Swimming remains
as popul ar as ever, although it must be
said that many a budding swi mmer ends
up a little bit disappoint ed. I have in
mind those persons who think of it as a
soft option and get a mild shock when
they realise that one can have as st renu
ous a work-out in the pool as one could in
the multi-gym.
We a p p ea r to have overcome most of
the technical probl ems which used to
bedevil the pool.
Compet it ive swimming is beginning to
pick up again. The girls' houses are
strongly repr esented in the middles and
junior groups, and even a mong the
seniors they are a force to be reckoned
with, as the Inter-house Swimming Gala
showed.
Could it have somethi ng to do with the
fact that the girls train mor e regularly?
T h e boys seem to rely on raw strength
rat her than real skill, which is a pity,
when one watches some of the rather
talented swimmers during Activities ses
sions.
While swimming c annot possibly claim
to play a ma j or role a mo n g the various
sports and games, it remains firmly
established as an activity that offers good
opport unit ies for both relaxation and
physical challenge.
k . c;.
BASKETBALL
ing to their full potential, the boys
retained the Strathallan Invitation T r o
phy beating Gl e n a l mo n d , Ra nnoch and
Kinross High in the process.
Overall it has been a successful and
enjoyabl e season. Congratul ati ons must
go to David Reid and Kristian Lannen in
representing Tayside U n d e r 18s and to
Jamie She p h e r d , C ame r o n Philip and
Kris Lannen in gaining their full colours.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr Ross
for the time he has put into refereeing
many of o u r games, Samir Sabbagh for
his help with the coaching and last but
not least the team for their dedication
and effort t hr o u g h o u t the season.
D .R .G .
THE TEAM:
Way back in S ept ember , 1989, matches
began and for some did not end until
J une, 1990. It was a long hard season
with over 30 games being played.
In the league I was slightly worried that
with only t hree players left from last
season we would struggle. But this was
not so and in fact we were more
successful than last season. Al though we
only won four games, we were never well
beaten and always went down fighting,
reaching the semi-finals of the 2nd
division cup in the process. O u r success
wa s m a i n l y d u e to o u r C a n a d i a n
“ i mpor t ” , G r a e m e Rent o n , and our
Israeli assistant coach, Samir Sabbagh.
They not only st rengt hene d the side but
added valuable experience. Re n t o n fin
ished t op average- point s scorer and
captain David Reid was 2nd highest
3-point scorer.
In school mat ches we were soundly
beaten in the Scottish Schools Cu p by
Alness A c a d e my but, although not play
Seniors: D. Giles (Coach), S. Sabbagh
(Ass. Coach), G. Renton.
Boys: D. Reid ( Captai n), C. Philip. J.
She p h e r d , J. Hay, K. Lanne n. J. L a n
gley, D. Breves.
Also Played: M. Dippie, D. Dawes.
BOYS’ TENNIS
Despite the limitations imposed on the
sport by the s u mme r options pr o g r a mme ,
the First VI did very well to win most of
their mat ches this season.
A stylish third pair who, unfortunately,
won few games, put undue pressure on
the ot her two pairs in the early matches.
A reorganisation of pairings and the
appear ance of new talent from the lower
forms gave a bett er balance to the team
and good wins followed, particularly
against Gl e na l mond and Fettes. E d i n
burgh and, as always, Stewarts Melville
proved much too strong for us but all
ot her mat ches were keenly and closely
contested.
In previous years the highlight of the
season has been the hexangular fixture
with Go r d o n s t ou n and Fettes involving
both boys' and girls' teams. Sadly this
season the fixture did not take place; a
victim of the increasing pressure of
exami nati ons and the reluctance of Fettes
to travel to Elgin. Hopefully it will be
possible to reinstate this fixture in a
modified form for future years.
Rober t Moir, in his third year in the
First VI captained the team well and set
an excellent exampl e on court. Jo n a t ha n
Wallace and Daniel Breves, both in their
first season with the t eam, for med a
promising part nershi p which augurs well
for next season. John Keddie proved an
excellent foil for his captain in the early
matches but the length and control of his
shots became more erratic with the
approach of exam time. In the third pair
Neil Sinclair provided the p owe r and the
tactics whilst T o m m y Chan provi ded the
mobility.
In the house compet it ion Ruthven
deservedly won a restyled t o u r na me n t
after some close games and Robert Moir
was singles champi on.
T h e school team was selected from
R o b e r t Moir, Daniel Breves. Jo h n K e d
die, Neil Sinclair, J on a t h a n Wallace,
T o m m y C ha n , Iain Wilson and Kris
Robert son. Robe rt Moi r was rewarded
full colours for the season.
D .J.R .
53
Results:
v E d i nbur gh A c a d e my (a)
v Morrisons A c a d e my (a)
v Ra nnoc h (a)
v Ma dr a s (h)
v G l e n a l mo n d (h)
v Fettes (a)
v Morrisons A c a d e my (h)
v Stewarts Melville (a)
v Lore t t o (a)
vMCR(h)
lost 0-6
won 5-4
won 7-2
lost 2-7
won 5-4
won 6-3
lost 4-5
lost 0-6
won 5-4
lost 4-5
SKI-ING
Schools — one of the very few events to
be held in Gl enshee these last two
seasons — but was denied the chance of
proving their worth at national and
i n t e r n a t i o n a l level by the e n f o r ce d
cancellation of both Scottish and British
Schools snow races.
With Robert 1st; R a m b o 3rd followed
closely by Ji mmy Banks 4th and Peter
Allen 7th, the senior team won the
Perthshire Schools Op e n event with some
style. At the same meet ing the U n d e r - 14
t eam did well to take second place after
very little training, G r e g o r Watt ' s second
individual place being particularly credi t
able. An inexperienced girls' team m a n
aged a fourth place (out of five). It is the
C ap t a i n’s privilege to c ompl iment Sarah
Semple on her 13th place in her c o mp e t i
tive debut.
The season was not without its c o m p e
titive rewards. Ro b e r t Hutchison put up
some good p e r f o r ma n c e s in various
national events and we all wish him well
T he racing season started early in the
A u t u m n T e r m with Stathallan qualify
ing at the Scottish Schools Artificial
Slope Champi onshi ps at Hillend in Ed i n
burgh to represent Scottish Schools in the
British event held in N o v e mb e r at Silksworth in Sunderl and. The t eam' s relative
inexperience on the artificial mat saw us
finishing no bett er than tenth in both
events. Individually Robert Moir m a n
aged 20th in Sunderl and and ' R a m b o '
Hutchison 22nd at Hillend whilst Gui l
l ermo ‘Bob Smith' Aristegui scored a
notably painful straddle down in the land
of the leek buttie.
Early snow-falls in N o v e mb e r looked
hopeful but, in the event, it was a second
consecutive disaster of a. ski season.
Occasional heavy falls during the winter
made little if any impact due to the lack
of a solid base.
This was particularly disappointing for
a team which on p aper was destined to do
well on snow; did well at the Perthshire
in his e n d e a v o u r s to be ‘constructively
noti ced’ by the Scottish Squad selectors.
Robert Moir
Star billing must go to R o ber t Moir
who was selected to lead a C C F team
compet i ng for the first time in the Royal
Navy Ch a mp i o n sh i p s in the Pyrenees in
March. He , and the t e am, won every
thing in sight — shades of Ron Duncan
and the Strathallan C C F team at the
A r my Ch a mp i o n sh i p s back in the 70’s;
and look what h a p p e n e d to him! The
Navy were sufficiently impressed to have
a special medal cast for him and in great
secrecy sent up to School so that it could
be presented to him at Speech Day by the
guest of hon o u r . Sir Ro g er Young.
( Addit ional material by J F C who wrote
the bits that R o b e r t was too modest to
put in and who rates this a far more
fitting m e m e n t o of his 25th ski season at
Strathallan than on e Ski Thu r sday and a
couple of second-rate Sundays. )
SQUASH
playing the mor e ‘s e a s o n e d ’ competition
in a match situation. T o lose this chance
would be a great loss and I hope that
those staying on will be involved in the
90/91 leagues.
I must put in a special thanks to all
those who played, and especially to'
Ro g e r Bond for so often filling in at the
last mo me n t and who I have to report has
still not won a league match yet! H o p e
fully, next se a s o n ’s results will be better,
with Piers and Keith returning.
As usual the team extends its thanks to
The past season was certainly not one
of our best and we finished the bottom
side of middle in our league. O u r main
fault lay in the fact that far too many of
our defeats were 3 mat ches to two, and
we should have been able to at least win
one of the ot her three. I think there were
many times when this could have been
put down to ‘lack of experi ence' , but
certainly not every time.
This is where participation in the
league is so valuable as it does give
players the chance to gain experience
P.K. for sacrificing his own free time, his
own apres match money for refresh
ments, and for winning all his league
mat ches at the n u mb e r one slot. This
helped no end. We once nearly got
p r omot i on, let’s hope it’s next season.
Gareth Thorburn
(Capt.)
Record:
IstV: Played: 16
Won: 5
Lost: 11
U16:
Played: 2
Won: I
Lost: 1
JOHN JOHNSTON
& SON
JOINERS AND CONTRACTORS
CRAIGIE
PRIORY PLACE
PERTH
P H 1 ODT
TELEPHONE: PERTH 24673
ESTIMATES GIVEN FOR ALL CLASSES OF JOINER WORK
54
SAILING
It would ap p e a r that in the time that it
takes to tip a T o p p er the sailing season
has come and gone again. The ex a mi na
tions seem to stretch through the whole
term and it is rat her a wkwa rd to fit in
many competitive fixtures. Congr a t ul a
ti ons to P e t e r Br own a nd Pauli ne
McCracken who have brought the Brown
Tr ophy back to Strathallan for the first
time since 1969 and to IIA and JJ
Davidson who were second. T h e r e are
more details of this compet it ion else
where in the magazine.
The top helms were not available for
the match against Lorett o but although it
was sailed on the sea, the 2nd team did
not disgrace themselves. As Gl e n a l mo n d
do not sail hi gh-performance dinghies it
was decided to have a Juni or Match in
their Mirrors and I am pleased to say that
we won this convincingly. Next year the
return match could be in T o p p e r s at
Lochore Meadows.
This season we have had a larger than
normal n u mb e r of beginners — including
two me mb e r s of staff — and we sorely
missed the services of MC C and D R.
I lowever we are pleased to welcome Miss
Neale into the fold (or should it be fleet?)
and I am greatly i ndebt ed to her for
helping J F C with these beginners. I
cannot r e m e m b e r seeing so many capsize
drills being d one in any one aft ernoon —
it was done very efficiently. We can now
welcome A P and JLB who after their
capsize drills and a t e r m ’s messing about
in boats can now feel more at ho me in
assisting and managi ng such a large fleet
of boats — 18 at the last count excluding the 6 RN T o p p e r s which have
been available on most sailing after
noons.
THE
BROWN
CUP
Scottish Schools Loch Ear n Regatt a,
organised by Loch Earn Sailing Club and
sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland
pic.
Reflected in the gleaming foredeck of
“ What ' s O n ? ” , the Brown Cup (with a
£100 cheque inside it) is held by Peter
Brown and his crew. Pauline McCracken.
T he identity of names is a particularly
happy co-incidence. The C u p was p r e
sented for the first time in 1960 by Pe t e r ’s
late grandfather. Jack. T he winners that
year were Strathallan School and the
helmsman was G r a ha m Brown, y o u ’ve
guessed it. J a c k ’s son and Peter' s father.
Icing the cake, Alex Davidson (on the
left) and his br ot her J ame s (far right)
finished second.
24 boats: Mirrors, T opper s, E n t e r
prises, a 420, a Gull and a Kestrel
c o mpet ed in a series of three handicap
races. T he wind, basically from the
South, was in fact variable in both
strength and direction all day. In the first
race, after a good start, Peter finished 5th
on handicap with Alex just feet behind
him in 6th. After lunch Peter won the
second race with Alex second. In the
third race the positions of the second
were neatly reversed. Peter eventually
took the trophy on the bett er discard
position in the first race. T h ey d o n ’t
c ome any closer.
J.F.C.
The winning crcw with llie Brown Trophy.
55
I am pleased to report that there has
been no serious d a ma g e this season but
t here has been some careless use and
careless loss of s ome of the e quipment.
Next season I think that the first lesson
should be on how to secure a boat cover
properly!
It was a relief that the new double-deck
trailer arrived just in time to bring the
heavier boats back to school. It is lighter
and lower than the previous RN trailer
and it should help us to be more efficient
in trailing boats.
Finally I would like to t hank that band
of m e m b e r s who were always willing to
help in the chores of tidying up every
week and with the tr ansport ati on of the
boats to and from Lochore Meadows:
without you the sailing could not c o n
tinue.
T.S.G.
CCF
This year saw the closure of the R A F
Section as no r epl acement for Mr Cullen
could be found. However, we hope this is
only a tempor ar y closure and that the
Flight can be re-established in the future
once a dequat e staffing levels can be met.
All boys in the Flight have been relocated
in the Navy or A r my sections and
hopefully will be fully integrated in these
sections by the time you read this.
On a brighter note, it is hoped that the
repl acement Range and Store buildings
will be constructed in the current finan
cial year to take advantage of a substan
tial T A V R A grant towards the cost of
this project.
O u r ma j or probl ems next year will be
obtaining stores and keeping to restricted
travel budgets. This is all due to M O D
wide moratori a on stores and travel and
subsistence. A d d e d to all this will be the
increased pressure which paret n units and
their staffs will be u nder due to the
changes about to be annou n c ed since the
mome nt ous events that occurred in W a r
saw pact countries.
Having weat her ed the H u m e Report
and the subs equent ma n a g e me n t restruc
turing, the C C F is b ound to be looked at
again in the near future. We will no
d oubt have to adapt once again to
a n o t h er change in direction, although the
pri me aim of the CCF, which is to
encourage leadership in the youth of
today, still holds true.
As both sections will be large next
year, the involvement of N CO s will be
crucial to o u r continuing success. Their
success will be moni tor ed officially in
Oc t o b e r with our formal review by G O C
Scotland.
As already indicated, Mr Cullen leaves
us to take up a new career in Edinburgh
and 1 wish him well and thank him for his
valuable contribution to the Flight in the
past year.
Mr Philips joins us in S e p t e mb e r and
will assist in the Naval Section.
A r m y C a mp , although a small turnout,
seemed to be e njoyed at Cult ybraggan
and the A r my Air Corps managed to get
most of the group airborne for a short
time. The section was in good heart, ablv
led by Captai n Court. I hope his sleu
thing pays dividends at I1CTC fo be held
in Oc t o b e r at Fort George.
The Navv camps and courses were well
at t ended and I can r e c o mme n d these to
any cadet as value for money. C o n g r a t u
lations to Robe rt Moir on winning the
Navy Ski Champi onshi ps in France this
year.
The Royals were active in Skye once
more and, with their new intake, the
t roop will be back to almost their
c o mp l e me n t after a few ‘early baths' last
year.
The band are now established in their
new h o me which is looking very smart
and they acquitted themselves well at the
■Championships, especially in junior pip
ing and drummi ng. It was notewort hy to
see that they won the tur nout and drill
award. Well done all concerned!
Finally I would like to thank Mr Eades
and all the officers on behalf of all cadets
of the C C F for their support, much of it
beyond the call of normal duty, as
without it the continuity and sense of
purpose of the contingent would be sadlv
lacking.
C. N. W.
W ill yours be
a yawning gap ora
dawning g a p ?
W hat w ill you b e d o in g in your Gap year? Fancy sp e n d in g it in
Gibraltar, C yprus, G erm any o r H o n g Kong?
T h ese are ju s t so m e o f th e p la ce s you co u ld fin d y o u rse lf sta tio n ed
w ith a Short Service L im ited C o m m issio n . A nyw here - apart from an
o p era tio n a l area. We’re lo o k in g for fit, h ig h ly ca p a b le y o u n g m en and
w om en w ho w ould relish th e m en ta l an d p hysical ch a lle n g e o f b e in g
r e sp o n sib le for R egu lar Army N C O s and so ld ie rs.
To q u a lify you m u st e x c e ll at th e Arm y’s 3 day o ffic e r s e le c tio n
co u rse an d su b se q u en tly co m p lete a testin g three w eeks at
Sand hu rst.
At th e en d o f it yo u ’ll b e gran ted a Short S ervice
L im ited C o m m issio n as a 2nd L ieu ten a n t. A nd yo u ’ll b e on
over £ 7 ,6 8 4 p er year.
T h e m in im u m p erio d o f serv ice is 5 m o n th s w ith a b so lu t
ely n o co m m itm en t to th e Army b eyon d that, but i f you sh o u ld
d e c id e o n a fu ll career w ith us, you can a p p ly for an u nd ergrad uate
c a d etsh ip or busary.
I f you thin k you co u ld b en efit from su ch a ch a llen g e, con tact
your S ch o o ls L iaison O fficer through your C areers m aster now,
or w rite to: C o lo n el (Retd) R. T. T. G u rd on , Army H Q S cotland ,
E d in bu rgh EH 1 2YX.
Short Service Limited Commission
Army Officer
The A m ie d Forces are E qual O p p o rtu n ity E m ployers u n d e r th e term s o f th e R ace R elations Ac t 197(>.
ARMY SECTION
Parents who collect (per haps 1 should
say pick-up) their boys one week later
than the end of s u m m e r term and after
A r m y C a m p will know just how ex h a u st
ing fun can be.
T he boy is shat tered; his feet are tired,
his body is aching, he has several sets of
blisters and he will probably sleep for an
unint errupt ed twelve hours or so. It will
be the sleep of the just and the happy,
however, or so I am i nformed by a
mot he r who anticipated writing a letter to
me complaining of the unfairness of
expecting boys to give up a week of their
s u mme r holidays while, in the days of sex
equality, girls do not have to meet such
demands . H e r boy, the one she had
almost to lift bodily into her car had just
passed what he described, when he woke
up. as " t he best week of my life” .
T he activities we u nder t ak e do d e ma n d
a great deal of the boys and I have vivid
pictures of certain boys with skinned
h ands caused by being so tired that they
could no longer properly hold the ropes
on the assault course, those with huge
blisters on their backs from carrying the
weapon there on a march and shoot, of
Laurence Ga ge , who, after carrying a
heavy radio set for most of an exercise,
was woken at three in the morning, told
to establish his radio net work and to be
ready to move- out in ten mi nutes with
the regular officer whose signaller and
ru nner he was. I almost felt a pang of
s ympathy from within the warmt h of my
sleeping bag.
For boys to be able to push themselves
hard, there have to be opport unit ies, and
a lot of different exercises and activities
have taken place this past year. In the
ironically-named " S u m m e r Stroll" c o m
petition exercise, run by 15 Para. , our
t eam pe r f or me d extremely well to finish
second — to the Para. Cadets! We had an
excellent and d e ma n d i n g exercise o r g a n
ised by the G o r d o n Highlanders at Fort
Ge orge . It was an opport unit y for boys
to work in an exercise both with, and
against regulaj infantry. On Field Day
the Juni or Profiency had a great time at
Glencorse Barracks and 23 Ca d e t T r a i n
ing T e a m ran a series of events for the
Senior Proficiency — the highlight p e r
haps being the opport unit y to fire Ensigns
on an Individual Battle Skills Range. We
ran our own exercises from school too
and, although they were less arduous,
they nevertheless requi red some difficult
night patrolling and, as Sgt Christie is only
too well aware, suffered the perils of night
attacks.
Such events do give boys an o p p o r t u n
ity to push themselves hard for short
periods of time a nd to earn the respect of
their fellow cadets. But that is part of the
icing on the cake, the substance for
which c omes from the slog of training
from week to week. T he N C O s put some
unflagging hard work into their lessons
and parades and there is much to be
pleased about in the kind of loyalty that
leads them to stay on in their Vl t h year.
In the Section as a whole there is an
honesty and an ‘or d i n a r y ’ reliability in
the handling of mat ters such as uniform
and kit that ma ke s the Section workable.
