St Andrews in Focus Issue 26 Jan Feb 2008

St Andrews in focus • shopping • eating • events • town/gown • people and more

January/February 2008, Issue 26

the award winning magazine for St Andrews

£1.50

www.standrewsinfocus.com

St Andrews in focus • shopping • eating • events • town/gown • people and more

From the Editor Oh dear, after three proof readings you all discoverd that my family and I gambled on Schiehallion! Well, we did indeed gamble on the weather – and lost (we got a thorough drenching) – but while the sun actually shone brilliantly for a while, we gambolled merrily. Alas, it wasn’t done deliberately to keep you on your toes. To err is human, after all, and I’m gambling on you all being sufficiently divine to forgive. My thanks!

Language never fails to fascinate me. How do we do it, and from such a young age? Theories abound, yet the secret remains. As we all know, learning a new language after our first is fraught with difficulties. Mistakes learners make struggling with English may give us a great deal of mirth (see p10), but heaven knows what we ourselves perpetrate in other tongues! One of my adult students, learning French, once announced to a startled dinner party in France that she was about to give birth, compounding the error in her panic by adding, “with my husband”. She meant to say she was going to bed (after a long night, presumably).

May you all conquer new heights in 2008!

Flora Selwyn

******** The views expressed elsewhere in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 EDITOR Flora Selwyn Tel: 01334 472375 Email: editor@standrewsinfocus.com Designer University of St Andrews Reprographics Unit Printer Tayport Printers Ltd. Distributer Elspeth’s of Guardbridge Publisher (address for correspondence) Local Publishing (Fife) Ltd., PO Box 29210, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9YZ. Tel: 01334 472375 Email: enquiries@standrewsinfocus.com SUBSCRIPTIONS St Andrews in Focus is published 6 times a year.

Subscriptions for 6 issues are: £12.50 in the UK (post & packing included).

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Please use PayPal account: editor@StAndrewsinFocus.com Registered in Scotland: 255564 The paper used is 80% RECYCLED post-consumer waste

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Contents FEATURES • Young Entrepreneur • Community Council • The Jolly Trade-in • (Almost) World Class • From an Illustrator’s Perspective • Robert Burns Loved the Lassies • Tam O’St Aundraes • Clarinda The Musical • The Old Course in January • Ask the Curator • The Names of Flowers • Watch it!

• Down on the Farm • Toonspot

3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 10

BOOK REVIEWS • Bound with Love • Fife • The Mating Call of the Racket-tailed Drongo

11 11 11

ORGANISATIONS • St John Fife • The Operatic Society • Fife Heritage Orchestra • The Photographic Society • CHAS

12 13 14 14 15

TOWN/gown • Discovery Space School • Looking Ahead • Habitat for Humanity • Languages at St Leonards School

16 16 17 18

Shops & Services • Bowing Out • A Hotel for the 21st Century • Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York...!

• Roving Reporter

19 20 21 23

Events • Selected Events

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Out and About • Guddling Among the Graves • Fife’s Far Frontiers • St Andrews Day at the Botanic Garden • Earthship Fife – sketchmap

25 26 27 27

NEXT ISSUE – Mar/Apr 2008 Copy deadline: strictly 28 JANUARY All contributions welcome. The Editor reserves the right to publish copy according to available space.

COVER – ‘Cathedral sunrise’ by Robin Waterston

FEATURES Niall Forrester proves that age is no barrier to enterprise. He tells his story....

The Recycler Door To Door Recycling Collection Service . . . Making Recycling easier for everyone!

“I have always been interested in our environment,” says 11-year old Niall, “but I’m also very worried about our actions, that have devastating effects on our planet, and more importantly, our local environment. I feel so lucky to be living here in St Andrews, where the air is so clean and fresh, that’s why I feel passionate about helping our local environment even more.

A short while ago, I asked my Mum if I could go on a school trip that’s happening next year. She told me that if I could save up half of the money to pay for the trip, she would give me the other half. I didn’t really know what I could do to make my own money. After a couple of weeks of us both trying to come up with an idea, we were just sitting having a conversation about our recycling problem, and then it came to us.

My Mum and I were aware that although our local Council collects our waste, they were not collecting all of our recyclable household waste. I know that we have the blue bins for paper and the brown bins for the garden waste, but the grey bins are then filled with all other household waste, mostly recyclable, but this doesn’t get sorted for recycling.

Fortunately for us, we have the Recycling Centre right here in St Andrews, which is absolutely brilliant and I would like to add that the men who work there are so helpful and nice too.

Although we are lucky to have the Recycling Centre on our doorstep, I found out that a lot of people are still not using it for various reasons, these being: • Elderly people who don’t drive or who can’t physically get to the Recycling Centre.

• Young busy families with children who are too busy working and looking after the children and just don’t get around to doing it • Busy students • Career people working long hours.

4 Customer pays Niall £1 for each full bag he takes away.

5 Niall takes all recyclable waste to the Recycling Centre in his trailer, where he sorts it into correct bins.

Customers can purchase as many Go Green bags as they like, or they can even use their own bags. Niall will collect any recyclable household waste in whatever he’s given!

“It’s quite hard work cycling everywhere, especially when the trailer’s full, but I know that I’m helping the environment and keeping fit at the same time!” admits Niall.

“As well as trying to save some money for my school trip, I am also donating 10% of all earnings to the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All campaign.

“Tree For All is the most ambitious children’s tree-planting project ever launched in the UK, with plans to help plant 12 million trees over the next five years. Tree For All could give one million children the chance to make a positive difference.”

The Woodland Trust I will also be collecting all your Christmas cards and recycling your wrapping paper after Christmas, when I’ll be taking part in the Woodland Trust’s Christmas card recycling scheme, which helps to raise money towards more tree planting in the UK. So please save your cards and paper and give me a call.

Did you know?

• According to Government research, nine out of ten people would recycle more if it was made easier for them!

• According to www.wastewatch.org.uk, the average Brit throws out their own bodyweight in rubbish every couple of months!

• And locally . . . by the summer of 2008, each of our 3 bins will only be collected once every fortnight! This might mean that you’ll have an overflow of rubbish building up. The perfect opportunity for me to come and collect most of that rubbish from you and get it recycled.

How do I sign up?

1 Call 01334 461038 and leave your name and address.

2 I will call round to leave your Go Green bag and collect your initial £1.

3 You can arrange your preferred collection day (Saturday or Sunday), when I will pick up your bag of household waste recyclables.

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who recycles with me,” Niall ends.

(Photos: Niall, courtesy Mum, Liz Forrester)

This is why my Mum and I came up with a solution to involve more people in recycling, and also a way for me to earn some money to pay for a school trip that I really want to go on next year!!

I decided to set up my own business offering a door-to-door recycling collection service on my bike, (also helping to reduce carbon emissions).

At the moment I have quite a few regular customers I collect from every weekend, and they have been great, really supportive of what I’m doing. It gives me a boost when I’m on my bike and they tell me how what I’m doing is a great thing. I’ve had some letters from my customers, who have said: “I think what you’re doing is a brilliant idea, good luck with your project.”

“What a great service Niall” How does it work?

1 Niall provides each customer with a Go Green recycling bag for an initial payment of £1.

2 Customer fills the bag with recyclable household waste.

3 Niall collects full bag, and replaces with empty bag the following week. (During winter, Niall is collecting at weekends only.

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FEATURES Kenneth Fraser, Past Chairman of the Community Council describes

The Mystery of the Statue of St Andrew Many visitors to our city will not have noticed the statue of St Andrew, which stands in a somewhat obscure position in the Botanic Garden. Its origins are mysterious. The only certain fact is that until1995 it had belonged to the University, which apparently had been given it about 30 years previously by a financial company in Edinburgh; but nobody then could remember the details, and there were no surviving records. Dr. Ronald Cant believed the donors had been the North British & Mercantile Insurance Company; he recalled that they had had such a statue in their headquarters, which was sold, and

Gavin Reid

The Jolly Trade-In Too bad you’ve got to go, old sport: the fact is sad but true.

I have to sell you on, I fear, for I need something new.

Well thanks, old sport, you’ve served me well, through every slip and slide, you’ve been the sweetest ride, old sport, that transport can provide.

demolished, when they merged with another firm. They also used a similar depiction of St Andrew in printed advertisements, some of which can still be seen. However, a recent book on Scottish sculpture declares that the N.B. & M.I.Co. statue was made of wood, not stone, which places a question-mark over our statue, unless indeed it had been a replacement. I also found that the National Bank of Scotland depicted a very similar figure of the Saint on its banknotes from 1825 onwards, and I have seen in Forfar a sculpture of St Andrew on a building which looks like a former bank. The figure of St Andrew over the entrance to the Lower College Hall here is another similar design.

So it appears that there is a whole family of statues of St Andrew with the same general features. What were they copied from? A former colleague of mine in the University Library found the answer. In St Peter’s at Rome, in a prominent position near the High Altar, stands a large statue of the Saint by Francois Duquesnoy (1592-1643), which from its appearance must be the original. Who then carved our statue? The Late Prof. J.F. Allen considered that it was the work of Alexander Handyside Ritchie (1804-70), who had indeed studied at Rome; but I do not know what his evidence was. There is at least one other candidate who had studied at Rome, Sir John Steell (1804-91); it was he who produced the statue for the N.B. & M.I.Co., and he also carved a statuette of the Saint for a Masonic lodge in Dalkeith, which still survives,

and was exhibited in St Andrews some years ago; the resemblance to the figure in the Botanic Garden is striking.

Perhaps one of my readers may be able to shed further light on this mystery; or there may be a student of Art History willing to take it on as a subject for a dissertation. At any rate, many people feel that the statue of St Andrew deserves a more prominent location in the city named after him. It is at present in the Botanic Garden because a proposal to place it near the Petheram Bridge fell through. As the University is now proposing some long-term alterations to the North Haugh area, it may be that the statue will have another chance to stand in a position where more people will see it.

(Photos by Flora Selwyn)

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FEATURES Patrick Laughlin, World Class Manager, proclaims that

St Andrews is (almost) a Great Town!

St Andrews has been voted runner-up in a prestigious competition which sought to identify the best town in the British Isles.

The “Great Town” Award 2008 was made by the Academy of Urbanism, a distinguished grouping of 100 people drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and with a shared passion for, and an acknowledged understanding of, the art of great place-making. (see www.academyofurbanism.org.uk for details).

St Andrews was advised that it had been shortlisted for the Award together with Winchester (best known for its school, cathedral and King Arthur’s Round Table) and Kilkenny (best known for its laughing cat!) and that it was to be judged on the basis of its high quality of living, its nurturing of a healthy and creative way of life, its support of economic, social, political, and cultural activity, and its delivery of a distinctive and attractive environment.

So it was that on a sunny day in August (an all-too-rare occurrence last summer), five judges from the Academy came to St Andrews to receive an intensive seven-hour insight into the town. Starting, appropriately enough, at the Gateway Building at North Haugh, the judges took full advantage of the glorious weather. Like so many thousands of visitors before them, they were thrilled to be able to walk across the Old Course, accompanied by John Stewart of the Links Trust, who gave an insight into the unique status of the Links. At the Bruce Embankment, Willie Johnston of Scottish Enterprise Fife described how public-private sector investments were helping to upgrade the physical environment of the town.

Then it was on to the University, and a meeting with Vice-Principal Stephen Magee and colleagues, who outlined the central role that the University plays in the life of St Andrews.

A quick stroll through St Salvator’s Quad took the judges across to the Preservation Trust’s Museum, where a delightful lunch in the museum garden was served. The judges learned about the valuable roles played by the Trust and other civic organisations in the town.

A welcome speech was made by Councillor Bill

Sangster, who said, ‘’I am pleased to represent both the local authority and also the St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation today. Also present are representatives of St Andrews World Class and St Andrews Preservation Trust. All these groups play a vital role within the local community and demonstrate the joint working partnerships which have been created in the town in the recent past.”

Fully refreshed, the party then walked past the Castle and Cathedral to the Harbour, then back to the town centre, where Peter Milne from Fife Council described some of the challenges of traffic management and parking in a historic conservation area.

