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The Scotian - Spring 1971 Duns Scorns Literary and Debating Report Edinburgh Schools Citizenship Association Former Pupils with Rugby Clubs
1970 was just another normal year in the history of the school; work went on as usual, examinations came and went and so did school holidays. But it had its highlights: the successes of the Fencing Club and the Debating Club; the repair of the Drive by Mr Flett and the redecoration and re-furnishing of the Reception Room by Mrs Mackay and the ladies-to them we express our sincere thanks and appreciation for doing so much to add to the amenities of Scotus; the completion of the levelling of the playing fields and the con-sequent near approach of the final stages of their development. For all this our thanks to Mr McEwan for his untiring efforts, backed by his considerable knowledge of drainage, grass, levels and everything else connected with land. Our thanks also to the Committee of the Scotus Association for their deep interest in the school, their hard work on its behalf and their generous donations towards its various activities. Perhaps the most important highlight of the year was the sudden interest of Development Companies in the site. Many approaches were made towards the renting of portion or all of the site of which a complete survey has been made. Negotiations are still in progress and at this stage it is not possible to say what, if anything will come of them. The next issue of "The Scotian" should have definite news. Changes in Staff this year were as follows: left ~ Mr Batty, Rev. Bro. Corcoran, Mr Gillan and Mr Boyle; to them we offer our thanks for their work in the school and our best wishes for their happiness and success in their new posts. We welcome to the Staff: Mr White, Rev. Bro. Williams, and Mrs Macneil and hope they will enjoy their stay and their work in Scotus. We were very sorry to lose during the year, as the result of an accident, a key figure in the work of the school, our Secretary, Mrs Connolly. As she was going home one afternoon in February, she slipped on the ice down the back drive and broke her leg in two places. She suffered severe pain which she bore with her usual cheerfulness, but her recovery was long and slow. Everybody connected with the school during her many years as Secretary will remember with gratitude not only her efficiency but also her cheerful kindness and her gentle First Aid to scraped knee-caps, cut fingers and the first onsets of 'flu or headache. She has been much missed in the Office and in the life of the school. It was with great regret that we heard of the serious illness of Mr G. Ford, the former President of the Scotus Association. He can be called the Father of "The Scotian" because during his period of office he pressed very strongly for the institution of such a magazine and never a man to use words only, he undertook the business side of the venture, seeking advertisements, sending out accounts, sending out magazines to schools and business firms and dealing with all the financial problems. These were no easy tasks and were time-consuming, but were accomplished long before the deadline. The regular appearance of "The Scotian" will be our tribute to the vision and energy of Mr Ford. He as well as ourselves will be disappointed to find in this issue so little news of the F.P.s. This is a problem difficult to solve at present; probably when the F.P.s reach middle age it will be easier to maintain lines of communication with them but middle age is still 15 years away for most of them. Two events of 1971 are important. First: the Ordination of Rev. Henry McLaughlin by His Eminence in the Scots College, Rome, on the 7th March. He will be the third F.P. to be raised to the Priesthood and we ask you all to remember him in your prayers. Second: The Christian Brothers Schools' pilgrimage to .Lourdes in April. Representatives from all our Schools in the Province will join the pilgrimage, which will be led by Archbishop Francis Carroll, S.M.A., Vicar Apostolic of Monrovia, Liberia. There will be about a dozen boys going from Scotus. The Magazine Committee for this year is :- Cesidlio di Ciacca, Thomas Conlon, Rhilip Contirn, Peter Rogers, Lain Campbell, Gerard McCabe, Michael Mayo, James Maguire. Mr and Mrs Capaldi were in charge of the advertisements'. The production has been delayed by the postal strike.
UNIVERSITY AND HIGHER STUDIES WILLIAM WONG Glasgow University BROTHER BAYLOR AWARDS 1969 Senior: ANTHONY McMICHAEL PUBLIC SPEAKING 1970 Quill Toastmasters' Club Trophy: BRIAN POTTER THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS This Province of the Christian Brothers comprises England, Scotland, Gibraltar and Liberia. It was officially founded in 1945 when all the Christian Brothers' schools then existing in these countries were grouped together under a Provincial and his Council. Before giving a list of the schools in the Province it may be of interest to recall that in 1825, 23 years after Brother Rice had opened his first school in Waterford, Ireland, he opened a school in Preston and between that date and 1845 the Brothers had schools in the following places: London, 5 schools; Liverpool, 5 schools; Manchester, 2 schools; Birmingham, 1 school; Salford, 1 school; Leeds, 1 school; Bolton, 1 school; Preston, 2 schools, and a Novitiate or Training school; Sunderland, 1 school. It would take too long to describe the curriculum of these schools. They were mainly primary schools, though one of the Preston schools was a Classical School. Almost all of them opened every evening for those in factories or mines who wished to learn or improve themselves. The schools were usually the property of the Parish and the Brothers' upkeep and maintenance were covered by a donation of about £50 per annum from the Parish Priest, plus a yearly collection. The passing of the Education Act in 1870 relieved the Parishes of this burden but the early Brothers seem to have had a strong antipathy against accepting State money and by 1875 they had all withdrawn from England. There may have been other reasons, e.g. control of the schools and of the curriculum, but we must wait until thorough research is made into the whole history. One local sidelight of interest is that on the 26th August 1836 the Rt. Rev. Andrew Caruthers, Bishop of Edinburgh, wrote to Bro. Rice requesting him to send Brothers to take over the Catholic school in the city. Nothing seems to have come from this first approach and in 1838 the Rt. Rev. Dr James Gillis, then Bishop of Edinburgh, paid a visit to Dublin to renew the request in person and followed up his visit with letters until 1842, when it was finally agreed that Brothers would be sent or, and this is unusual, that the Brothers would accept young men sent by the Bishop, train them and send them back to Edinburgh as Christian Brothers. One such young man, named James Fairly, did go from Edinburgh in July 1842 to Ireland to enter the Order, but there is no further word of him, and the Bishop’s correspondence with the Brothers seems to have ceased about the same time. What a pity the Brothers did not come then! We do not know the reasons, and here again is a piece of history crying out for research. The Brothers returned to England in 1896 to open St. Brendan's, in Bristol, as a secondary school, and from then on their efforts were mainly directed towards secondary education although most of their schools had primary departments attached. Here, then, is a list of the present schools with their dates of opening, status and present number of pupils in round figures. 1896 Bristol. St. Brendan's College, Direct Grant, 700 pupils. As well as the schools listed there are Houses of Study at Toddington, Gloucester, Ledsham, Cheshire, Twickenham and Maynooth, Ireland. What does the future hold for all these schools? A lot will depend on Government policy and the development of education. These challenges we are confident we can meet successfully provided we can maintain, if not increase, our present membership. The need of vocations is as pressing now as it was in 1842 and unless young men are willing to commit themselves to a life of service to God in Christian education then the future for our Order and Orders like us is bleak. But pessimism should be no part of Christianity, so we look to the future with confidence and try not to wreck it by our own foolishness.
