REGIONAL · PDF fileREGIONAL DOLLAR ACADEMY CLUBS ... Mark Plummer [email protected] 0061 404 467 924 ... [email protected]. 3 Fortunas 32

Fortunas 32December 2013

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REGIONAL DOLLAR ACADEMY CLUBS

DATA PROTECTIONDollar Academy sends out copies of Fortunas and its enclosures in envelopes addressed to former pupils, former staff of the Academy and parents of current pupils. As such, recipients’ names and addresses are stored in our database. Any recipient who does not wish to receive a copy of Fortunas is asked to inform the Academy by email: [email protected]. Similarly, in order that we may keep our data as accurate as possible, you are asked to inform us of any change of address.

CONSULS

AustraliaSydneyJill Westwater [email protected] 404 400 554

MelbourneMark [email protected] 404 467 924

Canada Bruce Buck [email protected] 905 468 1512

ChinaBeijingMalcolm [email protected] 1391 0075 452

Hong KongEric Chan [email protected]

USACaliforniaMohammad [email protected] 710 8438

Arizona Wendy [email protected] 284 8244/001 480 389 8692

DOLLARMrs Sally Sutcliffe (née Reeves)12 Princes Crescent NorthDOLLARFK14 [email protected]

DOLLAR ACADEMICALSMr Iain MearsThe Cottage5 Chapel PlaceDOLLAR FK14 [email protected]

EDINBURGHMrs Fiona Frazer15 Cammo CrescentEDINBURGHEH4 [email protected]

NORTH OF ENGLANDMrs Deirdre BuchananOne OakHallgarthPICKERINGNorth YorkshireYO18 [email protected]

GLASGOWMr Will Gibson7a Briarwell RoadMilngavieGLASGOWG62 [email protected]

HIGHLANDMr Colin Milne28 Tillybrake GardensBANCHORYAB31 [email protected]

LONDONMrs Elizabeth C Heath3 Redhill Close SOUTHAMPTONHampshireSO16 [email protected]

NORTH OF SCOTLANDDr Andrew A BurtCantlebraePitgoberDOLLARFK14 [email protected]

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CONTENTS page

From the Rector 4Sponsored Walk 2013 6

Around the Houses – Boarding at Dollar 10

Dollar Bids Farewell… 13

Dollar Welcomes… 18Six Talk the Top Six 20

Along the Corridors – News from the Classrooms 22Prep School News 22Junior School News 28Beauty and the Beast – the Junior School Musical 28

Art & Literature 34

Expressive Arts 40Footloose – the Senior School Musical 40

Learning sans frontières – Dollar Pupils Venture Forth 43

After the Bell – Co-curricular News 55Charities 55Combined Cadet Force 59Focus on Royal Navy 66

Sport 70Cricket 76Sports Weekend 83Belfast Hockey Tour 86Special Feature – The Dollar Lions 89

FP Forum 93FP News 93Obituaries 105From the Archives 112

Editor: Heather [email protected]

Design: Peter [email protected]

Registrar: Elaine [email protected]

Archivist: Janet [email protected]

Proof readers: David Delaney, Jane Greenlee, Lesley Jeffrey, Mairi Leggatt, Heather Lumsden, Billy Prior

The opinions expressed in this magazine belong to the individual writers and not to Dollar Academy.

Fortunas 33Many thanks to everyone who has contributed articles or images to Fortunas 32; the deadline for submission of articles for the summer issue is Monday 21st April 2014.


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FROM THE RECTOR

If you flick through the following pages at a rapid rate of knots, you will quickly realise from the photographs that a huge part of a Dollar education is spent outside the classroom. Some outstanding achievements are recorded in this magazine: a second Ashburton Trophy for the shooting team at Bisley (Dollar being the only Scottish school to win this event in the last 50 years); the excitement of becoming joint HMC Scottish Schools T20 Cricket Champions; and CCF cadet success in both the Scottish Military Skills and National First Aid competitions.

Success is easy to measure in open competition, but those who enjoyed the flamboyance of our two wonderful musicals last summer (Footloose and Beauty and the Beast), or who experienced the inter-generational wonder that is the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, would surely avow that these occasions were no less impressive.

In many ways, however, it could be argued that the most special event of all is the Sponsored Walk. It is a rare thing, a genuinely whole school activity whose raison d’être is to help others. I enjoyed looking at the photographs of “The Walk” in this magazine and being reminded of the event. I also enjoyed some of the comments of the pupils.

Cecily Douglas, in Prep 4, wrote “The whole school was very tired that night. We all did this walk because we wanted to help other people by raising money for charities. I was very happy that I had raised some money for the Malindi Project and I was proud that I had walked a long way.” Quite right Cecily.

Additionally, I noted with interest the closing lines of the two poems written by Junior 1 pupils: “We have raised £52695, For our charities!” I liked the enthusiasm conveyed by the exclamation mark (yes, punctuation is important!) but what really caught my eye was the phrase “our charities”. That sense of community symbolises everything that is best about Dollar and I think, when you have finished flicking through the photographs and have found the time to sit down and enjoy reading Fortunas 32, you will see what I mean.

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sponsored walk...

Tension growing,

Last preparations,

Bursting out with excitement,

Finally we’re away,

Strolling along Academy Place,

And up the Burnside,

River flowing,

Up the Mill Green,

Wave to Mrs Gibson,

And away we go,

Steaming up Castle Road,

Steep and hard,

Hillfoot Hill on the right,

Past Maiden’s Well,

And through Glenquey Reservoir,

Shoes getting muddy,

Along we go,

Past Burnfoot,

To Glendevon,

At the lunch field,

Danny’s snacks going,

Scoffing our lunch,

Pictures by the teachers,

Do it all over again,

Starts off hard,

With a big hill,

The rest is easy,

I can’t believe it,

We’ve made it,

OMG,

We have raised £52695,

For our charities!

Arrive at the Junior School,

Excitement,

Buzzing like bees,

8:50 the bell rings,

Rushing into class,

Ready to start,

The walk begins,

Up the Burnside,

Past the Mill Green,

And away we go,

Up the steep path,

Passing the seniors,

Getting tired,

Out of puff,

6 miles to go,

Over the mini bridge,

Feet getting sore,

Through Maiden’s Well,

Say “hello” to the sheep,

And through the big gates,

The path is getting narrow,

And steep,

Danny’s snacks,

Are in sight,

We finally get there,

The lunch field,

Slightly damp,

But we’re still having fun,

We are halfway to our goal,

But we don’t mind,

As long as it’s for charity,

And we have raised,

£52 695,

For our six charities!!

Gabriella Forbes and Zara Kennedy (J1M)

Max Dixon and Ben Clarke (J1M)


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sponsored walk...


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ARGYLL HOUSE

For many pupils, the start of one new school year is much the same as any other. For boarders, it is different, as returning for another year in the House is both familiar and completely different at the same time. With 10 new faces joining Argyll this year, there were a lot of new names to remember, room plans to get used to, and people to get to know. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me, but for some of the newer returning boarders and also all our brand-new girls, these were a daunting few days. Those first few days at school always fly by, and before we knew it we had the weekend ahead of us. Surrounded by those new faces, it was an exciting prospect. On Sunday morning the girls took part in what has over many years now become a House tradition - the Treasure Hunt round the school grounds. This gave us a fun morning to get to know each other and, for some, the school grounds a little better! That afternoon Mr and Mrs Welsh had arranged for a great trip through to Glasgow to help the girls who were not only new to the school, but also to Scotland to get a feel for the place. (An opportunity for the slightly more forgetful amongst us to pick up those last-minute school supplies or essentials for boarding life that had slipped our minds before!) After a trip round the shops, we had dinner at a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, which had been a popular choice last year. Thankfully it didn’t disappoint. The food was excellent, and the spectacle of the chef cooking on one of many large hot plates in front of us proved as exciting as always. I can’t wait to see what the year brings and to get to know everyone in Argyll much better, and I know everyone else is looking forward to the year ahead as much as I am.

GHOSTLY GOINGS-ON IN ARGYLL!

On the afternoon of 3rd November, albeit slightly late, Argyll House participated in the traditional, and very popular, Halloween party. There were some impressive and truly terrifying costumes on show as everyone really got into the spirit of the event. Classic party games such as ‘wrap the mummy’ and ‘musical statues’ were met with much enthusiasm (despite most of the girls being seniors!). After this, a treasure hunt upstairs saw a number of the older girls lying in wait for the groups. Much as some may deny it, the screams were very real, and Mr Welsh’s costume in particular could figure in many nightmares. Finally, the favourite part for the organisers - the ‘Haunted Dungeon’ which involved a series of messy challenges for the groups to complete. These ranged from the standard dookin’ for apples, to having your face pushed into flour and jelly, and to eating doughnuts whilst being covered in ice-cream sauce. Overall, the challenges and indeed the whole party were met with great enthusiasm (and bravery!) – another thoroughly successful Argyll event.

Lucy Taylor (Head of House, Form VI)Xinyi He (Deputy Head of House, Form V)

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HEYWORTH HOUSE

There are lots of things I could write about life in Heyworth. It’s a great, happy House filled with lovely people, and I think the only way to get a real feeling for the House is through the characters in it. Rather than writing a fairly lengthy and potentially repetitive description of each individual, we thought it would be more fun to liken everyone to a Disney character!

First we have Jess, our Head of House – the beautiful Tinker Bell of course! Then we have our Deputy Heads, Anya the Fairy Godmother, and Lisa – Rabbit! There is brave princess Merida, the sporty and

The boarding community extends special thanks to Mary Stenhouse who retired in July 2013. Mary worked as an assistant in the boarding houses for 39 years and is herself a Former Pupil of the Academy. Her working life started at Parkfield, a boys’ house, and continued there when it became a girls’ house, Heyworth. She was a popular member of staff and will be hugely missed by pupils and colleagues. All in Heyworth House would like to wish her a happy retirement and the very best for the future.

independent Katie; Bethany is our version of Hannah Montana, and Anna is Sebastian the Crab from The Little Memaid. Rachael is naturally Winnie the Poo, because if she’s not sleeping, she’s eating! Next up, Kathleen’s beautiful voice makes her Lumière, the singing candlestick; Louise is the Disney Channel’s Emma Ross; Lindsay is Stitch and Marta is Geppetto, lovable and wise. Clearly, Elena is Spirit, the stallion; Isadora is Phineas to Adelina’s Ferb and Helen is Piglet. Sherry and Elena are Abigail and Amelia from the Aristocats as they are inseparable. Finally, Megan is Heyworth’s Genie, Meg’s fighting spirit makes her Mulan, Daniela is Perry the Platypus, and then Ellie, the

newbie, is our Alice in Wonderland, because that’s what she must feel like, surrounded by all these crazy people!

And not forgetting our House Parents, Mr and Mrs Duncan - suitably Mr and Mrs Incredible, with Finnlay as Dash and Hannes as Jack-Jack!

That’s Heyworth House this year – what would Walt make of us all?!?

Alice Thomson (Form III)

around the houses...


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around the houses...

McNABB & TAIT HOUSE

The first weeks of any session is all about bringing new boys into the House, making them feel welcome while making sure you build on the good work of the previous year. A positive, enthusiastic esprit de corps is the key to a happy House. This last term has been no different, and it has been heartening to see just how quickly our numerous new arrivals were assimilated into the welcoming atmosphere of McNabb & Tait. Although our boys are drawn from the four corners of the globe, the one activity that can bring them all together is the pursuit of, what is for them, a rather bizarrely-shaped ball around the muddiest corner of the school grounds. This year we possibly have more boys playing rugby through all the age ranges than ever before, and the commitment, specifically, of some of the senior boys to the 2nd XV has been most worthy of note. There are times when the temptation has been to rename it the Boarders XV. Away from the sporting field, there have been excellent boarding outings to the International Climbing Centre at Ratho and a first-class Ghost Walk through the underground vaults of Edinburgh’s Old Town, where many boys had to face, head on, their refusal to believe in the spirit world. Closer to home, the boys have also enjoyed the old favourites of Sunday afternoon trips to the Olympia swimming pool in

Dundee and Laserquesting in Falkirk - some things never change. This term also saw the wonderful Sponsored Walk take the whole school into the Ochils on what was, mercifully, a dry Friday. All our boys enjoyed the chance to get their walking books on – sometimes alongside some rather fetching headgear or unconventional attire – and face down the challenge set by the 13 miles. All agreed that it was a well-spent Friday, and one that raised a significant amount of money for all the charities concerned.

Neil McFadyean

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ELAN BORROWMAN

An extraordinary sportswoman who is modest about her achievements; an outstanding and very patient coach; a committed proponent of school sport – hockey, golf, swimming . . . ; a devoted Head of Year; an excellent organiser of PSE; a respected authority on guidance matters on a national level; and, most importantly, an inspiring teacher. These were some of the descriptions applied to Elan by the Rector in his farewell speech when she retired after 22 years of dedicated service to Dollar Academy. I would not disagree with any of them, but perhaps above all I have always admired something else about Elan - her style: her great jewellery, chic clothes, enviable sports car. . . She is the perfect example of the teacher who worked for her pupils with selfless dedication inside and outside the classroom, always there when she was needed, and who still did not ever compromise her faultless eye make-up. Impressive.

Hailing from Dunfermline where she excelled at school, especially in sporting pursuits, Elan trained at PE College in Edinburgh and went on to teach in a number of schools before arriving at Dollar as a PE specialist in 1991. Even then, her reputation went before her. “Oh you’re going to Dollar,” said a colleague at Stewart’s Melville when I was about to make the move north from the big city, “that’s Elan Borrowman’s school. [Note the use of the possessive . . .] You’ll like her.” I did – from the start. One of my earliest memories of Elan is of my first Burns Supper when she sang ‘Philip is My Darling’ to a delighted Deputy Head Boy (and kept her job). That’s style.

Of course, all the pupils were her darlings. From little Prep 1 swimmers, trying - successfully - to please her by taking their first tentative strokes in the pool, to Form VI lads, trying - unsuccessfully - to persuade her that they should be allowed out of timetabled class to complete UCAS forms, Elan loved

and cared for them all. As a Head of Year, she was outstanding. She knew every pupil in her year group personally and many young people have cause to thank her for her support and care over the years. She also made PSE fun – and was even more entertaining in the staffroom when recounting hilarious moments of misunderstanding in her classes, none of which I will repeat here, as I could not do justice to Elan’s abilities as a raconteur and to the impact of her uproarious laugh. Elan, the Heads of Year base is a quieter place now. Your Guidance colleagues all fully expect, however, that you will arrive some day after school with the cocktail shaker and glasses that we gave you as a farewell present (what else?) and insist that we sample some of the contents . . .

Elan’s roles as a Head of Year and PSE Co-ordinator came later and these are the ones in which I knew her best, but her earlier accomplishments in sport, especially hockey, are breathtaking. Asked by the Rector at the Rugby and Hockey

Tea last spring how many times she had been capped for Scotland for hockey, she said vaguely, “Oh, a few.” The answer was actually 57, plus some GB caps as well – more caps than our own John Barclay has (to date) for rugby, and about the same as current Scotland rugby captain Kelly Brown. Rather more than ‘a few’ then. Again, style.

Elan’s husband, David, was a Dollar Former Pupil, and her three children, Lyndsey-Anne, Suzanne and Scott, all attended Dollar – so they have always been and still are a real Dollar family. It was, therefore, no surprise that both girls chose the school as a wedding venue. And now, of course, Elan has a beautiful grand-daughter, Murrin. I even hear on the grapevine that she intends to change her Spyder sports car for something more practical in order to be able to accommodate baby paraphernalia. You may lose the wheels, Elan, but the style? Never.

We miss you and wish you every success in the multi-coloured years that lie ahead.

Lesley Hutchison

dollar bids farewell...


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MAUREEN PENNIE

Maureen joined the staff at Dollar in August 2003, bringing with her a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher of Mathematics. She quickly established herself as a key member of the Department and gained a reputation for setting the highest of standards in her classroom – failure was not an option for pupils in Mrs Pennie’s classes! With her impeccable organisation, she naturally became the guardian of the Department’s resources and would always be able to locate that treasured worksheet or puzzle from years ago. Her interest in departmental development and encouraging pupils to enjoy recreational mathematics was evident in the Games and Puzzles Club, which she established and ran for Form I and II pupils. Her weekly puzzles have, I am sure, kept countless pupils (and a few staff, too) thinking. She used all of her skills in her role as the treasurer of DATA, not just keeping Richard Johnston right, but dealing with lots of ‘behind the scenes’ detail that kept the organisation running.

We will remember Maureen for many things, not least for making that long (and sometimes dangerous) commute from Crieff to Dollar. The fact that she made it in to work on some of our worst weather days was again testament to her determination to do her best for Dollar Academy. We will remember her telling us tales of how she had spent the weekends and holidays transporting bikes, canoes, Scamp the dog, and her daughter Fiona (a professional canoeist of international standing) to far-flung corners of the UK and beyond. We will remember Maureen for many things, but at the foremost, we will remember her for her dedication, commitment and her devotion to the pupils in her care – she always put the pupils first.

We will miss her, but we wish her and her husband Nigel all the very best in their retirement together. We hope that she now finds some time to devote to herself.

Jason Brooks

ROB MOFFAT

Mr Rob Moffat was with us for only two years, but it has to be said that there can be few people who have ever made such an impact at Dollar Academy in such a short space of time. He arrived after a very successful career in professional rugby, having previously been Head of Physical Education at Earlston High School in his beloved Borders.

He immediately threw himself into Dollar life, and from coaching the 1st XV and a range of younger rugby teams and individuals, to teaching Prep 1s in the swimming pool, his incredible enthusiasm and ability to motivate both pupils and staff soon became the hallmarks of everything he was involved in. He was an energetic, if rather cumbersome MC at Christmas Dances, with his efforts at that Dollar anthem ‘YMCA’ destined for legendary status. He spoke with genuine wit and charm at the Burns Supper, and regularly gave up his own time to help pupils and to take extra practices in a variety of sports and activities.

Clearly it would be a huge understatement to say that it was merely our rugby players who have benefited from Rob’s experience and expertise. Every single pupil knew him, respected him, and enjoyed being taught by him. Every member of staff respected him for his achievements and his warm, courteous character. There is no doubt that the regular cries of ‘boom!’ which resonated around the school grounds wherever he went will be missed by all.

We all wish him success in his new post as Director of Rugby at Merchiston Castle School, but at the same time hope that he loses at least one match each year!

Steve Newton

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ELSPETH AND SAM

If anyone were to ask me what makes a great teacher of Art and Design, and, I should point out immediately that no one is actually likely to turn round the corner, bump into me and consult me on this matter, but if they did, I would tell them that they would learn a lot, as I have, from the multifaceted brilliance of Elspeth Scott and Sam Kennedy. To lose both in the same year, as we did last session, was a double blow from which we are now happily recovering. Both teachers have had such a significant influence on all around them and they leave an enduring legacy on a group of pupils, colleagues and former pupils who have been inspired by their presence.

So what is so great about these two teachers? First, they are superbly talented and imaginative artists in their own right: the fluency and skill of their drawing, their appreciation of new and innovative ideas, the depth of their insights into the subject and the constant flow of creative work that shone out of their classrooms are underpinned by their talent. The wave of invention and interest that affected their classes is the result of hours of preparation and forethought; I often saw the lights in their rooms long after school finished and admired their passion and commitment to the subject and

to their pupils. They have always been keen to get involved in every aspect of the life of the Department and they enhanced departmental events, photography trips and the many exhibitions, pizza nights, trips to Paris, Berlin, Madrid and London. They also brought so much to these occasions: who will forget the rapping, the poetry and outfits for last nights of trips? Elspeth and Sam have made a great impact on the Department, yet for all this achievement, and they both have a record of quite remarkable results, they are delightfully modest, open, obliging and self-critical. It is from that combination of restless innovation, willingness to get involved and hard work, together with a calmness and self-effacing charm that we can all learn. I would love to have been taught by Elspeth Scott and Sam Kennedy and it has been a delight to have had them working at Dollar at the same time.

Elspeth Scott joined the Department in 2006 from the PGCE course at the University of Hertfordshire. She is a Fine Art graduate of Edinburgh College of Art. When Elspeth arrived, I soon found that she was a completely natural teacher: bright, lively, and serious. She has the ability

to explain things with a clarity and succinctness: a natural talent that comes from a true communicator. She has a host of artistic interests and gifts and always a desire to expand the scope of her knowledge. I will remember her as a technically gifted painter with a deep understanding of the history of art, who passed on her skill like a Renaissance master. She was also a greatly respected Form teacher, House tutor and famously, more famously than she would like, she took a lunchtime class in belly dancing and once, to the utter astonishment and delight of all those present, performed in a Berlin Turkish Restaurant. She was also an outstandingly thoughtful, reliable, diplomatic and calm editor of Fortunas (- a very hard act to follow! Editor)

Elspeth’s husband, Phil, has taken a new position and, together with their son, James, who is blessed with his parents’ charm and good nature, they have moved from Edinburgh to Huntly. So many of us have a great affection for Elspeth. I remember talking to a group of pupils, who were thinking of taking Art, about the joys of the new Intermediate 2. At the end of what I thought was an informative and thorough review of the course,

dollar bids farewell...


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FRASER JACKSON

Fraser joined the Music Department in 2010 as a sound engineer and guitar teacher. We had just started teaching new SQA Music Technology courses, and Fraser brought his considerable expertise and experience to this new developing area. I was immediately impressed by his calm demeanour and the patience he demonstrated with members of staff who were clearly frustrated and exasperated with the existing technologies. Much to my relief, Fraser started solving problems quickly and efficiently, and staff became quite inspired about what technology could bring to their lessons.

I was not only impressed with how Fraser could relate to staff but even more so with how he could relate to our pupils. His love of music and his passion for music technology have been transmitted to numerous groups of Form I and II pupils and many certificate classes. He worked tirelessly with pupils and staff and his patience, cheerfulness and willingness to explain things was greatly appreciated. His role at Dollar also included recording co-curricular groups and setting up sound for a huge variety of school functions, often at very unsociable hours. I know that many of the staff were very grateful for his help at Burns Suppers, Sports Days, charity events and School Dances.

Although usually surrounded by leads, mics and amplifiers, Fraser was never very far away from his guitar. Our pupils have benefited enormously from his excellent guitar teaching and also from his willingness to play many guitar parts on their SQA recordings. Those who did not know of his expertise had their eyes opened when they heard his superb playing in the Senior Musical, We will Rock You.

Fraser has moved on to a placement as a sound engineer with the BBC, an exciting and challenging post. One of his first tasks was to set up for a concert at the Usher Hall, a test I am confident that he will have passed with flying colours. We are very grateful for all the work he did at Dollar and wish him every success in the future.

Karol Fitzpatrick

I asked for questions. “Are we getting Miss Scott?”

Sam Kennedy came to us from Acland Burghley School, London, and at once we were impressed by her boundless energy, intelligence, creative acumen, charm and style. A style that can almost be deconstructed, like a Higher Design paper: her innovative tertiary colour, subtle tone, compositional informality, complex texture - these are the visual elements of Sam’s appearance, and they also reflect her personality. She looks and is an original, inventive individual, someone who shuns the obvious visual platitudes by stressing the individual nature of the activities, and she asks pupils to reach into their own experience, to their singular perception of the world, for ideas and creative avenues. She studied printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone and by introducing this, she created a whole new branch of the Department; now it was possible to have layered images and designs for fabric that opened up a host of new activities. She took over and galvanised the Higher Photography course with a new passion and rigour: her deadlines were demanding and her expectations of individual and creative work were high, yet she interacted with pupils with an unassuming, approachable and helpful manner.

For four years Sam made the commute to Dollar from near Blairgowrie, and she has now taken a job just 10 minutes from her door at Blairgowrie High. For her husband, Gary, and their children, Frankie and Peggy, this is a delight, but I am sure they still see less of her than they would like. One of many memories of Sam’s radiant flair was in the upstairs room of the restaurant Gare de L’est, Paris, where she enacted an impromptu poem that included a witty line about each of the 56 members of the trip, a tour de force that left the audience breathless: that’s Sam.

Gus Maclean

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PREP 1 AND FORM VITEDDY BEARS’ PICNICTuesday 18th June 2013

A fond farewell to the Class of 2013 – a warm welcome to the future Class of 2025!Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe


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DON CASKIE

Don Caskie has joined the staff of the PE Department in the role of Director of Rugby. A qualified PE teacher and RFU/UKCC Level 4 coach, he played professionally for Gloucester for a number of years and has been capped for Scotland at various levels, from Scottish Students all the way to Scotland A team. He then moved into professional coaching, enjoying success with National League 1 side Moseley and winning the EDF National Trophy at Twickenham, before being recruited by the Georgian Rugby Federation to co-coach their national squad. Georgia subsequently won a Grand Slam in the ENC Six Nations and performed extremely well at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, playing against the likes of Scotland, England and Argentina. Since then he has been Head of the Georgian National Academy of Rugby, leading a team of 14 coaches and working with national youth sides, with the responsibility of developing the game in Georgia. In addition to his new role as Director of Rugby at Dollar, he is currently the

Assistant Coach to the Scotland U18s with specific responsibility for attack and back play.

Don brings huge experience of coaching at the very top level and has introduced a new rugby development programme throughout the school as a whole. He firmly believes that rugby within Dollar Academy should exist to develop and sustain the values that bring out the best in young people, developing confidence, enthusiasm, sportsmanship and independence of mind. He is committed to giving pupils the support they need to represent the school and fulfil the ambitions of a very proud schooling tradition.

KYLE ELY

The Department of Mathematics is delighted to welcome Kyle Ely to make up its numbers. Born in Edinburgh, she lived in Linlithgow for the first 18 years of her life. On leaving school, she returned to Edinburgh to study Mathematics and gained her BSc (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh in 2008. Having completed her PGDE at Moray House in 2009, she crossed the Forth to Dundee, where she taught for three years at St. John’s High School. 2013 has proved a successful year so far for Kyle, as her engagement in January was topped off with her successful application to join the Maths Department at Dollar! Outside the classroom her main pursuit is hockey and she currently runs out for Linlithgow Ladies. She also embarks upon the occasional hill walk, weather permitting! Kyle is thoroughly enjoying her time at Dollar and is delighted to have the opportunity to become involved in coaching hockey.

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dollar welcomes...

DUNCAN GIBB

Another addition to the Maths Department this session comes in the (lofty!) form of Duncan Gibb. Duncan was born and raised in Edinburgh, before heading to Aberdeen University to study Geography. Four years later, after enjoying other courses more than he had anticipated, he left with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics. After a few years in various jobs and after adventures that included the Trans-Siberian Railway and a 15,000 mile road-trip of North America, he returned to Aberdeen to complete a PGDE.

Duncan joins Dollar from the Douglas Ewart High School in Newton Stewart. He loved being in Galloway, with so many hill walking, running and mountain biking options on his doorstep. Not many schools can compete in this respect. However, he is now enjoying exploring the Ochils and surrounding countryside on his own, as well as by assisting with the Running Club and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. His only disappointment has been the discovery of Dollar’s unusual micro-climate!

Duncan has been impressed by Dollar pupils’ enthusiasm in the classroom and their extensive co-curricular involvement. He is looking forward to helping them make the most of both in the years to come.

MILO MacDERMOT

Milo is the first of two new appointments warmly welcomed to the Department of Art and Design this session. Born and brought up in London, his early schooling there was followed by a Foundation course at Wimbledon School of Art. Thereafter he left the Capital and ventured to the University of Wales where he attained a BA (Hons) in Ceramics. After graduating, he spent some time working in a variety of jobs ranging from football coach to manager of a pottery café to chalet host. He also lived and worked in Vancouver, Canada for a year, where he also took advantage of the opportunity to pursue his love of snowboarding at Whistler Mountain.

Having enjoyed much time working with children, Milo then decided to undertake a PGCE in Art and Design at the Institute of Education, back home in London. Before joining the staff at Dollar, he taught in an inner London school for six years, taking on many responsibilities within the school and developing his love of Art and Design. The move to Scotland has been an exciting one for him and his family, with the added excitement of a new addition to the MacDermot clan in the first few weeks of term. Milo is now looking forward to working in a thriving department and to bringing his own skills and interests to the diverse co-curricular life of the school.

FRASER MUIRHEAD

Fraser grew up on the South Side of Glasgow in Newton Mearns and attended Hutchesons’ Grammar School, where his love for art and design was nurtured. His passion fuelled by a clutch of awards in this field, he enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art to study Silversmithing and Jewellery Design. His time at Art School proved a great experience that saw his work displayed in Philadelphia, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee and earned him a bursary from Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. Following graduation, he was involved in both the sales and the design side of the jewellery industry in Edinburgh and Glasgow before studying for his PGDE at Strathclyde University. This led to two hugely enjoyable years at Carrick Academy in South Ayrshire before taking up the post in the Department of Art and Design at Dollar.

Through his involvement with church and charity work, Fraser was also fortunate enough to visit Peru to project-manage a Scottish-Peruvian collaboration to design and make jewellery for retail in Scotland, the proceeds of which raised funds for a charitable organisation.

A passionate Scot, when not drawing or creating, Fraser indulges his love of sport and can regularly be found on a golf course (more accurately in a bunker!) or cheering on Scotland at Hampden or Murrayfield. He is loving life at Dollar: the stunning setting, the warm welcome from both pupils and staff, the skirl of the pipes over the school grounds when the Pipe Band practise – everything he was told about the school has proved true!


