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Greenock Academicals’Club Annual Newsletter 2007
I encourage you to contact one of the above regarding information on any matters relating to Greenock Academicals. SPORTING EVENTS 2006 was a mixed year for the Accies’ sporting events, a summary of which is set out below: Golf: Douglas Rae Quaich (Ladies v. Gents) This event, which was scheduled to be played in August last year, had to be called off on the day, due to inclement weather. We are hoping it will be played this year possibly earlier in the season. Any interested players should contact Gordon McTavish. Pottie Trophy: 28th August 2006 Winner: Neil Cook Wooden Spoon: Gordon McTavish Better than normal numbers turned up at Greenock Golf Club on Monday 28 August 2006 and for once the sun was shining. There was an enormous struggle to see who would ultimately secure the magnificent Pottie Trophy and the well deserved winner on the day was Neil Cook. At the other end of the scale, there was a battle royale to steer clear of the ignominy of securing the title of wooden spoonist, and after the scores had been collated the winner of this was Haggis who managed to wrest it from the hands of former spoonist Arthur Montford !! Our thanks to Greenock Golf Club for their hospitality on the day and we look forward to holding the event at the same time in 2007 i.e. last Monday in August. It should also be noted once again that the club is indebted to Douglas Rae and Arthur Montford, not only for their time and effort in ensuring that this event went ahead successfully but also for their extremely kind donations in respect of all the prizes. Thanks Douglas and Arthur.
Jubilee Cup (Accies v. School) Sadly, we were unable to obtain dates that suited both school and club, but we are hopeful that this event will take place this year. August may prove to be an easier time for the school and we will try to find a mutually acceptable date. Any interested players should contact Gordon McTavish. Fishing: The Lost Broch Fathers day 2006 saw The Accies take on Dunrod Angling club in the annual “Lost Broch” trophy held at Loch Gryfe. The weather was slightly inclement early on but improved over time. A reasonable turnout of Accies and Dunrod members were present and, as usual, the keen anglers were off and running at noon. This allowed the more relaxed of us to take shelter in a newly acquired Gazebo provided by an Accie member. The Dunrod van doubled as the official “refreshment” area and you can be assured that this was well populated throughout the day. Mid afternoon saw the arrival of a real live “Haggis” which to everyone’s astonishment equipped itself rather well on the casting front before quietly slipping away to its nest in the bush! Around the same time all participants congregated at the feeding station where the fare on offer was hailed a fine success. (Finely cooked steaks, a variety of veg & the obligatory vino). By the “weigh in” it became apparent that, once again Dunrod were showing their experience by outclassing the Accies on all fronts (including dress sense) and a fine total of “Brownies” was recorded. The actual figures remain a closely guarded secret, primarily to avoid public embarrassment of the Accies’ team. The trophy was duly presented to the President of Dunrod who thanked us for hosting the day A big thank you must be extended to Dunrod for allowing the use of their water for the day. The 2007 Lost Broch takes place this year on June 17th (to be confirmed on web-site) at Loch Gryfe and all Accies are welcome. Equipment can be provided if you do not have your own and you can be assured of an excellent day out. If you are interested please contact Ronnie Peterson on 07785 250072.
Curling: The annual challenge for the McKenzie Shield was held in December at the Greenock Waterfront. Unfortunately the report on this is not available for this Newsletter. However we hope to post it on the web-site shortly. In 2007 it is hoped that we may be able to field a mixed team against Ardgowan. Hockey Sadly, the annual ladies Accis v Schoolgirls hockey match will not be played this year. Greenock Morton have monopolised the astro turf at the Battery Park this season, leaving the school with nowhere locally to train a team or play any matches. The club and the school are hopeful that this fixture can be re-instated in the future. Tennis No date has been set for this year’s tennis match (Ladies v Schoolgirls) at Ardgowan Club, but we are hoping that this will take place in September sometime. Any ladies wishing to play should contact Sheena, Tel. 785533 as soon as possible. Well done to all organisers and participants for such successful outcomes. Let’s hope these can be equalled or bettered in 2007. The usual sporting events will take place over the summer months, details of which will be shown on our website www.theaccies.co.uk. Members wishing to participate in any of these events should contact the event organisers:
Golf - Gordon McTavish Fishing - Ronnie Peterson Curling - Roger Hardie Tennis - Sheena McTavish Hockey - Sheena McTavish
FORTHCOMING EVENTS BOYS’ANNUAL DINNER 2007: Our first major event in 2007 will be the Boys’ Annual Dinner to be held on Friday 13th April in the Tontine Hotel, Greenock. Our Guest Speaker will be Tony Judd and Syd House will propose the Toast to School and Club. It promises to be a very good evening and I hope that you will come along to enjoy meeting old friends again and joining in the fellowship which the Club provides to all its members and friends. Tickets at £25 each can be obtained from the following: Gordon McTavish, Jamie Walker, Ali Dunnet, Ian McCrorie, John McDougall and Hugh Currie. GIRLS’ DINNERS The Ladies Dinner will be held in the Tontine Hotel, Union Street, Greenock on Friday 5th October 2007 at 7.30 p.m. and as there will be no AGM prior to the dinner this year we felt the time was right for a little change. We have decided therefore to dispense with a speaker this year and