Account of the earthquake of 31st May 1970 at Chimbote, Peru. I was walking home through town after the school had just won a big soccer game when it all started. The ground began to rumble and buildings to sway, so I rushed immediately to the centre of the street. A Peruvian family near me let out a cry and fell to their knees in prayer. When the noise stopped I ran to the school, passing many fallen houses on the way. The Brothers' house was two feet lower than ,the patio, but all inside were safe. I then ran over to the convent. The doors were wide open. Nobody was there. The walls were standing but the inside was terrible and smoke was coming in from the ground outside. Our own school had only one crack but its patio was a total loss. I went upstairs in to the house but ran out at once, as the quaking started again. Outside I met Jules Roos and borrowed his truck to take 4-5 injured from the other side of the Sisters' compound to the hospital. On the way I saw many houses down and the Post Office destroyed. The hospital was in confusion, with cars and people streaming towards it and injured lying everywhere inside. We saw a man walk in with a dead child in his arms. We heard that two nuns had been trapped in their convent at Laderas de Norte, so we rushed there. Most of the houses in the Market Street were down and the section beyond the bridge was worse. The convent was a heap of rubble and the two Sisters had been crushed to death. The Priest had just anointed them, but it would take heavy equipment to release their bodies. It was decided to bring medical supplies and nurses to the hospital in our trucks. Once there we helped with the dead and injured. As we continued, darkness fell. Without electricity, we had to use candles and kerosene lamps for the rest of the night. Later on, I went home to get some food and was just reaching for a doughnut when the quaking recommenced. I was outside in a flash! Eventually I got food and coffee from the Sisters' house. They were very broken up over the death of the two nuns, naturally. The only transmitter working in the town was Jules' and it was illegal! Valasco's office wanted to know what the situation was regarding the factories, hotels and the airport. We went to the airport to find out. The streets were full of water, roads had collapsed and traffic was being stopped by the police, but we got through. The airport was all right. In Villa Maria most of the adobe huts were down and all the prefabricated houses had collapsed. Finally, we got back to school and there gave away most of our blankets to the people sleeping in the fields around the school. Next day came the funerals. First the two Sisters whom we carried in the truck with the other nuns who wished to attend. There were 30 caskets in the cemetery already. One man arrived carrying a casket about two feet long and a shovel. We saw thousands of people burying hundreds either in graves or in niches. The two nuns were put in niches. One nurse said, "I used to get so upset over losing one patient-and now look at this". It took the Government close to a week to get food to the people. The rest of the country was very generous. About 2,000 died in Chimbote alone. The two nearest towns, east and south, were completely levelled. many buildings everywhere had been destroyed. The earthquakes continued in a minor way-2 or 3 every 24 hours for over a month, so that people took to sleeping outside in tents, etc. We hope to recommence school on 6th July, but we are very doubtful about it. This year’s school concert took place on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd July 1.970 in, what has now become a familiar setting, Craiglockhart Convent School Hall. The attendance on each of the three nights was encouragingly large. Our thanks are due to all the parents who gave such wonderful support. This year, as last, we staged a Junior Operetta-"Little Gipsy Gay", with music by Evelyn Wales and words by Molly Masters. A guitar and vocal group under the expert direction of Bro. Bennett opened the show each night with a selection of gipsy songs. For over a year now a group of boys from First Year and the senior classes of the Primary School have been taking guitar lessons under the tutorship of Bro. Bennett. This was the first performance of their newly acquired art, and they acquitted themselves splendidly. The Operetta tells the story of a group of Romany children who are preparing to celebrate the birthday of a little girl, Gay, played by J. Doherty, whom they believe to be one of the tribe. Romany Rof, head of the tribe, played by J. Eunson, tells how he found Gay, when she was a very small child, lost in a wood, and took her to the camp and looked after her. The news of Gay’s real identity saddens the children. Sometime later an Army Colonel and his wife, played by C. Aliaga-Kelly and O. Robertson, come upon the gipsy camp while they are out walking. They recognise Gay as their daughter who was stolen from them some ten years before. They make quite clear that their daughter must return home with them. The gipsies are loath to allow her to leave them, but finally agree when the Colonel promises that Gay will join them on the anniversary of this day, wherever they are. The concert was a wonderful evening's entertainment, for which great credit is due the cast, which numbered sixty-eight boys. Miss D. Moran is to be warmly congratulated for the fine standard of musical attainment reached by the boys in the production of this show. This review, however, would be incomplete without a special mention of the fine scenery erected by Mr W. Stone, the imaginative use of lighting by Mr P. Deponio and the expertise of Mrs H. Robertson and the ladies who helped her with the make-up. P. Gordon. After the Opera-Concert a trip was organised for the primary school and Form one. On 10th July the large party of boys, accompanied by primary staff, Bro. O'Brien, Cesidio DiCiacca and Philip Contini, set out to provide North Berwick with a mini version of the Isle of Wight "pop" invasion. At North Berwick the boys enjoyed themselves on the beach, at the swimming pool and on one of the two admirable putting greens. Only one thing spoilt the day ~ the weather! For a great part of the day the sky was dull and overcast and, late in the afternoon as it became a good deal cooler, it rained very heavily. On the return journey Mr and Mrs DiCiacca very kindly provided "goodies" for all, thus helping to offset the disappointment caused by the weather.
