Merchistonian Newsletter
28.04.23 EDITION
April 2023
April has so far been a month of opposites at Merchiston. The first part of the month was rather quiet at the School, with the holiday break taking up a sizeable portion of April.
However, as lessons resumed on Tuesday 18th, our V and UVI Form pupils have been plunged deep into examinations.
We hope you all had a great Easter break and an opportunity to enjoy some lovely Spring sunshine.
The Summer Term is another busy stretch at Merchiston – and we are delighted to be able to welcome many of our Alumni back to the School in the context of Reunions and Career Talks.
We have some exciting sporting successes to share in this edition of the newsletter – thank you very much to those of you who kindly share their news with us, so that we can disseminate to the wider Merchistonian Community. Your support is invaluable to the content of this newsletter
Curling
In the world of curling, Merchistonians Hammy McMillan (MCS 2004-2010) and Grant Hardie (MCS 2005-2010) were part of the Scottish team, skipped by Bruce Mouat who grabbed the win at the 2023 World Mens’ Curling Championship, held in Canada, earlier this month.
McMillan, Hardie & team defeated the host nation 9-3 in a thrilling final played in Ottawa. This is Scotland’s first men’s world gold since 2009. This is the same team who secured a fantastic silver medal for Team GB at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Reunions
Classes of 2004, 2014, 1973 & 1993 should all have received a communication about their upcoming Reunions. If you have graduated in any of these year groups and haven’t received any communications, please get in touch at merchistonians@merchiston.co.uk . If you have unsubscribed from a certain category, changed your email address or perhaps provided a work email which is no longer valid, the mailshot might have bounced.
This is also a great opportunity for some housekeeping – if you think we might hold incorrect contact details such as postal addresses, email or phone numbers, please feel free to get in touch at the above address and we can get this updated in the database for you.
Melrose 7s
On Good Friday, a Merchiston contingent, led by Director of Rugby, Mr Deans, travelled to Melrose to attend the famed Melrose 7s tournament. This year Merchiston had the privilege to sponsor and run the Junior Rugby Clinic on Friday morning, attended by a staggering 100+ local children, aged 11-13.
This was a great opportunity for Merchiston to reconnect with our Borders' families and Alumni, with some Old Boys coming to assist Mr Deans with the session and inspire the young players with their own tales from the pitches.
It was also lovely to reconnect with Mr Moffat, Director of Rugby at Melrose and Mr Deans’ predecessor at Merchiston – as well as catching up with some local new joiners, who will start their Merchiston journey in September
Phil Morris, Melrose 7s Tournament Director commented:
“[ ] This partnership with Merchiston School is incredibly important as we look to engage with and encourage the rugby stars of the future Their support has been fantastic [ ]”
It was a true pleasure to be able to engage with local young players at Melrose and encourage them along, not only in their Rugby development, but also in their love of sport. Everyone had a great time, and we hope to see many of them on the pitch again soon.
Masai belts
Designed by one of our recently graduated Captain of the School, the Merchiston Castle Manyatta belt replicates the vertical lines of the Merchistonian tie with its alternating red, blue and navy blue. These belts are hand-beaded in Kenya crafted with the highest quality leather. They are available to purchase directly from the Manyatta website here.
We were very saddened to hear of the passing of the following Merchistonians:
Mr John Addie (Jack) Forrest
1921-2023
At Merchiston: 1935-1939
Shooting VIII: half colours 1938, full colours 1939; RAF 1940; 277 and 137 Sqdns, 602 (city of Glas ) Sqdn, R Aux AF, 1947-53, Sqdn Leader; AE, Mechanical Engineering, O St J, 1984; 2016 Légion d’honneur
Mr Duncan Campbell
1935-2023
At Merchiston: 1949-1945
Sen. Prefect, VI, xv, 2 yrs. cap, Hock. xi, Edwards Prize, Cadet Officer; RHA, Bdr , Germany 1954-56; Edin Univ 1959 BSc Forestry 1st Class Hons; PG degree in Forestry 1960; District Ofer., Forestry Commission, 1960-73; Newcastle Univ 1975 Dip Landscape Design; Sen Landscape Architect, Forestry Comm , 1975-80; Head of Environment, Forestry Comm., 1980-88; Dir , Countryside Comm for Scotland, 1988-92; Oir of Communications, Scottish Natural Heritage, 1992-95; Oir , Edin & Lothians Greenspace Trust, 1997-07; Chair, Colinton Amenity Assoc 2002-05; Council Member, Scottish Council for Nat Parks, 1997-07; Dir , Colinton Comm Cons Trust, 2000-; Trustee, Edin. Civic Trust, 2003-.
Mr David W G Mitchell
1941-2023
At Merchiston: 1955-1959
Jun Prefect, VI, Edwards and MacKean Prizes, xi; St Andrews Univ. 1963 MA; CA, Thomson Mclintock & Co.; Brownlee pie, 1975, Dir , 1977-88; own Cons business; Deacon, lncorp of Skinners and Glovers of Glas , 1978-79; Capt , Prestwick Golf Club, 2005-06; retired.
New Director of Sport
Merchiston is delighted to announce that Nick De Luca will be joining us as our new Director of Sport from September. Nick joins Merchiston after six successful years at Uppingham School, first as Director of Rugby and then as Director of Sport.
Nick, an ex-professional Rugby player and Scotland internationalist will bring a wealth of expertise to our Sports Department and we are very much looking forward to welcoming him and his family into our Community.
We have caught up with Nick to find out more about him and his background, ahead of his arrival.
You can read the full interview here.
Annual Cricket Match
We are delighted to announce that our annual cricket match between Alumni & 1XI will take place at the School on Thursday 25 May at 17:00.
Merchistonians interested in playing should contact Chris Bell at chrisbell190700@gmail.com.
Last weekend Merchistonians Ian Falconer (MCS 1977-84) & Iain Fleming (MCS 1979-84) proudly represented Merchiston in this year’s Cuttermull Cup, played at Middlesex University.
Falconer & Fleming were drawn into Group 3 alongside Winchester 2, Bryanston and Tonbridge. They were the first Scottish school to gain entry into the tournament and represented Merchiston with a brilliant game. Well done!
