Page 99 - Herioter 2021

Rory Dale

Captain

When Rory and I first met to discuss his matters to him: ‘It’s really difficult, and I have to for so many causes on behalf of pupils, including
experience of being a Herioter for 14 years, work hard, but it brings real joy and a sense of free sanitary protection, uniform regulations and,
I rather expected him to want to focus first, achievement.’ As well as Esther, Freddie Mercury most recently, examining how to challenge sexism
perhaps, on his role as a school captain, or say and Elton John are huge musical influences; in and sexual harassment.
some academic or extra-curricular success. fact, he credits them with inspiring him to recently Rory genuinely cares about the pupil body,
I was wrong. take up the piano. and in his own way he has made Heriot’s a better
It turned out that Rory wanted to talk about Inevitably, school concerts are a very precious place.’ Forthright, impassioned and driven, other
Heriot’s Nursery. He wanted to talk about visiting Heriot’s memory with performances of Queen’s people’s lives being improved matters to Rory,
the Nursery as part of his voluntary service in Term Don’t Stop Me Now and John Williams’ Olympic and he is willing to put in the hard graft to make
1, and how it quickly became a highlight of his Fanfare and Theme for the 1984 Olympics being that happen.
week. highlights. In Dr Neilson’s words: ‘Rory is a force of good
For a couple of hours, he was able to escape Rory is admirably lacking in any self-pity, when in the world.’
life as a school captain with too much work to reflecting on all the lost social occasions due to However, for Rory who comes from a family of
do, and, instead, he got to read stories, play the pandemic; but the absence of shared music, Herioters, the memories he holds dearest about
long-forgotten games, and generally live in the whether it is in the form of a gruelling band school are the moments many a Herioter will
moment. practice, or the grand occasion of the Usher Hall recognise.
He felt genuinely happy when his own Nursery concert, genuinely saddens him: ‘It’s only when It’s travelling to Holland by ferry in P7, listening
teacher from 2007, Mrs McInnes, greeted him something is taken from you that you realise how to Mr Cockburn’s fabulous stories in P6, or simply
warmly and memories of the Nursery space from much it matters.’ hanging out with friends and having a good laugh
all those years before returned effortlessly. It is Rory’s other great love that he has set his at morning break.
During one of his visits, whilst sitting in a chair sights on when he takes up a place to study law He loves a good story with friends and he
he had long since outgrown, Rory found himself in the autumn. Rory cares about justice. He cares doesn’t mind the joke being on him.
reflecting on all the years that had gone too about people’s voices being heard, and he cares His friends know they are lucky to have seen
quickly at the school he dearly loves. It seems enough to have been involved in bringing about out their school days with Rory, and I think his
that as Rory is coming to the end of his Heriot’s positive change throughout his time in Senior great friend, David, sums up their friendship
days, his thoughts have been very much on the School. perfectly: ‘Rory and I became friends in P4 and
beginning. Representing fellow pupils on the SSPC is borne have been besties for the last decade.
Friends are at the centre of every memory Rory out of a desire for their voices to be heard, their His dry humour, intelligence and generosity
shares about his time at Heriot’s. He is deeply concerns to be discussed and appropriate change made him seem like a little prime minister but also
honoured to have been made a school captain, to take place. made him such great company. We’ve
and he has been exemplary in the role; however, When I pressed Rory to identify his greatest been through thick and thin, with S6 finally
he is quick to point out that it simply wouldn’t achievement whilst serving on the SSPC, he allowing us to solidify our officer/lieutenant
have been the same without Esther Arthurson as emailed some days later to say that changing dynamic. School would have been miserable
his fellow captain. the rule that banned the use of playing cards in without him.’
They have been great friends for years, and school was a key moment. Certainly, overturning Because in the end, it comes down to
share, amongst other things, a deep love of music. anything in the ‘nuts and bolts’ is no mean feat, the experiences shared and, most of all, the
(It turns out, to honour their high regard for each but it turns out Rory was being a touch modest friendships made. That’s what truly matters to
other as musicians, they both named one of (again), as this is just one of many changes he him.
their instruments after each other!) Rory doesn’t has brought about. It’s the people he will miss most and we will
consider it at all noteworthy that he plays four Indeed, Miss Robertson, who runs the most certainly miss Rory.
instruments, and that two of them are self-taught, committee, couldn’t be more grateful for Rory’s
but he does want to share how much music contribution over the years: ‘He has fought hard Mrs Monique Massie

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