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Danny Dineen, Deputy Head Boy

Danny joined the school in Prep 5 and since then he has made a huge impression on Dollar with his wide range of co-curricular skills and kind-hearted personality. He is currently studying Advanced Highers in Maths, Physics and Mechanics, which will hopefully help him gain a place at university next year to study Aeromechanical Engineering. It also comes as no surprise that he is taking Higher PE, with rugby forming such a huge part of his life. To date, he has already represented Scotland in the U16 team, has played on foreign shores with Stirling County and now serves as Secretary for the school’s 1st XV. Despite being injured at present, it is hard to arrange anything with Danny as he is either at training sessions, matches, or just simply away in his own wee world. In between all this, he somehow manages to fit in time for music, playing alto saxophone in the school’s jazz band, DAJO. He also has a talent for singing, but is unfortunately too shy to admit this to Mr McGonigle, so regrettably this talent remains hidden. Instead, Danny stays behind the scenes, working as the Sound Technician for school productions. The list doesn’t end there: our Deputy Head Boy is

Joe Armstrong, Head Boy

Joe arrived at Dollar Academy in Form I, making him not only the youngest and tallest but also the newest member of the Top Six. Studying Advanced Highers in Modern Studies and Music with Technology, as well as modules in Economics and Politics, he is likely to be found rushing between the History and Music Departments, making sure to pause at the halfway point: the pool table in the Sixth Form Centre. After his time at Dollar, he is keen to study Psychology at university to develop a deeper understanding of the human mind. The highlight of his school career so far, apart from leading his team to a mighty second place at the Scottish University Ultimate Frisbee Championships, is probably earning the title of Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet. Joe is the other Pipe Band representative in the Top 6: as Lead Drummer he helped the Band to success in the most recent Cowal Championships, and has himself won the Scottish Senior Drumming and Craigmount Solo Drumming titles, not to mention his competing in the World Solo Drumming Championships. Like many Head Boys before him, Joe is a talented, determined and conscientious young man; just don’t ask him to introduce you at a dinner speech - you might not get your glass back in one piece.

by Julia

Julia Hurry, Head Girl

Our fantastic Head Girl has been with us at Dollar from the beginning of Junior 2. Ever since her arrival Julia has been a high achiever in all the activities in which she has taken part. Her academic track record speaks for itself: from the early days of earning General Excellence awards, to gaining a clutch of top grades in her Higher examinations, to that ridiculously high UKCAT score – her achievements are certainly impressive. Planning to study Dentistry at university, she is currently working towards Advanced Highers in Biology, Chemistry and Pure Maths, as well as Higher Latin, which she stresses is not a dead language! She is keen not to break her bond to other departments, however, and this has seen her take part in many trips (to the Swiss Alps, the Battlefields of the Somme and, most recently, the Grand Canyon), despite not actually studying the relevant subjects…. In her spare time, Julia explores her creative side, taking part in a wide range of cultural activities which have earned her another coloured band on her blazer. As violinist of the First Orchestra and a member of the Mixed Voice Choir, she has taken part in Christmas Concerts at both Perth Concert Hall and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, which she describes as fantastic experiences.

This passion for music, or for just generally being loud, led our Head Girl to perform in the School Musicals Cats and Footloose, where she sang and danced her way around stage in front of large audiences. She can also be found demonstrating these talents to a smaller, but no less appreciative audience in the Sixth Form Centre.

by Joe

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six talk the top six...

Cameron Prentice, Deputy Head Boy

Generally considered to be the serious member of the Top Six, Cameron came to Dollar in Prep 4. His obvious abilities and dedication to his work were recognised at an early stage when he was awarded the honour of Dux in the Junior School. His interests and achievements have not been restricted to the classroom, however, and his aptitude for piping has seen him demonstrate equal commitment to Pipe Band. With many hours of practice, often when the rest of us are just dragging ourselves out of bed for school, he has progressed from the ‘B’ Band in Form I to the ‘A’ Band by Form V, and has since helped the Band to victory in many major competitions, the most impressive of these being the Cowal Championships last session. Cameron’s horizons also extend into the wider world beyond Dollar. Indeed, he has a special interest in astronomy and can often be found staring at the stars and contemplating life. His true passion (for some reason) lies in Geography, and he enjoys roaming the hillsides in his spare time. A highlight of his time at Dollar was the Geography Department’s trip to the USA, which I am told, was an amazing experience. He hopes to carry on this passion to university and I wish him the best of luck in ‘colouring in’! Cameron never fails to give 100% in all that he does and he is honestly one of the nicest and most genuine people I know. It is great to have him in the Top Six and I look forward to the rest of the year with him.

by Ciara

Ciara O’Connell, Deputy Head Girl

Ciara arrived in the Junior School seven years ago, and was quick to grasp the chance to participate in many co-curricular activities, but it soon became clear to all that it was on the sports field that she was most at home. Hockey is her first passion, and she honed her obvious talent with many hours of practice and training to become a valuable member of the 1st XI Hockey team in Form IV and she can now be seen barging her way across the pitch captaining the team. Her success in school has not gone unnoticed: she has represented Dollar playing for the Midlands U18 team and more recently received an invitation to the U18 Scotland trials. She has even demonstrated her talents overseas, travelling to South Africa on the combined Rugby/Hockey Tour and more recently to Ireland. An apparent lack of coordination did not prevent Ciara also playing for the 1st VI Tennis team last year. Somehow she has also managed to fit in the many hours necessary to complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to Gold level, putting many of the boys to shame on the expeditions. But there does come a time when even Ciara has to return to the classroom. A keen scientist, her academic home is the Dewar building and her study of Advanced Highers in Chemistry and Biology this year will hopefully help her pursue a career in her chosen field of medicine. Ciara applies herself fully to everything she does, both on and off the sports field, and it is a joy to work alongside her.

by Cameron

Fiona Keith, Deputy Head Girl

Fiona, sorry, ‘Fee’, came to Dollar in Junior 1 and has been singing and dancing her way through the Academy ever since. She gives vent to her lively, bubbly personality in all forms of dance, from modern to ballroom, tap to ballet. The Music Department has not been slow to harness her talents: she is involved with DAJO, sings in the Chamber Choir and has impressed in lead roles in the most recent School Musicals. And she has still been able to find ‘spare’ time outside school to be involved with the Youth Music Theatre Scotland (YMTS) and to represent Scotland in the 2013 U.Dance Festival in Leeds. She hones her acting abilities on unsuspecting members of the Top Six with ridiculous fibs which she makes so believable, it is so hard not to fall for them... Music also features on her academic timetable this year, along with Advanced Higher Modern Studies and Int. 2 Maths. She did start off the session taking Art, too, but when she seemed less inspired in the classroom than in the Sixth Form Centre, she switched to Higher Geography, resourceful girl, so that her new colouring pencils would not go to waste. Helping others is a big part of Fee’s life, and she has recently returned from the Gambia where she worked with local children and helped refurbish classrooms as part of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Her voluntary work has made a difference in more local areas, too, as she gives time to the Salvation Army, Seamab School and Cornton

also part of the CCF and is proud to captain Dollar’s Shooting team, having shot for Scotland against LMRA. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he is, perhaps, the most emotional and sensitive member of the Top Six; we all know it’s true and will continue to support him.

by Fiona

Vale Family Centre. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is planning to study Social Work at university. I wish her all the best in getting that place.

by Danny


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PREP 4 VISIT ST ANDREWS BOTANIC GARDENS

On Tuesday 8th October two excited Prep 4 classes boarded a coach to St Andrews Botanic Gardens because we had been learning all about plants in class. When we arrived we sat outside in the sun to have our snacks and then we were quickly put into four groups to start our activities. We did lots of interesting things like collecting poppy seeds and dissecting plants as well as looking in the greenhouses and gardens at millions of plants! We got to taste real nectar! It was a great trip and we all enjoyed it.

Fraser Gallagher

We learned about the life cycle of a flower, it was very interesting. We all saw these huge mushrooms, everyone thought they were wood but they were not! Some of the plants were poisonous but most of them weren’t, phew! Some of us tasted nectar, it was a bit sweet. One group got to dissect flowers but the other didn’t. There was a big bird that I saw, it was amazing because it was such a strange creature. A fun part was when the teacher let us collect some conkers.

Freddie Horn

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Fabulous and brightLovely and colourfulOvary is where the seed reproduces itselfWonderful scentExceptionally niceRockery of flowers.

Ollie Wilson

Freshly cut standing in a vase.

Lovely senses floating in the air.

Ovaries stand waiting to catch

pollen in the breeze.

Water daily.

Earth warm and wet.

Rows of daffodils trumpeting

welcome to spring. Ruaridh Blyth

Flowers are pretty.

Lovely they are.

Outside bees pollinate flowers.

With flowers you can make

perfume.Every spring flowers grow.

Red flowers are my mummy’s

favourite.Sophie’s favourite are pink tulips.

Sophie Harvey


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along the corridors...

PREP 4 ASSEMBLY

We had lots of rehearsals for our Assembly. Dress rehearsals and practices for many weeks before the big day. Thankfully these were all put to good use as it was a great success. The Assembly was about flowers. The cast included dogs, people, seeds, umbrellas, wind, binoculars and all sorts of items which made our Assembly so good. We worked very hard and enjoyed entertaining the Prep and Junior School. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed performing it.

Sophie Henderson

Our Assembly was about flowers and seed dispersal. I was a bird-watcher aka a twitcher. Unfortunately a large piece of bird poop landed on my shoulder! We sang “I Like the Flowers” quite wonderfully. Lastly we explained to everyone to look out for wild flowers on the Sponsored Walk. The audience gave us a rapturous applause. Bravo P4MB!

Theodore Letford


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PREP 2

This term, pupils in Prep 2 have been learning about the Harvest season and paid a visit to Wester Dollarbeg Farm, where Farmer Jane Edwards showed the classes around and answered lots of questions. An Autumn Walk through the school grounds provided an ideal opportunity for the pupils to spot the signs of autumn.

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PREP FENCING CLUB

Pupils in Prep 4 and 5 have the chance to learn the basics of fencing with Mr Cook on Wednesday afternoons. We are using foils and are learning many fencing moves, such as parry, disengage, feinte, lunge and retreat. We also have to remember to use our ‘fencing feet’ when we move! As well as learning new skills we play lots of fun games which let us practise these skills. We really like ‘Capture the Flag’ and ‘Assassin’ best. Our goal is to take part in the next Olympic Games when we fence for Scotland! En garde!

EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE WITH MALINDI

In May, the Prep and Junior Schools received a visit from Mr Festus Chibungu, a teacher from Malindi Primary School HGM on the East Coast of Kenya. His trip was part of the British Council Connecting Classrooms Scheme; the school had previously welcomed his Head Teacher, Mr Mwangala, on a similar project.

The partnership between Scotland and Malindi comes from Dollar Academy’s close links with the St Francis Small Home for Disabled Children. The charity, ‘The Malindi Project’, is based right next to Malindi Primary School. Many of the disabled residents are educated there, or in two special education classes built by the Small Home for children with greater needs.

The British Council’s schools partnership scheme, however, enables a non-charitable, educational relationship. It is a relationship that offers pupils and teachers unique insights into the similarities and differences that occur in two countries many thousands of miles apart.

During Mr Chibungu’s visit, the pupils in Junior 1 held a World Water Day, the culmination of a programme of work investigating what is involved in finding and cleaning water in many parts of the world. Malindi’s water supply is mostly supplied from boreholes. Pupils ran experiments to test water; they designed filters and pumped water from deep aquifers. Younger pupils compared the homes, animal life and climate zones they had been studying with those that the pupils in Malindi know. Meanwhile, the oldest pupils began to develop lessons on discrimination and children’s rights, lessons which they will share across the world.

Heather Moore


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JUNIOR SCHOOL MUSICAL BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

It was utterly dark and silent. Anxiety and excitement were hanging heavily in the air. The stage doors loomed in front of us. From within, the rustling of paper and expectant whispers of the audience could just be heard.

It was the first night of the Junior 2 Musical…

This year we had the exciting opportunity to stage Disney’s production of Beauty and the Beast. The uplifting and inspiring story of the girl who fell in love with the beast is one that we were all brought up with. And, luckily for Belle, the fierce Beast actually turned out to be

a handsome prince! The show was staged from 12th-14th June after many, many weeks of hard work and tremendous effort from the entire cast and supporting crew of teachers, parents and senior pupils.

I was delighted to play the part of Belle, one I think every little girl dreams of playing. I had the most fantastic experience working with the rest of the talented leads, supported by the rest of the cast as they danced and sang their way through the three spectacular nights of the show. These memories will stay with me through my entire school career and the rest of my life.

Toby Douglas gave a powerful portrayal of the Beast, perfectly acting his transformation

from bitter and cursed prince to kind and gentle hero. We had a lot of fun working alongside each other, especially when I forgot to take his hand on the first night and it was left hanging awkwardly in mid-air until I finally remembered! I will never forget the journey from the auditions to the final night. Also, Daniel Robins played the perfect, dashing and arrogant Gaston, and I thoroughly enjoyed rejecting him! The castle servants were equally outstanding, especially Duncan Warnock, Naomi

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Langford-Thimm, Beth Duddy and Zoë Price, who played Cogsworth, Lumière, Mrs Potts and Madame de La Grande Bouche respectively. Duncan’s comic timing would give some professional comedians a run for their money; Naomi’s French accent is made all the more impressive when you realise that she actually speaks like the Queen; Beth’s stunning rendition of the main ballad, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ fortunately drew the audience’s attention away from

myself and Toby’s dancing; and Zoë’s transformation from a wardrobe to a beautiful lady-in-waiting showed us that she looks better as a human than she does as a piece of large furniture!

We must not forget, of course, Aidan Humphrey, Julia Parish, Brooke McMullan, Ellie Lapsley, Evie Wills and Gabriella Greenwood, who played LeFou, Babette, Chip and the Silly Girls. Their acting and singing greatly enhanced the show and entertained the audience.

The stunning and cleverly designed set made by Mr Sharp and the great props made by Miss Horne and her Craft Club were also vital in making the performance come to life. Also, thank you to Miss Horne and Mr Christie, whose talents far surpass the Spielbergs and Lucases of this world!

However, the show would not have been such a success without the whole year group putting in such an amazing effort. Hopefully this musical will be performed again at Dollar, as although it was very hard work to make it all come together and to learn all the lines, it was extremely satisfying to be part of, particularly because we all so dearly love the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Rose Scott

Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe



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GEOGRAPHYPASSPORT DAY Junior 2 pupils enjoyed a day of activities to mark Geography Passport Day on Tuesday 18th June.

The children were divided into small groups in order to work on eight different activities. These included a treasure hunt and trying to identify photographs taken around the school grounds. They also had the challenge of identifying flags and had to complete a physical features wordsearch puzzle. Other challenges included trying to identify ports and cities, demonstrating their ability to use Ordnance Survey maps and grid references, and also calculating the steepness of a slope, all with the help of Mr McConnell and some Form VI Geography experts. Finally, they worked to complete a big puzzle of Great Britain.

It was a day of many challenges during which pupils had to put their knowledge of Geography to the test, both on paper and in practical, real-world exercises. The competition was hotly contested, but the winning team on the day was the Alabama Troopers, comprising Abdur-Rahman Cheema, Brooke McMullan, Zoë Price and Charlie Walker (J2D).

J2 TRIP TO THE ISLE OF MAY On Sunday 26th May, around 30 Junior 2 pupils went on a trip to the Isle of May. To get there we took the Isle of May ferry from Anstruther. From the boat you could see many brightly-coloured puffins swimming on the gloriously blue water, and numerous guillemots and razorbills which are birds that fly just above the water and which from a distance are hard to distinguish.

Once at the island we got out of the boat and went up a slope to a wooden hut where we were split into groups and a ranger started to take us round the island. First we went to look at the cliff faces. On the way you could see many eider ducks nesting very close to the side of the path, mostly camouflaged by the rough grass. With binoculars you could see the white-stained cliff faces with many kittiwakes and shags nesting on the cliff faces. Just above, on the grass, you could see many puffin burrows where occasionally a puffin would come out then hastily run back inside, much to our disappointment. After this we went and looked over a cliff edge at the birds nesting and the sea below where some birds were swimming. One of the eider ducks was nesting almost half-off the cliff edge! At another cliff there were fewer birds, but we saw a proud-looking seal spread out on a rock which was half-submerged under water. Next we went and looked at a worn lighthouse which was very interesting to learn about. While at the lighthouse we saw lots of baby rabbits bounding about everywhere.

“The Geography Passport Day was really fun because it was exciting doing all of the activities with my friends!” – Aidan Humphrey

“…we did a set of activities that challenged us all to our limits.” – Iain Harkness

“I think that my group worked very well as a team because we all listened to each other and cooperated well.” – Zoë Price

“I was really excited for Geography Passport Day because I really wanted to find out lots of new and different things about Geography. It was a fantastic day!” - Ellie Lapsley

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After we looked around the island some more and saw even more spectacular wildlife, we all got on the boat and went a different way back. On the way we saw dozens of seals lounging on rocks and swimming casually in the water. Finally once we got back on dry land we had delicious fish and chips and played on the sand.

Overall I really enjoyed visiting the Isle of May and I would recommend visiting if you love seeing miraculous birds and animals, or if you just like fish and chips!

Katie Robertson (Junior 2)


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DOLLAR SUCCESS AT BIG BANG FAIR

On Friday 14th June, Aisla Gordon and Rachel Hubbard (then Form III) travelled to the SECC in Glasgow in order to present their Silver CREST project at the Big Bang Science and Engineering Fair. They were presenting, at this stage, for the regional competition. Here the girls recount their experience.

At 7:30am, a very over-excited minibus-ful of pupils travelled to the SECC in Glasgow, where we began setting up our numerous projects and experiments. The hall was buzzing with the excitement of many other school and science groups who also had high hopes of winning. After carefully setting up our display board, we took a look around the rest of the hall, checking out the competition and all the companies that had prepared presentations. Having already explained our project a number of times to various people passing by, we realised that our judging time was upon us. Nerves built up inside us and, despite Rachel talking non-stop, we finally calmed down. At first the judges didn’t smile and seemed rather frosty, but after we had explained our project fully they seemed to warm to our idea. By the end they were laughing and smiling and had some very interesting points and comments which we heartily took on board. The award ceremony was rapidly approaching as we finished our lunch. “We’re so going to win this!” Rachel exclaimed in jest to Ms Hussain as we found our seats. We sat down as the ceremony started and within minutes our hands were sore from clapping so much. There were quite a few prizes to be presented, and all the worthy winners went up onto the stage to collect their prize and have their photo taken. It came to our prize.The lights dimmed.Our hearts stopped.“That’s us,” Rachel whispered.“And the winner of The Silver Crest Award 2013 is….. ‘Swim with Sound’, by Aisla Gordon and Rachel Hubbard!”

While going up onto the stage, we couldn’t help laughing from the sheer shock and thrill. We couldn’t believe we had actually won the top prize. We were awarded our prize and certificate as we shook hands with Greg Foot, the science presenter. Our photo was taken as we returned to our seats, only to return

COMPUTING DEPARTMENT SCRATCH COMPETITION 2013

This year the judging for the annual Form II Scratch Programming Competition was difficult as the standard of work was very high with many impressive entries. Congratulations to all the teams who made the shortlist and, of course, to the winners. A special merit award was given to the Tutti Fruitti team for their clever use of a MaKey MaKey board to interface with their program.

The Scratch projects have been converted to Flash files and can be viewed on the Dollar Academy website.

Rosemary McGuinness

a few prizes later to be awarded with a FINALIST badge and a nomination to compete nationally. Then another photo was taken with the other nominated groups, including ‘The Effects of UV’ by Elise Camilleri-Brennan and Ellie Mahoney. The bus home was full of excited phone calls to shocked parents, and tired but satisfied chatting. In the weeks since the SECC event, we four finalists have not been able to stop talking excitedly about Birmingham. Whenever one of us is down we can always be revived by excited shrieks of “We’re going to Birmingham!”

Aisla Gordon and Rachel Hubbard (Form IV)

The girls will now go on to compete at the national final to be held at the Birmingham NEC in March, 2014. Watch out for an update on their progress in Fortunas 33!

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A TASTE OF SPAIN¡Nos gusta mucho la comida española! (We like Spanish food very much!)

Pupils in the Form I Spanish classes thoroughly enjoyed making torrijas in the summer term. This ‘sweet’ is traditionally eaten during Lent, in the 40 days leading up to Easter. It is believed that torrijas originated in Andalucian convents during the fifteenth century as a way to use up stale bread. Today it is a popular breakfast food all over Spain. The torrijas proved to be extremely popular with the pupils and the majority have decided to make them at home.

Just before the October mid-term break, Mrs Malcolm in the Home Economics Department kindly agreed to give a cooking lesson to the Form VI pupils studying Spanish. A regular visitor to Spain, she told pupils all about Spanish cooking and ingredients before teaching them how to make arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). Ingredients including chorizo, paella rice and Spanish spices were used, and the pupils very much enjoyed the lesson - and eating the resulting dish. We hope to be able to repeat the experience and extend our repertoire of Spanish food later in the year!

The pupils would like to express their gratitude to Señora Malcolm and Señora McGill for their enthusiasm, expertise and supervision.

Cheryl BowieJacqui Young

First: MiniGore by Robbie McIntyre, Ross Broomfield and Ross McCran

Second: Commonwealth by Guy Stewart, Finlay Balfour, Nathan Cosgrove and Jonty Haywood

Third: Space Dodger by Nic Vetta and Freddie McFadyean

Special Merit: Tutti Fruitti by Anna Glasgow, Sunita Burgul, Rachael Cart-wright and Jenny Harkness



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NATIONAL POETRY DAY, OCTOBER 3rd 2013 Theme: Water

Form I pupils were played an array of water sounds, ranging from the soft pitter-patter of summer rain, to the crashing vehemence of a storm at sea. Responses to visual stimuli were elicited by an assortment of pictures, and each class was loaned a veritable giant mollusc, which they were able to touch, from a collection of beautiful and valuable shells. Also examined were a number of poets’ existing writings about water and the sea, including works by Coleridge and Emily Dickinson.

Once suitably inspired, pupils were let loose to create their own works of watery wonder on ‘mermaid scales’ that were collated for our display.

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MOMENTS OF FLIGHT

It’s all about placing the feet. You need a run-up and to spread your arms for balance. And then you are in the air, leaving the ground for just a few seconds, committing to the air. How different moments of flight can be. What I experienced one winter morning a year ago, could not have been more different from the controlled atmosphere of the ballet studio, even though the exhilaration felt the same.

I was in my usual rush. However this was not going to turn out to be a normal school day. Traffic was busy and vehicles were rushing from every direction. School bags were hanging off my arms and my breakfast was in my blazer pocket. I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before and so the morning had been a nightmare of chaos.

The weather had a harsh coldness about it. It was still fairly dark, even though street lamps were on. The ground was wet, but it was not raining and there was a strange mist lurking on the tops of buildings. The air felt heavy, condensed. Dull and gloomy comes to mind when thinking back to that morning.

I did not know where my brother was; however, if the bus arrived I could make it wait for him. My mother had a meeting she needed to get to and therefore could not drive us to school. It felt as if everything was dependent on me in order to get to school. I kept trying to cross the road at every possible gap in traffic I saw, but it was too busy for me to get across successfully. The unmistakable double-decker bus became visible from around the corner, so I went for it. I crossed the road but suddenly, shockingly, was stopped in my tracks. The driver of a small car was heading for me at three miles per hour over the speed limit. Perhaps if he had not been, he could have stopped before he hit me. I can still hear the sickening screech of those tyres on the road.

I wonder now, looking back, what the bus driver saw. Did he see a slight, uniformed figure dash out into the jungle of vehicles? Did he notice me? Did he try to break and feel the heavy thrust of the huge vehicle moving forward through the autumn darkness of early morning?

The bonnet dipped and flipped me up, above the car. I did not know what was happening, everything felt surreal. I landed on the windscreen which cracked into thousands of pieces. I slid down the front of the car and ended up in a heap on the road. The shock and adrenaline hit me. Things seemed to go by quickly from then on, and yet when I was in the air I felt

like I was flying

like I was flying

like I was flying

in slow motion. I felt alone, although I was surrounded by the everyday observing public staring with their judging eyes, transfixed by this out-of-the-ordinary drama that had taken place before them. The embarrassment that also drenched me was unexpected and I felt stupid.

I know I will never forget the feeling. The split second that seemed to expand into a strange timelessness. A moment of flying, of flight – was it, I wonder, a kind of escape? But from what?

I am haunted by this moment of flight.

Alexis McNicol (Form V)

MEMORIES OF DARKNESS

It was nearly over. The light filtering through the skylights slowly changed from grey to white. Birds sang their six o’clock chorus, phased out slightly by the thick glass panels. I watched the faint glimmer of light play on the wall, feeling nothing. People say that your mind is never truly blank but they’re wrong. Mine was. Every single day, from midnight until sometime after six, I stared at that wall feeling nothing but the slowly growing nausea and the pounding of my head. These are my memories of the darkness, a blank emotionless canvas, what you do with them is up to you.

I hated the feeling of nothingness. Some people are terrified of spiders, some of heights and some of clowns. Me, my phobia was the feeling of nothingness. It was what total loss of control felt like: my body tuning into autopilot and making my decisions for me. I could go whole days and not remember a thing about them. During those days I lost me.

The only real thing was a physical ache set in

art & literature...


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the centre of my chest. When I was a child I believed it was where God (or whoever was up there) had pulled my soul out and taken it, leaving nothing but the burning of an aching hole. Behind this aching hole, I just ceased to exist. So I tried to shake it off, focus on something real, something grounded in the here and now. I focused on the rhythmic strumming of the guitar playing through my speakers which harmonised perfectly with the patter of rain behind my curtains. None of this mattered, however, because there was the faint smell of washing powder emanating from the sheets in the icy room. There is a distinct difference between a smell when it is warm and a smell when it is cold. The cold was the one I feared. It was the one that told my brain it was time to shut down and protect itself. I had run out of time. I could hear the groan of a shower in the distance, sounding like an incredibly elongated yawn. The kettle had been turned on in the kitchen and it was bubbling away happily to itself. The house had come to life, but the sounds were oddly unrealistic when blanketed by the closed door. My space was as silent and still as it had been for the last eight hours. However, that all changed with a buzzer that cut through the stillness like a knife, causing my pounding head to scream in protest and my heartbeat to pick up a notch or six. My hand flew out and slammed down on the ‘off ’ button, silencing the chilling sound. I had to face the day. I felt myself slowly fill with dread at having to be around people and the concentration they required. At this point I knew that it wasn’t going to be a nothingness day. Today was a trapped day. I would be trapped in the shell of my body, aware of what was happening, but still unable to change or influence a single thing. It wasn’t unlike watching a film. Except this was real, most of the time too real. “One, two, three.” I shoved up off the bed in a lightning fast movement and swung my legs round to touch the floor. The room spun wildly, doing several full three-sixties before slowing, finally settling on moving slowly up and down. Nausea hit me like a tidal wave and I forced my shaking fingers to pop a travel sickness tablet out of its crinkled foil wrappings and place it in my mouth, carefully followed by the taste of slightly stale water from a dimpled plastic cup on the table. I forced myself into a standing position with the room still pitching, and stumbled to my wardrobe. Another day. Identical to all that had come before it and all that would come after. It was six o’clock in the evening before anything changed from the formulaic routine. I heard the rumble of the garage door and shortly after my dad swished through the door, already slinging off his jacket and loosening his purple striped tie. He brought a smell which can only be defined as a ‘hospital smell’ with him. One of the only smells on earth which has connotations of both ultra-cleanliness and germs. He turned to greet my mum, who had been standing in front of the oven, telling the chicken inside to hurry up and turn crispy, and then my sister, who was floating around doing her homework in

the least time-efficient way possible, all the while singing to herself. He then turned to me and held up a green bottle. I was instantly wary. It looked too much like the herbal pills he had brought for me the month before to try and make me sleep. They had tasted disgusting and did absolutely nothing. It went in the pile along with every other sleep treatment known to man. Believe me, I had tried them all: light boxes, meditation, flower waters, sleep hygiene, acupuncture. Nothing had ever worked. “This,” he declared proudly, “is melatonin.” With a smile he went on to explain that melatonin is the hormone in your brain which makes you sleep and that I have Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. Apparently my brain does secrete melatonin, but at about six in the morning rather than about eleven at night, like most people. These pills were apparently the answer: two before I went to bed every night and I would sleep. The pills weren’t a long term solution, but with any luck they might help make my natural sleeping pattern much more ‘normal’. I might get to be normal for the first time in my life. He finished his medical ramblings with a chuckle and stated “Well that’s the theory anyway.” That night I took the melatonin and found myself back in my bed staring at the wall, now blanketed in darkness. The sheets’ smell was back to warm again and the slowly strumming guitar fell into sync with my steady heartbeat. There was only one thing different about this scene. It was a peace that I rarely felt. My body felt heavy and relaxed, like a weight was pressing down on my limbs, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. At the last minute I panicked, feeling a loss of control coming on and not quite able to restore it. However, my body got heavier and heavier, my breathing deeper and much steadier. I found myself not really caring about control if I could feel this at peace. I slept that night. For the first time in my life I slept all the way through the night. No nightmares visited me, I didn’t wake, I slept deeply and soundly, finally at peace. After that night everything changed. I changed. I found I had gained a lot of strength and determination from fifteen years of zombie-like morning rituals. I laughed in the corridors with friends, made jokes, spoke to a wide range of people and made weekend plans without batting an eyelid. These were all things that I hadn’t even thought to do before. I no longer feel the nausea or the need to control the shaking. I can be me completely, with no limitations, and I have found out that, although I’m not perfect in any way, I like being me. I still have to take the pills every night and I do worry about what life would be like without them. However, on those days I just sit and remember that first morning when I woke up with a smile on my face.

Alice Green (Form VI)

Oliver Page (Form VI)

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Alex Despopolous (Form VI) Sarah McCann (Form VI)

Oliver Page (Form VI) Alice Hudson (Form VI) Amna Arshad (Form VI)

art & literature...


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Sandy Steele (Form II)

Kaytlin Scott (Form VI)


Sarah McCann (Form VI)

Beatrice Kerray (Form VI)

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Cameron McCracken (Form VI)

Rebecca Reid (Form VI)

Mackenzie Shepherd (Form VI)

Oliver Graham (Form VI)

art & literature...


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SENIOR SCHOOL MUSICAL FOOTLOOSEWarm-ups, workouts and wigs…

They warn you how scary it is. Singing in front of that type of audience; Mr McGonigle is notoriously difficult to please. First auditions for the musical are knee-knockingly scary, but the elation felt when you see your name sitting with the rest for the callbacks is worth every goosebump.

However.That elation soon morphs

into absolute terror when you understand what lies ahead. Not just singing in front of ‘Von McGon’, but singing, dancing and acting in front of Mrs Fitzpatrick, Mrs Robb and all those senior pupils, most of whom you have looked up to for years. Those who have been there, done that and worn the costume. Those who have had the prime roles and the plum roles. But you swallow the rabid pterodactyls pounding against the walls of your stomach; ignore the screaming ‘mandrakes’ that inhabit your being for those two hours. And when you come out, friends ask you “How did it go?” and you have no idea.

It was at least two weeks before anyone heard a squeak of the words ‘cast list’, and any time those words were mentioned auditionees perked up like meerkats in the hope of any morsel of news they could get their performing paws on.CAST LIST: The two most fiercely apprehensive words any performer will ever come across. Looking at a cast list, of any type, requires an equal balance of, what I call the “How wonderful, I thoroughly look forward to the witty banter the next two months will hold” look, and the gracious head tilt, and nod in respect of those who were not so fortunate (basically, try your best to look like you have just come out of a P.G Wodehouse novel).

In the midst of May,

that month of recycled revision, morbid mind maps and persistent practice papers, the ‘break’ is the most intensive three hours of it all - Footloose rehearsals, twice a week, in the auditorium.

Some say Mrs Robb’s dance rehearsals are the best preparation for the rigours of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Expedition. Just when you think your brain is finally connected to your feet, they ask you to sing in conjunction… Multitasking: a useful training for us all. The pace is fast but fun and everyone is expected, nay obligated, to keep up.

As the show progresses so do relationships among the cast, band and crew. Strangers become acquaintances and acquaintances become friends. But with these friends it feels as if you have known them for much longer as you grow as performers and come to rely on each other both on stage and off – ‘The Footloose Family’.

