In Memorium

RODERICK MACKENZIE SLATER (1947-2020)

Proud Strathallian and inspirational Scottish teacher

IIF HELPING OTHER PEOPLE IS THE MEASURE OF A LIFE WELL LIVED, THEN RODERICK (RODDIE OR ROD) SLATER LIVED A VERY GOOD LIFE INDEED.

A proud Strathallian, former Head of Modern Languages at George Watson’s College and former President of the Watsonian Club, Rod was often described as a force of nature because of his energy, intellect, kindness and wit.

He was at Watson’s for 25 years, serving the school through generations of transition, always driven by the desire to help pupils thrive – in the classroom, on stage, in foreign countries or atop Munros. His family found it impossible to walk together down the street without former pupils telling Rod how much he had changed their lives. It was like being in the presence of a rock star.

Rod passed away following a heart attack, near his wife of 50 years and his elder son, after a final swim on the Île de Ré, France – an island he loved, in a country he had adopted.

Born in Nairn to Annie Johanna (nee Mackenzie) and Major George Slater of the Gordon Highlanders, Rod and his twin sister Isabella were brought up following the Regiment’s deployments to Germany, Nigeria, Edinburgh and Scone. To minimise disruption to his education, Rod was sent to Strathallan, an environment he found excellent academically. Towards the end of his life, Rod wrote many essays, recounting memories of being at Strath from 1959 to 1956. He wrote about life at Strath - from the opening of the “new” chapel to Saturday nights in Perth. Those colorful essays — of interest to any Strathallian — are available at https://rb.gy/qzljs7 or by emailing Rod’s son Sandy at apmslater@gmail.com

Following Strathallan, Rod spent time at a school in La Rochelle thanks to an award from Lord Balerno that was to change the course of his life because it was there he fell in love, both with the country, and his future wife, Sylvie. He went on to read French and German at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he also rowed in the 1st VIII and thrived in the small college environment. Originally intent on becoming a journalist, a temporary position as a language assistant in Germany made him realise that teaching was his true vocation. In his first post at St. Peter’s School, Huntingdon, he found other young teachers full of what he referred to as “left wing idealism” and he felt they were making a great difference in the lives of their pupils, some of whom were from a deprived background. However, a year in the mountains of the Auvergne reminded him how much he missed Scotland, and he moved back to work at West Calder High School, where he loved his colleagues and the pupils drawn from all over West Lothian. An innovator, Rod pulled together a group of young language teachers from across the Edinburgh area under the unofficial banner of “Languages for Communication” and made some bold strides for teaching in the region. His talent was noticed. In 1983, Sir Roger Young — then the redoubtable Headmaster of George Watson’s College — offered him the post of Head of Modern Languages. Rod hesitated. “I felt I would be selling out on my principles to go and work in an independent school,” he later wrote. But Sir Roger was gently insistent; Rod accepted the job and never regretted it.

At Watson’s he brought an instinctive, but also sometimes unconventional, style of teaching, fostering an intellectual and cultural curiosity among pupils, not just the robotic passing of exams. It was a philosophy that Rod would later fight for at Watson’s. Never quite a rule-breaker, he was nonetheless comfortable rocking the boat of authority to make sure that pupils came first.

Rod’s sharp intellect made him a perfect teacher for top sets, but he actually preferred teaching those who needed more support, and had a gift for helping weaker pupils thrive. “I have faith that kids will turn out well,” he said, and he was endlessly generous with his time, acting as a formal and informal adviser to countless pupils and tutees.

His infectious love of languages prompted him to lead 23 foreign exchanges at Watson’s, taking pupils all over Europe. He recommended total immersion with foreign families, telling pupils “Bad French is better than no French!”

For several years he was invited by the Scottish Rugby Union to be the translator for French national rugby teams when they played Scotland. He translated for players and coaches during their visits, including post-match press conferences at Murrayfield — assignments he found both satisfying and stressful.

Rod also brought a passion for drama to Watson’s, producing works by Brecht, Gogol, Wilder, Steinbeck and directing Oh! What a Lovely War, poignantly noting that the cast was only a few years younger than many of the Watsonians who had died in World War One. He directed more than 20 plays presented at the French Institute, featuring pupils from primary school to S6. Always devoted to the Scottish outdoors, he most loved Watson’s S3 “Projects” trips. He led groups into the mountains almost every year, being particularly fond of Torridon and the Hebrides, the birthplace of his mother.