The next leg of the judges’ visit was to Market Street – and this had been looked upon somewhat nervously by the organisers of the day, Dilys Livingston of Fife Council Development Services and Patrick Laughlin of the St Andrews World Class Initiative, because it was the weekend of the Lammas Market! How would the eminent architects, historians and academics react to seeing a funfair in the heart of a conservation area? The answer was – they loved it! They praised the fact that a medieval event was being retained in the modern age (albeit obviously in a hugely different form) and that it was still happening in the heart of the town.

With shoe leather and stamina wearing thin, it was time to decant the judges into a minibus for a tour of some of the more peripheral areas of the town. They were shown the Hepburn Gardens conservation area, the new David Russell Halls complex, and then taken out the Anstruther Road to the south of the town, providing a panoramic view over the historic core and demonstrating the merits of retaining a “green bowl” around the town. The judges were so taken by the town that they elected to miss their booked train from Leuchars and stayed an extra hour for further discussions!

Three months later, the 100 members of the Academy of Urbanism, guided by the judges’ assessment, cast their votes, and a glittering presentation ceremony was held in London.

Councillor Bill Sangster attended the ceremony

to represent St Andrews, accompanied by Dilys Livingston. Sir Simon Jenkins announced that St Andrews was the runner-up “Great Town”.

As a prize, a framed certificate incorporating a sketch of the town and a specially commissioned poem by well-known poet Ian Macmillan was awarded. This will be displayed within Fife Council’s Locality Office at St Mary’s Place and then (hopefully) thereafter in the Town Hall.

Patrick Laughlin of St Andrews World Class concludes, “It was certainly an accolade for the town to come so close to winning such a prestigious award, but the slight disappointment of being pipped at the post will serve to spur us on to achieve even more in the years ahead.

We know we still have a way to go, but it was hugely encouraging to be told that the judges from the Academy of Urbanism were highly impressed by the way that St Andrews is beginning to unite and work towards shared goals.”

Above: Cllr Bill Sangster is pictured at the awards ceremony with Dilys Livingston (left) and Laura Scott-Simmons of Gillespies, sponsors of the Academy of Urbanism (Photo courtesy Patrick Laughlan) Below: The judges appreciated the medieval street layout of the town (Photo courtesy University of St Andrews)

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FEATURES Jurek Putter explains Tam O’St Aundaes from

An Illustrator’s Perspective In the middle of a Saturday morning’s conversation in a close friend’s flat on South Street some three years ago, he paused in mid flow, dropped his voice, waggled his right foot, leaned forward and almost whispered, “It’s time for my secret project”. This was unexpected.

“Oh yes?”, I said, with matching flatness, hiding my face behind my raised coffee cup, my eyebrows hoisting themselves quizzically over the top of my head. “I want to be Tam O’St Aundraes”. “Well, don’t we all”, I replied, still hiding, this time protectively, behind my cup. “No no, you don’t understand, it’s just me who wants to be Tam O’St Aundraes”. “Of course, just you”.

This Saturday morning was taking off in an unplanned direction. “An explanation would be helpful”, I suggested.

Therefore my friend obliged. “It’s simple; I’m a member of the Burns Club, as you know. Some of us drink at the Whey Pat, our local. I’ve

begun to see the Whey Pat as the Inn from Tam O’Shanter, and myself as Tam and my pals as Souter Johnny and the like. I’d like to present some of the members with a drawing – a cartoon – of me and my pals, but transposing the Ayrshire setting to St Andrews – with me as Tam O’St Aundraes”. “OK”, I said slowly, lowering my cup and setting it down beside his copy of the Economist. “Oh great! You’ll do it... well at least consider it?” His face rose and fell.

Oddly enough I saw the finished picture in a flash; a horizontal triptych: pub at the top complete with blazing fire, rosy-cheeked bladdered crew; comicstyle banner heading with Whey Pat and West Port. Middle panel: stage left with a startled Tam on cuddy, both aghast at the spectacle of witches and dancing dead hooching in the eerily lit north transept of the House of the Dominicans. Lower panel: Tam being chased over the Swilkan Bridge over

I saw the finished picture in a flash

running water by a grotesque member of the undead. Total thinking time – thirty seconds. ‘’I’ll pen you a quick sketch”. (Scribble scribble).

“Will that do?” He stared transfixed at the A4 sheet hastily embroidered with graphite marks; no words; no waggling foot; just the sound of traffic hissing by on the wet street. I could see the words forming on his lips; he removed his specs and brought the paper up to his nose, his face now completely obscured. Still scanning the rudimentary image the words became audible, “It’s all there . . . in . . . just . . . seconds . . . gosh!” It was the Enid Blytonesque reply I wanted to hear. “ Yup, it’s all there,” I added somewhat unnecessarily. Over the next few weeks and months snapshots of the motley crew were clandestinely acquired. Later I worked my proverbial magic. The integrity of the original sketch was preserved; my close friend did indeed become Tam O’St Aundraes, and was mightily chuffed.

Incidentally, the motley crew are all recognisable – see if you can recognise them.

Mike Gibb reminds us that

No woman ever shunned Robert Burns’ advances . . . until he met Clarinda to intervene. A fall from a coach resulted in Burns severely injuring his That Robert Burns loved the lassies is knee, the poet’s chagrin worsened by the fact that it was the coach hardly a revelation. Many of his greatest driver, and not he, who enjoyed the inebriation that caused the mishap. works have emanated from the love affairs of his all-too-short life – “My Love The degree of regret at having to cancel his visit to the fair Mrs Is Like A Red Red Rose”, “Ae Fond McLehose was expressed in a letter that Burns wrote on 8 December Kiss”, “Green Grow The Rashes”, and a 1787 and which begins with the oft quoted lines, “I can say with truth, host of others. But Burns’ affairs came Madam, that I never met with a person in my life whom I more anxiously at a cost, with many a broken heart, many a reputation ruined and many wished to meet again than yourself”. During the course of Burns’ six weeks of incapacitation, letters were exchanged on a very regular a young child born out of wedlock. While in Scotland it is fitting to say basis and, fearful of sullying her reputation as a married woman, Nancy that “we are all Jock Tampson’s bairns”, back in 18th century Ayrshire insisted on pen names. It says a great deal about their state of mind the phrase “we are all Robert Burns’ bairns” might have been a tad more and infatuation with each other, that they chose the rather pretentious accurate.

Arcadian names, Clarinda, and Sylvander.

It seemed that no woman could resist the arresting good looks, the romantic, poetic words that tripped from his tongue and of course the Eventually Robert Burns was sufficiently recovered to visit Nancy. entrancing dark brown eyes. And yet one woman did say “no”.

In the ensuing few weeks they spent many, many hours together. But despite Robert’s advances and undoubtedly a considerable degree of The year was 1787. As a poet Burns was on the crest of a wave, the temptation on her part, Nancy rigidly stood by her marriage vows and first edition of his poetry, “Poems chiefly in the Scottish dialect”, or the refused to succumb. The degree of Burns’ frustration can best be shown now legendary Kilmarnock edition, had been published the previous year when Jenny Clow, Nancy’s maid, delivered and had quickly sold all 600 copies. letter to the poet from his mistress. Jenny As always, his personal life was in But despite Robert’s advances and atarried too long and nine months later turmoil. His civil marriage to Jean Armour, had been dissolved by her father, who was undoubtedly a considerable degree produced Robert Burns Clow.

After Burns returned to Ayrshire the not exactly thrilled by his new son-in-law, of temptation on her part, Nancy while Mary Campbell, his “Highland Mary”, letters continued, but without quite the same had succumbed to typhus and died while rigidly stood by her marriage vows regularity or intensity. When Nancy learned of waiting in Greenock, in vain, for Robert to Jenny’s pregnancy she was not best pleased and refused to succumb take her Jamaica, and was further infuriated when she heard Against that backdrop, Robert escaped that Burns had married Jean Armour, legally from Ayrshire on a Scottish tour that included an extended visit to Auld this time, and yet had forgotten to mention it in any of his epistles. For Reekie. And there, waiting, was a certain Agnes McLehose, Nancy to a year she refused to answer his letters and although subsequently the her friends, who, aged seventeen, had been marched to the altar, by correspondence did resume, the love affair had clearly passed its zenith.

James McLehose. James soon revealed his true identity as a drunkard, The couple met for the last time on 6 December 1791 as Nancy a gambler and wife beater, and the couple parted after several turbulent prepared to sail for Jamaica in an attempted, although unsuccessful, years during which Nancy bore him four sons. reconciliation with her husband. As a parting gift Robert presented her with a song that contained the lines, “I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy; Left penniless and forced to rely on the financial support of her father naethin’ could resist my Nancy” and her Uncle, Nancy slowly began to ingratiate herself into Edinburgh The song was, of course, “Ae Fond Kiss”. society. Dabbling in poetry, quite beside herself when she heard that the fascinating ploughman poet was to visit the capital, she persuaded Although Nancy didn’t settle in Jamaica and quickly returned to Scotland, they were never again to meet. But the strength of feeling that her good friend Miss Erskine Nimmo to host a party in his honour and Nancy held for her “Sylvander” can be summed up in a note from her ensured that the guest list included a certain “Mrs Agnes McLehose”.

The scheme worked beautifully and they were instantly captivated by diary of 6 December – “This day I never can forget. Parted with Burns each other. So much so that, somewhat boldly for the late 18th Century, in the year 1791, never more to meet in this world. Oh, may we meet in Nancy invited Robert to visit her in her rooms in the Potterow. Fate was Heaven.”

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FEATURES

© Jurek Alexander Pütter

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FEATURES

Clarinda the Musical Mike Gibb, former music journalist turned playwright, specialises in Scottish musical plays. Three of his works “Mother of All the Peoples“ (based on the life of Mary Slessor), “Five Pound And Twa Bairns”, and “Sunday Mornings On Dundee Law”, have played to sold-out audiences at the Byre Theatre in recent years.

His new musical play, “Clarinda”, with music by acclaimed Celtic composer Kevin Walsh, will enjoy its world premiere in the Netherbow Theatre in Edinburgh’s High Street (close to Canongate cemetery where Nancy McLehose is buried) on Burns night, 25 January 2008, running until 2 February, before touring Scotland.

“Clarinda” will be at the Byre, St Andrews on Tuesday 12 February (7.30pm) and Wednesday 13 February (2.30pm and 7.30pm).

“Kevin Walsh (composer), Maggie Findlay (singer), and myself taken at Rozelle House, Ayr, in May 2006, when we did 4 showcases of the music as part of Burns an’ a’ that festival”.

(Photo courtesy Mike Gibb)

Dr. Robert Bardeen is a Presbyterian minister from Pennsylvania, USA. He and his wife, Joyce, came to St Andrews to visit their eldest daughter and her family. Sarah Joy and Jeremy Gabrielson, (a PhD student in New Testament), have three children, Caleb, Joshua, and Abigail. Dr. Bardeen spent his two weeks’ visit in St Andrews enjoying the town’s hospitality, studying the history of John Knox, getting to know his grandchildren, and fulfilling a life-long dream of playing at the Old Course. He wrote this letter to his son, James.

The Old Course in January 31st January, 2006 Dear James:

On Monday, my heart gave itself away, again, to golf. I thought the double cure had worked in the past, but it failed. This time the gift is forever. Paradise struck again, God forgive me.

Even the thought of a 46-year old commitment to make myself into a pro golfer, the memory of high school graduation with the MVP golf award, and the drama of my first 68 did not harm the experience of 18 holes at the Old Course.

I arrived at 9am with “clubs for hire” on my back and new tees in my pocket, but was put off for 210 minutes until the icy greens thawed and the fog bank moved back to sea. Then at 12.30pm, being the next to last group to play, the days of agony and hope were over,

Robert and Joyce Bardeen

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and I struck my first drive at St Andrews out of bounds, beyond the road, beyond reach, only to become a mulligan (God forgive me, the second time).

The first six holes – with sun to warm the frozen skin on my face (33°F) and adequate strokes to produce three bogeys and three pars (with only one three putt green starting at 120 feet away, that is) and soulful looks at the marvel of 600 years of golf-produced pleasure beyond pleasure (see Third Heaven in 2 Corinthians 12). Then on the seventh hole, we lost our sight. The fog came in from the west, even heavier than the morning. At times we could only see 50 yards. Our drives were lost into white on top of white. Only the feel on the club head told us where to walk. My irons to the unseen greens (much less the pins) found their marks most of the time, much to my amazement and I hit twelve greens in a row.

The fog became a friend as I let go of control.

Hole 10 brought a birdie as I putted for an eagle from 90 feet.

