Hallowe'en Supper 31.10.16

Members of the Burns Howff Club assembled in the Globe Inn on 31st October, to celebrate the ancient festival of “All Hallow’s Eve”, or All Saints Day, with the traditional supper.

President William Johnston welcomed the company and introduced the guest speaker, Professor David Purdie, Hon. Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Edinburgh University and an honorary member of the club.

After dinner, Professor Purdie, a native of Prestwick, gave a wide ranging and witty address covering a variety of topics from the Celtic festival of Samhain when ghosts and spirits were believed to be abroad, to his early medical training, stories from his violent rugby matches playing for Ayr Academy against Dumfries Academy and an exploration of Scottish humour which down the centuries has travelled worldwide. During a lecture tour in Australia, Professor Purdie reported that he had met a gentleman named “Grose”, who proved to be a descendent of Francis Grose, the compiler of “The Antiquities of Scotland” published in 1791 and who had commissioned Robert Burns to write a ghost story featuring Alloway Kirk which turned out to be the famous narrative poem, “Tam O’ Shanter”. The speaker received a standing ovation and accepted an inscribed tankard from the president.

Contributing to a stellar entertainment programme were Les Byers and John Caskie with recitations and songs and a bravura performance of “Tam O’ Shanter” by Jim McCambley, compete with props and lighting effects. Special guest artistes were Andy Kain, all the way from Shetland, on the fiddle and Leonard Brown, the award winning accordionist who delighted the company with their selections including a brilliant version of “The Bluebell Polka” as a tribute to the late Sir Jimmy Shand.

A comprehensive vote of thanks was proposed by Bill Graham, junior vice president, before a raucous rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” brought a memorable night to a close.

St Andrews Night Supper at the Globe Inn

President William Johnston welcomed the company which included Honorary Member Len Murray, a former defence solicitor, one of the most famous in the country.

After dinner, Mr Murray proposed a toast to ‘Auld Scotia’ in which with great wit and passion, he compared the achievements of a small country of Five Million with much larger states. In the 16th century, Scotland was the first to introduce compulsory education and was seen as the most literate nation in the world. In the renaissance of the 18th century, Scotland produced David Hume, the greatest philosopher of the age, Adam Smith who revolutionised economics with his Wealth of Nations and the Adam brothers who led the world of architecture and Henry Raeburn, the portrait painter sought by the famous. Winston Churchill is on record saying that only the ancient Greeks contributed more to mankind than Scotland and invited the company to drink the toast with joy and pride�. The speaker received a standing ovation and accepted an inscribed tankard from the president.

Contributing to the entertainment programme were singer and guitarist Ken Hilsley and Doug Carroll, making a welcome return to the club with songs traditional and contemporary. Donald Shamash appeared in his alter ego as Holy Willie� and prayed to great effect. John Young delighted the company with his tenor voice and Willie McRobert made his accordion sing with tunes old and new. Club Librarian Gordon Johnston recited Burns Address tae the Unco Gui and a Parcel o’ Rogues.   David Callander, president of Dumbarton Burns Club, brought fraternal greetings from his members and spoke of the close friendship link between the clubs.

Bill Graham, junior vice president proposed a comprehensive vote of thanks before the evening ended with Auld Lang Syne.

Burns Howff Club

Anniversary Dinner 2017

Top - David Scott delivering the Immortal Memory.
Left - Brian Taylor delivered the Toast to the Lassies.
Right - Jane (Ma) Brown) presenting the haggis to President William.
Far Right - Callum Watson Piper.

President William Johnston welcomed members to the 128th anniversary dinner of the Burns Howff club held in the Globe Inn, Dumfries on Wednesday, January 25. The atmosphere in the Globe enjoys a matchless gift and following grace by honorary president, Dan Cook, Howffers were rewarded when Callum Watson piped in the haggis, which was enthusiastically addressed by the president. Songs throughout the evening from John Caskie and John Young with occasional support of the assemblage were heartily applauded as was the expressive musical selection from James Coutts, accordionist and Roddy Matthews, fiddler.

A highlight of the dinner for many Howffers is when secretary David Smith announces the greetings the club has received from Burns societies around the world. This year showed no diminution of good wishes. These salutations leave little doubt about how highly regarded and prestigious in stature the Dumfries Howff club is venerated. The significant part of the evening, The Immortal Memory, was given by Dave Scott. A native of Duns. A big moment for him came in 2010 when he won the Tam O’ Shanter World Championship held in the Globe Inn. And more recently he gave an inspiring toast to Auld Scotia at the Howff’s  St Andrew’s Night.

His witty warm-up was coloured with the language of the Borders tongue but Scott swiftly distanced himself from the amusing comic when he touched on the humanitarian words that Burns wrote and which sadly are still relevant today. Much of his toast was centred around the poem A Man’s A Man and despite his slipping into the patois of Duns the message he delivered was none the less diluted when he pleaded like Burns that peace and harmony should triumph in our troubled world. 
The first recitation The Holy Fair, a satirical poem written by Burns in 1785 was delivered by Bobby Jess. This 27- verse tale reveals the characters present at the annual religious festival in Mauchline. The main thrust of this gathering was to prepare the righteous for communion and as Jess sauntered and galloped through this tale he captured with brilliant impression the hypocrisy and pretence of the characters.

Howffer Brian Taylor is best known as the BBC’s political editor, regularly appearing on television news with his reports from Holyrood. He is a respected speaker on Scottish politics but with his focus on a toast to The Lassies, O’ would it be possible to ignore the ladies that perform in the Scottish parliament’s debating chamber?
Political rectitude did prevail and rather than illuminating on any indelicacies of Holyrood, Taylor focused on the words that Burns had written about women and some of the relationships he had.
He especially concentrated on the language of the love letters that passed  between Burns (Sylvander) and Nancy McLehose (Clarinda).

Further songs and community singing preceded past-president Jim McCambley’s narration of Willie Wastle. The hapless Willie had the ugliest, inelegant, vulgar and uncouth wife imaginable and as McCambley skipped through the verses he revealed the nimble wit of Burns in a most descriptive language that sadly has now died out.
The evening drew to a close with junior vice-president Bill Graham giving the club’s appreciation to the artistes and immediate past-president Callum Watson thanking the chairman for his skilful handling of the anniversary dinner. There followed a boisterous performance of Auld Lang Syne and as Howffers departed in different directions from the Globe Inn’s close they had been given many thought-provoking observations on which to ruminate.