FROM RUSSIA WITH STYLE!

 

Sunday 27th September along with Secretary D Smith and Librarian G Johnston we met members of the St Petersburg forum and three talented and mannerly students from the Russian state. Having arrived in Scotland the week earlier part of the student’s remit was to visit places of interest with a Burns theme and that had to include Dumfries, where we were more than happy to show them around. After the obligatory tour of the Globe we ventured onto the High Street past the Fountain and to the Mid Steeple before heading to the Burns Statue and across to Greyfriars Church, A stroll down the Vennel , along the Whitesands to Bank Street and to the ‘Song house of Scotland’ which of course was Burns first house in Dumfries. We headed  back  to the Globe for a lovely lunch provided by mine host Mrs Broon! After lunch we made for St Michaels Churchyard and the Mausoleum before visiting Burns House on Bank Street. We left the students and their ‘minders’ to meet them later in the evening at the Globe where they would give a display of their presentations which had won them the Scotland competitions in their homeland. Two of the students (I can’t remembers names….and however wouldn’t be able to spell them any way!) spoke on ‘Hogmanay in Scotland’ and the other on ‘The Stone of Destiny’ interspersed during their very informative and interesting presentations were the talented ‘weans’ from Sanquhar who are so brilliant in their portrayal of Burns works.

I had the extreme pleasure of presenting the Russian students with Books on Burns from the Howff Club during the evening.

RBWF Mike Duguid proposed a comprehensive vote of thanks and brought the evening to a close.

This was a most rewarding day, being able to show people from another country, all our small town has to offer and to be able to join with them in their amusing and amazing presentations of their view of life here in Scotland.

It was so noticeable on the night that the Russian students were in awe at the performances of the Sanquhar ‘weans’ who were equally in awe at the interpretations of Scot’s life by the Russians.

They came from Russia and hey! They came with Style!

 

JOHN M CASKIE

PRESIDENT BURNS HOWFF CLUB

30TH SEPTEMBER 2009