instead, have a less formal dinner with an excellent jazz band from the school to supply some entertainment after the meal. This also means there will be more time after the meal to circulate and do what we girls do best ….talk!!! We look forward to another good turnout to our dinner and would ask you to complete and return the Ticket Application Form at the end of the newsletter by 14th September 2007. As usual, if you wish to be seated at a table with others, please list their names and we will try to accommodate you. The 2006 AGM and Dinner was held on Friday 6 October 2006 at the Tontine Hotel, Greenock. This was our last GAGC AGM/Dinner and it was very appropriate that our speaker was Mr. Allan MacDougall, former Rector of Greenock Academy. Allan received a very warm welcome and gave us an entertaining insight into the life of a “Heidie”, not only at the Academy but also at his former schools as well. As ever, he charmed young and old alike and closed the evening with a nostalgic rendition of “Will Ye Go Lassie, Go”. We were delighted to have a large 6th year presence at the dinner and hope that they enjoyed themselves enough to join us again this year. GIRLS’ SPRING MEETING Our spring meeting, on Friday 18th 2007 at 7.30 p.m. is an “Antiques Road Show” so now is the time to dig out the family heirlooms and bring them along to be valued. There may be a fortune sitting in the cupboard or tucked away at the back of the drawer! Brian Clements of McTear’s will be available to value any items over the course of the evening but can we ask that the items be of a reasonable size – we cannot accommodate grant pianos or grandfather clocks – and that each person brings only one item to be valued !!! Our normal venue, Greenock Wanderers, is unavailable but The Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club, Esplanade is very kindly allowing us to use their facilities for the evening. Tickets are £8.00 (same price as last year, which includes a finger buffet supper supplied by Olives & Thingz) and are available from the lady committee members. Members and friends are welcome, but numbers are limited, so tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
SUMMER CRUISE It is hoped to hold a cruise this summer and details of this will be posted on the web-site shortly. AGM The AGM will be held on 8 December, 2007. Again details will be posted on the web-site nearer the time
GREENOCK ACADEMY MERGER WITH GOUROCK HIGH SCHOOL Peter Peacock, the Minister for Education, has now ruled that the merger between Greenock Academy and Gourock High School will take place. A new school will be built within the next 5 – 8 years on the Bayhill site in Gourock presently occupied by St. Columbas High School. There is no reason why the traditions of both schools should not be carried forward nor why a stronger FP Club should not emerge as a result
OLD GIRLS AND OLD BOYS CLUB MERGER Discussions took place last year between the Old Girls and the Old Boys to merge the two clubs. There were historical reasons why the Clubs developed separately but these are not as valid as they once were and I am delighted to report that the merger took place in October 2006. As a result a joint administration of Greenock Academy’s former pupil clubs has been established. The same events will be held as usual, with there being some additional joint events. The main difference will be that all administrative functions are now carried out by the Joint Committee. The President of the Club will alternate between an Old Girl and Old Boy every two years. I feel very honoured to have been elected first President of the merged Club and I will hand over to Sheena McTavish, my Vice-President in October, 2008. The new Committee has met three times already and a new Constitution has been created. It can be viewed on our web-site. WORK EXPERIENCE The School is keen to hear from any Former Pupils or friends who are able to provide work experience for fourth year pupils for one week, usually in February each year. This is an area where the FPs can really assist the School and I would strongly urge you to support this initiative. Please contact the Rector, Mrs. Moira McColl, on (01475) 715050 in the first instance for more information, if you are able to assist. GA150 BURSARIES Thanks to the generosity of those who attended GA150 celebrations in 2005 two bursaries of £500 each have been established to assist pupils wishing to progress onto further education. The first awards were made to Emma Boffey and Stuart Smith in summer 2006 and two further awards will be made this summer. ACCIES ON THE WEB: The Accies’ web site is now fully operational – www.theaccies.co.uk – so if you have time, log on for news of forthcoming events. GA MEMBERSHIP: If you know of any former Greenock Accies who wish to join the Club, please contact Jamie Walker through jamiewalker@theaccies.co.uk with details. Life Membership is only £10. Future Newsletters Due to the steep rise in postal charges, the committee has been forced to address the viability of posting the annual newsletter to all members. Should you wish to continue receiving the newsletter by post, we ask that you advise the Secretary and we will happily do so. Should you not advise the Secretary that you wish the current practice to continue, all future newsletters will be sent by e-mail. The newsletter is also available to view on our web site. Should you change your contact details, change your e-mail address or wish to advise us of your new e-mail details, please contact Jamie Walker through jamiewalker@theaccies.co.uk I will look forward to welcoming you to the first of our events of 2007 which is The Boys’ Annual Dinner to be held on Friday, 13th April, 2007 in the Tontine Hotel at 6.45 for 7.30 pm. Tickets are available from any of the male Committee Members at £25 each.
Your support will be most appreciated at this and all other events throughout the year. Yours sincerely,
Hugh Currie
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