 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Make sure you are on Lindsay Wilson's mailing list. Contact him here.
|
 |
 |
|
The Scotian - SCOTUS ACADEMY 22 Corstorphine Road, Rector: Rev. Brother N.F. Livingstone, B.A., Dip.RSc., C.F.C. Right Reverend Mgr. P.F. Quine, M.A., Dip. Econ. Head Boy: Paul Hogarth Prefects: This will be the last edition of "The Scotian". The first edition was produced in 1967 and it has appeared each year since, so this year sees its tenth birthday, but with the decision by the Provincial to withdraw the Brothers and the Primary Department closing this summer, it was felt this should be the final edition. The Secondary Department closes in summer 1978, twenty-five years after the pioneer community, led by Brother Russell, opened Scotus Academy. As we write this final editorial we think of all those Brothers and Lay members of Staff who steered this School through the early years since it's foundation in 1953, of those parents who had faith in the venture, and of the boys who have been educated here and are now making their mark in the world. We hope they will look back with many happy memories and give thanks to God. In September 1976, the School roll stood at 196. There were no Staff changes. On the 23rd September the Provincial informed the Community, the Cardinal and the Governors that the School would be closing. The Parents and Staff were informed by letter on the 28th. The Parents then mounted a campaign to endeavour to get the decision reversed. Several meetings were held, a committee was established and eventually a group of Parents met the Provincial in Sunderland. The Governors also tried; but all to no avail. The main reasons for the closure of the School were the lack of Brothers - in common with the priesthood and sisterhood we are not getting young people to join the Congregation, The failure to obtain planning permission to build and, indirectly linked to this, rising costs. During the summer holidays the main house was re-wired. The Central Heating system in the Primary and Secondary Departments was changed from oil to gas. The Sixth Year decorated their common room. Two hundred and two pounds was collected during Lent 1977 and has been shared between the Brothers' Mission in Liberia and the Archdiocesan Mission, in, Bauchi, Nigeria. Thirty pounds was sent to the St. Cuthberts' Jumbulance Fund. One hundred and twenty pounds was collected by the boys during a Flag Day for the Royal Blind Asylum. In June 1976 a very successful production of 'Heil Caesar' was presented by the Senior boys and the girls of St. Margaret's Convent. We thank the Headmistress, Rev. Sister M. Carr for all her help and co-operation. The junior classes presented ' Alice'. In December 1977 the final Joint Carol Service with Scotus Academy and St. Margaret's Convent was held in the Cathedral, His Eminence Cardinal Gray presiding. We thank Rt. Rev. Mgr. Quille for allowing us to use the Cathedral and for all his help. In February 1977 the final Prize-Giving was held in the Church Hill Theatre. The Junior classes presented 'La Campanelita'. A sincere word of th1inks to Mrs. C. Denholm, Mrs. L. Morgan and Mrs. M. Scott for all their work in these productions. A thank you to the parents, Former pupils and friends who attended and last but not least a thank you to all the boys who participated. The visiting speakers on Careers this years included Capt. E. Turner, R.N. Royal Marines and Royal Navy Schools liaison Officer. Mr. L. Bassett, and Dr. D. Nelson, Edinburgh University; Mr. T. Black, Principal Careers Officer, Lothian Region. Several classes went on Educational visits. The Senior art students visited the College of Art and the National Museum. Some boys attended Open Days at Napier College. Senior 3 visited HM.S. Galatea at Rosyth Docks and a number of classes attended some educational films. We welcomed to the Staff in September, Rev. Sister J. Murray and Mrs. I. Tennant. We wish Mrs. C. Denholm and Mrs. M. Scott every best wish in their new posts and we thank them for all their work in the Primary Department. A sincere thank you to Mrs. M. Foss, Mrs. S. Kent, Mrs. B. Pateluch and Mrs. A. Cannichael who provide lunches for the Staff and Boys, to Mr. and Mrs. P. Gilroy who keep the school so clean and tidy. Thanks also to Rev. Fathers H. Gordon, A. Duffy and J. Robinson who have said class Masses for the boys and to Rev. Father F. Holden who so kindly says Mass for the school. We extend our sincere prayers and sympathy to Mrs. T. Sobolewski and Andrew on the death of Mr. Sobolewski; to Mrs. McPhee and family on the death of Mr. McPhee; to Mrs. Printie and family on the death of Mr. Printie; and to Mrs. Boyle and Family on the death of Mr. Boyle, former Rector of St. Augustine's High School. Finally a word of thanks to all our contributors and to Mr. E. Hepburn and Staff of Paramount Printers for the production of the Magazine. REFLECTIONS ON SCOTUS ACADEMY by JACK REAGAN For those of us who have been connected with Scotus Academy from the start, away back in September 1953, these are particularly sad times. It is a difficult job to write what is in effect an obituary for a child so young. Scotus has scarcely lasted a full generation-and yet we started with such hopes and ambitions. It has to be said that we had no illusions about the struggle that would be required to make the school survive. From the beginning it was made clear to both parents and pupils that there would be two problems that would be with us for a long time. One, quite simply, was