Brigadoon, Trump And All That Oor Wullie Stuff

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, Opinion  2 Responses »
Mar 072013
 

By Duncan Harley.

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Depending upon your view, this little spiky haired character sitting on his bucket is either a part of our Scottish cultural heritage or the sole reason folk in the USA and elsewhere sometimes imagine that we all live in caves and eat haggis three times a day except on Sundays when we chase sheep around the place just for the devil of it!

“Oor Wullie”, for those not in the know, is a Scottish comic strip. It’s published in the Sunday Post, a Scottish newspaper printed in Dundee and seemingly somehow associated with journalism.

With an average circulation of 242,555 in 2012, which is just about what the Observer and Sunday Mail record sales wise, the newspaper has significant market penetration although there have been persistent rumours that many readers buy the paper and immediately send it abroad to ex-pats without either reading or indeed censoring the content.

Famed for columns about aches and pains, kilt races and lost pets it could be viewed as a sort of National Enquirer without the blood and murders and seems to satisfy those who don’t really want to be bothered overmuch with news or current affairs

The weekly cartoon features a character called Wullie, whose trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat. The artistic style settled down around 1940 and has changed little since. A frequent tagline reads, “Oor Wullie! Your Wullie! A’body’s Wullie” with probably no sexual innuendo intended. Mind you, after that Cardinal O’Brien fiasco, Wullie’s head might just be on the chopping block next!

The image of us Scots is often defined by such strange quirks of popular culture. Look for instance at that recent Hollywood blockbuster Brave which Visit Scotland no less promoted as an “Oscar-winning animated adventure from Disney, the team responsible for worldwide box office smashes such as Toy Story, Up and Finding Nemo”.

The story follows the red haired heroine Merida, a skilled teenage archer battling to change her fate. Toy Story, Finding Nemo and a teenage lady archer? What on earth has that got to do with Scotland?

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Braveheart was bad enough, being described by Billy Connolly as “a piece of pure Australian shite” and voted number one on the British film magazine Empire’s list of “The Top 10 Worst Best Pictures”. The plot involves a smattering of history plus a rampant sexual relationship between Mel Gibson and Princess Isabella.

Isabella of course was born in 1295, and Wallace was killed in 1305, making her only ten at the time. Isabella did not have her first child until 1312, which was seven years after Wallace had died. Do the maths!

Such assaults on the Scottish image remind me of that awful Brigadoon musical of the 1950’s in which some American tourists stumble upon an enchanted Scottish village called Brigadoon.

Every 100 years seemingly, the people of Brigadoon awaken for 24 hours then go back to sleep for another century. After performing on Broadway and London’s West End it was made into a film then a TV series staring Peter Falk of Lieutenant Columbo fame.

With Scottish Independence the horizon it might just be time to have a wee think about how we portray Scotland in the eyes of the world. After all what we put out to the world is what we will reap.

Plus we certainly don’t want any more write ups such as this tripe by a man who claims to half Scottish …

 “I am both proud and excited to share with you my most recent addition to the Trump golf portfolio, in The Home of Golf, Scotland. I have been actively looking for links land in Europe for the past few years, and of course my preference was Scotland over any other country because I am half Scottish.

“My Mother, Mary MacLeod is from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. She grew up in a simple croft until she landed in Manhattan at the age of 20 and her first language was Gaelic. When I saw this piece of land I was overwhelmed by the imposing dunes and rugged Aberdeenshire coastline. I knew that this was the perfect site for Trump International – Scotland.

“I have never seen such an unspoiled and dramatic sea side landscape and the location makes it perfect for our development. Our site is close to two of the world’s most famous courses and is just 25 minutes by car from Aberdeen Airport. As this exciting development comes to fruition, the standards for the golf experience in Scotland will be taken to new levels of excellence by the addition of Trump International Golf Links.”

– Donald J. Trump

Dickens Fellowship Meet Again

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Feb 182013
 

The city’s fledgling Dickens Fellowship will be meeting again on Thursday 21 February at 1900, in a room kindly provided by Grampian Housing Association, 74 Huntly Street. Dr Paul Schlicke reveals more.

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“In light of the sparse attendance at our last meeting when we were treated to an exhibition of Dickens treasures in the University Library, it’s crucial that we have a decent turnout, if our organisation’s to carry on and grow. Please make an effort to attend if you are at all interested in Dickens’s work and life. At this meeting, we’ll be discussing Scenes from Sketches by Boz”, he wrote in a message to nearly 50 individuals who have registered an interest in participating in a Dickens Fellowship.

Dr Schlicke is keen to welcome suggestions regarding the sorts of events which might prove most popular in future.

“We attracted huge audiences for Miriam Margolyes and Jim Naughtie, but they were obviously high profile events. We had respectable attendances for academic lectures over the past 12 months, but we’re not in a financial position to bring speakers in from outside.

“Last year was special, it being the author’s bicentennial, so the University paid for those who came to lecture as part of the 2012celebrations. I’m uncertain whether or not there would be much interest in turning ourselves into a reading group, so any thoughts as to what might be organised to attract 20 or more participants regularly would be welcome.”

In closing, Dr Schlicke spoke in glowing terms of the work done on the recently re-opened Dickens Museum in London’s Doughty Street after a £3m facelift.

“It is simply wonderful. After worrying times only a few years ago, the Museum’s financial position is now decidedly healthy, and a bright future is in prospect. Following a gala celebration held there for Dickens’s birthday on 7 February, it has been open daily. It is well worth a visit!”

For this week’s meeting, there is parking opposite Dana Petroleum’s offices, with access from Kydd Street. Tea and coffee will be available. It would help in planning for numbers if you could let Dr Schlicke know if you plan to attend.

p.schlicke@abdn.ac.uk
http://www.dickensmuseum.com/

A Dickens Of A Night

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Dec 142012
 

Peering out over the High Street’s rimed cobbles from ‘neath their frosted brows, one might easily mistake these spectral figures as characters from some long-forgotten Victorian melodrama. But no, this is Old Aberdeen. They are, in fact, local Dickens enthusiasts, gathering for the last time in the great man’s Bicentennial Year. David Innes reports.

