Times Up!!

30^th April 2009 until 29^th April 2010

A year?       12 Months?

 Call it what you like, for me personally it was one of the happiest and enjoyable times of my life as President of the Burns Howff Club.

Yes here I am at the end of my term and time for a short reflection on what was a remarkable year in office. With 2009 being the year of Homecoming and the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns it was perhaps busier than normal but equally enjoyable and worthwhile.

I attended over 120 engagements as President whether they were representing the club at various events and commemorations, social gatherings; meetings ect all in the name of promoting the works of Burns and the Howff Club in general.

My travels took me all over the place and included amongst others visits too Langholm, Coldstream, Hawick, Mauchline, Brow Well, Ellisland, Irvine, Largs, Edinburgh and Dumbarton.

Events attended included the Mauchline Holy Fair, Federation conference, re enactment of Burns first visit into England at Coldstream, club outing to Ayrshire, presenting school children in Sanquhar and Castle Douglas with awards, numerous meetings at the Globe Inn, 23 Burns suppers and the many events the club arranged for the Homecoming year.

Any President of our great club regales in presiding over the club functions and what an honour for me to do just that during the Jean Armour night in July, Halloween in October, St Andrew’s in November and the Anniversary Dinner in January.

Over the years I have made many musical friends, to have some of them appear at the club and perform at our functions was a particular pleasure as it was to introduce my great friend and honorary member of the club Davie Shankland to speak in July and Willie McDougall another personal friend to toast the Lasses in January.

I will never forget the invaluable contributions from club members at these functions as well as other invited guests who made them all exceptional nights and ones I will remember for a long long time.

Executive meetings of the club have been eventful if not always harmonious this season and as President I have tried to include all members in decisions and reports as well as spreading the workload at the various club events and functions.

My final three or four tasks as president were on Monday 26^th April to join with some club members to clean the Burns contemporaries plaques at St Michaels Churchyard and the following night attend the closing social of the St Michaels Burns Club in the church hall as their guest singer.

I will preside over the AGM on Thursday 29^th April where it will be a great pleasure to thank Maureen McKerrow and Jane Brown for their support and attention over the past year at the Globe Inn and also to say a special congratulations to Maureen and the  McKerrow family in this the 400^th year since the Globe was founded. Afterward I will pass the chain of office on to Neil Johnston and wish him every success and hope the members offer him the unstinting support they accorded to me over the past year, after that, well! That’s it

Times up!!

Thanks for reading my blogs over the past year.

JOHN M CASKIE

PRESIDNET BURNS HOWFF CLUB

28^TH APRIL 2010