finance, for the school had to make its own way or die; and the second, and perhaps more subtle, was the opposition to the whole idea of Scotus, and what Scotus represented, from a proportion of the clergy and the Catholic population of Edinburgh. It is difficult to express in words the nature of that opposition, and yet it was there, and it stemmed from the fact that we were a fee-paying school and that the Christian Brothers were an Irish order. And so, as far as those of us who were pupils were concerned, we had to prove that the school was worthwhile and could be judged as the equal of any in the only way that schools can be judged: on the basis of academic achievement, standards of behaviour, and prowess in the fields of sport, the arts and related recreational activities. I believe that over the years the proof has been provided. But we never got over the problems of finance, despite the valiant and untiring efforts of the parents' committee and the school staff in general, so that we now come to the present sorry situation. The idea of a school like Scotus had been talked about in Edinburgh for many years, and it fell to the late Archbishop McDonald to take the initiative and invite the Christian Brothers to Scotland. After long months of discussions the Order agreed to open the school and then began the search for suitable premises. Beech- wood House, with its 25 or so acres was eventually bought and converted into a school with 70 pupils as the first intake. The house had belonged to Lord Boothby, who took a keen interest in the affairs of Scotus in those early years. Interestingly enough, it was a house which had been much admired by the Duke of Cumberland as he passed through Edinburgh with his army on the way to smash the Highland clans at Culloden. Indeed, the Duke wrote that-if he had to stay in Scotland-then Beechwood House was the home he would choose. The house has never lost any of its Georgian elegance, but the grounds have consistently proved difficult to maintain, and at the time when the school opened they had almost reverted to the wild. I remember seeing a fox stroll jauntily across the back field behind the house, and one particularly mad hunt when three rabbits had burrowed their way into the walled garden, which was Brother Hastings' pride and joy. We eventually cornered the beasts and then followed, believe it or not, a great theological discussion as to whether they should be killed. Two of them ended up in the pot, but the third was saved by one of my classmates who said he would take it home. He lived in a small house near Tollcross and his parents were not at all pleased when he appeared home that night with a live rabbit in his shoe- bag. He brought it back rather shamefacedly in the morning, and about two days later we had rabbit stew on the menu for school dinners. At that time a local farmer had rented out the front field as grazing for his cattle and there were in addition a couple of neurotic donkeys. I mention this because, although the front field had not been levelled off as it is now, it was still the only place on the hill where there was any sort of level space at all. So that was where we learned to play rugby. There was a spring and a: little bum which ran through this level stretch, and so inevitably the course of the burn was taken as the centre line of the rugby field. The result was that Scotus Academicians developed a style of rugby which was all their own. Quite simply, the object was to try to tackle your opponent so that he fell either in a cowpat or in the burn; and of course your opponent had to develop a sort of jig and sidestep which avoided this fate. In later years we moved to Murray- field, where the basic skills were allowed rather more room for expression, but we had learned something from playing amid the cows and the donkeys and those first Scotus rugby teams enjoyed a fair measure of success. Our full back was Philip Smith, who played with great elegance, but who deserves a special mention because he was the first Scotus pupil to achieve international recognition, playing golf for both the Scottish Schoolboys and the Scotland Youth team. The major difficulty in maintaining any sort of consistency as far as rugby was concerned was the sheer lack of numbers in the school roll, and so as the years went by there took place a fair amount of diversification. Perhaps we achieved our greatest successes in fencing, in the late sixties, but the boys did well too in curling, hockey and squash, and indeed the current squash team has few equals in Scotland. Throughout the history of the school we have been blessed with a particularly devoted group of teachers, and this was especially true in the early days when Scotus was staffed with men devoted not only to the ideals of academic excellence, but also to the idea that the academy should survive. I believe that the struggle drove the first rector, Borther Russell, to an early grave while it took a terrible toll of the health of a number of the others. The first lay teacher was Mr Tom Curran, in science, and he was followed soon after by the late Mr Fergus Byrne, a much-loved teacher of mathematics. The standards which they set are reflected in the fact that of the 20 or so boys in First Year in 1953, five subsequently took university degrees, three more took art college diplomas, another is now a priest, another an accountant, and so on. From that time, standards have continued to improve, and in fact in one year, 1968, 10 pupils went up to university. That was the