DUNS SCOTUS LITERARY REPORT AND DEBATING When school opened once more in September 1970, it was a foremost task in many people's minds to continue the excellent progress, which had been made the previous year, in which Scotus reached the regional final (national semi-final) of the "Daily Express" National Debating Competition, and the quarter-finals of the English-Speaking Union Competition. It was, therefore, with great expectations that, under the watchful guidance of Mr Dick as president, T. Conlon (VI) as junior president, and J. Maguire as secretary, appointed class representatives and prepared to tackle the great debates to come. Facilities for school debating were improved this year with the last period on a Friday set aside for this purpose. Each Friday, therefore, different people took a turn at debating, and motions varied from "This house believes that God is dead" to "Money cannot buy happiness". However, it soon became evident that the majority of the boys were very self-conscious about speaking in public, and though some eventually agreed to speak, it was left to one or two individuals to provide the initiative. In this respect the 4th Year was a noted exception and several promising speakers were discovered. Our first major debate was that of the English-Speaking Union, in which T. Conlon (VI) and P. Mayo (IV) represented the school. The subject as: "Fantasy not fact makes life bearable today", and though our speakers excelled We were somewhat disappointed to learn that the judges had not considered us good enough to qualify for the next round. The "Daily Express" Debate was due to take place on 25th November 1970. There were no volunteers from Fifth and Sixth Years to partner the junior president, but L. Printie (IV) came to the rescue. He made a courageous debut, in spite of his nervousness, but the debate was an extremely vigorous one and Scotus failed to qualify. A large part of the debating year remains, including the Toastmaster's Tournament (which B. Potter has won for two years running) and our own "Dr Docherty" Cup, and it is to be hoped that apathy and self-consciousness will soon give way to enthusiasm. It remains to thank Mr Dick, who gave advice at all points, Bro. Lennon, who gave help to the administrative side of the Society, and to give special mention to J. Maguire, P. Mayo, L. Printie, all others, who spoke in our debates and specially those who came along in support. T. Conlon (VI).
EDINBURGH SCHOOLS ClTIZENSHIP ASSOCIATION This year more interest has been shown in the Association than in previous years and membership from the school stands at about ten. All these members are from the Fifth and Sixth Year, but I am hopeful that some Fourth Year pupils will join presently. The E.S.C.A. meetings have been attended well, so far, and I am hopeful that this will continue to be so. I also feel sure that next year there will be many new members in the Association and that this number will steadily increase over the years. I must thank the Rector for the encouragement that he has given and the interest that he has shown and also Mr Dick for agreeing to be the staff representative on the advisory council. My thanks also to all those who havesupported me by coming to the meetings. J. P. Maguire (VI Form).
Under the supervision of Fr. Gordon, a group has been formed with the intention of starting a club for fifth and sixth formers of all R.C. Secondary Schools in Edinburgh. To this end, Scotus sent four representatives, L. Donnely and A. Jankowski from Fifth Year and T. Conlon and G. McCabe from Sixth Year. At the first meeting they met the representatives from the other schools, St. Augustine's, St. Margaret's, St. Thomas's and St. Anthony's. This club will fill a need, which is very much apparent at the moment, to draw together senior pupils of Edinburgh schools into a social and religious group. Two meetings and a lot of discussion later, it was decided that the school representatives would form the committee of the club. This "Ruling Body" would decide what form the activities of the club would take on. First of all, it was decided that a Christmas Dance would be a good way to get the club off the ground, and so the duties for the running of the dance were allotted (Scotus members contributed by making the PUNCH). The dance lived up to our expectations, and though only a small profit was made it served its purpose well in firing the enthusiasm of the participants in our future organisation. Its success is surely an indication of the potentialities of the COACH-HOUSE CLUB. G. M. McCabe (VI Form).
List of Trophies won: (a) Learmonth Foil. 2. Captain’s Report: This year's fencing achievements far exceed any of our previous years; but if the club is to survive we must not look to our past results but to the future and to our new members. It was with great delight that the club acquired some raw recruits- about 20 in all. They have been taught the bare essentials of fencing and are well prepared for a novice’s competition in the very near future. Some prospective internationalists could well be among the Scotus ranks, and with some determination they could reach the necessary standard within a surprisingly short time. The school has recently purchased for the fencing club an electric scoring apparatus with which the fencers must become familiar as by far the majority of competitions held use the electric scoring method. Special mention must be made of Mr H. T. Bracewell, the National Fencing Coach for Scotland, without whom the results gained by the club could not have been possible. We congratulate Mr Hollands, our Malt're d' Armes, on being awarded the Scottish Coaching Certificate, The year 1970 was a very successful one for the fencing club. We all look forward to the year ahead with even more ambition and determination. M. Mayo (VI Year). 3. International Matches: (a) Scotland v. England - 17th March 1970. (b) Scotland v. Northern Ireland - 28th June 1970. 4. Scotus in League Competitions: (a) Senior Men's "A" League. This is one of the most important leagues in Scotland, attracting, as it does, some of the most important teams in the country. Scotus came second in this league, being beaten only by the Leith Fencing Club which boasts many fencing coaches among its members. (b) Junior League - Thistle Shield. In this league we were most unfortunate not to have won the com petition outright. This can easily be explained by the fact that for one important match we were forced to field; several reserves because of illness among a number of regular team members. We lost the match and as a result we had to be satisfied with second place in the league. 