WHAT’S YOUR NAME?

In 1865, two hundred years after Rob Roy reigned, a young Scot named John McGregor and his wife Janet bravely sailed to the other side of the earth.

Together with their baby son on the good ship Resolute from Glasgow to New Zealand they began a new life, as far from their roots and family as is humanly possible.

Life was tough for those early settlers, especially when they arrived amid a very harsh winter. The first house they built was soon smashed to pieces by a violent storm.

Long hours of hard back-breaking work, and improvisation was essential to survive. This John McGregor, my fatherís great grandfather tragically died in a mining accidentat the age of only thirtyseven after fathering 7 more children.

In the ten years from landing in Auckland he had built the family a substantial home and a life for them in that young country, which his resourceful children then maintained. There is a family book written on our history from that period*.

This austere background of the New Zealand settlers, starting from nothing was handed down through the subsequent generations. Dad told me how as boys they built their bikes from re-cycled bits, illustrating his wonderful gift of improvisation.

In the early eighties I moved into a modern home and decided on a new kitchen, although the existing one there was quite adequate. In the space of two weekends Dad dismantled our old one and reassembled it in a completely differently shaped kitchen in my parentsíhouse. It looked as new and functional in theirs as our new one did in ours.

One of Dadís lifetime hobbies was clocks, and I inherited his love of them, I have them all over my house. One of my most treasured possessions is a clock that Dad made from the circular control column of the Boulton-Paul Defiant he crashed in. It is small but quite heavy and on the round handle of the column it has a safe/fire button which was used to action the forward machine-gun.

After the war Dad made a circular brass face for the clock, with black hands. It has pride of place on my mantelpiece, and keeps perfect time. It always reminds me of my Dad, my hero.

In the four years before his plane crash in West Africa Dad had packed in a great deal.In 1941 as an eighteen year-old good, loyal Antipodean he had left his widowed mother and siblings to sail from Auckland to the UK to join the Royal Navy.

In Portsmouth he passed an intensive course to be offered a commission as a

Part 2

By John McGregor

pilot in either the RAF or the Fleet Air Arm. Being a Navy man it was no contest. My father then fulfilled a promise to his NZ boyhood pal, to contact the mateís penfriend while in the UK. Dad did much more than requested, he married my mother in 1943 and my big sister was born the following year.

There being a war on, immediately after the birth Dad was posted to West Africa for the last two years of the war, where he was then demobbed straight back to New Zealand.

Following the end of the war, Mum and my sister joined Dad in Auckland. But through a combination of poor work prospects there and serious family illness in the UK they returned in 1948, I was born the following year. After various jobs, Dad eventually went back to fly in the Navy for four more successful years. The first ten years of my life were always on the move, I went to seven different schools and my big sister thirteen.

Am I my fatherís son? Cossetted in upbringing in comparison to my father and our predecessors, after a promising start to my adult life and with a young family and a good job I experienced a few difficult years in my early thirties.

An acrimonious and costly divorce left me with no capital, compounded with leaving the company I loved after eleven successful years, only to make a disastrous sideways career move. Alone in a scruffy flat, only seeing my children at weekends, unhappy in my work, drinking too much and with several thousand pounds of family debt hanging over me I was at a low ebb in my life. But what was my name?

Eventually I snapped out of my situation: this time I made a good career choice, stopped drinking, paid off my debts, and re-married. Subsequent years proved much happier and more productive. I am on very good terms with my two children today and have four lovely grandchildren.

Ruellia - wild petunia - terrific attractors for butterflies

Ruellia - commonly called wild petunia - is an easy to care for evergreen perennial shrub that is great for use as coverage and are terrific attractors for butterflies.

Ruellia flowers from mid-spring through the first frosts of autumn, with purple or blue funnel shaped blooms on low drooping branches with linear serrated leaves in a purple hue.

In an incredible echo of our great grandparentsíemigration from Scotland, over a century and a half later my own son took his wife and baby daughter to live in New Zealand in 2004. Lower wages in NZ and family illness meant that the young family returned to the UK after three years, wiser and much more experienced with life. My son displays his grandfatherís characteristics: mental strength, integrity, resourcefulness: he invites respect from others.