His Watson’s colleagues considered him funny, brilliant and at times infuriating. As one wrote in a farewell article, “There was no sharper brain at dealing with any last-minute crisis, whether it was of his own or others’ making.” And it is true that his procrastination, as well as his brief but sharp-tempered moments, were legendary.

Rod retired from Watson’s in 2008, but could not stay away from teaching. Six months later he was back in the classroom at St George’s School for Girls. It was the perfect end to his career; one that brought him back to his energetic youth, working with a staff he lovingly noted ranged “from the meticulously neat to the chaotically creative”.

He found the girls to be “fun, chatty, spontaneous and hardworking” and they, in turn, named him an unofficial “old boy” of St George’s, making him feel welcome, in his own words, like a “kindly uncle or grandpa”.

But it was with Watson’s that Rod stayed so closely connected. He was President of the Watsonian Club from 2010-2011, relishing his task of cementing the Watsonian diaspora, and travelling all over the country to speak at dinners in his witty style. He also threw himself into memorialising the history of the school, starting and conducting an extensive series of video interviews with past pupils and teachers.

In the final year before his passing Rod was to reflect on his career (and his life), and say that his greatest privilege had been to work with so many responsive pupils. He mused: “To think that maybe I have had a small role in shaping them.” Here his characteristic modesty was surely misplaced, as is evident from the outpouring of sympathy and reminiscences from all the pupils, colleagues and friends whose lives he touched.

Rod is survived by his wife Sylvie, his sons Andrew and Sandy and his grandsons Pascal and Leo, whose first birthday he celebrated just a few weeks before his passing.

Adapted from The Scotsman 3rd September 2020

An interview with Rod Slater, conducted by a former colleague, can be found by clicking on QR code here.

DR IAN BIRSS FInstP CEng (1931-2022)

School Captain 1948/49 and prominent nuclear physicist

IAN ROBERTSON BIRSS, WHO DIED RECENTLY AGED 91, WAS A NUCLEAR PHYSICIST WHOSE SUCCESSFUL

SCIENTIFIC CAREER BEGAN AT STRATHALLAN.

He arrived at the school in 1946 from Montrose Academy aged 15. A year later in 1947/48 he was a School Prefect and in 1948/49 School Captain. While at school he was a Scottish High Jump champion, helped no doubt by his height (6 ft 4 inches).

At school Ian studied under Robert Steele, then Head of the Science Department and a graduate of St Andrews in Natural Philosophy (i.e. physics). It was Robert Steele who saw that his pupil was showing promise in physics and encouraged him to go on to St Andrews. Ian graduated from that university in 1954 with a 1st Class honours degree in physics and went on to Glasgow University to undertake a PhD. His PhD project was on bubble chambers, used for imaging sub-atomic particles. This was a cutting edge of physics at the time and he built the first bubble chamber in Europe. Bubble chambers were later used extensively at CERN.

Ian joined the UK Atomic Energy Authority in 1959 and went to Dounreay in Caithness to work on the materials to use in nuclear reactors, moving to Windscale in Cumbria in 1967, and later to Hunterston in Ayrshire. His research work was published in the journals Nature and Nuclear Engineering, and he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 1970. His career in scientific research culminated as head of the nuclear laboratory at Risley in Lancashire in the 1980s. The Risley lab did not only deal with nuclear science and included the National Centre for Tribology (friction), which worked on topics such as artificial knee joints. In the same period he served as a director of Dounreay, and in retirement in the 1990s Ian worked on various national nuclear safety committees. A former colleague from the 1960s/70s described him as one of the “big boffins” of Dounreay and Windscale.

Aside from his work as a scientist, Ian was committed to serving his community in as many ways as possible. He was member of the scout movement, being a Kings Scout in 1946 and leading a troop from Strathallan to the world Jamboree in France in 1947. In later years he served as a scout leader in various places in England and in Scotland. He served as Preses (Chairman) of the Clark Memorial church in Largs, Ayrshire in the 1970s/80s, and later when he returned to Largs in the 1990s after retiring, he served on the Church’s centenary committee. He was a member of the Rotary Club for many years and President of Largs Rotary in the 2000s. He served as President of the Largs Bowling Club for two stints in the 2000s.