5. Championships and Competitions: (a) Robinson Cup 1968. This was Scotus first trophy and although it was only a Junior Edinburgh Trophy, it was to put Scotus On the fencing map. It was won by lain Campbell who has since successfully retained it. (b) The Learmonth Foil. ~ 1970-71. This is the Scotus Fencing Club's main attraction as it established the club and the school with the best Senior Foil team in the whole of Scotland. This achievement is really magnificent considering that Scotus had only just appeared on the fencing scene one year before. The team which was composed of M. Mayo, I. Campbell and A. Cook, will be defending their title in June 1971, and despite an expected strong opposition from Ainslie Park Fencing Club, hope to retain the trophy for Scotus for another year. In this competition last season our "B" team, which was comprised of P. Rogers, G. Robertson and A. Cook, narrowly failed to win the Junior title. (c) The Bronze - 1970-71. This is the Scottish Schoolboy Junior Foil Trophy and it was won by our Scottish Internationalist, I. Campbell. Also in the final were G. Robertson and A. Cook. Once again this proved the growing strength or the Scotus club, which is fast becoming a c1ub to be feared through-out Scotland. (d) The Edinburgh Junior Schoolboy Competition ~ 1968. In this competition Scotus began to show its strength in that A. Cook closely followed by P. Rogers and I. Campbell were, placed first, third and fourth respectively. (e) Edinburgh Schools Junior and Senior Competitions 1970-71 Our Junior fencers of the previous year, M. Mayo, G. Flavell and I. Campbell, despite keen competition from Ainslie Park, took third, fourth and sixth places respectively in the senior competition. In the junior competition C. Redmond showed his fine qualities as a fencer in equalling some of the results gained by more senior members of the club. In doing this he achieved a very respectable second, and we only hope that our other junior fencers will follow his good example. (f) Air France Cup and Nairobi Fencing Club Championship 1970-71 While on holiday in Kenya, I. Campbell joined the Nairobi fencing club and entered the club championships and the East Africa Open Foil championship. He had the distinction of winning both championships. (g) The Scottish Junior Epee Competition 1970-71 Epee, being a completely new weapon to the Scotus Fencing Club, did not deter M. Mayo in his ambition to gain even greater heights in the fencing world. He was narrowly defeated by the Scottish Epee champion, M. Belford. Great promise with this new weapon was also shown by I. Campbell, P. Rogers, M. Anderson and A. Cook. (h) Scottish Under 20s Competition 1970-71 (i) FOIL: Ian Campbell took third place. G. Robertson, A. Cook, M. Mayo and P. Rogers narrowly failed in their attempts to reach the finals. (ii) EPEE: In this competition we fared slightly better when I. Campbell and M.. Mayo both reached the final, taking 41h and 5th places respectively. (iii) SABRE: Here success completely eluded us and our only entrant, A. Cook, despite a brave effort, was eliminated in the early rounds. Scottish Junior Foil - 1970-71 These "Junior" competitions, as distinct from the" Junior School Boys", are supposed to be composed mainly of University entrants yet our Scotus team proved not only to be the champion Scottish schoolboy team but almost became the team to achieve the second highest team award when they were narrowly defeated by five wins to- four by the Lothian Fencing Club!, which consists of one Commonwealth Games fencer, Robert Elliot. The day before, in the individual part of the competition, I. Campbell once again reached a final but only succeeded in becoming fifth.
SCOTUS ACADEMYFENCIINIG CLUB ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
Expenditure
P. Rogers (6th Year). Once again the battle of wits for the chess championship of Scotus had begun. Michael Peterson, last year's winner, in returning {he cup, had given someone else the chance to become the champion. There were over 60 entries, the Junior part of the Secondary school contributing a fairly large number of prospective chess champions, but the senior boys just seemed to have the edge, the semi-final being composed of M. Mayo, C. DiCiacca, I. Campbell from 6th year, and S. Barry from 5th year. The final two, I. Campbell and M. Mayo, fought a very hard battle to see who would be winner, but l Campbell's slightly superior management of the game ensured his success and made him the Scotus Chess Champion of 1970. Meanwhile, Bro. Bennett was also busy organising the competition for the Primary School Champion. This cup, as well as the senior one, was generously donated by Mr and Mrs T. D. McCabe. The field was cut down to a duel between Aidan Christie (P.5) and Simon Capaldi (P.6), the latter being deservedly presented the junior trophy by Bro. Gordon. It is to be hoped the tradition of keen competitive spirit will long continue at Scotus, and we are all confident that chess will further this end. I. Campbell (6th Year).
The response to curling this year has been extremely disappointing. Little enthusiasm was aroused by the efforts of last year's team who reached fifth place in the Edinburgh Schools' Curling League. Through lack of members we were unable to enter the league this year, but it is hoped that membership will be sufficient next year to allow a team to be formed. I would like to thank the boys who gave their time to curling and I hope that they will have patience and continue their efforts. Any interest in curling should be directed to my notice from where proper organising of the club could be started. M. Shannon (III Form).
Twenty-four Scotus boys enrolled for the “Action for the Crippled Child" sponsored walk on Sunday, 1st November. The cold, biting wind separated the men from the boys as only 12 turned up. The 18-mile walk from the Usher Hall to Musselburgh and back proved tortuous but not impossible. The combined efforts of both walkers and sponsors realised a net sum of £56.6.6. The school has collected, and is still collecting, used stamps for the "Action" group. So far the result has proved encouraging. Boys from the Fifth and Sixth Forms went carol singing over the Christmas period and collected a total amount of £5.2.7. Again this money went to the “Action" Society which does so much for diseased and crippled children. A collection from the school for the victims of the East Pakistan flood disaster produced a sum of £5.10.0. A total of £60.8.5 was collected, for Foreign Mission Fields throughout the world. Grand total for CHARITIES 1970 was £127.8.4. P. Contini (VI Form).
The Scots …keep the Sabbath ~ and anything else they can lay their hands on, The Welsh …pray on their knees ~ and their neighbours. The Irish …don't know what they believe ~ but they will fight anyone for it. The English …presume themselves to be a nation of self-made men ~ relieving the ALMIGHTY of a terrible responsibility. Seen in a shop window in Fort Augustus last summer.