On the thirteenth hole, the greens froze again as the temperatures decreased. Actually they never really thawed as ball marks revealed the icy dirt below the thin green grass. Without a Marshall to tell us to leave (or maybe he couldn’t find us), we marched onwards to win the prize of playing the most famous hole (some say) in golf, the Road Hole, number 17.

On hole number 14 I lost my left hand. I had gripped the driver and irons so hard (and the air was so cold and only God knows what else) that I could not move my fingers without pain. At the same time, my knuckles became swollen and I noticed my hand muscles had lost strength. Each swing had moments of danger and I thought of quitting, but my right hand (without demanding a hook) came to rescue the day. Three more pars – I knew I had a chance to shoot in the 70s at the recent location of The Open.

Caleb on the 18th I was happy to reach the tee box at 17 with St Andrews’ Old Course Hotel facing me, square in my face. The fairway was hidden behind it. “Drive over the corner of the building, right over the title,” I heard a golf ghost tell me.

And there on the 17th hole I took my second mulligan (my first on the first) as I hit a wild slice into the hotel, hitting just above the top window 20 yards to the right of the title. I confess it was a shot I shall forget and a shot I shall never feel guilty about not putting on my score card. I challenged my companions to top that shot, but they said, “No one could have done it better!”

By the time we reached the 18th the fog was within 20 yards. I drove well, considered it a miracle when I found the ball, hit a sand wedge just this side of the valley of sin, used a pitching wedge through sin to 18 inches away on the totally frozen green (I should have left the ball there instead of picking the ball up and giving it later to my grandson, Caleb), and looked back at the Old Course, seeing nothing because of the white upon white, but remembering everything.

See you soon, Dad

FEATURES Lesley-Anne Lettice, Assistant Curator at St Andrews Museum kindly answers, whenever you

Ask the Curator Q. Is it true that during the Second World War the golf courses in St Andrews were used as grazing land?

A. Home-grown food was essential to the survival of Britain’s civilian population during the Second World War. Defence Regulations introduced in 1939 gave the Ministry for Agriculture the power to enforce Cultivation of Land Orders. This permitted town councils to turn unused land into allotments. By mid-1940, allotment holders were also allowed to keep pigs, rabbits, and hens. In St Andrews, it was only a matter of time before attention turned to the golf courses.

When the Ministry issued the order that the links be used for grazing there was already a grazing tenant in place and the Town Council pointed out that commandeering the land would result in a loss of income for the town. They also argued that the golf courses were essential recreation for townspeople and for young servicemen and women stationed in the town. The Ministry eventually accepted these arguments, but the golf course suffered for other reasons – petrol rationing affected the upkeep of the greens, shortages of raw materials resulted in a scarcity of golf balls and the green staff complained that the firing ranges sited near the 9th hole of the Jubilee course were a constant nuisance. They also complained about the drivers of the open-track Bren gun carriers damaging the bunkers.

The Open tournament was cancelled for the duration of the war. During the Daily Mail’s ‘Victory Tournament’ in September 1945 the grazing tenant was asked to remove his flock for the duration of the competition. In December 1946 the Town Council voted to end grazing on the links.

Q. Can you tell me the height of St Rule’s Tower please?

A. St Rule’s Tower (known locally as ‘the Square Tower’) is approximately 109 feet high and is around 20 feet square at the base.

Historians believe that it was built between 1127 and 1144. If you look at the west face of the tower you will see what looks like the roof imprint of another building, perhaps corresponding to the building on the east side.

Q. I understand that the old Scottish Parliament once met in St Andrews. Can you tell me when and why please?

A. The Parliament was held in St Andrews in 1645-46 in part of the old University Library in St Mary’s College, South Street (the room is now known as ‘Parliament Hall’). The Parliament met in St Andrews because there was plague in Edinburgh.

The 1640s were turbulent times and one of the many pronouncements of the 1645-46 Parliament was to order the execution of four Royalists (supporters of Charles I) after the Battle of Philiphaugh. The men – Spottiswoode, Gordon, Guthrie, and Murray – were beheaded at the old Market Cross in St Andrews.

(Photos by Flora Selwyn)

Kenneth Campbell

The Names of Flowers

Can you help?

Students from the University’s Museum & Galleries Studies course are currently seeking photos and objects to display in their upcoming exhibition, ‘Cradles, Courtship, & Coffins‘, to be held at St Andrews Museum from 22 March to 5 May 2008. They are interested in photos of christenings and weddings – would like to borrow mourning jewellery; wedding accessories; other costumes; christening gifts; telegrams; and objects relating to graduation and student life.

Daffodils, everyone knows, Crocuses and irises, perhaps fewer, Sweet Peas nestling close to the earth, Or majestic, crimson rhododendrons With stems like necks of mythical sea monsters: Other names, I do not know, Although some, I do not know in English: Giroflées in deep burgundies and gold, In well-kept beds before la Tour Eiffel Or in the Parc Bagatelle with the peacocks.

Pissenlits or dandelions, weeds perhaps?

But who’s to choose what are weeds or flowers?

If you can help please contact Lesley-Anne Lettice at St Andrews Museum on 01334 659380 or email: lesley.lettice@fife.gov.uk (an original watercolour by Kénni)

Orchids from an oriental forest floor, Roses from an English garden, Marigolds, the fertile ground bestows, Saffron, to the sun.

But who gave these beautiful flowers their names?

And hadn’t they, Wouldn’t the blooms remain the same?

9

FEATURES You just have to feel sorry for people struggling to learn English, don’t you? As usual the Internet highlights the problems:

Did I read that sign right?

lynda Samuel goes

Down on the Farm

Toilet out of order.

Please use floor below.

In a laundromat: Automatic washing machi nes: please remove all your clo thes when the light goes out

In a London department store: s

Bargain basement upstair

In an office: Would the person who too k the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken.

In an office: empty After tea break staff should idedown the teapot and stand ups on the draining board.

Outside a second-hand shop: We exchange anything – bicycles, washing machines, etc. Wh y not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain?

Notice in health food shop window: closed due to illness.

Spotted in a safari park:

Elephants please stay in

your car.

Seen during a conference: n and For anyone who has childre a day doesn’t know it, there is care on the 1st floor.

Notice in a farmer’s field:

The farmer allows walker s to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.

Message on a leaflet:

et If you cannot read, this leafl ons. will tell you how to get less

On a repair shop door: We can repair anything. (please knock hard on the door – the bell doesn’t wor k)

10

Big brother Tam works hard on the farm – He’s his father’s right hand man.

Wee brother Bob’s a lazy slob Who will do as little as he can.

One day wee brother requests his father, ‘I want my share of the cash.’

His father complies, heaving big sighs, And Bob goes off with his stash.

He throws lots of parties and thinks he’s so smart, he’s Got lots of cool friends for a while.

But when it’s all spent, he starts to repent And gone is his confident smile.

His diet is drugs and sawdust and slugs, His debts have brought wolves to the door.

He hits rock bottom – ‘My life has gone rotten’ – And slumps on the stone cold floor.’

He comes to his senses and slowly remembers The warmth of his family and bed.

“I’ll work for my keep, I’ll get a good sleep, I’d feel lucky to live in the shed.”

At last he returns with the jitters, and squirms As he thinks how he’s going to lose face.

He creeps back to his Dad, who sprints out to his lad, And they find the true meaning of grace.

BOOK REVIEWS Julia Prescott reviews

Veronica Smart reviews

Bound with Love:

Fife

Letters Home From China 1935-1945 Edited by Audrey Salters. Published by Agequod Publications, Vine Cottage, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 UH, at £12.50 and available through J & G Innes Ltd. This book is wonderful. It is a joy to read and re-read. It is packed with fascinating detail, written in a thoughtful and engaging style by people of immense compassion, insight, and humour and it tells a compelling story.

Dr Ronald Still, whom many people in St Andrews will remember with affection and respect, was a Cambridge-educated classicist and a qualified doctor. He was 27 in August 1935 when he went to China with his young wife, Gwyneth, to work with the Baptist Missionary Society, intending to stay there for the rest of their lives, but soon becoming caught up in the Japanese occupation and war with China. Ronald and Gwyneth wrote home to their families almost every week for the next ten years and scarcely a single letter has been lost.

The book starts quite slowly with letters describing in detail their new life in provincial China: the home they create, the people they meet, their growing family. They are happy and keen, but always acutely aware of the poverty, hardship, and generosity of the people around them. Ronald writes about the hospital in which he worked unstintingly, with astonishing fortitude, throughout.

It had no running water and there were plans to rectify this, though not until ‘the new X-Ray building is finished.’ His letters frequently describe the cases he has been treating and some of the operations: gunshot wounds, gangrene, cancerous tumours, difficult labour cases, tuberculosis, trachoma, nephritis, syphilis etc. But, characteristically, he adds, ‘perhaps Dr Chou and I will be able to get a game of tennis after tea.’

Before long, however, it is evident that storm clouds are gathering. The pace quickens as the letters go on to give a vivid first-hand account of five years living under Japanese occupation, followed by three years’ internment in Shanghai. The reader is drawn into these experiences, sharing the uncertainties, dilemmas, dangers, and horrors, always, however, the tone is positive. Gwyneth and Ronald want their families to know how they are, but they also want to be reassuring and are constantly concerned about what was happening at the same time in Britain and Europe. In November 1941 Gwyneth writes: ‘We have been very fortunate so far and we don’t have any of the difficulties and dangers that you have.’ To her sister she admits, ‘it’s just for the children that I can’t help being a bit anxious.’

She is always practical and creative, very skilled with her needle, cutting up her own dresses and coats to make new little clothes for the children as they grow, even making them white hats ‘out of a pair of Ronald’s summer trousers’ as there is ‘no money to buy new material.’ In June 1942 she writes: ‘In view of the uncertainty of the next few months, we’ve made apricot jam.

If we go in a hurry we can always have a grand time eating piles of jam with everything!’

In March 1936, as Ronald plants two pear trees in their new garden, he remarks with ironic prescience, that ‘a lot of things may happen before these trees bear fruit.’ In 1942 Gwyneth writes: ‘The garden is lovely now, all the blossom so fresh and beautiful. How I hate the idea of leaving it all! We’ve been so very happy here. Radishes, tomatoes, potatoes etc. are all coming on ..... I wonder who’ll eat them? Maybe we shall after all! For the last five years we’ve seemed on the edge of a precipice all the time and haven’t yet toppled over so maybe we’ll stay on here longer than we think after all.’ Very soon after this they were locked up in Shanghai.

Even during the first months in the internment camp Gwyneth is able to write: ‘When about six hundred British men were rounded up ... people got very scared .... but we are just living on from day to day. We really are very fortunate in many ways. It’s a relief not to have all the responsibilities that we’d had.’ Yet, ‘we do miss home life. There is absolutely no place we can call our own or where we have any privacy or quiet. The first few weeks were a nightmare, but we have now settled into a routine and the children feel more at home.’ It becomes much worse, of course: ill health, poor food, extreme heat, mosquitoes, weavils, rats -’one developed a craving for peanut butter and night after night unscrewed the metal top of our bottle!’ but ‘Ronald and I have been doing Scotch (sic) and English country dances.’ Ronald was Principal Medical Officer of the internment camp, very heavy work, so the welfare of their three children fell almost exclusively on Gwyneth which, he writes, just before they return to Britain, ‘would have driven a less well-balanced woman crazy. You will find us both looking thinner and older.’

There are maps and photographs, frequent footnotes and, interspersed among the letters, brief sections giving clear and helpful information. These are scholarly and accessible, explaining the personal and social context, the political and geographical situation in China at the time, and also some details about the history and policies of the Baptist Missionary Society. It is an extraordinarily complete record, heartwarming and inspiring, throwing light on a little-known aspect of World War II. A wonderful book.

by liz hanson and Alistair Moffat. Published by Deerpark Press, £19.95 (ISBN 978 0954 197957).

Available at J & G Innes, and all good bookshops.

