MINUTES OF MEETING HELD IN ELDERSLIE VILLAGE HALL, GLENPATRICK ROAD, ELDERSLIE ON TUESDAY 16thOCTOBER 2007 AT 7.45 PM.
PRESENT:
A. Millar, J. Millar, Gordon Aitken, Karen Owens, Peter Malcolm, Elizabeth Gosnay. Harry McAlister, Diane McAlister, Richard Quinn, John Paterson, Jimmy Miller, Jim Adams, Betty Burns, George Boyle,Susan Coghill, David Murray, Cris MacLeod, Ruairidh McLeod,
David R. Ross (Convenor),Duncan Fenton ( Deputy Convenor), Bob Irving (Treasurer), Irene Clarke
( Media Officer),Ziggy & Craig Wilson ( Merchandise Officers), Lily Love (Social Convenor)
APOLOGIES:
Willie Douglas, Nan Irving, Grant Williamson, T. Lavelle, I. Lavelle, Isobel Rogerson, Heather Ross,Clare McColl, Hamish McQueen, Frank Boyd.
TREASURER (Bob Irving):
The current Balance is £ 2928.17.Out of that has been paid the hall bookings for the Annual Wallace Dinner on 16th November & Wallace Day, which will be on 23rd August next year.
MEDIA OFFICER( Irene Clarke)Irene contacted British Airways about an article in their magazine which said that Edward I invented British democracy in the 13th century.They replied that it was an excerpt from a book.Member Jimmy Miller will buy the book & report back to the Society. Jimmy also mentioned that he recently bought the new Tiger Woods Golf game for his games console.It lists Colin Montgomery as hailing from Stirling, England.Irene phoned the BBC to complain about the amount of English based history programmes which are shown on BBC Scotland.
Lily Love added that Native Americans who had visited the Isle of Harris were reported as saying they had enjoyed their visit to England.
DEPUTY CONVENOR ( Duncan Fenton):Duncan mentioned an article which appeared in the Evening Times about an English-based company, Clear Channel, which applied to Glasgow City Council to put up advertising hoardings on 18 roundabouts.One of these was the roundabout on which stands the 120 year old Battle of Langside Monument.The outcry from locals was so great, that they withdrew their application.CONVENOR(David R. Ross)
David mentioned a campaign which is gathering momentum in England calling for Gordon Brown to refrain from using the term British when he really means English.David showed a news clipping about Angus Councils decision to remove the saltire from all public buildings & replace it with a flag of their own design.
Stirling Rugby Club has been booked again for next years Battle of Stirling Bridge Commemorations.This will be on Friday 12thSeptember 2008.He recognises that traditionally there has been something on the Saturday nearest the 11th of September, but didnt believe that something could be held on both the Friday and Saturday.Stirling Council contacted David to do a talk at the Tollbooth, but it clashed with his visit to the USA.Not wanting to disappoint them, he flew back to Scotland where there were only 14 people.David also noted that all six members of staff there had English accents. He asked why cant Scotland staff its historic sites with its own people?He then flew back to the USA to complete his tour.Davids latest book, about the Black Douglas, is now finished & should be available soon.
MERCHANDISE OFFICER& ASSISTANT (Ziggy Wilson & Craig Wilson)Ziggy sold more T-shirts at the recent Scotland v Ukraine match. The Society T-shirt with the
Declaration of Arbroath on the back is selling well.
MEMBER George Boyleinformed members that Scottish stamps are available on request at Post Offices.Most of the public dont realise this & are given ordinary stamps instead.
MEMBER Harry McAlister had a letter published in the Heraldpointing out that as long as long as the matter of Defence is controlled from London, there will always be nuclear weapons based in Scotland.That the only way for the supporters of a nuclear-free Scotland to achieve their aim is to help Scotland regain control of our own affairs.
A.O.C.B.
Richard Quinn asked Davie Ross about requesting donations for the Society from those he visits in the US.Further possibilities were discussed about developing the Wallace Society website, through which Americans and others could be invited to join the Society.
Thanks again to Lily for her hard work in providing tea & biscuits for the members after the meeting.Thanks also to Diane MacAlister for taking the minutes.NEXT MEETING WILL BE THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ON TUESDAY 20THNOVEMBER 2007 IN ELDERSLIE VILLAGE HALL, GLENPATRICK ROAD, ELDERSLIE, AT 7.45 PM.
SOCIETY OF WILLIAM WALLACE,NOV. 2007 NEWSLETTERDear Patriots, I was asked by those running the Save our Saltire campaign in Angus if I would do a little to help out. So it was arranged that I would speak in front of the council there for ten minutes, speaking of the history of our great national flag, and pointing out the error of them wanting to fly an old baronial flag in its stead- especially as that flag bears the arms of the Umfraville family. Gilbert de Umfraville was born at Prudhoe in Northumberland and fought consistently against both Wallace and Bruce, and so in this more enlightened Scotland that we find ourselves residing in, it seems ridiculous in the extreme to go back to this sort of forelock tugging.Just in case you are not familiar with the details, Angus council had decided to do away with the Saltire, which currently flies in front of their public buildings, and replace it with the baronial flag mentioned above. There was a storm of protest, and a petition was begun that gathered 5,000 signatures in the first day! That had them backing down or at least backing down enough to suggest putting in a second pole so that the Saltire could be flown too. They seemed to miss the point that the national flag always takes precedence, and it is not a subsidiary to any other flag.After I gave my impassioned plea to keep the national flag of our nation to the forefront, I sat back to watch the rest of the council business. It became obvious that there were 15 British councillors present, and 13 Scottish ones. Every single vote that came up was passed 15-13, and never to Scotlands weal. I have never seen so much pig headed ignorance, such a blatant disregard for the voice of the people they were meant to be representing. They just voted down the Scottish vote every time.When it came to the matter of the flag, the doing away of the Saltire was passed 15-13. No shock there.The fight to keep the Saltire will not go away. It seems crazy that Aberdeen, for example, is ready to commission the building of a new Robert the Bruce statue, and the three contenders are all brilliant and striking, and Angus at the same time are trying to do away with the national flag.Even more of a shame when Angus is regarded as the birthplace of Scotland. It was in Angus the battle of Nechtansmere was fought as long before the time of Wallace as we live after that time. Nechtansmere thwarted Anglo Saxon incursions into our country, and 1400 years ago caused the border to be moved south to the River Tweed, where is has mostly remained ever since.The last administration in Angus built a new HQ in Forfar, and it was opened in 2005, and they had the good sense to call it the William Wallace building. They were the only council in Scotland to do something concrete to mark the 700th anniversary of his murder. The new administration seems determined to demean Scotland and actually made complaints regarding the naming of the William Wallace building during their tirades against the Saltire.The thing is. They have lost the fight and do not seem to have the sense to realise it. Scotland has changed, and with any luck will keep on changing. Folk seem to have eventually managed to see through the tired old clichés of us being subsidy junkies and that we are unable to survive under our own steam.There are plenty of resources still locked away under the North Sea, no matter how the British try to tell us that it is nearly all gone.And remember how ive always banged on about things changing during 700th anniversaries?Well, we have the Commonwealth Games during the year that marks the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn, 2014.There might be some interesting developments!I remain, yours for Scotland,David R. Ross, Convenor.
-- Edited by Rabbie Downunder at 11:40, 2007-11-13