On a warm afternoon in June 1970 Scotus boys and their parents assembled at Murrayfield Rugby Ground for an afternoon of athletics. The occasion saw the revival of the Scotus Annual Sports Day which had been allowed to lapse since 1963. The year of the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh was a very appropriate time for such a revival. Many weeks of hard work on the part of both pupils and staff went into the preparations for the Sports Day. Many of the field events were decided at the school prior to 20th June. The Sports Day itself was very successful, though no world records were broken. The mile and the relays were the major events of the afternoon. The first lap of the mile was run at a very fast pace, with Ian Campbell doing most of the running. Lindsay Munro then went to the front and was followed soon after by Ross Coates, who led the field to the final bend. Coming off the final bend Frank Lloyd released a spurt which reminded all present of a 100- yards sprint, and he breasted the tape with such speed that it belied the fact that he had run a mile. Frank Lloyd was followed home by Ross Coates and Ian Mackay in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. The battle between the McDonald and Gray Houses was a titanic struggle. With only the relays remaining, the McDonalds were in the lead with 70 points as against 68 for the Grays. It was obvious, therefore, that the results of the relays would be the crucial factor in deciding the winning House. The Grays had the answer. They took all three races and ran out winners by 80 points to 73. RESULTS
Acknowledgement Our thanks are due to Mr J. Law, Secretary of the Scottish Rugby Union, and to Mr Thain and the ground staff for their invaluable help to us in the running of the sports. , P, Gordon. RUGBY The problem of the return of only three of last year's 1st XV, coupled with the extreme youthfulness of the boys filling the vacant places, created our usual difficulties in fielding a sufficiently mature team capable of meeting opposition so often composed to a large extent of sixth formers. The team soon settled down to training, although laterally somewhat reluctantly, and emerged a reasonably skilful if a lightweight unit: this lightness in the pack caused grave difficulties which were only occasionally overcome by good ball in the loose, but aggressiveness and an excellent camaraderie spirit compensated for the general lack of fitness and concentration. Captaincy was transferred from A. Blackwood to Simon Barry, who has continued to inspire the others with his keenness and initiative, while Gerald McCabe now fills the vacant office of vice-captain. Special mention should go to Liam Donnelly for his unstinted efforts in mid-field and also to two of the pack, James Maguire and Andrew Borys, for their unselfish approach to the game. The results of the 1st XV so far this season do not indicate the true nature of events as misfortune and a bad run of luck have proved to be the deciding factor, causing the game to be lost rather than won by a few points. The list of players holding Colours appear below. Matches: Played 10 Won 3 Lost 7 Points: For 163 Against 178 Full Colours: S. Barry, L. Donnelly, A. Borys, G. McCabe, J. Maguire. Half Colours: N. Young, D. Austin, S. Pia, K. Spencer, A. McLennan, D. Cormack, K. Simpson, S. Croan, D. Bain. B XV So far this season the B XV team has managed to maintain the high standards set by the Young Lions last year. After an initial setback, the team developed into a powerful scoring unit and has remained undefeated since the first week in September. Such a degree of success was not attained easily; rather was it the result of unselfish dedication on the part of the team members. Thus was made possible that remarkable fitness and fine spirit which have been characteristic of the B XV. Gordon McCreadie has remained as captain for his second season, having been previously captain of the C XV. The team owes much to his experience in this department. Possessing boundless energy, a really devastating tackle and a remarkable flair for running with and distributing the ball, Gordon has led a superb pack of forwards who have been largely responsible for the B XV's success. It is quite obvious why he has been a regular member of the 1st XV when not playing for the B XV. He has not missed a representative game for the school during the past three seasons. . In spite of losing three fine forwards early in the season the present pack is one of the biggest and strongest to represent the school at this level. This was demonstrated clearly when they won every set scrum in one match. Gordon McCreadie, Franco Abbasciano and David Laidlaw form a front row that annihilates all opposition. Franco does a fine job as hooker and has a remarkable turn of speed in the loose. David Laidlaw has become a powerful prop and his play in the open is both intelligent and effective. The two locks Odrick Martin and David Robertson, are the strength of the 'powerhouse' and give the pack that extraordinary shove for which it is noted. Robert Clephane and Philip Croan are two powerful and aggressive wing forwards and deserve great credit for their contribution to the team. A special word of praise must be given to Graham McKay, who as the No.8 and vice-captain, has been an outstanding member of the pack. Using his powerful physique to great effect he emerges as one of the top try-scorers of the team this season. Graham is also the team's place-kicker and has filled this role with much success. He has, moreover, a remarkable facility for dropping goals from various parts of the field-a feature of his play which proves quite disconcerting to the opposition. At scrum-half, Aidan Pia, though small in stature, gives a thoroughly satisfying display. He has developed a fine understanding with the utterly reliable Andrew Murray, who plays consistently well at stand-off. Paul Somerville and Michael Hannon have played well as centres, and although they are somewhat lacking in aggression their defence is sound. Kevin Mather and Ross Coates are two extremely speedy wingers, the latter scoring six superb tries in one match. Ross has also scored what has been called the try of the season. From a set-scrum in the corner, and a yard from the Scotus line, Ross received the ball. He then set off on a run that carried him to the far corner of the pitch and still behind the Scotus try line! Making a quick change of direction, Ross then ran the entire length of the field