year when the first pupil from Scotus to join the Christian Borthers, Bruce Laidlaw, took his final vows. We have also provided six priests, five of them currently working in this diocese, and the other in New Zealand. It's a record we can be proud of, reflecting the high standards of religious teaching at the school. But while at the academic and sporting levels, Scot us pupils have regularly proved their worth and the value of the kind of education they were receiving, the battle behind the scenes to make ends meet financially was unremitting. As the school grew, more accommodation was needed, and so between 1957 and the mid-sixties the brothers embarked on an ambitious and expensive expansion programme. New classrooms were built behind Beechwood House; the old stables were converted first into a gymnasium and then, as the pressures on space continued, into classrooms; a tarmac play area was provided and the front field levelled for games facilities. All of this cost money-money which the school quite simply did not have. Then in 1971 it seemed as if all the problems could be resolved, when the brothers came to an agreement with a development company to build offices and a completely new school. Despite the fact that over the next two years, a whole series of different plans were presented to the local planning authority, none was passed and the result of this inexplicable animosity was that eventually the development scheme fell through. But perhaps had things been different from the beginning, then the problems might have been easier to overcome. It has to be remembered that, when we opened, the fees were only £12 per term. Seven years later, when I left, they were still only £20 per term and in retrospect it is safe to say that such a scale of fees was quite unrealistic. They covered the running costs and little else, and the burden of trying to find additional finance fell upon the parents committee. The major annual event was the garden fete, the first of which raised an amazing £600, which might not sound much in today's terms, but which was a colossal sum of money then. A number of members of that first parents' committee retain their interest in the school to this day, most notably Mr Jim Donoghue. The tragedy is that all their efforts should have come to nothing. And yet perhaps, that is not strictly true. For 20 years and more, the school has produced a particular breed of young men. In the early days, because we saw ourselves as pioneers, we had a pride in belonging to Scotus. That pride has continued among the boys right down to the present day. There has always, too, been a great feeling of kinship among the former pupils, and that will never be lost. We left Edinburgh at 7.30 on the Friday night July 16th en route to Aberfoylein in the Trossachs. We arrived at 9.30 after travelling through some lovely countryside and quaint villages. The caravan that we would be staying in for the next two weeks was very comfortable and looked very picturesque on the beautiful camp site that we were staying on. We stayed there for two nights and then made our way across to Drumnadrochit near Loch Ness but we were not Successful locating Nessie. That night we walked our dog Sandy down to Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness. I enjoyed this very much because the castle is enriched in Scottish history. The next morning we set off for Dornoch on the East coast because the weather was supposed to be better there. We arrived at Dornoch to meet good weather which we all enjoyed very much because there was a beach there. The next morning the weather was not so good so we decided to go touring around the small towns and villages neighbouring Dornoch. To my delight we discovered Dunrobin Castle, which is the stately home of the Sutherlands. It is the most northerly of Scotland's great homes and is the largest house in the northern highlands. The castle is dating from the early 1400's. When we made our way through the driveway we had no idea of what the Castle looked like but when we passed the old keep we sighted this magnificent building with its majestic walls and its fifteenth century appearance. After looking around the house we left for the caravan site which made me very sad the visit was over. In the afternoon we went to Dornoch Town Jail and the many craft shops there. The Town Jail is a reproduction of what the Jail looked like many years ago. But after that wonderful day we had to face that our holiday was coming to an end and we had to set off home the next day. At 10 o'clock the next morning we were all ready to set off to Forres near Elgin for a day or two to break the long journey home. The journey to Forres flew past because I enjoyed the countryside immensely. We arrived at 5 o'clock. We spent the next day at Forres because there was a great barn there and we were allowed to play in it. But sad to say the day flew past and we found ourselves travelling home the next day. Jeremy Hogarth, Senior 3.Japan are the world's leading motorbike manufacturers and have been for the last ten to fifteen years. The bikes they manufacture are known all over the world: e.g. Kawasaki and Suzuki, Honda (which I think are not good) and the best of all the Yamaha. Britain back in the 1930's - 50's used to be the world's leading motorbike manufacturers but for some reason just cut down on motorbike production. Cars are the main product today although the Triumph and Norton are still being manufactured. We ate buying from the Japanese who came over here when the T. T. races