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SCHOOL GOVERNORS
SCOTUS ACADEMY, 122 Corstorphine Rd., Rector: Rev. Brother N. T. Livingstone, B.A.
Right Rev. Mgr. P. F. Quille, M.A.
Captain: Alastair Lamond.
Prefects: Maxim Anderson.
Captain of Hockey: Alastair Lamond. In September 1972 Scotus welcomed to the Staff five new members: Mrs Farmer and Bro. A. Leach to the Primary School, Mrs E. Macari (Elocution and Drama), Mr. A. Bremner, a Former Pupil (Art) and Bro. H. Carton (Geography and Economics). We take this opportunity of sending our best wishes to former members of the staff: Mr. F. Byrne, currently in his second term as Provost of Linlithgow, who spoke eloquently for the now rare group of independent schools on Speech Day, Mrs. S. O'Neill, whom we congratulate on the birth of a son, Bro. P. Cronin, now at the Christian Brothers International Tertianship in Rome, and Bro. M. 0' Reilly, teaching at the Brothers mission school at Grassfield, Liberia in West Africa. Some account of that school follows later in the magazine. It is one object of the Scotus mission fund. During the period 10 October to 31 October Scotus had its General Inspection. We understand that the Inspectors expressed satisfaction with what they saw and examined. Bro. Livingstone had special pleasure in welcoming to the platform party on Speech Day 19 December His Eminence, Cardinal Gray, the School Governors, a representative of the Brothers Central Governing Body, Bro. D. O'Halioran, and Mr. F. Byrne, Provost of Linlithgow. A feature of this crowded evening was the large number of Former Pupils present. A list published with the Programme noted their splendid academic achievement in the field of further education in this last decade and serves as both guide and encouragement to the Scotians of today. We take this opportunity of expressing our sincere appreciation to Cardinal Gray for again commencing with Forms Five and Six the series of weekly class Masses offered at the School. Our special thanks to Canon Harold, Fr. W. McLaughlin, Fr. L. Davison, Fr. B. Doonan, Fr. P. Fallon, Fr. J. McAllister, Fr. J. Robinson, Fr. C. Kelly, who by their visits to Scot us have made these possible. We most thankfully acknowledge the good work of Fr. Daniel OFM.who gave the May Retreats to Froms One, Two and Three, and of Fr. Ramsey, chaplain to St. Augustines, and Fr. Judge in their days of recollection for the Fourth. Fifth and Sixth Forms and Fr. H. Shannon and Fr. R. McGarrigle who conducted the All Night vigils in Lent and Advent. These have secured a wide degree of interest. Fr. P. Carroll, C. P. spoke most interestingly to the senior boys about the Church and the Modern World during his short visit to the school. Naturally, Careers guidance is a continually growing aspect of our educational scene. We have been most fortunate in securing again the services of Mr. T. Black, Edinburgh's Senior Careers Officer, Mr. L.A. Bassett, Director of the Appointments and Advisory Bureau at Edinburgh University and Mr. D. M. Nelson, Lecturer in Psychology at Edinburgh, also a number of parents and friends who so generously gave of their time to speak to the boys on Careers. Educational visits have been made to various establishments including the Royal Observer Corps. H.C. at Turnhouse, and conferences have been attended. Congratulations to our recent Captain of Fencing, Alistair Cook, on winning the individual Epee and Sabre titles at the Edinburgh Fencing Festival. Our present captain, Charles Redmond, was runner up in the Epee event. Work on the School buildings and grounds has continued with the setting up of a containing wall and tarmacing the driveway fronting the school. Considerable repainting was undertaken during the long vacation and the Rector's office and Brother's Staff room redecorated and refurnished by the Brothers. The work of the school has been most generously supported by the fund-raising activities of the Parents Association. Their very enjoyable innovation, the June Donkey Derby, despite the quite unseasonable weather of June 1972, raised £400. In September at the annual Association Meeting a cheque for £1000 was presented to the school. An account of the Association's work appears later in the magazine. A pleasing feature of our recent sports scene has been the establishing of closer ties than ever with the Scotian FP. Hockey club. An account appears in the sports section. We wish to thank our readers for their enthusiastic response to both the June School Concert and the December Speech Day functions, also the kindness of the Craiglochart authorities in allowing us the use of their fine hall on these occasions. It may be of interest to some of our parents that a party from the school under the care of Bro. Livingstone will visit Rome during the Easter vacation. Thanks to Cardinal Gray's appeal for a holiday to mark the occasion of our Speech Day the Easter vacation will begin somewhat earlier than anticipated i. e. on April 6. The vacation extending from Friday April 6 to Tuesday April 24. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of Mrs Macdonald R.I. P., Mr J. Anderson R.I. P. and Mrs Strachan R.I. P. News reached us during the year of the death of Bro. Canice Phelan R.I. P. For many years he was director of vocations for the Brothers throughout Britain and will be remembered by many for his work in this respect. As a member of Scotus's staff for two years he will be kindly remembered by many former pupils. Mr. Byrne joined the staff of Scotus in 1958, the fourth year of its existence. As Head of the Mathematics department he is well known to almost all our Former Pupils. In 1971 pressure of other work compelled his reducing his teaching at Scotus to half time and his subsequent retirement from the school in July 1972. His many years in Scotus have been most happy ones for us. Mr Byrne's retirement from teaching Mathematics at Scotus has not meant any retirement from active living. The following report from Linlithgow as he exercises his second provostship there will show the scale of his present activity. "Linlithgow, the county town of West Lothian, bustles with activity in its shopping precents, ancient and modern. Away from the shops it's a tranquil town where the peace is broken by the clatter of trains which afford easy access to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The rumble of heavy vehicles will soon disappear from the main street as a new section of the M9 nears completion. Provost Fergus Byrne said Linlithgow has become very much a commuter town with many of the inhabitants working in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth or other major towns. . Yet there are such industries as distilling, paper making, clothes manufacture and a refractory plant where some of the towns 6000 inhabitants work. My town will remain an attractive residential area. But it could do with one more light industry to alleviate unemployment which is about 4 per cent. The second phase of the town centre redevelopment begins in six months. This will comprise new houses and shops costing £750,000. Linlithgow is proud of the Vennel municipal housing scheme beside the twon loch. It won a main award from the Saltire Society for attractive design and good housing. Within three years Provost Byrne expects the population to be around 8000. He said the town council were happy with the positioning of the M9 and had always wanted motorists to be able to see the town as they passed. Visitors have been coming to Linlithgow to see the Palace and other historical places of interest, not because the main road passed through the town, but because they wanted to visit the town. McDonatds won the Athletics, Curling, Fencing and Rugby Championships, and Grays won the Golf. CUP HOLDERS