T o conclude, I say how import ant were
t he c o n t r i b u t i o n s of U n d e r Officer
D avidson and C olour Sergeant
Nugawel a, as well as those of the other
Sergeants: Clayton, Houison- Cr aufurd
and Lochore. Two of these are going for
Commissions in the regular army and I
hope they are successful while we get on
with the next batch of recruits. In their
field people like Chris Proctor, Rikki
Sang and R o b e r t Hutchison, who have
given up holiday peri ods to at t end
O u t w a r d Bo u n d Courses and the United
Kingdom Land Forces Leadership
Co u r se , should be able to put their
aquir ed experience and knowledge to
good effect. Having had the fun (painful
though it may be at times), they will be
e xpect ed to put in the hard work of the
day-to-day that asks much mor e of t hem,
and of cadets like E u a n Smith and John
Langley, in real terms.
Finally, on behalf of the Section, I
would like to t hank Captai n Bob Kelly,
of 23 C T T . for all his help and, in
particular, for placing Sergeant R o se n
berg with us. Ian E a d e s has kept a
necessarily beady eye on the stores. Paul
Vallot and A d a m Streatfield-James are
doing mor e and mor e in the Section and I
a m very grateful for their help.
C. N. C.
HEROES
Look as the last emb e r s of twilight.
Dip behind the tired hills.
A n d the seas of soft green coats,
Lie fast and proud in their channels.
Wh e n the dawn shall raise his sleepy
head.
A n d smile upon us, we shall go forth.
T o glory we shall go, clambering across
the barren waste of France.
Do not do it for me, my friends.
But for your King, Count r y and family.
W h o do not wish to live as slaves,
U n d e r the titan rule of G e r ma n y.
T h e y wish to be free to r oa m over the
green pastures and see their brave
sons’ faces.
Let loose the beast in you,
Let it leap savagely forward,
A n d tear at the lines of defence,
Break t hrough and leave us heroes.
Andrew McNamara
Form IV Runner-up
57
R.A.F. SECTION
This year there were a large n u m b e r of
new recruits, bringing total n u mb e r s to
o ve r forty. All recruit s p ass ed the
Recruit s’ Test and all cadets were able to
take to the air in N u m b e r 12 A E F ' s
Tur nhous e- bas ed Chi pmu n k s , and 22
went shooting (including a creditable
placing (!) in the Assegai Tr o p h y c o mp e t i
tion), while night exercises, leadership
training, drill, c amp craft, modelling, and
even some rudi ment ary u n a r me d c ombat
filled the year. Outsi de school Sgts
Hamil ton and Taylor gained their Gliding
Wings, whilst Sgt Hami l t on and Cadet
Bradbury enj oyed a week' s Easter camp
with N u m b e r XV Squadron of R . A. F.
Ge r ma n y .
All the sect ion’s activities were charac
terised by a certain ironic a t mo s p h e r e , in
contrast to much of the 'toy-soldier'
mentality that is mor e c o mm o n in this
sort of undert aking. My favourite m e m
ory of the year must be when a g r oup of
semi-frozen cadet s st ripped Ca de t R o b
bie Wil son’s excellent bivouac for fuel for
a roaring beacon of a c a mp fire. T he sight
of the irate Wilson ( hoppi ng a r o u n d
a m i d s t d e l i r i o u s , w h o o p i n g fireworshippers), shout ing " S t op being so
bloody i m m a t u r e ” will remain with me
for the rest of my life. Ca d e t R o d g e r ’s
amazing feat of consumi ng 41bs of semi
raw liver during the same night ‘exerci se’
must also be me nt ioned.
I must finish on a rat her disappointing
note. Next year, 1991, would have been
the Section's 50th anniversary. However ,
the school’s administration has been
forced to close the section because of lack
of adult assistance.
S. M. C.
THE AIR COMMODORE’S FINAL SPEECH?
Fellow pilots! We have been t oget her
for a long time. We have spent years,
practising and striving to achieve perfec
tion with absolute precision and skill. You
are trained to keep a cool, clear mind and
to make and execute evaluated decisions
amidst turmoil, confusion and danger.
You are trained to have all the qualities of
effective leadership and m a n ag e me n t and
you have the authorit y and p ower to make
anybody else in the force, save a few, defy
you and carry out anything you say. You
are the elite, the cream, and you are
s upr eme to any opposition.
H owever things have not always been
easy. All of you at times in your career
hav e suffered failure, depression, and
grief as you discovered just what it took
to be the best. Because of this, you all
have invaluable experience and stamina
to stand up to the ultimate test — you can
endure anything that c ome s your way.
Nothing is t oo difficult, and you may rest
in peace knowing that you have no
equals.
All this training was not for nothing,
for it is your duty to defend and fight for
your country and your Qu e e n . Millions
of British people dep e n d on you: you are.
part of the na t i on ’s security. You are
e xpect ed to be perfect, for no e r r o r is
tblerated in any way. You are expected
to be more d angerous, and to fly closer to
the wind than ever before. Failure is
unaccept able, and I rest assured that you
w o n ’t let us down, for the time of testing
has finally come.
Psyche yourselves up. whiten your
knuckles and let the blood run to your
heads. Enrage yourselves and become
mad beasts ove r c ome with fury. Bare your
claws and set your venom for there are
enemi es beyond our borders waiting to
attack. Grind them to pulp; fight bett er
than anyone has fought before, for your
country, for N A T O and for E ur o p e and
ma k e sure that the offenders do not live to
recont empl at e warfare. I wish you all
extr eme luck and success. Goodbye!
Andrew Yeates,
Form IV winner
(Swan Song for the R A F Section? Ed)
SIDEY GLAZIERS AND
DOUBLE GLAZING
EXPBtTS.
IS IT BECAUSE:— WE MANUFACTURE, WE DESIGN,
WE INSTALL ALUMINIUM, uPVC WINDOWS AND DOORS.
WE OFFER EXPERT ADVICE COMPLETELY WITHOUT OBLIGATION.
FOR PROMPT AND PERSONAL ATTENTION:
PERTH (0738) 34803
58
19 F E U S RD., P E R T H
ROYAL NAVY
After a busy s u mm e r when a large
n u mb e r of cadets at t ended various camps
and courses, the Royal Navy Section
started school training, suitably inspired
by a strong t eam of senior N C O ’s led by
Coxswains Heal, Jamieson and William
son. Having just at t ended Britannia
Royal Naval College they had a real
opport unit y to put their leadership into
practice. A video film t aken at D a r t
m o u t h caused both a m u s e m e n t and
interest when shown at school as one of
the stars was Roger Bond, who won the
prestigious cross-country race.
T he fleet t ender cruise on Bembri dge
was successful, although once again we
were unlucky with the we a t he r which
made it impossible to reach the Channel
Islands. All cadets enjoyed the week
although sailing was limited to the coast
around the Isle of Wight. It was also an
interesting experience to pass the liner
Q u e e n Elizabeth II at S o ut ha mpt on.
During the year the RN section has
had a full training p r o g r a m m e and
several visitors. C o m m a n d e r Dickinson
R N R , the captain of Tay Division gave
‘The role of the Na v y ’ lecture. As IIMS
C a mp e r d o w n is our parent establish
ment , it was interesting to have an update
on the increasing i mport ance of the
Royal Naval Reserve. We also welcomed
Lt. Cdr. Johns t on, the Staff Officer of
Tay Division who acted as Inspecting
Officer at Divisions. This was his first
visit to Strathallan and all cadets made a
good impression on parade.
We were c ongrat ulat ed by the Ministry
of Defence on the state of our Cheverton
mot or boat which passed its recent survey
with flying colours. This was certainly
due to the time and effort put in by
C o m m a n d e r Wal ke r and his team.
Sadly, however, it was no longer
possible to continue sharing our Ch e v e r
ton mot or boat with Perth Sea cadets.
Keeping a boat where it can be subjected
to vandalism is always difficult and
without Sub. Lt. Saunders to keep a
careful eye we had to think about a new
mooring. Fo rtun ately C o m m a n d e r
Wal ker was able to arrange berthing
facilities at Port Edgar, Rosyth. Cadets
were still able to use the mo t or boat on
the Tay throughout Sept ember. Sub Lt.
Saunders assisted Sub Lt. Go o d y with
instruction.
With a compulsory cadet force it is
s ometi mes difficult when certain indivi
duals make up their minds to be difficult
and disruptive. Unfort unatel y navigation
and seamanship classes suffered occa
sionally by the actions of a few boys.
However, the standard of fourth form
entry was considerably higher than usual.
T o have twelve keenly-motivated cadets
in the section at this level has made a
difference.
At the RN C C F Regatt a at Portland in
Sept ember, F. Piganeau and P. G. Brown
were runners-up in one of the bosun
races, we congrat ulat e R. 1. M o i r w h o . a t
the RN Ski Ch a mpi onshi p at Bareges in
the French Pyrenees, was Captai n of the
RN C C F team and individually won all
but one event while the C C F team won
all events. A special comme mo r a t i v e
medal was sent to the school by the
Admiralt y and presented on speech day.
Robert has also been selected to be a
me m b e r of the RN Ski team next year.
We also congratulate Jason Sim on being
awarded a Royal Navy Scholarship.
In February Lt. Cdr. Macleod was
guest at a wa r d r o o m mess dinner at I IMS
C a mp e r d o w n when he presented a p o r
trait of the late Captai n T. A. C. Keay to
Tay Division. Mrs Jean Keay unveiled
the portrait.
Easter C a mp s were held at IIMS
Osprey and R NA S Yeovilton, where Lt.
Cdr. Macleod was Divisional Officer. D.
Connell and M. Vance gained badges and
A. Macmillan gained his sports boat
certificate at HMS Raleigh, Plymouth.
Sub Lt. G o o d y and Strathallan Cadets
shared a Fleet T e n d e r on the Firth of
Clyde with Edinburgh Academy.
During the s um me r ter m, full use was
again made of boating facilities both at
Lochore Me ad o ws and Port Edgar. We
are grateful to Lt. Clayton, Sub Lt.
G o od y , Sub Lt. Ross and C'PO Richards
for their expertise. T h e Strathallan Sail
ing Fleet has benefitted from the use of
six C C F T o p p e r Dinghies which we share
with the ot her Scottish schools. They
have proved very popular with both
officers and cadets. Fourth form cadets
and a select group of fifth form have been
able to sail continuously throughout the
su mme r term.
Field Day was hosted by Tay Division
R NR when Juni or Cadets had sea t rain
mteHALi
ing on 1IMS A r c h e r and visited RMS
Discovery and the Frigate Unicorn, and
we are particularly grateful to Lt. Cdr.
Johnston and the crew of HMS Ar c her
for their training expertise. Sub Lt. Ross
and the senior cadets spent the day power
boating at Port Edgar, where we are most
grateful to Lt. Cdr. Clarke and his staff
for their conti nued help.
Thanks to the leadership of Sub Lt.
Ross the boat section has ma d e real
progress this year and the help of
qualified seni or cadet s has ma d e a
tr emendous difference to section train
ing.
At the end of term C P O Salisbury was
pres ent ed with a painting from the
section on his last visit as Staff Coxswain
of H MS C a mp e r d o w n . We t hank him for
his enthusiastic support over the last two
years in which he has played a leading
role in smarteni ng up the section on
parade.
We thank C o m m a n d e r Dickinson and
Lt. Cdr. Johns t on for their continued
support. O u r PLO Lt. Cdr. McCrow
keeps closely in touch while C P O King
has been of invaluable help with stores.
During the s um me r holidays cadets
at t ended various camps at HMS Kent.
Port smout h, Air Acquai nt at HMS Seahawk. Culdrose and Britannia Royal
Naval College, Dar t mout h.
Lt. Cdr. Macleod was Divisional Officer
of the RN Acquaint course and River
Officer at BRNC' Da r t mo u t h . Lt. Clay
ton was Sailing Instructor on the HMS
Kent s um me r camp and Sub Lt. Ross
at t ended a sailing course on the Isle of
Man.
Lastly, my thanks to a first-class team
of Officers and Senior Cadets with
special ment ion of Coxswains David
Grit ten and Jason Sim who ran the
section last term.
Senior Promoti ons — Senior Coxswain
J. Sim. Division Coxswains — J.
Fraser, J. Kruuk.
T .J.M .
m
ROYAL MARINES
During the s u mm e r holidays of 1989
we were, for the first time, represented at
the An n u a l Royal Marines Training
Ca m p at Faslane. Normally it is assumed
that we see enough of Scotland during
the years and should therefore go down
south for various camps and courses. Tim
seemed to enjoy himself over on the
West Coast; so much so that we shall be
sending mor e me mb e r s of the D e t a c h
ment to the c amp this year.
Immedi atel y aft erwards — still during
the holidays — we took some of the lads
up to Skye. We had been invited to join
an exercise by the Yo u n g Officers from
Lympst one and e n d e d up playing e n e my
along with some regulars from Comaechio Gr o u p . Thr e e action-packed days
followed, during which one realised that
the training sessions back at Strathallan
can be quite valuable. We must have
ma d e a reasonable impression, because
the invitation has been renewed and is
being taken up by four chaps this
summer.
Worki ng with Regulars and Reserves
has actually be co me a feat ure of our
training and most of o u r mor e i mport ant
exercises tend to involve outside opposi
tion of this nature. We find that it adds a
dimension which is both challenging and
rewardi ng and, just as importantly, it
makes our Wed n e s d a y a f t ernoon training
s e s s i o n s m o r e m e a n i n g f u l . Bivvybuilding, abseiling, o rienteering,
u n a r me d co mb a t , patrolling, skill at arms
— it all falls into place when an exercise
is laid on and when the opposition
consists of pro fe ssionals or se m i
professionals.
Onc e again we c o-oper ated closely
with R N R personnel from HMS Scotia.
On e of the mor e entertai ning exercises
took place in and a r ound a derelict
far mhouse a few miles away from the
61
School. We re-enacted a hostage-taking
scenario that had proved successful about
five years ago. It allowed for a fair
a mo u n t of night-time patrolling (in wet,
cold we a t he r as usual) and culminat ed in
an all-out attack on the buildings. A
group of medics from Scotia then pr e
sented us with a n u mb e r of cunningly
ma d e- u p causualties. U n d e r the watchful
eye of the M. O. the principles of First
Aid in the field were d emo n s t r at ed in a
most interesting way.
A n o t h e r R N R exercise involved an
a t t e mp t to penetr ate the defences of the
Filtration Plant at the Glenfar g R es er
voir. Two me mb e r s of the Det a c hme nt
had been seconded to the R N R to act as
advisers on navigation (just as well) and
ca m p-c raft.
Talking of navigation — there are still
a few shortcomings in this dep ar t ment .
We really have to accept that a compass
is a touch more accurate than one' s
instincts when it comes to moving at
night.
I really ought to ment ion the many
people without whose assistance our
work would be not only more difficult
but. in some cases, downright impossible.
Th e RM Traini ng T e a m with Lt. Wilson,
W( ) 2 Bell and Sgt. Barton, Comacchi o
G r o u p in Ar b r o a t h, HMS Scotia, the
various local residents who allow us to
c onduct our training exercises on their
land, our colleagues in the ot h e r Sections
and many mor e — thank you all!
My thanks also to all the me mb e r s of
the De t a c h me n t who have given so much
of their time and energy to make it
a n o t h e r worthwhile year. If you are
staying on — thank you for everything. If
you are leaving — good luck for the
future.
k . c;.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
E X P E D IT IO N S A N D H O W W E G O A B O U T T H E M
“ O k a y, w h o ’s in under- 14 rugby?
W h o ’s in the girls’ third form hockey
team? W h o ’s not going on a w ee k e n d
out?”
It’s Se p t e mb e r and the D u k e of E d i n
burgh A w a r d Scheme is u n d e r way once
mor e a s J S B , D R S , R J E , J L B , R N W and
E A E try to d e t er mi ne which third form
Bronze candidates are to join which
expedition groups over the next few
weekends.
Once that is finalised, training begins.
The intricacies of ordnance survey maps
are i nt roduced toget her with the compl i
cated ma noe uvr e of taking a compass
bearing. These t echni ques are practiced
on short walks a round school and on the
training expeditions with pupils who too
frequently assume they know it all and
don' t pay the att enti on they should.
Consequent l y a written test on navigation
produces a few surprises: if in d oubt
about the direction in which to walk
follow the magnet i c arr ow on your
compass. A n expedit ion has yet to be
mou n t ed in the Arctic to test the practi
cality of this theory!
A n af t ernoon is spent on ‘tents and
stoves’. T he latter may provi de nothing
mor e unusual than a cup of tea once the
jigsaw that is a T r a n g i a has be e n
assembled. H o we v e r over the years it has
been discovered that Smash is not an
a dequat e substitute for dried milk as it
does not dissolve in coffee, while to put
petrol rat her than met hs in a Trangia is
likely to result in your getting your
eyebrows as well as your sausages burnt.
T e n t s ’ always raises quest ions as to the
instructor’s sanity as it is insisted to the
pitchers, as they swelter in shorts and
T-shirts, that it is pouri ng with rain. This
rapidly turns to accusations of sadism as
people wrestle with canvas inner tents
inside ready-pitched oven-like fly sheets.
T he n it’s off on expedition. Most
routes t aken are straight forward, others
are mor e hazardous as we gaily st omp
across moss-covered bridges with gaps in
the planki ng o r across covered boulder
fields that require a little scrambling to
avoid falling down the black holes in
between.
O n to campsites. T h e r e are the b e a u t i
ful and tranquil; the waterl ogged where
alarmi ng sloshing sounds are h eard as
you roll over in your sleeping bag; those
so infested by midges that you eat
breakfast with your towel over your
head. A t Beinn Pattack t h e r e ’s Angus
the d eer who will eat that food which you
want to give him out of y our hand and
that which you d o n ’t when your back is
tur ned o r y o u ’re asleep. T h e two horses
e nc ount e r e d by some third form girls
burnt their t ongues licking the stoves, ate
quite a lot of food, and br oke two plates
and a mug.
T h e n of course t h e r e ’s the pupils
themselves. Some , e n a m o u r e d by the
idea of ghost stories r ound the campfire,
get severely disillusioned when they
discover they have to walk seven miles
with a 251b pack on their back before
these delights can be sampled. Some
have sore feet and shoulders, other s an
endless supply of tasteless jokes. T h e r e
are those that never stop eating, those
that a p p e a r to eat nothi ng except toasted
mar shmal lows r ound the campfire, those
that always wear their waterpr oofs, those
that always we a r their shorts. Some
forget such luxuries as tent pegs but
r e m e m b e r the essential t eddy bear.
Th e r e are those that compl ain all the
time, but still have a grin on their faces at
the end, those that compl ain all the time
and d o n ’t.
It all a d d s up to an i nt erest ing
weekend. I say interesting because noon e really enjoys it if it’s pouri ng with
rain or misty and cold, but by and large
we w o u l d n ’t do it if we d i d n ’t derive
some pleasure from the exercise. A n d
let’s face it: it gets you out of corps on a
We d n e s d a y a ft ernoon anyway.
E .A .E .
62
The scheme has conti nued to prosper
within the school and many have been
involved at the various levels. C o n g r a t u
lations go to Louisa MacKenzie, Carol
A n d e r s o n and Yv o n n e Gilchrist who have
achieved their Gol d Awards.
Expedi t i ons have conti nued to be
d i s p a t c h e d t h r o u g h the lengt h and
breadt h of the Highlands with the culmi
nation a successful Gol d Assessment on
Mull at the start of the s u m m e r (?)
holidays. Despite some awful weat her it
was (in retrospect) a really worthwhile
trip. Miss E n g la n d ’s ‘unofficial’ report
gives mor e highlights from these trips.
First A i d , Li fes avi ng a n d Police
courses have all proved very successful as
part of the service section. ( Wh o was it
who failed the breath test during the
traffic officer's talk?).
My special thanks this year go to Mr
S n e ddon who has t aken upon himself the
task of arranging the We d n e s da y aft er
noon sessions for the Bronze candidates.
