Monthly Archives:October 2015

Dear Burgesses

As you may be aware it was the 700th anniversary of the Stocket Charter granted by Robert the Bruce to Aberdeen on 10th December 1319. “By our present charter confirmed to our Burgesses and Community of Aberdeen” Many visitors to Aberdeen are familiar with the statue of Robert the Bruce outside Marischal College holding aloft said Charter. The Forest of the Stocket, together with certain additional areas, comprises what is known as “The Freedom Lands”.

The observance of boundaries or marches and the preservation of landmarks are of remote origin and go back to the time when man took one of his early steps along the path of civilization. At first, no doubt, the landmarks were natural objects, such as hills, trees and streams, and the rough tracks or highways of the time, but as early society grew in complexity, the necessity for marks of artificial construction arose, and with these came the collateral necessity of guarding against their removal. A riding of the Marches at frequent intervals was undertaken for the purpose of ensuring that the landmarks were not moved, or if moved, that they were restored to their original position.

There is a total of 66 March Stones marking the boundary of the Freedom Lands. The Burgesses have responsibility for ensuring that each of the stones has an allocated Guardian(s). The role of a Guardian is not onerous, apart from ensuring they remain in place, the main role is to ensure they are kept in reasonable order, free from being overgrown with grass, and weeds, and kept in as clean a condition as possible.

We currently have a number of stones which do not have an allocated Guardian, and these are listed below. If you would like to undertake the role, please  contact Clerk Garry Stevens at clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com indicating which stone is your preference.

We are hoping to have events throughout this year to celebrate the 700^th anniversary which will involve the Guardians in some shape or form, further information will be posted to the website once finalised.

Stones without a Guardian:

3,4,5,23.28,29,33,37,41,42,43,44.45,50.53,55,56,57,58,59,60, Omega,

The attached March Stones leaflet, which will be updated this year gives locations on all of the stones

Excellent lunch held at RNUC on Wednesday 22 January with over 60 attendees with guest speaker Hon Lt Men Gurung giving a fascinating talk reflecting on his life. Born in the Gorkha district of Nepal which is a big recruiting ground for the Gurkha regiment which he joined in 1986, Men served them proudly for 20 years, then on leaving his regiment subsequently settled in Aberdeen and formed the North East of Scotland Gurkha Association (NESGA) Following his presentation, through Lord Provost Barney Crocket, an Honorary Gurkha, Men presented the Lord Dean with a commemorative plaque to the Burgesses from the NESGA which was gratefully received.

Reminder below of forthcoming lunches held at RNUC. If you wish to attend please email Clerk Garry Stevens at clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com Cost is £14 and payment can be made via cheque sent to – Garry Stevens, Clerk to the Burgesses, 6 Craigarbel Crescent, Inverbervie, Montrose, DD10 0SJ or via online banking to sort code 826011, Account no 50325609 Ref Surname/Lunch.

Wednesday 5^th February

Gregory King, guest speaker, lived and worked in Moscow for 3-1/2 years and then for four years travelled extensively for business in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. He continues to take a keen interest in current affairs in Russia and the cultural heritage of the country as well as the states of the Former Soviet Union. Gregory will share some of the perceptions he has formed after his extended exposure to the life and work in the country and how these might differ from some of the ideas we see in the media.

Wednesday 4^th March

Neil Powers is guest speaker and will give a talk on his role with North East Rider Volunteers Scotland SCIO (NERVS)

He will be talking about the history of Blood Bikes and their inclusion in the day to day running of NHS healthcare facilities across the whole of the United Kingdom.

He will explore:

The vast array of the consignments that they carry

The slight differences in the way that they and groups south of the border operate

The never-ending challenges that every Blood Bike group face in order to provide the totally free of charge services they offer

The constant need to recruit volunteers from all walks of life

His reasons for getting such a group up and running in Grampian

Wednesday 1^st April

Ian Burnett is guest speaker and he is the Bereavement Services Officer for Aberdeen City Council and have been connected with Cemeteries, Crematorium and the Public Mortuary for some 38 years. The talk will consist of a rundown of the cemeteries that the Council are responsible for and some interesting facts and history.

