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Please see information relating to opportunities to be a sponsor at the Tall Ships Event next year:

It has been a number of years since we last held a Burgess of Guild Golf Competition. If there is enough interest then we can look to hold a competition with a meal after, at a suitable date later this year. Previous years have been enjoyable -perhaps not the golf for some – but the social aspect after!

If any Burgesses would like to take part please email Clerk at – clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

Many Thanks

Clerk

As part of our Action Plan please see the Communication from ACVO showing the list of vacancies for Trustees/Board Members for local charitable organisations in Aberdeen. This was one of the areas in which Burgesses expressed an interest. It would be helpful if anyone responds to ACVO expressing an interest that you copy the Clerk – clerk@aberdeenburgesses.com

To those who wish to participate, thank you

Lord Dean

Pleased to post a photograph of Burgesses who were awarded various levels of recognition for their contribution and achievements in their professions and/or community activities at the Order of Scottish Samurai ceremony led by Ronnie Watt at Broomhall House on Sunday 3rd March.

Ronnie Watt, a strongly committed and supportive Burgess, is the founder of the OSS. The ceremony was a special celebration celebrating 30 years of the OSS attended by the Japanese Consul and hosted by Lord Charles Bruce, a direct descendant of Robert the Bruce, and whose historical home is Broomhall House.

All awardees have gone above and beyond for their communities and in keeping with the ethos of being a Burgess of Guild.

Congratulations to all award winners and to Ronnie Watt for his outstanding continuing commitment to our wider community.

On Saturday 17th February we held an event in conjunction with the Order of Scottish Samurai at the Town House with two internationally renowned speakers – Professor Thomas Weber, an authority on and author of books on Adolf Hitler and Professor Beatrice de Graaf, an authority on and author of books on Vladimir Putin. Both speakers are winners in their own right of the Duc d’Arenberg Prize which is awarded for the best book on European History. They did not disappoint giving us facts, perhaps unknown, the story behind the men and their objectives. Hitler may well have been a history lesson with lessons for the future, but the Putin story brought us from his beginnings right to the present day.

The speakers gave generously of their time presenting on their subjects and the questions from the floor of ninety-four attendees were plentiful. The turnout was exceptional given that it was a very wet, Saturday night and the event only consisted of the presentations and questions. I thank all who attended.

 Our fellow Burgess, Ronnie Watt, President of the OSS, suggested these speakers. We have a full calendar of lunchtime speakers, but if any Burgesses would like to recommend speakers or topics for events, I will happily pursue.

Sylvia Halkerston
Lord Dean of Guild

Dear Burgesses

It has been some time since you received a progress update on our aspirational objective- Working Together For Aberdeen.

This delay is not a reflection of inactivity as work has been ongoing to refine the project and ascertain how best to engage with the appropriate organisations to action the priorities and achieve our objectives.

You received the report from the joint evening. I now attach below a summary Statement of Actions derived from that report which focusses on how we can address the priorities resulting from our initial findings and what can be realistically delivered without further delay.

 If you are interested in participating in the project, please review this document and complete the survey document by following the link below. The survey is aimed at giving us guidance as to who can potentially do what.

Burgesses of Guild and Burgesses of Trade Potential Interest 2024 (office.com)

May I request that you provide a personal email address as opposed to a company/organisation address because we have found that the latter has given rise to some Burgesses not receiving emails due to firewall protections and other anti-scam software.

Our fellow Burgesses of Trade will also receive these communications.

Thank you for your time and patience. I am more convinced than ever that we can make a difference and your involvement will be appreciated, whatever you are able to commit .It is my greatest wish that the many Burgesses who have been admitted in recent years but have not been involved since their admission will perhaps see this  as an opportunity to participate as a Burgess of Guild.

Sincerely

Sylvia Halkerston

Lord Dean of Guild

On behalf of the Burgesses of Guild of the City of Aberdeen, the Lord Dean wishes to pass on her congratulation to Burgess Paul Meallor who was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the New Years Honours List for services to royal music.

The LVO is a personal gift given by the King. He is the first composer since Sir Arthur Bliss in 1969 to be recognised in this manner. Prof Mealor LVO CStJ FRSA CLJ was also awarded a Coronation Medal to mark his contributions to the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey in 2023.

I am sure all Burgesses will agree that this is a well deserved honour for Paul.

We are delighted to welcome the following new Burgesses:

Some of you attended the lunch where John Otto, Kimberlie Hamilton and Ken McHardy told us about Prof JJR MacLeod, Nobel Prize winner for his lead role in the discovery of insulin.

It is no exaggeration when I say that the majority of people had not heard that name before, far less understand that this Aberdonian had not received the recognition he deserved for the outstanding contribution he made to medical science, resulting in millions of lives being saved. John’s immediate objective was to communicate the JJR Macleod story and have a statue erected in his honour in his native Aberdeen.

That objective was achieved last week when on 12^th October a magnificent sculpture of JJR MacLeod was unveiled at the Duthie Park – the first talking sculpture in Scotland. The photograph shows the statue and those who unveiled it. I am proud to say that four Burgesses were in that group and several more Burgesses and their families who generously contributed to its commissioning. It is also worthy of note that the wall surrounding the statue contains a top stone reading “Burgesses of Guild of the City of Aberdeen”

Thank you to all Burgesses who contributed in many ways to this statue and to the project itself, but we all thank John Otto for getting it done.

Please see the link below to access some more information.

Kind Regards

Lord Dean of Guild

35 Burgesses of Guild attended an excellent evening on Wednesday 16th August to the newly refurbished Gordon Highlanders Museum. After an excellent buffet in the café the attendees were given a tour of the garden, the museum itself, including the armoury, archives, and the regimental dining room, which is still in use today. It is often called a hidden gem in the City, but with the work that has gone in to the refurbishment highlighting the history of the Regiment lets hope it becomes a lot less hidden! It is well worth a visit.

Thanks go to Ian Pithie, Head of Visitor Experience at the museum for assisting in organising our visit, and to all the Museum staff for ensuring our visit was a memorable and informative one.