The scheme by its very nature is one
aspect of school life in which the mot iva
tion must come mainly from the particip
ants and it is your enthusiasm which
ultimately det er mi nes our successes and
failures.
J.S.B.
ANGLING
Yet again, Alistair Dickson t ur ne d up
at School every Wednes day to help the
rising n u m b e r of fishermen at St r at h
allan. With his expert fly-casting tuition
(and fund of Stories) and Mr Richard
Philps' fly-tying lessons, everyone was
eager for the season to open.
T he first trip to Ledl anet Loch was a
disaster, mainly due to the weather. Yes,
it was a great day for sunbat hing but
nothing else. What made the day worse
was the fact that we were told that the
Loch was a bout to be stocked. So, of
course, we just put ou r lack of success
down to the fact that “T h e r e were
obviously no fish in the place".
The second trip was again to Ledlanet
but was totally different. Again the
conditions were hot. but this time the sky
was more overcast. Fish se eme d to be
rising everywhere. However, catching
them was to be hard. Th a t day the
“ Priest” seemed to be the best fly (not
inappropriate Since “ The R e v " was with
us!). On e skilful r edhead caught four on
it whilst also managi ng to lose five.
Jo hnny and Michael (Captai n of Fishing)
got one each. Possibly the largest fish was
hooked by our friendly Spaniard, but as
usual, he was t oo busy talking and
looking after what was in his mo u t h , so
he lost it.
The final outing to (if you haven' t
already guessed it) Ledlanet was reaso
nably successful. T he Loch had been
re-stocked by this time, but, as with the
Sc hool P o n d a f t er r e - st o c k i ng , we
ret urned the new fish and kept the old
fish. Milky caught the first fish of the day
and his first fish on a Strath outing. Well
done! Craig produced a good bag. two
fish of a r ound l-V-tlb. Alastair. he of the
piscatorial sartorial elega nce, having
hooked a good fish, followed the wrong
person' s advice (that' s you. sir) and lost
it. Never mind, listen to me next time.
Alastair. A total of 9 fish was the basket
for the day. To further enliven the
aft ernoon' s proceedings, a feral mink
swam within a foot of “ The R e v . ” , took
one look at him and got such a fright that
it d r opped its half-eaten fish right at his
feet. Immediately the mor e junior m e m
bers d r o p p e d everyt hing and began
pursuing the mink t hrough the r h o d o d e n
drons and azaleas, Chris Marshall in the
vanguard thr eateni ng to “ bash the living
daylights out of it with a stick".
T he resultant di sturbance “ flushed
o u t " its mat e and the juniors split into
two groups, a r med with rocks. As with
the bett er fish, the mink lived to fight
a n ot her day.
“ Angling B o o g e r ':
Alastair Edwards: (running along the
bank to Mr Longmui r, followed by lain
Davidson) "Sir, he won't give me my
flies back!"
Mr Longmuir: (intent on watching the
rising fish) " Gi v e him his flies back,
lai n. ”
Five minutes later . . .
Alastair: (plaintively) “ Sir, he still
won' t give t hem b a c k . ”
Mr Longmui r: (crossly) “ lain, D O AS
Y OU 'R E TOLD! "
lain: (weeping silently, shows ' The
Rev' his right bicep in which are firmly
e mb e d d e d a t eam of t hree (very good)
flies) “ I c an' t! "
A total of 48 pupils, Riley and Senior
School, availed themsel ves of the facili
ties of the School Pond which certainly
l ooked in much bett er condition after the
r emedial work do n e on rush-clearing.
Some very large fish were caught, some
eat e n, some put back, some lost (even
with a Head-magi st erial eye supervising
the Kitsonian p r o c e e d i n g s — Kitson Jnr.,
not Snr.). By the time this issue of “ The
Strathallian'' is in the hands of its
readers, the Pond will have been re
stocked — with Brown T r o u t — for the
first time in living me mo r y , and the
“ School v T h e Old Boys' M a t c h ” will
have been held.
O u r thanks go to Mr L ongmui r for his
dedication to the sport, the f requent trips
to Perth and Kinross for tackle and rod
repairs. (No one, as yet, has seen him
catch a fish). Th a n k s again, sir, and, by
the way, maybe fishing is bett er than
football on a Satur day aft ernoon.
G o o d luck. School, against us “ Old
Boys" — but, you know, you have no
chance!
Mark Johnston
Through hell and high water, Shell delivers.
i ■ifOugh hail, sieet arid s n o w and over the
'?ror'Ttip;H sea? from Galloway to the isles,
Shell's Distributor Network will always reach
HE AO OFFICE AND M AIN D E fO r
* 7 FEUS ROAD. PERTH W41 ?AS. TEL: 0 7 3 8 2 4 4 0 8
you, whether It s in the house, the farm or the
DEPOTS AT
* G RANGEM Ql.fTH TEL 0 3 2 4 4 7 2 5 2 6
factory, orv time every time.
■
Y
O
U
C
A
N
63
■
♦ DUNDEE TEL' 0 3 8 5 46 7609 .
B
t;
-
S
U
R
E
SHOOTING
Due to staffing difficulties, shooting
this year has not been as active as in
previous years, but despite this we have a
pool of seven or eight from wh o m we can
draw the five necessary for our weekly
competition.
The results in the Perthshire League
have not been particularly outstanding
but this has not detracted from the team' s
e n j o y m e n t of their Friday evenings
t hr oughout the winter.
What I have noticed in the recent past
is the increasing st andard of shooting at
the bott om end of the school, proof of
the popularity and good coaching of the
sport at prep, school level — long may it
continue.
This year we lose two of our team — the
captain, Alec Lochore, and Caitriana
Barr. To them go our good wishes and
thanks for their respective contributions.
A .J.H .W .
Left: The CCF motorbike section demonstrate
“controlled parking." For further skills, see
“ Levitation ” in the colour pages.
Right: More creative writing from the annual
competition.
Other winners' contributions are elsewhere in
the magazine.
RIDING
COMMUNITY SERVICE
This year has seen a fairly small but
c ommit ted group from T h o r n b a n k and
Woodl ands involved in various activities.
The main regular visits have conti nued to
be to the old folks at Bridge of Earn
hospital and the Moncrieffe H o me . Many
relationships have developed between
the residents and ou r visitors and every
one has achieved a real sense of satisfac
tion from these visits. Particularly suc
cessful was the Christmas concert during
which a variety of carols and Scottish
fiddle tunes were played to packed and
appreciative (if captive) audiences in the
wards.
D u nba r ne y and For gande nny primary
schools have been visited each week by
Kerry Cl enaghan, Sarah McDougall and
Ailsa McMaster. These seem to have
been very enjoyabl e, if rat her messy at
times. I am reliably inf ormed that finger
painting for thirty is great fun!
Fund raising has not really taken off
this year although our thanks do go to
those third formers who helped with the
annnual poppy day collection a r ound the
village.
Special ment i on should be made of
Carol A n d e r s o n ’s initiative to try and
encourage us to collect our recyclable
waste. Is there s o me one out there ready
to continue her efforts or s o me o n e who
has a project of his or her own to get
involved in? If so let us know and help us
increase the variety within our p r o
g r a mme next year.
J.S .B .
64
As we ret urned to school after the
Easter holidays, the suitcases of e quest
rian pupils were easy to identify bulging with caps, boots, jods and whips
in preparati on for the long-awaited s u m
me r Wednesdays at Lochore stables.
Seasoned riders knew to ask for their
favourite mount s and the novices were
left to try their luck. Sugar and spice soon
t ur ned into guts and grit as the girls
showed what they were really made of.
A n y o n e who thought it would be any
thing but serious stuff was mistaken!
Susie hung on like a heroine as her
rat her eager pony called Conni e sharpcornered enthusiastically over the jumps
and our frisky friend Winnie was as
windy as ever — whooshing into canter
when trot signals are given — but Hilary
coped (hilariously) well.
By the time we rolled into the cafe to
stock up for the trip h o me , our knees
were shaking with the effort of steering
but our spirits were unbowed.
Mignone Kha/.aka
THE HAIRDRESSER
Creak. Crack, the do o r swung. Smack!
“ G o od mor ning sir", smacking her big
red lips, hoisting her roundness off her
chair, her droopy p er med hair fell flat.
“ Can I help y a , ” rang the drawn-out
cockney drivel. She c ho mp e d on the
chewing gum . . .
“ I made an appoi nt ment . T h e nam . .
“ N a m e ? " she utt ered.
“ Arestis' ,
“ P ar don" ,
“ Arset is” ,
“ Whaat?”
“ Arestis, A - R - E . .
“ Sorry, what was that last vowel , ” (she
wasn' t very clever),
“ E-S-T-I-S,”
“ Oh yes, an appoi nt ment , ma d e here for
Mr Arse-tis",
“ Ye s , " I drew a deep drawn-out breath,
"That' ll be right” ,
" Y a got Sheila” ,
I was directed over to the bed pans sitting
on what appear ed to be black shoe
boxes.
My head was wrenched back fiercely,
ferociously!
“ Is the water alright sir!” — the boiling,
hissing, gurgling wine of A d a m was
sizzling across my p oor locks.
“ A bit on the hot side p e r h a p s ! ” my
voice was rising to a crisp crescendo.
T h e sudden change must have killed
the curls. T he n the pressing icicles
were pruni ng my scalp, the coldness
hanging on my brow which began to
bald.
“ That b e t t er ? ” hissed Sheila.
I decided to opt foe this rat her than going
thr ough the hell of petrification or
purgatory.
“ Bett er".
Swish, pull, rub, the last locks came out.
A forceful hand on the shoul der shoved
me back into the leather seat from
L a nd ma r k . T h e n the battle began:
snip, crop, hair-up-the-nose, the hand
u n d e r the pvc sheet, rustling; the
pushing and pulling of the head to get
it at the angle of attack, the inevitable
nip of the ear. Slowly you relax and
stop scrutinising the hairdresser and
you begin to view the room: the large
chessboard floor, the park, the pretty
girl.
S o me o n e in the right hand corner is
getting a screeching, shining, unstylish,
slow-of-cure, conventional crewcut.
A slap of gel, a tidela of air from the
hairdryer.
“ Is that fine sir — a bit mor e to t he right
p e rh a p s ? ”
No, No, t h a t ’s fine."
“ A r e you s u r e ? ”
“ Positive,"
“ A bit mor e colour p e r h a p s ? ”
“ No t h a t ’s fine, how much is t h at ?"
“ T h a t ’ll be £15.99."
O u t of the wallet horridly a p p e a r e d a ten,
a five and a one; blue/blue-green.
T h ey slide out, very quickly. “ Keep
the c h a n g e . ” Op e n i n g the door , I
edged out, bending my head low in
disgrace. O v e r on the side o f the street
lay a puddle. Quick race, down on my
k n e e s , h e a d in. G e t , rid of it,
what ever the cost. Behind me the door
opens, “ Yo u forgot your jacket sir!"
Nikolas Arestis
Form V Winner
AUTUMN
It’s A u t u m n ,
Do wn come the leaves,
In a sprinkle of Gold,
U p comes the A u t u m n moon in a trail of
silver.
T h e glistening dew.
Mat ches the O c t o b e r stars.
Like a misted A u t u m n mirror.
T h e trees stick their
Wri nkled, crooked fingers.
Into A u t u m n ’s cool blue sky.
Like witches craving for
Thei r long lost beauty.
T h e trees are Glace,
A n d their little feat hered lodgers.
Have deser ted them in their time of
need.
T h e mists are coming.
A n d the mellow fruitfulness is going.
As A u t u m n is driven back by Winter.
Drawing by Lucy Quarry
Paul Henderson
Form III Winner
DAUGHTER OF THE MOON
Twas a night of bitter cold.
“ If you really want to know,
I fear that you must d i e . ”
He r eyes of piercing lunar blue.
Filled him with woe.
He r lifeless eyes were crystal clear.
He r face was pale and sad.
She gazed on him in a thoughtful way.
As if he must be mad.
T h e knight took out his silver sword.
A n d slew his iron-grey steed.
T h e n to his heart a dagger took
He lay dead — but did not bleed.
“ I am the d a ught e r of the Mo o n ,
A n d you a mortal knight,
I fear you cannot have my hand.
Yo u see it is not right.
T h e dau g h t e r of the Mo o n looked down.
A n d saw the brave young knight,
“ I fear he hath d o n e a foolish thing.
T o live he needs mo o n l i g h t . ”
“ Oh daught er of the M o o n " , he called,
“ I wish your golden hand,
I am a knight w h o ’s travelled far,
I come from a far-off l and . ”
If you were an immortal knight.
Y o u could mar ry me,
A n d then toget her we could ride.
O ’er sky and land and se a . "
Th e ghostly knight will haunt the sky.
O n night and day will he ride.
“ O h can I ever catch the Mo o n ,
A n d find my beautiful bri de?"
He saw her at the window high.
H e r hair as white as snow.
“ Tell me. tell me how I could,
Be c ome a prince of the s ky, ”
The snow lay thick and white.
An iron-grey steed did pass by there.
Carrying a bold young knight.
“ Behold the castle of the moon.
At last my destiny,
The great oak doors stood strong and
tall,
Alas, I have no k ey . ”
65
Lucy Quarry
Form III Runner-up
WIPE-OUT IN THE
TORE DEL VINO
OR CASANOVA GETS HIS COME-UPPANCE
66
Th e e x c ite m e n t a n d noise o f a touristfille d beach rang th rough the h a zy Ita lia n
a ir , b u t the w a te rs k ie r was oblivio u s to a ll
sounds except the coughs o f the o u tb o a rd
m o to r. H is h e a d b o b b ed ju s t a b o v e the
w a te r, a n d as he in h a le d the s alt-sm ellin g
a ir he p e e re d b etw een the tips o f his skis
a t the sleek, w h ite speedbo at. H e k n e w
th a t a n y second n o w the rough noise o f
the engine w o u ld becom e a sm ooth p u rr,
the sm ooth w a te r b etw ee n him a n d the
b o a t w o u ld becom e w h ite fro th a n d he
w o u ld be s k im m in g across the waves.
Waves of heat rose from the Italian
mar ketpl ace, and Luciano wiped the
sweat of his brow as he staggered into the
Tore del Vino. He leant against the bar,
ran his fingers t hrough his thin brown
hair and or der ed Chianti.
Looking wearily ar ound the ro o m he
recognised no one, but as his gaze
wa ndered to the ot her end of the bar, he
could not help noticing a rat her beautiful,
foreign-looking lady. She was elegantly
poised on her stool; long black hair
cascaded over her shoulders and partly
hid her dark brown eyes.
T he b ar man st ood in front of her and
in a clear English accent she order ed a
Cinzano.
‘Excell ente’, t hought Luciano, French
would be difficult, G e r m a n impossible,
but English — he spoke it fluently.
He caught her eye and lifted the glass
to his lips very slowly.
S lo w ly b u t su rely the tension on the
s k i-ro p e increased as the p o w e r-b o a t
cruised through the w ater. T h e p o w e r ran
through his b o d y a n d do w n to his feet. A s
he m o v e d alo ng he g ra d u a lly began to
stand up u n til a t last he was on top o f the
w a te r a n d coasting o v e r the waves.
N o w in fu ll flo w the w a te rs k ie r th re w
back his h ead a n d le t o u t a cry o f d e light.
T h e b o a t o p e n e d up the th ro ttle a n d he
sw ept across the w a te r lik e a w ild w ind,
w eaving through the waves s m o o th ly a n d
g race fu lly.
■ Smo o t hl y and gracefully, Luciano
slipped off the stool, weaved his way
between the tables with glass in hand,
and sat next to the girl.
“ You are English, yes?" he asked in a
deep voice.
" T h a t ’s right,” she answered with a
nervous smile.
“ I am Luciano Lodovi co . ”
“ My name is Ma r y . ”
“ You are alone in Si enn a ? ”
" T h a t ' s ri ght.”
‘E x c el l e n te , ’ thought Luciano. “ A
beautiful girl like you, " he said, looking
into her eyes, “ should never go a r o u n d a
strange city alone. Perhaps you could use
a guide . .
She lifted a book out of her
bag with ‘Berlitz; A guide to Italy’ on the
cover.
. . S o m e o n e , ” he conti nued,
regardless, “ who knows all the best
places — shops, restaurants, hotels . . .’’
“ Well, I — ”
“ Do you have a car ?" he int errupted.
“ No, but — ”
“ G o o d . " Luciano t ur ned r ound to
look for a free table. T he r e was one just
outside with a bench on one side and a
chair on the other. He led the girl to the
table and sat down beside her on the
bench. Luciano leant back with his elbow
on the table. T h e girl crossed her legs and
shaded her eyes from the fierce light of
the sun.
T h e sun b e a t dow n on the racing
w a te rs k ie r as he g lid e d o v e r the w ater.
Th e w in d ran through his h a ir a n d his
b o d y cut th rough the w ind, he a lm o s t fe lt
lik e a c o m p o n e n t p a rt o f the w in d —
fly in g o v e r the w ater.
S u d d e n ly his eyes m a d e o u t a re d
shape in the n e a r distance — the w aters
k ie r realised th a t he was he a d in g fo r the
sk i ju m ps. A s he n e a re d the re d ra m p ,
a d re n a lin flo w e d through his veins a n d he
s tra in e d in a n tic ip a tio n .
T h e ra m p cam e closer a n d closer u n til
e v e n tu a lly the b o a t vee re d to the rig h t to
a v o id it a n d the w a te rs k ie r g u id e d his
w ay across in lin e w ith it. H is eyes
be c a m e slits a n d his m in d b e c a m e
focused as he a p p ro a c h e d the ra m p , then
w ith a th u m p he h it it a n d was up. H e was
fille d w ith a sense o f e la tio n as he fle w
through the a ir. B u t he fe lt his skis cross
a n d as the w a te r surface a p p ro a c h e d him
again he s tra in e d his leg m uscles to
s traig h ten them . W ith a light splash he
la n d e d a n d he was g lid in g o v e r the
s u rfa c e . O n c e m o re th e w a te rs k ie r
b re a th e d a sigh o f re lie f, b u t he k n e w th a t
th ere was a big g er ju m p y e t to com e,
which c ould easily la n d h im in the d rin k .
“ D r i n k , " laughed Luciano. He filled a
glass and held it up in front o f them. The
bright red wine brought out the many
rich colours of the mar ketpl ace behind
which bustled with the sights and noises
of midday Sienna. He passed it to her,
and she accepted it — almost reluctantly.
“ You know, Ma r i a . ” said Luciano, “ life
can be so hard on people who are in a
strange place on their o w n . ”
“ I d o n ’t k n o w , " she said, sipping her
glass.
" Y o u know, with no relations, no
friends, no familiar places."
" B u t it is nice to get away — ”
“ D o n ’t worry, " said Luciano, “ 1. too.
feel l onesome. Yes, I, Luciano L o d o
vico. ” With this he clasped her hand in
his. She stiffened and uncrossed her legs,
as if to get up, but relented, so mewh at
reluctantly. ‘Be n e ! ’ t hought Luciano,
‘soon she will be in my p o w e r . ’
“ D r i n k , ” he said, reaching for the
bottle once more.
O n c e m o re , the w a te rs k ie r m ade o u t
the shape o f a sk i- ju m p , but this one was
big g er than the last — it was big g er than
him self.
H e coasted o v e r the w a te r tow ards the
ju m p w ith e a g e r a n tic ip a tio n , but trie d
h a rd to fig h t back the nerves w hich ran
through his m in d .
A g a in the b o a t vee re d to the rig h t a n d
le ft the w a te rs k ie r on his o w n . O n ly n o w
d id he fu lly a p p re c ia te the speed a t which
he was tra v e llin g , because the ra m p
seem ed to g ro w bigger a t an a la rm in g
ra te . T h e w aterskier's eyes w ere slits, his
knees b e n t a n d he d re w in breath.