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“No fog, no mist, clear bright, jovial stirring cold” is how Dickens described Christmas Day in A Christmas Carol.

He might have been describing conditions in Aberdeen on Thursday 6 December, but while the wintry weather was without doubt a factor in keeping numbers low, those who braved the temperatures and icy underfoot conditions to attend the event at the new university library enjoyed a one-off treat.

The university is proud to possess one of the best Dickens collections in the world and it was a privilege to be present when the first editions of all his works were laid out for examination and enjoyment.

With special thanks to Keith O’ Sullivan, the University of Aberdeen’s Senior Rare Books Librarian. Thank you, Keith.

Particularly worthy of mention are the two first editions of Oliver Twist (1838). Until publication of this novel in its constituent parts, Dickens had used the pen name ‘Boz’. He had decided, however, that his own identity be used when the book was published in collected form.

The first edition was published by George Bentley before Dickens’ wish could be granted. It was only delayed by a week, as the Boz edition sold out and the imprint with the author’s own identity was offered for sale.

The entire Sketches by Boz series is also part of the University’s collection. It was surprising to see that each part was priced at one shilling (5 pence), expensive for the times.

Theatre posters of interest and lesser-known works were also displayed, each adding to the overall picture of the hugely-talented man still loved by millions, two hundred years after his birth.

Due to the low numbers, formal business was suspended for the evening but dates of future meetings, based around discussion of specific writings from the great man’s output, were agreed. Everyone on the mailing list will be contacted in advance of these meetings, the first of which is scheduled to be held on 21 February 2013.

If you wish to be added to Dr Paul Schlicke’s e-mail circular, drop him an e-mail p.schlicke@abdn.ac.uk

Publishing Icon Folds: Scotland Closed for Business

 Creative Writing, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Dec 032012
 

dandy
By Suzanne Kelly.

The bell tolls for one of Scotland’s most famous businesses, which had exported its products around the world. Its long-serving staff members, some of whom had been with the firm for over five decades, are distraught as the firm lets them go for younger, more modern business models.

Yes, the Dandy has folded in a very literal sense; it is no more.

DC Thomson could have closed one of its other comedy publications such as the Evening Express or the Press and Journal. The circulation of these comics was outstripped by the Dandy. 

In its drive to modernise, however, the firm has decided the world needs more erotic literature and will open a ‘sexy’ publishing arm soon (but obviously not as sexy as the Evening Express).

One DC Thomson insider said:

“We’re considered axing the Evening Express. It doesn’t make as much money as the Dandy, but it sure is funnier. Besides, our new core family values don’t permit us to continue inspiring bad behaviour in young people. The company will therefore continue producing the Evening Express and Press and Journal, which inspire no one, young or old, to do anything. 

“We will now go into the now-respectable mummy porn industry, seeing as ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ is making so much money, something we haven’t managed to do for some time. 

 He continued:

“One thing is for certain, young people today are always on the Web. We think the reason we have done badly of late has to do with the Web, whatever that is. In fact, we’ve been making a case for building a web in Aberdeen, as the web’s what everyone seems to be into around the world. 

“I can’t imagine why people are against the web and all the connectivity it would bring – whatever that means.  We’ve been gently hinting in our comics in subtle ways that the city should have a web.  Perhaps we need to give the web idea a bit more coverage in our local papers.”

Many of those let go have suffered problems. One young woman, Beryl the Peril, has noted a deterioration in her relationship with her father. Social services have intervened, and she is receiving therapy to find more productive means of channelling her frustrations rather than pelting her father with snowballs. She has been cautioned that her neighbourhood antics could earn her an ASBO, and she may be charged with elder abuse.

“It’s all because we didn’t cover the dual carriageway that my life’s a mess,” Beryl told a press conference; “Without a granite web, what’s a girl to do but get in trouble down the Union Square Mall.” 

A canine was seized under the dangerous dog act, as no one is certain what breed it is.  Gnasher, as it is known, was owned by a former Dandy employee named Dennis. It is thought the dog picked up some aggressive behaviour from its relationship with Dennis, who will be charged with menacing behaviour.

Dennis and Beryl have both been put on mandatory Ritalin regimes and will soon calm down, becoming acceptably well-behaved members of society.

Aberdeen City Council has come forward with at least one job offer for a redundant staff member.

“We have been looking at the accomplishments of one Dandy regular, and hope to poach him for our administration. Roger the Dodger, as he is known, is just the sort of person we need running things around here in an executive capacity. A go-getter like Roger would be the perfect addition to our team, even if he is a bit of an over-achiever and a little over-qualified.”

Sadly, staff member Desperate Dan may not be well enough to find any future work. After decades of eating Cow Pies, he has contracted BSE. Normally a very serious condition, ATOS have assessed Dan and decided he is still completely fit and well for all types of work. The Health & Safety Executive have rightly banned him from shaving with a blowtorch, and he is no longer permitted to lift a cow with one hand, either. According to friends, Dan is feeling desperate.

Health problems are also plaguing ex-DC Thomson employee Bananaman. His binge eating, and use of genetically modified bananas purportedly to gain strength have greatly injured his health. Some say he was actually using performance-enhancing drugs but pretending his strength came from fruit. Others think his delusions of powers including flight stem from a bad drugs experience in the Torry area of Aberdeen.

A team from ATOS will assess his fitness to work (which will say he’s fine) and determine whether or not he needs drug rehabilitation. Social workers will help his rehabilitation by helping him choose appropriate dress for the workplace.

We wish all the comical characters of DC Thomson all the best in their futures.

The Spirit Of The School

 Aberdeen City, Community  4 Responses »
Oct 312012
 

victoria-road-school-009
By Graeme Milne.

There is something about schools, particularly old Victorian schools, that are a breeding ground for urban myths and tall tales of ‘ghosts’.

I personally know of at least three in Aberdeen that are ‘supposed to be haunted’.

Older kids take great delight in recounting these stories to the more sensitive, exaggerating them to the point where to set foot in the spirits’ domain is asking for trouble.