Dad tragically died in 1988, aged only sixty-six. He had retired, fit and healthy eighteen months earlier, with a richlydeserved period of his life to look forward to. Almost immediately, a growth in his cheek revealed throat cancer, a legacy of Naval pipe smoking. It was the beginning of the end.

Still demonstrating his customary mental and physical strength, between intense periods of debilitating radio and chemotherapy treatment Dad took Mum back to New Zealand for five months. Here he was re-united with his family and old friends he had not seen for forty years, before returning home to the UK to sadly lose the one battle he could not win.

The mark the man left on me was a responsibility for myself and to others, a self-reliance, a hugely practical commonsense attitude to life that Dad always displayed. There is still much to do to emulate my father, in truth an impossible task, but Iím trying - whatís my name? McGregor!

*Leslie Wylie McGregor, SEED OF A COUNTRY, 1988 , Privately Published

PS My Dadís personal account of his aircraft crash in the West African forest in 1944 and how he survived is too large for a newspaper article.

But if anyone would like to read it and see the pictures please contact me by e mail on mcgregorjaw@hotmail.co.uk

An ideal location for growing ruellia is with full sun exposure. Although ruellia flowers are highly adaptable and may do well in shade, expect fewer blooms, due to the lack of sunlight.

They appreciate regular water, but can withstand drought conditions.

You'll need to think about the location of ruellia plants, as it aggressively self sows and care should be taken to contain the plants, along with trimming rampant growth.

You can also propagate by seed, cuttings, or by root divisions.

However, due to its self-sowing, the plant makes an ideal container plant, serving to impede the rampant spread likely to occur when directly planted in the garden.

Match Results For 9 March 2nd Half Of Season Week 1

DIVISION 1

CC´s Bees6-6Mind the Gap

Hub Hyenas8-4El Capitan

Tipsy Toad Toppers7-5CC´s Flyers

DIVISION 2

Danny´s Bar7-5Fallen Angels

CK1 Lads8-4Leeson St Trotters

Milo´s6-6Freakie Taverners

DIVISION 3

Domino´s Desp11-1Hub Hellraisers

Pint Depot Queens3-9Ck1 Ladybirds

Angel Delights5-7Tipsy Toad Tiaras

League Tables

DIVISION 1 P Pts Legs

Hub Hyenas128

Tipsy Toad Toppers127

CC´S Bees116

Mind The Gap116

CC's Flyers105

El Capitan104

DIVISION1 P Pts Legs

Ck1 Lads128

Danny's Bar127

Freakie Taverners116

Milo´s116

Fallen Angels105

Leeson Street Trotters104

DIVISION 1 P Pts Legs

Domino's Desperados1211

Ck1 Ladybirds129

Tipsy Toad Tiaras127

Angel Delights105

Pint Depot Queens103

Hub Hellraisers101

MOST 180´S: Dave Rowlinson CC`s Bees x 5. THIS

WEEK: Paul Christopher CC´s Bees 2, Simon Bantleman CC´s Bees 2, Dave Rowlinson CC`s

Bees, Mark Ellis Hub Hyenas, James Brown Mind

The Gap, Gordon Cowan Mind The Gap, HIGHEST FINISH TO DATE: 154 - Mario Garcia -

Freakies. THIS WEEK: Gordon Cowan, Mind The Gap 130, T20-20-Bull, Fabian Alcaraz 120 - T20-20D20. James Brown Mind The Gap 122, 18-T18-Bull.

Dario Sierra Hub Hyenas 110 T20-18-D16. Hugh Galloway Tipsy Toppers 100, T20-D20. Ray Hayes Domino´s Desperados 95, T19-D19

DIVISION 1

C.C. BEES V MIND THE GAP

Back in December l tipped Bees an outside bet for the title and on this form don't ignore the advice. Early days of course, but 5 maximums from Bees and 2 from the current champions indicate a real battle ahead, the leagues 180 award budget blown apart.