W ith a w h a m ! he was lu nched high into
the a ir. T im e slow ed d ow n f o r the waters
k ie r as he realised w hat height he h a d
67
ga in e d fr o m the sea, a n d he was so th rille d
that his giddiness barely registered. L ik e a
kite in the w ind he seem ed suspended
w ith o u t m o tio n .
E v e ry second s e e m e d a m in u te as he
sensed his le ft sk i s tra y in g o u tw a rd s . T h e
sea was a p p ro a c h in g relentless, a n d he
k n e w th a t i f his skis w ere n o t s tra ig h t, on
la n d in g he w o u ld crash. A s a re fle x he
p u lle d the le ft ski back w ith a ll his leg
stren g th , b u t too f a r — his skis w ere n o w
crossed — a n d it was too late.
W ith the sound o f a thousand th u n
derclaps the w a te rs k ie r crashed th rough
the surface o f the sea. T h e w a te r, which
h a d been a glassy p a th , was n o w a ro a rin g
to rre n t o f darkness a n d w et.
S urfacing, the m an spat o u t the fo u l
se a w a te r a n d tu rn e d to lo o k a t the red
iceb erg th a t h a d th ro w n him . O n ly n o w
d id he realise ju s t h o w m uch he h ad
w a n te d to c o n q u e r it.
" A w ip e -o u t,'' he
te d ly , “ I w ip e d out. ”
m u tte re d
d e je c
“ O u t there, M a r i a , ” said Luciano,
staring at the distant hills over the empt y
bottle, “ is a cold world. I feel it, as well
as yo u . "
“ But I'm not all that — ” she started.
“ A desolate, hostile world, Ma r i a , " he
conti nued, “ and 1 think people who are
lonely should find o n e a n o t h e r and see
things thr ough toget her. You know that,
Ma r i a ? ” With this he t ur ne d to look deep
in her eyes. Some t hi ng inside his head
said: ‘N o w! ’ “ Ma r i a , ” he said in a low
voice, “ how will I say this . . . I have
been waiting for you my whole life long
Luciano slid his arms a r o u nd her
shoulders and, leaning forw ard,
emb r a c e d her slowly. ‘Excell ente, ’ he
t hought , ‘she does not resist. But she
does not r espond. This might not turn out
so well.' He leaned back to look in her
eyes, but her eyes were following her
ha n d , and her hand was reaching for her
glass. Luciano winced at what he knew
was coming.
T h e splash of red wine on his face and
chest shook him. By the time he had
recovered she had di s a ppea re d and all
that was left was the tappi ng of her high
heels on the sidewalk.
“ Accident i!” he cursed, turning to
confront the smiles and laughs of the
o t h e r cust omers, “ now I have not one
clean shirt. Not o n e ! ”
But as he wiped his brow, a strange
sensation ran t hrough Luciano. T he wine
on his lips tasted sour, his eyes strayed to
the e mp t y seat and footsteps beat on his
memory. But most bewildering of all, his
st omach hurt since Mar y had gone. He
leaned on the table and ma n ag e d to stand
up. “ I must try to forget her, if I c a n , " he
m u m b l e d to himself, as da z ed and
confused, Luciano Lodovico staggered
out of the T o r e del Vi no, n umb and
oblivious to the excit ement and noise.
John Maxwell
Form VI Winner
Drawing by
Kristian Lannen.
ROUND THE
Those lucky enough to be in Woodlands
House are lucky in that they are in
Woodlands. Yes, the house that deceives
all those that saunt er past every h our of
the day is not a subdue d and shadowy
retreat with shy and reserved creatures
within: each beauty has her own talents,
and wondrous qualities which flourish
and embellish the strength of this p a ra
dise.
Imagine, then, the scene at the heart of
the glade: a warm and fiery glow pulls all
to it at all times of the day — the
kitchens. What attracts the acolytes to
these temples? Is it the toasters, the array
of orange and green chairs or the striped
curtains that hang limply from the plastic
curtain rail? No. If you want to know
what' s happeni ng in the school, or
" w h o ’s happeni ng” , this is the place to
be. A nyone worth knowing a b o u t is
discussed, torn apart , screwed up into a
ball and thrown to the corners.
It is this same retreat that all is
revealed, while munching toast, drinking
coffee and tea or during the water fights
which occur late at night or while others
are having fits at realising they' ve p ro b
ably just failed their ' A' level History
exams. O u r luxurious kitchen a c c o m m o
dation (which is the envy of many of the
boys), is ideal for escaping to after a long.
Nicol has finally moved out of its old lair
i n t o its p r o p e r p l a c e — a b o v e
Ruthven. If Mr Raine viewed the pros
pect of sharing with strongly baited
breat h, can you blame him? The old
building was sadly demol ished — in fact
the j ob was partly started before we
moved out. T h e Move me an t we lost Mrs
Howie — not actually in the Move, but,
sadly, she d e fect ed downhill — to
Ruthven. (Esc a pe d? Ed. ).
JCBs revealed that the Nicol Spirit was
very much in evidence, some in a bottled
form! Howe ver , in the new House, fines
for swearing and locking doors provided
a nice nest egg for Mr Ford, and Mr
Wa nds cracked “ lights o u t ” with a new
“ personal organi ser" which enabled him
to whip r ound the dorms in double time.
T h e New House has many strange and
puzzling features, such as the bars on the
H o u s e ma s t e r ’s windows. Could they be
to prevent suicide a t t empt s? T o perhaps
stop a fall to the ground (ten feet below)?
O r could they be there to curb future
a s s a s s i n a t i o n a t t e m p t s ? E v e n mo r e
sophisticated design in the shape of
David C l a r k ’s prize winning electronic
cat flap is ru mo u r e d to be prot otype of a
new anti-theft device for Mr Burgess’
high-security house bank.
Now that we have been in our new
house a term, Nicolites are starting to
complain about some aspects: no longer
can we slip out of our windows in prep
and no longer can Nicolites play football
or hockey in the corridors or c o mmo n
room. Some are even grudging the long
climb up the stairs! But of course the
ever-imaginative Nicolite has discovered
new past times such as “ locking yourself
out of your St ud y " or the window-towindow waterfights. The Nicolite has
also had to develop new skills such as
‘how to leave the building unseen during
p r e p ’ or (for the j uni or half of the house)
‘how to smuggle bread from the u ppe r six
brewing r o o m ’.
hard day and somet i mes even provides
the window- way for escape during prep.
Those who d o n ’t luxuriate in a p a n o r
amic prospect of green acres can wallow
there in first class views of billowing trees
yards from the window. T h e r e the
carapace develops.
Let the leaves grow greener , roots
longer, branches thicker and st ronger —
Woodl a nds — till you reach your full
glory and blossom into an array of steely
delight and enchant ing beauty upon the
unsuspecting world.
Jennifer Scouller
68
Yet s ome cust oms have survived the
move — these include “ outblast every
on e else in the house with your music",
“ strew the p ap e r round the c o mmo n
r o o m ” and many o t h e r ancient tradi
tions.
Ab o v e all, the Nicolite is now fully
exposed to a subversive el e ment he has
not previously had to confront in such
proximity to his territory. This new
e l e me nt is of course — Ruthven. This is
somet hi ng Nicolites are comi ng to terms
with by trying hard to avoid any Ruthven
influence creepi ng in.
Next year will be strangely different;
will the Nicolite be changed by his new
e n v i r o n me n t and influx of Leburnites?
will the Ho u s e change — influenced by
the strange goings on below in Rut hven?
will the new building survive the Nicol
onsl aught? who knows?
Chris Procter.
(Top) Mr Vallol turns a blind eye to Freeland.
(Bottom) Thornbank and Ruthven get together
at the Form IV and V disco.
HOUSES. . .
SIMPSON’S
Gal and llucy
Your No. I AGONY UNCLES
D e a r U ncles,
I do not like it at school when it rains
cats and dogs.
Try not to step on the ‘poodles’ then.
D e a r U ncles,
I am going to die. What can I do?
Nothing. We are all going to die.
D e a r U ncles,
I do not know the capital of Switzer
land.
Well, it is Zurich. Does that help?
D e a r U ncles,
I am fifteen.
Take two paracetamols and come back
in the morning.
►
(Top) Nicol joins forces with Ruthven to form u
hund for Form Ill's Black <S White party.
r
D e a r U ncles,
I am in love but I do not know what
relevance your silly advice has.
Well, you are obviously an insomniac
with psychopathic tendencies. Take
two paracetamols and come back in
the morning.
D e a r U ncles,
W h e n e v e r I wake up, I realise that I
am staring at the ceiling. Is this
significant? I am sevent een and just
broke up with my girl friend. Could
this be my girlfriend’s way of punish
ing me?
<4
D e a r U ncles,
I am a sixteen year old girl. I found
out that my best friend has been
maki ng sl anderous and often hurting
remarks about me behind my back.
Recently. I found out that she has
been becomi ng very friendly with my
boyfriend. For exampl e, spendi ng all
of Sundays playing golf with him and
waiting to talk to him after every
meal. As a result of all this, he only
has time to say ‘hi’ to me every so
often. But this is probably just me
getting jeal ous of him talking to
s omeone else for a change. I also find
that at tea I end up sitting on my own
as there is no r oom on any other
tables, they tell me. Each day I am
st oned by the o t he r girls for a reason
they w o n ’t tell me. T he ot her night,
my best friend ran out of my study
after I saw her thr ough the mirror
accidentally spill rat poison in my
coffee.
Take 246 paracetamols.
Gareth Thorburn
Alex Davidson
69
No.
SURVIVAL?
Sunday 1st July
Departure time: 0.9.30 hrs.
T he drive s eemed to take forever (we
were just so eager to get to F l a d d a ? !)
O b an was our chip, chili and chocolate
s t o p — the last. Mrs Gl i mm drove us all
way to O b an and after the ferry from
O b a n, across Mull to Fi onnphor t . Paul a’s
offer to give her compan y on the way
back — was declined.
It started to rain — an o me n perhaps?
The Atlantic — (no — not the North sea,
Kerry) was not looking too friendly and
the fishing boat j our ney encouraged a
repeat of Da v i d ’s chips! At 18.30 hrs. we
arrived on Fladda — cold, wet and green.
Woul d we survive here in h a r mony with
nature — for the next six days, I asked
myself!
Oper at i on n umb e r one, was the co n
struction of ‘Toffs’ Hall' — appropriat ely
named by David! We convert ed the
standing four walls into o u r ‘h o u s e ’,
giving it a roof of ponchos and netting, a
luxurious bracken carpet , a kitchen, a
li brary, a b e d r o o m , shelves, r a t he r
romanti c lighting, o ur own stereo system,
and to top it all — a singing bird (which
might be dead before tonight, Craig
informed us.) Nails were positioned as
coat hangers. What .more could we ask
for? . . . . F O O D !
Twelve of us sleeping in here will be
quite cosy. Kerry. Paula. Ailsa. Angus,
Sara and I hit the sack at 22.3(1. an early
night to prepar e for the next fun packed
week! We could not perceive how the
o t he r six (who being a dventur ous, went
to try out their expert fishing techniques)
would fit in.
M onday, 2nd July
At midnight we discovered how the
others were to fit in, as the second layer
of people descended on us. We all awoke
at the usual school reveille time, much to
the disgust of Mr Wa n d s and Mr Glimm
(who gained the names Harrison Ford
and Sean Co n n e r y respectively — and
not because of ‘The Last C r u s a d e ’ Mr
G !!) Kerry discovered the true meani ng
of ‘wet t hr ough' as she had slept u nder
one of the joins of our roof, while it
p our e d all night.
Rod was talking about cheese sandwi
ches all night — and still is. In the fishing
boat yesterday, we saw two porpoi se —
tasty! Th e r e was a seal bobbing around
so me wh e r e, which might do for dinner
one night — especially if Rod gets his
hands on it. Ther e were also a lot of
puffins about — very cute . . . ! The
coffee — we'd been told by our reliable
f ood e xpe rt (the ab o v e me n t i o n e d )
"t ast ed like the inside of a vacuum
cl e a n e r , " and guess what — the tea
tasted worse!
We ‘ladies' visited the laundrett e and
hairdressers on the beach, while Kerry
and Paula diligently collected dinner
(winkles and mussels) on the way to the
shore. T h e ‘m e n ’ checked out the poultry
and fish situation. It was sunny, so we all
st ripped off to the bare mi nimum. 1 was
later a warded the ‘blue rope medal ' for
the most fully dressed. So we must have
had a spy in our midst (eh Craig!) The
rocks were full of ‘interesting’ little
c reat ures — things that we were s up
posed to eat? Ugh — I wa s n ’t that hungry
yet! E v e r y o n e ’s st omachs were making
terrible groans, but Ailsa’s was definitely
the noisiest.
For d i n n e r tonight on the me n u we had
crab, mussels, winkles, perhaps some
sorrel and to wash it down (in true Enid
Blyton style) ‘lashings of ginger beer' —
o.k. maybe not. — tea again.
Ailsa and Paula refused to touch the
delicacies provi ded to us by our profess
ional chefs Michael and Craig, their
mot t o being " y o u can eat it, but it tastes
awful!” The rest of us tucked in without
qualms — until five minutes after we
finished!
T he n to bed, Ailsa’s beami ng face
providing the night light.
Tuesday 3rd July
We arose much later, and since it was
such a nice day yesterday, we naively
assumed today would be much the same.
Kerry got soaked again, and decided it
was s o me o n e else's turn, so sleeping
a r r a n g e me n t s were all swapped around.
Angus and Rod went ' hunting' . . .
seagull, Craig man a g e d to get a fulmar. (I
must say, we are very impressed by Craig
and Michael' s knowledge of wild life, and
their ability to skin, gut and cook it —
most of us d o n ’t have a clue!) Mr Wands,
Craig and Michael are intensely d edi
cated to their fishing, even Sara tried her
hand at it, but so far to no avail.
This aft ernoon it cleared up a bit and
Angus and Rod were enticed by some
madness, into the sea. Sanity hit t hem as
soon as the cold water, and they were out
again pretty quickly! Thei r bravery was
much appreci ated by the encouragi ng
(dry) spectators on the beach. ( Oh yes we
had a beach!)
Di nne r — of seagull — was nothing
short of revolting! O u r i mport ed we a t h
e rman ( Mr W) assured us of a dry night
t onight — well, we shall see! The
infamous flying teeth (midgies) of the
West of Scotland are becomi ng too
intimate for my liking!
Wednesday 4th July
We a t he r me n ! — It rained all night and
all today! Craig, Mr G and Mr W (who
went for their daily bath) — were the
only ones to venture out, the rest of us
stayed in bed, moving reluctantly only in
response to nature' s call. Angus was the
cause of a m u s eme n t to us all last night
(yes w e c a n still manage to laugh). Since it
was his turn to sleep u nd e r one of the
drips, he c ame up with the ingenious idea
of using Sara' s umbrella as a collecting
basin. Very c l e v e r — until the weight of
the water caused the brolly to turn
inside-out — totally soaking him!
All day we played alternately with
Sa r a ’s mini d omi noes (efficient isn’t she!)
and the cards, using matchsticks for
gambling. T he lack of energy is such a
weird experience — the numbnes s, light
h e a d e d n e s s , d e t a c h m e n t , the effort
involved to su mmo n enough strength to
sit up — is so peculiar.
Thursday 5th July
Last night — much to the exasperation
of everybody else. Rod, David and
Angus manage d to spend two hours
discussing the traditional dishes of every
different country they could think of.
R o d ’s st andard response to the frequent
and not terribly polite complaints from
unwilling listeners was — " H i t the
fridge!’’ (we wish!) or occasionally “ Hey man, chill-out!, injections, (in a
‘not very school prefectish man n e r ) from
David of “ Yip Y a h ” , were tolerated
p urel y be c a u s e n o- one had e n o u g h
energy to throttle him! The ot her excite
ment of the night was Mi chael’s at t empt
at patching up a hole in the roof, which
Wh a t did we learn from this e scapade? —
We' ve all been asked, well . . . an awful
lot a b o u t each others sleeping habits!
T h a n k you to Mrs G. for doing so
much driving (especially on the way back,
considering how terrible we must have
smelt!) and to Kerry for keeping us all
smiling! A n d of course to Sean Conner y
and Harrison Ford!
Suzanne Paterson
(with the help of everyone else!)
resulted in him empt ying the entire l a k e ’
of water, which had collected thr oughout
the day — on top of an unsuspecting
Craig!
We took advantage of the fine we at her
and went to wash. Wh a t took us on e h our
on the first day took seven hours today,
because we kept sitting down and falling
asleep.
Following an appeal to Old Survivors
to contact me with their curr ent ad d r e s
ses I had a fantastic response — one
letter precisely. Since we are trying to
organise a reuni on-type d i nner (promise
— no seagull) it would help if you could
fill in the following cut-off portion and
send it to K . Gl i mm, c/o Strathallan, by
D e c e m b e r 1st, 1990. Yo u will be notified
of the date and venue of the meeting
early in the New Year. See you soon.
Friday 6th July
Last full day — P L E A S E ! Gales have
started to develop — not a good sign.
Wh a t if the fishing boat can' t get here
tomor r ow? We ' d panic if we could be
bothered! Sara started her count down
(optimistically) until civilisation. Just
a bout everyone went to the shore (except
for me!)
SATURDAY!
At last! We were all up bright and early
(actually — forget the bright!) to di s ma n
tle o u r home and clear up for the next
victims. It was raining — so we were all
clad in our waterproofs, impatiently trying
to st uff e v e r y t h i n g int o o u r r u c k
sacks and not caring what got wet. All
being tidy to the satisfaction of Mr
Gl i mm, we trudged to the only spot on
the island that the boat can tie up — an
h our later we were still sitting on the
rocks. The visibility was poor, the wind
from the sea was driving the rain into us
all huddled toget her for warmt h. G o n e
were the smiles and jokes, apart from Mr
G' s at t e mpt at h u mo u r by stating the
obvious. “ If the boat doesn' t come, we'll
just have to re-erect Toffs Hall and get
the kettle o n ” .
This was met with frantic mutterings of
p r a y e r f r o m t h o s e w h o c o u l d be
bot her ed. We were not impressed!
T h e relief felt by all when we were
safely aboa rd the trawler was o v e r
whelmi ng and when we spied the sandwi
ches and bottles of coke . . . (Th a n k you
fishermen!)
He a v e n : — R o d ’s d r e ams came true —
cheese sandwiches! David lasted half an
h our before repeating his perf ormance
from the way over!
71
Mr Glimm collecting treats for the Reunion
Dinner.
- X
------- X --------- X — Cu t off here
I would like to come to the Survivors’
Reunion Di n n e r in Spring 1991.
N a me (block ca pi t a l s ).....................................
Address
VALETE
FREELAND
Aristegui, G. A. , C a m e 19881; LVI;
Ski T ea m, Rugby XV, S u mm e r Hockey
1st XI, Hockey 3rd XI (vice captain),
‘yess’ commit tee; C ervan tes I; Los A r e
nas, V iecaya , Spain.
Banks, D. J. C a m e 19841; II; Ski T e a m
(3 years). Navy Admiral; 3 S p utw ells
A v e n u e , Scone. P erth P H 2 6 R P .
Clayton, M. S. C a me 19821; I; House
Prefect; Rugby 5th XV (captain); Cross
Country; Athletics; Debating; D r a ma ; D
of E; A r m y Sergeant; Tigh Tosgaidh,
D o rn ie , K y le o f Lo ch alsh , Rossshire
I V 40 8 E H .
Du n b a r , C. A. B. B. C a me 19851; III;
School Prefect; Rugby U-14; U-15;
4th/3rd XV; Athletics; Cross Country;
Pipes and Dr u ms Pipe Ma j or; B a llo b u rn ;
1st M a in S treet, A b e rn e th y , P erth.
Hasl am, R. G. C a m e 19832; I; School
Play; LS in Navy, c/o J E P Coats Ltd., 155
St Vincent Street, Glasgow (pis forward
to Maula).
