The Gordon Schools Former Pupils' Association

History of the Association

• The Early Years
• The First Social Events
• Different Days
• Early Magazines
• The Years Roll On
• Formation of a Dramatic Club
• A Significant Bequest
• Emerging from the War Years
• Good Work Over Many Years
• 75th Anniversary in 2000
• Extract from An Address

Extract from an Address at the 75th Anniversary Event

by Honorary President, Dr Hugh Brebner

Madam President, headmaster, Former pupils and guests. It is a great honour to be asked to propose this toast on such a special occasion. Last year, when I was shown round our school by Mr Swan, I was astounded at the modern developments that have taken place. The school certainly is flourishing and, looking around this large, happy family, the same can be said of our Former Pupils’ Association. I am sure that you will all join me in thanking our charming lady President and her committee for all that they have done to organise this successful reunion.

The first Former Pupil gathering which I attended was the school’s centenary dinner held more than sixty years ago on 3rd March 1939. At that time, the Association had an Honorary president of much greater erudition than the man you have today. He was the distinguished journalist William Will. His opening remark when proposing this toast was, “What a sair trachle it is to speak at all.” Words which I can echo most sincerely today, because there is something about being asked to speak at one’s old school that brings back that awful self-consciousness of youth. Sadly, that seems to be the only part of youth that does return. So, I’ll just remember that I am grown up and “warstle awa’ as best I can.”

Seeking to refresh my memory of the history of our school, I had to look no further than my copy of the centenary magazine. I was delighted to find it full of information about the development of the school in the 19th century, with numerous personal accounts of life at that time.

In the 1850s and 1860s, a tradition of excellence was established by an outstandingly scholarly headmaster Dr John Macdonald, many of whose pupils achieved distinction at University. One of them was Sir Edward Troup, the first Honorary President of our Association at its foundation in 1925. His career in the Civil Service culminated in the position equivalent to that of Sir Humphrey in my favourite television programme ‘Yes Prime Minister.’

Of course, it is not always necessary to go to University to reach a position of national importance. One of our school’s greatest benefactors, William Will, started in the office of ‘The Huntly Express’ and worked his way up via Edinburgh and Aberdeen to become director of Allied Newspapers in London, Deputy Chairman of Reuters and Chairman of the United Kingdom Press Association. He was a great authority on Robert Burns and a champion of the use of our Doric language. In spite of his busy life in London, he was so fond of his old school that he found time to spend the whole week in Huntly during our centenary celebrations.

So many former pupils have had interesting and successful careers that it is impossible to mention them all today. Letters that appear from time to time in the magazine, coming from places scattered throughout Britain and abroad, show how much they have valued the education they received in Huntly. Let me refer to an item that caught my attention in the newspapers this year. It was about a Scottish National Heritage scientific centre established with the aid of a substantial bequest from Margaret Stevenson, who worked as a veterinary bacteriologist in America. Her name was familiar to me, as she and her brother Sandy were contemporary with my brother, also called Sandy.

Since I retired, many years ago, I have spent a lot of time on the golf course. One of my regular partners at the Glasgow Golf Club is Harry Aitken, who was a few years behind me at school. Harry gave me a very pleasant surprise the other day, when he produced a hand-written letter from his old headmaster, my father, congratulating him on his appointment to a top job in the head office of the Clydesdale Bank. I well remember what a great source of pleasure it was to my father to hear about the progress of his old pupils, and also the welcome that former pupils received when they called at our house in Deveron Road. He certainly had none of the envious feelings that are expressed by the dominie in J C Milne’s poem.

O sair I vrocht wi Jock McGhee,
Tae pit him through his HLC*
And noo a dental surgeon he!
In his fite jaicket!
Wi mebbe fower times mair than me,
An weel respeckit!

(*Higher Leaving Certificate)

And where I presume he refers to a politician…

Syne look at gabblin Jamie Broon!
A teem lang-leggit glaikit loon,
Wha’d nivver worn a college goon,
And noo they ca’ him Dr Broon
An LLD.

However, a school does not exist merely to spur on able pupils to academic and material success, and in this context, I should like to quote a paragraph from my father’s speech at the 1939 celebrations.

“It has been my aim to give every child a chance to develop his talents, however few they may be, to guide him or her to a course which could be mastered with success, to arouse in his mind enthusiasm for some form of culture.”

This seems to me to fit in well with the ethos of the school as we see it today.

I must avoid the temptation to ramble on about the good old days, because, from what we have seen this morning, it is obvious that the present days are far better. Mr Swan and his staff have shown us a magnificent, modern seat of learning which bears no resemblance to the school which I attended so many years ago. The laboratory facilities and the computers are to me quite staggering. If he will agree to enrol me, I should like to start later this month. I think that class 1 would be the appropriate level. He and his staff are doing a tremendous job, and I do most heartily congratulate them on the state of the school.

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you to rise and toast the good old days, the Former Pupils’ Association on its 75th birthday, but especially the better new days of The Gordon Schools, Huntly.

Personalities

Some background information about the personalities mentioned in the ‘History of the Former Pupils’ Association’

Local Historian, Patrick Scott, Huntly, has kindly provided some biographical details and other background information about some of the personalities mentioned in the ‘History of the Former Pupils’ Association’.

Read the full text on the 'Personalities' page.

Early publications

Downloading these pdf files will require suitable software,e.g. Adobe Reader. They are also large files and will take some time to download over slow connections especially dial-up.

• School Song 2.3MB
• Founders Day Hymn 1.2MB
• Souvenir booklet 1958 16.4MB