were on, armed to the teeth with cameras and note-pads and just reproduced (with some alterations although the basic points were still there) a bike with another name and shape. Even the police are now using BM.W.'s which are German made. However, Britain has still something to boast about for who won the world motorcycling Championship? Britain (although on a Suzuki) The Belgian Grand Prix (the fastest read race in the world) - Britain. There are many others as well. America produces motorbikes but only 650c.c. upwards. The American police use Harley-Davidsons which can reach a speed of 160 - 200 m.p.h. My favourite bikes are Yamaha. I also like Cafe-racers, they are Norton Commando's most of the time and the reason for calling them cafe-racers is that when at a cafe you would go to the end of the toad turn round and first back was the winner. To finish, my favourite rider is British, Barry Stephen Frank Sheene. Edmund Hoffie, Senior 1
AIRLINE COMPANIES AND AIRLINERS The achievements of the early pioneers of long-distance flying soon attracted the attention of the business men who could see the possibilities of passenger and freight air services. The first airline company was started by an American called P .E. Fansler, in 1919 between St. Petersburgh and Rampa, Florida. It only lasted a few weeks. The next one was started in 1919 in Geffi1any, called Deutsche Luftreederei. A few days later the Farman Company started a service between London and Paris. The first daily air service between London and Paris was started by Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd. in August 1919. A single fare cost £21. The oldest remaining airline is K.L.M., the Dutch airline which began in 1919. The early airline companies used all kinds of aircraft. In the 1920's they used pioneer biplanes. The first true airliner of the modem type was the Boeing 247, which went into service in 1933. In 1933 there came the Douglas DC-I, in Britain, the Bristol 142 appeared in 1935. In the same year the Germans produced the Junkers JU86. The largest number of people which can be accommodated on an airliner is 490 on the Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet". The BAC Super VC 10, the largest British plane in operation can carry up to 174 passengers. The Russian Tupolev, TU 114, can carry up to 220 passengers. The Hawker Siddley Trident can carry between 140 - 180 passengers. The American Douglas DC 8 Super 60 series has seats for up to 251 people. The Boeing 727 has accommodation for 131 passengers. The Lockhee Tristar L-188 can seat up to 99 people. So over the years airliners have developed. Stephen Leetion, Senior 1More and more people all over the world are arming themselves with a racket and ball, shutting themselves in a four-walled room and inflicting on themselves the physical demands of an extremely energetic pastime. Why has the game suddenly become so popular? Basically it has always been popular with those who had the opportunity to play it, but because a court is expensive to build the number of courts available was pitifully few up to 1960. About that time the game which was by then over a hundred years old took a new lease of life. Many tennis and Cricket clubs realised that by building courts and having their premises used in off-season they could save themselves from going bankrupt, and even make a handsome profit. Once this financial aspect became evident, the commercial operators came along and built centres, which opened the game up to the general public, and provided a generous return on capital. And so, suddenly, Squash was available to people who had never heard of it before. All this happened at a time when the pressures of modern life demanded a game which would give maximum exercise in the minimum time, at a reasonable cost, at any time of day or night, in any weather and without having to organise teams. Squash passed the test. Nowadays there are enough leagues, championships, representative matches and overseas tours for the most ambitious spirit, and there are ever increasing rewards for getting to the top. Indeed, one of the problems of squash management is how to curb those who want to play too competitively. One of Squash's great attractions is that virtually anyone who is reasonably fit can go on to a court and within a very short time become fairly proficient. The origin of the game is very obscure and Squash is no exception. However, during the nineteenth century the game of racquets was at its height of popularity in English Public Schools. It was a most skilful game demanding perfect technique from its players and was played with a hard ball - a dangerous occupation for all but experienced players. In order to train the boys (sad to say it was a long time before women participated fully in this sport) a mini-court was built adjacent to the main racquets court. In this smaller building the rudiments of the game of racquets were taught using for the benefit of novices - a rubber ball, which was much less lethal than the hard ball used in the racquets court. Schoolboys not unknown for their ability to coin nicknames dubbed this small training court, the Squash court and so the name has remained. Perhaps because Squash was less difficult for a beginner to learn than it's parent game of racquets, it became popular with those who enjoyed exercise without the demands that a larger ball and a large court placed upon them. Later Squash was introduced to other countries and the first ever official Squash Championships as such were played in the