HIGHER GRADE:- ORDINARY GRADE:- Academic successes:
Despite losing such "veterans" as Ricky Ford, Drew Conlon, Dave F and Pat Skene, who is playing regularly for lnverneth First Eleven, the Scotian are enjoying a fairly successful season. Under the captaincy of Joe Capaldi"The Nash" the team is winning regularly and hasn't lost a match by any more than the odd goal. For the first time, boys from the school have been introduced to the clu1: a means of strengthening the team in future. The F. P.s have played the school twice this season and Joe Capaldi and Pat Skene have coached the school since. This is the closest the F.P.'s and the school members have been for several years and we all hope that the relationship will flourish for their mutual success. Also this season, Joe and Simon Barry, who went on to learn their hockey: Fort Augustus, are figuring prominently in team alongside Liam Donnelly; Gerry" Abe" McCabe who played for the school firsts last year. The club still has the services of such stalwarts as Willie Rowbottom, P McLaughlin, John Bacigalupo and John and Paul Barry. The Club will be running a disco-dance shortly and all interested par will be welcome. FOOTNOTE. J. B. Kerr A fairly large number attended the Annual Dinner held at the Bee Hive. Among those present were the Rector of Scotus, Rev. Bro. T. N. Livingstone, Rev. Fr. Henry McLauglan, Rev. Bro. P. C. McDermott, and Mr. F. Byrne. An encouraging feature of the occasion the attendance of a large number of former pupils who had recently left school. This years Annual Dinner will be held in April at a venue still to be decided. We offer congratulations to: Joe Capaldi, who was married on November 3. ROSLYN PARK and MIDDLESEX COUNTY - SOCIAL WORK AND EXTRA-MURAL ACITIVITIES Throughout this year groups of boys have been involved in a considerable variety of social action. Under the supervision of Brother Hall a number of boys in the secondary school are delivering library books to old people for the Catholic Union of the Sick. Some of the Fifth and Sixth Years have put to rights the garden of an old lady who stays near the school and next term are hoping to be able to visit some of the patients at the nearby Corstorphine and Beechmount Hospitals. Help was also given to Dr. Jean Watt of the Catholic Social Service Centre, 5 Brandon Street, in the running of her Jumble Sales and a large Christmas party for children. We should like to thank the boys of the various Forms and particularly all our parents who contributed items from time to time to the Catholic Centre appeals. There were also the annual lists of sponsored events, flag days and collections to raise money for various organisations and these were generously supported. In 1972 an organisation called School Action Edinburgh was established to promote and assist social work in schools. Scotus has been sending a representative to their meetings and this term some of the Fifth and Sixth Years attended a series of film evenings Illustrating the work to be done in Edinburgh in "Housing", "Disabled", "Aged" and other areas. Subsequently some boys assisted at three shopping evenings for the disabled in the centre of the city. We have also elected a representative to the Edinburgh Schools Citizenship Association. A number of boys belong to the association and attended a political discussion evening and a highly successful dance evening. After an initial lapse at the start of the Autumn term, due to lack of support, the school Y. C. S. section Is flourishing again. The meetings are held on Fridays after school and give the members an opportunity to air their views in informal discussions. We have been able to talk about and suggest improvements to problems both in and out of school and we hope we have some small influence on those around us. In October the Y. C. S. held a raffle, won by A. Stuart of Primary Five, which raised £8.50 for Sister Theresa's Organisation who are doing valuable work for the homeless in Belfast. We owe much to Brother Hall for his continued support and the provision of refreshments which help to make our gatherings most enjoyable. The keenness of the Y.C.S. members and some of the other Fifth and Six Years led to a discussion evening on Euthanasia at St. Margaret's Convent. At the end of term an all-night vigil was held at Scotus to which some of the girls were also invited. A LETTER FROM CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL, LIBERIA . (The annual mission collection in Scotus goes partly to finance this Brothers mission school in Liberia, West Africa.) The top ten schools were mission establishments - six of them Catholic. Our school numbers are up from 82 to 114. At the moment we are financially solvent although the cost of living is going up fast. For example, beds, which last year cost seventeen dollars, this year went up to thirtyfive dollars. We need a minibus as we having games fixtures to fulfil and it is positively dangerous to carry boys about in an open vehicle The danger of accidents, breakdowns, etc., in Liberia is of abnormal frequency Some fees are not in yet and we shall have to wait some time for the 23 seminarians' fees ai the Archbishop is in financial difficulties at the moment. These amount to £1,800 this year Owing to the outstanding generosity of our schools at St. Mary's, Crosby, Gibralter, and St Edwards, Liverpool in particular we are able to continue for the moment. As a result of thieves breaking in to our widely scattered campus during the long holidays we have had to rig up a strong room during the year where typewriters, medicine furniture, science and language lab. equipment and musical instruments can be safely stored. We also hope to install a burglar system. Thieving is becoming a serious problem and, surrounded as we are by hundreds of square miles of jungle, it is virtually impossible to catch intruders. Maintenance of so much scattered property continues to be a major headache and a the tropical climate continues to take its toll, this problem will get progressively worse. We have employed another cook so that the Brothers do not have to prepare their own breakfast and supper. Arrangements are being made for all the monks to have a complete medical check-up during the short (10 days) July vacation. More and morel we are becoming the home of the Catholic missionaries in Liberia. The' enjoy the comparatively cool and dry climate of Nimba, and, for the missionaries frorm Monrovia city, the peace, quiet and scenic beauty of the mountains. We shall have a full complement of six classes next school year and employ another Liberian teacher. This will mean that two thirds of our staff will then be Liberian. In view of the necessity of staffing the extramural and boarding activities, the time is not yet ripe to further Liberianize the school staff by reducing the ratio of monks. The financial aspect her is very important. In February, the Knights of St. John (the equivalent of the English Catenians) had meeting here. The new Superintendant of Sannequillie was one of the Knights present. The British Ambassador, Mr. Moynihan, visited us. He hopes to come again. We hope to introduce a religious syllabus produced by the East African Catechetic Centre and this is especially geared to Africa. It looks a good one. We have decided not to enter for the