Houison Craufur d, S. D. C a me 19831;
I; House Prefect; Rugby 2nd XV; Navy/
A r m y ab/sergeant; C ra w fo rd la n d C astle,
K ilm a rn o c k , A y rs h ire K A 3 6B S.
Johns t one, M. J. C a me 19863; III;
LEBURN
Cockbur n. N. N. C a me 19881; LVI;
House Prefect; Music Scholarship; The
R ober t Barr Memorial Prize for Music;
Organ Scholarship to Keble College,
Oxford; Orchest ra; Choir; Wind Band;
Chapel Organist; House Colours. 16
D ru m c a rro w R o a d . S t A n d re w , F ife
K Y 1 6 8S E .
Davies, R. A. S. C a me 19881; LVI;
House Prefect; He a d Librarian; Secret
ary of Debating Society; Cross Country
Te am (1 year); Academi c Scholarship;
French and G e r m a n Prizes; Cambri dge?;
Choir; Debating; Act ed in Ma c be t h (89);
A r my Lieut enant Corporal ; M e m b e r of
A r my H C T C T e a m (89); House Colours;
H o u s e Cross Co u n t r y (capt ain) . 15
L o c h e n d R o a d . B earsden, G lasg o w G 6 I
ID X .
Grieve, R. J. C a me 19861; IV; House
Prefect; U-14 B XV (86); U-15 B XV (87);
6XV (88); 3XV (89); Rugby, Canoeing;
Pipe Band; Col our Sgt. 14 T y fie ld ,
S h erb o rn e St Jo h n , B asingstoke, H a n ts
R G 24 9H 7.
Jamieson, R. E. C a me 19841; II;
House Prefect; House Sailing Captain;
Music and Academi c Scholarship; Choir;
Orchest ra; Sailing; Canoeing; Navy Cox
swain. 70 F o rest R o a d , A b e rd e e n A B 2
4BL.
Johns on, A. G. Ca me 19831; I; House
Prefect; David Bolie Prize Economics;
House Colours; Debating; Dr a ma ; Ma c
House Prefect; Naval Shooti ng Te a m
Captain; Fishing T ea m; Football Te a m;
D officer in Navy. 6 B B u rn R o a d ,
Inverness IU 2 4 W G .
Lochore, A. D. Ca me 19851; III;
School Prefect; He a d of House; Rugby
1st XV; 7-a-side; 1st XV Hockey; 2nd XI
Cricket; Athletics; Cross Count ry; H o u s
ton Prize for all round merit; Debating
Society; Orchest ra; Sergeant in Army.
B u rg ie H o u s e , F o rres, M o r a v N 3 6 O Q V .
Logan, D. R. C a me 19851; III; Captain
of School; Rugby 1st XV, 2nd XV, 3rd
XV. 4th XV (Captai n); Hockey 3rd XI;
T e n n i s , S e r g e a n t in A r m y . D a irs ie
M a in s , C u p a r, F ife K Y I 5 4 R L .
Moir, R. I. C a me
1983; II; House
Prefect; Skiing Te a m (captain); Tennis
(captain); Rugby 3rd XV; Co u n t y side
Shooting T ea m; Hockey 3rd XI Yess
Commi t t e e ; De ba t i ng Society; Politics
Club; Corporal in Ar my . H il l fo o t, Insh,
N r. K ingussie, Invernessshire.
Mo n r o , S. D. C a me 19 8 3 1; 1; House
Prefect; Librarian; Rugby 3rd XV, 5th
XV, U-14 ‘C ’ XV; Swimming; House
Rugby; Choir; Yess Commi t t ee ; House
Dr a ma ; P O in Navy. 61 H ilto n S tre e t.
A b e rd e e n A B 2 3 Q R .
Reid, D. I. C a m e 19861; IV; House
Prefect; Basketball (captain); Rugby 2nd
XV; Golf; Football 1st XI; LS in Navy.
F la t I . R a v e n s c o u rt, T h o rn to n h a ll, G la s
gow.
beth, Boyfriend, Reeves Tale; R A F Jnr.
Corporal , c/o L ittle . 3 G illie s C o u rt.
U p p e r L a rg o . L e v e n . F ife K Y 8 6 H A .
Jones, G. II. Ca me 1983'; I; Athletics
Te a m (4 years); 2nd XV Rugby (2 years);
Debating Society. 7 G a rth R o a d . Sevenoaks, K e n t T N I 3 IR T .
Legge, M. T. Ca me 19831; I: House
Prefect; Swimming Captai n ( Ho u se and
School); Swimming T ea m; Politics Prize;
R A F , Lance Corporal.
Milroy, A. J. Ca me 19831; I; House
Prefect; 1st XI S u m m e r Hockey (2
years); U-15 1st XI Hockey; Art Distinc
tions; Debat i ng Cup; House Dr a ma ;
H o u s e C o l o u r s ; D e b a t i n g S oc i e t y;
School Play; Navy, Ordi nar y Seaman. 14
C r o s s w a y s , C r a ig e n d s , H o u s t o n ,
R e n fre w s h ire .
Parker, J. S. C a m e 19831; I; House
Prefect; He a d of R A F Section; C h e m i
stry Prize; Debating; Orchest ral Percus
sionist; R A F Sergeant. 24 Q u a rry R o a d .
W inch ester. H a n ts S 0 2 3 S.IG .
Rea, F. J. C a me 19851; III; House
Prefect; De put y Hea d of House; C h a i r
man of Social C o mmi t t e e ; H e a d of
Marines Corps; School Captai n of Fo o t
ball; 1st XV Rugby; 1st XI Football; 2nd
XI Cricket; Athletics T ea m; 3rd XI
Hockey; Ar my Scholarship; Debating
Society (winners of Inter I louse Debat i ng
Compet i t i on); D r a ma . D ru m . D u n s c o re .
D u m frie s D G 2 O U F.
Sinclair. A. J. C a me 19851; III; S u m
me r Ter m House Prefect; School Prefect:
He a d of House; 4th, 2nd; 1st XV Rugby;
3rd; 2nd XI Hockey; 3rd XI Cricket (2
years captain); Athletics; D of E Bronze
Awa r d ; Mot orbikes; Rugby for Presi
dents XV; Scottish Schools; Rugby full
Colours; House Colours. E as t D ro n
F a rm . B rid g e o f E a rn . P erth P I 12 9 H G .
72
Ro b e r t s o n , K. J. C a me 1983'; I; House
Prefect; 1st Tennis; 1st Rugby 2nd XV;
House Tennis; House Rugby; Choir;
Yess Commi t t e e ; House D r a ma ; Best
Ac t or "86. 2 H ig h A rd o c h , C o m su l
G a lle ry , B y M o n tro s e .
Williamson, B. E. C a m e 19831; I;
House Prefect; He a d of SBS Section;
Rugby U-15s; 6th XV, 3rd XV; House
Sailing (captain); 1st Form Latin Prize;
Coxswain in SBS. 8 R oscobie P ark,
B a n c h o ry , K in c a rd in e s h ire A B 3 3 R E .
Von Ko p p - C o l o mb , H. E. E. Came
1 9 8 9 1; L V I ; O r c h e s t r a ; C h a m b e r
Or c h e s t r a; Q u a r t e t ; Choir; Scripture
Union. H e itk a m p 2. D 4 3 5 8 H a lte rn H o itw ic k , (W e s t) G e rm a n y .
Da we s, D. C a m e 19851; I; Rugby
U-12A; U-13A; U-14C; U-15B; U-16B;
Hockey; U-13A; U - I 4 B; U-15A; U-16A;
Cricket U-12A; U-13B; U-14B; U-15B;
Swimming lsts; Football 1st XI; Basket
ball 1st; D r a m a ; Ca d e t in Ar my. A T S .
P O B o s 2 6 8 0 3 . M a is c .
Sinclair, N. 19 8 6 1; IV; Fire Chief;
Sq u a sh T e a m (87-90); Golf; Tennis
T e a m 90; 5th X V R u g b y ; Signals
Lieut enant. D u n c a rs e , 15 M u ir to n B an k .
P erth P H I 9 E G .
Smith, C. A. C a m e 19851; III; House
Prefect; School Go l f T e a m; U-14 B XV
Rugby; D of E Silver and Bronze
Awards; R A F Cadet . We.sf G a lla b e ry ,
K irk to n , D u m frie s .
Wilson, I. J. C a m e 1983'; I; House
Prefect; 2nd XI Hockey; 3rd XI Cricket;
5th XV Rugby; 3rd XI l l o ck e y (captain);
R A F C o r p o r a l ; H o u s e Colours. 3 0
G re e n L a n e . H u cclesco te. G lo u c e s te r
GL3 IHO .
Wilson, S. J. C a m e 19831; I; House
Prefect; 1st VII Rugby; 3rd XV Rugby;
3rd XI Hockey; 1st XI S u m m e r Hockey;
1st XI Soccer; School Scholarship; R A F
C o r p o r a l ; H o u s e C o l o u r s ; Foot bal l
House Captai n. B ro a d s to n e , 3 0 G re e n
L a n e , H u c c le c o te , G lo u c e s te r G L 3
3 0 U.
Ga g e , L. S. C a m e 19 8 8 1; IV; 4th XV
Rugby (1 year); Army. W est C o o d h a m ,
S y m in g to n , A y rs h ire K A I 3SJ.
NICOL
Bayne, J. S. C a m e 19851; III; House
Prefect; Rugby U-13 A ; U-14 A; U-15 B;
4th XV (LVI); 3rd XV ( UVI ) ; Cross
Count ry Athletics; Young Far me r s Soci
ety; Leading Seaman in Navy. G o s p e try ,
M iln a th o rt, K inross K Y I 3 7SW .
Beveridge, H. J. C a m e 19881; LVI;
Rugby 2nd XV (1 year); Football 1st XI
(1 year); Athletics, Discus (1 year);
‘Y E S S ’ Magazine C ommi t t ee . W oodside
o f B a rra , B o u rtre , O ld M e ld ru m , A b e r
deenshire A B 5 O B H .
Bond, R. A. C a m e 19851; III; School
Prefect, H e a d of Nicol; Captai n of
Athletics; Mot orbi kes and Cross C o u n
try; Squash (2 years); Cross Count r y (5
years); Athletics (5 years); i/c M o t o r
bikes. 37 2 G e o rg e S tre e t, A b e rd e e n .
Clark, C. C a m e 19851; III; House
Prefect; Rugby 1st X V (1990); Hockey
1st XI (1989, 90); Football 1st XI (1988,
89, 90). G e o rg e H o te l, In v e ra ry , A rg y ll
PA32 8TT.
Curri e, G. A. C a m e 19851; III; House
Prefect; Rugby 1st XV, 2nd X V. 3rd XV,
U-15A; Football 1st XI ( UVI ) ; Cha i r ma n
Politics Club; Politics Club; Debat i ng
Society; Lance Corporal in Royal Sig
nals. F la t 2 72, 2 3 U p p e r G ro v e Place,
E d in b u rg h .
De e n . A. C a m e 19851; III; House
P r e f e c t ; R ug b y 2nd X V ( c a p t a i n ) ;
Hockey 2nd XI (captain); Cricket 3rd XI;
De ba t i ng Society; Direct or of House
D r a m a ; Ca d e t in A r m y / Navy/SBS. 383
P in n e r R o a d , N o rth H a rro w , M id d le s e x ,
E n g la n d .
He a d, S. J. C a m e 19851; III; House
Prefect; Rugby U-15 C XV; 1st Music
Scholarship; Dance Band; 1st Orchest ra;
Choir; Leading S eaman in Navy. A b e r lo u r H o u s e , A b e r lo u r, B a n ffs h ire A B 3
9L G .
Laing, J. D. A. C a m e 19831; I; House
Prefect; Cross Count ry Te a m (since 3rd
form); Sailing Te a m; Scripture Union;
Choir, Petty officer in Navy. W yndales,
H a tto n R o a d , P erth.
Marshall, A. J. K. C a m e 1985'; III;
House Prefect (LVI); Rugby U-14 B,
U-15 B. 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd XV; Cricket
U-14 A. U-15, 3rd XL Hockey 3rd XI;
Cross Country; Athletics; Gol f (secret
ary); Music Scholarship (piping);
Sergeant in Pipe Band. D a lre o c h , D u n
ning, P erth P H 2 OQJ.
Maxwell. J. W. M. , C a m e 19821; I;
House Prefect; Rugby 2nd X V (1 year);
Athletics (4 years); Cross Count r y (3
y e a r s ) ; Ri l ey I m p r o v e m e n t P r i z e ;
Ac a d e mi c Scholarship; 1st Orchest ra;
2nd Or c hest r a ; String Orchest ra; Choir;
School D r a m a ( Mac be t h) ; House Dr a ma ;
Creative Writing Society; Lance C o r
poral in Ar my. U p p e r P itc a irn , B y
A b e rfe ld y , P erth s h ire P H I 5 2 E Q .
W h i t me e , J. J. C a me 1988; V; House
Prefect; Co r p o r a l CC F ; Captai n of 1st XI
I lockey; Rugby U-16 A (1 year), 3rd XV
(1 year), 1st XV (1 year); Cricket 3rd XI
(1 year); Hockey U-16 A (1 year), 1st XI
(2 years); In d o or Ho c k e y 1st VI (2 years);
Corporal in Pipe Band. 3 5 P o lw a rth
G a rd e n s , E d in b u rg h .
Jones , A. J. F. C a m e 19861; III; Juni or
Corporal in R A F . N e th e r K in n e d d a r,
S alin e , F ife K Y I 2 9LS.
Do wn e s , D. J. C a m e 19881; IV; Army;
S u m m e r Stroll T e a m; Cross Country
T e a m; Lance Corporal in Ar my. N o r
w ood , 3 V ic to ria R o a d , D u lla tu r E 6 8
( IA W .
HALLS
OF
RESIDENCE
y j>
B osw e ll M rtchell & J o h n s to n
18 Woodlands Terrace Glasgow G3 8DH Telephone 041-332 9184
Chartered Architects and Planning Consultants
73
RUTHVEN
Clark, W. K. G. J. C a m e 1985'; III;
School Prefect; H o u s e Prefect; Rugby
U-14 A (1 year); U-15 A (1 year), 4th X V
(1 year); Athletics; Curling; Lance C o r
poral in Ar my. B ro o m le a , 6 B ro o m fie ld s
C rescent, L arg s K A 3 0 S D Y .
Cook, A. C. C a m e 19841; II; School
Prefect; )vice-head of R u t h v e n , Captai n
of Rugby; Rugby 1st X V (3 years), 1st
VII (4 years); H o c k e y 2nd XI (1 year);
Athletics (3 years); A c ad e mi c Scholar
ship; D of E; C orporal in Royal Marines.
H illc re s t, G o lfh ill D r iv e , H e le n s b u rg h ,
D u m b a rto n s h ire G 8 4 9 J D .
Fawcus, R. A. C a m e 19851; III; H o u s e
Prefect; Rugby 3rd X V ; Ho c k e y 3rd XI;
Cricket U-14 XI; Leading S e a ma n in
Navy. B a llin d u in , S tra th ta y , B y P it
lo ch ry, P erth s h ire P H 9 OLP.
SIMPSON
Blanche, H. A. D. Ca me 1983; 1;
House Prefect; Captai n 1st VII Rugby;
1st X V and 1st VII Rugby (1 year);
lst/2nd XI Hockey; 1st XI Cricket (4
y ea rs ); M arine s. G ra n g e H o u s e ,
G ra n g e , K e rth , B a n ffs h ire A 5 3 R Y .
Cl ement , M. J. C a m e 1983; I; 1st XI
Hockey (captain and secretary); 1st XV
Rugby (1 year); S u m m e r Hockey XI; 1st
XI I ndoor Hockey; 1st XI Football (1
year); Politics Club; R A F , Cadet. C a rv e nom F a rm . B y A n s tru th e p , F ife K Y l t )
3JU .
d ’A t h , J. F. C a m e 1984; II; House
Prefect; He a d of SBS; 1st XV Rugby (1
year) Half Colours; 1st VII Rugby (1
year); 1st XI Cricket (1 year); SBS, PO.
H a z le b a n k , O rc h il R o a d , A u c h te ra rd e r,
P erth s h ire P H 5 1LS.
Davidson, A. G. C a m e 1983; I; House
Prefect; 3rd XV Rugby (1 year); Physics
Prize; Navy/Signals; A B. S uilv e n , L a rg
R o a d , S tra n ra e r D G 9 OJN.
Davidson, H. A. C. C a me 1986; IV;
House Prefect; U-15 B Rugby (1 year); 7
(1 year); 4 (1 year); Sailing; Ar t Prize;
Ar my, u nde r officer. 18 W re c k R o a d ,
S om erset B rid g e S B O l, B e rm u d a .
Dempsey, N. D. C a m e 1985; III; 5th
XV Rugby; 1st/2nd XI Indoor Hockey;
Biology Prize; Debating; School Play;
Navy; LS. 5 E a rd le y C o u rt, P itc a irn ,
G le n ro th e s , F ife .
Ford, I. J. C a m e 1988; LVI; House
Prefect; 3rd XV Rugby (1 year); House
Captai n Skiing (1 year). T h e B irches,
G o l f R o a d , A b o y n e , A b e rd e e n s h ire
A B 3 5H P.
Forster, C. M. C a me 1984; II; House
Prefect; 2nd XV Rugby; 1st XI Hockey;
2nd XI Cricket; 1st XI Football; Golf.
T h o rn b a n k , T h o rn b a n k R o a d , S tra n ra e r
P G 9 OEY.
Hami l t on, M. D. C a m e 1988; LVI;
Ho u s e H e a d Li br ar i an ; Scholarship;
R A F , Sergeant. G y n a c k B a n k C o tta g e ,
G y n a c k S tre e t, K ingussie, In vernessshire P H 2 1 IE L .
Gault, D. R. C a m e 19831; I; Ho u s e
Prefect; Coa c h to U n d e r 12 X V ; Rugby
U-13 X V, U-14 A , U-15 B (1 year each);
Cricket U-13 XI, U-14 XI (1 year each);
Athletics (1 year); Cross C o u n t r y (1
year); Choir; D of E Bronz e ; Lifesaving
Bronze Medal li on; Social Services; Ca de t
in Ar my. 3 0 A le x a n d ra S tre e t, K ir k in til
lo ch, G la s g o w G 6 6 1 H E .
Gi bb, S. R. C a m e 19831; I; Ho u s e
Prefect; Swimming; Ru g b y 1st X V (1
year); Football 1st XI (2 years); Social
Co mmi t t e e ; Piper in Pipe Band, c/o
O ffic e rs M e s s , R A F G a to w , B e rlin
B F P O 45.
Ismail, D. R. C a m e 19851; III; Ho u s e
Prefect; Hoc key 2nd XI (LVI and U VI ) ;
Ru g b y N a r b o n n e T o u r , U-17 X V, 2nd
X V ; Athlet ics (87-90); C h a i r ma n of
Politics Society; C o r p o r a l in A r my .
F o rd e l H o u s e , G le n fa rg , P e rth P H 2
900.
Mitchell, J. F. Ca me 1983; I; House
Prefect; Cross Count r y (2 years); A t h l e
tics; 5th X V Rugby; U-14 B Cricket;
Choir; Navy, LS. 5 6 B eechhinds D r iv e ,
C la rk s to n , G lasg o w G 7 6 7 U X .
Nugawel a, M. C. C a m e 1985; III;
House Dr a ma ; Edi t or YESS; Politics
Cl u b ; D e b a t i n g Societ y; A r m y , co
Sergeant Ma j or U N T S O He adquar t e r s.
G o v e rn m e n t H o u s e . P O B o x 490, J e ru
salem , Is ra e l.
Prentice, J. J. C a me 1985; III; House
Prefect; U-14 B Rugby (1 year), U-15 B
Rugby (1 year), 3rd/5th/6th XV Rugby;
S FA; SBS; IS. S w in to n E as t Q u a rte r,
D u n s , B e rw ic k s h ire T D I 1 3J N .
