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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.

 

Magazines

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

 

 

'The School Road'

Members of the magazine committee would like to invite members of the Association to contribute articles for inclusion in the next edition of 'The School Road'.

The committee would also be grateful for information about the activities of members, for use in the section on 'Personalia', including details about the retiral of members. In addition, advice and information about family announcements - births, marriages, deaths and anniversaries - would also be gratefully received.

Photograph of the Reunion reproduced by kind permission of 'The Huntly Express'.

The 2012 Magazine - 'The School Road'

The 2012 edition of ‘The School Road’ was published in July 2012. Click on the links for newspaper articles about this:

The School Road 2012 Huntly Express 1

The School Road 2012 Huntly Express 2

The President's Foreword by Nora Morrison introduced the eighty-second edition of the Magazine. In it she trailed the lead-up to the 175th anniversary of the founding of The Gordon Schools, due in 2014. She also paid tribute to the work of the outgoing President Sandra McCulloch. Later in the Magazine Sandra contributed a 'Letter from America'.

This packed edition led with an article by David Connell, who told of his medical career in a piece headed 'Try Walking Backwards'.

The Souvenir Booklet from the opening of the extension to The Gordon Schools in 1958 was reproduced in full.

Isobel Stewart contributed a poem titled 'The Northern Lights Over Glen Rinnes'. Articles included a review of a recent trip to Belgium and Paris by member of school staff Maureen Kelbie. Distinguished journalist Agnes Stevenson gave a personal view of plants and gardening.

Agnes Stevenson (photograph, courtesy of 'The Sunday Post')

Jo Pitt revealed the inside story on competing for a place in the London 2012 Olympics, as a potential member of the Paralympic Dressage Team. Sadly, Jo passed away the following year.

 

Jo Pitt

Patricia Ann Raeburn recounted the participation by the Jessiman Dance School in the International Gathering of Scottish Highland Dance at Euro Disney. There was a short article about the origins of the framed embroidery that hangs in the school foyer. It advised how this work celebrated the activities of the Former Pupils' Drama Club. Raye Marcus set out the background to the development of the new Rotary allotments in Huntly.

Former Rector John Swan told of the poignant circumstances leading to the dedication ceremony in Huntly in honour of former pupil Corporal Michael Pike, who died on active service in Afghanistan.

There were other tributes, in memoriam, to former pupils, including Champion of Champions and former Highland Dancing Teacher Betty Jessiman.

Betty Jessiman

There were the customary notes of births, deaths and marriages, information about 'Personalia' and significant events 'From the Files'. Details of new members preceded a comprehensive listing of all members of the Association, including officials and committee members.

Current Rector Zander Hall and Gordon Primary School Head Teacher Paul Scrimshaw both contributed articles summarising the major events of the session gone past. Prizewinners were listed and Post Graduate student successes catalogued.

All in all it was an impressive, comprehensive and interesting compilation. And, as ever, a good read.

 

 

 

 

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Contents pages

To give a flavour of the articles included in recent editions of ‘The School Road’, the contents pages have been extracted from the some fairly recent magazines. The contents pages from the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions have been included here.