Liz Ranson and Alistair Moffat have produced a handsome new volume on ‘Fife’. To call it a coffee-table book does it less than justice, as the text gives a thorough-going, well-researched insight into the history of the county, from geological times to the present day. However, the photographs are the most striking feature of this delightful book. Full page, or in complementary or unexpected juxtaposition four to a page, they avoid the conventionally pretty and over-familiar. The beauty of the county is indeed given justice, but so are dramatic images of unconsidered items: a gnarled grainy fencepost against a field of flowers, reflections on ridged sand at low tide, a rookery in leafless trees black against white clouds. Even scenes which one would not expect to find attractive make us look at them with new eyes, like a powerstation against a lowering sky, shopfronts from an unusual angle, or caravans stacked as if on shelves on the yellow gorse-clad cliff terraces of Pettycur. A treasure for Fifers in which to discover their own territory, or a great present for visitors and friends.

Peter de Wolff reviews

The Mating Call of the Rackettailed Drongo by

by Michael Tobert. Luath Press Ltd. Edinburgh ISBN: 1906307066 (Available at Waterstone’s and all good bookstores. Listed price: £12.99) Why is it that we always so much enjoy books like The Mating Call of the Racket-Tailed Drongo? Because you know you’re on familiar terrain straight away—the English language has been doing this sort of stuff brilliantly for a long time now—and you can comfortably settle into it when the author treats you to his funny, clever, learned, human, and surprising take on the genre.

Which one? The nonsense one, the one that probably began with Tristam Shandy, whose special blend of splashy understatement comes to mind easily when reading The Mating Call. Fortunately, Tobert knows what he is doing with his bird; he serves her up adroitly, with a light touch and the type of pathos that makes you think he is probably a nice human being, although perhaps a bit too elusive for everyday use.

But when was the last time you read a book where the premise was that the girl must do it for the first time before she turns 18, or the town’s August and Venerable Golf Institution changes hands? And that in a story that shows off more knowledge of Sanskrit, the alimentary habits of Monty the python, Scottish country dancing, Horatius Cocles and Hans Brinkers, mashie nib licks, and fishcakes, than you can swing a golf club at.

The story breezes along, the subplots are woven together nicely, and along the way the author nods his head at many literary style-examples found in the canon. Sterne, Fielding, and Austen, but also Waugh, Wodehouse, and Wilson (and Woody Allen and Igmar Bergman) would feel right at home with what Tobert is up to in his story; although concluding both chapters 21 and 25 with an alienation effect seemed too much, just one would usually have more impact. You get funny dialogues (the American is a bit too crammed with Americanisms to feel real, though), and well-caught types (if you’ve ever exercised, you know Fiona the instructor), almost every page offers a witty observation (who thinks about Darwin vs. Wallace?), the sentences are polished and you can see the attention to detail that keeps it all alive.

So, the peeves about what’s wrong are minor, the story is silly and light-hearted yet ‘eru-lite’ and full of good stuff. Appealing to golfers, India lovers, and knowledgeable readers, in short the type of people who populate and visit St Magnus/Andrews, Michael Tobert’s latest book might just help you to shorten your long winter nights.

11

ORGANISATIONS Dr J. W. Delaney, Secretary, St John Fife, introduces

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem

The Order of St John The Order is the oldest surviving Order of Chivalry. It is also the oldest Christian Charity in the World. The original Order was known as the Knights Hospitallers, and their ideal was to aid those who were sick, distressed, or in danger, regardless of Race, Class, or Creed. These ideals still pertain today. The Order is not a secret society as many people think. The problem appears to be inadequate publicity, but this is being slowly rectified.

Participants in the 2005 Special Olympics in Glasgow supported through Disability Sport Fife by Fife Area members.

A brief history The Order of St John Over 1000 years ago the Benedictine Abbey continued in Western of St Mary of the Latins in Jerusalem set Europe, with the Headquarters based in up two hospitals – one for men and one for Malta. During the Napoleonic wars, much made the British Order of St John a Royal women, to care for poor, sick, and injured more of its property was seized, and with the Order of Chivalry with the title “The Venerable pilgrims. The men’s hospital was attached fall of Malta the Headquarters were lost, and Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem” to a little church dedicated to St John the have never been recovered.

– George V added “Most” to the Formal title.

Baptist. Following the arrival of the Crusaders Early in the 19th Century a serious in Jerusalem in 1099, they too were admitted attempt was made to restore a Priory of Scotland to the hospital. So richly was the Hospital the Order of Malta in the British Isles. This The Order ran St John Ambulance in Scotland rewarded by them, that the Pope was attempt was unsuccessful, but this failure from 1879 to 1908. At the beginning of the petitioned to establish the Hospital as an resulted in the creation, in the British Isles of last century, the Order discussed with the independent organisation, and an Institution, which included St Andrews Ambulance Association, founded Pope Paschal II did so in 1113. in the title, the Order of in 1882, whether it would be in the public Later the Hospital acquired St John. interest for the two bodies to become more military obligations as a result In1877 the St John closely associated. It was decided that the The Order is not a of the Crusades, and recruited Ambulance Association was two Associations would work independently, secret society as knights, so that there emerged founded. The catalyst for this and that there would be no cross-Border a military Order of the Church, interference. many people think was the industrial revolution. commonly called the Knights Work was dangerous and The Scottish Order and Priory was Hospitallers. unpleasant, with frequent resurrected in1947, and has since then The Order of St John accidents, and no-one was developed into 13 Areas. Each of the Areas flourished across Europe. In about 1140, the trained to give treatment. St John Ambulance has its own projects, although the main members built their headquarters on land ran classes on First Aid, published books thrust in Scotland is supplying equipment they had been given at Clerkenwell, near and other material, and set examinations for and vehicles for rescue services, particularly London. The Order continued to prosper in First Aid certificates. Property at St John’s Mountain Rescue. Other projects include the Britain Isles until Henry VIII’s time when Gate in London had already been acquired as the provision of patient transport, nursing he confiscated all the lands and property, and the Headquarters of the Order, and this was homes, sheltered housing, hospices, rest forbade the use of their dress and insignia used as a depot for equipment, and also as a and residential homes, day-care centres, and throughout his dominions. In Scotland, at a focal point for directing interested people for 2 barges for the handicapped on the Union later date, the Reformation led by John Knox training.

Canal at Ratho. did exactly the same thing, and the Order in Before long, thousands of people had Scotland was not to re-emerge for over 300 received their First Aid certificates and were Fife years. keen to use the training to help the public. In There are three main projects in Fife, the 1887 the St John Ambulance Eye Hospital, Disabled Sports Fife (helping Brigade was formed, the to send disabled athletes to competitions and members attending and providing equipment), and the Madeleine providing ambulance Steel Foundation Trust, as well as other transport at public events needs, which may arise. from State occasions to If you see a Collection or Function being football matches. Later the run by St John, think about it and don’t Brigade and Association dismiss it. We need your support to continue merged and are now known the work started centuries ago. as St John Ambulance.

In 1882, the British Order acquired land in Jerusalem For further information, please contact: to set up an Eye Hospital, Dr. J. W. Delaney, MStJ, and this has been operating Leura, 46 Lammond Drive, ever since. Eye surgeons St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8DD. from all over the World give of their time freely to work Tel: 01334 477 085 there, treating patients Email: del.leura@virgin.net regardless of race, class or creed.

(Photos from the 2006 Year Book) In 1888, in recognition The St John Eye Hospital Jerusalem. of its work, Queen Victoria

12

ORGANISATIONS Janice Stewart introduces

The Operatic Society In 1939 St Andrews Amateur Operatic Society was founded and “The Country Girl” was to be the first production. However, with the outbreak of World War 2 in September of that year, all plans had to be suspended.

It was in 1945 that the Society was able to present its first show, “The Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert and Sullivan. The press report of the production in the St Andrews Citizen makes fascinating reading, as many well-known local citizens feature in the cast list. Playing the part of the Pirate King was local business man, Mr. T. T. Fordyce, whose store, The Drapery House, was a feature of South Street for many years, and who later became Provost of St Andrews; Sheriff More, under the pseudonym of J. W. Wells, played the role of Major General Stanley; Mrs. J. L. Mowatt played Mabel and Mr Roderick Mackenzie took the role of Frederic. The press report summed up the production thus – “The 1947 St Andrews Martin and Andrew working on “Hail the Bridegroom! Hail the Bride” production must stand out as an artistic success.” The production was audiences were advised to bring rugs for warmth, as the heating was presented on the stage of the New Picture House, which had a large affected! Also during the dress rehearsal for “Fiddler on the Roof” a fire stage area, but limited back stage facilities. Because of the large capacity alarm resulted in the whole cast having to evacuate the building in full seating area, it ran for only 3 nights. Miss Joyce Cuthbert, the Society costume, much to the amusement of passers-by! accompanist then, and a life member, recalls that on the last night there In 1979 a world premier was chosen as the production. “Hamelin”, were blizzard conditions and an electricity fault resulted in the orchestra based on the story of the Pied Piper, was co-written by Ken Horton, who having to use candles for 35 minutes (health and safety regulations took over as Musical Director and remained in post until 1988. would perhaps debar this today!!) The conductor/producer was Andrew In 2002 the Society was able to move to the newly-opened, rebuilt Henderson.

Byre Theatre. It was the first amateur group to present a musical in the For the 1951 production of “Patience”, Miss J R McFarlane, LRAM, new building. “Brigadoon” was chosen, the production being greatly known to all as “Taffy”, took over the role of honorary conductor, enhanced by the facilities available in the new theatre. continuing in post until 1968. Taffy established very high quality choral Every year Society members singing, which the company proudly are asked to suggest a show for the maintains to the present day.

Every year Society members are asked following year. This year the strong Gilbert and Sullivan operas were the staple diet of the Society, with most to suggest a show for the following year. response was for any G and S. The selection committee then had the of the well-known favourites being This year the strong response was for problem –“Which one?” produced until 1963, when it was felt that The solution was at hand, as Martin the Society should expand its repertoire any G and S. The selection committee Passmore and Andrew Ogletree had to include some of the many popular then had the problem – “Which one?” co-written “Hail the Bridegroom! Hail the musicals. “Oklahoma” was the first choice Bride”, a musical entertainment based on and this was hugely successful. The the music and characters from many different Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Society continues to present musicals, such as “The Student Prince”, The show features well-known and loved music from many shows – The “Guys and Dolls” and “Me and My Girl”, to name but a few, and has also Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, Patience, moved into the world of operetta including “The Gipsy Baron”, “The Merry The Gondoliers, and The Yeomen of the Guard. Wonderful music from Widow”, and “Die Fledermaus”. It never forgets its roots, however, with shows performed less frequently – The Grand Duke, Ruddigore, The regular presentations of the Savoy operas.

Sorcerer, and Utopia Ltd. – is also included. The story revolves round a In the late ‘60s productions moved to Madras College, then to party held in Major General Stanley’s home, where Alfred (ex-Pirate King) the Town Hall. It was there that the 3-day working week in 1972, with is butler, to celebrate the engagement of the Major General’s daughter, attendant power cuts, affected the nightly timing of “Calamity Jane”, and Mabel, to Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance). Friends and family have gathered as well as eminent invited guests – Sir Joseph Porter, and Josephine (HMS Pinafore), Alexis, Mad Margaret, and the chorus of professional bridesmaids (Ruddigore), the Mikado of Japan (in Britain to investigate the possibility of establishing a kimono factory in Tyneside), Katisha, and KoKo (The Mikado), and many more. Of course in typical G & S fashion the course of true love does not run smoothly, but after many twists and turns all is well in the end!!

Martin has been with the Society since 2000, and has had acclaim in many principal roles. Andrew, an American, came to St Andrews to study the History of Art at the University, and has also had principal roles in Society shows. Both have a great affection for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, hence the collaboration producing “Hail the Bridegroom! Hail the Bride”. Andrew has now returned to the USA and is working for Sotheby’s, but is keeping in close contact while the show is being rehearsed. Martin is very involved in the production, as he has the role of Major General Stanley.

The Production will be staged in the Byre Theatre from Tuesday, 26 February to Saturday, 1 March, with a matinée on Saturday. Tickets are available from the Byre Box Office Tel: 01334 475000.

(Photos courtesy the Society) 1950 “ Mikado” – Mr Harry Davidson, Miss Ishbel Macaulay (Whyte), Mr W McCulloch

13

ORGANISATIONS Douglas Keir is looking for support for a new

Fife Heritage Orchestra He asks, “Would anyone be interested in establishing a committee to bring the Fife Heritage Orchestra into being?

You should have a keen and enthusiastic approach to Scotland’s national music, as well as the drive to succeed. Musicians we want to hear from include; all fiddlers; (violin, viola, cello, double bass); pianists; accordionists; drummers; flautists; piccolo, banjo, mandolin, and guitar players. I would like to see as many young people, (as well as adults) coming forward and joining, as these players are tomorrow’s musicians.