U.S.A. in 1906. However, squash was still treated somewhat light-heartedly, as a minor sport, until about 1922. There were no fixed dimensions of a court which varied from place until 1929 when the present measurements were established. Also until the 1950's apart from an elite few, the casual player usually sported the dirtiest of shoes, rugger shorts and a shirt, and would look upon the game as an opportunity to have a bash, giving vent to an excess of energy by attempting to hit the ball through the front wall. With this type of player, with a limited style and technique and an abundance of energy, breakage of racquets became an accepted part of the game - much to the delight of the manufacturers. Eventually Squash lost its frivolous note and became very competitive in the 1960's. Teams were sent from England to Australia, New Zealand to Pakistan and back again. Although Squash is recognised as the youngest and fastest growing game in the world of sport, in many ways it is a game with a long tradition behind it. Man has always delighted in ball games, and long before Squash came into being, balls have been struck against walls or other solid objects. Squash is just a sophisticated development of an age-old pastime, and. as such, cannot fail to arouse enthusiasm in all who see and play the game. The unique position of Squash in the world of sport cannot be questioned. Players of rugby, cricket, golf, judo, tennis and badminton have turned time and time again to the Squash court as part of their fitness training for their own game. Also the discipline that squash demands, the confined space and the necessity to watch the ball at all times, are all factors that train the mind and the body of every sportsman. Squash teaches the mind to work quickly and the body to move with agility. Why don't you pick up a squash racket and play tomorrow! Paul Hogarth, Senior 6.Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick John Cheung, Primary 5
There achieving true freedom, PAGEANT OF SCOTTISH YOUTH 25th MAY 1977 We were invited to participate in the Pageant of Scottish Youth held at Meadowbank Stadium on Wednesday, 25th May in the presence of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The whole school attended the afternoon's events. The event we chose to take part in was the Tug-of-War, a team of 12 boys and 12 girls. St. Margaret's Convent providing the latter. Our team was D. Risi, M. Capaldi, A. Krot, P. Montanini, N. Kenny, T. Walsh, D. Hunter, E. Di Ciacca, A. Wilson, R. Boni, P. Ricca, J. Di Rollo and V. Rodier. They represented the Lothian Region in this event. They won their way into the Finals by beating the Highlands and the Borders. In a tough and exciting tussle in the Final against Tayside we lost but congratulations to our team for such a fine performance and sincere thanks to St. Margaret's for their assistance. M. McEwan participated in the Fencing display. In the Jubilee Gala, held at the Commonwealth Pool, 26th May we were invited to participate in the Secondary schools Relay event. We came fifth out of nine. The team was S. Boni, R. Boni, J. Boni and L. Cecchini. Throughout this article, I will try to mention no names and, as is stated at the beginning of most works of fiction, any resemblance of characters is purely coincidental. Aside from this, I, like the prodigal son, cannot afford libel suits. So bear with me A discussion; ideally this is where a number of viewpoints are expressed in a rational manner, and each person attempts to convince the others of the justice of his cause. This is, of course, an infrequent occurrence. The average rational discussion these days is usually accompanied by sarcastic remarks, personal references to the opponent's background and habits, or a stony silence, used in conjunction with an expression popularly referred to as looking daggers. This reminds me of another aspect of discussion - the moronic metaphor (how does one look daggers into a stony silence?) I have come across cases where a close group of friends have somehow had a relation to all the undeveloped offspring of a hen being in one container, or, to branch off a little, where a description of an individual as e.g. middle class, has been likened to the passing of a judgement. The irrelevance of many of these metaphors becomes very apparent as the discussion progresses, e.g. if one drops a basket of eggs, they might all break, in which case the result may bear a resemblance to some of the products of the art room. At any rate, we now have the contents of an egg forming an integral part of, say a pavement. Now to return to the group of friends, the only way for them to come into such intimate contact with a pavement is if one drops them while at the same time something resembling a flying white elephant or a Concorde should happen to make a pinpoint landing on the same spot. The probability of this occurring is relatively low. So, in a discussion, the smart man urges others to accept his analogies (because in that way it would no doubt be possible to prove black is white) while at the same time refusing to accept the analogies, metaphors etc. of his opponent, pointing out all the flaws and how ridiculous the comparison is. But enough of the fine techniques of discussion. What actually happens in a discussion? Summing up all the aspects of the usual discussion, the conclusion is "Nothing". Discussions between two people often consist of two monologues, among three people, three monologues and so on - although it is said of economists that when two