Ian was also a committed member of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Association, working tirelessly in the constituencies in which he was living since the 1970s, often serving as Treasurer or Chairman of the constituency. He sat on the national executive of the Scottish Tory party from 1995-97 and again from 2008-2010.

Throughout his life Ian always remembered his time at Strathallan. Teacher and pupil kept in touch throughout their lives and Ian attended Robert Steele’s funeral in 2014.

Ian was born in Montrose on 11th July 1931. He married Davina Carson in 1964 in Galashiels. The couple had two children, Colin who is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, and Stephen who has retired from work as an IT project manager in financial services. The couple had six grandchildren. Davina was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1967 and, in addition to all the other things Ian did, he acted

E WATSON LINTON (1925-2021)

as her full time carer, especially in their later years. Ian died peacefully in his sleep on 16th July 2022 and Davina died four weeks later on 12th August 2022. They had a joint funeral in Yorkshire on 31st August, having moved there from Largs in 2019 for health reasons.

Rt Hon Sir Colin Birss

Thanks also to Revd Grace Steele and Revd Margaret Steele, daughters of Robert Steele, for their recollections.

Former Strathallian Club President, Air Force pilot and keen sportsman

WATSON LINTON ATTENDED STRATHALLAN FROM 1938 TO 1942, FOLLOWING A NUMBER OF OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS (INCLUDING HIS OLDER BROTHER, DUNLOP). He maintained his connection with the School throughout his life, as a strong supporter of both the School and the Strathallian Club: he served as President of the Club in 1971/72 and was followed to Strathallan by two of his sons and by two of his grandchildren; he attended his final Speech Day in 2015.

On leaving school, he joined the Royal Air Force and was placed on deferred service, attending St Andrews University on an RAF scholarship studying for an MA along with tuition through the University Air Training Corps. He entered the RAF full time in 1943, subsequently travelling for his pilot training to South Africa, where in September 1945 he was awarded his Wings, qualifying as a single engined pilot. After return to the UK, he was commissioned into the RAF Regiment and saw active service in Palestine as a Flight Commander. On demobilisation in 1947, he was gazetted into the RAF Volunteer Reserve, where he continued to serve, flying from Scone, until 1956.

In business, Watson joined J. & P. Coats, the thread and textile manufacturer, in 1952 and experienced a successful and varied career for over 30 years. He held a number of positions in management during his time with Coats, travelling to many parts of the world, including India, Brazil and Singapore, as well as in Europe.

In 1954, he married Joan Young (one of three sisters, all of whom were to marry fortunate Strathallian boys). Watson and Joan settled in Glasgow, then in West Kilbride, Ayrshire and subsequently in Hertfordshire, bringing up their family of three boys.

Watson was a keen sportsman. He played rugby for West of Scotland for many years (subsequently serving on the committee and as a selector) and with Leicester Tigers during a work assignment in the East Midlands. He was a keen and successful tennis player, enjoyed curling and sailing, and he was an able golfer (a sport he was able to play for over 60 years and one that brought him great enjoyment and new friendships wherever he lived and worked).

On retirement, Watson and Joan moved back to Scotland and lived in Troon for 25 happy years — spending time with family and friends, golfing and travelling — until Joan’s death in 2011. Watson stayed on in Troon, in latter years moving to live with one of his sons in Glencarse, Perthshire, where he died at the age of 96.

ARCHIE G FRAME (1923-2018)

A life well lived

ARCHIE (S '40) THOROUGHLY E NJOYED HIS TIME AT STRATHALLAN AND MENTIONED THAT MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT HIS WELL LIVED AND FULL LIFE.

Whether it be the school’s situation in scenic Perthshire, his sporting prowess, especially on the tennis court where he was school champion & he also won medals for fives, although getting his front teeth knocked out by a cricket ball perhaps was one of his lower points of his successful school career.

He recalled the train journey from Glasgow (yes most of the boys arrived by train in those days) where on disembarking at the local rail halt, they ran the last part to school, the winners bagging the best beds in their allotted dorms. Even better was the midnight skating on the Loch in their pyjamas whilst the masters slept!

Mr Riley the Headmaster clearly had a great and positive influence on Archie and as a Head he was hugely respected by the parents of that time.

Like many young men of that grim war time era their choice of career was somewhat limited by looming wartime service on leaving school. The Royal Air Force was his choice and Archie did his training as an aircraft engineer at RAF Montrose before embarking on a troop ship from Greenock in early 1942 bound for Egypt successfully avoiding the prowling u boats and Luftwaffe en-route.