Smart, D. W. J. Ca me 1984; II; Head
of House; School Prefect; vice-captain
1st X V Rugby, Full Colours; Captain
U-14 and U-15 XV Rugby; 1st XI
Hockey (1 year); Half Colours; 2nd XI
Cricket (1 year); 1st XI Football (2
years); President' s XV Rugby; C D T
Prize; School Social C o mmi t t e e; Mo t or
b i ke s . K in n a b e r H o u s e , M o n tr o s e .
Angus D D K ) 9ER .
T h o r b u r n , D. G. C a m e 1983; I House
Prefect; Captai n 1st XI Cricket; Captai n
Sq u a s h ; Capt ai n Swimming; 3rd XI
Ho c k e y (2 years); House Debating;
D r a m a ; YESS C o mmi t t e e ; A r my , C o r
poral. P O B o x 2 0 0 2 . D u b a i. U A E .
Walke r, T. S. T. Ca me 1984; II; House
Prefect; Captai n 2nd XV Rugby; Captain
S-colt C r i c k e t ; v i ce - c ap t ai n 1st XI
Cricket; 1st XI Hockey; 1st XV Rugby;
R AF . T h e A r c h , T o rris d a le , C a rra d a le ,
A r g y ll P A 2 8 6 O T .
Davie, L. .1. G. D. C a me 1987; III;
U-14 C, U-15 C Rugby; 6th XV Rugby (2
years); Strath Survival Club; Navy, LS.
S ea v ie w , 2 U rq u h a rt R o a d , St Fergus,
P e te rh e a d , A b e rd e e n s h ire A B 4 7 D D .
L a Qu i an t e , F. L. O. C a me 1989; LVI;
House Prefect; 4th XV Rugby; SBS, LS.
B e v g s te d te v Chaussee 62, 2 0 0 0 H a m b u rg
65, W . G e rm a n y .
74
Laird, M. C. C a m e 19851; III; Hous e
Prefect; G r o u n d s m a n ; A B in Navy.
W est M e n ills , B y F o rfa r, A n g u s D D 8
3TY.
Tindal , J. A. D. C a m e 1985; III;
H o u s e Prefect; Rugby U-14; Best Sript
Juni or Ho u s e D r a m a 1990; Social C o m
mittee, School Disc Jockey, Debating
S oc i e t y, D r a m a , O r g a n i s i n g H o u s e
D r a m a , Ho u s e Skiing; Royal Signals.
C a n ts m ill, A ir lie , K ir r ie m u ir , A n g u s
D D 8 5N E.
Mar tin, A. F. C a m e 19861; I; Rugby,
U-12 A , U-13 A , U-14 B, 6th XV; Piping
an d D r u m m i n g ; L e adi ng S eaman in
Navy. A rd n a g a s k M a in s , M u ir o f A r d ,
R oss-shire.
Sangst er, R. G. C a m e 19861; II;
Ru g b y U-14 B, U-15 C, 6th XV; Leading
S e a ma n in Navy. 2 B e n m o re A v e n u e ,
M o n tro s e , A n g u s D D 1 0 9E X .
What you have
enjoyed most . . .
Mus ic lessons with D r M cL ay .
T he surrounding countryside/the
w o n d erfu l scenery.
L a u g h i n g at p e o p l e ’s s h o r t h a i r c u t s .
S om e of the people, som e of the
t i m e , b u t n o t all t h e p e o p l e all o f
t h e t i me .
Everything.
Leburn.
Friends.
Holidays.
P er th leave.
I n c i d e n t a l soci al i si ng.
B e i n g t h o u g h t o f as h y p e r - i n t e l l i g e n t !
S u m m e r terms.
S n o w b a l l fights.
Rhododendrons.
G r o w i n g up.
Scandal.
Post highers.
T h e old Ruthven.
T h e Gi r l s .
M eeting new people.
Being a g roundsm an.
Babysitting.
S c h o o l pi zza.
“ Ardargie tour” .
THORNBANK
A nde r s on, C. A. C a m e 1984; II;
House Prefect; Hockey 1st XI; Midlands
I ndoor Hockey; Girls Cricket 1st XI;
House Debat i ng T e a m; Gol d Du k e of
Edinburgh. 5 Jona M u r r a y D r iv e , B rid g e
o f A lla n , S tirlin g s h ire F K 9 4 Q H .
Ar not t , S. Ca me 1988; LVI; House
Prefect; House Swimming Captain; Co l
ours in Swimming; Athletics; 1st XI
Hockey; Hal f Colours in Hockey; Lifesaving Bronze Medallion; Choir; Concert
Ba nd. G le n c a rric k , N e th e r A u c h e n d ran e, A llo w a y , B y A y r K A 7 4 E E .
Boyd, K. J. C a me 1985; III; School
Prefect; U-15 I lockey (2 years); Athletics
(4 years); Hockey 1st XI (3 years);
S u m m e r Mi xe d H o c k e y ; C h a i r m a n
Social Commi t t ee. 4 B o y d C lose, S tohbin g to n , H a n ts P O M 2 D L .
Brown, S. J. C a me 1985; III; House
Prefect; Curling (3 years, captain 1 year);
Sailing (2 years); Netball (2 years, captain
1 year); Hockey 3rd XI; V l t h form ball
c ommit tee 1989. G re e n P ark H o te l,
P itlo ch ry, P erth s h ire P H 16 5 J Y .
Gilchrist, Y. Ca me 1988; LVI; House
Prefect; Badmi nt on; Choir; Orchestra.
T h e C oach H o u s e . A u c h e n g illia n . B la n e fie ld , G lasg o w G 6 3 9A U .
Leiper, S. E. C a m e 1984; II; House
WOODLANDS
Addi son, G. D. C a me 19871; IV;
House Prefect; 3rd XI Hockey; Squash
(captain 89,90); Tennis (captain 89);
Debating Society. L e b u rn H o u s e . F o rg an d en n y . P erth sh ire P H 2 9 E G .
Burns, C. F. C a m e 19861; IV; School
Prefect; Head of House; Badmi nt on
Side; Wilfred Ho a r e Reading Prize;
Chai rman Debating Society; Stage M a n
ager Macbet h. 2 0 M a in S tre e t, K ilc o n q u h a r, F ife K Y 4 IL Q .
Carrut hers, P. J. C a me 19881; LVI;
Senior Netball T e a m (reserve); Maths
Prize; Sa b a t o e r in Choir. B alcassie,
K irk to n o f M o u le r R o a d . C ra ig e n d ,
P erth P H 2 OSS.
Clark, J. K. C a me 19881; LVI; House
Captai n of Swimming; Girls Ski-ing
Captai n; Tennis 1st VI; Squash; Swim
ming; Ski-ing. Colours and House Co l
ours Swimming. E a s t W in g , L a v e ro c k dale H o u se , 68 D re g h o rn L o a n , C o lin ton, E d in b u rg h , E H 13 O D B .
Dick, K. L. C a m e 19851; III; Captai n
House Sport; Tennis 1st VI, V and VI
form; Hockey 2nd and 3rd XI in IV, V,
VI form; Choir; Guitar. T h e C o n ife rs , 8
G ra n t A v e n u e , C o lin to n , E d in b u rg h .
Gr e e n , C. A. II. C a m e 1985 ; III;
House Prefect; U-15 B Hockey XI (2
years); 3rd XI Hockey (3 years); 2nd XI
Hockey; House Colours; Gliding; Social
Commi t t ee. P ark P lace, F la t A l , First
F lo o r, 7 T a i T a m R e s e rv o ir R o a d , H o n g
K o ng.
Morrison, K. R. C a me 19851; III;
House Prefect; Athletics T e a m (88, 89);
3rd XI Hockey (3 years); 3rd, 4th form
Prefect; Captai n 3rd XI, U-15 B Te a m;
Music Scholarship; Choir; L ea d e r 1st
Orchest ra and String Orchest ra; Dr a ma ;
House D r a ma . A iry h e m 'm in g , G le n lu c e ,
W ig to w n s h ire D G 8 ONP.
Mackinlay, M. II. Ca me 1983; I;
House Prefect; Hockey Captai n U-15 Bs
and reserve U-15 As for 1 year; Hockey
3rd XI (3 years); Ho u s e Dr ama . I I
R a v e ls to n G a r d e n , E d in b u r g h E H 4
3LD .
McMast er , A. T. Ca me 1988; LVI;
He a d of House; School Prefect; Hockey
3rd XI; Girls Cricket; Captai n House XI
H o c k e y T e a m ; Choi r ; Cl a r i ne t and
Piano. H e ro n H o u s e , T a v a rd , A rg y ll,
S co tla n d P A 2 3 7 U D .
Me l dr um, L. House Prefect; Captain
Hockey 1st XI; Swimming (3 years);
Hockey 1st XI (3 years); Captai n of
Ga me s ; Full Colours for Hockey. R IJ S W IJ K . C ra c h ie . B y F o rfa r. A ngus.
Muir, D. M. C a me 1989; U VI ; House
Prefect; Hockey 3rd XI; Curling; Choir;
Debating; Confirmat ion; House Colours;
D of E. N e th e r O ld H a ll. D u n lo p .
A y rs h ire K A 3 4 4 B N .
Riddoch, G. E. C a me 1983; I; House
Prefect; U-13 Hockey; U-13 B; Netball;
U-15 B Hockey. 6 B a irc ra ig R o a d .
B rid g e o f W e ir. R e n fre w s h ire P A 11
3H G .
prizes; History Prize ( U VI ) ; all round
merit cup; Choir, first orchestra (85-90);
D of E Bronze; House D r a m a (85-86);
Direct or (89). School Play, T h e Boy
friend. H a s e lm e re P re p a ra to ry S chool.
Th e H e ig h ts . H a s e lm e re . S urrey.
Pattinson, K. Ca me 19851; III; School
Prefect; Badmi nt on (88); U-15 A, U-15
B, 3rd XI 1985-90; Gr a d e 3 Piano; D of
E Bronze; Debating Society; D r a ma
Club; Choir (85-87). O v e rw o o d . R o w a n
A v e n u e . D a rn o c h . T V 25 3 P H .
Reekie, E. C. Ca me 19831; I; House
Prefect; Hockey U-15 (2 years); Riley
form Prize; VI form G e o g r a p hy Prize;
Choir; Orchest ra (4 years); Wind Band;
D r a ma ; Sailing; Dance. 8 7 St M ic h a e ls
D r iv e . C u p a r. F ife K Y T 5 5 B T .
Ross, A. J. Ca me 19841; II; House
Prefect; Girls Squash (2 years); Girls
Badmi nt on (captain); Girls Cricket 1st
XI; U-13, U 1 5 B . 3rd XI H o c k e y ,
Ac a d e mi c Scholarship; Da n c e Band.
C a th d o n . 3 D r u im A v e n u e . Inverness
IV 2 4 L G .
Barr, C. M. Ca me 19871; III; 3rd XI
Hockey (89); Shooting (89-90); Silver D
of E; Stage Manager . T im b e r T rails.
F u rze H ill R o a d . H e a d ly D o w n . H a n ts
G IJ 3 5 811D .
McCracken, P. N. Ca me 19851; I;
Sailing T e a m (4 years); Netball; Swim
ming (5 years); Orchest ra; Dance Band;
Wind Band; Brass G r o u p . P rospect
H o u s e . T h e S tre e t, G t. B ra x te d , nr.
W ith a m , Essex C M 8 3 E J .
Walls, S. P. C a m e 19871; III; Tennis
T e a m (89); IV Hockey XI; Silver D of E.
8 B u rn fo o t A v e n u e . F u lh a m S W 6 S E A ,
London.
75
Sempl e, S. J. C a me 1989; U VI ; House
Prefect; Skiing; Hockey 4th XI; House
Relay T ea m; Social Services. B o n n y to n
C o tta g e . B o n n y to n R o a d . E ag le sh am ,
G lasg o w G 7 6 0 P M .
What you will
miss least . . .
S p e e d M a rc h e s — N e v e r so m uch
pain for so little p oint.
R h i d i a n ’s m e rc e d e s id a l m u m b lin g s.
T h e S. S. S. S. S.?
M o n d a y D uty.
P e o p le w h o k e e p ta lk in g a b o u t rug by
at tea.
T h e Y E S S m a g az in e.
A le x J o h n s t o n ’s music.
H o u s e b a n k with its n eg a tiv e inte rest
rate.
G o in g on p u n is h m e n t runs.
The “ Lads” .
Nicol h o u se tops.
Prep.
R o u tin e .
O r g a n is e d B o r e d o m .
G r e y skirts.
Fire alarm s.
Missing h o m e .
Ju n io r s listening to Kylie a n d Ja so n .
Playing h o c k e y in rain/sleet/snow .
Fish pie.
S ta n d a rd s .
B o rro w in g .
S a tu r d a y 8.30 a .m . starts.
R e g u la tio n s.
T h e b a rb e rs.
B eing gated .
R u m o u rs .
STRATHALLIAN
CLUB
ROGER EASON
Roger was born at G o d s t o n e , in
Surrey in 1937, and he arrived at St r at h
allan in 1950. The older of two brot hers
who were both at Strathallan, Roger was
in Simpson until 1954, claiming only an
average school career. He played, ho w
ever, in the 1st XI in 1952 and 1953 and
captained the team in 1954. He also
boxed for the school and for the R A F
Section of the C C F (winning every bout),
coached by the local post man who had
been a booth boxer.
O n leaving School he joined the export
dep a r t me n t of one of Britain’s ma j o r
wire manuf actur ers
National Service in
He spent eighteen
Jor dan and Cyprus
Suez crisis.
until called up for
1955 with the RAF.
mo n t h s in Egypt,
at the time of the
After de- mob in 1957 he joined the
Glasgow Branch of the largest agricul
tural wire c o m p a n y in Britain. He
became a director in 1972 and in 1985 he
started his own business, looking after
the needs of Scottish agriculture and
forestry.
He is a keen curler, swims regularly
and plays golf infrequently and errati
cally.
He and his wife Gillian celebrated
their Silver Wed d i n g in 1989. They have
two children. J ane, an Ho n o u r s Physics
graduat e, who is now an engineer with
B B C T V in L o n d o n , and Richard, who
left Strathallan in 1989, and who played
for the 1st XI in 1988 and 1989 and who
had the doubtful distinction of being
"caught RS Eason, bowled T. H u d so n "
in the 1988 Old Boys' match which the
Old Strathallians won handsomely!
in minioim o u «i mn mn in
“ THE LIST OF THE LOST”
Last year we published a list of
me mbe r s of the club whose addresses
were not known. We should like to thank
all those who wrote to us. As a result of
your letters we traced over 50 Strathal
lians.
Unfort unat el y almost as t nany have
fallen by the wayside since, with The
Strathallian magazine and circulars being
ret urned to us “ G o n e A w a y ” .
P L E A S E keep us i nformed when you
change your address. Just d r op a line to
T h e H e a d m a s t e r ’s
School.
Se c r e t a r y
at
the
A. MURRAY CORDON (1939)
Murray Go r d o n was one of the names
on our list and several of his c o n t e mp o r a
ries have writen to say they understood
that he was killed in the War.
I lis name is not on the Wa r Memorial ,
nor in any of the lists of those Killed or
Missing in the copies of T h e Strathallian”
of the day.
76
If anyone can give us further i nf orma
tion about him, which branch of the
Services he was in or which regiment, wc
shall be most grateful.
M. J. F. PICKERING (1971)
We were sad to learn that Michael
Pickering was killed in a diving accident
in the North Sea in 1981/82. We had not
previously recor ded his death.
Dinner for Strathallians Leaving School 1972-1977
31st March, 1990
Those who were at School between
1972-1977 saw a change of He a d ma s t er ,
so representatives of two regimes were
present at the di nner on 31st March.
Unfort unatel y Mr McCall um was not
able to be with us. All who came seemed
'to enjoy meet ing f or mer colleagues and
the social time in the Saloon before the
formal di nner in the Music R o o m. There
were some who confessed they had not
e njoyed n il their time at School, and who
were slightly uncertain if they want ed to
renew some of their acquant ances of 15
years ago. I am sure that they would
now r ec o mme n d this “ y e a r " gathering
very much and having been glad that they
had decided to attend. We were delighted
to see you all. Wor t h the odd sore head on
Sunday, perhaps?
O u r special thanks go to Mrs Wylie
and her Staff,' to the Bur s a r ’s Staff, and
to Mr and Mrs Yo un g and their staff for
organising things to go so smoothl y and
happily. Strathallians Gillian Addison,
Philip Ai t ken, Ge o r g e Kitson and David
Young gave up some of their holidays to
help with drinks, for which we are most
grateful. ( D o n ’t worry, their lips are
sealed!).
T he Ent e r t ai nme nt was provided by
Pipe Maj or Charles D u n b a r and Pipe
Sgt. An d r e w Marshall, and an unknown
Japanese brought in by pianist Geoffrey
Bolton. His song from T h e Mi kado,
“ I’ve G o t a Little List” se eme d to
include some of the eccentrics of those
distant days at School, all of whom
(present company except ed) were voted
highly suitable for execution. If I may say
it myself, ou r thanks go to all the
gentl emen concerned in the En t e r t ai n
ment.
We were delighted to welcome Miss
Katie Widdowson who bravely was the
only girl in this male gathering because
our own Mar garet Burnet was abroad
and could not attend.
T .C .G .F .
Those present were:
Strathallians
A. D. Baxter
D. C. Bell
A. J. Bennet
G. I. Bennet
A. D. Butchart
D. J. Butchart
W. D. G. Ca me r o n
C. A. Campbel l
G. J. F. Crowe
H. K. Currie
B. D. de la Haye
J. W. Di nsmore ( Chai r man)
C. A. B. D u n b a r (Pi pe-Maj or)
R. S. Eason (President of the Club)
R. A. Elder
P. J. M. Fairlie
J. B. Ferguson
D. R. I. Fingland
J. A. E. Fingland
M. T. Finlay
R. M. Garsi de
D. M. N. Gillanders
J. Hall
J. E. Hamil ton
J. A. Ha y
S. L. Hill
G. L. F. Inglis
M. D. Kirk
R. L. Kirkland
J. M. S. Kirkwood
P. N. Lewis
R. K. Linton
H. N. McFar lane
K. G. Ma c Le o d
R. N. Ma c Le o d
C. S. S. Magee
M. T. Manson
A. J. K. Marshall (Pipe Sgt.)
I. C. Mc Gr e g o r
N. A. McNicol
D. R. Newt on
J. H. R. Parker
A. I. Pate
I. Paterson-Brown
K. W. Paterson-Brown
The Late Mr Colin Addison. A full appreciation of his long years at Strathallan will
a ppear in our next issue.
NEWS OF FORMER
MEMBERS OF STAFF
Congr at ul at i ons to Bill and An n e
Colley on the birth of Calum J a me s on
5th June, 1990.
Philip Hewson is living at New Park
Ho m e , T r e n th a m. Stoke on Trent and
would be very glad to hear from old
pupils and friends. Do call in to see him if
you are in the nei ghbour hood.
Thanks to G r a e m e Ren t o n of V a n
couver, Ca n a d a , for helping us out for
two terms in 1989-90 and welcome to
Simon Welsh of New Z e a l a n d who is
continuing the Scott Macky tradition.
We apologise sincerely to Mr Tony
Binian, who taught at Strathallan in the
1950s, that an incorrect report of his
d e a t h was pu b l i s h e d in last year' s
Strathallian. Mr and Mrs Ho a r e have
seen him recently and found him fit and
well.
77
A. B. Peddie
A. R. Peddie
D. W. Peddie
H. Purdie
C. D. Reekie
D. K. Roger
A. K. Shaw
J F. J. Shearer
R. K. Shedden
I. S. Stark
R. C. Stark
P. B. M. Sutherland
M. C. Taylor
R. F. Voigt
C. J. Wallace
I. T. Watt ers
D. A. S. Whyte
A. D. G. Widdowson
J. A. M. Wilson
D. L. Young
School Guests
W. A. Bullard
G. A. Bolton
J. F. Claytoin
A. L. K. Dutton
T. C. G. Fairbairn
M. Gray
T. J. MacLeod
A. M. Pearson
C. D. Pighills ( He a d ma s t e r )
B. Raine
Miss K. Wi ddowson
D. A. R. Williams
S. Wilson
W. D. Gibson and B. W. Pa r ker were
unable to attend at the last minute.