West Africa G. C. E. for another three years as the present Grade 11 would not be good enough for it. But we still hope to be the first Liberia school to attempt the G. C. E. Employment is a problem in Liberia. We try to invite important personages in the various professions and departments of government to give talks to the boys on their various careers, and, incidentally to find out where career openings may be. Seven of the eight boys who graduated from Grade 12 last school year have been placed. My impressions of Liberia? Mixed. Br. Doherty was right when he said that one has to "unlearn a lot when one comes out here and then tries to learn 'small, small" (i.e. slow and gradually). One should not come out with the largely starry-eyed 'Third World' theory and ideals. The driving here appalls even me and the hundreds of wrecked cars which litter the roadside from here to the capital, Monrovia, are quite startling. The Government is putting pressure on the foreign and mining companies to improve the amenities in their areas. Thank the boys at Scotus for their mission contribution, it certainly helps in the present development from scratch. Rector: Br. Loman O'Brien
"What manner of men are these who wear the maroon red beret? They are firstly all volunteers, and are toughened by hard physical training. As a result they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical well-being. They have "jumped" from the air and by doing so they have conquered fear. Their duty lies in the van of the battle; they are proud of this honour and have never failed in any task. They have the highest standards in all things, whether it be skill in battle or smartness in the execution of peace time duties. They have shown themselves to be as tenacious and determined in defence as they are courageous in attack. They are in fact, men apart - every man an emperor" This is what Field-Marshall Viscount Montgomery of Alamein said of the Parachute Regiments in being at that time and every word of it holds true for the regiments today. The regiments motto "Ultrimque Paratus" - Ready for Anything - is lived up to by all. Training takes place on every Thursday night for a period of about 16 weeks. During it the recruit is built up to the peak of physical condition and feels a lot better for it. The recruit is acquainted with his two worst enemies: the battle march and the assault course. At weekend training the recruit becomes familiar with the regimental weapons: the self- loading rifle, Sterling sub-machine gun, general all-purpose machine gun, and the 84mm anti-tank gun commonly called the Carl Gustav. With his training cadre the recruit learns how to fire and maintain all these weapons. Soon the recruit is familiar with map and compass use and can competently handle his weapons. The recruit must prove to his instructors that he is fit enough to stay in the greatest infantry regiment of them all. This is done by taking part in a "Pre-Para". For weeks before hand the recruit has nightmares about his Pre-Para. This is true. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience. On the Friday night you report to the drill hall to draw your weapon and are then driven up to Stirling. There you go to your billet and draw 4OIbs of sand for your pack. After a light meal everybody goes to bed. At 5.30 a. m. on Saturday morning everybody is turned out of his bed and goes for PT (Physical Training), which lasts till 7 a.m. Then recruits go for a wash and for their break- fast. After breakfast you are given an hour to fix up your pack for the day and make sure the straps will not come loose. You then go to the Armoury and draw your weapon again, and after drawing your steel' 'jump" hat you are ready for Part 1., the ten mile battle march to be completed in 90 minutes carrying 40 Ibs of pack, a 31b tin helmet and your 10lb rifle. After this is completed you return to Stirling Camp and have a cup of tea. After the tea break, you are paired off with a person of your own size for the "milling". In the milling you are given a pair of boxing gloves each and stand toe to toe and for two minutes you stand and knock "ten-bells" out of each other. This, so I'm told, is to find out if you have the "agressive airborne spirit". Then follows a "five star dinner" (which I wouldn't give my dog to eat). Having rested through lunch, now is the time for seven times round the assault course. The assualt course is hard, but was made harder by sarcastic officers running alongside saying things like "people pay to do this at Butlin's" or "if the recruits stay in that muddy hole any longer we will have to start charging them" (Mr Dick has a funny sadistic sense of humour.) After the assault course you are given a test on weapons. By the time you have done this it is tea time. Then you fall into bed and sleep instantly. 6 a.m. Sunday morning up, wash and breakfast. After breakfast you set out for the training area and are divided into teams of eight. Each team is presented with a telegraph pole and the teams then race 1 Y2 miles across country with this tied to their wrists. Then back to camp for the confidence tests. The first involves walking across parellel bars approximately 30 feet above the ground; the second walking along the 1 1/2 inch wide top of a 14 foot high wall. All that remains now is the" death slide" into the river, which in December is freezing cold. Two hours later the recruit has been told whether he has passed or failed the Pre-Para. Those who have passed are then given notes for a parachute training course down at Abingdon. Once the soldier has won his wings he has the opportunity to take part in many exercises both at home and abroad. In the last five years the Parachute Regiment has been to Australia, Canada, Kenya, Norway, Denmark, North Africa, Greece, Cyprus, West Malaysia, East Malaysia, Guyana, Persian Gulf, Germany, Kuwait, Aden, and South Arabia, Malta, France, Iceland, Hong Kong. And the pay is good. A new recruit working four Thursdays and four weekends a month gets £20 if over 17 1/2 years of age. David Bain, Sixth Year. SCOTUS LITERARY AND DEBATING SOCIETY 1972-73. This year one lesson each week was set aside for each boy in the Fifth and Sixth year to speak and debate. From these sessions Mrs Macari, the new debating director, was to distinguish the best speakers, who would figure in the future debating and public speaking contests. The main event of the year for Scotus is the Scottish Daily Express Debating Tournament. This year the first round was held at St. Augustine's Secondary School in November. Scotus was one of eight schools taking part of which three would get throgh. We were represented by Scott Coghill, Fourth Year, and Lawrence Donoghue, Fifth Year. The debate was on the motion "Britons are not Europeans". With three other schools, Scotus were proposing the motion. We were slightly unfortunate to have to conclude argument for the motion. Scott was to speak in thirteenth position (unlucky for some! Lawrence was to speak in fifteenth. Each speaker was permitted to interrupt with a point of information, which his opponent might answer or not. Opening the debate was Fettes College proposing the motion. While the first five speakers were talking few points of information were raised. But after this the debate began to warm up. Now every speaker was overwhelmed with points of information, most of which were ignored. At this point Scott and Lawrence involved themselves. The House quiet as furious debating broke out between the two sides. Most of the points raised