Bees were ahead after the 3's, Dave Rowlinson

3x100,180 and D16, Reg Christopher 140, D8, Gap responding with a James Brown 140, 2x100 and a 69 out. ln the pairs Brown followed with a maxi and 46 out partner Gordon Cowan a D16 plus 3x100. Bees Paul Christopher wacked in 2x100, 2x180 and 2 outs in the 2nd pairs for 3-2. Rowlinson finished off the discipline with 2x100, 121 and a 77 out partner Liam Lumb 120, D16 for 4-2. Cowan 180 and a 130 out beat off the Bruce Admiral 140,125, 88 out challenge to take the 1st single, Christopher 2x125 taking the 2nd. Brown needed a 15 darter to see off Simon Bantlemans 2x180 for 5-4.

Rowlinson responded with 3x100,137 and a 70 out against Carlos Escansiano, now 6-4. The remaining 2 matches going the way of Gap via Che Liam 100,125,2x140 and Paul Moody nicking the draw on D16. Fantastic match. POTM - BantlemanCowan.

HUB HYENAS V EL CAPITAN

Hyenas ensured a result in the 1st half by taking 5 of the 6 available legs. Caps struggled to find their usual form, just a lone D8 from Arold Klimonis. Pete Spence 2x140, 3x100 and Yuri Mauric 100,123,140, excelling for Hyenas.

As expected Caps livened up in the 2nd half, sharing the 6 singles, but unable to claw back Hub's 1st half advantage.

Arold K. and Vycka Bobinas reduced Hub's lead to 5-3, Jay Wilkinson, then Mauric getting Hub over the line and 2 points.

Mark Ellis closed the match wanting D8 for a 13 darter, ending up needing a further 8. POTM - EllisBobinas.

TIPSY TOAD TOPPERS V C.C. FLYERS

56 tons or more in this belter, Toppers just reflecting, the overall score with 29 of the total. Paddy Winterbourne 100,D5 and Andy Rutter 135, with a 79 finish just outdoing a Matt Smith D2.

Rutter added 3 more tons and both doubles for a 31 advantage. Suso Madrid 2x100,140 and Andy Flavell reduced the score to 3-2, before Graham Solomans and John Rodford shared 5 tons or more, the latter finding D4, for a 4-2 lead.

Jesus Madrid and Smith levelled the score for Flyers, Suso 3x100,140 just edging out Solomans 2x100,2x140, now 4-5.

Lee Maiden took 2 of the 3 legs against Charles Pritchett for 5 apiece, Hugh Galloway got the better of Chelsea Campbell 2-1, the match poised at 6-5 with one to go.

Who better to have than John Rodford as the last man, just 2 legs required to take both points on D8. POTM - Rutter - Campbell.

Division 2

CK 1 LADS V LEESON ST. TROTTERS

Trotters Amanda Skinner was outstanding in the 1st half, 140,100, 2x80+ but alas the only player to find a double, D10. Lads Kevin Wood, 116,121, Steve M.Dalton 100,140, Les Adams 132,3x80+ and John Crabbe did the necessary damage for a 5-1 lead at the break.

Adams, despite 125,125,135 went down 0-2 to Kane Hickman finding D20 twice. Steve Mullen similarly losing out to Yvonne Rouffignac. M. Dalton found the T20 with ease winning 2-0 and taking his team to at least a draw. John Crabbe had the pleasure of the match winner, overcoming Skinner on D20 for both points. POTM - M. Dalton - A.Skinner.

Milos V Freakie Taverners

This one was all square at half time, the highlight a nice opening pairs from Javi de Gea 125,135 and partner Fabian who closed the 601 on T20,S20,D20 (120). The following pairs going the way of Freakies Bryan Livesy 81,100 and Ernie Willis outing on 79 (S19,S20,D20).

Milos went 5-3 up, courtesy of Samuel Edwards and de Gea both winning 2-0, Livesy reducing the deficit on a 82 out plus a 140. Raul Rocamora blitzed Mitch Halliday 2-0, the 2nd leg 100,140,D10, for 6-4. Noel Kenny made it 6-5 on D4 leaving Mrs reliable Sharon Frain to save the day in a 3 leg decider, winning the 12th leg on D2 for shared points. POTM - de Gea - Frain.