Just when it feels like this will be the routine forever, the end of term hits the horizon, meaning the week of performances is nigh. Fortunately the performances are preceded by a week in the theatre, getting used to the surroundings, honing our stagecraft. We are finally able to see the magic of Mr Delaney and his stalwart crew’s set and everything simply comes together in our minds. We see Ren’s (Euan Johnstone) embarrassment in church, Reverend Moore’s (Iain Leggat) anger, Ethel’s (Beth Hamilton) turmoil, Vi’s (Kitty Anderson) despair and we admire Ariel’s (Fiona Keith) independent spirit. Who would have anticipated that Chuck Cranston (pronounced: Ch-uh-ck Cray-an-stu-hn) - local bad boy - was in fact our very respectable Head Boy (Rory Weir),

or that Willard Hewitt (W-ih-l-lard H- you-itt), who could barely string two words together without a typical southern “H-yuhh”, was our very articulate Deputy Head Boy (Adam Gilbert)?

The costumes of Mrs McFadyean and Mrs Webster (with their dedicated team of costume girls, who catered for our every need, whether it was a wardrobe malfunction or simply running up to McDonald’s for some ‘nuggs’) made you feel like the cowboy/girl Toy Story had promised since childhood. The enthusiasm and skill of Miss Sharp and her Make-up Team transformed us from fresh-faced Dollar kids to leathery, weathered, deep, 80s southerners. My particular favourite moment was being introduced to my wig – christened ‘Geraldine’ by a member of the cast, as she had far too much personality to be merely ‘Hannah’s wig’.

Opening night.Bu-bup-bup-bu-bup-bup BRRRRRRRRRR…..The familiar bars exploding

up from the band in the pit, and then the curtain was up. Each performance had its own unique flare which would make Stanislavski proud.

The skill, energy and commitment from Producer Mrs Fitzpatrick, Choreographer (and Roller-Skating Coach) Mrs Robb and Musical Director Mr McGonigle were thoroughly appreciated by all the kids of ‘The Footloose Family’ and, I know, the audiences too.

As for me, as Betty, I managed to stay on the right side of the skates - just, even if Geraldine demanded a solo spot. But let’s just keep that our little secret…

Hannah Leggatt (Form V)Photographs courtesy of Jan van der Merwe

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music...


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DAJO STAR SHINES BRIGHT

Following in the footsteps of Dollar FPs Jamie Anderson (tenor saxophone), Tom Adamson (piano and drums), Iain Campbell (guitar) Euan Stevenson (piano), and Jonathan Silk (drums) - all of whom have gone on to carve out very successful careers in the music profession - is Form V’s sixteen-year-old pianist, Fergus McCreadie.

Fergus has enjoyed universal praise over the past year for his stunning virtuosity in performances with DAJO, the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra, and as a solo artist, culminating in the well-deserved title of Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year 2013 (Under 17). So impressed were the judges by his performance in the Aberdeen Final (recorded live on BBC Radio Scotland) that he was invited to compete in the Under 23 final. Since then he has performed live on BBC Radio Scotland’s Jazz House. We await the next chapter with eager anticipation.

John McGonigle

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FORM III GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO MALHAM

On Tuesday 28th May, the Geography Department took 28 Form III pupils to Malham. Travelling by train, they were bound for the Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre, which would become their home for the duration of the four-day trip.

The aim of the trip was to see beautiful limestone scenery, and this was certainly achieved despite some misty, chill conditions. Topics covered over the course of the four days included the impact of the working quarry the pupils visited, the changes in pH and conductivity in a limestone lake and the impact of tourism. Pupils also had to conduct a microclimate study and their own

ADVANCED HIGHER GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO ABERFELDY 2nd-4th October 2013

Despite still recovering from the Sponsored Walk that had taken place the previous week and amber weather warnings, the 15 Form VI pupils taking Advanced Higher Geography this session set off for Aberfeldy in jovial spirits. In prospect was a whirlwind three days, learning a wide range of fieldwork techniques that they would need to use in order to complete their own field study projects. Fieldwork is an integral part of the Advanced Higher Geography course and the field study counts for 40% of the final grade.

Through the rain the pupils measured rivers, analysed soil, recorded the impact of wind turbines and conducted settlement studies on the town of Aberfeldy itself. The data from this will be used to teach statistical and graphical analysis over the next few weeks. What the pupils have learned will be used to conduct a myriad different studies of their own over the next few months.

Home for the three days was a bunkhouse on the hill above

Aberfeldy, giving what should have been panoramic views across the glaciated valley in which the town sits. We finally had the chance to see this on the last day as the mists cleared. All meals were planned, prepared (…and eaten) by the pupils themselves, with assistance and advice provided by the Home Economics Department prior to departure.

On the final day the pupils had the opportunity to try white water rafting on the River Tay, providing a suitably wet ending to a particularly wet fieldtrip. The group returned to Dollar Academy tired, slightly damp,

fieldwork.This is the first time the

trip has run, and its focus was upon developing the knowledge and skill required for the new National 5 course, bringing the academic

subject matter to life. The pupils very much enjoyed the hospitality of the Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre and, overall, deemed the trip a great success.

Heather Moore

but full of enthusiasm for starting their own field study projects.

Alastair McConnell

learning sans frontières...


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ADVANCED HIGHERBIOLOGY FIELD TRIP: Investigating Kindrogan

A bus full of noisy Form VI pupils draws up into Kindrogan Field Studies Centre in Perthshire and is met by the Centre staff – crazy, enthusiastic biologists with hats and dreadlocks, ready to help us on the long journey of our practical investigations, an integral part of the Advanced Higher course. We found our allocated rooms and it was an immediate scramble for the best beds - the highest bunks, or even those with a river view. Once settled, we headed out to do kick-sampling at different points of the river – samples were collected and everyone was soaked, thanks to the

rain and the rather vigorous kicking that came from extremely exuberant Sixth Years. That night involved a tasty dinner, theory work and planning for the beginning of our own investigations the next day.

Investigations evoked mixed responses from people; some ran into the woods, armed with quadrats, metre sticks, light meters and a skip in their step; others trailed in, dragging everything behind them, or looking cautiously behind in the fear that they may not be completely alone amongst the dark conifers, which creaked painfully in the wind and rain. Pitfall traps were dug – 150 in the case of my friend and me, who kept our momentum going with

some party tunes as we worked and spoke to others who wandered past. The atmosphere was generally happy and the Centre staff visiting us as we worked always raised a cheer, as well as the reggae music blasting from the Centre.

Evenings at Kindrogan were spent working on results – poring over them until ten at night, working out what went right and wrong, and planning the following day’s work. Some evenings were spent outside again, dragging a poor Biology teacher out to assist in crawling through thickets of bushes to dig yet more pitfall traps, or to take more samples for analysis in the soil lab. Bedtimes were never a quiet affair, as movies were watched, rooms were

dashed into before teachers came round, and laughing was smothered as they walked past the doors.

Kindrogan undoubtedly involved the hardest work of any trip I have been on. Nine-to-five doesn’t even begin to cover the hours we all put in, both inside and outside, as we slogged away. We were warned that this would be one of the coldest and hardest experiences we would have to date, but none of us believed it. Now we will pass on our words of wisdom to the budding biologists sitting their Higher right now....we recommend a onesie, extra-sugary foods, warm boots and an enthusiastic attitude to have as enjoyable and successful a trip as ours.

Emma Buchanan (Form VI)

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of species lived in this area. Possibly the increased levels of nutrients in the water increased algal growth, which in turn increased biodiversity.

Zoe Mitchell

Project Title: Is there a significant difference between the abundance and/or diversity of invertebrate communities in deciduous and coniferous woodland?Kindrogan, for me, turned out to be

a series of ups and downs, as I was given the ‘privilege’ of studying the many plant species found within coniferous and deciduous woods, including wood sorrel (with an apple-like taste), grasses and, of course, the never-ending list of mosses. 6 sample sites, 90 quadrats, 16 soil samples, 8 pH readings, 8 light intensity readings and 8 temperature readings later, I was able to conclude that there is a significant difference between the species diversity within the two types of woodland, so my overall aim was eventually achieved. There is no doubt that Kindrogen was a tough experience and I must admit that, at times, the only thing that truly kept me going was the sound of Carla Haldane’s ‘soil sample song’ echoing through from the forest opposite. It did give me the opportunity, however, to greatly expand my biological knowledge, as well as my friendships.

Amna Arshad

project. With the help of teachers and Kindrogan tutors (without whom I possibly would have cried), my investigation transformed into determining a difference in the abundance of freshwater shrimp in relation to substrate particle size. I believe the trip to Kindrogan extended and expanded my scientific skill set, which will help me during my university career. The trip caused my stress levels to heighten and my wellies to be soaked through, and I eventually discovered there was no correlation between my two sets of data whatsoever! However, I consider the trip to Kindrogan a success as it has shown me the realities of planning and carrying out a large-scale scientific study.

Ellie Scott-Gray

Project Title: An investigation into the effects of pollution on the biodiversity of freshwater communities in the River ArdleMy investigation involved comparing biodiversity upstream and downstream from a source of pollution (a septic tank outflow). My hypothesis was that I would find greater biodiversity in the cleaner water as there would be a higher concentration of dissolved oxygen at the clean water site. During my time at Kindrogan I spent around 8 hours a day at the river, sampling my study sites in rain and shine. I had as many as 6 layers on, and got very wet feet. I succeeded in carrying out around 40 kick-samples of 2 minutes each so that I had an accurate and reliable set of results. All this hard work resulted in my discovery that the source of pollution was not having the effect I had expected; in fact a higher diversity

Project Title: A study into the effect of light on internodal length in Dog’s Mercury (Mercurialis perennis)While carrying out my investigation, I recalled the work I did during my Higher year on plant etiolation - the effect that dark conditions have on plant growth, causing them to grow tall in an effort to reach the light. My study allowed me to explore this phenomenon in the wild. 180 light intensity readings, 40 soil samples, and 180 measurements of plant internodes later, I can finally say that my investigation is sadly over. My results allowed me to conclude that Dog’s Mercury (my chosen plant)

strived in areas of dark woodland and grew taller in order to reach the light source. Whenever I see Dog’s Mercury I will forever be reminded of the vast amount of mud I dug up from the ground and the ‘soil sample song’ I created in order to keep team morale up for my fellow pupils and myself.

Carla Haldane

Project Title: Investigating the distribution of freshwater shrimp in relation to substrate particle sizeMy Biology investigation proved the need for flexibility when it comes to projects. Initially I intended to investigate the abundance of swimming mayfly in different substrates. Unfortunately, due to extremely low water levels in the river, there were no swimming mayfly and no difference in substrates as all the beaches and muddy shallows were exposed. So I had to adapt my



46THE BATTLEFIELDS EXPERIENCE On Wednesday 16th October 2013 we stood at the bronze doors of the school and were cast into the mindset of a British soldier by our tour guides; this all seemed a bit weird at first, but as we left the school and headed to the Front Line we were all full of excitement. Our tour guides, Margaret and Sandra, were very enthusiastic about their topic and immediately immersed us in the history of the First World War. They informed us quite soon into the journey that the Battlefields Trip was not like a trip or a holiday, but was an experience, and, by the end of it, we had all realised this was absolutely true.

This bus journey was long, although it was through the night so we did manage to get some sleep (except for a few!), but the ferry journey was a lot faster than expected, and before we knew it we had arrived by bus in Bruges, a small, idyllic town in Belgium. We had a few hours to explore before heading to our hostel.

We settled in for our first night and enjoyed our first Belgian meal. The next few days were spent in Belgium and France where we visited

many cemeteries and memorials. Some pupils on the trip had relatives’ graves that we visited and that was very moving. Gregor Stewart played his pipes on a few different occasions which was very emotive, as it made us all reflect on what we had learnt about those who had given their lives for our country. It was a very emotional experience.

Two of the most memorable places we visited were Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial and Tyne Cot Cemetery. Beaumont-Hamel was where the Battle of the Somme had been fought, and some of the information that was delivered to us by Margaret was shocking and really made us think about how bloody and horrific the First World War had been. One of the many memorials erected at Beaumont-Hamel was of a Scottish soldier. It was designed by George Henry Paulin, a former pupil of Dollar Academy, and this made us feel very proud of our school. At this memorial we stood and held our first special remembrance ceremony with Gregor on the pipes. When we visited Tyne Cot Cemetery we were shocked by the number of graves there and also by the 32,000 names along a wall at the back of the cemetery representing those bodies which had never been identified or found.

On the last evening of the trip we held our second ceremony of remembrance led by our tour guides. We all stood with lit candles in our hands as Imogen Macleod (Form IV) read a beautiful poem in memory of the soldiers. This last ceremony was extremely moving, and on the way back to the hostel in the bus all of us, for once, were stunned into silence.

The Battlefields Trip was an incredible trip and an unforgettable experience.

Georgie Finlay (Form IV)

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THE LFA PROJECT

Learning At AuschwitzIn late October I travelled with Elspeth to Auschwitz with the Lessons from Auschwitz Project. LFA is a not-for-profit programme funded by the British government and dedicated to educating sixth-year students about the Holocaust. Two sixth-years from most of the schools in Britain participate in a three-day course all about the Holocaust, and more specifically Auschwitz. The first and final days were spent in a hotel in Edinburgh, but the second was a one-day trip to Poland. The Project has been running for twenty-five years now and it shows. A lot of TV shows and movies try to shock people about the atrocities committed in death camps and most of these are entirely valid and moving pieces of work. But LFA does not ever rely on the imagination of a good writer to recreate the scenes of horror; they have the testimonies of survivors for that. On the first day, Kitty Hart-Moxon spoke to us about her experience in Auschwitz. She grew up in Bielsko, fifteen miles away from the camp, and was a prisoner there for over a year before walking out of the gates in a death march. She told us about the living conditions in the camp, if you could even call them that. She told us how your bowl was your life, how she had once to load her sick friends

onto a van towards the gas chambers, and how her mother had saved her life by taking a risk and asking a German officer if her daughter could travel with her. Kitty recalled with the greatest detail how she had had to use a hidden penknife to slice a hole into the bottom of an airtight train car while women around her died from asphyxiation. I think everyone, including myself, was expecting Kitty to falter at some point, to show the great emotional turmoil that is expected from one who has lived through hell and survived. It never happened. She spoke with such conviction and determination, she told us several times that she needed people to know about what happened to her and to her family. This is evident from her life after liberation. Kitty spent a large amount of time publicizing her story: in her book, in interviews, and in documentaries. She showed us the documentary made on her first visit back to Auschwitz, in which she took her son and tried to explain to him what her life there had been like. He had presumably heard some of these stories before, but it is another thing entirely to see someone stand within a wooden hut, next to a bunk bed and tell you that is where she spent her first night in the camp. Even more so as she told him that the woman



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she slept next to died that night and in the morning she took the bread off the corpse. In the documentary she was more emotional, her voice affected by the rush of memory.

The second day was spent in Auschwitz One and Auschwitz Two, also called Birkenau. Auschwitz One was mainly a camp for political prisoners and used for medical experiments. Now it is a museum that shows the extent of the crimes committed. Each building has a different purpose; one to show the forced migration of the Jewish people; those that detail the extremes of camp life; and the most famous one houses an exhibition on the items collected from prisoners as they entered the camp. There are rooms in that building that most people wish had never existed. There are rooms where people just should not take photos. These rooms rip through time and history to show the present how these people who died were simply people. There are twisted piles of glasses, a swimming pool of pots and pans, and a plane’s cargo-worth of suitcases all behind a pane of glass. The room where the shoes are kept is more like a hallway with glass cases on either side. Each case, about six or seven metres long and three metres deep, is filled with shoes. This is only five per cent of the shoes collected by the Nazis at Auschwitz. The thing about shoes is that they show if a person is practical or loves colour or comfort. Shoes tell the story of their owner in a depth that photographs sometimes lack. Just before heading into a room that contained the hair of 140,000 victims, everyone in our group was handed a poem that asked the reader to imagine the schoolgirl pigtails that the hair had been braided into before being shaved off. I think that it is details like that which make trips with LFA so powerful.

After Auschwitz One, we visited Birkenau. The camp is constructed mainly of wooden shacks that were originally used as horse stalls for 50 horses. 200 humans

managed to fit into one most nights. Our group was large, 220 students exactly; nobody had failed to show up for this trip. We walked along the train tracks towards the gas chambers. I did not know what to expect. We had earlier walked though the only remaining gas chamber in Auschwitz One, but this felt different. I had never seen a picture of what the end of this line had looked like. Along the way, we were read excerpts from books written by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi about what is was like to arrive at the camp and about life there. I had read Elie Wiesel’s book before and was familiar with the passage in which he lets go of his mother’s hand and that is the end of their life together. It was disturbing to read the passage while safely in Scotland, it was entirely more harrowing to hear it standing on the platform where it occurred. At the end of the rails stands a monument built by the USSR soon after the War in typical communist style. Here there was a large group of young people from Israel paying their respects by playing songs on the guitar and lighting candles. We had our own ceremony at the end of the day, led by a Rabbi who had travelled from London to speak to us. He spoke not only of the tragedy that had happened to his people, but of genocide that was occurring to other people in other parts of the world. He reminded us that we shouldn’t keep the lessons we learned that day to ourselves, and that we have a duty to the people who died to spread the word that they were just as ordinary as anyone else who existed then or now. Among the things collected at Auschwitz are keys brought by Jews who thought they would one day need them to open their front door. Such an ordinary act.

The LFA Project made this trip possible for me to undertake. Even now, with the wealth of context that I gained on the trip, I have only scratched the surface of what occurred there 70 years ago. I just hope that my account can add to the records of history so that one day people will remember, not just what is easy to remember – facts and dates - but that lives were taken away even from those who survived.

Anya Kaufman (Form VI)

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Learning From Auschwitz

When we are taught about the Holocaust at school or learn about it through its portrayal in the media, it becomes very easy to dehumanise the event – simply to see the numbers of those who were exterminated and become too overwhelmed to see anything else. It is, however, exceptionally important to understand that each one of the people involved had their own story and took their own journey to and, for a fortunate few, from the concentration camps. One of the main aims of the LFA Project is to show the participants that it was individual people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust. The personal insight that comes from hearing survivors’ testimonies offers an opportunity to gain a better understanding of unbelievable events.

The Holocaust is so monumental that it becomes almost impossible for someone like me to begin to understand it. It is for this reason that it is so important for people of my generation, and the generations to come, to read and listen to the accounts of those who survived. The Holocaust is something that can and must not be forgotten. It is our duty, as the next generations to keep the accounts of survivors alive after they themselves are not, so that we may learn from what they have said. There is so much that we must learn from the Holocaust itself: to avoid judging people, to maintain justice, and to endeavour to achieve complete equality in society. Those who suffered the persecution of the Nazi regime were degraded and were, at every opportunity, made to feel as though they were sub-human. We must learn from the past and never allow people to be treated in this way again.

Now that I have been to Auschwitz, I find it impossible to believe that there are people in the world who can deny that the Holocaust ever happened. I challenge the deniers to go to Auschwitz, to stand where so many people were murdered and still deny it happened. Kitty Hart- Moxon returned to Auschwitz with a group of neo-Nazi Holocaust deniers and still they refused to admit the truth of what took place there more than 70 years ago. It raises questions - what do they suggest happened there? How do they explain the deaths of 6,000,000 people? And how can they ignore the evidence? I know that I, personally, will never forget the things I saw on my visit to Auschwitz and that I cannot adequately thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for the opportunity I received and the education about the Holocaust with which they provided me.

The Holocaust is a subject that is often avoided and one that should be discussed more openly. People’s desire to sweep history under the carpet and pretend that it is not there is why the world has not yet fully learned from the past. Since the Holocaust the world has seen genocide in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. Genocides of this nature should never have happened and should

never be allowed to happen again. It is now, when so many more people in the world are educated enough to understand and have the resources to learn, that projects like the Lessons From Auschwitz Project become so important because we can no longer avoid it or talk about it in hushed whispers for fear that it is a ‘taboo subject’. The LFA Project aims to make us think about the individual and, in that same way, if it had been members of our family who had been persecuted, we would never want people to forget what had happened. It is the education and new viewpoint the Project has provided me with that inspires me to urge us all no longer to be afraid to talk about the Holocaust, as we must learn from the mistakes of the past, not ignore them.

Having stood within the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau after hearing Kitty talk about her experiences, I feel that I have gained a better degree of understanding of the Holocaust. I cannot say that I fully understand the motives behind this attack on innocent individuals – and I doubt anyone can ever truly comprehend what happened – but I feel as though I have a duty to those who have died. I believe that it is the duty of all those who live in a free society, which we often take for granted, to educate ourselves and educate others about the unjust actions suffered by those kept prisoner – for what? For one thing, because they were different. Rabbi Barry Marcus, who spoke at the memorial service we held at Auschwitz-Birkenau, made a point which we must all learn from these events: we must not judge people for being different and we definitely must not hate them for it, for, if we do, we will end up hating everyone, as everyone is different. It is the words of the Rabbi and of so many of the educators involved in the project that have opened my eyes to the lessons we can take from the Holocaust.

Elspeth Drysdale (FVI)



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L’ÉCHANGE FRANÇAIS

A group of around 30 pupils left Dollar on the 5th of June as part of an exchange with French pupils at the Lycée Agricole Olivier de Serres in Ardèche in the south of France. The area was surrounded with vineyards and was very picturesque. It was great to be able to experience French school and day-to-day life. The Lycée had also arranged many special activities for us.

We visited scenic villages, and experienced the culture at first hand as we walked through streets that had a distinct Mediterranean feel. We participated in a “Bike and Run” race with our exchange partners in which we took turns at cycling and running a circuit in the countryside. We also visited a Nougat factory where we saw how it was made and took full advantage of the free samples! Another great trip was to the caves beneath Ardèche and also to le Pont d’Avignon, where we were able to visit a modern art

museum. There was also a football match against our host school (which we unfortunately lost). At the weekend we were kept busy with the activities that our host families had prepared for us, which included canoeing, canyoning, and even a visit to a Haribo factory.

It was excellent to see our exchange partners again when the French pupils visited Scotland. They experienced classes taught in English, and visited Edinburgh, Glasgow and Loch Lomond. They also enjoyed a tour of the school and a visit to Castle Campbell, as well as the activities that the host families had planned for the weekend. There was a much-needed Scotland versus France football rematch, and thankfully this time we won.

The trip was rounded off with a ‘farewell ceilidh’ which also served as a ‘welcome ceilidh’ for the German exchange group. It was a great way to send off our French visitors, the band was fantastic and, most importantly, there was lots of dancing. This ‘Trilingual Ceilidh’ was a great success and a good time was had by all.

Ross Laird (Form III)

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AMBERG EXCHANGE

This year’s Amberg exchange was another huge success, with 20 Dollar pupils having the time of their lives under a baking-hot Bavarian sun. One of this year’s highlights was a visit to the Hirschau Hochseilgarten, where we spent two wonderful hours swinging about in trees, riding zip wires, climbing monkey frames as well as being stung to death by an extraordinary assortment of less-than-friendly German insects! Our visit to Regensburg was also enjoyable, and after visiting the Dom – that’s a Cathedral for you non-linguists – we took a boat trip down the Donau, finishing off our day with a visit to the Weltenburg Kloster, Germany’s oldest monastery and a place where they brew beer of an astonishing quality. At least, that is what I am told for, naturally, I didn’t try any myself. We also spent a day in school having special lessons and this was most enjoyable as we were able to impress our German hosts with our knowledge of German and help them out in their English lessons. We also received special instruction in Bavarian folk dancing in preparation for the Abschiedsfeier, the leaving party on our last night. We were all

impressed when Frau Brooks, a native of Passau in deepest Bavaria, turned up in her green and white Dirndl, the traditional Bavarian costume, and put us all to shame with her dancing skills. Our trip was rounded off by a visit to Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena where we were allowed to set foot on the hallowed turf of the new European champions. But the most enjoyable and rewarding part of the exchange was the fact that we made such good friends in Amberg and many of us have plans to visit each other over the next few years. We were received with great kindness by our German hosts and treated like members of the family. All in all, this was a fantastic week and we have all made great progress in our German.

Katy Robson (Form III)



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When five sleep-deprived, caffeine-addled teenage boys stumble into Edinburgh Airport at an hour far too early for their liking, the atmosphere has a propensity to be one of torpidity and annoyance. Fortunately, on this particular occasion, we five in question were in especially jovial spirit, eagerly anticipating what was to be one of the best months of our young lives.

We were participating in what is known as the ‘desk-to-desk’ programme run by the school for those pupils taking German (and, soon, French) in Forms IV and V. One spends a month in the country, living with a host family and attending school with an exchange partner for three weeks. For the final ten days, one undertakes a work placement in an area of one’s choosing. The plethora of options available is diverse; in the past, Dollar pupils have carried out work experience in zoos, nurseries, media, and even at swimming pools.

Clearly, this type of trip is much more demanding than those offered further down the school, though the ultimate linguistic benefits more than repay the challenge. However, such concerns were not too close to heart when we touched down at Stuttgart Airport a few hours later; our nerves were jangling so much that the primary objective was to mumble as much basic German as necessary to survive Day One. Needless to say, all our worries were utterly in vain; the hosts were exceedingly pleasant, friendly and welcoming (a fact which should encourage those contemplating a replication of our venture, I would hope).

Our anxieties soothed, we quickly plunged into the deep end, with classes starting at 07.50. For even the most advanced German speakers among us, the first few lessons provided us with at least an element of bewilderment; none of us had ever been exposed to German so, so complex, so, well… native. Our teachers had forewarned us of difficulties on the first day (a day which, owing to the early start, finished at 13.30, with more than enough of an afternoon to bask in the 30° summer sun), and our persistence was rewarded with a greater understanding of rapid, colloquial German.

Soon, that pesky little thing called routine took shape, as days, then weeks passed without notice. We became so immersed in the school system that, not only were we comprehending all subjects completely, we were actually starting to contribute actively to class discussions. Duncan scored full marks in a Maths test; Gavin corrected his partner in Chemistry; Isaac and Cam answered questions faster than the native students; and I wrote on the board in Languages. Not only did our reading, writing and listening skills improve, but the fantastic support and encouragement we were afforded from our host families and peers meant that speaking German became second nature to us, especially as we were able to take part in the myriad events on offer in summertime Germany: concerts, theme parks, and outings all helped us discover more about German culture, as well as being incredibly good fun. So much so in fact that, before we knew

it, it was time to switch from the classroom to our work placements.

Talking about it now, the group unanimously agrees that the work experience was like ten days of congratulations. We were allowed to see just how much our German had come on in merely three weeks by putting it into practice in real situations of responsibility. Working in a French/German bilingual pre-school, I personally found it fascinating that both languages simply seemed to fall (coherently) out of my mouth, an experience with which the entirety of the group drew parallels. We were moving from easy fluency to a real, incipient Sprachgefühl, and this was never more evident than when, on one of our last days there, we decided to congregate at the local park. Upon seeing some other youths accidentally damage part of the apparatus, Duncan exclaimed, “Look! They’ve kaputted the swings!” This particular statement resonated with me, as it saw the languages and structure of English and German collide and fuse.

When five well-rested, energetic teenage boys stumble into Stuttgart Airport at midday, the atmosphere has a propensity to be one of joy and excitement. Unfortunately, on this particular occasion, we five in question were in especially glum spirits, knowing that one of the best months of our lives had just ended.

We didn’t want to go home. Jack McNicol (Form V)

FELLBACH DESK-TO-DESK

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AN EMPIRE IN ITS RUINS

Mackenzie Shepherd (Form VI) was this year’s recipient of the MacNaughton Travel Award. Here he recounts details of his trip to the heart of the Roman Empire.

Even after 2000 years, the symbols of Roman power are still prevalent in Italy’s capital city. Despite the demise of the Roman Empire and the many sackings of the city, buildings such as the Pantheon and the Colosseum can still be appreciated today. Even some of the original paved roads and water pumps are still visible throughout the city. Although some Roman symbols paint the empire as a brutal and expansionist society, there is also evidence that the Romans were just as ingenious and civilised. Using the generous funding provided by the MacNaughton Travel Award, I was able to travel in the holidays to visit the city, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the key factors that shaped Roman society.

The first location I visited was the remains of the Circus Maximus, the site of Rome’s main

chariot racing stadium. Situated just a short walk from the Colosseum, there is relatively little left to see today except for the side banking where spectators sat and the long central island of the track, around which chariots would have

turned during races. Walking into the Circus Maximus, a spectator would have been greeted by a cacophony of sounds from the audience, cheers and boos, when races were on. Money would have changed hands as bets were placed on which team was going to win the race. The arena itself was originally built from wood but, after several fires, the Emperor Trajan decided that stone and marble were better materials for the structure. In its time, the stadium would have dwarfed the much later Colosseum and even most modern stadia.



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Archaeologists working at the site have reckoned that the original building measured over 600 metres long and 100 metres wide and could accommodate around 150,000 spectators. The stadium would surely have been an awesome sight and would have made a huge impact upon the crowds of spectators, both local people and foreigners.

After spending a time walking the Circus Maximus (now a public park), I walked down the Via Di San Gregorio to the Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. Despite this being my second visit to this building, I was still blown away by its sheer size and prominence in the centre of Rome. Perhaps the best known of Rome’s ancient buildings, this arena hosted gladiatorial fights, prisoner executions and even mock naval battles. The morning of the Games would see fights between lesser known gladiators followed perhaps by a dramatic recreation from myth. During lunch, the spectators would have the ‘joy’ of watching criminals being executed. Then, the main headliners would enter the arena. These would have been the top gladiators of their time, held in a similar regard to the best footballers today. The atmosphere at these games would have been ecstatic, with the crowd reacting to every blow that the gladiators suffered. It was no surprise then, that the politicians of the time would personally fund these events in order to gain the support of the masses. Titus held 100 days of games in order to regain the support he had lost following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. It could be said that the funding of these games by politicians was a way of showing that they would spend money for the Roman state instead of on themselves. The Colosseum can also be seen as a metaphor for Rome’s dominance at the height of its power, as it brought together animals and slaves from every corner of the empire to fight each other. In this way, Rome boasted its supremacy over foreign peoples and even the natural world.

The Arch of Titus crowns the hillock near the Colosseum and provided the entrance for my next visit: the Roman Forum. The arch itself was built after Emperor Titus’ death in order to celebrate his victory over the Jewish rebellion in 70AD. As such, the monument bears several reliefs showing Roman

soldiers carrying off religious spoils, including two carrying off a sacred menorah. Titus himself is depicted as triumphator (‘man of triumph’), his head crowned with a laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of victory. Public figures such as senators and generals would build monuments like these in order to ensure that their legacy was continued, as well as to proclaim the success of the Roman state.

