NOVEMBER 2012
Price
The
40p
The Voice of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre & St Fillans
50 years at The Station
“A piece of Scotland that will be forever England” was the potentially provocative introduction to an interview on Radio Scotland this August.
The programme was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Scout Centre at Lochearnhead Station. The centre was the vision of Melville Balsillie in 1961, for Scouts from Hertfordshire to gain experience and training on real mountains. From that date there have regularly been courses and visits every year from Hertfordshire - probably amounting to more than the number of competitors in the Olympics, particularly when all the other users of this unique facility are added to these figures! So this year is the half-century celebration of Hertfordshire’s Highland Headquarters, for introducing such a large number of young people to the area and to the challenge of the mountains. Balsillie had found the Station in a sorry state of repair in 1961, and persuaded British Rail and the County Executive to let him establish this outpost of Hertfordshire. On 4th August 1962, after a large amount of hard work, Charles Maclean, Chief Scout, in front of an august body of dignitaries, clan chiefs and scouts, opened the Station.
Over the next fifty years there were various milestones for the Centre, including the purchase from British Rail in 1978, and the new cabins in 1995 - opened by Garth Morrison, Chief Scout. During the morning of 4th August this year, a total of 120 people visited, including the Deputy Chief Commissioner for Scotland, Kenneth Robertson; Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Stirling and Falkirk, Dorothy Kinloch; Lord Lieutenant for East Fife, Sir Garth Morrison KT; Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Hertfordshire, Paul Brenham; and Clan Chief Donald MacLaren (Clan Chief Sir Lachlan Maclean visited earlier to give apologies). Angus Cameron from Lochearnhead plus Rikki Harrington joined us with other guests and some ‘old’ scouts who were there in 1962 to swap stories, renew acquaintances and just to see the Station again. At twelve noon, Clive Rule, an ex-Watford scout, cycled into the Station, bringing with him the Hertfordshire Pennant. The ride took him less than a week, following a similar route to that taken by Ken Tuffen who rode up in 1962. In true tradition he camped each night - and only met rain as he approached the station (typical!). He and Ken then hoisted the Pennant to start the day’s events. (Continued on page 11)
Maurice Baker
Scouting from Hertfordshire to Lochearnhead Maurice and the Scout Station at Lochearnhead are always thought of in the same breath. He is always there, greeting all the Scouts and users and always welcomes any visitors especially if they came some time ago as youngsters, now bringing up their own children. The station is always smart and he takes a real pride in maintaining it - as a railway station, and more importantly, a functioning activity site for people walking and camping on the hills. The mountains are his real love; they are the reason for his introduction to Lochearnhead in the first place. (Continued on page 11)
A wonderful turnout at the Scout Centre, Lochearnhead Station