| Spring Reunion and AGM, Edinburgh 13-15 May 2011
The annual Spring Reunion and AGM was this year held in Edinburgh, based in the Barcelo Carlton Hotel, a well appointed centrally located hotel. One hundred and two members and guests attended all or part of the weekend. British Chapter members were very pleased to welcome the Society President “Shiva” Shivakumar and his wife and members from the Netherlands, Germany, France Austria, Finland and the USA, to make it a truly international gathering.
The programme of activities gave members a real flavour of the city and surroundings, thanks to the local knowledge and hard work of Peter and Evelyn Watson. A Friday afternoon walk led by knowledgeable “Blue Badge” guides provided insights into the old (medieval) and new (18 th century) parts of the city. On Saturday members could choose to visit the Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Georgian House or one of a number of other city attractions including, dare it be said, The Scotch Whisky Experience. On a glorious sunny afternoon a coach took over 70 members and guests to Hopetoun House, one of Scotland’s finest stately homes with surrounding gardens, followed by a quick trip to South Queensferry to look at the famous Forth railway bridge, a triumph of Victorian engineering.
Receptions and dinners on each evening provided plenty of opportunity to catch up with old friends. After dinner on Friday, Alistair Moffat an authority on Edinburgh’s past and a former director of the Edinburgh Fringe, shared some of his insights into the history and more recent cultural heritage of the city. On Saturday evening members were piped into dinner by Pipe Major Iain Grant in full regalia. He then introduced us to an important part of Scottish culture by addressing the haggis – though eating the haggis was not compulsory. The evening closed with a short display of Highland dancing. The AGM on Sunday morning was devoted to a more formal agenda discussing issues affecting the British Chapter and members’ concerns. The AGM was followed by lunch and members dispersed during the afternoon. |