All players must, on application, be readers of music to a good level. The Fife Heritage Orchestra will play the music of Scotland,

with lots of Country Dance tunes included.

Once started, the Orchestra will undertake engagements wherever they take us all over Scotland. Rehearsals will be on a weekly basis, the venue to be decided. Our Season will be from the first Wednesday in September to the last Monday in June each year. All music will be provided. I have adopted the role of Musical Director and Conductor.

The Orchestra also needs to hear from lots of people of all ages who wish to join us as volunteers.

A youthful Douglas (Photos courtesy Douglas Keir)

Please come forward now – let us hear from you and let us get started. Bring your friends and family along and have them join the Orchestra with you!”

Please contact Douglas Keir, Musical Director Fife Heritage Orchestra, 7 Pitfirrane Park, Crossford, Fife, KY12 8NU. Tel: 01383 725 359

John Peacock explains that this year the St Andrews Photographic Society proposes to produce a book of photographs in which all members will be able to include work undertaken during their 2007-2008 season.

Proposed Photographic Book decided not to use full-page photographs then each member might have more images included.

The current intention is to use a web publisher for professional design appearance and the apparent ease of on-line marketing of individual copies.

This choice will be considered in more depth before the project Passers by comes to fruition.

Deadlines will be set later in the year for submission of digital images and the selection of headings for each team’s Cambo Sands photographs. Individual authors will be identified alongside the caption for their photographs.

An editor will collate copies of digital files and arrange for their upload to a publisher’s website. At the time of production members will be able to order a copy of the book for themselves • People and faces at cost price. Additional copies • Coastlines and beaches may be required by the Club (for • Landscape and farming example, for donation to the local • Nature and wildlife Tiger on a ledge public library) or by members as Scribbly gum print • Street scenes and industry gifts for family and friends.

• Religion and ceremony Members of the public will be able to order their own copies directly After each group has carried out its photography – either as a group, or from the publisher’s website after publication. in ones and twos – they will meet again in the New Year to discuss what they want to include in their section of the book.

St.Andrews Photographic Society Contacts: It is intended that the book should include the same number of Website: www.standrewsphotographicsociety.com images (perhaps just one or two) from each group member. However, the President: Ian Sturrock Tel: 01334-476975 selection of photographs from all those taken will be a team matter and E-mail: sturrockian@hotmail.com suggestions about presentation, captions, and cropping will also be team Secretary: David Ogden Tel: 01334-870231 matters. Obviously, the final decisions about presentation of individual E-Mail: photodogden@onetel.com images will rest with the authors of the photographs.

When finally produced, the book will therefore carry one or two photographs from each Club member. If all the images are printed to V Emperor moth catepillar full-page size this might be just one photograph per member. If it is (Photos courtesy the Photographic Society) A general title of “East Fife Images” will be used for the publication.

Those members who wish to participate will work in teams of five or six; each team selected will have members with a range of photographic experience.

Individual teams will be able to decide collaboratively on a subtopic that fits within the overall concept title of “East Fife Images” and consider the range and style of photographs that they wish to include within it. (A guiding rule being that all photography should be taken specifically for the project, and that no pre-existing photographs should be submitted).

The choice of sub-topic is entirely open to each group.

However, the following have been suggested for possible selection if the groups consider them appropriate:

14

ORGANISATIONS Rachel Cheer, on

What is CHAS? The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) is a Scottish charity established to provide hospice services in Scotland for children with life-limiting conditions.

A children’s hospice offers professional care, practical help and emotional support to the whole family from the day they are referred until the death of their child, and beyond. No two families are the same; CHAS has the flexibility to respond to the particular needs of mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters as well as the extended family.

Rachel House in Kinross, Scotland’s first children’s hospice, opened in July 1996. Robin House in Balloch opened in August 2005. Both hospices are purpose-built, and each provides on-going support for up to 200 families from across Scotland each year. Since 2003 Rachel House at Home Team, in Inverness, has provided support to families in their own homes.

No charge is made to families. CHAS’s services – both hospices and our At Home service – are funded mainly through the generosity of the many supporters who help us in so many ways.

(Photo courtesy Paul Hampton)

The Need Around 1,200 families in Scotland have a child, or children, suffering from a progressive, life-limiting condition. Most are unlikely to live to adulthood.

When it is known that life is short, two things become very important to a family: the quality of life and the enjoyment of the time that is left. Caring for a seriously ill child puts an immense physical and emotional strain on the whole family. The demands of caring for a sick child absorb the very time and energy that is needed to enjoy life.

The children’s hospices are a home-fromhome, offering a place where families can relax, recharge their batteries and have fun with their children. Expert care is on hand to help them make the most of each day and live life to the full.

Rachel House and Robin House are not sad places, but places for living. They provide opportunities to share concerns and worries with people who understand. They offer fun and laughter, enjoyment, love, and support.

The Challenge The immediate challenge facing CHAS is to ensure the annual running costs of over £5M for both hospices and the Rachel House at Home service.

And to secure the funds needed to operate each year, CHAS relies on the continuing generosity of companies, organisations and the public, so that children and their families can turn to CHAS with confidence when they need us.

(Photo courtesy Paul Hampton) About CHAS •

Formed by a group of parents and professionals early in 1992 to establish children’s hospice services in Scotland.

•

Recognised by the Scottish Home and Health Department as the national body for the provision of children’s hospices in Scotland.

•

Run by a Board of 10, including parents, health specialists and business people from throughout Scotland.

•

Rachel House, Scotland’s first children’s hospice, Kinross near Loch Leven in Central Scotland is easily accessible from the motorway network, and ideally situated to support families from all parts of Scotland.

•

Due to an increase in demand for its services, CHAS built its second children’s hospice, Robin House, in Balloch near Loch Lomond. It opened in August 2005.

More Information To find out more about CHAS and how you can help, please contact Rachel Cheer on 01577 865222 or rachel@chas.org.uk or visit www.chas.org.uk

HIGHLIGHTS: •

Camping weekend at Rachel House – for many of the young people who attended the weekend, it was their first and only experience of camping, sleeping out in the great outdoors.

•

Singer Paolo Nutini dropping by to meet young people at a teenage weekend. At a concert Paolo dedicated a song to one of our young people, much to the delight of CHAS families in the audience!

•

Long-term supporter actor Ewan McGregor and friend Charley Boorman making a pit stop at Robin House with their superbikes on their ‘Long Way Down’ trip from John O’Groats to Cape Town.

Rachel House (Photo courtesy CHAS)

QUOTES FROM FAMILIES: “Walking into Rachel House is like having someone hug you.

Even the shape of the building, with its welcoming arms, makes you feel safe, and secure. Everyone is there to help you.”

“In the outside world we build up a protective wall around us and in the hospice that wall can fall down. It really is a safe haven.”

A parent

A mother visiting Rachel House with her family

15

TOWN & GOWN Fraser Keir, Director of the Office for Scottish Recruitment & Access to the University of St Andrews outlines this exciting new project...

Discovery STEM Space School and Tayside in line with the January 2008 sees the launch Scottish Executive Strategy of the Discovery STEM Space for Science and the Enterprise School in St Andrews. Following in Education initiative. The a pilot project in Dundee last Discovery STEM partners year, the University of St believe that it is essential for Andrews, Fife Council, and the economic prosperity of Discovery STEM Space School Scotland for greater numbers are running a project for 50 of children to be attracted Primary 6 school pupils from into science, technology, the local area to undertake six engineering, and maths. The Saturday workshops focussing partnership also recognizes on the science behind space that encouraging enterprising exploration and discovery. values will produce betterOne Saturday a month, from informed citizens, who will January to June, pupils will understand the contribution visit the University to learn they can make both to our about spacecraft design, mission planning, find out about planet hunting, society and economy. asteroids, satellites, recycling, and communicating in space. Hands-on As the pilot project develops, each year two teachers from experiments will run throughout the programme to make it fun, interesting, Fife schools will have the opportunity to travel to Texas to visit and inspiring. The School culminates with a week-long Summer School Space Centre Houston to learn more about communicating science (7-11 July 2008) run by Space Centre Houston and the Johnson Space through the medium of space. This will allow Centre in Texas and taught by NASA scientists and the Space School to be rolled out to schools astronauts. It is hoped that at one of the Saturday it is essential for the across Fife as well as inspiring the next workshops, the St Andrews, Dundee and Perth generation of Buzz Lightyears. economic prosperity of Space Schools will come together to allow some of the pupils to ask questions in real time to astronauts Scotland for greater numbers If you would like to know more about currently on the International Space Station. of children to be attracted this initiative, or would like to sponsor The Space School will ultimately link school Space School 2008, please contact Dawn children in Fife to innovative projects in the real into science, technology, McKaig the Discovery Stem Space School world. The project aims to promote science, engineering, and maths Coordinator: info@elite-eventsscotland.co.uk technology, engineering, and maths across Fife

Looking ahead with Danielle Johnson

Art for Mercy Auction In March 2008, this year’s Art For Mercy student collective will be hosting the now annual Art For Mercy auction, whose profits go directly to Tearfund, an international organisation collaboratively working with local humanitarian agencies to alleviate suffering induced by HIV/AIDS, famine, war, and climate chaos. Tearfund’s grassroots approach aims to promote self-sustaining solutions to poverty by working not only for, but with, indigenous people, educating and motivating them to help themselves. For example, a recent Tearfund project in the Malawian village of Fombe has seen the co-operation with Fombe villagers of the Eagle Relief and Development programme – a local partner organisation – to minimise future food shortages. The villagers have been supplied with drought-resistant crops, and taught about the use both of irrigation channels for use in times of water shortage, and dikes to prevent flooding in the rainy season. Tearfund’s work with communities at risk of HIV is another example of the decentralised approach to relief that the organisation takes. Again, working in Malawi, Tearfund has been helping some of the 14% of inhabitants who are HIV positive by giving the patrons of churches, such as that in Fombe village, the opportunity to make regular visits to a nearby hospital, where they receive medical training to enable them to care for HIV sufferers.

For more information on the work of Tearfund, see www.tearfund.org

*****

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This year’s Art For Mercy auction, while still retaining a strong focus on Tearfund, will be slightly different to that of last year. Running from the 6th-8th March 2008, in Martyr’s Church Hall, St Andrews, the event will take the form of a silent auction. A wide range of artwork – encompassing postcards designed by celebrities, donations from locally-based Fife painters, and student photography – will be exhibited over the three days, during which bids can be placed. Art For Mercy begins with the opening evening on the 6th March, when works will be unveiled to the public, who will also have the chance to relax over a glass of wine and some live local music. The bidding continues throughout the following two days, the 7th and 8th March, during which time several smaller events, such as a talk on the nature of art, as well as a local food tasting will take place. At the end of the final day, the bids will be counted and works allocated to their highest bidder. Art For Mercy is open to all, with prices suited to most budgets, be they students hoping to brighten up a dreary flat, or collectors wishing to expand their collection, and all for a very good cause. Please keep your eyes open for more details about the programme of events for Art For Mercy, which will be coming very soon.

If you would like any more information regarding the Art For Mercy auction, or if you are interested in contributing a piece of art for the event, please get in contact with us at: art4mercy@st-andrews.ac.uk We look forward to seeing you in March! Selling Art Saves Lives

TOWN & GOWN Emma Duckworth, President of the student society, Friends of Habitat for Humanity describes

Student group fundraising to build a house in Guatemala We are a group of St Andrews University students with a huge goal ahead of us. We are raising money to build a much-needed house for a local family this summer in Guatemala as part of the charity Habitat for Humanity®.

What is habitat for humanity?

Habitat for Humanity (Charity no. 1043641) is a registered Christian charity that works to eliminate poverty housing all over the world.

Since founding in 1976, it has become a leader in addressing substandard housing, allowing people to have a simple, decent place to live.

It has built or renovated over 200,000 homes throughout the world. Through the building of decent, clean homes many other issues are tackled, not just housing; examples are: children with a suitable place to study for school, less illness (usually caused by dust and poor ventilation), proper shelter from rain and winds etc.

The current group: Our build in Guatemala In June this year, our group is aiming to build a house in Guatemala – a country greatly in need of housing. Currently, many families live in tiny huts or single crowded rooms, and 1.6 million houses are needed there. Due to poor living conditions, the risk of maternal and infant death from gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin diseases is high.