by proposers of the motion were economic, geographical or historical. Scott and Lawrence would have to edit their notes before speaking, and this they did. Scott stated that in most European countries the police were likely to accept bribes had this information from people who had told him of certain incidents. If Britain joined the European Economic Community, Scott asserted that the housewife would suffer through the cheaper craftsmanship of Continental goods. A recent opinion poll carried out among a cross-section of the British public revealed that the majority were against Europe, and did not regard themselves as Europeans. Lawrence spoke last proposing the motion. A difficult position but one he maintained well. He discussed the theme of Britain's heritage and why Britain has always been dependent. As English is the general language used for international commence Lawrence showed that Britain does not need Europe, but Europe needs her. Lawrence was then overwhelmed by points of information most of which he answered, but unfortunately ran out of time to completely finish his speech. The motion was then thrown open to the House. During this time the three judges retired to make their decision. After a little discussion the presiding judge was ready to give the results. He was Mr. Gordon Hewitt. First he commented on the quality of the debate. All sixteen speeches had been very good, but was disturbed at the lack of debating particularly at the start. He stressed that this was a debating and not a public speech competition. Then he announced the eagerly awaited results. Trinity Academy, Greenhall High School and St. Augustines had got through the first round. It appeared that Scotus had just lost those few extra points by not debating enough. However, they had done their best and all the supporters were pleased with effort. In November there was a friendly debate with the girls of St. Margarets on education. The girls proposing the motion were Katrina Home and Anita DiCiacca. Riki Bartholomew, Fifth Year, and Michael Collins Fifth Year, opposed. The House consisted of the Fifth and Sixth Years of both schools. Katrina Home argued that through co-education the sexes would be naturally at that mixing socially would prevent 'bashfulness and obsession' in the male species. sexes will have to mix socially and at work, so it would be advisable to start the process at school. Riki Bartholomew replied in opposition with a long, and unlikely, quotation from which amused the girls. He remarked how mature the girls were, while at the same age, male counterparts were still' uncivilised little boys', and concluded that separate education was justified because both groups would receive a better education through there be female or male teacher teaching a class of the same sex. St. Margarets second speaker was Anita DiCiacca. She began by delving into the ~ and accounting for the Victorian tradition that the 'woman was to be as decorative ornament', unlike the present day attitude. She insisted that co-education did not encourage the 'permissive society'. Sarcastically, she stated that in the 'big bad world was a danger from segregation, especially at the tricky age of adolescence'. She finished claiming that in co-educational schools, mixing is encouraged which would benefit the beyond school days. Michael Collie urged that unlike in the Greek tradition 'women today should be useful'. He thought that it was some misguided people who in the last century began educating women. Segregation of the sexes has been important with the benefit mainly for the 'immature little boy'. In support of his arguments he pointed out that no secondary co-educational school had a Headmistress, thus proving that the girls in these schools were regarded as second class pupils. Two important advantages of the single sex schools were that the pupils would devote more time to work, and the pupils finishing in these schools were more academically mature than those leaving co-educational schools. All four speeches were of high standard and deserved their applause. However, the girls appeared to be slightly in the lead. The motion was now open to the floor. After a pause, a girl plucked up the courage to stand up and discuss the economic advantages of co-educational schools, one school being cheaper to run than two. Alaistair Lamond challenged this and also asserted that a woman teacher could not control boys who were disrupting a class in a co-educational school. Otherwise there appeared to be a shyness among the boys, a point which Mrs Macari was quick to indicate to the boys after the debate, and after a very short discussion the motion was put to the vote and carried by 26 votes to 18. 'In the Spring term we hope to welcome the girls from St. Margarets to coffee and biscuits at Scotus. There is also the Edinburgh Schools Toastmasters Competition to look forward to. We thank Mrs Macari for her enthusiastic interest in the society this year. Secretary: J. Drawbell, Fifth Year. A LIGHT HEARTED VIEW OF OUR SCOTTISH CLIMATE I must point out at once that I am of Franco-Scottish descent and my opinions may seem strange to some, but this is easily attributable to the subject in hand, as we shall see. Scots and Sasanachs will readily agree that Scotland is a country in the constant line of fire of unpleasant weather. In fact it lies between the latitudes of 55 to 60 degrees North, as do Labrador and Kamchata which are places of the severest weather, particularly in winter. Unlike these however, Scotland is warmed by the North Atlantic drift current which ensures us milder weather with showers enough to run the dye out of our kilts. Scandinavia (no hard feelings, of course) never forgets her Christmas present of cold easterly winds and snow which make the Scots a hardy people, since this Scandinavian draught invaded us long before the Norsemen did. Ben Nevis is the highest mound in Britain. Few realise that if it were 1,000 feet higher it would bear a permanent ice cap. Even at its present height it stops 157 inches (or 4,000 mm.) of rain each year. The mountain valleys and Scottish lochs cling to their romantic mists, inspiring fears of monsters whose fantastic maws swallow thousands of pounds sterling from visitors to Scotland each year. Campers will find a better deal in East Lothian where only 25 inches of rain can be expected in the year and the monsters long ago died of droughts as the town dwellers are likely to in the foreseeable future and the farmers who look for irrigation for their land. So much for the climatic comforts of the mainland. What of the Scottish islands? As a rule they lie in the paths of the Atlantic storms and if you live in Shetland you can expect gales at least every ten days. The western isles are bare, storm battered, windswept islands. Wind-speeds average 17.2 mph. and reach 100 mph. The inhabitants there too clearly hold strange opinions. The best place to settle in Scotland? Within the four walls of one's own home. Preferably within sight of an artificial ski slope. Riki Bartholomew, Fifth Year., Last Springtime twelve boys in Edinburgh received letters from Scottish Opera asking them to come for auditions. We arrived and waited. When our turn came we had to sing a bit and try to look right for a part. As we did not know what the part was, this was a trifle cliffhanging. Three days later eight of us were told we had the part. A week later we were in Glasgow for rehearsals. Toby Robertson was the producer. The rest of the cast were very friendly towards us. In an