Author Archives: Garry Stevens

Over 45 Burgess and guests attended yet another excellent lunch at the RNUC. The presentation from John Otto, and Kimberlie Hamilton gave the background and history to John James Rickard Macleod, from Aberdeen who most Aberdonians are unaware shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923 as “co-discoverer” of insulin, which is recognised as one of the greatest medical achievements of the last century. It was clear from the presentation that Macleod was more than just a co-discoverer of insulin but played the leading role in leading, supporting research and ultimately the delivery of insulin, which has led to millions of lives being saved worldwide from type 1 diabetes since it went into production.

As Chair of the JJR Macleod Memorial Statue Society, and a diabetic himself, John Otto is keen that the life of Macleod is commemorated in the city of Aberdeen with a statue to be erected in Duthie Park next year.

The attached pdf brochure gives full details of the project, sponsorship and donation details. As a group, if any Burgess felt that they would wish to make a donation to the project, we can open a list and we could send accumulated donations as one from the Burgesses or perhaps purchase a paver as described in the brochure which could be a commemorative donation from Burgesses. Everyone is, of course free to choose how they might wish any donation to be treated.

Any Burgess wishing to donate should contact Clerk Garry Stevens, detailing name and donation amount to:

clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

A large number of Burgesses attended a unique talk on 19th October from our guest speaker, Roger Hunt.

Roger shared his story of how he became caught up in the Mumbai massacres in 2008 and witnessed the killing of innocent people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Roger talked in detail about his strategies to cope with what turned out to be over 40 hours, when he was a hostage in a burning hotel while a group of suicidal terrorists – who had already murdered hotel workers and guests in cold blood – remained barricaded in with hostages on the floors directly above him.

From these traumatic experiences, Roger shared his views on Human Resilience, endorsing the fact that, we are not born with resilience, but that we acquire it throughout our lives. Roger spoke of resilience being the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress and that every one of us has it within our gift to develop and nurture resilience.

Now Chief of Business Services at Aberdeen airport, Roger shares his experiences widely to a local, national and global audience. A full account of Roger’s experience can be found in his book entitled ‘Be Silent or Be Killed’.

A vote of thanks at the conclusion of the lunch was given by Senior Assessor Mr Joe Mackie OBE.

Happy to confirm that guests can be invited to the lunch detailed below.

We are delighted to announce that our lunch in December will be a talk by Aberdeen FC chairman, Dave Cormack who will update us on what is happening at the club, plans for the future etc. We have accepted the kind invitation from the club to hold the lunch at Pittodrie.

The lunch will be held in the Richard Donald Stand, Level 3 – Pittodrie Stadium, and will commence promptly at – 1214 Hours (date of our Charter) and conclude at 1400 Hours prompt.

The lunch menu is detailed below. At present the lunch is open to Burgesses only. If you wish to attend, please email Garry Stevens at:

clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

Please do not reply via comments tab on the posting as this is not checked as regularly as the email address

Cost of the lunch is £19.15 per person. This can be paid via cheque made payable to Burgesses of Guild of the City of Aberdeen and sent to Garry Stevens, Clerk to the Burgesses of Guild, 6 Craigarbel Crescent, Inverbervie, Montrose DD10 0SJ or via BACS to:

Sort Code 826011, Account Number 50325609, Ref Surname/Lunch

Some Burgesses still carry a credit from previous lunches, so this can be allocated to this lunch if required.

Please see below letter of condolence which the Lord Dean has sent on behalf of the Burgesses of Guild to His Majesty the King

We are pleased to announce that our Lord Dean, Sylvia Halkerston has been awarded an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Business Administration, from Robert Gordon University.

Professor Steve Olivier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of RGU, comments: “Sylvia is an ardent ambassador of the North East of Scotland and the work of our region’s private and public sectors. She has contributed significantly to both sectors throughout her long and successful career and continues to play a key role in the region’s business and civic community.

“Sylvia retired from the University’s Board of Governors after eight years serving as a Governor and during that time helped to steer the strategic direction of the University in making a significant contribution to economic, social and cultural development in the North East of Scotland. I am delighted that she is now continuing to make a positive impact in our region which we are recognising with an honorary degree.”

Link to acceptance speech by Lord Dean of Guild:

We are very pleased to confirm that our Lord Dean, Colin Taylor was installed as Lord President of the Court of Deans of Scotland at the AGM of the Court of Deans, held in Arbroath on Friday 29^th April.  Below are some photos of the outgoing Lord President, Scott Williamson, Lord Dean of Dundee, handing over the chain to Colin at the end of an excellent dinner attended by most Guildries in Scotland.   Colin was accompanied at the AGM and dinner by his wife Marjorie, Sylvia Halkerston, Senior Assessor, and past Dean Fred Dalgarno (who is a Past Lord President).

Colin is proud to be appointed to represent Aberdeen, it’s important however that this comes about because the Court of Deans works on a rota basis and it’s Aberdeen’s turn this year to take on the Lord President’s role.  

The programme dictates that the next AGM of the Court of Deans will be hosted by the Guildry of the Lord President which means Aberdeen in April or May 2023. We will announce plans on the website once we have further information.

On Sunday 27th March the Lord Dean assisted Lord Provost Barney Crockett with the unveiling of a memorial stone at the Church of St. Nicholas, to recognise and thank Citizens of the city and Key Workers in particular who contributed much during recent times when the pandemic caused many restrictions.        
The stone was crafted and created by fellow Burgess, Barry Mackland and his skilled team at Memorial Specialists in Mugiemoss Road.  
This is an example of Burgesses’ contribution to the city, thanks to those in the group photograph who attended.

It was a long wait to finally be able to admit new Burgess along with 10 from the Incorporated Trades at a specially convened Council meeting, followed by a Civic Reception kindly provided by the Lord Provost and the City Council. Our thanks to them for providing the excellent hospitality particularly to Burgess John Johnstone and his Team at the Beach Ballroom for the buffet food and drinks, and Council staff on the night who assisted in ensuring everything ran smoothly.

A total of 15 teams took part in our Annual Quiz held at Aberdeenshire Cricket Club on 6th December. It was a very enjoyable evening with the winning team being Les Quizerables captained by Burgess Peter Mitchell.

Once again the Cricket Club were excellent hosts with the usual high standard of buffet. The Lord Dean gave thanks to Manager Chris Quinn-Waugh and her team. Also thanks go to Burgess Graham Guyan who brought his Victorian barrel organ along and entertained the quiz teams with Christmas Carols at the interval.