DATES TO NOTE
( su b je c t to c o n f ir m a tio n )
L O N D O N D IN N E R
21st M a rc h
1991
S T R A T H A L L IA N CLU B
D IN N E R
23rd N o v e m b e r 1991
Old Strathallian Ties
£5
Old Strathallian Scarves
£18
School Sweatshirts with
embroidered badge
£15
M.L.XL
Alt including postage
Apply to Matron at School
NEWS OF OLD STRATHALLIANS
A D A M S O N K. II. (1985) He c o m
pleted his H . N . D . at H a r p e r A d a m s
Agricultural College, playing rugby
for the College and for Shropshire
under 21, the winners of the English
Coll eges 7-a-side t o u r n a me n t . He
then had a social t our of C a n a d a and
the U S A. He tells us: i am at home
working for Da d d y n o w ” !
A LL I S O N Rev. N. J. (1922) He retired
in 1989 and he and his wife are living
in Kingston, Ontari o. Their son is a
Doctor, and their d au g h t e r an O c c u
pational Therapi st ; they have six
grandchildren. We were most grateful
to receive your photographs.
B A R L A S A . D . (1979) He married Vic
toria Forbes in Brechin Cathedral in
August 1989. We hope he has fully
recovered from falling off that ladder!
B L A I R J. M. (1969) We duly noted his
concert with the Lon d o n Concert
O r c h e sr a on Fe b r u a r y 14th 1990
e n t i t l e d “ V a l e n t i n e ' s D a y Love
Classics".
B L A N C H E G. W. G. (1978) He lives in
Duns and he is a m e m b e r of the
Institute of A dvanced Motorists and
Chai rman of the Berwick Advanced
Motorists. He teaches m e mb e r s of the
public skills for bett er driving and for
the test itself.
B O W D E N K. E. (1990) Kate is off to
work for Project Trust, before taking
up her place at Oxford. Go o d luck in
both ventures!
B R A S H D. G. (1968) He is a solicitor
with Alex Morison & Co. W.S. of
Edinburgh.
B U C H E R M. J. (1960) He is Managi ng
Direct or of J. W. Spear & Sons. He
can happil y pr ovi de S c r ab b l e in
French or Ge r ma n! The photogr aph
of him in the Daily Telegraph of 5th
May 1990 shows him smiling after a
nearly three-fold profits rise!
C A P U T O P. (1982) She has qualified as a
doctor in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is
working t owards becomi ng a plastic
surgeon.
C H R I S T I E T. S. (1989) Since leaving
School he has had a course with the
Wi l de r n e s s L e a d e r s h i p School in
Sout h Africa, meet i ng crocodiles,
lions and cobras. Then he worked
with the Save the Rhi no project in
Namibi a during election time. He
went on to Zi mb a b we where he
became an expert in game fencing and
went pig-hunting with Richard C o r n
ish!
C L A R K E J. A. (1985) He has gained his
B.Sc. in Envi ronment al Studies at the
University of D u n de e and is now
working as an Insurance Br oke r in
London.
C L A R K E S. G. (1986) He is in his 5th
year of Medicine at Ma nche s t e r U n i
versity. He has played rugby for the
Manches t er Medicals and Manchester
Rugby Club 1st XVs. At present he is
spending his clinical elective in Straub
Clinic, Honolulu.
C O C I I R A N J. N. (1967) He is a part ner
with Du n d a s & Wilson, Solicitors in
Edi nburgh. He is married with two
children and lives in North Berwick.
C O L E M A N J. A. R. (1982) He is
engaged to be mar ri ed to Tessa
Franklin Mitchell.
C O R N I S H G. V. (1986) Gail is living
and working in London.
C O R N I S H R. M. (1989) First he
travelled r ound Eu r o p e as far as
Bulgaria and Turkey. T h e n he did an
O type en g ag e me n t in the A r m y with
Dunc a n Spinner (1989) and Craig
Benton (1988), after which he passed
the R. C. B. Congratul ati ons on his
entry to Sandhurst. T o fill up time he
had a quick trip to Z i m b a b we where
he e njoyed horse-riding t hrough the
bush and learning about the tobacco
industry (how ironic!). He also met
Roderic Te t h e r (1989).
C O R N I S I I V. C. (1987) After passing out
with distinction at Oxford Secretarial
College, Vivien is working in New
York.
C R E E I. S. (1961) He has a kiwi fruit
farm in Ma t ak a n a . New Zealand.
C U M M I N G A. H. (1977) After s pe n d
ing three years in Pennsylvania, he
and his wife Marta are living in
Brussels.
C U M M I N G .1. G. (1984) After a year in
California he is working for G E C
Energy Systems in Leicester as Juni or
Manager . He hopes to be posted to
Paris soon.
D A Y I. F. S. (1972) He graduat ed B . A. .
M. A. from York University, Ont ari o,
and is now an envir onment al pl anner
with M. M. Dillon Ltd.. Ontari o.
D A Y W . G . E . (1972) He gr a dua t e d
B.Sc. from the University of Guel ph.
Ont ari o, and is now Managi ng Di rec
tor of No r t h r u p King Seeds, in Mel
b our ne , Australia.
D I N N E N G. S. (1969) He has become
Managi ng Direct or of Credit Lyonnais
Securities (Asia) Ltd., in Jakar t a. So
he and his wife and three children
( n u m b e r four should be there by now
too, as he/she was due in Oct o b er )
have left Hong Kong for Indonesia.
D O B B I E M. J. (1983) He works for
Co r p o r a t e & Marketing Insurance
Consult ants Inc. in Atlant a, Georgia.
D O W N I E J. C. (1985) He has graduat ed
M. A. (Hons) at A be r d e e n University.
D U N C A N R. .1. (1980) Ronald continues
to impress us with his ski-ing successes
as a World Cu p Ski Racer. Recent
headlines include: " D u n c a n Records
To p British T i m e " . “ Trail -marker
D uncan Surprises Top Seeds",
“ Downhill All the Way to the T op " .
Th a n k s for calling in in the S u mm e r
Term.
78
D U N L E Y P. G. (1949) He is based at
the Glasgow C h a m b e r of C o mme r c e
as one of the thirty-three Export
De v e l o p me n t Advisers in the U. K.
E L D E R R. A. (1973) li e is Business
Ma n a g e r for the English National
O p e r a at the Coli seum, London. He
had to deal at long distance from
For ga nde nny with poll-tax rioters in
the West End on the evening of the
1972-77 Reunion Dinner. O u r grateful
thanks for your presentation of Kobbe' s Co mp l e t e Op e r a Book for the
Library.
F A I R B A I R N D. M. (1966) He has been
appoint ed managi ng part ner of the
Glasgow office of Ernst and Young.
F E R G U S O N D. L. (1964) He is m a n a
ger of I nvestment Services with Island
Savings, based in Duncan on V a n
c ouver Island. He is married with two
children and he has two nieces at
Strathallan.
F O R S Y T H A. M. (1984) She has gra
d uat ed B. A. in Business Studies from
Robert G o r d o n ' s Institute of T e c h
nology.
F R A S E R T. R. L. (1946) C ongr a t ul a
tions on the award of the Fellowship
of the Guild of Agricultural Jo u r n a l
ists to add to the Silver Medal of the
International Federat ion of Agricul
tural Journalists.
G R A N T I. D. (1960) He retired as
President of the National Farmer' s
Union of Scotland in March, and is to
be c ongrat ulat ed on his appoi nt ment
as C h a i r ma n of the Scottish Tourist
Board.
G U N N R. II. D. (1964) He is married
with two sons and he is living and
working in Taipei, Taiwan.
H A M I L T O N R. S. (1955) He has given
up the Ir onmongers in Galashiels and
has let the shop to a Sports Shop. He
is now concent rati ng on letting p r o
perty.
H A R D I E A. K. (1982) He is working for
Xerox in London.
H A R D I E F. G. (1979) He left the Hotel
trade and is working in the family
plastic moul ding business, living in
Edi nburgh.
11 A R R I N G T O N C. R. (1973) B.Sc. and
Ph. D. no less, he is living in C a m
bridge but we would like to hear what
he is doing.
H A R R I N G T O N M. (i. (1969) He is a
Do ct o r in La C a n a d a , California.
H A R R I S O N R. D. (1988) He is at
D u rh a m University and when we last
heard (from the Press & Jour nal ) was
a b o u t to head an expedition to the
jungles of Peru to c o mp a r e three
regions of rain forest. With luck when
you read this, he will have r et urned,
safe from jaguars, spiders and poison
ous snakes. Let us hear about it,
Rhett!
H E R B E R T J. D. (1971) He is married
with two children. He is a Senior
Crown P ros ecut or for the Crown
Prosecution Service. (Sounds pretty
daunting!)
H O U S T O N R. D. (1956) Many thanks
for the phot ogr aphs you sent. He is
living in Lytham St Annes.
H SU P. C-Y. (1986) He has graduat ed
B. Eng in Electrical and Electronic
Engineering from Her i ot - Wa t t Uni
versity.
K E E C H J. R. N. (1966) He visited the
School last s ummer . He is with Ford
as Direct or, Asia, Pacific & Mexico
Sales Op er at i ons , and lives in New
Holland, Pennsylvania.
L E C K I E G. K. S. (1983) He is working
in Not t i ngham for Q u e e n ' s Moat
Houses and is Food and Beverage
Ma n a g e r at the Royal Hotel. Do go
and try it! He survived running a
ma r at h on last year, and by the time
you read this should be married to
Fiona Willins.
L I N D S AY R. (1931) He was interested
in the story that Strathallan bowled
out Hillhead in 1928 for 0. as sug
gested in our last edition. He confirms
that this is not correct. Ho we v e r he
has a new cricketing story of Strathallan's prowess. In 1924 J. W. Ha rt and
.1. D. Reid bowled A u c h t e r a r de r out
for 1. taking five wickets each. Mr
Riley then gave a serious row to the
one that had all the runs scored off his
bowling!
L OW . L. M. (1985) He has graduat ed
Ll.b. with a 2.1 at D u n d e e University.
M A C D O N A L D W. J. R. (1984) He lives
in Essex and is a Job-fitness Consul
tant. He was lucky enough to play the
winter season with the University of
Woll ongong Rugby Club in Australia,
as a relaxation from his normal place
with the L o ndon Scottish 2nd XV.
O t h er Strathallians he has met with
the London Scottish include Peter
Bullard (1983), G r a n t Cor bet t (1983)
and Ge o r g e Stevenson (1983).
M A C D O N A L D W. M. (1984) He lives
in Slough and works in A me r s ha m as
a c omp u t e r p r o g r amme r . He has
retired from rugby!
M A C K A Y A. 11. (1975) He is married
and lives in Canada.
M A C K A Y A. L. (1977) He is a part ner
in Anglo-Scottish Aquatics in Codsall,
Wol ver hampt on.
M A C K A Y N. ,1. (1989) A n o t h e r London
Scottish rugby occasional!
M A C K I E S. .!. (1986) Sandra married
Willie Wat t (1983) on 29th June. He r
brot her David (1985) was best man,
and Lesley Meikle (1986) one of her
bridesmaids. “ A Strathy d o " she
described it. Congratul ati ons to you
both.
M A C L E O D D. (1945) He lives at 8
Laggan Road, Lochardel , Inverness
after a long time in South Africa. He
is very anxious to renew contact with
A. K. Finlay, of whom he last heard in
Gr e e c e or Tu r k e y , and Jim Paterson,
a doctor in Ca n a d a , possibly now in
British Columbia. Doe s anyone know
of their wherea bout s ?
M A C N E E S. D. (1984) He is now
working for Coca-Cola and is a b o u t to
go off r ound the world.
M A N S O N M. T. (1977) He was married
to Linda God f r e y in 1988 at the
Candlel ight Wed d i n g Chapel , Las
Vegas. Just to disappoint us all, Linda
is a tax specialist! Mar k works for
Saudi Arabian Airlines at Heat hrow.
M A R S H A L L A. G. (1973) Co n g r a t u l a
tions to you both on the birth of your
son in March.
M A X W E L L N. J. (1989) She is studying
G e o gr a p h y at Newcastle University.
M A X W E L L P. K. (1986) She is also
st udying G e o g r a p h y at Newcastle
University!
M A X W E L L T. D. (1984) She married
William Wa t s on on 20th O c t o b e r 1989
and they are now living in Dubai.
M c B R l D E D. J. (1971) To Jim and
Cindy a daughter , Erin Michelle, on
29th D e c e m b e r 1989. C o n g r a t u l a
tions.
M c C L U N G C. J. (1985) Celia is working
for Gui nness in Edinburgh.
M c C L U N G G. E. (1983) He is working
for a law firm in London.
M c C L U N G T. F. (1981) He is farming
near Kelso, and married Nicola Stew
art on 1st July 1989.
M c F A R L A N E P. A. (1981) He is a very
hard-worki ng doct or in Paisley. It was
very nice to see you and your brot her
recently, Wilbur!
M c F A R L A N E W. G. (1978) He is an
electro-mechanical design engineer in
S c h a u m b e r g Illinois. A n y visitors
would be welcome.
Mc G L AS I 1A N L. R. (1984) In D e c e m
ber 1989 Lisa ann o u n ce d her en g ag e
ment to David Robertson.
M c I N T OS H E. (1984) He has gained his
B. A. in Business Studies at Robert
Gor d o n ' s.
M c M I L L A N G. E. (1985). She gra
dua t e d M. A. in Arts and Social
Science with a 2.1 from Glasgow
University.
M I T C H E L L S. (1984) He has graduat ed
B. A. in Business Studies with a 2.1
from R o b er t Gor don' s.
M O N T G O M E R Y - S M I T I I S. (1983) She
is working in the City of L o ndon as a
Financial Adviser. (Wha t is a lady
Yuppie called?) She is engaged to be
married to Jamieson Aylmore-Ide.
T h e wedding is due in August 1991!
M U I R K. II. (1980) He has ret urned
h o me from Australia and was in good
form on a recent visit.
M U I R P. L. (1980) He is married with
two children and is the Sales Engineer
for the whole of Scotland for Metsec.
N I C O L D. .1. (1986) He moved to
Australia in 1988 and is studying a
combi ned degree course in A c c o u n t
ing and C o mp u t i n g at the Bendigo
College of Adv a n c ed Educati on in
79
Victoria. He ought to be engaged to
be married by now from what he said
in his letter.
P A R K D. R. M. (1976) He is working for
Anadril l-Schl umberger in the Philip
pines.
P A R K E R , ! . II. R. (1972) A huge picture
of Hugh a p p e a r e d in Scotland on
Sunday on May 6th 1990 as he sent
a n o t h er ball to the boundary, piling
on the agony for Freuchie at Gr ange
Loan.
P A T E R S O N D. P. (1989) He is spending
a year in Ro at an , one of the islands off
H o n d u r a s , with Project Trust. An
account of some of his experiences
appears elsewhere in the magazine.
P A T E R S O N M. I). L. (1988) He is
studying Land E c o n o my at A b e r d e en
Univeristy, where he also enjoys
Scuba Diving. He had a great trip to
Australia in the s um me r of 1989 and
he b u mp e d into Max A d a m (1988) in
Hervey Bay!
P E A C O C K J. G. (1962) He is the
C o - o r d i n a t o r of the Hotel and
R estaurant Administration pro
g r a mme for the Hospitality and T o u r
ism Cent re at Niagara Falls, Ont ari o.
( Sounds like a nice job!), li e r e m e m
bers the School mot t o " L a b o r o m n ia
v in c it” and tells us this is also the
mot to of Bhuj oharr y College, PortLouis, Mauritius. (Ve nue of the next
overseas Hockey/ Rugby tour, pe r
haps!)
P IC K E N C. W. (1973) He was mar ried in
March 1988 and he and his wife
Maur ee n live in Ayr, where he is still
involved in the family business.
P I C K E T T I. W. (1981) He works for
Chase Ma nha t t a n in Ho n g Kong,
where he and his wife Debbi e are
expecting their second child.
P I L L I N G E R C. J. (1986) He has a City
and Guilds Bricklaying qualification
and his firm in Rustington, W. Sussex
promises ‘P r o mp t Service' and 'Free
Q u o t e s ’.
P O R T E R J. A. L. (1972) T h e Sunday
Times Col our Sup p l eme n t of 10th
Ju n e 1990 had a long feature " T h e
Secret Art of Maki ng Mo n e y " about
the new Bank of England £5 note.
Photogr aphs were by Sandy Porter.
Very impressive, too.
P O W R I E R. D. G. (1976) Now a Maj or,
he is still serving with the Royal
Artillery, and when he wrote was just
expecting a new posting.
P R A T T A. J. II.
Ma s t e r ’s degree
University of
r epor t er for the
in Florida.
(1983) He took his
in Journalism at the
G e or g i a , and is a
St Augustine Record
P R A T T J. M. (1986) He was due to
graduat e at D u rh a m this s ummer ,
after which he is studying Law with a
Sponsorship from Slaught er & May.
He spends most of his holidays with
his parent s in South Caroli na, but last
year he did a 2000 mile trip to Alaska
and the Yukon, where they saw a lot
of grizzly bears.
P R I N G L E R. J. L. (1976) He is married
with one son. and he and his wife
Dor ot hy live in H o n g Kong. He is
Ar ea Direct or of Purchasing for the
A s ia P a c if ic R e g io n fo r the
Ladbroke/ Hi lton Gr ou p . He is a keen
s uppor t er of the H o n g Kong Sevens.
R A N D E L L A. (1983) He is now a
C ha r t e r e d Account an t working as a
business consultant for Pannell Kerr
Forster of Glasgow.
R O B B I E D. M. S. (1969) He is married
with two children and he runs a hotel
in Dundee.
R U S S E L L G. T. (1979) News has
reached us that he has qualified as an
actuary.
R U S S E L L M. A. (1978) He is working
with Infographics in Edi nburgh.
R U S S E L L P. D. (1981) Ile has moved to
Singapore with W. I. Ca r r where he is
the Direct or of Research, living in
colonial spl endour in a beautiful old
bungalow.
R U S S E L L P. J. (1982) He has been
r ound the world and was campi ng with
the T A in G e r m a n y when his brother
Patrick wrote.
S A M P L E S W. P. M. (1967) He visited
the School with his wife recently on
holiday from Vancouv e r where he is
an actor.
S E T T L E S R. L. (1968) He is Director of
Studies at Dulwich College Prepar at
ory School. He is vice-captain of
Sidley Cricket Club in the Sussex
league and a m e m b e r of the M. C. C.
S I N C L A I R E. C. (1929) He and his wife
are now living in Aberfel dy and they
visited the School on Sports Day. We
are most grateful for the donati on of
the silver-mounted cricket ball p r e
sent ed to him by Mr Riley when he
got 10 wickets for 11 runs against
A u c h t e r a r de r in 1928. This is an
authent icat ed cricket' story, and he has
the cutting from a local p a p e r to prove
it!
S MI TH E. J. E. (1953) H e now works for
Rolls Royce (China) Ltd.
S T E E D M A N C. M. (1980) He is a
solicitor with Sinclair Ross. Tempe r ley in Lon d o n , li e and his wife Sally
live near Redhill.
S T E E D M A N II. W. R. (1976) After
gr a duat ing from Stirling University,
he spent seven years in Montreal
where he received his Fellowship to
the Institute of Ca n a d i a n Bankers. He
mar ried Judi th, d a u g h t e r of W. M.
Brown (1927) in 1989 and they are
living in Edi nburgh where he is a
Business Analyst with the Bank of
Scotland.