opera, the co-ordination between the acting and music must be perfect and Roderick Brydon, the conductor, and Toby Robertson spent hours working up the production. At last we were ready for dress rehearsal which was staged at Stirling. The production was TV tape recorded for broadcasting in August. Next the Company went on tour and we travelled the whole of Britain usually spending one or two nights at any place. The Scottish Opera treated us very well and we were all sorry when the end came and it was back to beans on toast at home. We all thoroughly enjoyed working with the company. We returned home thinking that was the last we would see of the Opera, but in Autumn we received another letter saying we were going to Iceland. After a few more rehearsals we left. We flew with Icelandair from Glasgow airport to Rekjavich, the capital of Iceland. The company stayed at the Hotel City. The Iceland tourist company treated us very well. We went on two guided tours, one in Rekjavich and the other to the' 'Thingvellar" or first parliament in the world. We did not see much of the night life as we had a performance each evening. But we were surprised to find darkness almost the whole day. This is because Iceland is so far north. We got back by plane to Glasgow airport a week later and so home after a most interesting tour. D. Campbell, Fourth Year. Once a year Musselburgh has a festival to commemorate a historical event. Because of it, the people of Musselburgh were known as honest men and women. The festival is called the Honest Touns Festival. All the events are organised and taken care of by the Honest Touns Association and the Honest Lads Association. They organise the election ceremony, dances, concerts, ride-outs, the sashing ceremony, the kirking and many other things. The festival lasts a whole week. Everybody turns out whether sun shines or rain pours. Anybody can take part in the rides to other towns. The river Esk, which runs through Musselburgh, is crossed by the riders. Usually there are about 400 of them. A book is printed each year with advertisements, pictures of past honest lads and lasses and the present honest lad and lass and their attendants, the events of the following week and other things. The events of the week are as follows. The sashing ceremony usually takes place on the banks of the river. All the names of the previous lads and lasses are on the sashes. On Sunday there is the kirking ceremony, and in the afternoon a lunch is laid on. On Monday there is a crusaders' chase, which is a ride, in the evening a crusaders' dance. On Tuesday morning the honest lad and lass go round the factories of Musselburgh and are presented with gifts. That night there is a five-a-side football match and several visiting teams come to play. Afterwards there is another dance, a fancy dress ball held in the Brunton Hall. On Saturday morning there is a ride and the honest lad carries the Musselburgh flag. In the evening there is the annual dinner. Last year my brother was elected as Honest Lad. K. Di Rollo, Second Year. Our annual school concert took place before a packed hall at Craiglockhart College of Education last summer. It began in Roman times with a play produced by Br. 0' Reilly and performed by Primary 7 which was called "Roman Sunset". After various skirmishes between the fierce Picts and the Romans, peace ensued. The stylish colourful costumes were particularly impressive in this enthusiastic production. Then followed musical entertainment from the youngest boys. The performance of "Amazing Grace" by recorders from Primary 5 led by S. Campbell was well rehearsed. The boys of Primary 6 then sung the beautiful Hebridian Love Lilt and the modern folksongs Donna Donna and Georgie Girl backed by their own guitars and percussion. The guitarists were all beginners and their hard work in practice showed itself in the ability displayed on stage. In great contrast D. Campbell played a Bouree on the recorder and sang the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest Winner, "Through the eyes of a child". His accomplished contribution was well received. The mood of the concert changed again when a group from the secondary school sang "Streets of London" and "American Pie". They were confidently led by R. Hanna and J.Eunson. Finally, the school choir showed its harmonious qualities when it sang a medley of European folk songs. We hope the audience enjoyed watching the concert as much as the boys and staff did producing it. Sr. Hall. I was sitting in our house Half way there Further on we saw a pony, When we had walked And one mile later, At last Mallaig, Hugh Young, Second Year. It was a nice day, but away in the distance there was a grey cloud. Nearer and nearer it came and Splash! It poured down In buckets full. I ran for shelter. It was very, very cold. The thunder rumbled. The lightning flashed. Then a bus ran right past and soaked me. As I walked under the trees all the drips went down my neck. It was unpleasant and I was glad to get home. It was quite different when I was at the fire at home drinking a cup of tea. It was very pleasant to watch the rain through the window and listen to It beating on the window pane. Then my sister came In - very wet! P. Campbell, Primary 5. On July 1 eighteen boys from P5 and P6 with Br. Hall and Br. O'Reilly went on a hike up in the Pentland Hills. We all met in Balerno and most of us went into the nearest shop to buy some mote provisions. Some of us went into the Church and said a few prayers. When everyone had finished we set out up the main street. Everyone was feeling excited when we set out. Soon the party was strung out over a long distance. The first stop was Havelaw Reservoir. Everyone took the opportunity to put down their bags and take a bite to eat. On a nearby stream was an old waterwheel which we went to look at. We went over a field and walked along by a small stream. This stream happened to be full of frogs and every time one was spotted there was a mad scramble to catch it. When we had walked a bit further we found a baby duckling that had lost its mother. After a long walk through thick green grass we stopped next to a wood and had our lunch. There was a ruined cottage nearby and after lunch we had a game of soldiers in and around it. When the game was over we pressed on towards Glencorse Reservoir. There was an island in the middle of the lake and we had high hopes of exploring it. When we neared it our hopes were quickly dashed to the ground by sign-posts all round the reservoir saying, "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted." Everyone was feeling pretty disheartened after being barred from the island but when we discovered we had to pass through an Army firing range everyone kept their eyes open hoping to find a bomb. After. we had passed through most of the firing range we started to climb Castlelaw hill. On the way up we found two bombs but we were not allowed to touch them and had to keep on climbing. At the top of the hill we stopped and took a few pictures, then we went down the other side of the hill and straight up the next hill which was 1460 feet above sea level. Everyone was extremely tired after climbing so we took about three quarters of an hour rest. On top of this hill we saw a dead sheep that had been caught in some wire. After a rest we climbed down the other side of the hill, along past Benally Reservoir and up into Colinton. We all bought a drink because we were so thirsty and tired. Then we went home and told our families what had happened that day.