alongside the touchline. He finished off this superb feat by scoring between the posts. Kevin Mather's speed is such that given a yard or two, he proves virtually impossible to stop. A further pleasing feature of the play of these two wingers has been their defence, which has shown a remarkable improvement. At full back lain Brown is consistently sound. His handling and positional sense are excellent and he does much to instil confidence into the rest of the team. Finally, a; special word of thanks is due to the sole reserve of the B XV (the team is picked from a pool of sixteen players), Gerard Kennedy, who has turned up faithfully for all the games and has played well when called upon. In their last four games this season the B XV scored 160 points and con- ceded 22. Three of these games are worth special mention. v. Leith Academy - Hawkhill, 17th October Won 30-12 Scotus made a remarkable comeback in this game, after a very hesitant start, during which Leith Academy scored 12 points. Gordon McCreadie settled hi~ team down by scoring two good tries. Scotus eventually won a difficult game, and tries by Coates, Mather and Somerville made this another high-scoring victory. Graham McKay added the rest of the points. v. Melville College-Murrayfield, 20th October Won 22-8 This was undoubtedly the best performance of the B XV this season. The opposition was both powerful and skilful and in the opening minutes Melville scored a fine try which was converted. There then ensued a tremendous battle between the respective packs which raged for the remainder of the match. Incidentally, our invited referee allowed the full forty minutes for each half! As usual, Gordon McCreadie put his team on the victory trail with two superb tries and Graham McKay converted both. Graham himself was not to be out- done, and he ~in turn scored two excellent tries. As a result of a temporary breakdown in the Scotus defence Melville scored a good try but failed to convert. We were then treated to one of Ross Coates brilliant individual scoring efforts which was followed shortly by a magnificent run by Kevin Mather, who scored in the corner. Superb fitness and excellent team effort enabled Scotus to emerge as victors from this bruising battle. v. Dunfermline High School- Murrayfield, 7th November 49-5 Initially, the opposition appeared to be very strong, but the B XV forwards soon dominated all aspects of play and gave a fine service to the backs. Ross Coates celebrated the occasion with a personal best tally of six tries. Gordon McCreadie and Graham McKay added the rest of the points. (Bro. McD.). B XV Results Played: 6 Won: 5 Lost: 1 For: 190 Against: 66
C XV Played; 11 Won: 3 Lost: 8 For: 107 Against: 247 The present season has turned out to be very much a season of mixed fortunes for the C XV. A string of defeats has sapped some of the confidence of the side. Their relatively poor record to date is due mainly to the fact that they lack the size and weight usually associated with teams at this level. Nevertheless, they deserve great credit for the determination and enthusiasm they have shown in the face of many trials. They have had consolations in victories over St. Ninian's Falkland, John Watson's and Edinburgh Academy. In fairness to the side it should be pointed out that in one game they faced opposition who were much older and bigger than themselves. This was due entirely to the fact that the school in question, unfortunately for Scotus, fielded the wrong team. They apologised for the mistake and promise to make good the error later in the season. The mobility of the pack has done much to offset the lack in weight and inches. The keen hooking of Gordon Croan and the untiring work of the other forwards help to secure good possession of the ball. Scott Coghill, Charles Vickers, Angelo Lanny and Tom McGuire are the driving force among the forwards. As pack-leader, Scott Coghill has succeeded in installing some fire into the forwards by the fine example he has set them. Kevin Diciacca, though seldom outstanding, is a tireless worker in both the set-pieces and the loose play. Amerigo Lanny, flanker, though small in stature, is never afraid to take on any opposition, no matter how big. Robert Hanna at scrum-half and George McGuire at fly-half have a very good understanding between them and have shown on many occasions that, provided they get the right kind of service from the pack, they can create the moves which bring the scores. Among the backs, Alistair Lamond, Bruce Coates and Sean Grey have the natural ability to outwit the opposition's defence. Alistair Lamond's tackling in the centre has always been of a very high standard. Full-back Ian Mackay Covers well and knows when to run the ball as well as kick for touch, though his tackling leaves room for improvement. Mark de Luca, who has recently regained his position in the side, has shown by his agility and enthusiasm that he is determined to hold down a regular position. Michael Harkess and Robert Stevenson gave good service to the team early in the season until both were forced to retire through injury. Finally, a word of praise for players such as Quentin Home, Tommy McEwan and Laurence Donoghue who have not managed to secure permanent places on the team but who are always willing and ready to step into the breach when called upon.
Dl XV Captain: David Di Rollo Vice-Captain: William Main. Although several of the boys in this team are newcomers to rugby, their response to coaching has been enthusiastic and their attitude to matches has produced some fine, open rugby. After a disappointing start to the season, the Dl XV has come away well and since mid-October has had a run of six consecutive victories-mostly away fixtures-during which they have conceded only 21 points and scored 97, almost all of them from tries. These results have been achieved by a team without stars, but a team which plays hard and confidently. The pack usually gains more than its share of the ball in the set-pieces but lacks as yet the required fire and mobility in the loose. The backs while handling smoothly have the patience to await their opportunities and, thanks to the careful timing of their passes, have caused not a few tries to be scored in orthodox fashion. Above all, this XV possesses a strong team spirit that has enabled it to withstand the onslaught of sides often heavier, bigger and older than themselves, and yet still play with zest. Played: 9 Won: 7 Lost: 2 ( D. D. S.)
D2 XV We are the team the crowd still avoids (D.D.S.).
