1990: Jubilee Celebrations: Postscript

Article by John Aitkenhead dated 18th October 1990 in Broadsheet 468


The Jubilee Celebrations

Well, 1990 has come, and the long-planned celebrations have taken place. In a word, the Jubilee Reunion in the third week of august was a stupendous success.

From Monday morning people of all ages kept arriving – some pupils of the ‘40s now grandparents. By Saturday there were former pupils or staff members from . . . Australia, China, Japan, Hawaii, California, New York, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, France, England, Scotland, Ireland – and messages of goodwill from Germany, Wales and New Zealand from folk unable to come.

The weather co-operated. Tents and caravans at Knockvennie, local B and B, a few in the school . . . one way and another people were accommodated for a day or two or a whole week or a long visit. Lunches served from the kitchen, drinks available from the Dome turned Pub, the name of the whole happy enterprise was CONVIVIALITY.

So many people put in so much work over months that it would be invidious to mention individuals by name – with one exception, Jem and Julia Cox, as well as purveying the lunches, produced on the last night a banquet to crown the events of the whole week. A sheep was roasted on the wee lawn, and several magnificent Galloway salmon graced the splendid table.
 

John with Jem on his left. Not sure if that is Julia on his right

Exhibitions of paintings (documenting the 40s), of photographs, of craft work in wood, metal, and textiles. All an evocation of what the school has stood for – labours of love.
The marquee on the lawn for the ceilidh on the Friday and Banquet on Saturday and the Dance; the fireworks display from the pond; the Cycle Road Race; the Visitor’s Book; the piper who played each day round lunchtime; meetings over drinks in the Dome; the Jubilee Book; the meetings, the memories, the talk. Tiny school, big family.

Before the dance that followed the banquet, the whole unique occasion called for a word from john: but the company, on their feet, and with one voice, called for Morag . . . and her response ‘brought down the house. 

Sadly, although I was there, I cannot recall Morag’s response – can anybody who was there at the time remember what she said?


Morag and John, perhaps not the 1990s . .  but close.