The Gordon Schools' Former Pupils' Association

Next Meeting of the F.P. Association

The next meeting of The Gordon Schools’ Former Pupils’ Association is at 7pm on Monday 26th February 2024 at The Gordon Schools.

Patrick Scott's Latest Book

Association member and Huntly historian Patrick Scott has recorded the personal stories and memories of the war years and gathered them together in a book entitled ‘Huntly’s World War II’.

Patrick amassed the information from all sorts of people and in different situations over a lot of years. Stories from his own relatives and from the families of men who had come home from war and didn’t want to speak about their experiences.

The book is broken into short chapters with touching stories of evacuees arriving off trains, descriptions of planes over Huntly, conscription, pillboxes, sirens and life for ‘bairns’ during the war years.

Patrick has written at least a dozen books, including two volumes on Huntly Cricket Club and a History of Strathbogie.

Huntly’s World War II is available to buy from Orb’s Community Bookshop, Dean’s and McColls.

Former Pupils' Battle in Beijing

Andrew Young and Andrew Musgrave gave a good account of themselves at the Winter Olympics 2022. If you want to know any further details please see articles published in The Huntly Express on February 10th and February 17th.

“… the most distinguished female graduate in medicine”

What is it like to have something like this said about one? Ebony Martin, former pupil of The Gordon Schools, could tell us. If you would like to find out how she would know, please read the article in The Huntly Express, dated August 5th, 2021.

Lottie Florence

The Huntly Express recently announced the death at Rothieden, Huntly, on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021, of Charlotte (Lottie) Florence, for many years a teacher at Gordon Primary School, Huntly. Please read the obituary printed in The Huntly Express, dated 28/01/21 (click on the date).

Well-deserved Praise for Nicola

Nicola Whyte, a former pupil of The Gordon Schools, has been hailed as the local heroine in connection with the recent tragic train derailment near Stonehaven. In spite of being injured herself, Nicola bravely went for help, thinking of others before thinking of herself.

If you would like to read the article by Pat Scott published in The Huntly Express on Thursday, August 20, 2020, please click on these links: Nicola Whyte and Nicola Whyte 27/08/20.

Two Former Pupils Retire

Last orders were taken last week after nearly fifty years at the bar.

The Huntly Express, 21/04/17

Congratulations to Rizza’s of Huntly

Congratulations to owners of Rizza’s of Huntly, Philip and Nora Morrison, on being awarded ‘The Herald’ Rural Family Business of the year. They are pictured with family members Fiona and Donald. Nora Morrison is President of the Former Pupils’ Association. Press cuttings:

Rizza’s 1 Rizza’s 2

Huntly Express

Guest Book Signed

For more details please click on Guest Book above.

Wilma Dean-Prasad - "Living in Dallas Texas now"

John A.M. Bisset - ”Attended school 9/1939 for a year ... Remember my friend John Law.”

Alan Gordon - ”I attended the Gordon Schools between 1982 and 1986. I was in Gordon House.”

Sharon Gray (nee Taylor) - ”I attended Gordon Secondary School from 1985 ...”

Darren Millar - ”Hello. Is it me you’re looking for?”

Joyce McGroarty (nee Finlay) - ”Great to find Lorna Chisholm ...”

Steven Arthur (Bushy) - ”sorry I missed the school reunion ...”

Heather Small (Anton) - ”Happy memories!!”

Glynis Lorina Eastmond - ”Was at the school from 1956 to 1960. ...”

Carol McCartie - ”I was a pupil 1974 - 1979.”

Charles MacPherson - He asks:”Anne McCauley Aren’t you Charlie Smith’s sister?”

George Riddoch - better known as Ridgy - attended The Gordon Schools from 1939 to 1951.

Brian Sandison: ”I remember about half the faces in Stanley’s photo of 1A boys 1959/60 ...”

J. Brown, 2004 to 2009, presently at Abertay University.

Philip Roger, 1968 to 69, Fairhall Farm, ”looking to get in touch with the Paterson family who lived at the end of our driveway”.

Maureen Newlands, nee Richards, 1962 to 1966.

This entry in the Guest Book is from Charlie McPherson: ”Nice to see some of the old class mates in the photos!”

David Smart signed the Guest Book (09/07/15). He is hoping that someone may have photographs of 1a girls and 1c girls (1959/60).

Stanley T. Fraser signed the Guest Book (28/06/15). He offers to share a photograph of class 1a boys from 1959/60. (The photograph has now been received. Thank you, Stan Fraser. Please click to see 1a boys - 1959/60.)