Following in the footsteps of a Roman victory parade, I entered the Roman Forum itself, one of the last locations that I visited. Today the Forum is surrounded by looming medieval buildings because of its burial for several hundred years under layers of silt and sand. Although it has only been excavated in the last 400 years, the significance of the Forum in Roman history cannot be understated. As the political, religious and administrative centre of the city, this location was close to the Palatine Hill, the emperor’s home, as well as the Capitoline Hill, where the Temple of Jupiter once sat. Inside the Forum, one of the first buildings to attract attention is the cremation site of Julius Caesar. This small building can barely hold ten people but the queue to get inside was sizeable. It is apparent that even after 2000 years, Caesar still has an appeal to people around the world due to his legacy as both an inspiring military leader and the person who laid much of the groundwork for the subsequent Roman Empire. Not far from the site of Caesar’s cremation stands the Rostra, a platform from which politicians and lawyers gave speeches to enthusiastic crowds. The Rostra was key to political control, especially during the civil wars. Mark Antony, in the wake of Caesar’s death, nailed the heads and hands of his political enemies to the platform in an attempt to consolidate his own power. During the later civil war between Antony and Octavian (later Augustus Caesar), control of the Rostra would prove key to swaying public opinion against your opponent. From here, I continued on towards the Roman Senate House. This building is in surprisingly good condition having suffered relatively little damage despite being in place since the 1st century BC. Many of the Forum’s artefacts are housed inside. These range from small religious statues to glasswork, such as bottles and jewellery from the time. Such items can provide a valuable insight into the lives of citizens in the Forum, reminding us that the area was the centre not only of religious and political life, but also of the social life of Rome.

My trip to Rome in the summer provided a fascinating insight into the city’s history, through exploring sites that shaped the Roman Empire both for the good and the bad. Whilst temples such as those in the Forum and the Pantheon reveal Rome to be a society that valued religion, visits to sites such as the Colosseum and the Rostra have brought home to me the brutality and violence which also shaped the legacy of this awe-inspiring Empire.

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art & literature...

CHARITIES WEEK 2013

The end of the school year 2012-13 brought yet another successful week for the Charities Committee. Their efforts all kicked off with a new event to raise funds for the chosen charities - the Tug o’ War. The sun was shining as both pupils and teachers gathered eagerly by the Prep School pitch to spectate this highly-anticipated addition to the Charities calendar. The teachers’ teams comprised the appropriately named ‘Playfair’ and ‘Dewar’. They battled it out in the first round of heats, with Playfair coming out the victor. Mr Lindsay of Team Playfair proudly commented, “We were preparing ourselves for the calibre of team we faced, but thankfully we won - as we hoped we would.” The victorious teachers then faced a new challenge - the pupils! The ‘Sports Most Elite’ consisted of many First XV and First XI players; it was a hard-fought final, but in the end the pupils triumphed! The Fairy Godmother Auction followed, always a popular event in the senior school. The pupils gathered in mass in the Assembly Hall. A number of Sixth Years kindly volunteered to be ‘bought’ by pupils to act as their ‘Fairy Godmother’ for the afternoon. Godmothers, including members of the Top Six and even some ‘rugby lads’, were eventually ‘sold’ for as much as £40! The event raised a great sum of money, and some lucky pupils had company (or someone to run their errands!) for the rest of the day.Finally the highlight of the week: the Custard Pie Auction. As ever, the turnout was high to witness various teachers and peers being pied in the face by lucky pupils, all in the name of charity! Teachers involved included Mr Duncan, Mr McEwan, Miss Spencer, Mr McConnell, and Mr Blezard, along with Sixth Form pupils Andrew Raw and Stewart Martin. In good spirits, the teachers sacrificed their clothes to the smell of dairy. Bids were high, with Andrew Raw being ‘sold’ to his Sixth Form peers for a staggering £70!

Altogether the events resulted in £1000 being donated to both the local Alloa Food Bank and the international charity, ‘Wonderful Love’, associated with Project Trust. Once again the teachers and pupils of Dollar were generous with both their energy and their money, ensuring that the efforts of the Charities Committee were a huge success.

Sarah Everington (Form VI)

CHARITIES


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DOLLAR PUPILS’ MARATHON CHARITY EFFORT

In May of the summer term, Niall MacMillan and Jamie Melling (then Form V and IV) ran 27 gruelling miles over, around and through the Ochils in an effort to raise funds for the charity, Help for Heroes. They completed their run in a most impressive time of 5 hours and 27 minutes. They had been rigorously coached by Physics teacher and school Running Club organiser, Mr Andy Johns - no stranger to long-distance runs himself. The boys are very committed to this worthy cause and have already raised £1600 for this charity, which provides practical, direct support for servicemen or women who suffer life-changing injuries in the line of duty.

Should anyone wish to celebrate the boys’ achievement and support Help for Heroes charity, they may do so by visiting bmycharity.com and searching for Niall MacMillan.

Heather Moore

ECO COMMITTEE ESTABLISHES DOLLAR ECO GROVE

Last session the Dollar Academy Eco Committee raised money from two Bag2School collections with the intention of donating the funds to a Scottish environmental charity. Now, as a result of that fundraising, the Eco Committee have established the Dollar Eco Grove in the Caledonian Forest, under the auspices of the charity, Trees for Life. This environmental organisation is committed to restoring the Caledonian Forests in the Highlands, which have been progressively destroyed since humans started living in Scotland.

The Dollar Grove will help to expand the ancient woodlands on Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness - land purchased by Trees for Life in 2008. Presently, the grove consists of 57 trees. The planting enabled by Dollar’s sponsorship of the grove is scheduled for autumn 2013; the trees planted will be native species

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after the bell...

SURF CLUB This autumn saw the best block of lessons I can remember since starting the Club five years ago. The first trip produced perfect, glassy waves that allowed everyone to ease back into things after the summer. Many of the pupils have been coming surfing for some time now and these conditions were ideal for them to make real progress. All members of the groups were sitting out back and catching green, unbroken waves and riding them into the beach. The progression was really evident as old hands like Chris Clark and Duncan Fisken (both Form IV) showed they were really getting the hang of turning and controlling the board. We had the most enthusiastic new starts ever with us, in the form of Cameron Turner (Form IV) and Matt Laing (Form III), both of whom did really well - Cameron standing up on his first wave ever and Matt showing the benefit of summers spent in Biarritz. The atmosphere was fantastic as we all competed to see who could get the longest ride and we all came home with happy smiles. The following week saw a flat spell, but the surf school is now set up to take us Coasteering on such days and we spent a brilliant evening scrambling around the cliffs by Dunbar harbour, culminating in a fun-size jump where front flips, back flips and swallow dives were the order of the day. (Remember: seaweed slippy; barnacles grippy.) The final two sessions produced great waves in the chest- to head-high region. The final session had some fairly big sets coming through which were a good challenge for our, by now, pretty competent group. The atmosphere on all four trips was excellent, and I thank all those involved for their entertaining company and incredible enthusiasm. Just remember – the best surfer is the one who’s having the most fun.

Charlie Ainge

grown from locally collected seed. Scots pine, willow, rowan, birch, hazel, alder, holly aspen, and bird cherry are the predominant species. The grove will expand naturally by regeneration to help grow forests of the future; it will also help link the remnants of Caledonian Forest in Glen Moriston with those in Glen Affric. The Eco Committee also hope to add to the Dollar Academy grove by raising money from other Eco activities in the future.

For further information and an opportunity to add to Dollar Academy’s donation and dedications, visit treesforlife.org.uk and search for Dollar Academy.

Heather Moore


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available for access through the EST website, europeansharedtreasure.eu - enter ‘Dollar Academy’ into the ‘search an institution/organisation’ bar and select ‘International community learning of ICT’. There are then options for looking at shared products and products from the individual partner schools. The products include a list of apps which have been rated by pupils in terms of usefulness for various user groups, along with instructions for using 20 of the most popular apps. Some software is also available which can be used to help to teach basic literacy and numeracy and I.T. skills. The calendars produced for Play Alloa and the Whins Centre can also be viewed.

We hope to apply for more funding from the Comenius programme next session and are delighted that our pupils carry on the spirit of this project by continuing to volunteer in our local community.Lucy Payne, Susanne Stanhope and Karen MacBean

COMENIUS PROJECT COMES TO AN END - THEORETICALLY!

Dollar Academy has just completed a two-year project which involved pupil volunteers working with people in the community on various aspects of I.T. The project was funded by a grant of 20,000 Euros from the European Comenius programme via the British Council. The school has been awarded five of these grants to date, and has benefited hugely from the programme, in which schools from across Europe collaborate on a specific theme.

This particular project was carried out in partnership with the Gustav-Stresemann-Gymnasium, Fellbach, Germany and the Instituut Mariawende-Blydhove, Brugge, Belgium. The project focussed on the use of technology (iPads, PCs and photography) to enhance the learning environment and learning experiences of a range of people. The aim was to bridge the digital divide between those with technologically-related skills and those without, and to promote social inclusion. We feel that the project has succeeded in accomplishing both of these aims. Pupils from each school were trained in the use of I.T. and in working with people with various care needs. The Belgian and German schools each worked with one local group of youths or adults with special needs. Dollar Academy ran five four-week courses (one 90-minute lesson per week) for local over-65s, in which pupils worked one-to-one with them on aspects of I.T. which were relevant to them. Initially PCs and laptops were used, but after one course many of the ‘client’ group expressed an interest in using iPads, and the focus switched to this for the last few courses. Clients learned to shop online, use Word and Paint, organise and edit photos, use Skype, Facebook, email and much more. These courses are now ongoing, with new and familiar faces attending each one. An iPad training course is scheduled to run at the time of writing.

The Academy also ran a four-week course for teachers and classroom staff at Seamab School, a local residential school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The focus of this course was to familiarise the staff with the use of iPads for educational and social purposes, with pupils again working one-to-one with staff at the school.

A third focus was a group of disabled adults in a photography group at the local Whins Resource Centre. Pupils met with the group weekly and helped set up their computer to view and edit photographs taken by the group. They produced a calendar of their best photos which was copied and bound by the school and distributed to members of the group and their families.

The final focus was a social group for disabled children (Play Alloa) at which pupils from the Academy have helped over the course of the two years. They socialised with the children and helped them to use iPads with great success. They also produced a calendar with photos of the group which all members were given by the school. Pupils at the Academy continue to volunteer with Play Alloa, which now runs a befriending scheme.

Each of the partner schools produced one or more work packages based on their experiences, which can be used by other schools working with a similar client group. Many of the products of the project are

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INDIA SHIELD AND INSPECTION DAY

We have been privileged to welcome back to Dollar many successful Former Pupils over the years, and this year has proved no different. On Friday 14th June the Rt Hon Sir George Reid (FP) and Lady Daphne, along with Lt Colonel Neil Den-McKay (FP), Commanding Officer of 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (5Scots), joined in the final day of competition for the India Shield (the CCF’s Inter Section Competition). Sir George, as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire, took this opportunity to present Sgt Eleanor Taylor (then Form VI) with her Lord-Lieutenant Cadet parchment paper for her year’s service and to award Eleanor’s replacement, Drum Major Joe Armstrong (Form V) with his LLC badge of office and a certificate. The parade finished with Colonel Den-McKay presenting the India Shield to the winning section - Infantry; section i/c - Sgt Taylor!

Dollar Academy CCF held its Biennial Inspection Day on Monday 14th October. The Inspecting Officer this year was Lt Col Mike Hay, Chief of Staff 51 (Scottish) Brigade (FP). He was welcomed by over 270 pupil and staff members of the CCF, and the day included an Inspection and March Past followed by lunch with the Rector and Senior Cadets. In the afternoon, he visited a wide variety of cadet activities, accompanied by RSM Robert Henson (Form VI). At the final parade, Lt Col Hay promoted a number of the cadets and presented Major Julia Adamson with her Cadet Force Long Service award, marking 12 years of service to the Combined Cadet Force.

Craig StewartInspection Day photos courtesy of Jan van der

Merwe

after the bell...


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MILITARY SKILLS COMPETITION 2013

On Friday 27th September, ten of Dollar Academy’s best cadets travelled to Barry Buddon training area on the east coast to compete in the Scottish Military Skills Competition. The team was led by Tim Torrance and Ben Ward (both Form VI) and consisted of Robert Henson (Form VI), Angus Clark, David Kennedy, Christian Lao, Megan Montgomery, Gavin Roderick, Duncan Smith (all Form V), and Sam Ward (Form IV).

The competition was made up of several stands, each of which tested a different tactical skill, such as Section Attacks, Patrolling, First Aid, Observation, Map and Compass and Military Knowledge. The whole event took place over three days and two nights, during which time the team slept under bashas (nylon sheets strung between two trees with some bungees) and ate army ration pack meals. We arrived on the Friday evening and spent the night getting some rest after the School Sponsored Walk which had taken place that day.

We awoke the next day to what was quite a cold but, mercifully, dry morning. We collapsed our campsite and prepared to move to our first stand. Over the course of the day, all of the teams taking part in the competition had to navigate between various stands in different locations around the training area.

At each stand, the team was assessed by a soldier from the Cadet Training Team, who allocated marks based on teamwork, aggression, leadership and the team’s competence at that stand’s particular skill. We were lucky that our first stands were ones that we were particularly good at, and the Dollar team therefore gained momentum throughout the morning.

At the end of a long day of stands, the team returned to the basha site, exhausted from a tough day of heavy physical activity. Shortly after a meal and a brief rest, however, we got ourselves fired up in time to be off again. This time we were to take part in a timed Night Navigational Exercise, in which we navigated between a number of grid references, over extremely tough terrain, with very limited visibility. The determination of the team was outstanding, as the cadets pushed themselves between each point, through ditches and chest-high grass. All of this was done with a rifle, full webbing belts and kit, but despite the physical challenge, the team found every one of the nine points, covering approximately five kilometres, and made it back to the start in an exceptional time. Everyone was exhausted as they collapsed into their bashas that night, physically aching with the exertion of running with heavy kit for an hour in the dark.

The final day of the competition was spent completing the remaining three stands - the obstacle course, the speed march and the shoot. We stretched off our sore

muscles and prepared to tackle the obstacles in front of us, including tunnels, six- and ten-foot walls, stepping logs and a lot of crawling. The team finished in a good time, but then had to set off on the speed march, a 1.5 kilometre forced march with full kit. On arrival at the end point, we then moved straight into the shoot, which tested our accuracy with the cadet A2 rifles that we had been carrying slung around our bodies all weekend.

After this, our competing was done. All we could do was sit and wait for the scores to be counted. Then, during the final parade, the results were announced and, to our delight, we were placed first. The team thoroughly deserved the victory, as the cadets had worked extremely hard throughout the competition and through all of the training beforehand. It was a great feeling to come away with a win, having narrowly lost the year before, and it made all of the team members’ and adults’ work towards the competition worthwhile. A special mention must go to Captain Scott for running the Night Navigational Exercise with us, and to the rest of the adults who kept us going throughout. For me, this has been the culmination of my time as a cadet and I am extremely happy to have come away with a win in my final year. Form VI now pass the mantle on to the younger years, to retain the trophy in the future.

CSM Tim Torrance (Form VI)

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NATIONAL SUCCESS FOR FIRST AID TEAM

After securing a fantastic victory at the Scottish Military Skills Competition, the Dollar cadets endured the very next weekend the seven-hour bus journey to RAF Cranwell to compete at the National First Aid Competition. They had already qualified by sweeping away the field at the Scottish Competition in June, winning the best CCF and the best Scottish Team prizes, so before

they even set out they were already representing the CCF for Scotland.

After a full day of preparation for the biennial Contingent Inspection, the team, which consisted of RSM Robert Henson (Form VI) Cpl Duncan Smith, L/Cpl Benjamin Collins, Cpl Christian Lao and Cpl Angus Clark (all Form V), travelled to Grantham. The weekend was split into two competitions, with Dollar having to rank first or second place on Saturday in order to qualify for Sunday’s event. The cadets were tested individually and as a team, treating injuries such as fractured jaws, broken ribs and punctured lungs. By the end of the first day, the Dollar team had won the CCF Competition for the eighth year in a row, collecting the London Cup and making it the best CCF team in the country. Special mention must go to L/Cpl Collins, who achieved the top individual score of 37 out of 40.

As current CCF National Champions, the team then had the honour of representing not only Scotland but the whole of the UK at the Inter-Services Competition. The

cadets faced a second gruelling day competing, which involved dealing with a challenging parachuting accident. This competition was between the top teams from every branch of the cadet forces, including the Army Cadet Force, the Air Training Corps, the Sea Cadet Corps and the St John’s Ambulance Cadets. Dollar performed extremely well and was placed second in this prestigious competition. The team leader, RSM Robert Henson, won the top individual prize with a fantastic score of 57 out of 60. This is the fourth year in which he has won this – an unparalleled achievement. The team would not have seen such success without the support of their coach, mentor and advisor, SMI Tracy Scott, and the Contingent Executive Officer, Captain Mark Scott, who have both worked extremely hard to organise and run many hours of training before the competition. It was, all in all, a very successful weekend, with the Dollar Team winning the National CCF and the National Cadet Titles.

RSM Robert Henson (Form VI)

after the bell...


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BISLEY SHOOTING SUCCESS 2013

The focus of the training for Dollar Academy shooters is the summer competition held at Bisley. The events in Schools Week are for cadets, and this year from Monday 8th to Friday 12th July over 50 schools, represented by 700 members of their respective Combined Cadet Forces, competed to win individual and team prizes every day. The premier event is undoubtedly the Ashburton on Thursday; schools enter a team of eight shooters, some of whom must also wind-coach the others to shoot at 300, 500 and 600 yards. In the shooting world, we recognize that some schools may be able to find a few individuals who are cracking good shots, but the schools which can bring together a team of eight, plus others to make up a Cadet Four and a Schools Four, must have real breadth of talent. We were very

proud to prove that we are such a school this year by winning the Ashburton Shield. Dollar is the only Scottish school to have won the event in the last 50 years, previously in 2005 and now in 2013. The winning team consisted of Billy Dineen, Captain together with Lindsey McKerrell, Louis Stewart (Athelings), CJ Macdonald (Atheling Reserve) – all FP 2013; Alex Black, Seonaid McIntosh, Danny Dineen (all Form VI) and Megan Montgomery (Form V). The London Scottish Vase, presented to the best shooting school in Scotland, was won again by Dollar for the 16th

consecutive year. We also won the Cadet Fours and the list of individual cadet prizes is astonishing (as is the collection of pots and medals that we have brought back to display in Dollar Academy). Special mention must go to Gregor Stewart (Form IV) who, despite having to forego shooting after our Captain shut his

fingers in a minibus door, piped on the Scottish Contingents (with very straight fingers) on Ashburton Thursday.

The Imperial Week

From Friday 12th to Saturday 20th July, the competition changes from a CCF to a civilian event. By Friday, Bisley had absorbed over 1100 target rifle competitors of all ages, from school pupils to elderly veterans, all trying to achieve the highest possible ranking in the Grand Aggregate (11 competitions over 5 days), as well as to qualify for second and final stages in major events such as the St George’s and the Queen’s Prize. Throughout the week, selectors for County, Cadet, all Forces and National Squads are watching the scoreboards for shooters with the potential to do well for their team matches, held from the fifth to tenth days of the Imperial Meeting. Throughout this week, our Dollar

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after the bell...

Academy pupils and Former Pupils continued to shine. Jacqui Rankin (FP) had an outstanding result in the Grand Aggregate, being placed 7th, with Lindsey McKerrell just missing out on a place in the top 100, but still winning the prize for the highest-placed cadet in the Grand, closely followed by Julia Melling (FP) in 146th and fellow Atheling Louis Stewart in 167th place. The top 200 reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of International names and Commonwealth Games competitors, and our pupil placings were remarkable. Also worthy of note were Seonaid McIntosh in 237th place with a total 676 with 69 V Bulls, and Ewan Scougall’s (Form V) placing of 299th with a score of 672 with 58 V Bulls; only four points behind, but almost 60 places in the tight competition!

Lindsey McKerrell was selected to shoot for the Scottish National Squad in both the National Match at short range and the

McKinnon Match at Long Range, and Former Pupil, Jacqui Rankin, was selected for Great Britain in the Kolapore Match; these are truly outstanding achievements. FPs Johnny Boreland and Julia Melling also achieved Scotland caps. Ewan Scougall, Seonaid McIntosh, CJ Macdonald, Louis Stewart, Danny Dineen and Lyndsey McKerrell were also selected for prestigious cadet competitions with the Athelings, The AG Bell team or the UK cadets. To wrap up an extraordinary week, our pupils won the Gary Jones Cup - an aggregate of scores from the Imperial Meeting, reflecting their skills at both Long and Short Ranges.

In conclusion, Dollar Academy shone at Bisley this year, and we were delighted that both the Rector and the Chairman of the Governors, John Cameron, were there on Ashburton Day to share some remarkable memories with us. Thank

you also to the group of parents who came as supporters, photographers, tent carriers and, later in the day, bearers of huge trophies. We very much look forward to displaying the pots and photographs. Special mention must also go to our own Lt Colonel Stewart, who returned from Canada in late August this year; he was the 2013 Commandant of the Athelings, the top 16 cadet shooters in Great Britain, in their matches against Canadian cadets and those civilians who attend their ‘Bisley’, the DCRA Meeting, in Connaught this year.

Julia Adamson

Full details of all the titles and prizes won by the Dollar shooters at Bisley can be found in the table on page 64, which charts the entire range of impressive achievements of the team this year.


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WINNING 21 MAJOR COMPETITIONSThe Ashburton ShieldScottish Schools Winners – Eight, Pair, Four and ReserveAshburton (Bisley) – The Cadet FoursThe Gary Jones Challenge TrophyLondon Scottish VaseLondon Scottish Cup (16 Times)StrathconaBSSRA Drabble CupSchools and Universities Challenge CupCheltenham CupThe Allhallows SalverDevon (1st Scottish School Ever)LucasDSG TrophyVictoria TankardEpsom TrophyKinderGreen Howards Country Life (sb)

BISLEY INDIVIDUAL RESULT300yrd Agg (7 in top 100) 5th Megan Montgomery500yrd Agg (8 in top 100) 3rd Megan Montgomery600yrd Agg (7 in top 100) 6th Seonaid McIntoshCadet Rifle Agg (9 in top 100) 1st 2nd and 3rd all DollarCadet Monday Agg (12 in top 100) 1st Seonaid McIntoshCadet Tuesday Agg (10 in top 100) 1st 2nd and 3rd all DollarCadet Wednesday Agg (4 in top 100) 6th Seonaid McIntoshThe Schools 100 (9 in top 100) 1st Seonaid McIntoshThe Cadet Grand Agg (10 in top 100) 3rd Seonaid McIntoshThe Wellington (7 in top 100) 3rd Megan MontgomeryThe Iveagh (7 in top 100) 2nd Lindsey McKerrellVictoria Tankard (8 in top 100) 1st Lindsey McKerrellLondon Scottish Century Challenge Cup - Imogen Macleod

RUNNERS UP FIVE MAJOR COMPETITIONSStaniforthRutlandGreen Howard Country Life (500x)Cadet InternationalAnstey

BISLEY TEAM RESULTSThe Ashburton (1st)Anstey (2nd)Garry (3rd)Garry Jones (1st)Devon (1st)Reserve (3rd)Kinder (1st)The Epsom (1st)Victoria College Trophy (7th)Cadet Pairs (10th)Cadet Fours (1st)Schools Fours (7th)

OTHER INDIVIDUAL RESULTSBSSRA individual - Seonaid McIntoshBob Scott Trophy, West of Scotland - Lindsey McKerrellEast of Scotland Tyro Class - Lindsey McKerrellFraser Cup - Lindsey McKerrellWest of Scotland - Lindsey McKerrellEast of Scotland Championship - Louis Stewart 1st (CJ and Lindsey finalists)Monday Agg - Seonaid McIntoshTuesday Agg - Lindsey McKerrellSchools Hundred - Seonaid McIntoshCadet Rifle Agg - Megan Montgomery Victoria Tankard - Lindsey McKerrellImperial Cadet Grand Agg - Lindsey McKerrell

DOLLAR ACADEMY SHOOTING RESULTS

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PIPE BAND

Mornings, evenings and any spare moments in between, the pipers and drummers of Dollar Academy had put everything they had into the final preparations for the five Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) major competitions throughout the summer. This season was particularly exciting for Dollar, as its young Novice Band was making its debut in these international competitions.

Having earned a consistent top two ranking in the first three competitions and a third placing at the World Championships, the Pipe Band was raring to go for the last competition at the Cowal Gathering. After an early start, everyone prepared for a final push to get a major championship title under our collective belts. This year is the last that Cowal will be considered a major championship, so thoughts of being the final victors of the Juvenile competition spurred us on.

A sleepy bus ride, a lot of final tuning and 65 burgers later, the bands both performed to a very high standard that made our tutors proud. Marching into the massed bands with Champion of Champions Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band, everyone began the anxious wait for the results. News that the Novice Band had finished in fifth place, a real achievement considering it was its first time entering the competition, built the tension, excitement and nerves for the older members of Dollar’s Pipe Band. Then, the moment came. The moment that will go down as one of our loudest and most emotional: we had won the Juvenile Competition. The band erupted in cheers and tears in equal measure as we soaked in the pride that comes with winning a major championship. This was a perfect end to a successful season. It was also

a truly well-deserved win for our leavers, Rory Weir and Jamie Gallagher. After both dedicating several years to the Pipe Band, they were particularly emotional at the victory in their final competition.

Playing through the streets of Dollar on the return from Cowal reminded every member of the pipes and drums of Dollar Academy how lucky we are to be part of the notorious ‘Pipe Band family.’ This of course includes our talented and patient tutors, without whom no success would be possible and 8am practices would seem a lot drearier. The pride and excitement that radiated from every member that night is something that none of us will forget and this achievement will go down in Pipe Band history.

Laura Manson (Form V)

after the bell...


66

FIRE FIGHTING AND DAMAGE CONTROL COURSE

Anxiously we waited on the front steps of Portsmouth and Southsea train station, wondering which of the passing buses would pick us up. Our journey had been a long, stressful and tiring one – eight hours in total – but nevertheless we soldiered on with wide, anticipating smiles on our faces until our transport finally arrived. Our first night was our time to recover: catch up on missed school work (what we hadn’t managed to do on the train journey), prepare our kit and bags and brace ourselves for the mysterious events that lay ahead. HMS Excellent is a vast base, as we discovered on our walk to dinner, but we did not mind too much; the sight of HMS Bristol was a reassuring yet spectacular one. 5.30 am. Top of a three-bunk-high bed. No ladder. Phone with alarm set more than three metres away. Recipe for disaster? Thankfully not; I managed not to damage anything, anyone else or myself on my way down to get rid of the annoying alarm sound. After a nice refreshing shower, I woke everyone up at 6am; this was probably the most stressful moment of the trip, to switch on all of the lights, as I didn’t

know how well the girls would react to such a sudden awakening! Uniform on and bags packed, we set off on our journey through the maze that is HMS Bristol and made our way up to the top deck, where we pegged out and marched to the food hall. We were going to need all the energy we could get for what we were about to do. In the waiting area of Atrium 3, we waited nervously to be guided to our classroom, where we received a safety briefing and an introduction to the day’s courses. Our next step was to learn how to fight a fire. Now, as daunting as this sounds, after a very well-executed demonstration, it all seemed to make a bit more sense; there was a different method or extinguisher for each type of fire. They set props on fire and it was our job to make sure they were properly extinguished. After proving that we could do this, they decided to trust us with big red hoses which were fitted with ‘fire-fighters’. They are able to distribute water in two main ways: a wall of water that projects out at all angles to protect the fire-fighter, and a jet to put out the fire. After testing each setting, we were challenged to put out a fire within a simulated engine room (obviously only a controlled fire) with the help of a partner to hold the hose. Alive and burn-free, we were then allowed to play with the thermal

imaging cameras and communication helmets, which admittedly we found much more entertaining than we should have! The second half of our day was in my opinion the highlight of the trip. We didn’t really know what we were in for after being handed enormous white overalls and, ironically, shoes that looked a lot like boats. Nevertheless, we bolted to the changing rooms, pulled on our new outfits and headed to the briefing room. Here, we received a safety briefing and then a ‘run through’ with our guide, Freddy. Thankfully, he showed us how we would cope with being thrown into a ‘sinking boat’, as it were. We were each given a hard hat and a green numbered vest. Team 1 set off first, noticeably more nervous than us, as we would be able to hear any screams during their time in the simulator and could watch just how much it tilted from side to side; we would know what to expect. Eagerly, we watched from the balcony as their simulation began. We

FOCUS ON ROYAL NAVY

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after the bell...

could hear the water swishing from side to side and pouring out from the bottom each time the unit tilted. The odd raised voice was heard, but as it is part of a real boat, the metal is reasonably thick, so we assumed it was going well. About 30 minutes later, Team 1 trudged out of the unit, squelching with every step they took back up the stairs towards us. A mixed response was received; either “I nearly died!” or “It was SO fun, I want to go again!” and, of course, the enthusiastic “TEAM 1 WIN!” to which we responded with the truth, that in fact we would win... It was game on. Team 2 assembled at the top of the stairs. We discussed our plan of action: we were going to back each other up at all times and work together to save the ship. We descended the

stairs, then back up into our mess deck which would in a few minutes be flooding. The situation was that we were on a warship which had been struck by an enemy missile and our section of the boat was beginning to flood. Our mission was to save it. BANG… “JUNIOR MESS DECK 2 LIMA… FLOOD, FLOOD, FLOOD!” Through the hatch, down the stairs, into the mess deck, wading through the water…we stopped. The water was getting deeper and deeper; our plan kicked into action. We split equally between each gushing hole, and through a series of shouts, hammers and wedges we pounded away at the walls, trying to stop the flow of water. Laura, Amy and myself had gravitated towards each other, so quickly became the main ‘wedge team’. Hammering away at the small wooden wedges whilst being thrown from a bunk bed by the sheer force of the water shooting out of the wall was much more tiring than expected. The boys and ourselves took turns trying to plug holes into the wall, along with having to split wedges into different sizes as

none of the holes were the same. The ‘wedge team’ then relocated to a new hole – the most difficult one – and thankfully managed to stop the water from hitting us in the face. Our time was up before we knew it. Hammers down. Feet back on the ground. Water drained out. After compliments from the instructors on our good work, we went back up and into the briefing room where we received a wedge decorated with a plaque. It read “Una Nos Servo Navis… Together we saved the Ship”; it was the first they had given out to a group of cadets, so you can imagine how pleased we were to receive it. The rest of the day seemed extremely average compared to our earlier activities! Our second day was our ‘cultural day’, when we would have the opportunity to visit Admiral Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory, and the Mary Rose which sank in 1545 and was later recovered in the Solent. The Mary Rose museum proved to be an extremely interesting and slightly overwhelming experience. The main attraction is that the museum is arranged so that one is able to walk along the decks as if one were actually on the boat. Our second stop was a short walk around HMS Victory, which although a little hazardous for taller people, was very impressive. Every aspect of the ship has been restored to its prime. Here we learnt that the famous painting of Nelson’s death is in fact very inaccurate, for reasons I will not spoil for any future visitors! A fun fact: Nelson’s body was stored in a barrel of brandy to preserve his body on his journey home. After Slt Stanhope and Captain Scott treated us to a game of Laser Quest, it was time to head back to the port to get ready for home. Our next thing to look forward to was the sleeper train home, and school on Friday morning. I think I can speak for us all when I say that the trip has left us with tremendous memories, all thanks to Slt Stanhope, Captain Scott and the adults, officers and instructors involved. It really makes one appreciate what being in the Royal Navy Section is all about.