JUNIOR 'A' XV The Junior' A' XV staggered to a shaky start this season. Their opening matches against Edinburgh Academy and George Watson's were lost 42-0 and 45-0 respectively. Apart from the fact that they were playing better teams, these bad defeats were due to an extreme lack of enthusiasm. One almost had the idea that the team did not want to play rugby any more. Fortunately for the team and the rapidly rising blood pressure of the coach, the following match was a victory for Scotus. The team rallied together to defeat Gillsland Park 21-0. Hard on the heels of this was another stroke of luck, the match against St. Aloyisius of Glasgow was cancelled and we were saved from what promised to be an even worse thrashing than those we had already experienced. The best game of the term was the following match against George Heriot's Junior' A' 2nds. Both teams were well matched, and despite the fact that Scotus were able to field only twelve men (the others were presumably lost in wilds of Edinburgh Central or in the depths of their beds) the game was played enthusiastically. The score was always close and George Heriot's narrowly missed gaining the victory. As it was, they scored a drop-goal in the last minute of the match which left Scotus only a point with which to carry the victory. By now the team seemed to have a little glimmer of enthusiasm for the game and their performance had shown they could play with vigour and confidence against a fairly strong team. The following match against Melville College both extinguished the glimmer and drowned the wick. Scotus were defeated by a firm 40-0, with not even a try to show that they were in 'fact bodily present on the field. Fortunately, the term ended with a return match away against Gillsland Park. Scorns won by a handsome 28-3 victory and they were greatly pleased with their performance. Though they were undoubtedly playing a weaker side, they used the unusual amount of possession with a lot of sense and a certain instinctive flare which made the rugby attractive and showed that they have the ability to think out and play constructive rugby. The individual talent of the team belies the somewhat poor record against strong teams. There is a great amount of rugby talent struggling to get out of the swamps of laziness and lack of enthusiasm. The basic fault is that the team, at the present, lacks that cohesion and natural leadership which makes a true team. Development along these lines would bring considerable improvement. The outstanding players in the side for speed and drive have been Alistair Hutchison and Nigel Jones, who though small, have given an edge to the attack in the backs. John Flett on the wing has proved a strong runner despite his size and Grant Noble on the other wing has played well despite his newacquaintance with the game. The forwards have been held together by Simon Sladden also new to the game, Remo Lanni and Sean Cassidy who have worked hard and consistently, often in frustrating circumstances. Stefano Boni has supported them as an agile wing forward, but the rest of the scrum seem to lack that little bit of aggressiveness that makes a scrum an effective force. Graham Kelly and Tim Jones have shown themselves as able and intelligent players in mid-field. Other members of the team who have given time and reliable service are Vincent Rodier, James MaCabe, Robert Daly, Christopher Bartholomew, Nicholas Garry and Peter Pateluck. C. H. J. Williams. JUNIOR 'B' XV Record (Christmas 1970) : Played: 5 Won: 2 Lost: 3 Drawn: 0 For: 34 Against: 102 In its first season of rugby the Junior 'B' team has shown itself to be a team of enormous potential. It has shown great enthusiasm for the game, team spirit, a willingness to get down to the hard task of learning the basic skills and has provided displays of great natural ability, all pointing the way to a successful future. Obviously, when a team makes its first appearances it is difficult to say that this is "the team" and anyone not in it now cannot be considered ever to be in it; but already the core of it is moulding itself into shape. Perhaps it is a the forwards that this moulding is best showing itself, for it is the forwards who are the team's most valuable asset. These boys have worked very hard to achieve a good understanding of the forward game, especially rucking and mauling, and it is from such understanding that success is being achieved. In this area special praise must be given to Angelo Deponio, Vincent Margiotta, and Ricardo Boni. Angelo is a fine prop who has shown very powerful forward play. Vincent has been an excellent pack leader, leading by example as well as by word, and is a very good No.8; and Ricardo, the only boy in the team from another form (P.V.), has shown himself to be an excellent tackler and, without ever being a "star" player, has worked hard to ensure good ball for his backs. Eric Gregor and Jim Blewitt have combined well with Angelo Deponio to form a solid, aggressive front row, Jim having settled into the position of hooker very quickly since taking over from Cary Anderson. In the second row there are two fine, sturdy lads in Paul Flowers and Tom McDermott. Both have proved to be hard workers, Tom now showing himself to be a good jumper in the line-outs; but I feel that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in their play-they have a great deal of skill to show us yet. Alex Wilson, as flanker, completes what has been the forward line-up for the past few games, and Alex is settling down well in his new position, having been recently switched from second centre. At half back we find Kevin Croan and Martin Fox. Kevin, for such a small lad, is remarkably strong and resilient. He has shown a natural flair for the position, always ready to exploit a mistake with a quick solo burst. His partner, Martin, has amply fulfilled his roles and with more experience and practice will be an excellent stand-off and conversion kicker. In true attacking style the team has played the season without a full back and has opted for a "3-centre" formation. Cary Anderson, Joseph Di Rollo- this formation very efficiently. Cary, switched to first centre, has proved to be a lad with great fighting qualities, and coupled with Joseph's fine tackling has done much to disrupt the attacks the opposition. Ernest has not yet found his feet as third centre, but I can only have praise for him for he has found himself in numerous positions for the team filling in for injured players and always filling in well. Ambrose Kelly has improved immensely with each game, especially in his role as captain. He now shows more authority and confidence and his try against George Watson's (12th December) could only be described as "a captain's try". Adrian De Luca, Gerald Fraser, Richard Glover, Simon Capaldi, Chris Bain, Simon Walton, Keith Christie and Niraj Varma are boys who are challenging each week for positions in the team. It is because of these boys and boys from P.V., especially Richard Di Rollo, Julian Chater, Antony Kirkman and John Doherty, who are helping this team to build itself into a great one; it is because of their enthusiasm and willingness to train hard that each member of the team has to fight for his place. The team's success must also be attributed to the great work going on behind the scenes. I would like to thank Mr I. Christie and Mr Deponio for their invaluable assistance at training periods. I would also like to thank all the parents for helping the boys at home-for practising with them, encouraging them and turning them out so smartly for each game. Finally, I would like to thank all the parents and boys who have turned upon the Saturdays to give the team the vital encouragement during the game itself. Bro. P. Bennett.
1st XV 17th January - Home - Leith Academy Scotus turned out for their first home game two men short. Minus the goal- keeper and a forward it was necessary to make positional changes. With D. Somerville in goal for the first time, it was not long before Leith scored. Our few attacks on the Leith goal did not come to much, and although Leith had only ten men, our task was not any easier. Leith scored another goal, but this was disallowed. However, Leith's continual pressure led to another goal before half-time. Half-time: 2-0. Scotus returned in the second half in the hope of stemming the flow but after missing our only scoring chance, Leith scored three more to clinch the match 5-0. 24th January - Away - George Watson's A Borys in goal had a good game as did P. Contini, D. Somerville and P. Somerville in defence. But if we are to look for an improvement, then the basic skills must be learned. Final score: 11-1. 7th February - Away - Leith Academy Due to the absence of the second eleven, a revised first team took the park for the second time. Only a great display by the Leith 'keeper kept the Scot~ forwards at bay. Towards the end Scotus began to tire and Leith were able to take this advantage and score the only goal of the match. Final score: 1-0. 3rd March - Away - Trinity Academy 14th March - Away - Watson's Watson's seemed to return revitalised and with a slope advantage was able to win the game 2-1. This was a game where Scotus played more like a team and are justified in being proud of this effort. 28th March - Away - Grangemouth In the second half Scotus continued to attack the Grangemouth goal but sometimes found it difficult to penetrate a nine-man defence. Once again it was a well-hit ball out of defence which left the forwards with only the 'keeper to beat (4-2). One of Grangemouth's occasional raids led to another goal, but Scotus repaid the compliment by scoring straight from the "bully off", A few minutes from time Grangemouth scored the last goal of the match. Although we only won by one goal, our overall play was better than that of Grange- mouth. Final score: Scotus 5, Grangemouth 4.