Dannys Bar V Fallen Angels

Shared honours in the 1st six legs, but cracking arrows from Dannys Steve Lumb 125,133,95 and Bob Smith 140,100, D14. From the Fallen ones Billy Dolling 2x100 and winning legs via Mike Tierney, Graham White and Joe Cuyt.

Simon Perryman 2x100,140 got the better of Tony Spiers 2x100 in a 3 leg 7th, Lesley Lumb 92,127 taking the score to 5-3, before POTM Dolling added 2 more tons in his 1-2 victory over Jean Randell. Bob Smith wrapped up the match with 125,100 and D8 for a narrow 7-5 result. POTM - RandellDolling.

Division 3 Angel Delights V Tipsy Toad Tiaras

Delightful Angel, Sue Frew (92, D5) got the Los Dolsians their opener, a wake up call for the Tiaras who proceeded to take the next 4 courtesy of Sue Hodgeson (98, D1), POTM Simone de Lacy (81, 2D2; 20-D10) and Elizabeth Cowan D3.

POTM Henni Oortwijn (83, D1) got things back for the home girls and Sue Frew another good finish 2D2 in her singles to whittle away at the Tiaras lead. Eliz Cowan struck again (92, 92, 81, D16) but Maria Ross (81, D9=) and Henni (80, D19) brought the scoreline to 5 apiece with 2 games to go.

Simone ensured at least a draw (86, 93, D8) and Tracey Simpson (98, D10) who would never be seen dead with a handbag, let alone a Tiara, did the dastardly for a close call win for the El Galanians.

Dominos Desp V Hub Hellraisers

A good start for Dominos, the match won after the 7th straight leg, Raisers Sue Spiers gaining the visitors sole leg, earning their POTM at the same time. Lesley Dolling their only 3 figure scorer with a ton. Kathy Wallbanks found D2 and both points for Despos, but it was Ray Hayes meriting POTM with 2 outs, one an excellent 95 (T19,D19). Not to be outdone Ash Panchal weighed in with a 140 and a 76 out. Graham Eagles and Steve Harding both with 2 game shots.

Pint Depot Queens V Ck 1 Ladybirds

Lorraine Cox again put in a good shift for Queens, plenty of scores and 2 winning legs for POTM, Marie Cummins taking the hosts 3rd leg. Queens registered more top scores than their opponents, but Birds found hitting the vital outs a little easier. Gina Woods found D2 in the 10th leg for both points, but it was Angie Mullen deservedly receiving Birds POTM with 4 winning legs.

South South Alic Alicante Winter Ante Winter Triples Triples

QUESADABOWLS CLUB - Steve Hibberd

Skinner, PFarrell, G Skinner 23-17. P Bottle, D Conlon, ALinley 26-5.

WEEK

18 - FIN WEEK 18 - FINAL LE AL LEAAGUE GUE T TAABLES BLES

ENTERPRISE DIVISION ENTERPRISE DIVISION

Vistabella Albatrosses 82 (10)Emerald Isle Titans 66 (2)

La Siesta Apollos 71 (5)Country Bowls Flamingos 94 (7)

San Luis Klingons 88 (6) La Marina Pathfinders 75 (6)

Greenlands Maples 87 (6)Quesada Pearls 85 (6)

P P W W D D L L Dif Dif ff Pts Pts

Vistabella Albatrosses1649229241124

Greenlands Maples *1647231180118

Quesada Pearls 1643136213109

Emerald Isle Titans163953637101

San Miguel Dolphins16381414693

Country Bowls Flamingos 1636539-391

San Luis Klingons * * 16372412285

La Marina Pathfinders *1631346-35167

La Siesta Apollos 1629150-38567

* 2) deducted forfailing to field a full side

** 5) deducted forfailing to field full sides

DISCOVERY DIVISION DISCOVERY DIVISION

La Marina Explorers 96 (10)San Miguel Orcas 80 (2)

