President’s message
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Kirsteen James new home in Inverness Kirsteen Donald George, Donald Charles Kirsteen, James
- Kirsteen in Jeddah 9
- Jillian, Sally Hawley Marion McLennan (Sally’s mother) Helen Quinn Ruairidh
7 NEWS OF CLANSFOLK NEAR AND FAR Continued
in Inverness last July and have never looked back. We love being so close to the river, the parks, the theatre, tennis courts, the city centre and of course the same street as Jillian's house ( Ruairidhs fiance) .
James sold his family's factory in Buckie 2 years ago and now trades under the new name of Highland Bay Seafoods. He mainly deals in high end shell fish. Some of his business is export and some is for the U.K. market.
I returned to work when Donald was around 14 months old. I have photos with the other boys at this age and again with me in my uniform returning to work. We will put these photos in a frame one of these days! I broke my heart leaving Donald for my 6 day back to work course in London. I had never been apart from him for more than 2 hours at a time prior to this. We enjoyed our first Christmas in the new house. Charles favourite Christmas gift was not the shiny new bike he received but the stretchy toys he received from the dollar store! I would like to say that the scene in this enclosed photo is a true reflection of real life in our house. It is more common to see a scene of bows and arrows, wrestling each other on the floor and general boisterous behaviour.
Work takes me to a variety of destinations. I’ve enclosed a photo of me on my trip between Christmas and new year to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As a woman, you are very restricted to where you can go and what you can do. I did not venture far from my room but it was a nice rest from the chaos at home. Charles is in his first year at a Gaelic speaking school in Inverness. They are taught and spoken to entirely in Gaelic. This is him after receiving a certificate for good behaviour. I could hardly believe it. Gaelic medium schools are becoming increasingly popular here. The Gaelic school in Inverness was built in 2007, extended a couple of years later and they now also use a Christian centre as an overflow facility. If you are coming to Inverness for the Gathering, the small village of Cromarty on the Black Isle, a village I have fallen in love with, is well worth a visit. Around a 30 minute drive from Inverness. you pass through the attractive villages of Avoch, Rosemarkie and Fortrose before arriving in Cromarty. Over the years Cromarty has had mixed fortunes. At one time it was a busy trading port, a fishing port, it also had a factory that made a product similar to jute, which was very successful. This photo shows the impressive houses built by the trading merchants. In the 60s and 70s the village was in a sorry state. The buildings were decaying and many were vacant. However, in the last 20 years the village has become popular again and many houses are inhabited by artists, potters and bohemian style people. Quite a few of the houses are holiday houses too. If you are visiting Inverness for the Gathering, this village is well worth a visit. I look forward to seeing you in Inverness. Best wishes from Kirsteen, James, Charles, George & Donald
9 CHIEF RUAIRIDH BACK IN MELBOURNE
So many of you took the opportunity to meet or renew your acquaintance with our Chief during his visit here last November and were won over by his quiet and friendly manner. It was also a great opportunity to get to know his lovely fiancée Jillian Ferguson and for her to meet so many Clanspeople before the World Gathering next July.
Ruairidh and Jillian spent the first 2 days with Carol and Reg Davis before a welcome BBQ lunch with Committee on a sunny Cup Day at Carol and Regs’ home, where our Chief drew the lucky winners of the raffle. Then it was off to the farm with President Graeme and Frankie McLennan while Jillian flew to Tasmania for a 3 day pre-arranged trip. We were very relieved to have Ruairidh back on Saturday for our Family Day at Woodlands Park, none the worse for wear after his outdoor pursuits other than a mild dose of sunburn and following lunch, he and Jillian mingled with the 60 plus visitors who attended. We were very pleased to have with us on the day, Clan Genealogist Bruce McLennan and his wife Prue from Sydney and his sister Helen Gentle and husband Richard. While Bruce was kept very busy as he helped many with their family history problems aided by his audio visual display, others took part in the Petanque Contest, won by jubilant former champion, Reg Davis (Seniors) and Connor Hawley (Juniors), Grandson of Marion and Geoff McLennan and we thank Reg for so kindly donating the trophies once again.
Others were happy to sit back and relax, entertained by singer Frank Donovan and later as a special treat, Chief Ruairidh on his pipes, followed by a delicious afternoon tea provided by our wonderful committee ladies.
A quiet night at Patsy and Bobs’ home prepared Ruairidh and Jillian for the Luncheon next day. Sunday dawned light and bright and in the courtyard of Sherwood Receptions at Greenvale, members of the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band and the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club played alternately for the guests as canapés and drinks were served. Soon the 150 guests were shown to their seats by our friendly, smiling ushers, Helen and Tracey Quinn and Reg Davis, to await the arrival of the Official Party which was piped in flanked by the banner bearer Geoff McLennan, body-guard Bob McLennan and flag bearers Ross McLennan and Gary King.
Following the two National Anthems, our excellent MC for the afternoon, David McLennan, introduced President Graeme MacLennan and Vice-President Carol Davis who paid a fine tribute to past President and Chief’s Lieutenant, Max McLennan and past Secretary and co-founder of our Association, Olive MacLennan, who both passed away earlier in the year. An emotional Bob McLennan read out his poem of welcome to our Chief and proposed a toast to both Ruairidh and his fiancée Jillian.
We were so grateful to Alister Chisholm and his wife Heather from Rutherglen, who attended despite a full weekend, to fulfil his earlier promise to Max to recite the Grace and address the Haggis, done with feeling and style. Prior to the main course, our Chief thrilled us with a fine performance on the pipes and later our two fiddle players moved amongst the diners and serenaded each table to the delight of everyone.
Ruairidh’s address began on a light note when he said he brought Jillian to add a bit of glamour to the occasion and later he stated that he thought his photo should have been last prize rather than first! His thought provoking address ended on a serious note as he dwelt on the future of our Clan world-wide and reminded us that we should make full use of the technology available to us now to bring us all closer together with an emphasis on interesting and encouraging younger people to join our Clan.
As the Luncheon drew close to conclusion, the raffle and basket winners were announced by Ruairidh and Jillian and due thanks were paid to Marion McLennan who assembled the beautiful baskets. Continued ... Jillian, Sally Hawley & Marion McLennan (Sally’s mother) Helen Quinn & Ruairidh - shaded from the hot Aussie sun! Chief Ruairidh & fiancé Jillian Ferguson Yüklə 2,63 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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