Other housing-related problems are land tenure: many poor families are not the legitimate owners of the land they inhabit, and in addition houses Every year a group What do they do? do not have basic Habitat builds and also utilities and are of volunteers from renovates decent, low-cost often in high-risk, the University works homes for those who need high crime areas. them. Volunteers like our Our group hopes to incredibly hard to raise St Andrews group work contribute to Habitat’s over £7000 towards a together with the future efforts to resolve some of home owners to build these problems. We are Habitat for Humanity houses using donations of currently working hard to house-build money and materials. raise as many funds as The homes are sold possible for our Habitat to low-income families for no profit and paid build in Guatemala, but we still have a long for through loans affordable to the family. All way to go. We are looking to reach out to the payments made by homeowner families are St Andrews community to raise awareness of then put back into Habitat for Humanity to build what we are doing and gain more support for more homes around the world – a revolving our cause. If you would like to find out more fund meaning more and more houses can be about our work, or would like to help us in built. Houses are not just given away, however. reaching our goal please feel free to contact Not only do Habitat homeowners pay an us. Any advice, help, thoughts would be very affordable mortgage, they also invest hundreds welcome. of hours of time and energy to help build their We hope that with our hard work and some own homes reducing the cost and really giving of your help we can aid Habitat for Humanity in them pride in home ownership. their amazing efforts to abolish poverty housing.

Surely everyone deserves a proper home; The St Andrews group somewhere they can feel safe that does not Our group is a University affiliated society make them ill. We have so much here – they started a few years ago with the aim of raising have nothing compared to even our smallest funds to allow a group of students to volunteer homes. Through tackling housing as part of Habitat for Humanity to aid in the fight many other problems can be dealt against poverty housing. Every year a group of with. Please, join us in our dream to volunteers from the University works incredibly help Habitat and as their motto says: hard to raise over £7000 towards a Habitat “Poverty housing – let’s nail it!” for Humanity house-build. This is in no way an easy task and requires extreme dedication More information: and a huge amount of time, time that has to be To find out more about the taken out of degree study.

St Andrews group: Through fundraising events (such as Please contact Emma Duckworth salsa nights and themed dinners, to name a – habitat@st-andrews.ac.uk, few previous ones), collections around the Mobile: 07877374710 town, and donations, plus team work, much To find out more about the perseverance, and lots of time, the society charity Habitat for Humanity: funds a house-build including all the materials www.habitat.org needed for the house. In previous years, groups have been to Uganda and also, most recently, (Photos courtesy to Malawi and successfully completed a house Emma Duckworth) with a local family.

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TOWN & GOWN St Leonards School reports that its

New Languages Centre offers a World of Opportunity Guests put their skills to the test at the Donations were made by opening of the new digital language groups including the Parents’ laboratory at St Leonards School. The Association, which funded the £20,000 centre was officially opened by interactive whiteboard, New Park the school’s president Baroness Byford in Trust and St Leonards Seniors, a special ceremony. Pupils and staff then as well as private donations gave a demonstration to show how the new – including an anonymous gift Francesca Cassidy (left) and Lavinia Younger show interactive equipment and state-of-the-art of £2,000 towards software. It is Baroness Byford how the new interactive equipment works. whiteboard can make learning a language hoped the wider community will fun, through word games in many different opportunities for young people. She said: “I also benefit from the facility. languages. think it will help to encourage them to learn in Joyce Duncan, Head The facility, which is a more ready way than purely through books. of Modern Languages, It is hoped the wider housed in the main school Traditional teaching of languages still goes on said: “We live in a global building, was created after – this is an added bonus.” society where learning community will also a two-year fundraising drive Susanne Thorsen, of the Parents’ other languages is benefit from the facility. absolutely vital. All pupils with initiatives including Association, added: “With Seniors and the the sale of a cookery Head of Modern Languages having done all still learn at least one book devised by the Modern Languages the hard work, it has been hugely satisfying for modern foreign language and with the arrival Department, with help from parents and the Parents’ Association to be able to add the of the International Baccalaureate a foreign icing on the cake – a state-of-the-art interactive pupils. language is now compulsory for both years whiteboard – for this fantastic facility that will in the sixth form. This resource will be fun to benefit pupils across the school and hopefully use and offers a huge variety of activities for also the local community. In today’s world, the language learners of all ages.” immense importance of language skills cannot Baroness Byford described it as a be stressed enough.” wonderful facility that would open up

Claire Marston helps to demonstrate the interactive whiteboard with modern languages teacher Dan Barlow.

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Back, from left, Baroness Byford, Susanne Thorsen and Fiona Stewart, of the Parents Association, and head of modern languages Joyce Duncan with members of year eight at the opening.

Francesca Cassidy speaks to Baroness Byford using the new interactive equipment.

(Photos courtesy of the School)

SHOPS & SERVICES Les Davidson of L. G. Davidson, Painting and Decorating, told Flora Selwyn he is finally

Bowing Out at their trade. Painting and Retirement comes to all of us eventually, decorating is not as easy as whether welcomed or not. After 45 years in the people think it is!” trade, Les is ready for his well-earned break.

Every businessman He and his wife June are already thinking of a worth his salt has to keep possible cruise to the Caribbean, and chatting up with the times. I asked while a cold rain was lashing down, that Les what changes he had sounded like a very attractive idea. seen over the years. “A lot Young Les had been watching painters at of paint is water-based now, Sandford House, now a Hotel, near Wormit, not solvent-based.” That where both his parents were employed, and has removed the strong that inspired him from an early age to aspire to paint smells of yesteryear, become a painter and decorator. So he started and meant less need for his long professional life at 15 as an apprentice prolonged ventilation and with James Moncur in Newport-on-Tay, where drying time. There is also an almost impossible he honed his expertise in decorating ornate choice of colours, which can cause a lot of Victorian houses. High ceilings, elaborate confusion. Otherwise, the biggest changes cornices, sash windows – all these, and more, have been in the became second nature.

After his marriage to the biggest changes have legislation, with ever more regulations for the June, a St Andrean, they been in the legislation, perplexed. lived in Newport for a Reminiscing, Les short time, then decided with ever more regulations recalled repainting the to move to St Andrews. for the perplexed After a few years, Les Tom Morris monument in the Cathedral grounds. felt confident enough to He had to lie down to do the lettering with a start out on his own. Gradually, with June, his very small brush, “in the freezing cold. I could inspiration, he built up a strong customer base, only do half an hour at a time, before thawing and his reputation for high quality workmanship. out indoors”. On another occasion he was Soon he was able to employ other tradesmen, called upon to paint the markings on the runway restricting the number to four at any one time, in at Leuchars Airbase. Les has painted most of order to keep the business within bounds. “I’ve the houses in the street where he lives, “I must been very lucky, the lads have all been good

have done something right!” After more than 30 years working for himself, he is back yet again to his very first customer, who has moved to a new house.

“I did play golf, a long time ago,” Les admitted, “but I wouldn’t take it up seriously.” I doubted that he would have time anyway, since he and June have a 5-year old grandson, who keeps Granny and Granddad very happy and busy.

Bowing out graciously, Les thanks all his many customers, “who’ve stood by us all these years.” His smile, his pleasant nature will surely be much missed, and most of all his professional skills and totally reliable service.

Happy retirement, Les and June!

(Photo courtesy Les Davidson)

regor Auctions g c a M 2008 Sale Dates Award Winning Fish & Chip Shop 2006 and 2007 Traditional Fish & Chips, Pizzas, Burgers, Kebabs, Baked Potatoes, Kiddies Meal Boxes Our batter is made to our own special recipe Pizzas are freshly made on the premises Shop here with confidence

Open every day from 12 noon Friday and Saturday nights open extra late Delivery service (St Andrews only) 131 South Street, St Andrews Tel. 01334 470400 www.oneoone.co.uk

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SHOPS & SERVICES Flora Selwyn was priviledged to be taken round Rufflets’ splendid new addition by Manager Stephen Owen and Marketing Manager Judith Dunlop

A Hotel for the 21st Century the restaurants once more. Stephen Owen Rufflets Country House Hotel, on the In 2004 the Hotel was awarded the Gold adds that to offset any carbon emissions, Strathkinness Low Road, has always been Standard for its environmental practices, an inspirational place to visit. Set in 10 acres the highest accolade of the Green Tourism Rufflets will invest in a reforestation project of beautiful gardens only 1.5 miles from Business Scheme. This past year, Rufflets in Dumfries, an energy efficiency programme St Andrews, it offers personal service and in Jamaica, and a wind farm project in New became the first hotel in Scotland to achieve comfort of the highest standards. Guests Zealand – a truly international commitment.

Carbon Neutral status. Best practice in green have within easy reach an tourism covers a whole Still family-owned, Rufflets is indeed a unrivalled choice of sea, raft of requirements destination to covet. Its unique style, levels of This past year, Rufflets sport, and culture, while from recycling to energy service and comfort and its forward-looking, became the first hotel conference delegates can dynamic culture are enviable. Fortunate efficiency, using green relax as they choose. Not St Andrews, to be within such easy reach all cleaning chemicals, in Scotland to achieve year round! composting, utilising for nothing was Rufflets Carbon Neutral status. rain water, sourcing voted Country House Hotel local products in order of the Year at last year’s For Garden Suite information, please contact to reduce transport costs, and so on. The Scottish Hotels of the Year awards.

Sarah Young, Events & Conferences Manager, And now there is the brand new large kitchen garden, which was sacrificed events@rufflets.co.uk or phone: 01334 460 893 £1.3 million Garden Suite. Built as an to build the extension, is being redesigned For all other information and to make a booking architecturally sensitive addition to the on the other side of the gardens to supply visit, www.rufflets.co.uk or call: 01334 472 594 house, it offers a flexible space for intimate gatherings or for larger parties up to 130.

Stephen Owen, Rufflets’ Manager explained Stop Press – the owners have now buried a time that functions can take place undisturbed by capsule to commemorate the opening of the Garden the general running of the Hotel, and vice Suite. versa. With its own parking area, entrance Contained within is a variety of interesting items, and reception facilities the suite is entirely including a £5 note signed by golfer Jack Nicklaus, to self-contained. Newly-marrieds will be able commemorate his strong connection with Rufflets and to enjoy having their photographs taken in St Andrews. Included also are a local newspaper, an the ‘garden for all seasons’ without having organisational chart of who works at Rufflets, and menus to travel from the premises. They have the from the award-winning restaurant, as well as the special option, too, of spending their wedding night children’s menu created by the former local primary in the Hotel’s Turret Room overlooking the school Greyfriars. gardens, complete with canopied four-poster The time capsule was buried by the owners’ bed, and a magnificent bathroom with its own grandchildren, Alexander, now aged 11, and Jack double whirlpool bath! No wonder a leading Forrester, 8, who may well have taken over at Rufflets by lifestyle magazine for women has dubbed it 2057, when the plan is to open the capsule. the UK’s Most Romantic Hotel Bedroom!

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SHOPS & SERVICES Andrew Wright has misgivings.

Oh, The Grand Old Duke of York ...!

One of the advantages of having a skews the balance between simplification government in power for an extended period and fairness. should be consistency in their policy in Looking at Gordon Brown’s extended various key areas. They have the luxury to period as Chancellor, there is no doubt plan their policy changes over a period of that he favoured complicating the system time and to develop a coherent structure. to achieve his particular aims (the number Unfortunately, the very opposite seems to of pages required to set out the annual tax be happening in this Government’s taxation legislation more than doubled in his period).

As an example, the policy. complicated capital gains An overall aim of tax tax rules, with indexation policy should be fairness. there are many other allowance and business Another aim should be that the system should examples of changes and personal taper relief, encouraged entrepreneurs not be too complicated. made, which are now and their “dragons”, as Sometimes these two aims are in conflict with each well as unquoted trading just history other as the need to be fair companies and employee necessitates complicating shareholders. These have been swept away at a rules. stroke by the new Chancellor in the name of It is accepted that successive governments use taxation policy to tax simplification. encourage the achievement of their political And there are many other examples of aims, for example development grants for changes made, which are now just history. poor areas, tax incentives to encourage The 10p income tax rate was introduced, and business start-ups, and research and is now to be dropped. Small business enjoyed development credits. These incentives often a corporation tax rate band of 10%, which mean introducing a degree of complexity has now been replaced by a rate of 19p, into the tax system (thus encouraging the which is to rise further to 22% over the next use of accountants and tax advisers!), which two years. Capital allowances, with their first

The New Picture House

year incentives, are now to be replaced altogether. Two other incentives, which have come and gone, are the reduction in stamp duty for commercial property in disadvantaged areas and the home computer initiative.