Usually thought to be haunting the attic, a place associated with all manner of spookiness, the restless spirit would appear to be doomed to a life among the cobwebs and dusty books of these forbidden areas. That being said schools can be mildly spooky; places where imaginations run riot after the noise of the school day has dwindled.

Despite being a breeding ground for the fevered imaginations of the young, many of these buildings can, after closer scrutiny, be legitimately described as being haunted – as in the case of Victoria Road School.

It was with much sadness to pupils and parents that in 2008 Victoria Road School was deemed surplus to requirement and despite a campaign to keep it open, the building was closed. Today it lies empty, its future open to speculation.

Victoria Road School was essentially a school of two halves, the first part being built in 1878 after the Fisherman’s Association of old Torry voted to pay £1400 towards the costs. On May 2nd 1878, Torry Public School, as it was once known, opened. The first headmaster Mr. William Yunnie had according to records the unenviable task of teaching 100 pupils in the ‘main room’.

As the population increased, so did the need for space and by 1904 Victoria Road School, as it was renamed, was opened with the original part of the building being delegated as a base for teaching children of nursery age, a tradition which continued until its closure.

During my research I was told that a number of head teachers lived in the older part of the building, upstairs in a series of small rooms, a rumour that perhaps bears out as Miss Nesbit, head teacher, is listed in the 1905 Post Office Directory as being at that address.

During World War Two, the main body of the school was hit by a shell during a bombing raid causing massive damage. I am glad to say however that in true Dunkirk spirit it was quickly rebuilt despite the austerity of wartime. The school has always held an interest for me, not least because my daughter Geraldine once attended there.

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However there are many other reasons why this building remains a point of fascination for me and as you will have guessed it is due in no small part to the persistent rumours about it being haunted.

Since its closure I have made a point of speaking to as many former staff members and pupils as I can about the alleged activity and in particular about the sightings of a lady seen in what has been described as Victorian dress who was named  ’Lizzie’ by staff.

It must be said that during my research I have come to the conclusion that cleaners, apart from having to work long unsociable hours, have the added disadvantage or advantage, depending on your point of view, of usually being in the right place and right time to experience otherworldly phenomena.

Judging by what I have been told though, many do not consider it a perk of the job for which they should be grateful. Usually the first in a building or the last out at night, cleaners have to contend not only with overflowing bins but also the chance of bumping into someone, quite literally, that should no longer be there. Victoria Road School is no different in that respect as you will hear.

I first became aware of the rumours concerning the school while in conversation with my partner. Having spent many years working there she had obviously heard stories concerning the building, particularly the older part of the school which has a central gym hall with rooms running off it. The woodwork in this part of the building is Victorian and really quite grand with large dark coloured doors leading to the dining hall and class rooms.

  She looked very real, so much so I began to speak to her but she just went on through the gym door

Upstairs was the old school nurse’s office which at that time was used for a variety of different purposes. Carol described how on one occasion she was in the room moving some boxes when she had an overpowering feeling that someone was also there, standing behind her. So tangible was the feeling that she left the area promptly.

She found the experience unnerving and after mentioning this to colleagues found out that others had experienced the same sense of being watched. I asked if she would mention my research to interested parties and was soon in receipt of a number of interesting tales, one of which described an actual full-bodied apparition that had been seen at close quarters.

But before we look at this example, the school administrator, Maureen, furnished me with the following account which has a great similarity to Carol’s experience.

She stated,

“As a former pupil of the school I cannot remember any mention at that time of a ‘ghost’ while I was there so I cannot believe that what happened three years ago was in any way influenced by my childhood memories.

“As the school administrator I was spending the first week of the summer holidays working in the office. I had of course heard from other staff members of their experiences in the building but can honestly say that I took it all as nonsense, being quite a sceptical person myself.

“That day I was entirely alone in the building but was in no way bothered as I had worked alone in the holidays for many years. I was packing up and getting ready to go for the day. 

“I picked up my handbag and had just started to put my jacket on when I had the most uneasy feeling. I saw nothing and heard nothing but had the most overwhelming sensation that there was a presence outside the large office window. Needless to say I got out of the building as quickly as possible and felt extremely uneasy for a few days after.”

When I asked if she had heard of any similar occurrences she stated that the school cleaners had always claimed to be aware of something but this had always occurred in the old school. This, as I have mentioned, was the original Torry Public school before it was renamed and extended.

With my interest piqued I was soon given an account by one of the long serving school cleaners who told me the following:

“The first time I felt anything was at the bottom of the school, the old part. It was an intense cold feeling that went away as quickly as it arrived. This happened several times. I just got used to it until one day while cleaning the gym my ‘hoover’ was switched off at the wall.

“I immediately thought it was one of my colleagues trying to get my attention but on turning round to speak was shocked to see a woman who was dressed in what I thought was 1900-1920’s clothing. She looked very real, so much so I began to speak to her but she just went on through the gym door going towards the bottom part of the school. She literally vanished before my eyes.

“After that I began to hear footsteps quite regularly, always around 5.30 in the morning. Although I sometimes felt apprehensive I just carried on as normal until one day I was buffing the back corridor at around 6.30 in the morning when the buffer went what I can only describe as “funny”, turning by itself and pinning me against the wall.

“At the same time the temperature went very cold. I got it shifted and then I shouted out to whoever was doing this to stop it! At other times doors would open and close. It didn’t bother me though as you got used to it. Another strange thing is that you would also hear a lot of footsteps coming from certain areas as though children were walking through the corridors.”

When I asked if she had any other experiences she would like to share she described an incident that happened during the ‘big clean’, which was a thorough top to bottom clean of the building once term had finished.

“I was late one year with the big clean and had to go back to the school gym area again to put on polish. I took two of my dogs with me. I got as far as the top area which leads to the gym when they both stopped and started to pull back and shake. One darted up to the top of the stairs while the other just lay down frozen to the spot and shook.

“I had to just get on with the polishing and leave them there till I had finished. It was very cold at that point and needless to say my dogs wouldn’t come back into the school. I would often feel someone was watching me and used to say “hello Lizzie” when it got cold, however I didn’t feel threatened apart from that time with the buffer. 

