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In
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In The News - December 2007 and January 2008 |
First of all, we had better catch up on news from December 2007, most of which seems to revolve around business and finance. Obituaries for two Accies, Michael Kennedy (41-49) and John Young (25-32), appeared in the pages of the Scotsman. Michael went on from the Academy to Rugby and after national service in Aden, went up to Merton College, Oxford. He returned to Edinburgh, where he played rugby for and captained the Accies. On joining Martin Currie Ltd, he was found to be a shrewd and visionary investment manager and eventually became their chief executive and chairman. He was a keen and determined golfer and also enjoyed days in the Highlands shooting and fishing. He died on 8th December.
John went straight from school to Scottish Widows and, apart from war service in the Royal Artillery, was with them until he retired in 1977. In his youth he was a keen traveller, his most exciting undertaking possibly being a canoe journey with a friend down the Danube. This was in July 1939 and the two of them aroused not a little suspicion so that they were taken in for questioning by the Gestapo, luckily being released shortly afterwards. He became a fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and was their president in 1971-73. He was also an elder in Greenbank Parish Church. He died on 12th December.
Other news in December included Dennis (Lord) Stevenson (50-58), who, as chairman at HBOS, featured in a Scotland on Sunday article on company directors who invest in their own companies. There is a good photograph of Dennis, sporting a Stephenson Hunting tartan tie, as well as other company directors, all smiling even though many of them had discovered that the value of their shares could go down as well as up.
Lastly, on 31st December, the Scotsman ran an interview by Jane Bradley with David Reith (56-64) of the law firm, Lindsays. He says he has seen many changes in the company and highlighted in particular the changing life of the company's partners, commenting that he thinks he was the first one to do the job without a bowler hat.
Into 2008 and on 22nd January, the Scotsman ran an obituary on John Bartholomew (31-35), who with brothers Peter (32-42) and Robert (40-45) were the last generation to run the family business of John Bartholomew and Son. John was not only a cartographer but a keen explorer. His final expedition, at the age of 68 and still recovering from a hip operation, was a rugged camping trek to Patagonia in 1991. From 1987 to 1993, he was president of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (as were his father and grandfather in their days). He died on 16th January, a day after his 85th birthday.
2008 also sees a shift in Accie news from commerce to entertainment. On 3rd January, the Scotsman featured an article by Richard Stirling (Gibb 67-80). Richard is appearing in an STV reality show based at Blair Castle. Richard opens the article by commenting that he had been in Blair Castle before when he was a schoolboy. The fate of our man, and five other 'city slickers', can be followed on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Channel 4 has another Accie TV appearance. Iain Glen (66-79) is starring with Ian McDiarmid as the two brothers who set up the Bow Street Runners in London in the 1750s. Scotland on Sunday ran a review on January 13th of the drama which 'gives an authentic glimpse into the extremes of Georgian London'. Iain is quoted as saying what a pleasure it was to work with 'the Ian with only one i', as he calls his co-star, the man who played the Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars. The last episode can be seen on Saturday 2nd February at 11:15 p.m. or on Monday 4th at 9:00 p.m.
The Evening News of 19th February ran an interview with Nick Ede (80-91), who has recently joined the panel of judges on Sky TV's Project Catwalk. The article (and thanks to those who sent it in to the Accie office!) is an open and honest interview. The Daily Record of 16th January ran a similar, albeit less incisive, interview which commented on Nick's tough stance by the headline 'Meet Project Catwalk's Nasty Nick'. The show can be seen on Sky One on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.
Also in January, medical issues with a reply by Niall Dickson (66-71) to a question on the government's new screening plans for the NHS. Niall was arguing in favour of the plans. 'If we want a health service that is sustainable,' he argued, 'it will need to … keep people as healthy as possible as well as treating them when they are sick.' Niall was recently at the school when he gave the Immortal Memory at the Academical Club Burns Supper.
To sport and the rugby season has brought reports of several Accies in the news. In fact, the profusion of news makes it difficult to pick out representative accounts. But to start with the Edinburgh Academical Football Club, an article in the Scotsman of 28th December reported that 'at 150 years young, Accies remain at the heart of Scottish rugby.' Needless to say, the article included the names of too many Academicals to quote here, but they ran from Mac Henderson (17-23), Scotland's oldest living 'cap', to Alex Blair (1995-), who is still at the school.
Staying with the Accies, who were promoted to the premiership division at the end of last season, the Evening News of 8th January carried an article on coach Ian Barnes's belief that the team would avoid relegation. 'They have too much quality to go down,' he says. As well as 'serious' football, the Accies played a 25-a-side rugby match against Edinburgh University at the end of 2007. As reported in the Scotsman of 28th December, the two teams were wearing replica 1857 strips and were playing by 1857 rules. The rules of the match were researched and explained to the players by Jake Young (staff 66-93).
Moving on to the professional scene, a band of Accies playing for Edinburgh have not been out of the rugby news. These included Mike Blair (86-99), who was described in a Scotsman article by David Ferguson as 'the imperious Edinburgh scrum-half', Phil Godman (90-95), according to Ferguson as 'playing his best rugby ever' and Ross Rennie (91-04), who 'outshone rising English flanker Tom Croft.' All three have been playing exceptional rugby. In addition, in the news has been David Blair (90-03), Mike's young brother, who has also been signed for Edinburgh.
Finally to international prospects, an article in January 13th's Scotland on Sunday detailed the decisions to be made by Scotland coach, Frank Hadden. Mike Blair (86-99), Phil Godman (90-95) and Ross Rennie (91-04) feature again of course, as well as David Callam (87-91) who it is hoped will share some of the game at Number 8. Time will tell and we shall know for sure what the starting line-up is when Scotland play France at the start of February.
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