La Siesta Pioneers 81 (6)Country Bowls Seahawks 99 (6)

Vistabella Drivers 60 (2)Greenlands Chestnuts 88 (10)

Quesada Diamonds 114 (10)El Rancho Pintos 59 (2) P P W W

La Marina Explorers 164513471113

Quesada Diamonds*1647231125112

Greenlands Chestnuts1643037111106

Emerald Isle Neptunes*164113810299

Country Bowls Seahawks16401395999

Vistabella Drivers *16403375399

San Miguel Orcas*16363411387

La Siesta Pioneers1637043-21182

El Rancho Pintos1624353-32359

* 2) deducted forfailing to field a full side

Voyager Division Voyager Division

Monte MarMatadors 127 (10)Emerald Isle Moonrakers 61 (2)

Greenlands Beech 63 (6)Quesada Rubies 79 (6)

La Siesta Sputniks 90 (8)San Miguel Stingrays 71 (4)

Vistabella Eagles 86 (7)San Luis Trekkers 86 (5)

P P W W D D L L Dif Dif ff Pts Pts

Quesada Rubies1445322324117

Monte MarMatadors1439526231103

San Luis Trekkers1439130162100

Greenlands Beech *1435134-3885

Vistabella Eagles *1433433-3683

La Siesta Sputnicks1428339-21967

Em Isle Moonrakers #1426539-201 58

San Miguel Stingrays **1423245-22347

* 2) deducted forfailing to field a full side

** 5) deducted forfailing to field a full side on 2 Occasions # 3) deducted forreporting infringements

Emerald Isle Bowls

The Titans began the week at Vistabella Albatross and the home won the game 2-10, Aggregate 66-82, AM Gerrard S

Marks R Marks 18-9

Claymores played at San Miguel Navajos and lost 0-12

Aggregate of 43-119

Outlaws played at San Miguel Commanchos and were beaten 2-10 Aggregate of 61-90 J Forest C Selby C Wren17-15

22/23 HONOURS BOARD

Menís Singles - Drew Gerrard, Ladies Singles Mary Dyer

Menís Pairs - Julian Pering & Russell Marks,

Ladies Pairs - Sabrina Marks & Mary Dyer

Mixed Pairs - Sabrina Marks & Russell Marks

Mixed Trips - AM Gerrard, Drew Gerrard & Colin Lindgren

Mixed Rinks - David Jones, Mike Veale, Noel Davis, Mary Dyer

Luke Burke - Norman Prior

ELWYN MORRIS

The final week of the season proved highly successful for the boys and girls in blue and white. First off, in their Monday South Alicante league match, Pearls secured 3rd place in div 1, by earning a 6-6 draw at Greenlands. Against Maples, these 3 rinks did the biz - G Phillips, M France, Jason P

19-14. TMorgan, C Highland, PMorgan 2520. M Highland, C Dye, M Ward 19-13.

Although Diamonds beat El Rancho Pintos 10-2 at QBC, they were just deprived of the 2nd div championship by 1 point. Well done - K Gordon, D Collings, TVoisey 26-9. G Kershaw, C & K Lowry 30-10. C

Last Wednesday, M Sumner & M Ward beat D Collings & AReid, to win the club non c of c, handicap pairs event.

Finally, on Friday, Swallows were confirmed champions of Southern league div A, when they were victorious over Greenlands Cedars. On a sun soaked day at QBC, these 5 sets of trips recorded a scoreline of 11-1B Trinder, D Conlon, K Lowry 34-8. M & C Highland, PMorgan 16-16. G Carnell, V Campbell, F Roberts 19-12. TMorgan, C Dye, M Ward 17-14. G Phillips, M France, Jason P34-14. Swans had a bye in their div 2 match, but were anxiously awaiting scores from San Miguel, which would determine whether they were div B champions or not. Swifts had an afternoon match, and as I had to shoot off for a flight from Alicante, I was unable to include their scores in this report. So, make sure you pick up a copy of next weeks Leader, when all will be revealed.