“A funny thing happened in the main corridor about a week before the school closed. The grandfather clock started to tick quite loudly but as you got nearer to it, it stopped. 

“Also in the last week there were more noises than usual heard all over the school, footsteps, doors banging and certain areas seemed to be abnormally cold. These cold spots seemed to appear all over the school and were very random. It was worse at the bottom end where the head teacher would have stayed. This used to be the old medical room.”

I found the above accounts fascinating and when asked if she remembered anything else particularly relating to the time the figure was seen, she stated the following.

“The lady I saw looked like a teacher and I would say she was approximately five foot 3 to five foot five inches in height. She was very slim and had black hair all tied up on the top of her head. She wore lace up boots and a long skirt to her ankles. She also had on a white shirt and long black cardigan coat and seemed to be carrying something in her hands, which I could not make out. It was so vivid”.

Intrigued, I began asking around if there were any other people in the area that had heard of these events but drew a blank. This, however was to change soon after when I attended a local community fair, and as luck would have it,  I had a chance meeting with Mary, a former worker at the school. She was tasked on occasion with locking up the building and told me the following which occurred at the end of her shift.

“Everyone knew about ‘Lizzie’ and she was seen a number of times over the years. This never happened in the newer part of the school but always in the original part.

“As you know there is a long flight of stairs that connects the two buildings and staff would always notice a difference in atmosphere and temperature between the two. I remember my friend having her ‘hoover’ switched off at the wall while cleaning and after switching it back on turned round only to see a figure of a woman in old fashioned clothes standing behind her. The building definitely had cold spots which would sometimes follow staff around.

“The main thing that happened to me was when I saw the figure of a man in the building which gave me quite a start. I was about to switch the lights off at the top of the stairs when I noticed a figure standing at the bottom. Thinking it was the janitor I shouted down and asked what he was doing.

“The figure never moved and so I shouted again and started to walk towards it. I got part way down when I noticed it wasn’t the janitor at all. The figure instead, was that of a small skinny man wearing a flat cap. As I approached him he just vanished before my eyes. I was scared and I turned and ran from the building.

“The first thing I did when I got outside was to phone the supervisor who took the whole thing in her stride. The thing I remember most afterwards, was that I was perplexed as to who he was as most of the stories I had heard connected to the building seemed to relate to a female figure. I still wonder who he was.”

I asked if she had any further information to impart and she continued:

“The funny thing is that we all knew about the sightings of ‘Lizzie’ but were told not to speak to the kids about her even though many parents asked questions. Apparently they did not want the kids finding out too much as they did not want to scare them. Now that the buildings are closed I have often wonder if she is still in there.

“I would have loved it if we could have got a medium in to help solve the mystery but I would imagine that would never have been allowed. The building definitely had an atmosphere and we knew who was responsible for this though I might add there was never a bad feeling.”

So for now, Victoria Road School lies sadly empty and although I visited it frequently in the past, its secrets now lie dormant. Despite this my aim is to continue to gather evidence about this building as I have been told there are many other people out there who have experienced similar sightings.

The question is, who is or was ‘Lizzie’? It would appear that many ‘ghosts’ are named as a means of humanising them and most alleged haunted houses seem to have a cheerfully named spirit or two, the school being no exception.

Interestingly if staff had looked through one of Aberdeen’s old Post Office directories from early last century they would have noticed an entry stating the person residing at Torry Public School was a lady by the name of Miss E. Nisbet, occupation Headmistress.

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Hard Times? Not For Dickens Fans

 Aberdeen City, News  No Responses »
Oct 262012
 

Following the stupendous success of the most recent gatherings of Aberdeen’s Dickens aficionados when Miriam Margolyes entertained us and James Naughtie enlightened us, Dr Paul Schlicke has asked Voice to remind readers of the next planned event. 

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Professor Michael Slater, the world’s foremost living authority on Dickens will be in Aberdeen on Thursday 8 November.
He will be speaking on his experience of writing what is by far the best modern biography of Dickens, under the title An Attempt on the Life of Charles Dickens.  The lecture will take place in room 228 of the new University Library at 7 pm. This will also be an opportunity for members of the public to experience this recently-opened state-of-the-art learning and study facility.

Professor Slater, of Birkbeck College, University of London, is author of Dickens and Women, The Genius of Dickens, Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing, and most recently, The Great Charles Dickens Scandal.

He is a former editor of the Dickensian, past chairman of the board of trustees of the Charles Dickens Museum in London, past president of the international Dickens Fellowship, past president of the Dickens Society of America, and founder of the annual Dickens Day at Birkbeck College. He is an excellent speaker. We are privileged to have him visit us in Aberdeen.

For your diaries – our final meeting of the calendar year, at 1900 on Thursday 6 December, will be an exhibition of the Dickens treasures held in the University of Aberdeen library. The collection is one of the very best in the world, including first editions of all of Dickens’s novels, copies of his periodicals, and a wide range of supporting documents. Not to be missed!

Bring along your favourite reading passage from Dickens, which we didn’t have time to enjoy at earlier meetings. We will also use the gathering as an opportunity to discuss the future of our branch, not only in considering possible topics for future meetings, but also deciding whether or not we wish to affiliate with the international Dickens Fellowship.

These events are open to all members of the public and we would be delighted to meet new friends and fellow admirers of the master of fiction.

Dufton Scott – What Happened Next

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information  1 Response »
Sep 132012
 

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug” Mark Twain.

Aberdeen Voice carried a feature last year about Katie Scott’s quest to have a commemorative plaque erected in Inverurie for her grandfather, the Doric writer and performer Dufton Scott. Here’s Katie’s update.

duftonscottshoppic

My task was to have a plaque designed and made. The chosen plaque makers, Leander Architectural, were very supportive and helpful, offering me several designs from which to choose.

I was clear about the wording; it needed to include, Dufton Scott – the refined and original Scottish humourist.

But this sparked some debate in the family. Do we say Scots or Scottish or, dare I say it, Scotch? This led to some interesting research.

I found no end of debates around these words which brought in other items of interest including,

Scot free  – very interesting!