Lexy Graham (Form V)


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RN COMPETENT CREW COURSE

Heather: In one month I have been down to HMS Excellent in Portsmouth for two very different courses. I have tried out my firefighting skills and found out how I would cope in a sinking ship through the DRIU (Damage Repair Instructional Unit) machine, and now I have also been a crew member of a sailing boat in the Competent Crew Course. It was amazing.

We did not get a table on the train on the journey south, which ruined our intentions of catching up on school work, but do not worry teachers…the return journey was far more productive! That feeling of not really having an idea what I was doing only kicked in when I set foot on HMS Bristol. I hoped it would all come back to me when put into practice. I had never sailed a yacht, been dinghy sailing or power-boating before, which worried our Skipper, Piers Baker, a little.

Lexy: The course was aboard STC Amaryllis alongside HMS Bristol in Portsmouth. The yacht is a Sigma 38 and is very well-equipped and well looked after. This course followed on from the previous ‘Start Yachting Course’ which the majority of cadets aboard had completed. Our first night consisted of settling in, being issued foul weather gear, hearing what we would be aiming to achieve, and getting to know our fellow cadets.

Heather: We sailed for the week of the October break with our Skipper and Zoë, and three amazing cadets: Lloyd, James, and Max. It was slightly awkward for the first night, as we were all strangers. Soon, we all had realised that we were all equally weird, so we got on really well! It is slightly

disturbing how many ginger nut biscuits one can eat on a daily basis!

Lexy and I stayed in the bow cabin which was really small but surprisingly comfortable. We had breakfast every morning at 0730, but we could only get up when the boys did - our door was barricaded at night because there was not enough space for everyone’s massive bags, so we would often climb through the hatch onto the deck and come through the main hatch to make food.

Lexy: On Monday morning, we set sail to Cowes and prepared for what the coastguard had warned us would be a very bumpy ride. I knew what this meant – fun!

Heather: The first day was really fun because it was so windy, but I got really seasick which put a massive grey cloud on my view of sailing. But throughout the week I grew to love it.

Lexy: Throughout the entire week we sailed in challenging conditions; the wind varied from force 6 to force 8, which a novice crew would not normally sail in. Our first night was spent in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Our first task there was to buy our supplies for the next few days. With a limited budget, specific list and a limit on the packets of ginger nut biscuits we were allowed to buy, this proved challenging; however together we managed to get everything required to live comfortably on the yacht.

On Tuesday, we set sail again for Yarmouth where we were given a quiz which involved wandering around the town and discovering its history. Something I am sure raised a few giggles was the question “How many planks are there on the pier?” Enthusiastically, I ran along the pier and counted every individual plank. I thought no one was following me

out of laziness but as it turns out, the answer is written on a board at the start of the pier!

Our third night was spent in Lymington, where the five of us spent part of the evening in the local park, then returned to the yacht for a delicious meal prepared by the boys. Our last night was spent in Port Hamble where we were treated to a meal in a local restaurant – which was just sublime – and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening of chatting and having a meal cooked for us rather than cooked by us. The next morning, I was given the pleasure of navigating our way out of the port which was by far the trickiest place we had stayed so far. Thankfully, with a little guidance, we made it out safe and unharmed! Heather: I knew we were safe, but at times I would remember the risks involved in what we were doing. At one point, when we were taking the jib sail down in the wind, it hit me in the face and the boat had gone about so I fell onto the rail. Thankfully my leg had been caught in my harness; that could have been a very cold experience! Gradually over the week the workings aboard a yacht began to become instinctive with practice.

Lexy: After a final debrief with Skipper, we were issued our signed log books and sent off to pack our bags. It is a week I will always remember; from the tricky weather conditions, exploring new places, trying out every job on board, all these things made the October break of 2013 such an enjoyable and memorable one.

Heather: I am really grateful Lexy told me about this course. The variety of courses we can apply for is tremendous, and Navy Section is definitely one of the best things you can do in the CCF. We are already planning to do our Day Skipper course next year.

Heather Downie (Form V)Lexy Graham (Form V)

after the bell...


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2014 RYDER CUP YEAR-TO-GO CELEBRATIONS - GLENEAGLES

The 23rd September 2013 turned out to be one of the best days I have ever experienced. I had been selected through the Development Centre Programme run by Scottish Golf to be one of 16 young golfers to be given the chance to play a golf hole with Tom Watson and Paul McGinley, the American and European Team Captains for the Ryder Cup 2014 taking place at Gleneagles next September. I was collected from school at break and driven to Gleneagles by my parents to be met at the Dormy Clubhouse, where I received from the organisers a blue Ryder Cup bag full - and I mean full! - of goodies. We changed into our gear and took ourselves down to the driving range. Never before have I had a range closed just for our use! There was a bank of television cameras and photographers waiting there for our arrival and following everything we did. Those who know me are well aware that photos are not something I relish being taken, but even I must confess the official photo turned out quite well.

Tom Watson and Paul McGinley arrived with very little fuss, and came over and introduced themselves to us in a very informal manner, making jokes and helping everyone feel a little less nervous. By this time we had been told who was playing on which hole. I was to tee off on the 1st - great, no pressure then!! After many, many photographs and interviews with Dougie Donnelly, we were finally able to get on with it. Tom Watson drove into the rough, Paul McGinley into the bunker - that helped us. The two boys (one of whom, Jack, was playing in my team) drove into the rough, and then it was the girls’ turn. Yes, off the ladies’ tee!! I was last to tee off and took out my driver. I don’t like people watching me play golf at the best of times so I was even more nervous than normal. I hit the ball straight down the fairway and just short of the green - who can say they have out-driven both Tom Watson and Paul McGinley - albeit they were using hybrids and off the gents’ tee - but I did it! Jack and I won that hole, so Team McGinley was ahead. That all took 50 minutes for one hole! The pressure was off and I could really begin to enjoy the atmosphere and experience.

The 10th hole for those who don’t know it is a short par 3 and was to be used for the ‘nearest the pin’ competition. We knew nothing about any prizes at this point, but would be told on the 18th. The boys were Team Watson, the girls Team McGinley. Tom hit his ball onto the green but short, and Paul missed the green entirely. All we girls needed to do was to get the ball on the green. I used a 7 iron as the ground was hard, and it landed and rolled towards the pin - but as I was second to tee off, I had no idea if it had been a good enough shot - but I knew I was on the green, yay! The 18th loomed, and after even more photographs and presentations, Dougie Donnelly announced that the four girls who had made the green all had won four tickets to the Thursday practice day, along with three for the Wednesday just for being selected. I was going to be a very popular girl - then I heard my name - what?! I was nearest the pin and had won two Opening Ceremony tickets for the Friday - one for me and before I become everyone’s best friend, the other is going to my Dad. By this time we were all very tired, hungry and cold, but what a day we had experienced, definitely one to remember. Sorry Rector, but next year I’ll be needing three days off school at the end of September!

Jennifer Allan (Form V)

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ULTIMATE FRISBEEEdinburgh University Beginners’ Tournament

Over the weekend of the 12th to 13th October, two mixed teams from Dollar Academy’s Ultimate Frisbee Club were invited to compete in a beginners’ tournament organised by Edinburgh University. As this is a sport predominantly played by university students, the two Dollar teams relished the challenge of competing against much older individuals from universities from all over Scotland, Ireland and Northern England.

Saturday morning presented the teams with an early start at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium. Nevertheless, the morale of the group was undoubtedly high as the players prepared for the five matches to be played in order to establish the rankings for the finals, which were

to be held on Sunday. ‘Dollar 1’ faced particularly tough competition throughout Saturday, ending the day having both won and lost an equal number of very tight matches. ‘Dollar 2’, however, pulled together to secure victory in all five of their matches, and were rewarded with being ranked third out of the 24 teams who participated during Saturday’s group stages.

With stiff legs and tired bodies, both Dollar teams deserved a rest on Saturday night in preparation for the Sunday finals. As we arrived the next morning, much fresher-faced than the university teams, the three games that lay ahead were eagerly anticipated. Dollar 1 gelled extremely well to win two out of their three matches to take 11th place overall, after a weekend full of toughly-fought matches. Dollar 2

were able to carry on where they left off on Saturday, and in winning the first two matches on Sunday morning were able to play themselves into the final, facing off against a strong and confident St Andrews University team. Unfortunately, Dollar 2 were denied in sudden death, losing a very close match 9-8, but were highly commended by all present for gaining the runners-up position for the tournament and for the spirit with which they played all their matches. All those who participated over the weekend were really grateful for the opportunity to be involved in such a challenging and enjoyable sport, and Dollar Academy can without doubt look forward to more success in this area as the school year continues. Lottie Mallin Martin (Form VI)

sport...


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FOOTBALL

Dollar’s SISFA cup campaign got off to a good start with a 7-2 win over newcomers, Albyn School, in November. Calvin Carruthers (Form V) and Francesco Carletti (Form V) grabbed a brace each, with Euan Dawtrey (Form V), Andrew Graham (Form VI) and Andrew Johnston (Form IV)also finding the back of the net. Truth to tell, the home side had gone in to this game with a certain degree of trepidation in the wake of some less than convincing performances in their friendlies, with heavy defeats registered against the likes of Queen Victoria School and George Heriot’s. Following the loss of players of the quality of Sandy Cunningham and Jack Cousin as well as the departure of coaches Jacopo Columbini and Philipp Züfle, it was perhaps inevitable that there would be some question marks over how this year’s team was going to shape up. However, spirits were raised by some excellent performances against Dollar’s staff team, with the lads inflicting heavy defeats on the latter in two, let us say, ‘rumbustious’ encounters. (We will draw a discreet veil over the precise score in these matches for fear of inflicting further damage on some already bruised egos!) Our second cup match came away against St Leonard’s. As in the Albyn game, Dollar came under some intense pressure in the first half, with the home team unlucky to find Dollar ‘keeper Euan Drummond in fine form, pulling off two or three top-

class saves in the opening 20 minutes. Once the Dark Blues found their feet, however, there was no stopping them and they eventually ran out 7-1 winners. Calvin Carruthers was on outstanding form in this match, netting the first with a fine driven shot after being set up beautifully by William Picken (Form IV). Carruthers turned provider for the next goal, executing a nimble step-over and drag back, before laying the ball on a plate for Jack Ballantine (Form VI) who calmly slotted home Dollar’s second. Next on the agenda is a trip to Gordonstoun followed by a home match against Queen Victoria. These promise to be tough encounters but the boys are up for the challenge. New captain, Andrew Graham, believes his team shows good promise and he is looking forward to taking on two sides who will be thirsting for revenge after losing against Dollar last year.

FORM I/II FOOTBALL

Dollar’s Form I/II Football team rounded off their season with a 5-3 win in a friendly against old rivals Queen Victoria in Dunblane in the last week of term. This was one of the most impressive performances by a Dollar team in many a long year and each and every one of the players could be singled out for praise, from Peter Bery (Form I) in midfield, to Calum MacPhee (Form I) on the wing, from Lachlan Peterson (Form II) – who scored with the last kick of the match – to Ryan Hartley (Form I) in goal. As already indicated, there are any number of outstanding talents in the Dollar side and the future of football here is bright indeed.

John Fotheringham

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fp forum...

SANDY CUNNINGHAM

Dollar F.P. Sandy Cunningham has made a big impact in his first full season for Stirling Albion, having already netted five times with barely a quarter of the season gone. One of his goals came at Hampden against Queen’s Park, while another proved crucial in helping the Binos overcome Whitehill Welfare in a Scottish Cup tie. Well done Sandy, and here’s wishing you success for the rest of the season.

sport...

HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW SUCCESS

Hamish D’ath (Form III) has won the prestigious Prince Philip Cup at the 2013 Horse of the Year Show Mounted Games Finals, held at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre in October.

With his pony Ultima, Hamish competed as part of the Strathearn Pony Club. Seeing off the competition from 250 pony clubs from across the UK, Strathearn won the national heats and scooped the title at the Scottish Horse of the Year Show in Gleneagles along the way. Qualifying for the final six, they travelled to the Birmingham Arena for the televised finals. This is the

second time in consecutive years that the team have made the HOYS final and their hard work and preparation paid off this year with an outstanding performance.

The Prince Philip Cup was introduced in 1957 for ‘ordinary children on ordinary ponies’ and has been fiercely contested ever since. It is a huge achievement to win this highly sought after title. Hamish has been committed to his training and has demonstrated great sportsmanship throughout the competition.

You can watch the Strathearn team’s success at:

ht tp ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1JCgpIuuls&feature=youtu.be Hamish is on the black and white pony, Ultima.


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TENNIS CLUB

2013 proved to be another very successful season for Dollar Academy’s Tennis Club, with a record number of boys and girls turning out to play. The courts have been particularly busy at lunchtimes, when pupils have the opportunity to come and develop specific aspects of their game. The Prep 4 and 5 Club that was established last year proved very popular again this season, with over 40 pupils attending every week. Junior 1 Club was no different, with up to 50 boys and girls out on the courts. This season saw the first ever Junior 1 fixture against The Glasgow Academy. Miss Allan and Mr Newton set off with a coach full of very excited Junior 1s! The fixture was a huge success and we hope to have more opportunities for our younger players to compete against other schools next season. A number of national competitions are already underway, such as the Aegon Girls and Boys, and I would like to wish Mr Newton and the teams the best of luck in these tournaments.

Lynsey Allan

Tennis Club Results

1st VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Loss 3 - 615.06.13 George Watson’s Win 7 - 2

2nd VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Win 9 - 015.06.13 George Watson’s Win 8 - 1

Form IIIA VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Win 8 - 108.06.13 High School of Glasgow Win 5 - 115.06.13 George Watson’s Win 9 - 0

Form IIA VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Loss 4 - 508.06.13 High School of Glasgow Win 3 - 115.06.13 George Watson’s Loss 0 - 9

Form IA VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Win 9 - 008.06.13 High School of Glasgow Win 8 - 015.06.13 George Watson’s Win 6 - 3

Form IB VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Win 9 - 0Junior 2 A VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Win 6 - 308.06.13 High School of Glasgow Loss 4 - 5 15.06.13 George Watsons Win 3 - 2

Junior 2 B VI

01.06.13 Glasgow Academy Draw 3 - 3Kilgraston Tournament

08.06.13 Hannah Worsley & Anna King 1st placeBoys

05.06.13 Strathallan Loss 2 - 4

Mixed Doubles

05.06.13 Glasgow Academy Tournament 4th place

DOLLAR GIRLS SUCCEED IN KILGRASTON TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Hannah Worsley and Anna King (both form IV) won the annual U16 Kilgraston Tennis Tournament on Saturday 8th June. Ten schools took part in a day that afforded some superb tennis play throughout, despite the blazing hot sun that made it all the more challenging for the players.

The girls first beat Glenalmond in the semi-final which led to them facing Strathallan in the final. This match finished 6-6, providing a tension-filled tie break which Hannah and Anna won 7-3. They are to be hugely congratulated upon this success.

Heather Moore

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FORM I PLAYERS ACHIEVE VICTORYSara Cooke and Sophie Ferguson (both Form I) were successful winners of the Senior 1 Morrison’s Academy Tennis Tournament held on Thursday 9th May. Pupils from five other schools (each with their own strong tennis teams) competed in the tournament: Ardvreck, Craigholme, Kilgraston, Strathallan and Morrison’s Academy. The girls played exceptionally well, gaining 18 points which granted them victory over both Kilgraston and Strathallan who had each gained 14 points.

The Form 1 Tennis ‘A’ Team have had a very successful season. The team consists of: Erin Stevens and Jen Alexander (first couple); Sara Cooke and Sophie Ferguson (second couple) and Georgia Robertson and Katrina Fyfe (third couple). Other girls who have played regularly in this very promising team include Lois MacMaster, Suzie Green and Annie Tilsley.

The first couple, Jen Alexander and Erin Stevens, played in another section of the Morrison’s Tournament and came third place. They managed to gain the best result against the winners of their tournament (Ardvreck) and narrowly lost 3 games to 2, the last game having gone to advantage.

Heather Moore

BRODIES SCOTTISH SCHOOLS SWIMMING TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS Wednesday 13th June saw Dollar’s youngest swimmers acquit themselves very well in a major national competition held at the newly-refurbished Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. A record 65 primary and secondary schools fielded 329 teams at the Brodies Scottish Schools Team Championships, and more than 600 young swimmers competed.

The primary girls’ relay

team, composed of Amy Salmon (Junior 1), Katharine Robertson, Joanna Rae and Kirstin Lawrie (all Junior 2), gained bronze medals in the 4 x 50 metre Freestyle Relay. Mr Niall Gallagher (Teacher of PE) was particularly impressed, saying, “All of the pupils performed very well and Kirstin Lawrie, in particular, swam a very strong last leg of the relay to win the bronze for the girls’ team.”

The boys also did well: the primary boys’ relay team, composed of Calum Rae (Prep 5), Harry Gray,

Finlay Johnston, (both Junior 1), and Daniel Robins (Junior 2), managed to qualify for the finals of the 4 x 50 metre Freestyle Relay and gained sixth place.

Dollar’s Form I boys’ team was made up of Cameron McCall, Lachlan Kelly, Rory Duncan and Chris Licence. They, too, managed to qualify for the final of the 4 x 50 metre S1 Medley Relay and were delighted to have gained seventh place against some very talented swimmers.

Heather Moore


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CRICKET 1st XI 2013

The season got underway on a cloudy morning at the picturesque grounds of Fettes College. Hopes were high after the months of pre-season training. The squad had shown excellent potential, and the first opportunity to display this came with the ball, as Fettes elected to bat.

Alex Knapman (Form VI) struck with the third ball of the first over, raising spirits even higher. A tight fielding display saw Fettes reach 101-6, with Euan Dawtrey (Form IV) taking 3 key wickets, but a lapse in concentration over the closing stretch allowed the home team to put on 36 runs in the last 5 overs, bringing the total to 137-8.

The chase began well, as Dollar reached 77-3 but, after some madness in the middle, a serious batting collapse saw the score slip to 101 all out. Only 2 players managed more than 10 runs; Rory Weir (Form VI) played well for 48, and Alasdair Mackie (Form VI) hit a quick 18. After a promising display in the field, the batting let the side down – a problem that would recur the following week.

The second match saw Dollar travel to Edinburgh again, this time to play George Heriot’s. Another strong fielding display saw Dollar restrict Heriot’s to 83-5 from 20 overs. To the spectators, the total

of 83 seemed almost indefensible on a good wicket. However, another monumental collapse saw Dollar lose their second match in a row, slumping to 65 all out.

The first home match of the season was against Merchiston, on an extremely wet pitch. The visitors batted first, and yet another strong fielding display produced a very chaseable total of 106-8 from 25 overs. Despite a constant stream of wickets, the chase looked as if it could not fail as Dollar reached 100-5 from 22 overs, requiring only 7 runs from the last 3 overs to achieve the first victory over Merchiston in twenty years. Rory Weir looked poised to take Dollar over the line, but threw his wicket away, being run out for 46. The seemingly inevitable ensued, as Dollar collapsed once more but thankfully managed a tie at least when Alex Knapman sneaked a single off the last ball. This match stopped the rot, and Dollar would go on to win every other inter-school match bar one played in the season.

Against Strathallan, away, in the group stages of the Scottish Schools T20 tournament, Dollar put on another fine bowling and fielding display, holding Strath to 121-6. As we sat in the changing rooms

between innings, in our brand-new blue T20 kit, we realised the importance of the match and, with some words of encouragement from Mr Frost, we set about chasing the total. Tim Torrance (Form V) and Rory Weir took the game away from the hosts, putting on a partnership of 95 in just 12 overs, before Rory Weir was caught behind for 39. Harry Waterston (Form V) and Tim Torrance then took it home in fine style, the latter making 37 as Dollar secured victory in the 17th over.

After the elation of the victory over Strathallan, Dollar hosted a very strong MCC side, including Ryan Watson, the all-time top runs scorer for Scotland. The MCC batted first, and put on a very impressive 212-3, to which Dollar could only reply with 97 against an excellent bowling attack. This was followed by a defeat against a strong Dollar CC side, despite Tim Torrance taking 3 wickets and scoring an unbeaten 58.

On a poor pitch against the High School of Glasgow, the team produced an excellent performance. A fine display of power hitting saw Matt Mills (Form VI) score 66, and Alasdair Mackie 57, in an impressive 125 run partnership.

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Dollar thus reached 221-8 off just 30 overs. A weak Glasgow batting line-up crumbled before Dollar’s strong bowling attack, and they were cleaned up for just 82. Spinner Calum Weir (Form IV) bowled superbly taking 4 for 27.

The quarter-final of the national T20 competition saw Dollar host Glenalmond in front of a large and excitable crowd. The visitors batted first, and, after some strong batting from the top order, suffered a collapse and were bowled out for 130. Keshae Bovell (Form VI) took 3 good wickets, and Alasdair Mackie and Alex Knapman took 2 apiece. A time penalty of 5 runs would have been added to the total, had it not been for wise umpire Les Radford who pointed out that there had been delays created by the batting team. Dollar’s reply started well, as the opening pair of Matt Mills and Tim Torrance put on 48. Rory Weir provided some powerful hitting in the middle overs and made a respectable 33 and Tim Torrance finished with an excellent 47. In a thrilling last over, Alasdair Mackie won the match on the penultimate ball, after hitting 23 from 16 deliveries.

Dundee High School were

beaten at home, on a beautiful day. The toss was lost, and Dundee elected to bat, finishing on 137-7. Alex Knapman, Ross MacGarvie (Form V) and Rory Weir all took 2 wickets, despite the fielding being below its usual high standard. Matt Mills and Tim Torrance put on a solid opening stand of 52 in reply, and the chase looked to be on course, until some quick wickets left Dollar needing 33 off the last 3 overs. Calum Weir and Cameron Prentice (Form V) then provided the most exciting finish of the season, knocking off the runs with 2 balls to spare, in excellent style. Calum Weir produced some fine stroke play, allied to a cool head, and scored 22 from just 14 balls.

After that, it was no surprise that the following match against George Watson’s College was one of the best team performances of the season. Watson’s were put in to bat, and managed a respectable 133-8. Alasdair Mackie took 3 wickets, and spinner Tim Torrance took 4. In reply, Matt Mills and Rory Weir put on 77 to take the total to 91-2. Matt Mills finished on 43, and Rory Weir finished on 54 as Dollar won by 7 wickets in 27.3 overs.

The following week, a strong Stewart’s Melville side won the toss, elected to bat, and put up an impressive total of 160-6. Alex Knapman was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 19 runs from his 5 overs. The reply started well, with Rory Weir scoring a solid 64 before holing out, and Ross MacGarvie playing well for his 34. Unfortunately it was in vain, as the team fell 9 runs short, finishing on 151-7.

The most exciting match of the season came in the semi-final of the T20 cup, against Gordonstoun at home. In an electric atmosphere, Dollar won the toss and decided to bat, and Matt Mills got the team off to the best start imaginable, scoring 22 off the first over! The total was 51 from just 5 overs, and this run rate was maintained through the innings. Matt Mills finished with an awesome 66, and Rory Weir chipped in with a quick-fire 29, helping the team along to 186-8. While the Gordonstoun reply was admirable, Dollar’s total was too big, and some tight bowling at the end by Alex Knapman helped restrict Gordonstoun to 153. This excellent win ensured the team reached the

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final of the cup. Unfortunately, the final could not be scheduled, which meant Dollar finished the season as joint national champions with Stewart’s Melville College, and were denied the chance of being champions outright.

The last match of the season was the annual match against the Rector’s XI, and this ended up being a great way to finish a very successful season. The 1st XI won the toss and decided to bat. Rory Weir made 54 before being bowled by Mr Frost, and decent contributions were made by Alasdair Mackie and Tim Torrance, helping the team along to 108-6 from 20 overs. The Rector opened the batting, notching a nice 22, and his XI reached 94-3 with 1 over to go. In an eventful last over, they managed to score 11 runs and lose 2 wickets, finishing just 3 runs short.

Despite the early setbacks, the season was a hugely successful one and was greatly enjoyed by all members of the side. The strong bowling attack and excellent fielding were ultimately complemented by more consistent batting and the team became better at finishing off games and playing under pressure. The T20 competition was a thrilling event

and the team was rightly proud to become joint Scottish champions.

Five members of the very successful 1st XI produced statistics for the season gaining them a listing in the annual edition of Wisden. Rory Weir scored 440 runs at an average of 34; Matthew Mills scored 246 runs at an average of 21; Tim Torrance scored 223 runs at an average of 28. In the bowling department, the top wicket taker was Alex Knapman with 19 wickets at a rate of just 13 runs per wicket, followed by Alasdair Mackie with 12 wickets at a rate of 23 runs per wicket.

At Prize Giving, the batting prize was won by Rory Weir, the bowling prize was won by Alex Knapman and the fielding prize was won by our excellent wicketkeeper and entertaining shot-maker, the irrepressible Henry Melville (Form VI).

At the end of the season it is important to thank a number of people for their hard work and dedication in supporting the development of cricket at Dollar Academy. Firstly, the Dollar Academy cricket coaching staff: Mr Moore, Mr McConnell, Mr Hose, Mr Gallagher, Mr Moffat and, on

the girls’ side, Mrs Childs. There have also been a number of external coaches who have come in to assist: special thanks to Mr Ian Shaw, Mr Calum Watson, Mr Graeme Anderson and Mrs Kari Carswell. Mr Meldrum, the Head Groundsman, and his team worked hard preparing the wickets and the Dining Hall staff have provided excellent catering. Mrs Weir should be thanked for her knowledge, expertise and commitment as 1st XI scorer. A very special thanks should go to Mr Les Redford who retired at the end of the season from his position as 1st XI umpire. Les has umpired for more than 7 years at the school, and the boys have really appreciated his support, attention to detail and dedication as our official umpire. He will be greatly missed and we wish him well. Finally, Mr Frost coached me in Junior 1 and again in the 1st XI. My cricket at Dollar has gone full circle and it is appropriate that I thank him for all his hard work coaching the team, organising fixtures and running cricket for the school as a whole. I hope next year’s 1st XI team has as enjoyable and successful a season as we did.

Rory Weir, 1st XI Captain

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GIRLS’ CRICKET

Girls’ cricket has gone from strength to strength this season. Indoor training in the spring term allowed skills to be developed, and girls from Junior I to Form V attended regularly. The highlight of the indoor sessions was the attendance of coaches from the National Girls’ Cricket Fast-track Programme, who invited several girls to take part in a trial for the local district squad. Some of the successful girls trained with and played matches for the Tayside and Fife district team throughout the summer. With several girls from Junior 1 up to Form V also playing for local club teams, girls’ cricket at the school is in as strong a position as it has ever been, and fixtures against other teams are able to be organised once more.

At the start of May the senior school team played a game against Carlton Cricket Club. This was the first fixture for some of the girls and

they played well against experienced opposition.

One of the successes of the season was the Junior School team which has played its first ever games, taking part in the Loretto U12 Kwik Cricket festival in June and the Kwik Cricket tournament organised by Cricket Scotland at the end of August. Out of the eight matches played over the two tournaments the Dollar team won six. A huge amount was learned about playing cricket under the pressure of a match situation, and all the girls who played made excellent progress with their cricket skills and showed great potential for the future.

At the same time as the Kwik Cricket tournament, Cricket Scotland also ran a training match for the U17 Scotland squad as well as other local teams. Five Dollar girls took part, including Sarah McCann (now Form VI) who has been part of the U17

squad for the last 18 months. Sarah was presented with her Internationalist tie in September, having been selected to play for Scotland in four matches in July against English county teams.

Catherine Childs

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ATHLETICS CLUB REPORT 2012-13

Another busy Athletics season kicked off in April with good weather, which undoubtedly encouraged more than a hundred pupils out onto the track each Monday and Tuesday. Many pupils, particularly the youngsters, managed to juggle commitments to Tennis and Cricket Clubs and divided their time equally between each activity. Once again the sessions were led by PE staff, but we were ably assisted by other members of school staff, including Mr Cameron Smith, with his very popular sprint school, Mrs Jane Greenlee and Mrs Amanda Dearden. Bevhan Trevis (Form III) also gave up her time to coach younger members of the school and passed on her experience at national level in both shot-put and discus.

Our competitive fixtures began at the end of April with the visit of Cargilfield School from Edinburgh to compete against our Junior boys and girls. On a somewhat blustery day, Dollar athletes showed their strength in depth, running out comfortable winners, with a strong showing from the girls in particular.

On 7th May two busloads of excited Form I-III pupils headed to the south of Edinburgh for the much anticipated annual match against George Watson’s College. Watson’s is without doubt our strongest rival on the circuit, and glorious sunshine met us on our arrival at Myreside. Notable performances by Georgia Smith (Form I) and Charlie Dineen (Form II) helped keep the scores close throughout the match, with the girls just being edged out of contention by the time the relays came around. The boys powered ahead, gaining multiple points in their relays and were comfortable winners in their match. Unfortunately there was a breakdown in the administration of the scores, but we were assured the boys triumphed in the end.

May 24th saw us head to Grangemouth Athletics Stadium to mount our 7th defence of the Forth Valley Schools Athletics Championship. On the way to retaining the shield, our Forms I-III girls’ and boys’ teams achieved 28 medal performances, with 13 gold medals in both individual and relay events.

On June 11th we travelled with two busloads of Junior II-Form II boys and girls up to Forgandenny for our annual ‘Triangular’ with Strathallan and Queen Victoria School. This event stretches into the early evening and the light was beginning to fade as we approached the relays. Dollar amassed a grand total of 475 points to Strathallan’s 431 and QV’s 289. The girls’ teams finished off the summer term with excellent wins in matches against St George’s and George Watson’s and a final triangular against Balerno and Mary Erskine.

Both Mrs Galloway and I were delighted with the application and enjoyment displayed by all our athletes this season. The decision to focus upon and develop the younger members of the school has been a successful one, and we will press forward with this in 2014. Athletics continues to be both popular and strong at Dollar Academy, and we look forward to the upcoming summer session.

