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and five elected members chosen by the membership as a whole. The first STGA company chairman was Forbes McNaughton who set about changing the design of the Blue Badge to ensure that it could not be copied as had been happening over the years in certain areas.
In a ‘company information update’ in 1997 Forbes was described as ‘the embodiment of the “wind of change” for the STGA.
‘Among his many contributions have been negotiations with the Lord Lyons office for our Coat of Arms and its incorporation as a badge for members, also the use of his academic links to further the planned changes in administration., training and assessment for membership,’ said the update.
In 1998 Christine Wade stepped down as chair and Sally Spaven took the role. That year turned out to be, in the words of the Queen, her “Annus Horribilis”. The good news was the STGA was given an office by the local area tourist board – in the former Stirling Jail!
‘That summer with Morag about to retire to have her first baby, the STGA moved into the Old Town Jail complete with one white plastic garden chair, (Christine Wade paid a fiver for it!), a fold-up picnic table and a computer,’ said Sally.
‘We were so excited about getting an office after years of meetings in hotels and guides’ houses that we had forgotten to remove the ink cartridge from the printer before loading it into the car and it had spilled inside the machine, so our only piece of electrical equipment had to go away to be cleaned out! Morag was unsure if she wanted to come back to work full-time as the job now demanded and so we were left struggling along with student help from Stirling University organised by Catherine Martindale.
‘A quick telephone call to what was then the Scottish Tourist Board and Tom Buncle, chief executive at that time, located a warehouse in Leith full of old office furniture and they very kindly delivered a van load of desks, which were huge for our tiny cell, a couple of wonky chairs and some rather battered, old filing cabinets. We pushed the boat out and bought a calculator and telephone and ordered some stationery. Our first student lasted about two weeks, the second one lasted about four weeks and then he left for a permanent job and the third about eight weeks before a rather acrimonious divorce forced him back to Newcastle.’
‘The membership were not very happy with us at this time. They didn’t like our move to the Old Town Jail. A lot of them thought we should be in Edinburgh and the reality of our becoming a Limited Company and the changes this had brought to the old regime of the STGA, meant the Board had to frantically deal with two Extraordinary General Meetings that Autumn as well. September that year, while travelling up Glenogle, my coach full of elderly American tourists was hit head-on by an out of
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