Scotch whisky

Scotch myths and Scotch mist, Scotch broth, Scotch tape, more commonly Sellotape.

Then we have English, Scottish, Irish, British, but American, Australian, Norwegian, Saudi Arabian, Brazilian.

This was a most enjoyable and interesting detour, as I love words and looking at their origins and derivatives and so on, but the choice seemed to be made for me. Dufton had described himself as Scottish humorist on an advertising flyer which I have. Note the spelling of his occupation , which led to another battle of words. A potentially expensive one for me, as I will shortly explain.

duftonscottplaque
Once I had agreed the design, size and colour of the plaque, I double-checked the wording on it.

I was very happy.

It looked like this.

I paid for the production and delivery to Kellas, Solicitors. My next task was to arrange some kind of unveiling which proved to be much more difficult than I had ever imagined.

The Doric Festival is an important annual cultural festival.  The unveiling of the plaque to Dufton Scott would be an appropriate festival event, so I contacted Sandy Stronach, Festival Director, who was keen to support and help me. He wrote this on last year’s Doric Festival website,

“Unveiling a Plaque at Inverurie

Robert Dufton Scott

A communiction from Katie es verra day means that it hisna bin possible tae get aathin thegidder for pittin up a plaque es eer!

But we’ll leave es message here as we’ll maist certainly pit on an event neist year!

So look oot for “Dufton Scott” in 2012!

Dufton Scott was a noted writer of Doric plays and performer, including Gavin Greig’s “Mains Wooin”.

Born in Forgue in 1880, he eventually ran a shop in Inverurie, dying in 1944.

Not before time his grand-daughter, Katie Scott, is organising to unveil a plaque to her grand-father at the site of the shop, now Stronachs,(sic) the Solicitor at High Street, Inverurie.

At this stage we do not have a date or time for the unveiling, but we have told Katie that we will be present and will help out with readings.

If like the Festival Director you remember Dufton Scott in his shop or if you remember performances of his works then this is an event you should not miss!

Keep an ee oot on es page fer the hinmast times fin they come tae han!”

Also supportive was Charles Barron, so it was with immense sadness that I learned that this great Doric playwright, academic, actor and teacher had died earlier this year.

I am also sad that I have been unable to stay in touch with Sandy, so I do not have any information about this year’s Doric Festival. If anyone has this, I would love to know, do please contact me.

Another who has been of great help is Lorna Alexander, who told me that she is to perform some of Dufton Scott’s work, as well has her own, in Inverurie on October 2 as part of the Luminate Festival. Since I have come to a complete dead end in finding out anything about this year’s Doric Festival, Lorna kindly invited me to attend her readings at the Acorn Centre. It will be wonderful to hear Dufton’s work performed, and exciting to see the plaque which will be erected by then, with one major correction.

dufton01
As I was going through my box of things pertaining to Dufton, I looked again at the flyer which had sparked my word hunt about Scots or Scottish.

As I said, I have always loved words and dictionaries and am always keen to learn more.

So I experienced a strange feeling as I looked again at the yellowing flyer, at my grandad’s handsome face, and at the strange way he had chosen to spell humorist.

Why would he, a wordsmith, spell it incorrectly?

My expression changed from puzzlement to horror. Oh no! Did I ever even check the spelling of the word?

I dashed for my Collins English Dictionary, a huge tome, much-thumbed, heavy and lovely. I tore through the pages to find the blasted word.

Good grief.

The correct spelling, of course, because Dufton would not have got it wrong, is humorist, although this really does look wrong doesn’t it?

I scrambled to the phone, but it was a bank holiday and there was no answer from Leander Architectural. I got up first thing the next day, phoned, to be told that unfortunately the plaque was already made, and ready to ship that day. Thankfully, they agreed to stop the order but unfortunately the whole plaque had to be recast. As I said, a most expensive mistake, but I am sure the people of Inverurie will be happier to know that one of the town’s most famous residents is commemorated appropriately.

A group of the Scott family is descending on Inverurie for the first week in October. We shall take pleasure and pride in viewing the plaque on the wall of Kellas, Solicitors. We are looking forward to meeting Lorna and hearing her performance of two of Dufton Scott’s pieces. If you have any memories of Dufton Scott, do please get in touch. We could share a wee dram!

It would be wonderful if we could also find the other grandchildren of Dufton Scott. Our father was Gavin Scott, but he had a brother, Robert, who had two girls, Frances and Margaret. What a joy it would be if we could trace them too.

  • Contact info and links:

e-mail –  Katie.scott@gmx.com

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/scot%20free.html

http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/09/scot-scotch-scottish.html

http://www.charlesbarron.co.uk/

http://www.luminatescotland.org/events/value-age-doric-sketches-lorna-alexander

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Old Susannah No 82: Arts and Craftiness

 Aberdeen City, Satire and Humour  No Responses »
Jun 222012
 

Voice’s Old Susannah comments on current events and enlightens us with definitions of some tricky terms with a locally topical taste. By Suzanne Kelly.

dictionary

Tally Ho!  I’m not sure if this past week was more vibrant than it was dynamic or more dynamic than it was vibrant – but it’s been good on the whole.  Gray’s School of Art degree and fashion shows took place, I went along to the Sunday movie at The Moorings, and there were lots of cocktails.

RGU was interesting; for some reason just as we arrived, I was puzzled as my friends abruptly scarpered in different directions.  I was told later that I’d been standing next to HoMalone, and my friends didn’t want to see what would happen next. Not that I would have confronted her; I would have said “Hello!  My deer!”, or asked her where she got the fluorescent mustard coloured blazer she wore at the vote count.

She was probably searching for the Gray’s designer who made clothing out of fur, or the jeweller using bone, or so I would imagine (NB there were some imaginative uses of fake fur on show – why use dead animals for decorative reasons?).

Before the RGU fashion show, Gray’s Head of School made a speech, concluding that Gray’s and RGU were firmly behind Aberdeen’s bid for the highly coveted ‘City of Culture’ title.  Hooray!