Martin HoseChristine Galloway

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2013 ATHLETICS RESULTS

29th April - Dollar v Cargilfield

Dollar Cargilfield

Junior 1 Girls 107 56

Junior 1 Boys 86 76


Junior 2 Boys 92 69

Overall 386 262

7th May - George Watson’s

College v DollarDollar

George Watson’s

Form I Girls 66 54

Form I Boys - -

Form II Girls 48 83

Form II Boys - -

Form III Girls 60 71

Form III Boys - -

Girls Overall 174 208

Boys OverallDollar won, points

not known (see report)

13th May

Dollar Academy v Morrison’s AcademyCancelled

15th May - Edinburgh Academy v

Dollar

DollarEdinburgh Academy


Junior 1 Boys 37 40


Junior 2 Boys 34 54

Overall 147 175

24th May – Forth Valley

ChampionshipsGold Silver Bronze

Form I Girls 2 2 2

Form I Boys - 2 -

Form II Girls 1 1 1

Form II Boys 3 1 1

Form III Girls 2 1 -

Form III Boys 2 2 -

Form I Girls Relay

1

Form II Girls Relay

1

Form II Boys Relay

1

Form III Girls Relay

1

Form III Boys Relay

1

29th May DollarSt George’s

(Home)George

Watson’s

Forms I and II Girls

Overall 300 213 249

3rd June DollarMorrison’s

(Home)Queen

Victoria

Form I Girls 77 48 33

Form I Boys 59 70 46

Form II Girls 68 45 41

Form II Boys 77 50 45

Form III Girls

69 69 37

Form III Boys

71 49 54

Overall 421 331 256

11th June DollarStrathallan

(Home)Queen

Victoria

Overall 475 431 289

13th June Dollar Mary Erskine

U/14 Girls 76 42U/16 Girls 69 59

Overall 145 101

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SCOTTISH CROSS COUNTRY RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS

The National Championships were held in Cumbernauld in October. Of the 121 girls’ teams entered, the gold-winning Central team featured two Dollar girls, Jenny Walls (Form II) and Kathryn Gillespie (Form VI).

The Junior Girls race is run over three legs of a 2500 metre course. Jenny led the team off on the Under 13 leg to post a time of 10 minutes 40 seconds, finishing in eighth place and just 33 seconds off the lead. Central’s Kate Gallagher on the Under 15 leg took the team up to fifth place with a time of 10 minutes 7 seconds. The last Under 17 leg saw Kathryn Gillespie slice through the field to eventually win, in a time of 9 minutes 20 seconds, the fastest time of the day.

DOLLAR ATHLETES SHINE ON UK STA

The England Under 15/17 Championships held in Bedford at the end of August provided Kathryn Gillespie (Form VI) and Charlie Dineen (Form III) with an excellent opportunity to gain experience competing against the best athletes from throughout Britain and Ireland. The young athletes participated as members of Central Athletic Club, which saw many personal bests and club records set over the course of the weekend.

Kathryn Gillespie became Central’s first UK champion for 7 years in the Under 17 Women’s 1500m as she ran a tactically perfect race, timing her finish to perfection to take gold. The race started in typical fashion for a major championship, at a pedestrian pace with nobody prepared to take it on. The slow pace played right into Kathryn’s

hands, as with a previous UK medal at 800m, she was confident she had the speed for the finish. With 2 laps to go, she moved into 2nd, perfectly placed to cover any breaks; when the break never came, she hit the front herself, Mo Farah style, as the race entered the back straight on the final lap. She then paced herself perfectly as an attack came from Ellie Barker of Hertfordshire. Once in the home straight Kathryn produced a devastating burst of speed and crossed the line beaming with delight to claim her first ever UK title. With the slow start, the winning time of 4:39.19 was irrelevant, well off her personal best of 4:30.43, but this gold medal shows she is back to her best after an injury lay-off. This win demonstrates Kathryn has every chance of following her elder brother Matthew, who broke the 4-minute mile barrier earlier this year, into becoming a senior GB internationalist.

Charlie Dineen also gained invaluable experience in his first UK championships. The Scottish Schools’ Champion battled hard but was unable to progress in the Under 15 Boys 80m hurdles against impressive opposition. Both athletes will undoubtedly have gained a huge amount from this event and we look forward to reading of their future successes.

Report details courtesy of Central AC

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sports weekend...

PREP SCHOOL SPORTS

Dollar Academy Prep School Sports took place in glorious sunshine on June 20th, a marked contrast to the rainy, cold weather which led to the event being cancelled the previous year. The pupils were fully involved as competitors and as spectators. Many of the teachers remarked how well the children had supported each other, whether they had triumphed or trailed along. Before the final relays, four young Prep 5 pipers and drummers, Cameron Denham, India Bell, Jack Menneer and Millie Wright, joined the massed bands for their first public performance. At the beginning of the Prize Giving, a special presentation was made to Mrs Jean Henderson, formally Miss McDougall, who had attended her first Prep School Sports as a teacher in 1953, 60 years ago. The flowers were presented by Sophie and Amy Henderson (Prep 3 and 5), whose father was taught by her.

As the prizes were presented, the children posed for pictures proudly wearing their red, orange and green badges. The announcement of the Boys’ Champion, Ben Salmon (Prep 5), was loudly applauded as was the discovery that, for the first time anyone could remember, there was a three-way tie for Girls’ Champion. Joint winners Rebecca Hogg, Millie Wright and Natascha Pert (Prep 5) couldn’t have been more exuberant about sharing their award. The prizes this year were presented by former teacher, Mrs Anne Alexander; Craig Sharpe (Prep 5), Captain of the winning House, Stewart, led the vote of thanks and 3 cheers.

Julia Adamson


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SPORTS WEEKEND 2013

Champions

Senior Girl – Lucy Taylor (Form V)Senior Boy – Rory Sculthorp (Form VI)Intermediate Girl – Bevhan Trevis (Form III)Intermediate Boy – Charlie Dineen (Form II)Junior Girl – Georgia Smith (Form I)Junior Boy – Reece McAllister (Form I)

Junior 2 Girl – Aoife FitzpatrickJunior 2 Boy – Finn McIlwraith

Junior 1 Girl – Lucy SmithJunior 1 Boy – Alex Wilson and Euan Smith

Steve Newton

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sports weekend...

SPORTS WEEKEND 2014

All Former Pupils, parents and friends of Dollar Academy are

warmly invited again to attend Sports Weekend during the weekend of 21-22 June 2014. Information regarding the itinerary, School Musical, Supper

and Music event and Pipe Band performances will be posted on the website nearer the time. We hope to

see many of you then.


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DOLLAR HOCKEY WELCOMES SCOTLAND SENIOR INTERNATIONALIST

Scotland striker Holly Cram has joined the hockey coaching team at Dollar Academy, where she will provide high-level training for pupils of all ages during lunchtime and after-school sessions.

Holly starts at Dollar having recently completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Physical Education at the University of Strathclyde, following an Honours degree from The University of Edinburgh. She brings with her a wealth of hockey experience, with 137 Scottish and Great Britain Caps. We are fortunate to have her with us until the end of the school hockey season, at which point she will begin training on a full-time basis in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The girls will undoubtedly learn a great deal from working with such a high calibre player and will be inspired watching her play for Scotland at the Games.

Girls from Junior 1 to Form III first met Miss Cram at the recent coaching clinic held at school on Saturday 12th October, where our goalkeepers were also put through their paces by Scottish goalkeeping coach, Graham Stuart.

Lynsey Allan

THE JUNIOR 2 HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

We were sitting on the bus buzzing with excitement as we travelled towards Stewart’s Melville’s hockey pitches. When we arrived we were very nervous and excited! We played really well and made it to the semi-finals. It was a close match against Heriot’s, but with a result of 1-0 we made it to the final. Pouring with rain, it was not really the best weather and it turned out to be a rough match against Mary Erskine’s ‘A’ team. Finally we scored the winning goal, making us the champions of the Tournament. Mrs Galloway was screaming WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!

Rosie Biggart (J2H)

SHAMROCKS AND LEPRECHAUNS:Belfast Hockey Tour 2013

“I’ll never let go, Jack, I promise . . .”

And then she does. How could she let Leonardo DiCaprio go? There was so much room on that massive bit of wood! Aside from being an utter cinematic triumph and one of the highest-grossing films of all time, James Cameron’s Titanic is also the moving portrayal of the greatest tragedy to ever take place at sea. This was just one of the reasons why the 1st XI Hockey team were so excited for our four-day trip to Belfast on the 24th October. The Titanic Museum, even from the outside, is a truly impressive sight. Our visit proved to be a deeply informative experience as we descended through the beautifully-designed building to travel through every aspect of the Titanic’s construction on the very site on which it was built over a century ago. This gave us a fresh perspective on the social structure of Northern Ireland at the time, a history that was further enriched by the explanation of the ‘Troubles’ on our tour of Belfast. Lindsay, our bus driver and tour guide, was always quick to point out the various landmarks of Belfast. However, what I found even more fascinating was the incredibly detailed murals that adorned the sides of countless buildings - large, colourful paintings depicting various political images and slogans.

However, we were of course there to play hockey, and it turned out to be the most challenging hockey we’d played all season. The first of three matches was against the best

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school in Ireland, Lurgan College, who could easily thrash George Watson’s. After an incredible first ten minutes, which saw us with a plethora of chances in front of the goal, the intensity of the game and consistency of the opposition got the better of us, and the final score was 6-0, a score which belies the Dollar performance. After the game we had dinner with the opposition, and it’s always fascinating meeting people of different cultures, even one just across a narrow strip of water, as we found ourselves struggling to understand their accents and weird school year group system.

Our second match was a close draw, 2-2 against Ballyclare High School. The whole team put in an excellent performance, with the first goal going to Emma Dearden (Form IV), after a rocket of a hit from the top of the D that flew right by the goalie. It was 2-1 to them in the last ten minutes when I luckily managed to score the equaliser following a one-on-one with the goalie. The most satisfying noise you can hear in hockey is that ball colliding with the backboard of the goal (obviously the worst noise if you play in defence!).

During the high tension of the match, our Captain, Ciara O’Connell (Form VI), managed to provoke the referee and bagged herself a green card in the final seconds of the first half. This was most likely because he got confused between Ciara and Isla Keith (Form IV) in the centre. A fantastic player, Isla nearly always wins in a 50/50 scenario. It’s safe to say Ciara was not at all impressed by this decision! That night we celebrated Lucy Taylor’s (Form VI) 17th birthday over dinner at Frankie & Benny’s, which prompted us to partake in the Godfather Challenge. This essentially consists of trying to eat a massive mound of ice-cream in the fastest time possible. It was, regrettably, impossible for my team to win as I had only Nicola Scott-Dodd (Form V), Mhairi Dick (Form VI) and Lisa Mukaro (Form IV) as teammates. But of course, any team which has O’Connell in it in an eating-related competition will obviously win.

Our third and final match, and best performance, was against Victoria College. Unfortunately we went down 2-1, but this game contained possibly the greatest

piece of hockey ever performed by a Dollar Academy side . . . affectionately referred to since as our ‘Olympic goal’ (after Miss Allan proudly labelled a brilliant pass down the inside channel by Beth Alexander (Form V) as ‘Olympic standard’). Now, I absolutely cannot resist describing this Olympic goal in full, firstly, because it was the very epitome of skill, and secondly, for the benefit of all our hockey-playing Former Pupils! It was the result of a stunning passage of play that began in defence, with a double transfer round the back four. After a series of beautifully precise passes that went from Beth, to Ciara, back to Beth, and then over to Catherine ‘Doug’ Allan (Form VI), and from there out to Anna King (Form V), who hit a brilliant ball down the line to Lucy Taylor. Lucy eliminated several players as she approached the D, and that’s when I made a lead towards the top left corner of the pitch. Lucy gave me a perfectly-weighted straight ball and I drove along the baseline towards the penalty spot. I sent a quick lifted ball over the last opposition defender to Hannah Worsley (Form V) on the


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back post, and Hannah slammed it into the back of the net. It was even more incredible than it sounds! The inspiration for this goal undoubtedly came from Mrs Galloway’s pre-game team talk, when she read out a mnemonic she had prepared for the words ‘Dollar Academy’. The words for each letter ranged from ‘accurate’ to ‘reactive’, but our favourite was definitely the one assigned to the ‘y’ . . . Ya beauty!

After the match we visited the Giants Causeway, a beautiful expanse of hexagonal basalt prisms on the north coast, sculpted by an ancient volcanic eruption. It’s hard to believe these mysterious formations were carved by the hand of nature. The more plausible explanation is the old folk legend that they are the remains of a vast causeway built by notorious Irish giant, Finn McCool, to fight the Scottish giant, Benandonner. However much steeped in legend, the whole experience was slightly tainted by an absolutely horrific display of torrential rain and wind. It was an effort worthy of the darkest hours of Scottish weather.

Another highlight of the tour, for some more than others (Emma and Hannah!), was randomly bumping into judge of the ‘The Great British Bake-Off ’, Paul Hollywood, at our hotel. The aforementioned pair had utterly succumbed to fan girl hysteria and were falling over each other in tears beside me. Even more surprising was the sudden outburst by a flustered Mrs Galloway, hiding behind us, as he passed, yelling ‘WE LOVE YOU.’ After the inevitable pictures, there was then a bit of a Facebook war as Hannah and Catherine tried to get more likes than the other on their photos with Paul . . . oh dear, ladies. Although it must be said that everyone at home was probably already getting incessantly spammed by Anna’s (literally) hundreds of Snapchat ‘selfies’. Prize for best selfie face, however, has to go to Ellie Couser (Form VI), for her legendary ‘chin face’.

Our final night in Belfast saw the whole team engaging in an initially very competitive game of ten-pin bowling. I personally was shocked by

the complete lack of skill displayed by what I had previously thought were very coordinated athletes. I will quite willingly proclaim with full awareness of my arrogance, that I thrashed everyone. However, the best shot of the whole game must be attributed to our goalie, Lucy McCran (Form V), who pulled a stunning strike out of the bag in the final seconds of the competition after scoring an average of 3.4 in the preceding rounds. That night we also had lots of fun straightening Bevhan Trevis’ (Form IV) usually very curly hair! However, it’s safe to say that for the Sixth Years, the events following the bowling proved even more memorable. All I’ll say is Amy Hogarth’s (Form IV) goalie kit . . . crash . . . hotel trolley . . . elephant!

At the end of the eventful and exhausting four days, we were all gutted to find ourselves in the airport again on the Sunday night. In keeping with tradition, Miss Allan, Mrs Galloway, and Nicole Scott, our tour rep (or ‘Dora’ as we like to call her), had organised several prizes. The awards for best players went to Beth and Catherine for their consistent efforts in defence. The ‘Best Tourist’ prize could only go to Lucy McCran, who actually boarded the plane wearing an Irish flag jacket and a ridiculously tall Irish hat with bells on it. (Isla Cubitt (Form V) also invested in this jacket, but the girls

assure us they will only wear them in public together as a ‘joke’).

This was my third and final hockey tour at Dollar Academy after Madrid and South Africa, and I can honestly say it has been one of my favourite trips. It is truly incredible just how much fun you can have in four days with seventeen good friends, and the success of the trip is a credit to Miss Allan and Mrs Galloway. I can’t express how much I’ll miss playing hockey for this school when the season is over after the past nine years, but experiences like the Belfast Hockey Tour will ensure that the memories stay with me forever as some of the fondest of my life.

Bethan Scott (Form VI)

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sport...TRAINING WITH LIONS!

Thursday 16th May 2013 is a day that then Junior 2 pupil Finn McIlwraith is unlikely ever to forget, as it was spent in a rigorous and inspiring training session with the British & Irish Lions. Along with 22 other talented young rugby players from clubs across Britain, he was selected to play with the HSBC Cubs at the Lions’ pre-departure training camp. Finn had been named a ‘player of the tournament’ in an HSBC-sponsored club event in the build-up to the 2013 Lions Tour to Australia, earning him a highly-coveted place on this training session. With just over two weeks until the Lions’ first game of the Tour against the Barbarians in Hong Kong, the aspiring rugby players were rewarded for demonstrating the core values of rugby - teamwork, courage, fair play and integrity - at the mini rugby festivals and were invited to meet and train with their rugby idols. Here, Finn recounts his experience of the day.

“On the 14th April I played for Stirling County in their rugby tournament and I won the most amazing prize. The prize was awarded to me for being ‘player of the tournament’, and I was to go down to Wales to spend a day training with the British Lions! I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, and neither could my mum when she heard she was coming with me! So, on Wednesday 15th May my mum and I flew down to Cardiff, then on to our hotel. I was amazed to see my name and my Club name on the door of our hotel room. I don’t think I slept much – I was quite excited! All of the prizewinners travelled together in a bus to the very big, posh hotel where the British Lions were staying and training. We were then each presented with our Lions shirt by Gareth Davies, a British Lion many years ago. I went out to the toilet hoping to see some of the players and bumped into Sam Warburton, the captain!

It was then time to get back on the bus and head to the rugby ground for our training session. I’ll never forget my first view of the rugby pitch - very green, very flat, with the shortest grass I’ve ever seen! Not like I’m used to here! Boots on, and we warmed up with a couple of the coaches. It was hard not to drop the ball as I was trying to keep an eye on the big red jeeps that were arriving with the players inside. Then they started arriving. The British Lions! To start with I had Owen Farrell, Vunipola and Toby Faletau in my group, and this was great, but I was slightly disappointed that there was no Richie Gray or Stuart Hogg.

After some training, more jeeps arrived. At last, out walked Richie Gray and Stuart Hogg. At first I thought that Richie must be on stilts under his trackies, but no! The longest legs in history. More training, then a kicking session with Owen Farrell, Stuart Hogg and Leigh Halfpenny. After training, we all went to have lunch with the Lions, and I sat with Stuart Hogg and Owen Farrell. I couldn’t believe the amount they all ate!

This was a day that I will never forget (neither will my mum!). It’s my dream to be a Lion, and this makes me want it even more.”

Finn McIlwraith (Form I)


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PIPING THE LIONS DOWN UNDER

I am a huge rugby fan! I love watching Scotland, and was looking forward to watching the British and Irish Lions in Australia on television, right up until the night before the First Test. Then all of a sudden, my Aunt Judy in Australia had managed to get her hands on tickets to the Second and Third Tests. I was off to Australia! As all the family in Australia emigrated originally from Scotland, I decided to take my bagpipes with me. We made a pipe banner from my Lions shirt from the 2009 Tour. This would bring me luck!

The journey was long and tiring - we flew to London and on to Melbourne via Dubai - over 26 hours. We were picked up at the airport by my Uncle Alastair and driven back to a warm welcome from my ‘new’ extended family.

The Second TestOn the day of the Second Test we put on our kilts and Lions jerseys, stuck the pipes in a rucksack and headed off by train to the game. It was a beautiful sunny day in Melbourne. At the docks we saw wave after wave of red shirts. I played my pipes for the first time and when I finished there was a huge cheer, so I asked to ‘busk’ for a bit. I did very well!

When we went into the stadium we found ourselves in the Australia section, which was good fun. I played some more and when I stopped I got a tremendous roar from the crowd which felt amazing. There were some great bits of play in the match, but it was a disappointing result, we lost 16-15. It was still a fantastic experience.

The next couple of days I remained in Melbourne with family. The highlight was a trip to Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary where we saw loads of animals, but my favourite was the dingoes. My uncle and I then

travelled to Sydney mid-week. As soon as we landed we got a cab to the Sydney Aquarium, where we met my Dad. Here we saw eels, sharks, rays and other exotic sea animals. It was out of this world.

Amazing Good Fortune Part 1 – and a reason to learn the bagpipes!!Before we left home, we knew that Dollar residents Alan and Linda Lawson would be travelling to Australia, as Alan was President of the Scottish Rugby Union. We had arranged to meet in Sydney on the Friday before the Third Test. On the Wednesday night Linda mentioned that we would need to meet in the afternoon, as they had the ‘Lions Run’ in the morning. “Would the President of the SRU perhaps require an ‘official’ piper?” she was asked... “Perhaps” Linda replied…

And so we found ourselves on the coach to the ‘Lions Run’, the final closed training session before the Third Test, as guests of the Lions.

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We travelled with Lions legends Ian ‘Mighty Mouse’ McLaughlin and Bill Beaumont, and at the ground we met David Campese. Then after watching the training session, I met all the players as they were leaving the field, had my photo taken with most of them and got a ball signed by them all. I then played them onto their coach. At the end Andy Irvine gave me a Lions blazer badge. What a wonderful experience!

That afternoon we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was very windy and pretty scary! It took about two hours but was great fun. My uncle had been in Australia for 50 years but it was his first trip, too.

Amazing Good Fortune Part 2 – another reason to stay on the pipes!!My Dad served in the Army with Guy Richardson, Operation Director for the Lions. He had kindly arranged for us to stay in the same hotel as the Lions on the Friday and Saturday nights. We met that night and got

an idea of the plan for the next day. At some point, Guy was asked… “Would the Lions require an official piper to pipe them onto the bus to the final Test”?...

The next morning, I piped the Test team onto the bus from the grand staircase of the Intercontinental Hotel. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life!!

The Third and Final TestWe then went to watch the match from up high in the wings of the stand. During the game I played my pipes. In the second half every time I played we won a penalty. The crowd was going wild. Then they scored the three brilliant tries in our corner. We won the match by 41 points to 16. It was electric!!

Finally, we got back to our hotel, and I was asked to play again by the hotel manager. I had developed quite a set by this point: all the Academy favourites, ‘Flower of Scotland’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and

even a bit of Star Wars, taught to me by Pipe Major Lucy Ferguson. Just before I was about to play, the strangest thing happened – we bumped into Mrs Morrison – how bizarre! Imagine travelling half-way round the world and bumping into a teacher!

Finlay Johnston (Junior 2)

To see Finlay in action in Melbourne Docklands, search youtube.com for ‘Highland Cathedral in Melbourne’ – his is the first hit.


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THE PRIDE OF DOLLAR LIONS

From Finn and Finlay, our pair of aspiring Lions, to a veteran Lion who is still going strong today, aged 88. In May of this year, ahead of the British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia, Scotland on Sunday ran a feature on Dr Angus ‘Gus’ Black, the last surviving Scot to play for the Lions team of 1950, and a Dollar FP from 1938-42. School photographs from that time show him as a boarder in Tait House (2nd to the right of Mr Henderson) and as Captain of the 2nd XV in the season 1941-42 – it would appear that not making it into the Dollar 1st XV was no barrier to playing for the Lions! He did, however, turn out for the school’s 1st Cricket XI. Gus left Dollar at the end of Form V, and requiring only a lower French to get into Edinburgh University to read Medicine, he completed his Sixth Form in his home town of Dunfermline at the High School. He played against the Dollar 1st XV that year but records show that Dunfermline, even with a future British Lion in their ranks, were still comprehensively beaten by Dollar.

In the article, Gus recalls his Lions experience, now more than 60 years in the past, from his home in Lundin Links. Back then, the team set sail out of Liverpool aboard the Ceramic, a ship normally reserved for sheep and lambs, and after 31 days and nights at sea, they arrived into Wellington Harbour in early May. The team boasted five Scots in its ranks, with four of the five no longer with us.

Up until 1947, Black’s appearances for Scotland were not the stuff of legend, but all that changed when he impressed against a ferocious French side on New Year’s Day in Paris. In his position at scrum-half, he was quick, his passing slick. When the offer came through three years later, Black was undecided what to do, torn between his new family and academic studies of Medicine on the one hand, and the lure of a rugby adventure on the other. The adventure was too tempting.

He has shirts from the first two Tests in 1950, a 9-9 draw in Dunedin and an 8-0 loss in Christchurch. It was in this second Test match that things really started to go wrong for Black, in the form of a destructive New Zealand flanker called Pat Crowley. As Black recalls, he spent most of the match up in the air rather than on the ground. After that, he admits, he gradually lost interest and simply wanted to be back home again.

Unlike many Lions, Gus does not view his time with the team as the pinnacle of his career, and acknowledges that he did not bring his best form to New Zealand, but he is proud nonetheless. Politely declining invitations to reunions and anniversaries, he prefers to celebrate the memory with a quiet satisfaction in his own mind.

Adapted from an original article by Tom English which appeared in Scotland on Sunday, 5th May 2013. Photograph of Gus by Ian Rutherford.

1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs of 1941-2. Gus Black is sitting in the middle row, third from the left, as Captain of the 2nd XV. The 1st XV is in the middle and the 3rd XV on the right - look at their socks!

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VIELE GRÜSSE AUS WIESENTHEID!!A Gap Year in Germany

Two pupils from last session’s Form VI are currently carrying out a gap year as English language assistants in schools in Bavaria, Germany. They are, in strict alphabetical order, Euan Johnstone (former Deputy Head Boy) and Scott Gillen. As their first half-term draws to a close, it seemed a good time to catch up with how they are getting on.

Firstly, boys, how are you enjoying it out there?Scott …. It’s tremendous. I’m having the time of my life and getting paid for it! A year away from exam stress, study-deadlines and nagging teachers. I just sit back, relax and absorb the language. Bliss!Euan …. Yeah, learning a language has never seemed more enjoyable! It’s great!

On that topic, how are you coping with the language?Euan … Well, at the start I was a bit nervous. But people here have been very patient and understanding, always happy to help you improve. In less than a month I was being told my German was already a lot better! The Bavarian accent took a bit of getting used to, but everyone speaks standard German as well, and it was fun learning the phrases that are unique to Bayern. Scott … I’ll back that up. Besides, within the school communities, everyone speaks ‘normal’ German. There are actually boarders here from all over Germany, so you find yourself learning what all the different dialects and accents sound like. It just varies from person to person as to how strong their regional accent is, exactly like in Scotland. One thing I would say, though; if you want to master a language, there is no substitute for going out to the country and spending time there. The progress you make is rapid and the language quickly becomes second nature.Euan … Agreed. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean ‘classroom German’ is obsolete! From what I’ve experienced, I think it’s really important to have a good grounding in a language before you go out to the country. That way, you avoid developing bad habits and common errors. Being submerged in German, it soon becomes automatic; I have only been here two-and-a-bit months, and I now find myself at times subconsciously thinking in German.

And what about your everyday life?Scott … There is a routine to it. I am paid to help with 12 hours’ conversation practice per week. I mostly either help a teacher in class, or take children after school for one-to-one practice in pronunciation or vocabulary. Despite taking up a chunk of my evening time, I find the latter part really rewarding as I get to see the progress that each student makes in English, and get to spend time with the non-boarders in a more relaxed environment. The rest of the time is mine, and I spend it socialising with the pupils in

the boarding house in whatever they’re doing that evening. I’ve found myself involved in all sorts of things, some of which are carried on from Dollar, like music and chess, and some of them new, like table tennis. I’ve also visited a couple of Chemistry lessons, in order to keep a hand in before continuing with the subject at university next year. While at the same time avoiding blowing anything up during the experiments, it’s been interesting to see how the German courses place more emphasis on different topics to their Scottish counterparts. Euan … I have the additional advantage of working in two different secondary schools as well as in a primary, so I have a variety of contacts. This fills my hours very profitably – and I have to say I get on really well with Markus Spörer, who is my mentor/colleague, and a former German assistant in Dollar. He, his wife Bernadette, and their three young children have become like a second family to me. I’m well looked after. As for my free time, I could of course do nothing, but I am determined to get the most out of this year. Therefore, I have joined an orchestra, a local church and a youth group. On top of that, I regularly play music and sport with the other boarders and have even joined a rugby team, having considered myself finished with the sport years ago. I would say Scott and I have the perfect arrangement too; we live close enough to each other so that we can meet up at weekends, if we are both at a loose end …Scott … but not so close that we are spending every spare afternoon in each other’s company, which would defeat the purpose of immersion in German for a year.

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You’re both living in boarding houses. How does that suit?Euan … Well, it probably has all the advantages that Boarders in Dollar have …Scott … with the additional perks of being considered a member of staff, like getting your own room. Euan … Exactly. Most evenings there’s some sort of activity, and the older pupils tend to socialise in the common room as well, which is always a good laugh as well as good German practice. Scott … As assistants, we are in a slightly different situation from the pupils who are our own age, but, as long as we are mindful of that and show common sense, no one objects to our socialising with the older pupils – in fact, it is positively encouraged. Everyone is welcoming, and I have already made friends here who will, I am sure, be part of my life well beyond my year in Wiesentheid.

What about the food?Scott … Well, there had to be a drawback! I eat school canteen food, and it is, I suppose, no better and no worse that canteen food anywhere else. At least there’s plenty of it; the Germans don’t do small portions!Euan … In any case, the kitchen is closed during the weekends, meaning we have to cook for ourselves. This

offers me a great opportunity to (hopefully) improve my cooking skills. Thankfully Amberg, where I live, has a great Italian just down the road, so if I ever get lazy I just go pick up a pizza.Scott … The town I am in, Wiesentheid, is much smaller, but a trip to the local bakery will do the trick if I don’t fancy what’s on the menu at the school. There’s also a great pizzeria just around the corner and a takeaway on the same street. A word of warning, though. While I mentioned that Euan and I are both paid for the job out here, our meals and accommodation form part of that payment, and the money we receive is not a huge amount – really just pocket money.Euan … Yes. Nobody should do this gap year in the hope of returning with a lot of money saved up. In fact, the best thing is to use the money you earn to travel around and get to know other parts of the country and continent. If you plan in advance, it’s not too expensive.

What do you think you are getting out of this experience? Euan … Well, the main thing obviously is the language. However, there is also the social side, which is brilliant. And gaining an insight into the world of work. Along those lines,

I have found it particularly fascinating comparing the education system here with my own experience at Dollar, as well as seeing what school is like from ‘the other side’. For example, marking English exercises is harder than it sounds; you have to work out what they actually want to say, before you phrase (in the best way possible) how to actually say it. And it’s a complete waste of my time when people don’t make the effort with their homework… surprisingly irritating! Scott … The year-out also has the advantage of giving us a gentle introduction to life away from parental care. While all our needs are catered for in the boarding house, we also have a level of independence that you don’t get when you stay with your parents. When we both head off to uni in September of next year, we will already have had an experience of living away from home. We’ve been able to take our time this year learning and getting used to what everyone else has to do in a hurry. The absence of exam-deadlines, study pressure, and all the stress that my former Dollar yearmates have been telling me about helps as well. I would definitely recommend it to anyone doing a language in the current senior school at Dollar.Euan … As would I… In fact, I think everyone should take a gap year. There are so many years of work ahead, so why not take a break first? I don’t think I know anyone who’s said, “Gee, I wish I hadn’t taken that year out”.

And finally – what has been the highlight of your stay so far?Scott and Euan … Oktoberfest!!!

Interview courtesy of David Delaney,

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BEHIND THE CANVAS

I remember, aged four, being asked in my first year at Dollar Academy what I would like to do when I grew up. “Artist” I said. This was the start of my passion, a love for art, colour and the female form that was so strong, it was my only desire. After winning a number of art prizes, I left school early due to ill health, and started to approach galleries with my work at age 16. It was not long before I was offered my first solo exhibition at the MacRobert Arts Centre aged 18. I gained funding from The Prince’s Trust and the following year my inaugural exhibition, ‘The Last Hope’, opened. It was a great success; I was interviewed on arts news programmes and gained exposure in the press. My career as a professional artist had begun.