Stones have been a wonder for thousands of years. The Stone Age men probably worshipped nice shining and well-shaped stones. They might put them on things and wear them. The Egyptians made gods of stones and put them on rings and bracelets. Warriors used stones as lucky symbols. Carnelian is a translucent stone. it can come in many colours. Carnelian is nice when you find it. and also after grinding and polishing. Jasper is a coffee colour. It can also come in red. green, yellow or brown. It can have a piece of another stone in it. Tiger's eye is a nice stone. It is very shiny when polished. Its colour can be green, yellow. blue or a mixture of bright colours. It is worth a lot, looks nice. and is generally big and heavy. Agate is a stone with bands on it. You can find agate nodules which are round and sometimes shaped as faces. There are many different names for agate like white agate, bluelaced agate, banded agate and fortification agate. Smoky Quartz is a stone which has no bright colour in it. If you put it up to the light you can only just see through it. Nicholas Garry, Second Year. SCOTUS versus JOHN WATSONS On July 6 boys from Primary 6 and 7 went to John Watsons school for an athletics match. It was quite a nice day, neither too hot nor too cold and the ground was in good condition. There were lots of boys and girls cheering on their teams. Everyone was in good spirits and you were congratulated by both sides if you won or came second. We did long and high jump. 100m. 200m and 800m and relay. Scotus won the P6 100m and long jump and came second in the P7 200m and high jump. It was a very close match. John Watsons won by 57 points to 5O. We enjoyed the match very much even though we lost, because the teams were evenly matched. It was the best athletics match all year. A. Kirkman and R. DiRollo. Primary 7. Played 8. Won 4. Lost 4. Captain: John Doherty This has been a very good season so far for the J.A.XV. The fact that the team has achieved a fifty percent success record is very good considering the small numbers the team is picked from. The team's effectiveness was weakened by the non-availability, illness, and reluctance to rise from bed of certain boys - we only had a first-choice team once. The team played well whether winning or losing. Against both Edinburgh Academy and George Watsons fine rugby was played including some excellent passing movements and defensive work. Both matches were lost by a close margin. Our best victories were over Royal High School 136-0) and George Heriots 112-10}. John Doherty earned great credit as our scrum-half and Captain, His consistent passing to the backs enabled the team to run in many tries and his tenacity in defence often saved the day. Our "Mediterranean" half-back pair, Ricardo Boni and Richard DiRollo, have proved s4perb in attack when on form. The defensive work of Simon DiRollo and Anthony Kirkham was of a high standard. While all the forwards did their best, Francis Fox has been outstanding and always put in the maximum effort. Two of the lighter forwards have also put in much effort - S. Mackay and A. Jeans. Let's hope 1973 brings both team and trainer much excitement and enjoyment.
Br. Hall. The heats for the annual Edinburgh Inter-Schools Swimming Competition took place in the Portobello Baths in September and the following boys took part: Kevin Di Ciacca, Roderick Christie, Stefano Boni, Angelo Deponio, Kevin Croan, Joseph Di Rollo, David Kowalski, Ricardo Boni, Laurence Cecchini, Julian Chater, Simon Di Rollo and Josef Boni. In the finals held at the Commonwealth Pool on October 7. Ricardo Boni came 2nd. in the U/12 Backstroke Final and our relay team of Laurence Cecchini, Simon Di Rollo, Ricardo Boni and Josef Boni came 6th. out of 12 teams. In the annual Edinburgh Schools Cross Country Championships Peter Lennon, Richard Glover and Gary Anderson, though not among the winners, ran well. Although most of the First Eleven's fixtures will not be played until the Spring Term, the season is far from just beginning for Scotus's hockey players. Because the First Fifteen rugby fixtures were cancelled, we were able to start practising hockey in September, and so are much better equipped to face other schools than we were last year, which we finished with two draws and a string of defeats. Much credit this season must go to a number of F.P.s who have sacrificed a good deal of their time to coach the team on Tuesdays and at weekends. The one match played so far we lost to Broughton 4-0. At the time we had not all played together before. As the term goes on Robert Stevenson is emerging as a fine goalkeeper, backs are Kenny Price, Graham McKay, Roger Conlon, Michael Smith, and Andy Murray. Midfield are Alastair Lamond, John Drawbell, Keven Mather and forward Chris Barrett, David Bain, Robert Hanna, and Paul Doherty. Bro. Carton has been refereeing us. Captain: Alaistair Lamond. Judo is a good sport to learn for self-defence. It is my best sport and it keeps me fit for other sports. My Grade is quite good. but I am a white belt only because I am too young for promotion and also I am too light to fight a man to get a belt. Judo is mostly done with throws from the standing position or work on the ground. The first thing you have to learn before throwing is how to fall properly which is called breakfalling. When you do Judo you have to train reasonably hard to be able to fight well. The owner of the club I go to is called George Kerr. He fought for Great Britain a few years ago and was a judge at the Olympic Games in Munich. When you want to enter a competition you have to say to yourself "must win", When I went in to the Scottish Judo Championships I won a bronze medal, but it took all day to win it. I had to fight about seven fights to win. A competition is an all day affair, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., if you get to the finals. If you win five fights, you still have a chance of a medal, This happened to my brother, He got another chance because the last boy that beat him got to the finals, My brother had three fights to try and win a medal, In his last fight he was dead beat. My next best sport is swimming. It is good for developing your muscles and keeps me fit as well as for Judo. The swimming club I am in is called the Inverleith. We train at the Infirmary Street baths. There are about a hundred members. When you go training it has to be done hard to break your time, One thing about swimming is you get inter-club galas. They are good fun. One I went to with the club was at Harrogate in England. The contest was good and so was the bus trip. A few months later they came for a return match in Edinburgh. There's always plenty going on. S. Boni, Second Yea Captain: Graham Kelly. Played 7, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 5. Points for 69. Points, against 95. progressed. Credit must be given to those who battled against the odds. Graham Kelly captained the side as well as possible, but his lack of physical stature and position of scrum half behind a frequently beaten pack gave him too few opportunities of displaying his undoubted skills, consequently his service to Matthew Hay at fly half was often erratic. Matthew. a newcome to Scotus rugby, has settled in well and Peter Pateluch and Brian Young have played well in the centre. On the wings John Flett and Nicholas Garry had a good season, while at full back