There were several interesting artists and designers on show; I particularly liked jewellery by Sarah Sidwick.  In a written statement Sarah claimed:-

“Body image dissatisfaction is on the rise, with more pressure than ever before put on both women and men to obtain society’s projected ideal beauty…. I believe we should all start taking the growing problem of bodily image dissatisfaction more seriously and question our view on what makes someone ‘beautiful’.

We all have different ideas of what is beautiful I guess.  As long as someone’s not to fat or too thin, or too tall or short, and doesn’t show any sign of ageing – and wears lots of designer gear, it’s safe to say they are beautiful.

For anyone who likes to watch a movie without interruptions or without listening to other people’s mobiles going off every five minute, I’d suggest the Sunday Movie at the Moorings Bar.  The lights are dimmed around 4pm-ish, the doors are locked, and the audience is quiet.  Last week’s movie was called ‘Dazed & Confused’.

Old Susannah found some of the film’s references difficult to follow, and was puzzled that the young people in it seemed to smoke roll-up cigarettes with excessive frequency; I can’t imagine why.

There were a few occasions for cocktails this week, and my first visit to 99 Back Wynd won’t be my last.  There is a ‘Painkiller’ cocktail which is delicious, and they have violet-flavoured alcohol, which I love.

  Saturday 23 June is nearly upon us, and the biggest party Union Terrace Gardens has ever seen will be on

Possibly best of all is that BrewDog is offering cocktails.  Beer cocktails.  BrewDog craft beer  cocktails.    These spirit-lifting cocktails include Pretty in Punk, Saint’s Delight, Hardcore Pornography and Orange Tide.   A girl in BrewDog had selected about 20 bottles of different beers to take away; she told me it was a birthday present for a friend.  I told her my birthday is 9 July.

And I launched an eBook this week.  It’s a very short work entitled ‘Old Susannah’s Handbook of Modern Manners – Part One’.  It is available on kindle via Amazon.  The introduction is available to read for free, but after that it gets a tiny bit sarcastic.  It is yours for about £1.90, and should I sell any copies, then 20% of any profit will be split between four animal welfare/sanctuary groups. No doubt the City of Culture Bid Committee will be interested.

It can be found at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008C81M1I

Seeing as the City of Culture is the topic on everyone’s lips (why, I can barely sleep!), I will include a few relevant definitions.  Before that, just a reminder that Saturday 23 June is nearly upon us, and the biggest party Union Terrace Gardens has ever seen will be on.  Hope to see you there.

But amid all this fun, the Freedom of Information people wrote to me this afternoon about some of my deer cull questions.  It seems that despite public observation to the contrary, warning signs were posted at each and every entrance during the weeks the shooting took place.

The signs said ‘forestry operations’ were in effect.  Obviously, forestry operations meant hunters were shooting rifles and a lethal risk existed.  By the way, 23 deer were shot, none were just wounded (so the city says), and all were ‘clean kills’.  However, to shoot 23 deer, 33 rounds of ammunition were fired.

I put my hands up (especially if confronted with a high-powered rifle) – but if 23 animals were shot instantly dead, doesn’t this mean an extra 10 shots were taken?  Did it take more than one shot to kill the poor (hand-fed in some cases) creatures?  Did any bullets miss – therefore meaning there could have been some serious accidents?

Feel free to ask the City yourself about the cull, the correct warning signs as to lethal risk, and the 33 rounds needed to kill 23 deer.

Now onwards with a few definitions

Culture: (noun, Eng) 1.  the collective qualities, traits, idiosyncrasies that give an area, a group or a nation its individuality.

A Ms D Morgan sent a letter to the Press & Journal last week; in it she noted that Aberdeen has closed nearly a dozen of its museums and/or sold collections over the past decade and a bit.  We recently flogged off some of the Thomas Glover House artefacts as well.  And about time.

No one is interested in history, old buildings or old paintings; people want to see sharks in fish tanks, skulls covered with diamonds, and granite webs.  The sooner we can get more vibrant and dynamic the better.  This is how it works.

  • Sell off your old stuff.  Sell old trees for lumber in Hazlehead Park and use the money to plant trees on Tullos Hill (irrespective of the existing ecosystem, peoples’ wishes, or the fact the trees won’t grow).
  • Shoot the deer that lived on the hill and sell their carcasses for game meat.
  • Let your old buildings either rot, get burnt down, or just sell them.  Then you have cash in hand.
  • Close museums; throw any books you find in Marischal College’s basement museum into a skip.
  • Buy some trendy new art, and get lots of consultants in.
  • Build new venues, even if the existing venues have to be subsidised by the taxpayer.
  • Borrow lots and lots of money over what you got by selling the family silverware.
  • Give money to consultants.
  • Borrow more money.
  • Set up some private companies, preferably with the established quangos which you’ve helped to set up.
  • You will need more money.  Cut funds, stop benefits, close schools, pressure libraries.
  • Ask arts practitioners in the area what they want, and ignore those who are politically awkward, not dependent on you for funding, or who want a slice of the new pie.
  • Set up lots of meetings, think-tanks, new groups.
  • Select a random area of the city to be the quarter for arts.  Impose this new geography.  Then sit back and wait for the public’s grateful thanks, and grants to roll in, and tourists in their thousands to appear, hopefully generating the £122,000,000 you promised people your granite web and new ideas would bring in each year.  If you build it, they will come.

I do not think Aberdeen can be rivalled in its ambition.

City of Culture: (noun, mod. English) title bestowed upon a UK/European City by vote. 

The irreverent magazine ‘Private Eye’ has previously pointed out how Liverpool, previous City of Culture, spent a great deal of money on events which sadly people weren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate or support, and wasted a fortune.  But Valerie  Watts, our Chief Executive, came from Derry.  Derry won City of Culture, and she wants another similar victory here!

Only a minority of negative people in Derry think that money was wasted on this award.  £12  million or so was needed for Derry’s ‘Millennium Way’.  If you and I haven’t heard of it, it is because we are uncultured.    Here is some criticism of what I am sure was a brilliant idea:-  http://www.lurganmail.co.uk/news/local/city-of-culture-not-a-priority-1-3761381

But suddenly as I read these old stories, everything fell into place for Old Susannah as she remembered one of the huge white elephants of Liverpool.  Actually, it was not a white elephant…

We have seen some of our quangos and LibDem / SNP politicians desperate to build a giant granite web.  I can now reveal the reason we are desperate for the giant web is that a city of culture must have:  A Giant Spider.