S T O N E - W I G G R. A. (1978) He is living
in Kenya and is engaged to SallyAnne Thornton.
S T R A C H A N R. M. S. (1974) li e is
working in L o ndon in the Treasury
and Foreign Exchange D e p a r t m e n t of
the Ba nc o di Ro ma .
T H O M S O N J. N. L. (1938) He was on
o u r List of the Lost last year, but we
are glad to have his address in Herne
Bay, Kent.
T U R N E R D. I. (1962) Congratul ati ons
to Donald on being appoi nt ed the
regional managi ng pa r t n er for Scot
land, the north of England a nd N o r t h
ern Ireland of Ernst and Young.
T Y S O N N. D. (1987) She br oke off her
studies at A b e r d e e n Univeristy to
spend a year at the University of
South Florida, and in t heat re p r o d u c
tion in Massachusetts. Back at A b e r
deen for her final year, she may find
things a bit dull!
V E R D E N - A N D E R S O N J. E. (1987) He
was second in the L . S . R . A . AngloScottish Chall enge C u p Slalom, C o m
bined, at I loch in Austria as reported
in the Times on the 3rd Januar y 1990.
W A T S O N . G. S. (1968) He is living in
Littleworth C o m m o n , Bu r n h a m, Bucks
and would very much like to renew
contact with Strathallians of his age.
W H I T E L A W D. E. (1984) He had
graduat ed in Medicine from Edinburgh
University and is a House Surgeon at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
W H I T T O N D. J. (1941) He and his wife
Sue live in Doonsi de , Natal, where he is
writing novels, so look out for “ Invubu"
(t he Zul u woril for h i p p o pot amus ) ,
“ Z a m a ” , a biographical novel about a
wild elephant, and “ the Martyrs of
Za daz i g" which is set in Egypt during
1952-3. From 1950-64 he served in the
Foreign Office as an A r a b Affairs spe
cialist, he t aught English and French at
Ge e l o n g College. Victoria form 1965-70,
then he nipped off to the Sorbonne for a
Ma s t e r ’s degree, and became an adviser
to the French G o v e rn me n t and the
G o v e r n m e n t of Z a m b i a until 1976 when
he was a lecturer in Arabic and Middle
Eastern Studies at the University of
Mel bourne until 1980. Now. as lie says,
it's hippos!
W I T H E R J. G. (1977) li e is living in
Barnet and is the M. I . P. Control ler for
Tesco He a d Office, li e recently visited
the School with his wife and little
daughter.
NAMES AND ADDRESSES
TO NOTE
P lease n o te th e n a m e s an d a d d re sse s
o f the follow ing C lu b O ffic e h o ld e rs
a n d c o n ta c t th e m if y ou w ould like to
jo in th e ir s e c tio n :—
S e c re ta ry & T r e a s u r e r — Max
M c G i l l , 12 W o o d s i d e P l a c e ,
G lasg o w G 3 7 Q N . 041 332 3 4 1 1.
G o lf Section — H a m is h M c F a r la n e ,
9 C ra ig e lv a n R o a d , C o n d o r r a t ,
C u m b e r n a u ld .
A n g lin g S ection — A la s ta ir Biggart,
T a y f o r & I r e l a n d , 307 W e s t
G e o r g e S t., G las g o w G 2 4L B .
041 211 7206.
C u rlin g S ection — R. M. T u r n e r ,
R o s e la n d , 44 Irvine R d . , Kilm a u rs , A y rs h ire . 0563 21412.
L o n d o n S ection — M ic hae l B u c h e r ,
193 G o ld h u r s t T e r r a c e , L o n d o n
NW6 3ER.
T E N W IC K E T S F O R
11 R U N S
Strathallan Schoolboy’s
Performance
B ow ling lor S tr a th a lla n 8 ch o o l a g a in st A n ch terardoT a t A u ch terarder la s t night-, E. S in cla ir
h a d ten w ickets for 11 runs. P. MOtobe lor A o ch terardcr had four for 27.
ST R A T H A LL A N
A U C H T E R A R D ER
E. H ort. b Scrim P. M 'Cabe, c H a rt.
2
geour .........................
b S in c la ir
15
W.
H.
R e id .
b
D. M*Leod, o do., b
o
M ’C ab e
.................. 56
d o .................
1. M E w o n , c S m ith ,
J . S m ith , b d o ...........
4
b M arsh all ..............
0 J.
C. R o d g er s, c
R . D u n n , b M'Cabe
1
D ow , b d o ...............
2
J . Dow, b d o ..............
0 A . D u iic a n , lbw , b
d o....................................
E. S in c la ir , run o n t 24
0
W. E rew , c D ou gn ll,
J . C. D o u g a ll, b do.
5
b M 'Cabo ..............
8 A.
S crim * eour,
c
A.
M orrison,
b
M 'E w an, b do. ..
5
S rrim geou r
..........
2 A . M a rsh a ll, c do„
J . M oodle, b D ou gall
5
b d o............................... 13
W. Shankfi, run o u t 17 W. D u n n , b do. ___
0
J. G ran t, not o u t ..
7 .1. H o u sto n , n o t o u t
1
J . K err, b d o ...........
0
E a tr a s ............... .
3
E x tra * . . . . . . . . . ,
2
T o ta l ...................... 125
T o ta l
CHANGE OF
ADDRESS
Please send all changes o f address promptly to the
Headm aster’s Secretary, Strathallan School.
If you have news o f yourself or other Strathallians for the
next issue o f the Strathallian, please send it to The Editor at
Strathallan.
47
80
OBITUARY
B A I L L I E J. S. (1942) on J anua r y 1990
in Dumfries Infirmary. He lived in
Kirkcudbright.
B A R R A. J. (1928) of Kilmalcolm in
1988.
C L E L A N D H. E. (1928) in O ct o b e r
1989. He lived in Kirkintilloch.
D O N A L D S O N Dr T. E. (1938) while on
holiday in J o h an n es b u r g on 10th
March 1990. He gr adua t ed in me d i
cine from Edi nburgh University in
1943 and served with the R A M C . He
was in general practice in Yorkshire,
Hull and D u n de e before retiring in
1982. A keen m e m b e r of the R & A,
he was the British Seniors a ma t eu r
golf champi on in 1977.
F E R G U S O N J. M. (1920) he had been
living in Lasswade.
G E R R A R D I. F. (1978) on 22nd June
1990 after a long illness, bravely
borne. All his many friends were
shocked at the news of Iain's death.
No-one who knew him will forget his
bouncy character, his individual p e r
sonality, his enthusiasm and his love
of Ar b r o a t h. O u r deepest sympathy
goes to his mo t he r and his brot her
Sandy (1977).
G R E G O R Y R. W. (1942) in N o v e mb e r
1989. He was a Fellow of St C a t h e r
ine’s College, Cambr i dge for over a
q u a r t er of a century before retiring to
Corbri dge. He was a good sportsman.
As an unde rgr a duat e at Cambri dge he
was “ a great fly-half” for his College
XV and he rowed for the College as
well.
M c C R E A D I E A. (1926) on the 19th
Februar y 1990. He lived in Largs.
M A C M I L L A N J. W. (1932) on 19th
July, 1990. He trained as an engineer
with Riley Mot ors of Coventry and
spent his working life in India and
Pakistan, with warti me service in the
Indian Ar my . He lived in Dollar
latterly.
M O N T G O M E R I E J. A. (1932) on 17th
D e c e m b e r 1989. A tribute to Alastair
will be found below.
W H A M M O N D D. (1947) on 14th J a n u
ary 1990 in Ot t awa. O n leaving school
Do n al d qualified as C . A. in D u n d e e ,
then emi grat ed to C a n a d a joining
Price Wa t e r h o u s e , T o r o n t o . Whilst in
T o r o n t o he was President of the
Scottish Rugby Club. H e later joined
t h e A u d i t o r s G e n e r a l Offi ce of
C a n a d a , in Ot t awa.
Y O U N G D. L. (1943) in April 1990.
Lindsay was a regular at t e nder at
dinners and a very loyal and long
standing m e m b e r of the Fishing Sec
tion of T h e Club. He was a wellknown hotelier before his retirement.
O u r d e e p sympathy goes to Mrs
Y o u n g and their son David (1975).
We are very sorry to record the death
of Mrs Ba r b ar a Forbes who was the
Ac c o un t a n t in the Bu r s a r ’s office for
many years. Ller cheery personality is
sadly missed.
J. ALASTAIR MONTGOMERIE,
D.S.C., KT. ST. JOHN
J. Alastair Mont gomer i e, D . S . C. , KT.
St John was bett er known to many as
Monty. He was the driving force in
founding the R . N. V . R . Club (Scotland)
— of which he was honorar y Co m m o d o r e
in its ill-fated hea d q u ar t e r s ship
“ Carri ck. ” At that time he was praised
by a friend saying “ If it had not been for
your inability to accept the probl ems
which lay ahead, we would never have
had this cl ub. ” T he same deter mi nati on
enabled the club to be re-established
after the ship sank eleven years ago. His
death on 17th D e c em b er was the end of
an era for “ Carri ck. "
Alastair was educat ed at Strathallan
and became a G o v er n o r of that school
and President of the Strathallian Club.
While at Downi ng College, Cambri dge,
he played Ice-hockey for the university
and was elected a m e m b e r of the Hawks
Club. Af t er a short spell at Ha r var d he
j oined the family business of mont gomerie & Co. , Bakers, in Ibrox and
apart from the war years remai ned with
the company to become C ha i r ma n , which
position he held for some years after the
Bakery was sold to Spillers.
During the war he served in the Navy
where his gallantry as an MTB Officer
was recognised in the award of the
Distinguished Service Cross and a M e n
tion in Despatches. Latterly he was in
c o mm a nd of a flotilla and retired with the
rank of Li eut e n a n t - C o mma n d e r ; now
H o n o r a r y C o m m a n d e r R . N. R . as a
result of his consi derabl e work for
post-war Naval interests.
After the war Alastair was a well
known figure in the City; not only in
business, but in the Mer chants House
and the Trade s House, where he had the
unusual distinction of becomi ng Deacon
of both the Incorporation of Bakers, and
the I ncor porati on of Tailors. He served
with the Q u e e n ’s b odyguard in Scotland,
the Royal C o m p a n y of Archers.
He gave freely of his time to several
g o o d c a use s , no t least bei ng King
G e o r g e ' s F u n d f o r S a i l o r s , wh i ch
received many benefits u n d e r his C h a i r
manship and with the help of “ C a r r i ck . ’’
He was instrumental in the restoration of
the Cutt y Sark and was an active Rotarian and m e m b e r of the English Speaking
Union.
But, with all his facets, which are so
difficult to list, Alastair will be r e m e m
bered most for his warm personality, his
interest in people and his many friends,
to wh o m he gave unsparingly of himself.
He is survived by his widow, Patricia,
their son and three d a ught e r s and their
grand-children.
R. A. Peacock (1938)
STOP PRESS
Watc h o u t for the film version of
“ Ta g g a r t ” o n I T V in the N e w Year.
Direct ed by Al an Macmil lan (1966) the
cast includes Allan Shar pe (1966) as an
unscrupulous drugs d eal er and Ke n n e t h
O r r (1985) as a mo r e honest police car
mechanic. Incidentally, large nu mb e r s of
the School thoroughly e njoyed K e n ’s Sir
To b y Belch with T A G on its rounds
recently.
81
LIME TREES
A n article in the Ti mes of 1st F eb r u
ary, 1990 u n d e r the heading “ Replant ed
T rees Brave the S t o r m" by Michael
Ho r n s b y , Agricul ture C o r r e s po n d e n t ,
att ract ed o u r att enti on, as well as that of
o t h e r Strathallians. T h e article said “ A
West Sussex solicitor and estate owner,
M r Ken Prichard Jones , has astonished
tree experts by raising and replanting
limes and oaks that were blown down in
the st orm of O c t o b e r 1987. All the
r e p l a n t e d trees survived last w e e k ’s
gales.”
It did not howe ver surprise those who
know the history of the avenue at the
entr ance to the School
In a great storm on the evening of 28th
Januar y 1927 two thirds of the mat ure
lime trees, which were then well over 100
years old were blown down and consid
ered as victims of the gale.
T h e late Mr R. N. Bain, the Estate
Clerk of Works , poll arded the trees and
hauled them back into position with the
aid of horses and chain tackle. Some time
later he said “ We put the trees back
during the early Spring and we were the
laughing stock of the countryside. Men
who should have known bett er said they
would never grow, but they are still
there.”
An d they are still t here now and
flourishing sixty-three years later, as all
who go down the drive know.
Excerpts from “ Dirk’s Adventure”
or Letters from D. Paterson: Our Man in
Roatan.
Dear Support er,
“ A letter from H o n d u r a s ? ” I hear you
say. Y e s , i t ’s T h o r n h i l l ’s t r o p i c a l
traveller who, contrary to the beliefs of
some, and despite snakes in his shower, a
heavy storm washing away his a c c o m mo
dation and various inexplicable tropical
diseases, really is, still here.
Wh e r e is Roa t a n, you ask — well, if
you take out the atlas and find Central
Amer i ca you will find H o n d u r a s in about
the middle. Move your finger to the top
right hand corner and you should see 3
small dots — the middle on e is Roatan.
Roat an is 25 miles long and 7 miles
wide at the widest point. It has a rugged
c o a s t l i n e c o n s i s t i n g o f m a n y keys
(islands) and bights (inlets). It is the
process of some volcanic activity p r o d u c
ing a scenic jagged back-bone of hills
running the length of the island. The 600'
peaks are thickly forested in exotic
har dwoods and palm trees.
A traditional wooden cabin on stilts
over the water is my accommodati on: this
has its ups and downs. T h e ups, first of
all, are the amazing coral garden which is
just a step off the porch, and the fantastic
wildlife which can be seen from my
walkway such as crabs, sea snakes,
octopus, stingray and assorted beautiful
fish. T he down is that the north coast is
open to any hurricanes or depressions
comi ng in from the Cari bbea n. Since I
am only 3 feet above normal water level,
when the weat her gets bad I really feel it!
My job initially with the Project Trust
was to t ut or children in E S BI R the
Escuela Bilingual de Roa t a n which was
f ounded for those whose parent s are
illiterate and ther efore cannot pay, but I
soon a bsor bed the roles of administrator,
fund relations officer and fund social
worker. It has t ur ned out on occasions
that children have been failing because of
mal nutrit ion or beati ng — sadly, a
popular met hod of discipline.
Just this very week I've joined in with a
local Reggae band and — t h e y ’re good.
T h e r e ' s a guitar (electric), an incredible
vocalist and keyboard player. I've just
been “ freekin o u t ” with ethnic improvi
sations on the old flute and doing vocal
backing.
My first taste of iguana lizard was at
lunch time today, when we had a fund
raising meal in aid of the C h i l d r e n ’s
Educati onal Fund. I found it difficult to
work up any enthusiasm when a dollop of
scales, dark meat and yellow balls were
d u mp e d on my plate. If I h a d n ’t known I
would have thought I was about to eat
snake. T h e strong rubber y taste of the
meat and iguana eggs is not really
somethi ng I could get enthusiastic about .
!
I narrowly escaped a stabbing recently.
I was walking along the beach on my way
h o me from playing at a Reggae party,
when I heard two men shouting about
how much they hated the host (the local
M. P. , needless to say). “ I hate him and
I’d tell it to the President, " one said in
hateful animation. I tried to mer ge into
the shadow of a palm tree and not be
noticed, but couldn' t resist trying to see
who the people were, so I glanced idly
o ver as I walked past.
“ Wh a t you lookin' a t ? " I walked on
faster.
“ Wh a t you w a n t? ”
“ You looki n’ for a g host ? ”
"I'll show you a g h o st . ” A n u mb e r of
similar c o mm e n t s were hurled in my
direction as I tried to ignore them.
“ You want b l o o d ? " one said nastily to
the other.
“ Me go then let spill some white blood
right n o w. " At this final utt erance I sped
off as fast as my legs would carry me. As
you see, life conti nues to be exciting here
in Ho n d u r a s. . .
As the end of my year approaches I
have b ecome reflective on my time here
a nd can truly say that the experience has
been a wonderful one. Living in a
different but complex culture and law
me a nt the disregard of o n e ’s own st an
dards, which have been built into my 18
years, and assuming a set of completely
different ones. To do this and learn the
patois has been an integral part of my
year, thus enabling me to fit into the
communi t y and this has been an exciting
and mind br oadeni ng experience. The
great thing is that while all this has been
going on. I’ve been able to be useful too, I
think, by teaching, helpful the Emergency
Medical Service, playing in a Reggae band
and setting up two English schools.
Wit hout your suppor t none of this
would have been possible. T h a n k you for
all you have done.
Yours sincerely,
Dirk Paterson
— Edit ed by Callum D r u mm o n d .
Callou s Hugh I’arkcr (1972) sentls another bull to the boundary a! Orange Loan.
82
H e a d Office:
6 L y n e d o c h P lac e
G la s g o w G3 6 A Q
Tel: 041-332 8907
Doig & Smith
L o n d o n Office:
8 L o w e r T e d d i n g t o n R oad
K in g s to n u p o n T h a m e s
Tel: 01-943 2570
E d in b u r g h Office:
45 Y ork Place
E d in b u r g h E H l 3HP
Tel: 0 3 1-5 57 4492
H a m i lto n Office:
119 C a d z o w S treet
H a m i lto n ML3 6JA
Tel: H a m i lto n 2 8 53 79
A y r Office:
2 B e re sfo rd T e r r a c e
A y r KA7 2EG
Tel: 0292 2 8 9 688
C H A R TER ED Q U A N T IT Y SUR VEYO RS
C O N S T R U C T IO N C O S T C O N S U L T A N T S
P R O JE C T M A N A G E R S
SPECIFY THE
SPECIALISTS.
We have been
Electrical
Suppliers to
Strathallan
School for 25
years
Garvie & Syme Ltd., are well
know n for the s u p p ly
of architectural ha rdw are
to Strathallan School and
other pre stigious pro je cts
in S cotland.
Now, u n d e r our new nam e of
Thomas Laidlaw, the quality
and service are still of the high
s ta n d a rd s w e have offered for
over 100 years.
tiOUflflDtiOUS€
ttfCTRlCfll
/J Thomas Laidlaw
CO LTD
4 A rchitectural H ardw are
1 BALHOUSIE STREET, PERTH
Tel: Perth 25165
Thomas Laidlaw (Tayforth) Limited,
Arran Road, Perth PH1 3DU.
Tel: (0738) 20581 Fax: (0738) 33262.
83
CANDID
CAMERA
Top left: That rucksack again! Top right:
Reducing the numbers in the CCF. Mid left:
Harrison Ford and Sean Connery (alias Messrs
Wands and G limm) on Fladda. M id right:
Stylish finish on Sports Day. Bottom left:
Spanner in the works. Bottom right: Kristien
Robertson surprised and delighted by Kate
Morrison at the Prefects' Dinner.
84
ARTHUR BELL DISTILLERS
e x t e n d s its
be s t w i s h e s to
Strathallan School
a n d w i s h e s it
continued success
in the f u t u r e
JO
0
P rinted by S U N PR IN T, 38 Tay Street, Perth and 40 C raigs, Stirling.
0
■S C O T L A N D • PH 2
0345 444 1 1 1
tu< z
C H E R R Y B A N K ■PERTH
TELEPHONE
CQJ
W H I T E H O R S E • RI IN/I M S - H E N N E S S Y GORDONS • J O H N N IE WALKER BLACK

Part 1 - Strathallan School

Transcription

Similar documents

Waukesha County Wolves Girls Hockey Summer Ice Program – 2013

Learn to Play

Sparties - The Summit Sports and Ice

Mega Plexxus Instruction

Invitation - Girls Write Now

ROI News 15th June 2016 - Royal Oak Intermediate

FYHA Summer Camp Flyer.pptx - Fishers Youth Hockey Association

2016-17 Hockey! - Maumee City Schools

PDF