The Guest Book has been signed by Willson Raeburn Morrison. In his message he mentions John Anderson, Gordon Beverley and Ann Begg.

On February 11th, 2015, the Guest Book was signed by Jimmy Mason (”... recalling fond memories”) and Robert Wilson, who now lives in London.

Fiona Morrison signed the Guest Book on May 26th, 2015. She was a pupil at The Gordon Schools from 1966 to 1969.

Class of 1959-1960

David Smart has made available the photograph of class 1b from session 1959-1960. To view, please click on the link:

Class 1b 1959-60

David has asked if anyone can make available an equivalent photograph of class 1a or 1c from that same session for placing on the website. See Guest Book. A photograh of 1a boys has been made available by Stan Fraser. Please click to view: 1a boys - 1959/60.

He has also passed on the whole school panorama from 1955. This is on the photographic page of the website. Panoramas

Angela Shearer MBE

Angela Shearer received her MBE from the Queen at the Palace of Holyrood in June.

175th Celebrations: Vintage Night

As part of the 175th Anniversary celebrations of the founding of The Gordon Schools, a Vintage Night was held in June.

For further details see: Vintage Night Poster

Introduction

A welcome from the President.

The Association

TGSFPA logo

Magazines

The 2014 edition of 'The School Road' has been printed and is now on sale.

Memories prompt ex-pupil’s bequest

‘Press and Journal’, Saturday 1 July 2006
(by Alistair Beaton)

A tin of shortbread in a Canadian supermarket has led to a £250,000 plus bequest to a north-east school.

If the tin of imported Dean’s of Huntly shortbread evoked childhood memories for elderly Ronald Ironside of Ottawa, subsequent contact with his old school confirmed the exile’s link to his roots and enduring affection for his homeland.

His letters reflected the happy memories he had of the town and The Gordon Schools in Huntly. But they gave no hint of how he planned to help present-day and future pupils.

No-one thought the man who bought the tin of millennium shortbread was a dollar millionaire, never mind a possible major benefactor.

The news of Mr Ironside’s death at the age of 86 in February saddened the school, said Rector John Swan. But he added: “We were absolutely amazed when a law firm in Ottawa recently contacted the school to say they were executors for Mr Ironside, who had named The Gordon Schools in his will."

“When we learned the amount involved, I thought it must be some kind of a scam.”

At the annual school prize-giving night this week, new prizes in achievement were awarded to Advanced Higher pupils Ruth McKinnon and Bruce Scott.

The inaugural awards to the teenagers – joint dux Ruth gained two Advanced Highers in Chemistry and Physics and Bruce one in Biology – are just the start of new generation bequests from a man who sailed to Canada at the age of eight, almost eighty years ago.

Revealing the story behind the awards in his prize-giving address, Mr Swan said the former pupil had left $100,000 Canadian (around £49,000) for the setting up of awards for achievement in sciences.

The residue of his estate, amounting to $1 million Canadian (around £500,000), will be shared between the school and the University of Manitoba.

Ironside Memorial Endowments will be set up at both institutions, to provide science bursaries or scholarships in Scotland and the University in Winnipeg.

Mr Swan, who announced at the prize-giving that he will be retiring this October after 16 years as Rector, said the provision of trophies for the three sciences under the first part of the will, and Ironside Memorial Endowments to assist pupils go on to study science at university, would be in place in 2007.

“It’s remarkable that such a small incident as seeing a tin of shortbread on a supermarket shelf in Canada should have sparked such a significant involvement for the school,” said the Rector.

Exactly six years before Mr Ironside died, he had sent the school a letter, saying the picture of The Gordon Schools in Huntly on the ‘biscuit box’ had triggered his memories.

The elderly exile enclosed money, asking if some books on the town could be sent to his home in Canada. Mr Swan recalled: “A large package of memorabilia was sent to Ottawa. We were only too happy to do it.”

Mr Ironside wrote back: “I see the old school has more than kept pace with the times and become a most impressive educational institution.”

Later, he sent photographs of Canada and chemistry books for the school library.

Mr Ironside, sent to Canada for adoption, went on to graduate from Manitoba University and became an analytical chemist with the National Council of Canada.

Mr Ironside left bequests to several old colleagues and friends in Canada, and the school has arranged to welcome several at The Gordon Schools in Huntly this autumn.

“It is sad we will not meet the man himself, but Mr Ironside’s legacy will be a boon to generations of pupils at The Gordon Schools,” said Mr Swan.