Nicholas Barrett proved to be a very sound defender. Remo Lanni and Robert Daly have been prominent in the pack which included Richard Dockrell. James McCabe, Simon Siadden, Peter Morris, Vincent Rodier, and Stefano Boni. When called upon as reserves Brian Toole and Peter Lennon played well at either scrum half, centre or full back. A word of thanks must be extended to all the parents who gave such excellent support to the side during the season. Br. P. McDermott Captain: Christopher Bain. Played 9, Won 8, Lost 1. Points for 250. Points Against 64. After losing their first game of the season to Falkland in September. the D XV has remained undefeated and has become one of the best sides at this level for many years, playing with enthusiasm, confidence, and maturity in scoring an average of over 30 points per game. Much credit must go to the captain, Christopher Bain, who has undoubtedly been the out- standing player in the team and leading try scorer. Watching him play, it is difficult to believe that he is still at first year level; he scored thirty points against Form Two when they were challenged by Form One in October. His positional sense, handling and running are superb; add to this his devastating tackling and he is virtually the complete player. The foundation of the team's success has been the powerful pack ably led by the tireless Angelo Deponio. Playing as hooker and pack leader his enthusiasm has been a constant source of inspiration to the other members, who include Eric Gregor, David Kowalski, Thomas McDermott, Andrew Majoribanks, Keith Christie.. Vincent Margiotta, and Alex Wilson. After a hesitant start, Kevin Croan is now playing well at scrum half. In the centre, Ambrose Kelly and Martin Fox have often played very well, while Gerald Fraser and Colin Devine have improved greatly on the wings. Colin is a complete newcomer to rugby and has all the qualities of a good player and has taken over the role of goal kicker with remarkable success. At full back, Joseph Di Rollo has played well and is improving with each game. A special word of thanks to the team's reserves who included James Blewitt, Simon Capaldi, Adrian De Luca, Richard Glover, Anthony Rostant and Ernest Di Rollo. A sincere word of thanks to Mr. Jack Kerr, one of Scotus' Former Pupils. who has unstintingly given his time and expertise to refereeing games this season. Those parents who faithfully helped the team with their support and transport have in no small way been responsible for its success and I thank them all. Br. P. McDermott. Curling Team. Last season Scotus finished in third place in the Edinburgh Schools League. Similar success in the 1972 season has eluded us. As the magazine goes to press we are in about half-way position with victories over Watsons 1, Heriots 5, and Watsons 3. Our record in the 1972 season opened with defeats by Heriots 2, by Heriots 1, 13 to 4, and Heriots 2, 12 to 7. This third game Scotus should have won after leading 6 to 1. Next followed a shock defeat by Watsons 4. Our first victory came with a win over Hertiots 5, 8 to 3. And then another defeat by Melville 1, 10 to 3. However, the team now achieved its best result by beating Watsons 1 in an extremely close match by 8 to 5. In the following detailed summary of the Watsons 1 match by M. Kostryckyj we try to typify for our reader what actually happens during a curling match. Each team consists of four players. Each player has two shots. The first to play his two stones is the' lead', who in this case was A. 0' Sullivan. Next, the' second', M. Kostryckyj, followed by the 'third', M. Collie, and finally the captain and Skip M. Shannon. The team aims to position 'stones' in a circle forty yards away along the ice, under the authoritative guidance of the skip. He can order the stones to be swept, to increase their speed down the ice, or not to be swept. The winning team is the one which succeeds in placing and keeping most stones near the centre of the circle. With these details in mind, let us return to the game. At the beginning, there was a toss- up to see who would be first to throw. Watson's won, so Scotus were first to glide their stones towards the colourful circle. After this introductory end Scotus were counting one, and the surprised team was rejoicing. The introductory end tended to be too encouraging and the standard of the team's play dropped increasingly until after the fourth end. The fourth end was discouraging for Scotus because our opponents, who were inspired by their play in the second and third ends, took a marvelous count of three. The Scotus team then became impressive and the score closed from 5-1 to 5-4 after the sixth end. The seventh and final end tended to be very pressurising for the Watsonian team as Scotus brought some cracking shots out of the bag. The whole team contributed to the four stones put in the circle. The Watsonian team had the advantage of the last stone, which could have given them a victory by two shots. However, a bad shot by their skip gave Scotus four stones to add to the four already on the scoreboard. This gave Scotus a final victory of 8-5 and the team left the rink with cheerful faces and an encouraging result. To end this report on a happy note for McDonald's House we conclude with the results of the Two Inter-House Curling Matches played in 1972. In the first game McDonalds completely outclassed Grays and beat them 16-0. The result was almost repeated in the second game which ended at 14-0. McDonald's team was Skip, M. Shannon, Third, M. Kostryckyj, Second, S. Cassidy and Lead, A. O'Sullivan. Grays: Skip, M. Collie, Third, L. Donaghue, Second, G. Maguire and Lead, S. Mon- tgomery. As the teams always owe a lot to their supporters I should like to thank, besides all those mentioned above, J. Drawbell, N. Barry and J. Lockett for coming to the ice rink and showing their Interest and enthusiasm for the game. M. Shannon. Scotus Golf continues with the same enthusiasm as was shown last year. Highlights were the School Golf Championship and an international match against the Northern Ireland Schoolboys Champions. The first was held on June 1 at Prestonfield on a particularly glorious day with the following results: Senior: 1. Gordon McCready; 2. Kenneth Price; 3. Kenneth Reilly. The International Match was held at Dalmahoy on November 1. It proved a cold and rain- swept day. Scotus played well against the very powerful Irish party. Representing Scotus were A. Lamond, C. Barrett, K. Price, R. Stevenson, I. Strachan. They show considerable promise for the future. Office Bearers- President: Mr. D. D. Smith, Captain: A. Lamond, V,Capt.: C. Barrett, Treasurer: T. Maguire. Secretary: R. Stevenson. List of Trophies won:- The Maclachlan Trophy, The Lothian F.C. Trophy, The Master-at- Arms Trophy. Club Officials: The year 1972 saw the departure of two stalwarts of the fencing club, Alaistair Cook and Graeme Robertson. Neither left without making the year a memorable one for the fencing club. In March, Alaistair Cook represented Scotland in the Schools International agains Ireland. He took part in the Senior Boys" A" matches in foil and sabre. The Scottish team won the foil but lost the sabre match. Also in March Alastair reached the finals of the boy's Senior sabre, foil and epee in the Scottish Schools Week Championships. He won fourth fifth and sixth places in these respectively, a very heavy