Wednesday 6^th May

Councillor Phillip Bell is guest speaker, his talk will focus on the conversation around climate change is getting rather warm. The Paris Accord and subsequent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report of 8 October 2018 entitled ‘1.5degC global warming’ discusses a maximum carbon budget that our planet can tolerate. The report goes on to say that the reduction in green-house gases should be ‘staged’ such that by 2030 the emission of CO2 and general green-house gases has reduced by 45% on 1990 levels and that net-zero is achieved by 2050. The cost for the UK alone, producing a mere 1% of the worlds CO2 is estimated at between £1 – £2 trillion. The future is looking increasingly like it will be electric and hydrogen, the most abundant element in the Universe with an energy density of 1/3 of that of petrol or diesel, is an energy vector that is gaining much attention to help make this happen.

Wednesday 3^rd June

Guest speakers are Ian Grosz/Steve Smith. Trading Faces was an independent, collaborative Social Documentary project between writer and researcher Ian Grosz, and photographer Steve Smith, which set out to document the lives of Traders at Aberdeen Market during 2018 / 2019. Initial funding to undertake the project was through an Aberdeen City Creative Funding Grant to carry out the research phase. The work was subsequently brought to exhibition through a commission by Look Again Aberdeen. Ian’s role during the project was to conduct audio-based interviews with traders to record their stories and experiences. These recordings were edited down for an audio installation, which worked alongside large-format film portraits taken by Steve Smith. The audio told individual life stories, as well as giving the public a sense of the challenges faced by traders with the market building under threat of redevelopment at a dynamic time of change in the city’s evolution, and documenting the dramatic changes to retail shopping habits seen over the last decade. Overarching contextual narrative text for the exhibition was also provided.

Please click on the link below for details on the annual jazz lunch.

In a discussion yesterday the Lord Dean and Clerk were wondering what would be a suitable name or names for a street name recognising the Burgesses of Guild.    What might you suggest ? We may have an opportunity through Aberdeen City Council to have street name or names linked to the Burgesses of Guild.

Suggestions to Clerk Garry Stevens at:

clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

Places are still available for the Charity Burns Supper which is being hosted by fellow Burgess Charles Henderson. The link below gives full details.

The Lord Dean, Senior Assessor and Clerk attended a very interesting talk by City Archivist and fellow Burgess Phil Astley and Professor Steve Boardman from Univ of Edinburgh, at Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery marking the 700th anniversary of the Stocket Charter granted by Robert the Bruce to Aberdeen on 10th December 1319. “By our present charter confirmed to our Burgesses and Community of Aberdeen” Many visitors to Aberdeen are familiar with the statue of Robert the Bruce outside Marischal College holding aloft said Charter. Phil and Prof. Boardman gave some background to the granting of the Charter and the work done to preserve it in its current state for display. The Burgess will be involved in organising events throughout next year to celebrate the 700 years. Photo shows the Lord Dean and Phil Astley with the Stocket Charter.

Happy New Year to all Burgesses and your families. Just a reminder below of our lunch line up for first 6 months of this year. Places are still available for all them at present.

We are pleased to announce our Lunch guest line up for the first 6 months of 2020. As usual the lunches will be held at Royal Northern Club (RNUC), 9 Albyn Place, Aberdeen, AB10 1YE. Lunches will commence at 12.14 (date of our Charter being granted) and will finish by 2.00pm prompt. Cost is £14, and if you wish to attend any of the lunches please email Clerk, Garry Stevens at – clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

Payment can be made by cheque made payable to Burgesses of Guild of the City of Aberdeen and sent to Garry Stevens, Clerk to the Burgesses, 6 Craigarbel Crescent, Inverbervie, Montrose DD10 0SJ. Or you can pay online to Sort Code 826011, Account Number 50325609 Ref Surname/Events

Wednesday 22 January

Hon Lt Men Gurung our first guest speaker of 2020, was enlisted into the Brigade of Gurkhas in 1986. After completion of 9 months training at Training Depot Brigade of Gurkhas in Hong Kong he joined the 6th Queen Elizabeth Own Gurkha Rifles at Gallipoli Lines, Hong Kong and later 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles. For the next 20 years, served in various countries around the world i.e.: Hong Kong, Brunei, Belize, Australia, New Zealand, Bosnia and UK. Currently there are 2 infantry Battalions (1 RGR and 2 RGR) and 2 RGR is in Brunei. Apart from infantry regiments there is Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, The Queen’s Gurkha Signals and The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiments to make up the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Brigade is now on the process of expanding.