With a number of solo exhibitions under my belt, I undertook an Honours degree in Psychology, an MSc in Health Psychology and a PhD in Mental Health, Disability and Art, my decision here spurred on by my experiences working with other

people with disabilities. I gained my teaching qualification in both Psychology at university level and in Art, working in local hospitals, prisons, mental health secure wards, and children’s hospital wards.

Commissions followed to complete artwork in Australia, America, Ireland, France and beyond, and I have exhibited work in America, London, and China. My main body of work concentrates on the human form, examining both internal and external structures. The restraint and inner torment can so often silence the will to live, but art can be a weapon to fight an inner battle, just as it is a weapon to attack the hearts and minds of those who ignore the oppression of others.

In 2012 I was invited to show my work in China on a fully-funded two-week visit. My stay included visits to the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, the Great Wall of China, and Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Tianjin, and The Bund in Shanghai, all in 5-star luxury! After a gruelling interview, I was offered a solo show in the Chen Tang Zhuang Art and Technology Gallery and Museum in December 2013. ‘The Possibility of Something Other’ is all about life’s cycle, as the artwork I create is deeply personal and expresses my experiences in a visual narrative depicting life’s cycle. The power and fragility of life and nature are closely echoed in flowers, trees, still life and the human form. I aim to create art that is articulated in such a way that it permeates deep within the subconscious to generate a hopefully haunting yet beautiful image of our human physicality in all its beauty of strengths and weakness. These are passions I have sought to express in each of my major series of works, ‘The Bow Series’, ‘The Leg Series’ and ‘The Form Series’.

Emma Scott-Smith (FP 1982-89)Further information on Emma and her artwork can be found at www.emmascott-smith.com

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RETURN TO MINSK

In 1977, three years after leaving Dollar, I spent three months in Soviet Minsk as part of my undergraduate degree. This summer, after an absence of 36 years, I returned to attend the XV International Congress of Slavists. It was fascinating to compare and contrast what has changed in the meantime and what has not. In 1977 Minsk was stereotypically Soviet, with a few interesting quirks; I found one of the best seafood emporia I’ve seen in my life (where once a rumour of fresh trout caused a rush to the store). But I simply did not bother shopping for clothes, the less said about the bookstores the better (the English-language newspaper choice was the Morning Star, the Daily World (US Communist Party), and the Canadian Tribune (Canadian Communist Party), and every single kiosk had numerous displays of the latest volume of Brezhnev’s Leninskim Kursom). There were continual Soviet-style shortages, generating long queues, the most spectacular being when the city ran out of beer at 11.00 am on May Day. But imagine my astonishment to hear someone from a small town outside Minsk saying, “So many goods in the shops!”; to people from the countryside and small towns, Minsk was a sort of shopper’s paradise!

And then there’s my own stock of anecdotes, involving eavesdropping, surveillance, etc., etc., to which anyone who visited the Soviet Union can relate. I will confine myself to mentioning one: apparently Jock Milne used to recall that in 1930s Germany, he would walk across a pedestrian crossing at a red light and be waved back by a cop, even in the absence of traffic. I had exactly the same experience in Soviet Minsk in the 1970s.

In between then and now, I moved to Canada and the Soviet Union collapsed. I also attended a few of the International Slavist Congresses (one of which was mentioned in the Dollar Magazine in 1989).

The first Congress was held

in 1929 in Prague. World War II precluded the actual meeting of the 1939 Congress planned for Belgrade, and then the sequence resumed in Moscow in 1958, and continued every five years thereafter, normally in the capital of a Slavic country. I’ve had papers at six of them, and actually attended four. This year’s was attended by over 600 scholars from 35 countries, from Slavic countries and much further afield. The smaller Slavic countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia, and Macedonia are very proud to host the Congress, and the Belarusians were no exception. Oddly enough, this time no scholars from Bulgaria turned up, apparently through lack of funding; Bulgaria’s Education Minister came instead, and was given a slot during the opening

session to explain the situation. That raised some eyebrows.

There had been many changes in Minsk in the intervening years. The underground, vaguely talked of in 1977, has actually been built; the amount of traffic has increased by factor of x; there is far more consumer choice in the well-stocked shops (especially the bookstores); and people look more prosperous, in stark contrast to Minsk under Brezhnev. A further example of the changes is provided by the Confucius Institute at the Minsk State Linguistic University, which would have been impossible in Soviet times. The Soviet-era’s wearisome offers for fantastic deals on the currency ‘black market’ are gone. In contrast, however, Victory Square

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looks almost as it did in Brezhnev’s time, and certain names are still there: one of the underground stations is called Lenin Square and hammer and sickle signs can still be seen. Belarus has distanced itself less from Russia than nearly all the other former Soviet republics. One reason may be the language issue: Belarusian differs from Russian much as very broad Scots does from English.

In addition to all the Slavic languages, English, French, and German are official at the Congress. No translations are provided during the sessions, and it would not be unusual for a paper to be delivered in Russian followed by questions in German from the floor. I deliver my own papers in English, and invite questions in any official language of the Congress and keep my fingers crossed that no-one will ask something really difficult in Slovenian. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat my appreciation for the excellent level of language teaching I enjoyed at Dollar, which provided me with a wonderful grounding in French, German, Latin, and Greek. In retrospect, the teachers involved therein really did have encyclopedic knowledge!

The Belarusians were very keen to get interviews from the

visiting delegates. I gave two TV interviews (available on request, at [email protected]) and one radio. As I was leaving the radio station, a young lady came in, and I was told she was the manager of their new German-language programme. On exchanging a few words in German, she immediately invited me to give them an interview in German – which would have been too surreal. I pointed out that there were several delegates from Germany and Austria in Minsk. The manager of the radio station told me, somewhat shamefaced, that he couldn’t really speak Belarusian.

Congress participants were given free access to museums and art galleries, and there was an excursion to Nowogródek, west of Minsk, where various memorials to Adam Mickiewicz are located. Mickiewicz himself is a figure who symbolizes the complexity of the local linguistic situation - he is renowned as Poland’s greatest poet, but his main memorials are located in Belarus, which he would have called Lithuania at his time.

A far cry from that Dollar summer so long ago, when two minor, albeit in retrospect pivotal, incidents coincided. Neil L’Amie had given us an assignment to look up the Greek alphabet. At the time my mother was doing a Russian-language

radio course. I had already glanced at the book she was using, noted the strange alphabet, and then almost forgotten about it. The back of my children’s encyclopedia included the Greek and ‘Russian’ alphabets side by side (the latter incomplete, missing the hard and soft signs and including one letter dropped in 1918, and in any case, it should be referred to as Cyrillic, as it actually was first used in the Balkans, and only spread to Kiev, and then further north, some time later. This was actually suggested in the encyclopedia itself, as over the page, there was an example in Bulgarian (on a stamp), but not Russian). I started looking afresh at the dialogues in the book my mother was using, promptly got hooked, and … you know the rest.

Prof. Robert Orr (FP 1962-1974)

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LAWRIE

In April of this year Claire Lawrie (FP 1988-1993) joined the global professional services firm Ernst & Young as their Oil and Gas Advisory Leader for Africa. This new appointment will involve Claire leading over a thousand consultants across 33 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

NELSON

Peter Nelson (FP 1979-1992) has presented Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) Fundraiser Laura Campbell with a cheque for just over £1,000, raised from a donation of his sales at an exhibition held at the Academy at Sports Weekend.

Peter has been a familiar face at the school for over thirty years; as a pupil, then a member of staff in the school’s Art Department, and latterly as the designer of Fortunas.

An accomplished artist, Peter holds regular exhibitions across Scotland. His summer event in Dollar showcased recent work and comprised, alongside his beautiful still life and portraits, many landscape paintings of the local area, including a spectacular image of Dollar Academy’s Playfair Building and school grounds, which featured as the cover of Fortunas 31.

CHAS Fundraiser Laura Campbell said, “We are thrilled that Peter has chosen to support Rachel House Children’s Hospice in this way. £1,000 allows us to continue our support and care for over 300 families across Scotland”.

ROBERTSON

Any Former Pupils passing through the streets of Dollar will observe that a familiar corner has recently enjoyed something of a facelift. That other Dollar institution, Henderson’s Outfitters, has chosen to focus its business in Stirling, and the site on the corner of Bridge Street and McNabb Street is now home to Robertson Fine Art. The venture of Former Pupil Gordon Robertson (FP 2000-2008), the gallery showcases the works of a range of contemporary artists, in addition to glass- and giftware for the home. Gordon would like to take this opportunity to offer FPs and the parents of pupils currently at the Academy a special discount on the framing of school-related photographs or memorabilia (rugby or hockey shirts, cricket bats, etc.).

Born 1941-1943? A historic 55th FP Reunion is planned for Sports

Weekend 2015. All FPs from this era are warmly invited to attend. A letter with proposed details will be sent out in

January 2014. If you do not receive the letter – perhaps the school

does not have your latest contact details – please contact [email protected]

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VANSTONE

Lewis Vanstone (FP 2000-2008) has been made the first recipient of the IMS Trainee Chartered Accountant of the Year Award. This new award is presented by ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) to the trainee with the highest marks in their advanced stage exams. Lewis, of PwC, not only gained the highest marks in Scotland, but was in the top 5% for the whole of the UK. December will see him make the move out of auditing to PwC’s Corporate Finance office in London, where another Dollar FP, Karen Stewart (FP 1990-1997), is a Director.

Photograph courtesy of Members in Scotland

WILKIE

Dr Patricia Wilkie (FP 1949-1956) has been awarded the OBE for Services to Health Care in the NHS in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List this year.

Born Patricia McGregor, she moved to Dollar from Grantown-on-Spey with her parents and sister, Ursula, in 1950 and joined the Academy in Junior 2, where she was nicknamed ‘Wee Mac’. She claims her proudest achievement was playing for the First XI at hockey, but nevertheless she gained University Entrance before leaving

CLASS OF 1963 & 1964 – 50-YEAR REUNIONFriday 20th June 2014

There will be a Class of ’63 and ’64 reunion on 20th June 2014 (Friday evening of Sports Weekend) at Dollar Academy. Now is the time to look out old photographs, fixture cards and any other memorabilia. If you were in the same year as FPs Hugh Webb and Judith Grieg, then this is an event not to be missed!

A letter and Booking Form will be circulated in February. If you do not receive a letter, contact Gus Carnegie ([email protected])

in 1956 to train as a nurse at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. There she specialised in neurosurgery before marrying, David, an actuary, now Professor Wilkie, and then moving to Switzerland.

The couple returned to Edinburgh in 1963, and after the birth of her second child, Patricia went to Edinburgh University and gained an MA 2:1 in Sociology and Economic History, followed by a PhD in Psychology and Medicine from Stirling and Glasgow Universities.

While spending most of her ‘paid’ working life as a researcher in academic departments of medicine, she always carried out a great deal of voluntary work supporting patients, and when David’s work relocated the family to Woking 25 years ago, she continued with this. She has chaired a national patients’ charity, sat on various government committees and advised medical and other professional organisations on patient concerns to help all to improve the quality of patient care. During this time she was awarded Honorary Fellowships from the Royal College of Radiologists and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Patricia is currently President and Chairman of the National Association of Patient Participation (N.A.P.P.). She and David continue to live in Woking and they have two children, Fiona and Alasdair, and five grandchildren.

Article courtesy of Ursula Stewart


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GLASGOW DOLLAR ACADEMY CLUB REPORT

An important date for your diary: our Club Annual Dinner will be held in the Western Club, Glasgow, on Thursday 13th March 2014. Invitations to this event will be sent out at a later date.

The Dempster Trophy was once again closely contested at our annual golf competition on Friday 20th September, for this the first time at the Killermont course of Glasgow Golf Club, Bearsden. We were delighted that the Rector agreed to join us along with, at his suggestion, two recent leavers currently studying in Glasgow, bringing our number up to twelve. It was a good day. Modesty prevents your Secretary recording here just who has to keep a shine on our handsome silver trophy for the coming year!

The possibility of an informal gathering for some of the Club’s younger members, in particular the students, has been raised. Any members willing to be involved in this are asked to please get in touch with the Secretary.

Will Gibson

CLASS OF ’83 REUNION

On the Saturday of Sports Weekend, 22nd June 2013, the Class of 1983 held its 30-year reunion in the Castle Campbell Hotel. After a bubbly welcome drink and an informal finger buffet, we held a raffle in aid of the Joanna Morgan Jones Educational Trust, a charity set up in memory of Joanna, who was Head Girl in 1987 and went on to study Medicine at Aberdeen University. The other beneficiary was the Dollar Academy Rugby Squad. We managed to raise a surplus in ticket sales of £179 as well as £286 from the raffle, so our total of £465 has been split between our two recipients.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who contributed to the evening’s success: to Jennifer Fraser (née Stout, Class of 1983 FP) and her staff at the Castle Campbell Hotel; to those who donated raffle prizes, including the Rector, who gave us a painting of the school which was won by Robin Smith, now a consultant chest physician in Dundee; to the SRU who donated a rugby ball signed by the Scottish international team (aptly won by Joanne Fulton, whose father, Kelso, was an international player); to Craig McMurdo, who donated CDs; to Stuart Bowman, who donated tickets for the Globe Theatre’s production of Macbeth; and to everyone else who so generously provided us with some interesting and amusing items to raffle. Finally, thanks to my committee of Jane Waddell and Shirley McIntosh, and to all those classmates (at least one third of those attending!) who travelled to Dollar from abroad, from as far away as New Zealand, to celebrate our 30 years since leaving the Old Grey School.

Here’s to another 10 years.Fiona Grounds (née Donaldson, FP 1970-1983)

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fp forum...

DOLLAR ACADEMY CANADIAN FP REUNIONSeptember 20-21, 2013

Following the successful (east of Canada) reunion last year, it was time for those of us in the west to follow suit, although, as Bruce Buck points out in his recounting of last year’s event, distances in this country render terms such as ‘the west’ almost meaningless. Nevertheless, an enthusiastic group of nine FPs and partners gathered near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in late September, a quite beautiful time in this part of the world.

We kicked off with a wine reception on Friday evening which proved, if ever there was any doubt, that Dollar FPs whatever their history, ages or peculiarities, have little trouble in finding common ground. Although many of us had never met and, indeed, represented a wide spectrum of ages and experiences, the conversation and reminiscences flowed freely, assisted by a variety of photographs and memorabilia including a 1950s-era rugby cap sported by Gordon (Spud) Wilson and a hockey blazer which, despite the intervening half-century or more, still fitted Margaret Davidson beautifully. A Daily Express over-the-top account

of the fire of 1961 occasioned much discussion about the day itself as well as the variety of alternative accommodations that we were forced to suffer. It was a tribute to the staff of the day (as well as a disappointment to the pupils of the day) that, despite the massive damage, we were all back in class on Monday morning. My most abiding memory of that morning is witnessing from my Mylne House dorm the laying of hoses along Academy Place which, as soon as they were filled, gave vent to hundreds of tiny fountains. It was, without doubt, a traumatic event for staff, pupils and townspeople alike, but there was never any doubt that the headline in the Express the following day, ‘We Build Again’, would be fulfilled.

As one would expect, stories of the vagaries and peculiarities of Dollar teachers occupied a great deal of our time. Some of the best accounts of random acts of punishment came from Tom Redpath who, by his own account, developed a substantial tolerance to the sting of the belt during his years at the school. Tom, it must be mentioned, had travelled all

From left to right:Tony Sweet (FP 1960-68), Margaret Davidson (née Anderson, FP 1949-54), Tom Redpath MBE (FP 1962-68), Gordon Wilson (FP 1942-54), Bill Redpath (FP 1960-68), Helen Mason (née Vaisey, FP 1959-62), Alison Strang (née Lyle, FP 1942-46), Roy Strang (FP 1937-44), Carole Sweet (née Neeves, FP 1961-69)

the way from his home in Duns to visit his twin brother, Bill, and attend the reunion. A fine storyteller with a sharp memory for detail, he brought many long-forgotten personalities and events to life.

The next day we met for dinner at The Beach Club in Parksville. The venue was a fine one and, once again it was as if the group had known each other for much more than a weekend. Roy Strang, the senior FP of the evening, arrived sporting a World War II-era school tie which reached barely half way down his shirt front. When I drew attention to this, he reminded me that “in those days material was in short supply” – a sobering reminder of the strictures of that time.

The evening passed with amazing ease and, without doubt, we were reminded that, in one way or another Dollar leaves its mark on all those who enter through its bronze doors.

Our thanks go out to Bruce Buck, Canadian Consul, and Elaine Gallagher, Dollar Registrar, for their help in bringing this event to fruition.

Tony Sweet


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MARRIAGES

We wish every happiness to…

ANDERSON – GEDDES

On 6th September 2013, at Solsgirth House, Dollar, Gemma Anderson (FP 1996-2002) and Gregor Geddes of Inverness. The wedding was attended by a number of former and current pupils, including Greig Anderson, Claire Pickles, Nikki Bwye, Gregor Bwye, Andrew Adamson, and Kirsty Sanders (née Gillies).

ASHTON – MITCHELLOn 26th May 2012 in Wigtownshire, Scotland, Mary Ashton (FP 1988-1994) to Iain G. Mitchell.

McKENZIE - RAOOn 5th May 2013 at Balbirnie House, Markinch, Dr Lynsey McKenzie (FP 1996-2002) to Dr Vincenzo Rao.

MENZIES - MUKOMBAOn 30th March 2013 at Tayside Christian Fellowship, Perth, Janey Menzies (FP 1981-1994) to Evan Mukomba. The couple live in Lusanka, Zambia where they continue with children’s work under Mwana Ministries.

PEDEN - HOLL On 24th August 2012 at One Marylebone Road, London, Katie Aline Peden (FP 1991-1999) to Samuel Holl. Bridesmaids included Louisa Baxter, Former Deputy Head Girl (now Louisa Botha) and other Former Pupils; Elaine Konov (née Algie) and Jacqeline Bosscher (née Bell).

SLAVEN - SHARPOn 28th September 2013, at Camelon Parish Church, Andrew Sharp (Current Staff) to Kathryn Rebecca Slaven.

BIRTHS

We are delighted to welcome these new additions to the extended Dollar family:

BUNTON Anne (née Brain, FP 1986-1994) and Mike Bunton would like to announce the arrival of their third beautiful daughter, Katie Victoria, sister to Emily and Lucy. Born 5th June 2013 in Lower Hutt Hospital, New Zealand.

BUTLEROn 29th March 2013, to Katherine (née Rainbow, FP 1990-2000, Dewar and then Heyworth House) and Ben Butler, a son Harry Benjamin Butler. Born at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

CARROLLTo George and Amy (née Vanstone, FP 1997-2003) on 6th November 2013, a daughter, Isla Wallace.

CORBETTOn 23rd December 2012, in Aberdeen, to Helen Little (FP 1988-1994) and Neil Corbett, a son Eoin Neil Robert Corbett.

DUNCANTo Silke and Euan Duncan (current staff and Boarding House Parents) on 2nd June 2013 at 4.32am, a boy Hannes Maver Duncan, weighing 7lb 10oz.

GEDDESOn 23rd November 2012, to Gregor and Gemma (née Anderson, FP 1996-2002), a beautiful boy, Jack David Gregor.

KAVANAGHMichael and Louise (née Davie, FP 1994-2000) Kavanagh are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Martha Elizabeth, on 25th March 2013 in Kirkcaldy. A wee sister for Padraig.

LINDSAYTo Richard and Susan Lindsay (both current staff) a daughter, Cerys Elizabeth, on 11th July, weighing 7lb 4oz.

MOORETo Heather (current staff) and Alan Moore, a son, Jonathan Stalcup, on Monday 12th August, weighing 8lbs 2oz.

PEARCETo Emma Pearce and Alex, a son, Alfie Arthur Farr, on Saturday 12th October, weighing 7lbs 2oz.

SANDERSONOn 16th May 2013, to Jennifer (née Wilson, FP 1991 - 1996) and Iain, a daughter Naomi Mirren, a sister for Archie John.

WEBSTERTo Pamela (current staff) and Chris Webster on the birth of their son, Arlo Alastair James, on Sunday 18th July, weighing 8lb 4oz.

WELSHTo Ryan (current staff) and Tricia Welsh, a daughter, Rachel Jennifer Welsh, on Sunday 9th June 2013 at 9.41pm, weighing 7lb 10½ oz.

WILSONTo Matt Wilson (current staff) and Tina, a daughter, Anna Mairi, on Tuesday 19th November, weighing 7lbs exactly.

WYLLIETo Gordon Wyllie (FP 1986-1994) and Sarah, a daughter Imogen Wyllie. A sister for Will, born in Freemasons Hospital, East Melbourne, Australia.

ENGAGEMENTS

KIDD - ROBERTSBoth families are delighted to announce the engagement of Winston Roberts and Rebecca Kidd; (FPs 2000-2008). Winston is currently a trainee solicitor in Dundee and Rebecca (Becky) is working in London in legal marketing until she begins her legal traineeship in Edinburgh next year. Childhood sweethearts since 2006!

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fp forum...UNIVERSITY NEWSThe following Former Pupils are to be congratulated on their recent achievements:

University of AberdeenKathryn Birrell MA (Hons) 2:1 SociologyElliot Chadwick MA (Hons) 2:2 GeographyJamie Chalmers MA (Hons) 2:2 Rural Surveying and Spatial PlanningMegan Gwynne BSc (Hons) 2:1 Geology-Petroleum GeologyRuairidh Macdonald BSc (Hons) 2:2 Geology-Petroleum GeologyIona Mackay BSc PhysiologyJ. Elliott W. Milton LLB (Hons) 2:1Matthew Moggach MA (Hons) 2:2 Real EstateJonathan Shepherd LLB (Hons) 2:1Iain Wellman BSc (Hons) 2:2 ChemistryKatie Wyllie MA (Hons) 2:1 Management Studies

University of DurhamJamie Andrew LLB (Hons) 2:1

University of St AndrewsVictoria A. Elder MChem (Hons) 2:1 with Medicinal Chemistry with Industrial Placement Gordon McCracken MA (Hons) International Relations and Spanish (Distinction in Spanish)James A. Smith MA (Hons) Modern History

Bocconi University, MilanGiovanna Dughera BA International Economics and Management

University of DundeeGillian C. Baird BMSc in 2011. MBChB in 2013. Ryan Paterson MBChB

The Guildhall School of Music and DramaCatherine Reynolds BMus Honours and has just started her MA in Classical Voice at the Royal Welsh College

of Music and Drama

University of OxfordCharlotte Lennon BA (Hons) Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

Heriot-Watt UniversityDaniel Carruthers BSc Psychology (Applied)John Caskie BEng Chemical EngineeringRoderick Ewles BEng Robotics and CybertronicsScott Laughland MEng Mechanical Engineering

University College BirminghamEmma Brown BA (Hons) Events Management


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DEATHS

Our deepest sympathies are extended to the family and friends of the following Former Pupils:

BROWNIan Brown (FP 1938-1948) died peacefully on Saturday 29th June at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy after a short illness. (See obituary in this edition).

BROWNWilliam C. Brown (FP 1933-1945) died aged 85 years on 22nd May 2013. He is survived by his wife Jean, children Jim and Elizabeth, and four grandchildren. Also by his brother, George, and sister May, who along with their late brother, Jim, were all Dollar Former Pupils. Willie was a Bursar, Milne Medallist and Pipe Sergeant.

CHRISTIEFreda (née Scott, FP 1951-1962), formerly of Hillfoot Farm, Dollar, died peacefully in May 2013 after a brave fight against cancer.

CHUNGJoseph W M Chung (FP 1986-1989, Dewar House) died on 4th March 2013 in a car accident at Disneyland Hong Kong, where he had worked as an Imagineer for almost ten years.

HARDENLouise Harden (née Arbuckle, FP 1980-1986) died on 9th May 2013 at Ipswich Hospital following a short illness. Louise is survived by her husband Mark, brother John (FP 1981-1989) and parents, Anne and Harry.

HUNTERDavid Hunter (FP1945-51) passed away on 15th August 2013. (See obituary in this edition)

KIRKWOODBill (William) Kirkwood (FP 1928-1935 and Head Boy) died on 18th June

2013, aged 95 after a short illness. (See obituary in this edition)

MACDONALDDuncan Macdonald (FP 1932-1940) passed away on 7th February 2013 at the age of 88.

McNAIRHenry McNair (FP 1936-1944) passed away on 7th September 2013, aged 87 years. On finishing Form VI at Dollar Academy, he was conscripted into The Black Watch to begin his National Service. In 1948 he entered The University of Edinburgh where he studied Psychology and went on to become a lecturer at Moray House College of Education. In 1969 he took up a post as a Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, where he worked until retiring to Scotland in 1986. He is greatly missed by his wife, Mary, and his children, Don (FP 1972-1973), David and Jane, and his grandchildren, Andrew and Katie.

MOORESimon T. Moore (FP 1973-1981) died suddenly in Shenzen, China on Wednesday 30th October 2013. (See obituary in this edition)

POWIn June of this year, in Norway, after a period of illness, Alistair David Rawley Pow, brother to Roddy, Cynthia, Andrew and Jonathan. Alistair had been a member of the Music Department at Dollar from 1968-70.

WHYTEDonald L. Whyte (FP 1947-1953) passed away on 26th May 2013 after a long illness. (See obituary in this edition)

WILLCOX-JONESColin Willcox-Jones (FP 1949-1962) died in Maidstone Hospital on 13th September 2013, aged 68 years, after a very short battle with cancer. (See obituary in this edition)

YOUNGJames Neil Young (FP 1955-1965) died on 4th August 2013. He is survived by his wife, Enid, his children Nairn and Ailsa, and sister Susan (FP 1953-1963).

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IAN BROWN(FP 1938-1948)1930-2013

Ian’s life was as complex and colourful as his character – it spanned eight decades and almost as many continents. He was born in Dunfermline to Effie and William Dick Brown, and it was William’s job as a banker, the first not to be in the family linen and laundry business, which took the family overseas to the Far East.

As a child of parents living overseas, Ian was sent home to Scotland aged eight for schooling at Dollar, with war-time holidays spent at Carrick Castle in Argyll. His parents were in Malaya and decided to head to Japan where they might find a safe haven away from the War. This was not to be, and so ensued almost a year when Ian did not know the whereabouts of his family, particularly his father, or indeed if they were alive or not. Thankfully, they turned up fighting fit in South Africa after a very convoluted, and indeed hazardous, journey, but that is a story for another time. Ian stayed at school until he was 18 when he went to do National Service. He was in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and spent most of his time chasing tanks around Germany, attending to their needs. He narrowly missed serving in the Korean War, and instead came home to Scotland to attend St Andrews University and study Chemistry.

Finally ready for the working world, Ian secured a job with ICI China in Hong Kong and was soon at their training facility in Welwyn Garden City, where he was indoctrinated in the ways of the company, including their rather harsh leave routine. Once installed in Hong Kong in the mid-1950s, he signed up to the Hong Kong Defence Force, or ‘The Volunteers’ as they were known. He held the rank of Major by the time he retired.

Ian saved up his leave and eventually managed to get enough

time to undertake a trip across Canada, and it was on the homeward-bound journey, during an uncomfortable sea passage, that he met his soon-to-be wife, Val. Almost the entire boat was suffering badly from seasickness and those unaffected were left to fend for themselves. Legend has it that they met in a largely abandoned dining room. The travelling rugby team members, who had been making the ladies’ heads turn, were all confined to quarters, and Ian was able to exercise his legendary charm undisturbed. Having first secured the permission of his superiors at ICI to wed, Ian and Val were married in 1961 in Ealing in London, close to Val’s family home, before returning to Hong Kong to begin married life.

Ian was always very modest about his achievements; if you asked him about the boat in Hong Kong he would tell you he owned no more than “two planks and a couple of screws”. That same modesty never allowed him to boast that if you bought anything made of plastic in the late 1970s and early 80s and it was made in Hong Kong, Korea or Japan, there is a high likelihood that it was his team which had sold the raw materials to make it.

Ian became a proud father to Neil in 1965 (FP 1976-84) and Colin in 1967 (FP 1978-86). The boys remember their colourful childhood and even more exotic experiences at the Dragon Hall School of

Equitation, a very grand name for a very modest establishment. And so began a long and fulfilling connection with horses and riding, including Riding for the Disabled, which became an even bigger part of Val and Ian’s lives when they returned to the UK in 1982.

After a brief period staying with Granny Brown in Kinghorn, they settled near Leslie and began putting down roots, joining the local church where Ian became an Elder and got more involved with Riding for the Disabled.

Ian’s natural inclination to be engrossed by detail, particularly of financial matters, made him the ideal man to be a treasurer, and he was soon signed up as such for the local church and a number of charities, as well as acting as financial advisor to most of the family. We will all miss his sage, informed, sceptical advice on these and other matters.

Ian and Val were both modest characters, and their donations, both financial and of their time to good causes were largely unspoken about, but they have left an indelible mark on the world. The William Dick Brown Travel Prize and The Brown Endowment at Dollar Academy have inspired many young lives. The Brown Fund for the RDA, the first and only fund established to help riders and carers attend training and competition events, has literally changed scores of lives. By a quirk of fate, few members of RDA were able to attend Ian’s memorial service, as they were using the Brown Fund to travel to the annual meeting down south.

Ian remained fit and active until his final illness, and even in hospital he was restless about leaving the grass un-cut!

Colin Brown (FP 1978-1986)

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106 DAVID HUNTER(FP 1945-51)1933-2013

Born 29th April 1933 in Alloa, David obtained a bursary to Dollar Academy where he studied from 1945-1951. Whilst there, he developed two strong interest – mathematics first, and later music. He played the violin and viola in local orchestras and sang in various choirs, most recently the Halifax Choral Society (the oldest in the country). David won the Kennedy Medal for best pupil in Form V in 1950 and the Milne Medal for best in Form VI the following year. From Dollar he went on to the University of Edinburgh in 1951 and obtained an MA in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy with 1st Class Honours, followed by a Ph.D. in Mathematics. He then worked for six years in the computer services department at G.E.C. in Birmingham. David and I married in April 1959 and moved in 1964 to Bradford, where he worked as a Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Bradford, eventually becoming Senior Lecturer. During this time we moved to Ilkley and adopted our children, Judith and Gavin, who later made us proud grandparents to three boys, Kyle, George and Max. David also worked as an Associate Lecturer for the Open University from 1984-2011. David was the most patient and kindest of men, and he bore his final illness with incredible courage and calm.