Tuesday - Away - Rudolf Steiner In the second half, Steiner's again were unlucky in not scoring as the Scorns team were in a leisurely mood. The exceptions in the team were P. Contini and D. Somerville, who compensated for the lack of enthusiasm in the rest of the team. Final score: 2-0.
Played: 7 Won: 2 Lost: 5 Goals For: 9 Against: 33 I would just like to record my thanks to Bro. Corcoran and MrDick for their endeavours in helping the team and for advice offered, even if it did fall on deaf ears, also to those whom I have played with for many years, especially last season. What the team lacked in ability it more than made up for in spirit. My thanks are also due to those boys who filled the gaps when required. F. J. Lloyd.
FORMER PUPILS WITH RUGBY CLUBS Edinburgh Wanderers – 1st XV: J. Perrins.
President: W. J. Christie, B.L., S.S.C. V ice-President: C. G. Campbell Secretary: Mrs M. Mackay Treasurer: John Twiss
Committee: Mrs E. Capaldi, Mr R. J. Edie, Mr W. R. Main, Mrs B. Brown, Mr D. Macdonald, Mr V. McEwan. together with Rev. Brother Rector, ex-officio, along with two representatives nominated by the Scotus Academical Club. The year 1970 was saddened for all members of the Association by the serious illness of Mr George Ford, the energetic and go-ahead former President. He had worked to the limit in his two years of office for the cause of the school and the Association and never spared himself in his efforts to realize his vision of a new school on our site on Corstorphine Hill. Our hope is that some day soon his dream will become a reality. We wish him well in his convalescence and miss his lively, energetic mind at committee meetings. The A.G.M. of the Association was held this year, not at the school but at the Grosvenor Hotel, on 24th September. Combining the A.G.M. with a Social Evening attracted the largest attendance of recent years. Discussion was lively, questions penetrating and there was not the usual difficulty in filling the places left vacant by the retiring members of the committee. The President in his address posed the question of the future aims of the Association. The capability, in financial terms, of the Association was £1,000 to £2,000 a year, but to build a school, £200,000 was required which, with interest charges, would rise to at least £300,000. This kind of money was beyond the Association and realism dictated that they should confine their endeavours to smaller projects, but projects of importance, such as the building of a school hall, the improvement of the present buildings, etc. If the Christian Brothers found themselves able, despite the present tight control of money by the banks and the Government, to start on a new building, they would have the fullest financial and moral support of the parents, and the new hope created would undoubtedly enkindle a new enthusiasm. The President thanked all members of the committee for their work during the year; Mrs Mackay and the ladies on the success of their project, a success which was achieved only by continuous hard work and unusual selflessness; the parents for coming to the A.G.M. in such satisfying numbers and for their support of the various functions run by the Association. He offered the sympathy of the meeting to Mr George Ford on his illness and announced with regret his resignation from the committee. The main functions of the year were the Garden Fete and the Annual Dance. The Garden Fete was held on Saturday, 6th June, and for the first time was positioned on the East Field with the Pavilion serving as the restaurant; this arrangement was most successful, as it afforded plenty of level space and room. There were new ideas, too, in the Stalls, with Groceries and Household Goods eliminated and Soft Goods introduced. For this Stall a great deal of Knitting, Sewing, etc., was done by the mothers, and the praises showered on the Stall were well deserved. The Bottle Stall was, as usual, the first sold out, but this year, for the first time since the Fete started, it was without its organisers, Mr and Mrs McEwan, who could not run it because of Mr McEwan's recent illness. We wish him a speedy recovery. The attendance was satisfactory considering that although the previous week had been the best of the summer and all forecasts, official and unofficial, had predicted a fine Saturday, the forenoon was thunder, lightning and sheeting rain. The Annual Dance was held in a new venue this year, the Adam Rooms, George Hotel, and attracted the biggest attendance, 150, of recent years. It was a very enjoyable function and hopes are high that the 1971 dance will reach the 200 mark in attendance. The Ladies' Project was got off the ground by Mrs Mackay. She proposed that the ladies should set a collecting target of £200 and their project should be the redecorating and re-furnishing of the Reception Room in the school. The method of collecting would be Coffee Evenings held in all the areas served by the school. Every mother of a boy at Scotus would be invited and this would have the priceless advantage of making everybody known to each other as well as giving people the opportunity of discussing anything that worried them about the school. Problems discussed became lighter problems or were shown to be problems the school was also trying to solve. The project involved a tremendous amount of work for all concerned, but it was well worth while as all its aims were accomplished. The Reception Room is now a joy to enter and the circle of parents now knowing each other has widened considerably. This was strongly in evidence at the final Coffee Evening held in the Grosvenor Hotel on 11th May, and attended by almost 200 people. Thebicycle donated by Mr and Mrs Peterson of Musselburgh and raffled between the Garden Fete and the Opera realised £56, and was won by ticket No. 819, bought by Mr T. Drawbell, 6 March Road, Edinburgh. The 1971 Garden Fete will be held on Saturday, 5th June.
ACCOUNTS TO 23rd SEPTEMBER 1970 Income
Expenditure
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