DRAFT MINUTES OF SALTIRE SOCIETY EDINBURGH BRANCH 2015 AGM IN ROSL AT 7PM ON FRIDAY 15 MAY 2015
This minutes have been approved by the Branch Committe but are still to be approved by the members.
There were 26 members present.
1. APOLOGIES : Rosemary Johnston, Robert McFarlane
2. MINUTES OF 2014 AGM : these were approved. The Convenor had acceded to the meeting's wish that only one lunch per session should have a musical introduction. Evening meetings in September and March would be replaced by a seventh lunch in April. The Branch would be retaining its capital for good causes, and following last year's AGM was now the first to have a modernised constitution.
3. MATTERS ARISING NOT ON THE AGENDA : In the Society's new Business Plan HQ had noted the challenges of sustaining the branches in some areas of the country – both in terms of members and in particular office bearers. There were plans afoot then to begin to look at this in a little more detail, and in the process they hoped to help branch development and create a community of office bearers throughout Scotland who shared ideas, speakers, issues, and generally worked together. A survey was intended as a consultation of members as to how they might proceed with these goals in mind.
4. REPORTS
Convenor's Report : the year had seen the sad passing of Margaret Yellowlees, David Purves, Ted Ruddock, Brian Lambie and Margery Turnbull. The Society had recruited six new members resident in the Edinburgh area, and at the Annual Dinner ROSL had come up trumps with a splendid occasion enhanced by the events coordinator being resplendent in his kilt. Thanking the other office-bearers for their power of work, the Convenor said that in the Committee she was fortunate to have the support of such a good team in keeping the Branch going. The excellent twice-yearly newsletter had added a couple of new features, "what they say about" and a news digest.
Secretary's Report : he expressed gratitude to members for their condolences in his loss. The Branch had been represented at the Saltire Speakeasy shows on the Festival Fringe, the second Saltire Celebrates event, a reception to mark Honorary Memberships for film-makers Jim Wilson and Douglas Eadie and a Business Planning Day on 21 February. This year's Fletcher of Saltoun Awards would be decided by the Saltire Council on 28 May. The focus in the coming months would be on next year's 80th birthday celebrations.
Last year after our AGM Jim Summers told us that the Scottish Railway Collection faced a continual struggle of conservation versus preservation or restoration, or not bothering at all. Our summer outing was to Stanley Mills which had been founded by Perth merchants with support from Richard Arkrwright.
In her start-of-season lecture, Elspeth Smith told us that, the Woodland Trust used two main approaches to redressing the decline in Scotland's forest cover - encouraging natural regeneration and planting new woodland. At our October lunch Harry Knox declared that no-one brought up in West Lothian could ignore shale-oil whose communities enjoyed a vigorous social life. Allan McLean told us in November that Edinburgh, not Burton-on-Trent was the world capital of ale-brewing with at its peak dozens of breweries. In December Don Martin and Douglas Lockhart said that the thrice-yearly journal "Scottish Local History" offers local societies and university academics articles of appropriate quality that had included an account of the 1935 Morningside riot. In January Nicholas Oddy explained that Kirkpatrick Macmillan's lever-framed bicycle of 1839, unfortunately probably never existed and although cycling was once again fashionable, this was mainly amongst middle-class enthusiasts. February brought back a weel-kent Saltire face Kenny Munro whose causes included restoration of the Scots College created by Sir Patrick Geddes in Montpelier. At our final lunch of the year, manager Ian Forbes told us that Blairs Museum commemorated Scotland's national seminary whose closure in 1986 had left the chapel and museum in use.
In her Edinburgh Philosophical Institution lecture Catherine Walker recalled how poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen had met at Craiglockhart in 1917 when the Hydropathic was requisitioned for use as a war hospital for shell-shocked officers. Guest of Honour at our annual dinner Roger Kelly told us how the Clerk family watched over a meal served on the lawn Penicuik House burning down in 1899, but a Trust has recently revived its Gardens which last year grew 1.6 tonnes of potatoes.
The Summer Outing on Saturday 7 June would leave the west side of Charlotte Square at 10.30 am for Abbotsford House. The 2015/6 programme was :
· 3 October : Alastair Macdonald and Colin Warwick on “Edinburgh's Three Veterinary Colleges”
· 7 November : Marion Williams on “The Cockburn Association, standing up for Edinburgh”
· 5 December : Billy Kay on “The Scottish World”
· 9 January : Eric Melvin on “The visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822”
· 6 February : Michael Hance on “Speaking for Scotland”
· 5 March : Kellan MacInnes on “Caleb's List”
· 2 April : Aileen Orr on “Wojtek the Bear"
· Annual Dinner – 6.15 for 7 pm Friday 6 May Guest of Honour : Allan Massie
· Edinburgh Philosophical Institution Lecture : Friday 20 May at 7.30 pm Sutherland Forsyth on the Botanic Cottage.
· Saturday 4 June : summer outing to the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
Treasurer's Report : total income from Branch activities had been at a similar level to last year, and our donation then to the Great Polish Map had been succeeded by one to young musician Calum MacLeod which it was hoped might lead to more such involvement. The outcome was a slight reduction in our assets by £452.65 whose net effect represented money well spent.
5. ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS AND COMMITTEE-MEMBERS : Convenor Mary Fleming, Vice-Convenor Rina Moore, Treasurer Eric Wishart, Secretary and Council representative John Yellowlees, Newsletter Editor Laura Scott and Events Coordinator Kenneth Stewart were reappointed along with committee members Jean Napier, John Forrester, David Stevenson, David Withington, Tommy Turnbull and Ann Begbie. The Convenor was delighted at Ann's decision to continue, but said that it would be her own intention to stand down in 2016.
6. AOCB : Calum MacLeod who had been funded by the Branch to make a disk comparing traditional Scottish and Nova Scotian music would be launching it in ROSL's Princes Suite at 4 pm on Friday 22 May. All were welcome to attend, and the Convenor sought an indication of numbers.
7. DATE OF 2016 AGM : Friday 20 May at 7 pm.
Declaring this year's AGM closed, the Convenor said that afterwards there would be a talk by Jamie Reid Baxter on Elizabeth Melville, Lady Culross.
John Yellowlees, Secretary and Branch Representative on Council
May 2015