Archie’s wartime service like his time at Strathallan was a hugely enjoyable part of his life. Assembling crated Halifax Bombers for the desert campaign and putting them back together after damage by enemy fire and just to be sure that they had been repaired properly one of the engineers had to go on a circuit or two of the airfields – what great motivation to ensure all was fixed properly!

Soon the allies had the advantage and Archie spent much of the rest of his time sailing with the Vice Commodore on the Bitter Lakes, and he supervised German P.O.W’s who helped build their racing yachts at the sailing club. Typically, Archie kept in touch with one or two of his new German friends, one of whom had the further misfortune to spend his life in East Germany.

Returning to the particularly harsh January 1947 winter his father wryly observed on collecting him from Kilmarnock Railway Station that his skin has somewhat darkened after five years in the Middle East which included various stints of leave in Lebanon where he learned to ski.

My father often said he was one of the very lucky ones to return home unscathed, sadly too many of his school friends were killed in action and never returned home.

He joined his Father in the family textile business, however, taking a while to adjust to civilian life. In his business life with his entrepreneurial streak, he successfully diversified the family business into manufacturing sports socks and rugby jerseys having seen the sporting boom coming. Full retirement was never really for Archie, and he kept busy with business, The RAF Association, keeping fluoride out of Ayrshire’s drinking water, was a vocal supporter of alternative medicine and a good diet really prior to it becoming mainstream. He studied the works of Robert Burns and was able to completely receipt Tam O Shanter. He was a strong believer in free speech and freedom of the individual and was quick to offer assistance where he could. His marriage to Jean was a strong one and she supported him greatly through life’s ups and downs.

Sport was always a huge part of his life whether it be playing football for Darvel Juniors in the late 40’s as well as being part of the Darvel Gowanbank Tennis Team winning the Scottish cup or playing golf at Royal Troon with fellow Strathallians, Watson Linton, Jimmy Smith, and Alastair Nicol.

Undoubtedly his daughter Lorna being in the first ever intake of girls at Strathallan was a hugely proud moment for him. He admired the Headmaster David Pigills for his vision and again talked highly of him. Lorna and Morag McMinn stayed in Reverend Reid’s home for the duration of their time at Strathallan in the Upper Sixth. Hard to believe today that it was seen as an experiment! The girls didn’t even have a uniform at that time. He last returned to Strathallan in 2007 at an Open Day and was hugely impressed with what he observed and the strength and depth of Strathallan.

Jason Steele

IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS WE ANNOUNCE THAT JASON STEELE (F '87) PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY, BUT PAINLESSLY, NEAR HIS HOME IN AUSTRALIA ON FEBRUARY 7 TH 2022. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him, and especially by his wife and two daughters in Australia as well as by all his family here in the UK.

GERRY KENNEDY (1959-2022)

Former teacher, tutor and Strathallian editor

GERRY KENNEDY PLAYED an integral and multifaceted role at Strathallan from 1997–2019 as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages; Ruthven House tutor; editor of the Strathallian magazine, coordinator of European school trips and a host of other roles including dialect coach for the Expressive Arts department and running the school’s cycling activities. Even after retiring, he returned to cover staff shortage during 2021.

Retirement had offered Gerry the chance to make a full time move to the family’s idyllic Ochills cottage, surrounded by dogs and ponies as well as the countryside he so loved. Unexpectedly, illness struck in June of last year, and he died after nine days in hospital. Gerry leaves his wife Clara and their beloved sons, Sean and Liam. Their shock and sadness was felt by all who knew and loved Gerry; a true friend taken too soon.

We will always think fondly of his role in the Teacher’s Common Room — the pedantic guardian of the crossword, the intellectual giant who embraced debate, the holder of music tastes that were ‘colourful’ to say the least and defiant supporter of Celtic FC.

Gerry was the most loyal friend and protective advocate to many of us. No sycophant, he always told you how he saw it. A mycologist, forager and keen cook, he was at home creating delicious meals to share with family and friends. He never took himself too seriously; a man who spoke several languages and was incredibly well informed and cultured but could also be reduced to tears of mirth if Mr Blobby’s name was even mentioned.

Epitaph for a Cryptic Crossword Compiler

Here the great man lies. May he reenact pies (4,2,5)