meet, there are four opinions. Political debates are perhaps the ideal example of this. When one asks the question 'Why do you favour devolution?' the others answer by describing what devolution is; when asked if there are statistics to prove a statement, the answer is to restate the statement. This is, of course why the chairman of the debate can say in an enthusiastic voice that they could talk for "hours" on this topic but time will not permit, and, before the T.V. viewers change channel, he quickly announces that there will be a short but conclusive debate next week to explain the economic importance of sand deposits in the Highlands, or some similar likely topic of pressing interest to the population as a whole. However, it has been known to occur that speakers will make definite and clear concluding statements, such as 'My worthy and learned opponent and I must agree to differ' or 'The most honoured member of the opposition have in fact raised some points of relevance, though their conclusions appear to be unjustified from the evidence produced'. But all this is in line with democratic principles, and life would be much less interesting (Esther Rantzen would have less to smile about) if all our problems and differences could be easily solved. Michael McEwan, Senior 6
Private hydro-electric power schemes were among the first to be constructed in Scotland. Cheap electricity was essential for the smelting of aluminium, and three schemes were built at Foyers, Fort William and Kinlochleven, the first in 1896. Apart from the Grampian scheme centred on Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel and the Galloway scheme, little was done to develop power resources of Scotland's rivers until the 1940's. Scotland has great potential as far as hydro-electric power is concerned. The high hills couples with the great amount of water in the west side of the country has meant fast flowing streams - essential for the production of hydro-electricity. Since 1947, fifty-six major dams and fifty-three hydro-electric power stations have been built in the wetter parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Hydro-electric power has a number of advantages over conventional systems. Firstly the power supply is free so even with escalating oil costs and a decrease in coal production the power can be supplied. Secondly this form of power means that the electricity can be stored in pump storage schemes. There are two such schemes in Scotland: GruaCha11 and Foyers. Pump storage schemes work as follows: they have two reservoirs. The water from the upper reservoir flows through the dam creating electricity. It goes to the lower reservoir. Off peak electricity is supplied from an outside system to work the pumps which pump the water back to the upper reservoir. The energy thus stored in the earth's gravitational field. It is estimated that about fifty percent of the potential power has now been harnessed. However, due to the present economic climate, further development is unlikely - at least for the time being. Even so, hydro-electric power has enabled electricity to be brought to the remotest parts of Scotland. Simon Di Rollo, Senior 4.RECTORS of SCOTUS ACADEMY
January 1st, 1977 was probably the greatest day of my life, for the first time I ran at the famous Skol Sprint Footraces, formerly the Powderhall Sprint, which was held at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh. The one hundred and ten metres sprint has been held annually one New Years' Day for one hundred and seven years, it is strictly for professional athletes. I was going to take part in one of the three special events restricted to youths under eighteen years of age - the eight hundred metres. This would be my debut run as a professional athlete. Since early October, I had trained on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and as the day of the event drew near on Sunday also. My running school had high hopes of me achieving success and indeed I was quietly confident due to the times I had ran in training. January 1st turned out to be a fine day for running, with only a slight breeze in the air and a damp but lively track. The last event of the day was my race and so I spent several nervous hours before we were called to our marks, mainly because there was a large crowd ~ something I had not been used to as an amateur. When it was time for the race, an astonishing thirty-nine athletes were on the track. I was feeling very overawed but when the gun was fired, I and my thirty-eight companions set off with the aim of winning the Challenge Cup and the £20 prize money. After the first lap I had moved gradually through the field but due to professional handicapping, I had 300 metres to run when the leaders had only 200 metres to go. But to my amazement when I hit the home straight, only four athletes were ahead of me. With a sudden burst of speed I managed to pass them and win the race by four yards. Immediately many people crowded around and congratulated me but then came my proudest moment when I was presented with the cup and the prize money as well as a very large cash bonus from the running school. Indeed all the suffering and hardship I had put up with over the three months were well worth it in the end. Gerald Fraser, Senior 5John Wyndham was born in Birmingham, where he lived until he was eight. After that he moved around the country, thus he received a wide variety of education until he was at Bedales, Yorkshire from 1918 to 1921. He tried several different careers including, law, advertising