Men was grew up in the village in Gorkha district where lot of  the Gurkhas come from and is western part of Nepal which lies between Kathmandu and Pokhara. It was a great honour to serve the Queen and country following the family tradition. Men will reflect on his service with the Gurkhas.

Wednesday 5^th February

Gregory King, guest speaker, lived and worked in Moscow for 3-1/2 years and then for four years travelled extensively for business in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. He continues to take a keen interest in current affairs in Russia and the cultural heritage of the country as well as the states of the Former Soviet Union. Gregory will share some of the perceptions he has formed after his extended exposure to the life and work in the country and how these might differ from some of the ideas we see in the media.

Wednesday 4^th March

Neil Powers is guest speaker and will give a talk on his role with North East Rider Volunteers Scotland SCIO (NERVS)

He will be talking about the history of Blood Bikes and their inclusion in the day to day running of NHS healthcare facilities across the whole of the United Kingdom.

He will explore:

The vast array of the consignments that they carry

The slight differences in the way that they and groups south of the border operate

The never-ending challenges that every Blood Bike group face in order to provide the totally free of charge services they offer

The constant need to recruit volunteers from all walks of life

His reasons for getting such a group up and running in Grampian

Wednesday 1^st April

Ian Burnett is guest speaker and he is the Bereavement Services Officer for Aberdeen City Council and have been connected with Cemeteries, Crematorium and the Public Mortuary for some 38 years. The talk will consist of a rundown of the cemeteries that the Council are responsible for and some interesting facts and history.

Wednesday 6^th May

Councillor Phillip Bell is guest speaker, his talk will focus on the conversation around climate change is getting rather warm. The Paris Accord and subsequent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report of 8 October 2018 entitled ‘1.5degC global warming’ discusses a maximum carbon budget that our planet can tolerate. The report goes on to say that the reduction in green-house gases should be ‘staged’ such that by 2030 the emission of CO2 and general green-house gases has reduced by 45% on 1990 levels and that net-zero is achieved by 2050. The cost for the UK alone, producing a mere 1% of the worlds CO2 is estimated at between £1 – £2 trillion. The future is looking increasingly like it will be electric and hydrogen, the most abundant element in the Universe with an energy density of 1/3 of that of petrol or diesel, is an energy vector that is gaining much attention to help make this happen.

Wednesday 3^rd June

Guest speakers are Ian Grosz/Steve Smith. Trading Faces was an independent, collaborative Social Documentary project between writer and researcher Ian Grosz, and photographer Steve Smith, which set out to document the lives of Traders at Aberdeen Market during 2018 / 2019. Initial funding to undertake the project was through an Aberdeen City Creative Funding Grant to carry out the research phase. The work was subsequently brought to exhibition through a commission by Look Again Aberdeen. Ian’s role during the project was to conduct audio-based interviews with traders to record their stories and experiences. These recordings were edited down for an audio installation, which worked alongside large-format film portraits taken by Steve Smith. The audio told individual life stories, as well as giving the public a sense of the challenges faced by traders with the market building under threat of redevelopment at a dynamic time of change in the city’s evolution, and documenting the dramatic changes to retail shopping habits seen over the last decade. Overarching contextual narrative text for the exhibition was also provided. Their website, documenting the project, can be found at:

10 Teams attended Aberdeenshire Cricket Club on Tuesday 26th November to battle it out in the Annual Burgess of Guild Quiz. Fellow Burgess Stuart Robison set some challenging questions over 10 rounds with the eventual winners being the Team Captained by Alan Towns.

As always it was a very enjoyable and fun evening, with special thanks to Stuart for being our quizmaster and also the Cricket Club for their as always excellent buffet and hospitality.

That ends our social events for this year, we are working on a line up for next year, and will post details to the website once finalised.

The Burgess lunch held on Wednesday 13th November was attended by over 60 Burgesses to hear an interesting and informative presentation by Prof. George Boyne, the new Principal and Vice Chancellor of Aberdeen University. The presentation focussed on the history of the University, its 525 anniversary next year (lots will be happening across the city to celebrate it) current and future initiatives and collaborations. Prof Boyne’s presentation can be downloaded from the link below:

This brings an end to our lunches for 2019. Work is already underway with our guest line up for first six months of next year, along with some Social events. Our last social event of the year will be our annual fun quiz on Tuesday 26th November at Aberdeenshire Cricket Club. Not too late to enter a team of up to 4 including one Burgess