These are not minor adjustments and in some cases they are fundamental changes.

It is now impossible to plan ahead with any degree of certainty as tax incentives may be withdrawn without warning with no “phasing in” period to alleviate the position. The “general” does not seem to be clear in his mind about what he is trying to do!

For further information on this, or other matters, please consult: Henderson Black & Co. 149 Market St. St Andrews.

Tel: 01334 472 255

Reprographics Unit High Quality Black & White and Colour Digital Printing

Winner of the RAAM Independent Cinema of the Year Award for Excellence Enjoy a pre-show drink in our lounge or book an exclusive function or children’s party with a private screening

We welcome commercial enquiries.

All types of printing and design work undertaken, from simple b/w membership cards to full colour brochures.

The services we offer also include: • Pull-up Exhibition Display Stands • • Graphics & Pre-Press • • Illustration • • Report/Dissertation Printing & Binding • • Wide Format Poster Printing & Laminating • • Short run customised folders • Reprographics Unit St Katharine’s West, 16 The Scores St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AX Telephone: (01334) 463020 Email: amm@st-andrews.ac.uk www.st-andrews.ac.uk/reprographics/

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SHOPS & SERVICES

Elspeth’s of St Andrews

9 Church Street, St Andrews Tel: 01334 472494

Albany HOTEL the

They’re here!

205 South St St Andrews Fife KY16 9EF 01334 474999

Light hearted lunch – 12:30pm-3pm Serious dining – 6:30pm-9pm The Best of Locally Sourced, Fresh Scottish Produce Prepared with Mediterranean Flair

Cosy, Comfortable, Peaceful dining experience 56 – 58 North Street St Andrews Tel: 01334 477737 www.thealbanystandrews.co.uk

Why buy mass-produced when you can buy your future antiques? Affordable, accessible art from Scotland and across the world Paintings: Sculpture: Furniture: Jewellery: Ceramics: Handmade Clocks: Handmade Mirrors: Useful Art 43 South Street, St. Andrews, Tel: 01334 478221 Mon – Sat 9.30 – 5.30 and 22 King Street, Crieff, Tel: 01764 755722 Tue – Sat 10.00 – 5.00 You can also shop securely online at www.arteryuk.com

St Andrews & District Community Safety Panel

For more information about your local panel please contact PC Joanne Francis, Community Safety Officer Tel. 01334 418745 EMail joanne.francis@fife.pnn.police.uk

Valentines Day Menu A sumptuous four course menu On Friday 14th February 2008 £29.50 pp

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Albany HOTEL the

56-58 North Street St Andrews Tel: 01334 477737

SHOPS & SERVICES

Roving Reporter 1.

The Eating Place has had a chrysalis moment and emerged as Peppercorns Grill. Reporter entered a new ambience when visiting owners Nicola and Michael Henderson in 179 South Street (01334 471 111). He says the whole place has a light and welcoming feel. Why the name?

Well, Nicola explained that an uncle of hers took her to a wonderful restaurant called The Pepper Mill in California, and the name evolved from there. Michael added that they have steak on the menu, and many items from the grill, so the name is apt. The Hendersons have owned the restaurant for three and a half years and, said Nicola, “we always felt we wanted to put our mark on it. We found it quite difficult to work the two restaurants,” referring to Tapas upstairs. In addition, there is now a third Henderson in the equation, Keely, born 15 months ago! She, ”kind of monopolised

our attention”, not surprisingly. Reporter, somewhat belatedly, (but hopefully not out of turn) offered his sincere congratulations on Keely’s arrival. Kids, therefore, are always well looked after in the Peppercorns Grill. Fresh produce is locally sourced.

Prices range from £2.60 for a starter soup, to £19.95 for a 16oz Scottish T Bone Steak on a “big sizzle platter” (ask Michael!) and vegetables. In between are many options: £8.95 for Dressed Crail Crab with Hollandaise Sauce & Granary Bread; £9.95 for Poached Salmon & Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce & Buttered New Potatoes; £7.45 for a vegetarian Goats Cheese, Mediterranean Vegetable, & Olive Oil pasta dish. Desserts range from £4.45 for a Peppercorns Sundae, to £3.95 for a Dutch Apple Flan. ‘10 to 5 Specials’ refers to a full breakfast, pancakes (of course!), soups, sandwiches, paninis, jacket potatoes etc. and all the drinks you could wish for.

Future plans include re-opening the upstairs by next summer. “Go see”, says Reporter, “pop in for a coffee while you surf the Net, enjoy lunch (pancakes, yum-yum!) and finally have, as Michael puts it, ‘an exquisite evening dining experience’, and why not?”

yet another block of flats St Andrews Garden Centre, 199a South Street (01334 473 342) is alive and kicking. The Flower Shop is undergoing some changes and now stocks a selection of bridal accessories to make your special day extra-special. A range of water features and pond plants should appear in the Garden Centre itself, which also stocks a superb selection of David Austin roses, alpines, herbs, fruit trees and bushes, heathers, and herbacious plants sourced from top nurseries in the U.K. and Europe. The Garden Centre now offers a discount to University staff, as well as students, and will also be introducing a Senior Citizens’ Day. There will be many “weel kent” faces working in the Garden Centre, and also a few new ones - the staff pride themselves on their individuality and ability to create planters, baskets, and floral arrangements to customers’ specific requirements. We wish owners Brian and Margaret Rogers a happy coming retirement in Crail. We will continue with the friendly family service you built up over the past 25 years.” Reporter is grateful to you Lynette, for putting us in the picture!

*****

2. Reporter heard that the Garden Centre was looking for a change of ownership, so he asked Outdoor Manager Lynette Johnston for details. This is what she wrote: “Despite rumours of closure and being turned into

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EVENTS

Selected Events (November 2007) – March 2008 – 9am-5.30pm (10am-5pm weekends). At the Gateway Galleries, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews. A Different Way of Working: the Prints of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. This exhibition includes published and unpublished prints from all periods of her long career. Contact Ann Gunn, Lecturer, School of Art History, Tel. 01334 462356 or email, avg1@st-andrews.ac.uk Saturday, 12 January. Workshops at the Gateway Galleries, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews.

– 10.30am-12.30pm Simple Screenprinting – 2.00-4.00pm Monoprinting and relief-printing Taster sessions led by experienced printmakers from Dundee Contemporary Arts. Aimed at adults and young people aged 16+. Cost: £10 / £7.50 concessions. Places limited to 12 per session. Advance booking is essential. Contact Ann Gunn, Lecturer, School of Art History, Tel. 01334 462356 or email, avg1@st-andrews.ac.uk Monday, 21 January – 8.00pm. St Leonards School Auditorium, The Pends, St Andrews. Thistle Brass Music. Bach; John Maxwell; Philip Wilby; Peter Maxwell Davies; James MacMillan; Verdi; Stephen Roberts. The Music Club. Tickets at the door, £10, £9 concessions, £5 students, £1 kids.

Friday, 25 January – 7.30-11.00pm At the Boys’ Brigade Hall, Kinnessburn Road, St Andrews. Burns Night Scottish Country Dance. Gary Sutherland Band with Sheena Sturrock (violin).

Guest singer Mima Clark with Derek Brannan, guitar. Tickets at the door £6 (includes eats). Everyone welcome. Contact: 01334 476428 / 472375.

Saturday, 26 January – Sunday 9 March – 10.30-4.00pm daily. At St Andrews Museum, Kinburn Park. Stirrup Pumps & Siren Suits: Everyday Life on the Home Front. Objects, images, and oral history extracts; examining how the war changed almost every aspect of daily life. Activites and events tie in with the exhibition. Contact: Lesley-Anne Lettice, 01334 659 380.

Wednesday, 30 January – 7.30pm. At the Younger Hall, North Street, St Andrews. Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Paul Meyer (conductor/clarinet); Alison Mitchell (flute), playing Mozart; Poulenc. Tickets from the Byre Theatre Box Office, 01334 475 000.

Thursday, 31 January – 1.15-2.00pm. At the Gateway Galleries, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews. Magical Journeys, a talk by Carol Robertson on making prints with Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Contact : Alison Hadfield, Learning & Access Curator, Telephone 462396 / 2417 or email alh10@st-andrews.ac.uk Saturday, 2 February – 10.30am. at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews. A fundraising Champagne Brunch. Tickets £15, children £6 from the box office 01334 475 000.

Friday, 15 February – 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm. For children at the Gateway Galleries, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews. Create a magical monoprint to take home. Contact : Alison Hadfield, Learning & Access Curator, Telephone 462396 / 2417 or email alh10@st-andrews.ac.uk Saturday, 16 February – 8.00pm. St Leonards School Auditorium, The Pends, St Andrews. Concert, Benjamin Grosvenor (piano), Scarlatti; Albeniz; Chopin; Moskowski.

The Music Club. Tickets at the door, £10, £9 concessions, £5 students, £1 kids.

Friday, 22 February – At the Gateway Galleries, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews. Conference: Painters & Printmakers: Creative Partnerships in 20th Century British Printmaking – Details TBA Contact Ann Gunn, Lecturer, School of Art History, Tel. 01334 462356 or email, avg1@st-andrews.ac.uk

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SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE Burns Night Friday, 25th January 2008 7.30 – 11.00 pm Boys‘ Brigade Hall,

Kinnessburn Road, St Andrews

The Gary Sutherland Band with Sheena Sturrock GuestSinger

Mima Clark

with Derek Brannan on guitar

Tickets at the door – £6.00 wi’ a bite tae eat!

Raffle (donations welcomed) - No Bar -

OUT & ABOUT Hamish Brown saw a group of older citizens coming out of the Younger Hall in obvious high spirits. He couldn’t resist asking what had been so entertaining. The answer was ‘Guddling Among the Graves’ – which might have been more mystifying than ever.

However, this was the title of a lecture by him and, as he staggered out with projector and slides, it was easy to demand explanations.

Here are some of his comments.

Guddling Among the Graves Something like thirty years ago my interest in worked till 100 and died in 1770 aged 137.

Auchtermuchty also has a stone to one of the old gravestones was given a boost by finding Betty Willsher’s book on the topic, but it has victims of the Tay Bridge disaster in 1879. His been given an even bigger boost by being body was found weeks later – near Wick. asked to do a book Children can be myself (to be published well entertained in graveyards. Set them

by Birlinn in 2008).

Betty, of course, lives to find the oldest, or the most peculiar name, in St Andrews, a spry nonagenarian, so I or the oddest person follow in distinguished pictured, Donald Duck footsteps. The title was perhaps, or Tintin, or given to show the topic, Bart Simpson, all of part one anyway, was which I’ve spotted in not to be taken too Fife. Or any foreign seriously. language. My tally runs to French, German, The very first time Dutch, Gaelic, Greek, I did this slide show, Polish, Russian, Kirkintilloch library put Chinese, Arabic, posters round the town Hebrew, and Turkish. with a wee misprint: Stone to a carter typical of 18th century There are sad and ‘Guddling Among the trade symbol gravestones serious moments of Graves’ appeared course. I defy anyone to stand dry-eyed in the as ‘Cuddling Among the Graves’. Might have circle of children’s stones above Dunblane. increased numbers coming! One frail old man Horrifying war memorials are not just found did whisper to me at the end that he had done his courting in a cemetery. on the Continent. One Montrose cemetery But then errors abound on has rows of graves for airmen the gravestones themselves. killed in World War Two. From Children can be I’ve two records of people dying one row alone I jotted down on 31 April (West Wemyss, well entertained in their ages: 22, 30, 21, 23, 28, Sanquhar). And south of 24, 20, 20, 24, 24, 20, 21, 20, graveyards.

Montrose a George Ramsay is 21, 25, 22, 40, 23, 25, 22, shown ‘Born 1859. Died 1840’.