and farming, then, in 1925 he began writing short stories to bring in some extra money. For about ten years up to the beginning of the war, Wyndham wrote all sorts of stories exclusively for publication in America. He served some time in the army then, after being demobbed, he went back to writing stories for America until in 1946, he turned his hand to his own sort of 'Science Fiction'; and it was in that field he turned out his greatest books, especially 'Day of the Triffids' which many people praise as 'the best of his books'. In both the 'The Day of the Triffids' and 'The Kraken Wakes' the theme is about the country being reduced to a tiny population. Whereas some other books 'Trouble with lichen', 'The Midwich Cuckoos', 'The Chrysalids' and 'Choky', for example, these books are about society being afflicted with some sort of catastrophe. Inone other book 'Consider he ways and Others', time is the important factor, and the stories are concerned with the essence of time and different 'planes' of life. Peter Gallo, Senior 3The main emphasis in fencing has been, and always will be, on the individual aspect. This is a sport of one person against another and while there are team matches organised, the result of these depend on a fencer's ability. Because of this, the standard of a fencing club depends largely on the standard of the individual members. In turn it is the interest of these individuals which determines their own standard. It is for this reason that the standard of the Scotus Academy Fencing Club has varied so much since its formation. We have had a number of very talented individuals who still maintain an interest in the sport, e.g. Ian Campbell, now fencing for the army; Michael Mayo, a full Scotland International. At times the standard has dropped, but it is fair to say that at present there is some degree of interest shown. All members of the club have participated in at least Regional competitions. Perhaps our greatest success as a club was in the Lothian Schools Novices Competition. There were six entries from the school. None went out in the first round - a commendable achievement, two reached the last 20, and one, Lai Chi Kong, was a finalist, The total entry for this competition was about 130. Our results speak for themselves. Other results include: 3rd Place Scottish Junior Men's Foil. In the Lothian Region qualifying Rounds for the National Age Group Championships (i.e. British Under 18), M. McEwan, Chi Fai Chan and Aldo Togneri went out in the semi-finals. The major forthcoming event for school fencers will be from April 4th-9th - the Scottish Schools Fencing Championships. M. Dockrell, C. Deery and J. Scott hope to enter the Junior Boys Foil Teams events, where judging from past results, they will do quite well. As a final comment, one hopes that the present members of the club will maintain an interest in fencing. The opportunities are there, as universities, colleges and sports centre all offer fencing. Perhaps there are also some parents who would like to try the sport. For these, it should be said, that all clubs actively welcome new members. M. McEwan (Captain).Edinburgh Schools Curling League Played 9; Won 7; Lost 2; Points for 88; Points Against 41. This year the Scotus Academy Curling Club had its best season to date. The team achieved second position in the Edinburgh Schools Curling League and produced some fine performances in the Edinburgh Ice Rink Curling Club Open Competition, where the two teams that were entered played against far more superior and experienced sides and one of the Scorns Pairs made it to the third round. The club also entered the Hay's Trophy Competition which was played in Perth during the Easter Holidays. But the team was unlucky in the early stages where it was drawn against the runners-up in this years Scottish Juvenile Championships and despite a fine performance was subsequently beaten. The two stalwarts of the team were the third stone, Gerrard Dorrian and the second stone, Alex Wilson. Despite the fact that they were only playing in their second full team season, they produced some good performances, especially in matches against George Heriot's 1 and 2, George Watson's 2 and Stewart Melville 1. This years' first stone position was held by Fergus Christie who was playing in only his first full team season and he should prove to be a very strong player next season. The reserve, Adrian De Luca, was unfortunate to have that position with such a strong team but he did gain full team status when he played in the Hay's Trophy, he should prove a very strong player next season. Much of the credit and success goes to all the team and I thank them for their support. I would also like to thank Brother Livingstone for purchasing equipment and for the encouragement he gave to the team. Alan MacDonald, (Skie)
