Page 35 - QARANC Vol 18 No 1 2020
P. 35

                                Scottish Branch
The Gazette QARANC Association
 Chair: Karen J Irvine Secretary: Sheila A Jones
Branch activity has increased over the past year and our members have been busy getting out and aboutaswetriedtoliveuptoour stated aim of organising Branch events and activities in locations across Scotland, to try to mirror the geographical spread of our membership.
We started off the year celebrating Corps Day in Perth and our members travelled from all over Scotland to join us for a church service and lunch.
Come the summer we were blessed with warm sunshine for our event at Dumfries House, which allowed our members to enjoy the beautiful grounds as well as a tour of this stunning house with its unrivalled collection of Chippendale furniture. Having started the day with coffee and shortbread in the Great Steward’s Dining Room we ended it with lunch in the hay loft of all places, what a come-down!
In October, our AGM was held in Dundee, which some of our members decided to combine with an overnight stay, allowing them to visit the recently opened V&A Museum, not to mention sample the Dundee nightlife... Our Christmas lunch at the Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh was well attended and enjoyed by all, so much so we have decided to return for our Christmas lunch 2020. We are delighted that some of our serving personnel manage to join us at most of our events, it is always a pleasure to see them.
Regular serving personnel Captain Jenny Hain and Sergeant Paul McDonald at the Scottish Branch Christmas Lunch 2019
As ever, our Branch was well represented at the commemorative events in the build up to Remembrance Day. Michelle Drayton-Harrold was resplendent in her WW1 replica nurse’s uniform at the Cenotaph in Glasgow, where she laid a wreath on behalf of our Branch, while Dr Margaret Collingwood and Isobel Gibson attended the Scottish National War Memorial Annual Commemorative Service at The Castle Edinburgh. Our Treasurer Ron Buist participated in the parade and laid our wreath at the Legion Scotland Stone of Remembrance service in Edinburgh.
As well as taking part in all these events our members have also enjoyed our more informal Coffee Catch Ups. These are exactly as the title suggests an opportunity and inexpensive way for members to catch up over coffee and have a good old ‘blether’, not to mention a scone or cake, or two. These usually last no more than an hour or so and have been held in tearooms, coffee shops and garden centres across Scotland, specifically where we have a pocket of members. To date we’ve been to Helensburgh, Kirkcaldy, Oban and Edinburgh, with Dumfries, Inverness and Glasgow to come. Our committee
strives to attend where possible as it does help us
get to know our members
as well as gain feedback and suggestions for the Branch. We’ve even gained some new members as a result. Sadly not all of our members are fit enough to join in all or any of these activities, but we try our best to keep them informed of our antics by visiting on a regular basis. Some are very adept on the internet and keep up to date with the help of our Branch Facebook page and regular emails sent out by our Secretary.
This coming year we have Corps Day in Inverness to look forward to and our 70th Anniversary Lunch in Glasgow on 15 May 2020, which all
Michelle Drayton-Howard in uniform at Glasgow City Chambers
Association members are welcome to attend, not just Scottish Branch. The Scottish Branch was the first local branch to be formed on 15 May 1950, with the inaugural meeting held at the Highlanders’ Institute in Glasgow. The meeting was opened by Dame Louisa Wilkinson DBE RRC, previous Matron-in-Chief QAIMNS and the founder of the Association. It would be lovely if some of our friends from Association Branches across the UK were able to join us to celebrate the occasion.
Sheila Jones Branch Secretary
Sign for the Scottish Branch Christmas lunch 2019
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