Grace A. Hunter

WILLIAM KIRKWOOD(FP 1928-35)1918-2013

Born in 1918, my father came to Dollar shortly after the First World War ended with his mother, who had been the first woman from the Isle of Bute to gain a university degree. She arrived as the widow of a Church of Scotland educational missionary who was killed at the end of the war. Sadly my father never knew his own father. Dollar Burgh Council built some houses for war widows and their families, so she was possibly the first council house tenant in Dollar. Also, at that time, education at Dollar Academy was free for Dollar residents, thus enabling my father and his sister Janet to attend; they went on to become Head Boy (1934-35) and Head Girl (1930-31).

After school he enrolled at the Royal College of Science and Technology, later Strathclyde University, eventually becoming a Chartered Engineer BSc., ARCST, AMIMechE, AMILocoE. As part of his training he served some time in the railway workshops in Springburn, and in the Glasgow shipyards. He retained a passion all his life for steam power, particularly railway engines.

Then along came World War II. He enlisted in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, but when it was discovered that he was

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an engineer, he was transferred to the Royal Engineers. However, he always retained a strong affection for the Argylls. His war service included time in France, the Netherlands and Germany - it was, however, a subject he never really spoke about, in common with many other soldiers of that era. He received a war-time commission of Major. It was at this time that he met his wife, Blanche, while she was stationed in Dollar.

After the war he joined a Brazilian railway company, opening up some of the remote parts of Brazil with railways. Thereafter he moved to work in Persia, now Iran, and later joined Standard Oil New Jersey, the forerunner of ESSO, in the Dutch West Indies on the Island of Aruba, which at the time boasted the largest oil refinery in the world. While there, a Welsh colleague bet him the price of a kilt that he would not step off the KLM plane in Aruba wearing the aforementioned garment. The Welshman lost his bet, so father had the luxury of having a kilt made by one of the best kiltmakers in Scotland. When he returned from his travels to live in Scotland, he wore only kilts: one a ‘posh’ kilt, one a day kilt and one a pub or beer kilt. As you all know, a kilt can last many years, and is therefore very economical.

After Aruba he trained as a lecturer, and taught at Falkirk Tech., then Chittagong in Pakistan, Kenya Polytechnic, Japan and Botswana.

I trust you are beginning to get a picture of him: a well-qualified Scottish engineer, working all over the world, and careful with his spending – unless it was on beer, dry sherry and West Indian dark rum.

Apart from family, work and travel, his main and undying interest was rugby. Without doubt, he should go down in history as Dollar Academy Rugby’s most faithful supporter. Bearing in mind he captained the School XV in 1935, his support was unwavering for the best part of 80 years. If the weather was reasonable he would try to watch the school home games even when well into his 90s. Everyone in Dollar will retain the clear image of him, and he is fondly remembered by notable fellow spectators:

“If ever there was a kenspeckled figure, it was Mr Kirkwood Senior, and Dollar will never be quite the same without him.”

“I found him simply my favourite FP.”

Just as the rugby ball caused him joy beyond measure, his distaste for football was refreshing in these politically correct, media-driven days. (His reason for this being that the game of football sets a bad example

to youngsters with the players’ behaviour on and off the pitch.)

In the period after Aruba, we all lived in Dollar for about eight years, and during this time he became an elder at the church in 1965. In the early 60s each week (after church ‘parade’) the traditional Sunday roast was taken with only one topic of conversation – the previous day’s rugby matches. I can still see my three sisters rolling their eyes! My own children have benefited greatly from the privilege of having both sets of grandparents living into old age and celebrating over 60 years of marriage.

Thankfully, although his body became frailer with the passage of time, in general he remained sharp as a tack to the end. This is evidenced by his desire in March of this year to renew his passport and driving licence. When asked why, he said that if Scotland voted YES next year, he was going to leave the country and live with us in France. Such was his opinion of Alex Salmond.

Peter Kirkwood (FP 1950-1963)

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SIMON TWYFORD MOORE(FP 1973-1981)1963-2013

It was with a great deal of sadness and shock that I heard of Simon’s sudden passing.

Many will remember Simon as a pocket battleship of an athlete, explosive rugby player, quick bowler and sticky-handed, agile fielder on the cricket pitch. He was one of the first of our peer group to mature physically, with a barrel chest and tree-trunk legs at the age of 12, though by Form III most of us had leapfrogged him in stature, earning him the sobriquet ‘Stumpy’ which he adopted in typically good humour.

Upon leaving Dollar, Simon attended Stirling University before embarking on a peripatetic career in financial services in London and the Isle of Man, client services in a golf resort on Gran Canaria and finally teaching English in China. A trawl of his Facebook page after his passing showed just how many friends he had accumulated on his travels and the high regard and deep love which he engendered.

I had lost touch with him over the years, but through the magic of social media got back in touch and we managed to meet a couple of times, a pair of middle-aged mates ruminating on sport, music and women. Plus ça change. We exchanged messages concurring that neither of us had changed (or is that grown up?) and it seemed like months since we had last met rather than decades.

We remembered with some fondness the two cheeky kids walking back from a very early Iron Maiden gig in Dunfermline, speculatively sticking our head round the door of the King Malcolm Hotel to get some autographs, and being invited in by the band members to sit down and enjoy a drink and a chat with them. I wonder whatever happened to Iron

Maiden?We went to many gigs

together and have so many shared memories, it seems kind of fitting that the last time I saw him we went to see Santana in London.

Simon spent the last couple of years of his life teaching English in China, which he threw himself into with typically great gusto. I’d often send him daft things that made him laugh and usually got a message back saying, “I’ll use this in my lesson tomorrow”.

It was in a lesson that he collapsed and we lost a good man who engendered the love and respect of pretty much everyone who crossed his path.

The plan is to have a tree planting in Shenzen on April 20th in his memory. A signal date, as that would have been both his 51st birthday and wedding anniversary.

Simon is survived by his brother, Christopher (FP 1964-1972) and his ex-wife, Karen – with whom he remained on good terms – of course.

Ken Barkway (FP 1973-1981)

DONALD L. WHYTE(FP 1947-1953 ) 1934-2013

It is with great sadness that I write of Donald’s passing on 26th May 2013 after a long illness bravely born.

Donald was born in Dunfermline in July 1934 and educated at a local primary school, before attending Dollar Academy as a boarder in McNabb House in 1947. He enjoyed many happy years at school, and in particular his sport, playing cricket, rugby and hillwalking. On leaving school, he joined the Royal Air Force in 1953 for his National Service, after which he joined the family plumbing and heating business in Dunfermline and studied at the Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh.

Donald and I married in 1959 and in 1963 and 1967 we had a daughter, Linda, and a son, Stewart, to complete our family. Before our marriage, Donald was in the Rover Scouts and to get his Baden-Powell Award he emptied the business’ van of equipment and, with two of his friends, drove and slept in it on his way to climbing the three highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in a weekend. No motorways or Forth Road Bridge in those days! This adventure confirmed his love of the

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obituaries

hills, climbing many of the Munros and smaller Scottish hills. He then climbed abroad, scaling Kilimanjaro and the Annapurna range. Golf was another favourite pursuit which he played from the 1960s until forced to give up in 2010 due to his advanced illness.

Donald joined the Round Table in the 60s and became Chairman in 1974-75. It was during his Table days that he was introduced to curling and so began his long-term interest in the game. After this, he was invited to join Dunfermline Rotary Club of which he was a member for 17 years. It was at this time that he started his ‘10-year project’ (his words) to physically build his own lovely house in Crossford, a mammoth task, as he was running his business at the same time. He joined Dunfermline Curling Club in 1977 and enjoyed playing in competitions. He became Club President in 1991-92, Area 7 Secretary 1991-96, and was President of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club 2002-03, captained the Strathcona Cup, Canadian Tour 2003 and was convener of the Millennium Grand Match, where Scottish curlers played indoors in every Scottish ice rink at the same time on the same day, instead of playing on outside ice as a traditional Grand Match would have been played – there had been no frozen lochs for years!

Donald told me before he died that he had enjoyed his busy life and had gained tremendous pleasure from his sport, making many friends at home and abroad. He had also kept up with many of his friends from his school days at Dollar, and I can certainly vouch that everywhere we went, we would always meet someone he knew from Dollar or curling. He was extremely proud of all his great-nephews and -nieces’ achievements at the Academy – Sean Sarafilovic being Head Boy and his sister Talia Head Girl, and Natalie being part of the Shooting Team and winning the Ashburton. He was a true gentleman, always smiling, and will be sorely missed by family and friends.

Mrs Carol Whyte

DR COLIN WILLCOX-JONES(FP 1949-1962)1944-2013

Colin was born in Stirling, and in 1946 moved to Allsop Place, Dollar. He often talked about his childhood school experiences. He enjoyed playing the drums in the Pipe Band and the cross-country racing; however, he did not find his time at Cultybraggan with the School Corps so congenial! Colin loved the outdoors and with his friends would roam the Ochils and cycle for miles with Chris Blenkinsop. He had a lifelong passion for interesting cars, and in the 1950s a home visit from the local GP driving an MG gave him the incentive to study medicine at Edinburgh University.

Colin loved to travel and talk with the local people - in France he said Jock Milne’s French helped him to get by, and his Latin was useful in Italy! In 1964 he had a memorable time with John Grant in the USA, and later he made it to South America by being a ship’s doctor.

He met his wife Angela at her Freshers’ Ball. They married in 1970 and moved to Kent, where Colin joined the Snodland Medical

Practice to become Senior Partner. He had an insatiable curiosity about all things and this made him an excellent diagnostician.

In 2000 his passion for cars was realised with his purchase of a 1969 E-type Jaguar. Many new friendships were made through the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, and he and Angela enjoyed the annual Jaguar Entente Cordiale in France.

Colin’s childhood friends remember him as being uplifting company, an energetic, jovial creature with an infectious laugh and a story to tell. This description fitted him for the rest of his life. The huge turn-out at his funeral was evidence of the esteem and affection in which he was held.

He is survived by his wife, Angela, daughters Lucy and Fleur, four grandchildren and his sisters, Heather and Valerie. Heather Emerson (FP 1946-1959)


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AUCTION OF FP’S BOOK COLLECTION

The astonishing private book collection of the late Bruce Ritchie fetched £226,000 at auction in May of this year. His treasure trove of books included first editions of classic novels including The Great Gatsby, Dickens’ Christmas Carol, children’s classic The Wind in the Willows, Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and James Joyce’s Ulysses. Bruce had been a Former Pupil and Head Boy of the Academy (FP 1950-1961) and had taught English at Merchant Taylors’ School in Middlesex. His passing was marked in Fortunas 31. The collection was described by Lyon & Turnbull as “one of the most remarkable private libraries of English literature” to come to auction.

DOLLAR’S MASTER MARINER ACCEPTS THE INEVITABLE

As the chilly Dollar evenings begin to draw in, your Editor’s heart is warmed by cordial greetings and news from FPs in warmer climes. Graham Hornel (FP 1956-64) sends word from Western Australia of his friend and fellow FP ‘Admiral A’ from Bunbury, aka Captain Bob Allsop (FP 1927-1938). ‘An amazingly sharp, still feisty Old Seadog’ (to quote his friend), Captain Bob mourned the demise of the 149-year-old timber jetty in Bunbury Harbour

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

Reading Fortunas 31 certainly brought back so many memories. Roy Chapman’s description of the ‘Commie dinners’ was absolutely correct. I was a boarder in Tait House (a senior boarding house in those days) in the late 40s and early 50s, and these self-same meals were served up from Monday to Friday. The only difference was that there was no fee attached. They really were awful, and there is no comparison with the lunch menus enjoyed by children in schools today. As boarders we also ‘enjoyed’ breakfast, supper and weekend meals in our Houses. They were pretty Spartan. The occasional food parcel from home was most welcome! However, we should remember that food rationing was still in force and it must have been a nightmare trying to satisfy the appetites of 27 teenage boys. The House cook did her best, but the memories of haggis for breakfast and a small portion of cold

meat after rugby on a Thursday linger on. The only luxury was at supper on Sunday when a small cake was added to the menu, but, of course, the choice was on the basis of seniority so the youngest, most junior boy got the poor remainder. We survived, but only just.

George Murray’s description of the rugby matches with Loretto brought back memories of that awful storm which took the lives of so many, not only on the Princess Victoria but in so many places on the east coast of England. I was in the 1st XV on that day and it was one of the last matches I played at school. We won the match but my abiding memory of it is of the pitch beginning to flood at high tide close to the end of the game. When we left the pitch the water was ankle-deep.

George also mentioned Alan Todd who, in addition to being Chemistry master and rugby coach, was also commanding officer of the RAF section of the CCF. He did a great deal to prepare us for

earlier this year, despite efforts by conservationists who had campaigned for decades for the preservation of the historic structure. As the port’s longest-serving Harbour Master, Captain Allsop commented: “It’s a sad day but also a happy time, too, because now this area can be developed into a marina”. Our best wishes are sent Down Under as Admiral A recuperates following a shoulder operation.

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fp forum...THE DOLLAR CONNECTION BY A COULD-HAVE-BEEN FP

A little story that may be of interest to readers of Fortunas? I am William Andrew White, retired and living in Ottawa, Canada. I grew up on a small family farm near Ayr and attended Ayr Academy (founded 1233) for twelve years. In 1945 my father had enrolled me, aged twelve, at Dollar Academy. He told me there were no boarding places available, but owing to my grandfather having been dux, the school agreed to take me. Living on a farm, I had a beautiful chestnut horse and many pets, plus an old 250cc BSA motorbike. So when the time came, I refused to go to Dollar Academy!

When home on holiday in 2003, I was visiting Oban with my niece Julie. On the return journey to Ayr, I noticed we had left Argyll and were in Stirlingshire. I knew that Clackmannanshire was near Stirling, so I asked Julie if she would do me a great favour and side-track to Dollar; she kindly agreed. Arriving at the Academy and entering the imposing grey stone building, I informed the receptionist of my story and I was immediately welcomed. She contacted a retired teacher (Editor: thought to be Bruce Baillie) and in the meantime had a senior student take me on a grand tour of the school. Returning to the library I met the retired teacher and searching through the old archives we found the class records of my grandfather. William White FP was born at Sheardale, Dollar in 1848, and went on to be first in most of his classes in 1861 and 1862, earning several awards including a silver pen and the position of dux. I left that day from Dollar Academy with copies of my grandfather’s reports, a video called ‘The Old Grey School’, lots of brochures and with a very strong feeling that all the students were happy, smiling and enjoying their time at the Academy. Recently I started to go to a new gym, and when parking

there I noticed a gentleman getting out of a car with a St Andrews flag displayed on the window! This is how I met Ian McClymont (FP 1942-45). I discovered he had attended Dollar Academy Prep School when his father was serving in World War II as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. We exchanged our Dollar Academy memorabilia and I have been an avid reader of Fortunas ever since! My grandfather, William White FP, graduated from Edinburgh University in 1870 with a degree in Law. He then went on to own a cork factory in Dublin, selling corks to Guinness for their beer bottles and becoming one of the first shareholders in Guinness stock when it went public in 1885. Aged 55 he retired to the Isle of Bute and married Rothesay’s Bailiff George Livingston’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth, aged 25.

That is my little story and it goes to prove, it really is a very small world!

William A. White (Could-have-been FP)

the impending National Service, not least by bringing Service NCOs to the school to take us through the activities we would face during basic training. This made the pretty tough initiation to Service life that much easier. He also sent a glowing reference to the RAF when I applied for a commission. He was a most friendly, enthusiastic and talented man who typified the very best of the staff at Dollar.

Campbell W. (Charlie) Miller (FP 1946-53)


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Responses sent to the Archivist about Dan MacLachlan’s 1939 trip to Kanawana Camp in Canada and back home in the T.S.S. Athenia (Fortunas 31)

Stan Borthwick: I was also on the Canadian trip in 1939, but as a schoolboy at Glasgow High School. Little did I realise then that Harry Bell was to be my Headmaster from September 1939! I guess the various schools which took part in the trip kept together as a school.

Our itinerary was as follows: T.S.S. Letitia from Glasgow to Quebec to Montreal to the camp which was supervised by Scout masters. I recollect this because the Canadian Scouts we fraternised with attempted to fool us into believing that the woods were full of wolves by imitating wolf howls from midnight until 4 am! We then visited a Canadian Plant Research Station near Buffalo (similar to our Australian CSIRO), Niagara Falls, Thousand Islands, Toronto and then back to the Athenia at Montreal. The submarine which sank the Athenia was placed there

pre-war, which certainly was not considered ‘cricket’ at that time.

I noticed at least one Dollar boy wearing a kilt: kilts were mandatory on Glasgow High School trips and, oddly enough, mandatory on Sunday mornings at Dollar Academy in my time.

I became a career officer in the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm) before emigrating to Australia in 1967 and I find it surprising that one’s long-term memory can easily span 74 years! Incidentally, my son Iain Andrew Borthwick – FP 1963-1967 – is a Staff Specialist at a hospital in Queensland, having gone from a research Molecular Biologist to Physician.

I very much look forward to receiving Fortunas – it brings back so many good memories for me.

Stanley Hood Borthwick – FP 1939-1942, Resident in Adelaide Australia since 1967. Life member of the Glasgow Dollar Academy Club.

Bob Paget: While leafing through the latest edition of Fortunas, FP Mary Paget (née Murray 1939-42) spotted her husband Bob’s youthful eyes twinkling back at her from the sepia-tinged photograph on page 128. Bob, then a 15-year-old pupil at Glasgow Academy, was one of the youngest members of the 1939 trip to Canada brought to light in the photographs from the album of FP Dan MacLachlan. Bob recalls it being one of the momentous experiences of his long life. Indeed, it truly was a ‘once in a lifetime experience’, for Bob has never felt the need to venture abroad again. Mrs Alison Morrison (Assistant Rector), Bob’s neighbour on the Isle of Islay, wrote down these memories for Bob during the summer holidays:

The cost of the trip he recalls was £30 for 30 days away, a fairly significant sum of money at that time, and he still feels very fortunate to have been offered such an opportunity. The outward journey took six days aboard the Letitia,

Dan MacLachlan and friends in Toronto (note the ‘sporran and kilt’ , centre)

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from the archives...

departing from Glasgow, and docking first at Belfast and then at Liverpool to pick up passengers before making the journey across the Atlantic to Quebec. They were the only school group on the ship and, as schoolboys, felt privileged to be offered the full menu alongside regular passengers in the 3rd Class Dining Room! On arrival at Quebec they went ashore and enjoyed a tour of the city, including the Heights of Abraham, before re-embarking on the Letitia for the 24-hour journey to Montreal.

They were billeted at the YMCA in Montreal and after a tour of this city the party split. High School of Glasgow pupils made up about half of the group and they proceeded to Camp Kanawana while the rest – Bob thinks about 13 Glasgow Academy pupils, nine from Dollar Academy and a few from Hamilton and Ayr Academies, proceeded to Ottawa by train. In true recognition of what really matters to a 15-year-old boy, the highlight of the train journey was the Coronation Chicken, which he tasted for the first time. After spending a few days in Ottawa visiting the Parliament building and other important landmarks, the party

moved on to Toronto, scaling the highest building in the world at that time, and then to Hamilton from where they visited Niagara Falls.

The next stop was Kingston, Ontario and a trip around ‘The Thousand Islands’ before returning to Montreal and on to Camp Kanawana. This was a tented camp in true outward-bound tradition with eight boys to a tent. The Scottish boys mixed in with Canadian and Norwegian boys and enjoyed long hot days diving into the lake and canoeing around the many islands.

The return voyage was on the Athenia and the party returned to Glasgow on the 29th or 30th August. While they were aware of escalating tensions and the presence of U-boats in the area, Bob’s abiding memory of the voyage home was a 48-hour marathon bridge-playing session. When war broke out on 3rd September the Athenia was sailing back across the Atlantic, returning other groups of passengers to Canada, when she was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland.

Bob continued at school and then completed his studies at West of Scotland College of Agriculture at Auchincruive in a class that began

Group Photo: Bob Paget 2nd row on right, Dan MacLachlan front row 3rd from right, Harry Bell front row 6th from right.

with 23 and finished with just 11. Throughout that time he served in the Home Guard (quite reminiscent of Dad’s Army, I’m delighted to hear!) He has spent the rest of his long industrious life on Islay, and a more active 89-year-old it would be hard to find. Always on the go, and with a cheery wave for everyone he sees, he spends his days cultivating a beautiful garden and growing vegetables in his allotment. The 167th Islay Show in August was, once again, the venue for further triumphs in the produce section. I have been the lucky recipient of sweet, juicy strawberries, beautifully fragrant sweet peas and freshly laid eggs, courtesy of Bob’s chickens, and enjoyed hearing stories about yesteryear whilst sipping a dram from one of Bob’s treasured barrels of Bruichladdich, or enjoying a tot of his signature sloe gin. And he still farms his croft, tending his flock of 30 sheep. It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to travel back in time in the company of Bob Paget.


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FROM ARCHIE BAIRD FP 1936-40

Archie Baird (FP 1936-40) sent this class photo to the Archivist. He wrote: “My brother Roger and I did enjoy our time at Dollar. It ended in October 1940, when we were evacuated to California (Coronado, off San Diego). We were cared for by Hunter Clarkson who was at Watson’s with my father, Archie W. Baird. Hunter’s parents both died and my grandfather (Archie) took him in and cared for him until he finished school. He then went to the USA to seek his fortune and married the daughter of the President of the Santa Fe Railway.

In 1940 Hunter sent an invitation to my parents to send me and my brother (and a cousin Christine) over to the States. This we did, in a convoy which lost two or three boats on the way to New York.

We were lucky and took the train to Chicago and so to Los Angeles.

We were very well looked after for two years. Our guardian’s business declined, but I had enough credits to get into New Mexico State College and worked my way through. I was now 18 and the US Army began to chase me, so I did a bunk up to Canada and trained as a fighter pilot, reurning to the UK in a liner packed with servicemen. I volunteered for gliders and survived the war.”

Archie sent the Archivist a fascinating diary he wrote during the trip across the Atlantic. It is interesting that he sailed on the Cameronia, which had picked up some of the survivors from the Athenia (see article in Fortunas 31). There is no reference to Archie being frightened - his main interest seems to have been food. Some extracts:

Friday 18th October 1940: We were taken to Glasgow by our parents and at 5.15 embarked on S.S Cameronia… Went to dinner at 6.30. Had cold Beef then Pudding, then Ice Cream then coffee all Damn Good…. Slept quite well.

Probably Form 3c, 1938-39The teacher is Captain Handley (killed in WW2). Archie Baird is beside Captain Handley. The signatures on the back are (not in order): John Walker, D. Leitch, Daniel MacLachlan, A. M. Wilson, P. Brown, I. T Carrington, James Kennedy Cullen, Eric J. Dempster, A.S. MacLagin (?), James Crawford, W Campbell, W Robertson, George S. Moir, Hugh R. Allan (?), Stanley S. Scott, J. Ball, William Angus Mitchell, G. Graham, A.S Mull, A.A. Watson, A. H. Jack (or Inch), John Scott, W.S. Halley, Dennis Henderson, Charles R. Munro, S.K. Watt, Alex U. Reid, L. Grigson, W. Gordon, Archie Baird.

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Sat 19th: Next day did nothing much until 12.20 when boat was towed out to mid-stream. Passed destroyers, cruisers, tankers, cargo boats (some with holes in them) and ferries. Saw a Sunderland flying boat and Blackburn Skua at Dumbarton Rock. At 3 o’clock had life-boat drill and from now on until further notice we must carry life-belts. Grub again very good….

Sunday 20th: Woke up rolling a bit and with a headache. Was sick all day till 4 o’clock. Bought 50 Players for 2/-! We are now in convoy with 5 other boats, 3 destroyers and one sloop. Had a marvellous Dinner (fish, Chicken, Luncheon Sausage, Pudding, ice cream, apple, biscuits, coffee…. Supermarine ‘Walrus’ was flying about at lunch time. The ‘Arundell Castle’ (20,000 tons) is in our convoy.

Tuesday 22nd: Saw porpoises in the morning. Had a good breakfast. Passengers consist mostly of Austrian and German refugees, merchant navy men and evacuated British children…

Wednesday 23rd: Sea rough. The waves were about 20 ft high. Gale blowing. Went out on deck after breakfast. Still feeling O.K. but was [not] feeling too good after lunch…. No ships seen all day. Rougher at night. Got into bed at about 12 o’clock. Put watch back an hour. We have now done about 1500 miles.

Thursday 24th: Sea was terrific. Waves about 30 ft high. Spume was being tossed about and the breakers were a sight to see. Stood up on Boat Deck in the morning but was feeling not good. Had Turkey for dinner and had a sleep in the afternoon. Oh, I forgot, about 10 of us got hauled up to the Captain for making a mess and kicking up a racket but he found me ‘not guilty’.

Friday 25th: During the night we passed Newfoundland. In the morning played shuffleboard and mucked around. Feeling safer but damned warm. We are now in the Gulf Stream and the wind is very warm and the sea is calm. Had a dance at night and did not get into bed till about 12 o’clock. Put back the clock as usual.

Saturday 26th: Sea got calmer and calmer as the day got on and by 5 o’clock was a ripple….Good meals all day!

Sunday 27th: Sea was rougher and there was a good wind blowing. There was a divine service but of course I was there. We saw a tanker going the same way as us. We heard that the ship with all the masts had been sunk and only four people saved. It was in our convoy. No dances or anything.

Monday 28th: We saw America at about 10 o’clock and stood up on deck until 12 when we went down for lunch. Three reporters interviewed us (Colin and I) and after dinner we stood on deck and saw all the sights. First we saw Connie [Coney] Island and the Fair Ground there, then we passed countless clusters of barges, bizarre ferries, fussy tugs, business-like cargo boats, defiant-looking battle ships and aloof liners, among others the Queen Elizabeth, the Normandie and the Manhattan. We pulled alongside the quay at about 2.30 after seeing all at one time the two biggest liners in the world and the highest building in the world (the Empire State Building).


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CAN ANYONE HELP?

“I am Tom Inglis, I was at Dollar Academy from 1951 (Junior 1) until 1956 (Form 4C). From school I went to Glasgow Technical College on a Pre Sea-going Navigation Course. I joined Blue Funnel Line as a Midshipman in November 1957 and started a sea-going career.

In November 1959 I met an old school friend from Form 4, Graham Ewing, in Amsterdam. He had also decided to follow a sea-going career. We had an evening on the town together and then sailed away our separate ways.

Photo taken in Amsterdam – Graham on far left, Tom in the centre I have often wondered if

Graham stayed at sea or where his sea-going experience took him, and I would like to make contact with him. You have my name and details

on your database, but I wonder if you have any trace of Graham Ewing?”

The school does not have Graham’s details – has any FP kept in touch with him?

100 YEARS AGO

This 1913-14 Dollar Institution prospectus, found in a batch of books donated to the Red Cross shop in Alloa, was recently given to the School Archivist. Photographs from the booklet show how some Dollar Academy classrooms looked 100 years ago. (Dollar Institution changed its name to Dollar Academy in 1918.)

Cookery and Laundry room (now Biology D12)

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Physics Laboratory (now Chemistry Lab 1 and D3)

Art Room (now the Girls’ Cloakroom)

Gymnasium (now the Sixth Form Centre)


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THE CAIRN ON THE HILL

Former Pupils who attended the Academy at the time of the Second World War may well recall the events of January 16th 1943, when three Spitfires on a formation flying exercise from RAF Grangemouth crashed into the side of King’s Seat Hill in poor visibility. Two of the pilots, Flying Officer H. G. Reynolds and Sergeant G. M. Duda, perished on impact, but Sergeant V. P. Daly miraculously survived, dragging himself downhill towards Dollar Glen, despite a broken leg which he had managed to tie in a rough splint to his other leg using his scarf. All three men were 21 years of age. Daly was found two days later by Mr Ian Cullens of Dollarbank Farm and Mr Willie Dow, a local shepherd, suffering multiple injuries, double pneumonia and frost-bite following two nights on the hill.

To commemorate this tragic accident, a local group was set up, including current School Janitor and Dollar Academy CCF Staff Sergeant Instructor Chris Cairns and his now close friend and project leader, Brian Imrie. Chris was moved on reading about the accident in 2008 in the notes of Mr Allan Kirkland, a boarder in Tait House from 1939-1945. Today, near the spot where the planes crashed, by the side of the path up King’s Seat, you will now find a handsome memorial cairn, which was unveiled on September 12th 2009 at a Service of Dedication and was marked by a flypast of three aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Further information about the accident, the aftermath and the cairn itself can now be found on the group’s Facebook page – search for King’s Seat Hill Spitfires.

Images courtesy of Chris Cairns

FORTUNAS ARTICLE – OTC CAMP SUMMER 1931

John Prescott noticed an error in the description of the gun shown in photos from OTC Camp 1931 in last Fortunas. He says: “I expect you have been advised already about the ‘How to use the Bren Gun’ photograph in the article. It’s actually a Vickers medium machine gun. I watched one of them being demonstrated at Cultybraggan Camp on a C.C.F. trip and was most impressed. That was probably sometime around 1954. Just showing off, but the giveaway is that a Bren was air-cooled, used a bipod and had a magazine, holding around 30 rounds, stuck on the top. Unlike the Vickers which was belt-fed, water-cooled and needed a tripod.”

John Prescott (FP 1947-1955)

This photo gives a better view of the gun, being demonstrated by an instructor.

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The Joanna Morgan Jones educaTional TrusTAlready, the Trust has raised over £60,000.

Already, two young students have been welcomed to Form 5 at Dollar Academy.

Already, a donation for over £10,000 has gone to Brain Cancer Research.

Already, a second open lecture is planned for future students and their parents on 4 March 2014.

Already, a second fund-raising evening is planned for the 1 March 2014.

Current giving is directly benefiting individual students who will contribute to society in future. Current giving is directly supporting an area of research that will impact on many lives.

You will find more information on the Trust website www.jomorganjones.com Very generous donations have already been received and any contribution you wish to make will be welcomed and individually acknowledged.

Joanna’s family has been immensely touched by the enthusiasm of so many to date. They see Jo’s Trust as a living reflection of Joanna’s altruism and care for others.

The Joanna Morgan Jones educaTional TrusT, 23 WesT Burnside, dollar FK14 7dX T: 01259 740515 e: [email protected] W: www.jomorganjones.com

Scottish Charity: SCO43504

The Trust was set up in 2012 in memory of Joanna Morgan Jones, Head Girl of Dollar in 1987-88. Joanna’s early death from Brain Cancer in 2012 was an immense loss to her family, her friends, and to the medical profession where she had a successful career as a Physician and a Psychiatrist.

The Trust fund-raising aims are clear:

• Toestablishanannualopenlecturetoinformandinspire young people thinking of a medical career.

• Toprovideatwo-yearmeans-testedbursaryat Dollar Academy to fund a potential medical student not currently attending the school.

• TosupporttheBrainCancerResearcharmof Cancer Research UK.


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Documents

REGIONAL · PDF fileREGIONAL DOLLAR ACADEMY CLUBS ... Mark Plummer [email protected] 0061 404 467 924 ... [email protected]. 3 Fortunas 32