programme. Alastair's fines achievement was at the Edinburgh Schools Fencing Tournament in June in which he won the Maclachlan Trophy when he came first in the Senior Boys Individual Foil. He also WOI the Lothian F.C. Trophy for first in the Individual Epee event. As if this wasn't enough, hi came third in the Individual Sabre event, and, as a result of his high performance in all the weapons he was awarded the Master-at-Arms Trophy. Graeme Robertson reached the semi-final of the Scottish Senior Foil in January. II May, at the Portobello Secondary School Competition, he reached the final and won fourth place. Graeme was responsible for the Club treasury and all secretarial work. During the year the club welcomed Mr. Stuart Dodds, an associate member of the British Academy of Fencing, as its new coach. We succeeded in gaining fifth place in the much coveted Thistle Shield competition There are eighteen licensed Club members this year. It is now necessary to have licence to fence. This is not a licence to kill I might add. The record of passes in the national grading scheme so far this year for the Club is a follows:-
Captain: C. E. Redmond
A short History of the Scotus Academy Fencing Club Owing to the early publication date of the magazine this year many of the competitiol results are not yet to hand. Here is the history of the Club recalling its achievements to date The Scotus Academy Fencing Club was founded in 1966 by Mr. T. Matthews, head c the Modern Language Department. His patience, enthusiasm and devotion will never b equalled. In 1969, he left Scotus Academy, but the life which he instilled into the club di not ebb. . . it continued. One of the people chiefly r:esponsible for maintaining the vitality c the fencing club was Brian Potter. He handled the administration of the club from MI Matthews' departure until his own 'in the Spring of 1970. Since then the club had bee administered solely by club officials such as Michael Mayo, lain Campbell, Peter RogeN Alistair Cook and Graeme Robertson. For a while the club received the keen support of M R. Hollands, who mastered the sport very quickly and was in due course awarded th Scottish Coaching Certificate. Over the years the club has had many achievements and gained national recognition. At one time, Scotus had more international fencers than any other school in Scotland. To date the school has produced seven internationalists: Gordon Flavell, lain Campbell, Michael Mayo, Peter rogers, Alistair Cook, graeme Robertson and Charles Redmond. These and many other fencers have continued with the sport with varying success. lain Campbell, a British Olympic prospect, received a grant from the Edinburgh Corporation to boost him towards the Olympic standard. He has also been placed on the International Panel of Presidents of the S.A.F.U. (Scottish Amateur Fencing Union). The club now an affiliated member of the Amateur Fencing Association, has in its history won the following trophies: 1. The learmouth Foil (Two successive years) and many medals. Furthermore, it has had finalists in the following competitions: 1. Edinburgh Schools Junior and Senior competitions In the All Saints Fencing Tournament held in Edinburgh on January 9. 1973 Ian Campbell (lothian) came first and Michael Mayo (Stirling University) third in the individual Foil event. In the trebles Foil competition Gordon Flavel (Heriot-Watt) was in the team that took second place Michael Mayo and Peter Rogers (Epee) fenced for the Scottish International Team against Wales on 13 January 1973 Perhaps 1972 could go down in the annuals of the Parents Association as the year of the Donkey Derby. As you will remember this was the occasion in May when the Association members and their friends were invited to spend a happy afternoon punting in the school grounds. let me hasten to point out that this was not an aquatic pursuit, but an afternoon spent following the "Sport of Kings". Unfortunately the sun did not shine, but it was generally agreed that the event was most enjoyable and should be repeated. The "100 Club" still flourished and the first year's trading has shown a handsome return. There is always room for new members and I would remind you all of the monthly prize of £50. Once again your Association made a grant to the school for the purchase of medals and prizes for the school sports. Further assistance was given ~o the laying out of the forecourt to the main building. This area has now been surfaced and enclosed by an attractive stone parapet. In September the Annual General Meeting was held in the Grosvenor Hotel. The at- tendance was not up to expectation. This was probably due to the unavoidably short notice that was given. At this meeting Mr. C. Campbell proposed that the annual membership subscription might no longer apply. This motion was welcomed by those in attendance and the con- stitution will be amended accordingly in due course. The high point of the evening was made when Bro. livingstonewas presented with a cheque for £1000 from the Association. This represented the proceeds from the Donkey Derby and the "100 Club". This I feel was a considerable achievement and proves that the Association is very much alive. The Annual Dance was held as usual in the George Hotel in November and I am sure that I speak for everyone who attended when I say that it was an extremely happy and successful evening. I would particularly like to thank all those people who so generously donated prizes for the draw. All club or Association secretaries are inclined to moan from time to time. My particular moan is qu ite singular. At Association functions we do not see very many former pupils of the school in attendance. I am quite convinced that our Association would benefit greatly by their support. . Mrs McDonald The annual sports were held on June 10. An early downpour threatened to force a cancellation. Enthusiasm among McDonald's House remained high as they began the day with a lead of 37 to 19 points on events already decided. The afternoon produced outstanding performances from Lindsay Munro (McDonalds), winner of the U/16 800m and 1SOOm Open. third in the 200m U/16 and a strong runner in the McDonaids Relay Team. Sun Mau Yun (McDonalds) , a newcomer to athletics, won the U/16 Shot, and was second in the U/.16 Long Jump. 200m aud 100m events. A special word of praise to four of the younger competitors of McDonald House: Martin Fox, Keith Christie, Anthony Kirkman and Ambrose Alaiga-Kelley. As a result of their outstanding perfonnances they gained a total of43 points for their House. Outstanding for the Gray House were Rory Christie. Charles Law, Alistair Hutchison, Richard Di Rollo, Peter Pateluch, Melvyn Petersen and David Di Rollo, winner of the U/.16 High Jump, 200m and 100m events. The House Competition Shield was presented this year by Mr. C. Campbell, President of the Scotus Assocllitlon, and received by Robert HannI!, whose enthusiasm as captairt of McDonaids did much to ensure their victory over Grays by 142 points to 109. Our grateful thanjcs are due to the Scotus Association for financing the trophies, medals and prizes of the competition and providing the loudspeaker system. Also to the Staff and Parents who ensured the smooth running of the Sports and helped to make the day a memorable one. INTER-HOUSE COMPETITION WINNERS SPORTS DAY
Bro. P. McDermott
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