BXV. Played 7; Won 4; Lost 3, Points for 99; Points against 106. The B XV has played with a considerable amount of skill, courage and stamina. The team improved tremendously as the season progressed and it played exceptionally well in our last two games, against George Heriots and Leith Academy, respectively. We began the season by playing Falkland, we won the match 12. 11. Then we played a team from St. Aidan's, Sunderland which we lost 16.36. Several matches were then cancelled on account of the bad weather and ground conditions. Although the whole team played well, MICHAEL HISLOP, DAVID GIBSON and NIAL KENNY were outstanding. With MARCUS MAGEE and ANDREW LOVE also doing very well. On behalf of the team I would like to thank Brother Ross for giving us encouragement and to thank all the team for their support. Simon Di Rollo, (Captain).CXV Played 5; Won 1; Lost 4. Points for 38; Points against 86. The C XV's first game was against Falkland, we played very well but at the end the score line was 8.6, in Falkland's favour. Our next game was against Knox Academy. On this occasion we did not play well at all and with Knox Academy's superior tactics we were defeated. The opposition in our next game was Leith Academy. Leith are known to be a good team and although we tackled everything above a daisy, we went down 24 - O. We were successful in our next game which was against Liberton. We played very well and defeated Liberton 28 . 4. Our final game was against Bathgate, who have improved tremendously since the last time we played them, a year ago. They deserved to win that day and they did. We were defeated 28 -14. I would like to thank the team for their support in particular SERAFINO CUCCHI and MARK DOCKRELL. I would also like to thank Brothers Ross and O'Sullivan on behalf of the team for their coaching every Thursday afternoon and their encouragement. Derek Carroll, (Captain).D XV Played 7; Won 4; Lost 3. Points for 122; Points against 66. Overall this season has been very good considering that we have not had a regular team because some of the boys left. Six games were also cancelled because of the snow and frost. Our first game against Knox Academy we lost 28 -14. It was a hard fought game. Against Leith Academy we went down 28 - O. Our next game against Bathgate saw a comfortable win, 48 - O. This was followed by a similar victory over Penicuik. Against St. Aidan's, Sunderland we lost 26 - O. The outstanding players have been B. TORRIERO; S. LEETION, M. BRADY, J. M. DiCIACCA, M. CLARKE, J. KELLY and D. CHONG. We wish to thank Brother Ross for his excellent coaching and we thank all the team for their support. P. Stewart & J. M. DiCiacca, (Captain).The school team after opting to enter the Lothian Schools Supplementary League, Under 19 did extremely well this season especially when it is considered that the school only started to take an active part in Squash last year. We finished Champions in this league without losing a match to any of the Lothian Region Schools. However although this is a very convincing win the fact is that some of the matches were very close, especially against George Watson's at the beginning of the season and the final match against Stewarts Melville where we narrowly won by three games to two in both cases. Scotus Academy Played 8; Won 8; Lost 0; Points 16. All our attention however has not been focussed on the League Champion- ship. The team are to be commended for their enthusiasm for competitions both regional and national. In the Scottish Schoolboys Tournament we did well in both age groups. J. HOGARTH was only just deprived of a place in the quarter-final in the Under 15 age group and P. HOGARTH only narrowly missed a place in the quarter-final of the Under 19 group. In the Scottish Open Championships Under 19 and Under 16 where a larger entry was encountered, the standards were very high. This tournament was played at the Edinburgh Sports Club, reputed to be the best in Scotland. The competition was tough and most of the team were knocked out in the first and second rounds. This made them eligible for the Plate Competition. In the Under 19 age group P. HOGARTH reached the final only to go down 2-3 to S. Kennedy (Finhill). Under 15 group, J. HOGARTH seeded No 8. Reached the quarter-finals but was beaten by S. Douglas (George Heriots) the No.1 seed. P. HOGARTH, seed No.8 in the Under 19 group' was defeated in Round 2 but went on to win the PLATE having beaten his team mate S. BONI in the semi-final. In the Royal Bank Schools Quaich the team put up a reasonable performance against first class opposition. In a friendly against St. Aidan's School Sunderland they had an easy victory. At Club level, J. HOGARTH won the Under 15 Championship.. Finally on behalf of the whole team I would like to thank Brother Livingstone for his continual help and encouragement throughout the season. Paul Hogarth, (Captain).
ADRIAN De LUCA won the Dr. Doherty Public Speaking Competition 1977 with a talk entitled "FISHING". Congratulations. Anthony Kirkman won the Brother Ennis Chess Cup - Senior.
Sad am I to leave this pleasant place M. Scott.
SENIOR 4. ORDINARY LEVEL S.C.E.
SENIOR 5. HIGHER LEVEL S.C.E.
BAYLOR AWARD FOR MERIT.
UNIVERSITY AND FURTHER EDUCATION SUCCESSES We offer our congratulations to the following who obtained awards in Summer 1976. We realise the list may not be complete and we offer our apologies to anyone whom we have inadvertently omitted.
COMMENCING UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGES OF FURTHER EDUCATION AUTUMN 1976
Ashley, Michael is teaching at St. Augustine's High School, Edinburgh. M. McEWAN - R.LANNI
1960-1961 Patrick Burke ('53-'61). Export manager for Kinlock Anderson Ltd. EDMUND RICE CUP
Across 1. Incarcerate 9. Paged 10. Scram 12. SS 13. Dot 14. Sitter 18. End 19. Anti 20. Humbug Down 1. Its Denny Laine 2. Carton 3. Rams 4. EG 5. Apse 6. Ta 7. Ego 8. Ode 11. Con 12. Stubble 15. IOU 16. Raging 17. Still 20. Hustle 23. Tundra 25. To 27. Ogden 30. Plato 32. Harp 33. Port 35. Sten 37. Roi 39. An |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This site is
The main Sponsor |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Content copyright Saltire Solutions 2017 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
