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Highlands and Islands branch
After the STGA became a national organisation, some re-organisation of branches was inevitable. Sally Spaven lived in Pitlochry in Perthshire but had to do her Blue Badge guide course at Dundee University.
‘The few of us on that course from Perthshire and everywhere north and west formed our own branch with the Executive’s blessing and Dundee, Angus, Fife and Aberdeen formed another northerly branch,’ she said.
‘The purpose was more about camaraderie and training and social events rather than marketing. I believe the Branch was formed in 1998 and I chaired it, ably followed by Tom Caskie of Auchterarder.’
‘In the branch’s formative years we enjoyed residential AGM’s in Inveraray taking in Kilmartin Glen in it’s early development, Dornoch before Madonna’s wedding and Inverness.
Tom Caskie had retired from his profession as a civil engineer in 1999 and his late wife Cairine suggested that they should apply to join the STGA as student members.
‘We were accepted and started our training,’ said Tom.
‘Cairine was still working full time as a teacher, nonetheless she kept at the STGA studies, going to evening and weekend classes. We both passed the STGA final exams in the spring of 2001 and were invited to attend the Highland and Islands branch AGM in the Pitllochry Hotel in in June that year. We were surprised at how few of us were there. Sally Spaven was in the chair, and from memory there were only three other ladies at that AGM: Annie Lyndsay, Sheila Scott and Lena Langlands. I was the only man. Imagine my surprise when Sally nominated me to be the Highlands branch representative on the STGA main board.
‘I also remember being slightly shocked after someone proposed that Sally should thank the hotel manager for giving us the room for the AGM and she confirmed she would sleep with him as a thank you! I only learned later that she was married to him.
‘I think that it was at the next Highlands branch AGM that Sally stepped down and I was nominated to be chair. I think I accepted on the condition that Cairine would be a committee member. By then we had met Lorna Johnson and together, we three, organised Highlands branch CPD outings to many places like Culzean Castle, House of Duns, Dumfries House, Grants of Rothiemurcus and Skye. Cairine and I loved exploring corners of Scotland for interesting CPD places or personalities to bring to STGA guides attention.
At the House of Duns, Cairine gave a mini lecture of one of her favourite characters, Violet Jacob, who was born there. These CPD outings generally lasted two days with hotel accommodation being part of the organisation. Highlands branch always invited other branch members to participate. These events promoted great fellowship amongst the participating guides, frequently ending with a sing song.
‘We were on Barra staying in a hotel by the water after a tour of Kisimul Castle and I think it was Morag Dunbar who discovered that two of the guests had just married that day and that the bride’s name was Mairi. So Morag had all of us singing Mairi’s Wedding to the bridal party. It was a dreadful stormy night and the conditions caused the sewage outfall to back up and start sewage flowing into lower bathrooms. Pandemonium ensued! Attending the Highlands and Islands CPD outings became quite a feature of STGA life.
‘I stepped down from the STGA board and the Highland branch committee in 2007 handing over the Highlands chair to Stuart Shields.’
Sally added: “We had the most wonderful training trips/AGMs organised by Tom and Cairine. There was always a waiting list and many guides from other branches joined the legendary Highlands and Islands visit. Singing, recitation, lots of tasting, eating and drinking took place along with the serious business of learning and keeping up to date. Who can forget the House of Duns and Violet Jacob’s poetry, beautifully read by Cairine, Sheila Wilson telling us about Camanach in Kingussie and Newtonmore and Kompani Linge in the Cairngorms. Happy memories indeed!
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