City movers and shakers in Liverpool,  (home of the Beatles, Echo  & the Bunnymen, classical performers, painters and sculptors) decided to ignore all that art nonsense and get really cultural – with a giant spider called ‘the princess project’.  The spider’s cost was nearly £2,000,000.  What a bargain!

Why DaVinci, Mozart, Bach, Turner and so on ignored the cultural importance of a giant spider is beyond me; I guess we’re just more enlightened now.  But ‘Liverpool Culture Company (in turn funded by the city, the Arts Council and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport) decided to get a giant Japanese spider.  I guess Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan were not available at the time.

Who were the creative geniuses behind this entire ‘city of culture’ invention?  Who wanted a giant spider above classical arts and indeed before serving the needs of the Liverpudlian citizen?

The entire concept of a Department of Culture, Media & Sport was an ancient dream we can thank Tony Blair for.  One of the first Ministers for this crucial cabinet post was the talented David Mellor.  He was famous for having his toes sucked by Antonia de Sancha, as reported widely at the time.

Was it a Shakespearean scholar, Tom Stoppard or another luminary who helped devise this spider scheme and run Liverpool’s year?  Indeed:  it was creator of Brookside Close, Phil Redmond, who was Liverpool Culture Company’s artistic director. To quote Wikipedia, which is quite accurate on this story, Redmond said :-

“At £1.5m I think it’s (the giant spider) actually cheaper than (booking) Macca (Sir Paul McCartney) and it has got us on the front of the South China Morning Post. So it’s good value for money.  However, the project has come in for criticism [whatever for? – Old Susannah asks] in some quarters: the UK mental health charity Anxiety has highlighted the potentially traumatic effect of the production upon those suffering with arachnophobia, and the TaxPayers’ Alliance has called the artwork an “outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money”.

The vast majority of the public response was … that “The Liverpool Princess’ performance was the highlight of the city’s Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations.”

I can well believe that was the highlight, remembering some of the other non-events Private Eye covered.  There were cancelled performances, people giving work to acquaintances, and all sorts of dubious goings-on.

None of that could happen here however.

Patronage: (noun) to support, pay for or otherwise assist an artist, project, sportsman, etc.

In a far distant past, the fine artist was paid by the rich to portray the wealthy patron in a favourable light.  The artists were obliged to do as they were told, but often they left clues behind in their work to say how they really felt about their patron (stone masons would leave small caricatures behind in the back of their work).

Later, the role of patron switched to the State.  If your artwork pleases the government, you get grants.

For instance the man who was paid £9,000 (or so) to paint our Lord Provost told the press:

”I think he ( Provost Stephens) is a really nice man.” 

Well, he would say that wouldn’t he? It’s not like he feels any obligation to the system that commissioned him; or that would mean we have the state controlling what artists do – heaven forbid! – whereas the negative, fault-finding, duo of Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney were denied grants from Creative Scotland, as ‘no one would be interested in a documentary about Donald Trump and the Menie Estate’.

Thankfully, by letting the government dish out money to the artists they like is that we can try to prevent another ‘You’ve Been Trumped’ from getting made.  I wonder how many people with similar projects which were turned down didn’t find the resources to realize their artistic visions.

Thankfully, we will never find out.  Another benefit is we don’t have to think too much about what is good or bad art – the state chooses for us.  Result!

Old Susannah has already been a bit longer-winded than she had intended; apologies.

Next week:  No Creative Scotland commissions for me.

Tales Of Wartime Trawler Inspires New Exhibition

 Aberdeen City, Featured, News  No Responses »
May 242012
 

An innovative and inspiring exhibition will open this weekend [Saturday 26 May] at Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Shiprow. WAVE/ING  by artist Jini Rawlings, is inspired by the journals of an Aberdeen trawler skipper written during World War II.  With thanks to Julie Aitken-Brown.

stillc-from-the-sublime2

WAVE/ING is an exhibition of films created by artist Jini Rawlings around the Icelandic coast and countryside and inspired by a diary written by Aberdeen trawler skipper Alfred Craig onboard HMS Van Oost, who described his trips to Iceland as part of a convoy escort service from November 1940 to March 1941.

These journals are part of the museum’s collections and will be on display alongside Jini’s artistic interpretation.

This new video and mixed media art installation explores themes of journey and thresholds.  Shot on location in Iceland, the journeys are linked by location and personal witness but separated by time, class and gender.

Jini was also motivated by the journals of lone female traveller, Elizabeth Jane Oswald, who explored Iceland in the 19th century.

The exhibition features constantly changing images and text that explore the experience of a visitor to a location and the gesture of the wave; whether it is welcoming or bidding farewell.

Aberdeen Maritime Museum curator [maritime history] Meredith Greiling said:

“We are delighted to host this new work by Jini Rawlings, based in part on the museum’s collections.  These installations are distributed throughout different spaces in the museum and create unexpected encounters for visitors.  It is an excellent way of interpreting the collections and using them to inspire visitors and encourage them to think in broader terms about the people and stories represented by objects.”

Artist Jini Rawlings added:

“As well as providing the original inspiration for WAVE/ING the Maritime museum provides a powerful location for this exhibition. I am fascinated by the museum as a ‘container’ of memories.  Much of my work has been inspired by uncovering and re-interpreting often hidden texts and Alfred Craig’s log provided an especially rich source.”

The exhibition runs until Saturday 01 September 2012.  Admission free.

WAVE/ING is supported by Arts Council England.

  • Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Shiprow, Aberdeen, AB11 5BY
    Tel: 01224 337700
    Fax: 01224 213066
  • Opening Times:
    Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 5pm
    Sunday 12noon – 3pm
    CLOSED Monday

The Most Immoral Trade of All: The Arms Trade

 Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Information, Opinion  No Responses »
Apr 062012
 

At the next meeting of Aberdeen CND on Monday 10th April, Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen CND and also a member of Campaign Against the Arms Trade, will be leading a discussion on the Arms Trade. The meeting will take place at 7.30pm on the Top Floor of the Belmont Cinema, Belmont Street, Aberdeen.

caat
The arms trade is a deadly, corrupt business. It supports conflicts and human rights abusing regimes while squandering valuable resources which could be used to deal with the many social and environmental challenges we face here on Planet Earth. It does this with the full support of governments around the world, in particular the five permanent members of the United Nations  Security Council: the United States, Russia, France, China and the United Kingdom.

These are the very countries which are meant to be our global custodians, but are in fact the very countries which are feeding global insecurity and conflict.

While very few countries sell large volumes of weaponry, the buyers are spread across the world. Other than to the five permanent UN Security Council members, the largest buyers are in the Middle East and South East Asia. The arms themselves range from fighter aircraft, helicopters and warships with guided missiles, radar and electronic warfare systems, tanks, armoured vehicles, machine guns and rifles.

The common misconception is that it is the illegal trade that is damaging, while the legal trade is tightly controlled and acceptable. However, the vast majority of arms sold around the world including those to human rights abusing governments or into areas of conflict are legal and are supported by governments. In 2007 the value of legal arms around the world amounted to 60 billion dollars. The illegal market is estimated at 5 billion dollars:  many illegal weapons end up as legal weapons.

The arms trade exists to provide weapons to those who can pay for them. What the buyers do with the arms, what political approval the sales signify, and how money could be better spent appears irrelevant to the arms companies and our governments. The UK Government’s 2010 Human Rights Annual Report identified 26 countries of concern. In that year the UK approved arms licences to 16 of these.

There’s a sense that in the past we were embarrassed about supporting defence exports. There’s no such embarrassment in this Government.

David Cameron was in the Middle East on a high-profile mission to sell arms when the democracy movement started in the Middle East. Selling arms to a country in conflict whether internal or external makes the conflict more deadly and longer lasting.
If there is tension between countries or within a country, then arms purchases are likely to increase this tension and make actual conflict more likely.

Even when conflict has ended, arms, particularly small arms, may remain in large numbers (as in Libya at present), fuelling further conflicts and/or criminal activity.

Every year the UK Government authorises the sale of arms to well over 100 countries. This is hardly surprising given that it is Government policy to vigorously support arms exports. Peter Luff, Minister of Defence Exports in the present UK Government, has stated that:

“There’s a sense that in the past we were embarrassed about supporting defence exports. There’s no such embarrassment in this Government.”

Arms companies and Government are inseparable when it comes to selling arms. The Government’s UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) department is a vital element of UK’s arms dealing. In 2008 the Government opened the Defence and Security Organisation which promotes weaponry on behalf of arms companies. There are 158 civil servants in the Defence and Security Organisation while other non-arms sectors have137 staff. This is despite arms accounting for less than 1.5 Percent of UK exports.

• Arms export jobs as a percentage of total employment:  0.2%
• Arms as a percentage of exports:  1.5 %
• UK Government Research Expenditure Spent on Arms:  27%
• UK trade and investment staff committed to selling arms:  54%

Research carried out for Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) by the Stockholm International Peace Institute assesses the level of subsidy by Government to the arms trade in the UK to be around £700 million a year.  In 2010 the UK Government issued 10,850 arms export licences, refused 230, and revoked 14.

Half of the refusals related to proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, with a maximum of 76 being revoked on the grounds that they contributed to internal repression, internal conflict or regional instability. Foreign office embassies also promote the arms sales, as do the Ministry of Defence armed services. Arms fairs are common in the UK and around the world.  The governments of host countries provides support for their arms firms.

Arms sales from the UK seem to vary from year to year:

• 2007    9651 million   (particularly high because of sales of Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia)
• 2008    4367 million
• 2009    7261 million also high as included Typhoon support services to Saudi Arabia)
• 2010    5819 million

Of the 16 countries identified by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as locations of major conflict in 2009, the UK sold arms to 12.

Columnist Will Self –  “War, the arms trade and the abuse of language”

BAE arms are the UK’s main arms company and has military customers in over 100 countries. BAE’s focus over the past few years has been on increasing sales to the US, specifically targeting equipment for conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, and supplying Euro fighters and other arms to Saudi Arabia. BAE routinely supplies countries which the UK Foreign Office considers as having ‘the most serious wide-ranging human rights concerns’.

The casualties of conflict are now overwhelmingly civilian, increasing from 50% of war related deaths in the first half of the twentieth century to 90% near the end of the century.

The arms trade affects development both through the money wasted on arms purchased and through the conflicts fuelled by arms.

A study in 2007 by Oxfam of the economic cost of armed conflict to Africa estimated that Africa  loses around 18 billion dollars a year due to wars and that armed conflict shrinks an African nations economy by 15%.

As well as the direct effects of military spending, medical costs and the destruction of infrastructure, there are indirect costs on the  economy and employment suffers ( this does not take into account the countless human misery caused by loss of life and sustained injuries effecting families and friends as well as the individuals concerned).

The study estimated that the cost  of conflicts in Africa since 1990 was equivalent to the aid provided to them by major donors.

Even when conflict is not taking place money diverted to arms is a drain on government resources and takes away from vital spending on health education and infrastructure. The massive 1998 South African arms deals for aircraft, helicopters, warships and submarines cost the country over £8billion. Yet most of the population live in shanty towns and other poor housing and South Africans with HIV/AIDS were told that the country could not afford ant-retroviral medication.

Despite desperate poverty and its recent appalling history of armed struggle, the UK government is actively promoting arms struggle to Angola. The UK government not only approved arms exports to Angola it actively organised an “industry day’’ when HMS Liverpool docked in Angola waters and hosted Angolan political and military officials.

The arms trade causes countless misery in our world; it is a poor use of limited resources which should be used to make this world a better place. We need to question the thinking in the world that believes you only get what you want by force. The five members of the Security Council should start taking on their responsibilities and use conflict resolution rather than warfare to sort the many conflicts that take place both between and within countries.

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