25,19, 19, 26, 29, 23,19,19, Older stones frequently have strange spellings, 23,19, 22,18, 28, 33, 25, 22. But even war can letters back to front, words chopped anyhow produce moments of relief. Among the slate at the end of a line, things like that. There is so stones at Ballachulish is one red granite stone much to note really. Take the topic of age for inscribed, ‘The said Alistair MacDonald was one instance; what’s the oldest recorded? of the three Argylls who made the epic escape I can recall the first time I met a stone with across occupied France in 1940. On being someone dying at 100. (In St Andrews I’ve seen recaptured they outwitted the Germans by speaking Gaelic and posing as Russians. After one for 99 years and 8 months!), but a step up many vicissitudes they reached Spain and were was seen at Auchtermuchty: Henry Brown (no eventually smuggled home’. relation) ‘Born 1799, died 1901’ which is 102 Scottish cemeteries (and the Fife coast years and spanning three centuries: born under especially) have many records of accidents George III and seeing off George IV, William IV, in coal mines or at sea. At Polmont a stone Victoria, and dying with Edward VII enthroned.

But Kirkcudbright has a tinker who died aged records a father (58) and two sons (28 and 120, while the oldest known is at Leadhills for 17), who all died in a pit disaster that killed 40 John Taylor, a lead miner of all trades, who miners. The whole crew of a ship, the Merlin, is listed on a stone at the far bottom corner of St Andrews’ graveyard.

We can be left intrigued too. What lies behind the declaration of someone in 1877 ‘shot while discharging his duty’?

Mind you, duty can be fatal, as noted on a monument to an army mule called Maggie: ‘In memory of / Maggie / Who in her time kicked /Two Colonels / Four Majors / Ten Captains / Twenty-four Lieutenants / Forty-two Sergeants / Four hundred and Thirty-two Other Ranks / and One A fine gardener’s stone at Forgan, near Leuchars Mills Bomb‘.

Stone to an 11-year old boy in full Scout uniform accidentally shot And then there are all the unintended slips; like the lady who put ‘Rest in Peace’ at the head of her husband’s stone, and at the foot added ‘Till I Come’. Or, ‘She lived with her husband of fifty years and died in the confident hope of a better life’. Or, ‘Erected to the memory of / John Macfarlane / Drowned in the Water of Leith / By a Few Affectionate Friends’.

The ladies exiting the Younger Hall (many ‘relicts’, in gravestone terminology) were part of one of the Retirement is Opportunity groups, who meet weekly in autumn and spring sessions on Tuesdays or Wednesdays for informal lectures on interesting topics.

Retired ladies – and gentlemen – are welcomed. The Open Association also runs more formal lectures and there’s an incredible range of short courses on offer, which few universities can match. For information on any of these contact the Open Association office, Kinnessburn, Kennedy Gardens KY16 9DJ, tel: 01334 462206.

Those who know Hamish as enthusiast and expert on the Atlas Mountains and Morocco will be interested in his latest book The Mountains Look on Marrakech (Whittles), which tells of a 96-day end-to-end trek of the mountains and is a rich description of Berber culture, besides the record of a remarkable feat. The book has been short-listed for the prestigious Boardman-Tasker Award.

(Photos courtesy Hamish Brown)

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OUT & ABOUT Alistair Lawson examines

Fife’s Far Frontiers Geographically literate readers will know that the borders of Fife are neatly defined by water and that we look over the Tay to Dundee, Angus and Perthshire and over the Forth to the Lothians, Edinburgh and Falkirk. What about our land boundaries, though? In that sense, “the neighbours” are Perthshire on the north-west frontier, Kinross-shire in the mid- west and Clackmannanshire in the far west.

Over the next few issues of ‘St Andrews in Focus’, this countryside column will explore a few trans-boundary hikes, which readers may wish to undertake for themselves.

Starting with the north-west frontier, there are echoes of Kipling’s North-West Frontier, in that there are present-day hostilities, with which hikers may have to contend – no Pathans, no Afghans, but resistance for all that! In recent years, Cupar Sheriff Court has dealt with the matter of the disputed right of way running from the site of MacDuff’s Cross (Grid Ref 227 168), westwards to the Abernethy – Newburgh road at Grid Ref 207 173. This route served, in times long past, as the way from central Fife to Perth via the Carpow (pronounced ‘carpoo’) Ferry, which crossed the River Earn just above its confluence with the Tay; indeed, the O.S. Map still shows ‘Ferryfield of Carpow’ at Grid Ref 195 181. Carpow is thought to mean ‘the fort on the sluggish stream’. The court case dealt with the fact that, although, by the 1990s, the route had become somewhat overgrown, senior local people were able to attest to the fact that, in their younger days, it had been used by Newburgh folk upstream towards Moncreiffe Hill, separating the Earn and Tay valleys. for Sunday afternoon family walks and for brambling expeditions. This The rough track has been ‘prettified’ here and may not look public, view was disputed by certain of those who lived adjacent to the route, but press on, as this is, indeed, the correct route. If challenged, be but the court upheld the right of confident, be firm. Thereafter, way claim. In legal terms, the claim a rough, somewhat vegetated Over the next few issues of ‘St Andrews in Focus’, this was, therefore, ‘vindicated’, which track leads on down past countryside column will explore a few trans-boundary hikes, Wester Clunie (Clunie is thought means that the route is definitively which readers may wish to undertake for themselves. secured for the public, irrespective to derive from a word meaning of the views of adjacent residents. ‘meadow’), over the railway line A particular set of residents has defied the findings of the court and and so to the A913 road opposite the entrance to Carpow Estate. The has continued to challenge users of the route, even in the face of a last lap is via the roadside footway back to Abernethy, where food and specific court interdict, which forbids them to interfere with the public’s drink are available. lawful enjoyment of the route. Hikers should be warned, therefore, that they may be challenged, very probably in hostile and totally unreasonable terms; however, right is entirely on your side, and you should state firmly that you are aware of the court’s decision and are simply exercising your legal right. Every user who does this and who proceeds on his / her way will strengthen the public’s position.

In order to make a good, half-day, circular hike of some 13 kms, users may chose to start in Abernethy (means, ‘the confluence of the Nethy burn’). Referring to the Ordnance Survey map (which you should take with you), take the Abernethy Glen Walk, sign-posted by Perth & Kinross Council from Grid Ref 187 163 towards the west end of the village, up to the Abernethy Glen road at Craigden (Grid Ref 187 Invite you to visit a hidden treasure 150), follow the public road south / uphill for a kilometre and take to forest tracks at Grid Ref 188 141. After an initial ascent of some 600m, in the heart of St Andrews the slope eases, and, at a T-junction of tracks at Grid Ref 193 137, you should turn left /north and follow a long series of forest tracks for WOODLAND & WATERGARDENS 5 kms / 3 miles and in a generally NNE’ly direction (your map will be HERBACEOUS & SCREE necessary in order to make the correct decisions at intermediate track junctions). The track eventually emerges, at Grid Ref 227 161, onto ALPINES & RHODODENDRONS the minor Auchtermuchty to Newburgh road, which you should follow GLORIOUS GLASSHOUSE COLLECTIONS northwards / downhill for a kilometre to MacDuff’s Cross (see above), thought to have been a one-time place of sanctuary for fugitives.

OPEN DAILY ALL YEAR ROUND Green and white rights-of-way signs point the way west, along the farm track past Ninewells Farm and past an isolated dwelling right on the Fife / Perth boundary. One version of local history is that fugitives hoping to claim sanctuary at MacDuff’s Cross were required to wash Tuesday 8th January at 7.30pm nine times at the wells. Pause to enjoy the magnificent views over the Tay Estuary to the Sidlaws, downstream towards Dundee, and Tuesday 5th February at 7.30pm

WINTER LECTURE PROGRAMME

Addendum In his article on p22 of the previous issue (Nov/Dec), Alistair Lawson mentioned the stamp produced in Chile in 1911 to commemorate Admiral Cochrane’s assistance in defeating Spain.

Alistair shows here this fine example of the stamp.

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Chemistry Dept., North Haugh, University of St Andrews FREE – ALL WELCOME

TO JOIN THE FRIENDS AND SUPPORT THE GARDEN CONTACT MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY. Canongate, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8RT. Tel: 01334 476452. www.st-andrews-botanic.org

OUT & ABOUT A report by Jean Allardice on

St Andrews Sunday at The Botanic Garden

(Photos courtesy Friends of the Garden)

Yet again we were blessed with a fine, dry and fit snugly and come in a wide calm day for our annual celebration of range of attractive designs.

St Andrew. Could this be attributed to having Once a new Mum has bought our own patron saint in the garden? her stock she has no further expense Jean Kemp, who organises this event every and obviously they are so much better year had once again persuaded a wonderful for the environment. Bob Mitchell, our variety of people to come and give us their Honorary Curator led a guided walk own particular take on items of interest from through the glasshouses showing some wildlife to plants and their uses, culinary and of the exotic plants it is possible to grow medicinal and decorative. Fiona Bird gave here given the right conditions. The two demonstrations to a fascinated audience Friends had their usual plant stall and of “Healthy Eating – the Scottish Way” using provided endless cups of tea, coffee, and local produce provided by Spar, St Andrews. hot chocolate.

Jay Mackinnon, a contributor on Beechgrove All the above activities were indoors, Potting Shed, showed how to make simple but we had an equally interesting herbal remedies. Sheena programme Scott was kept busy all running outside.

Jean Kemp, who organises day showing people how Our recent Chairman, this event every year had once to make a decorative Yule Prof. Robert Crawford, again persuaded a wonderful Log for the festive season. led a walk round the Other activities in Garden explaining variety of people to come and the Glass Class included the strategies the give us their own particular making prints using tatties, plants use to survive take on items of interest supervised by local artist the Scottish winter.

Anne Lightwood and We have recently Brenda Hunter. The children really loved this discovered a red squirrel in the Garden as there was plenty of opportunity to get really and are very anxious to make sure he messy. Lucie Southern of the Bumblebee makes a permanent home here. He has Conservation Trust had a busy time painting been named Ruairidh, and we are putting faces, as well as telling the children how to up special feeding boxes which Grey attract bees to their gardens. Out in the Long squirrels cannot get into, and keeping Corridor Graham Kemp and Jim Christie were them stocked up with the food that red squirrels kept occupied helping an eager bunch of boys prefer. Two of these special boxes were presented and girls to make bird boxes. This item was so

by Dr Edith Cormack, representing The Friends popular that stocks ran out. We will make sure and the Education Trust, to Councillor Sangster of we have plenty for next year.

Fife Council. Pupils from Lawhead School, Our new Chairman, Louise Roger, designated as the Squirrel School of Fife, sang challenged children and adults to match leaves a specially-composed song in honour of the to trees. We have many beautiful trees in occasion. Later, Derek Abbott, the Ranger, led the Garden and this proved very popular. As two squirrel ‘hunts‘, but unfortunately didn’t always, Senga Munro’s storytelling sessions spot Ruaridh. Tony Wilson, our local Ranger, in the potting shed attracted an enthralled led two fungal forays armed with ID sheets. audience. Other indoor attractions were the Afterwards there was a chance to ‘make your “Glitz & Glam” Fairtrade stall run by Jane Main own mushroom’ back in the Glass Class. with beautiful bags from Vietnam and jewellery Another Ranger, Dierdre Munro, led two from India; Phoenix Tradings’ exquisite expeditions to find minibeasts. Following their selection of cards, gift wraps, and book marks, popular presentation of the Life of Linnaeus in run by Neryl Malcomson. With an eye to the the summer, the Byre Youth Theatre entertained us evergrowing problem of sustainability Louise on the lawn with scenes from the life of St Andrew.

Cruikshank of the Education Trust had brought In the Alpine House a group of young Fiddlers from along a selection of “Real Nappies” – remember Ferryport provided a musical interlude. those? But no more pins and folds which come As ever, the proceedings came to a climax with undone, for these are beautifully shaped to the Chairman’s Annual Conker Contest.

Earthship Fife, sketch map Requested by a reader, here is a very rough sketch map, which hopefully will help navigation!

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Evening Degree Programme Keen to get a degree?

Too busy to study full-time?

Try the flexible route to your MA General degree at the University of St Andrews via the Evening Degree Programme • One or two evenings of classes per week • Broad range of subjects • Credits for existing qualifications • Fee Waiver scheme for people on low income or state benefits Find out more from: The Evening Degree Co-ordinator Telephone: 01334 462203 Email: parttime@st-andrews.ac.uk www.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/Eveningdegreestudents/