Selected items from the St. Andrew's Society of Ottawa Newsbulletin -
Spring 2005 - Vol 159 #2 - ISSN 1492-4439 (Online)
- updated 06 March 2006   other News bulletins  go to St Andrew's Society of Ottawa Page 

Please note a change from tentative plans for our Tartan Day Supper - to be held at Britannia Yacht Club. Catering arrangements at the club have changed and Lynn Paul has arranged to host a Dinner for us on Friday, 8th April 2005, upstairs; we will have a self-contained area - likely the Sunset Room. There is a buffet dinner at around $16 - pay as at any restaurant. Cash bar from 6 pm; dinner at 6.30pm. The meal is by prior reservation only; call Lynn Paul at 820-7699 on or before Tartan Day, Wednesday April 6th; she will be advising numbers to the chef on the Thursday.

The Societies' Annual General meeting will be held immediately after the dinner at about 7.45 pm. There will be reports, and members are welcome to make suggestions for future activities and actions of the Society. A Nominating Committee, headed by Ross McLellan, will propose a slate of persons for the Executive Committee.

Attendance at our Annual Burns Supper was augmented by a number of tables of members from the Ottawa Branch of the English Speaking Union. The Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club, a new venue for the event, proved to be congenial, with an excellent supper provided; over 140 attended. Iain McGilveray gave an excellent discourse before his toast to "The Immortal Memory", Bryan Lyall proposed a Toast to the Lassies and Mairi Egan replied; Ian Fraser was Master of Ceremonies. Thanks to the ticket sellers and all who assisted: Stuart & Wilma Jardine, Frances Reekie, Pat & John Shaver, Lynn Paul and Bob Bhan.

Fourteen society members and friends attended a Maple Sugar Bush trip to Pakenham on Saturday, 12th March 2005. It was a bright sunny day, but the continuing cool weather conditions meant that the annual sap run had not started. Shirley Fulton-Duego took us on a short tour around the bush, showing us some older methods of maple syrup and sugar making. Thanks to Ian Campbell for making the arrangements.

The purpose of this article is to inform you about an endeavour to commemorate the founding Scots of this city as well as the Bagpipe &emdash; an instrument which has played (and continues to play) a major role in this country. We also seek your support for what we would like to do. At the last Annual General Meeting of the Robert Burns Society of Kilmarnock, Ontario, Canada, the members passed a motion which empowered the Executive to pursue the notion of establishing a form of commemoration in the Byward Market to the founding Scots.

This action stemmed from an incident last year, when a young piper was told to stop playing his pipes in the market area, as they were too noisy &emdash; and broke the noise bylaw! That incident created a reaction from a number of people &emdash; including members in our Burns society &emdash; who took umbrage at the notion that the bagpipes were a nuisance and a source of annoying "noise". It was especially upsetting that the pipes were singled out in Ottawa's market area &emdash; where many Scots stonemasons had originally built and had settled. Today, especially in the summer, there are many other sources of "noise" on a much more regular basis than the occasional piper.

   A couple of Kilmarnock Society members pursued the issue with the market management seeking to find out why the piper had been removed and also seeking to find some way to avoid such an incident in the future. From our discussions it seems that market vendors are very sensitive to any disruption to the act of selling goods and the sound of the pipes apparently did this at the time. To some degree we understood the situation and sought, through discussion, to find a suitable place or location where the pipes could be played without annoying vendors &emdash; and possibly enhance the ambience of the market, rather than be looked upon as a source of annoying noise.

   The market management is willing to have pipes played when they organize them in the off-season; in fact they invite bands to march through the place &emdash; for such events as Byward Days &emdash; as long as they use designated areas, do not stay in one place too long and do not disrupt the vendors. Fine though that may be, it seemed to us that in that situation, the pipes were being used as an attraction for the benefit of the market; when the market did not need attractions, the pipes were banned. Of note, the Highlander Pub, on Rideau Street, at the edge of the market area, occasionally has a piper play outside; but playing is restricted to Rideau Street &emdash; which is outside market jurisdiction!

   We also found out that there is no marker or designated location anywhere in the market to commemorate the contribution that the original Scots made to the market and so far our research has not found any location to specifically commemorate the contribution Scots made to the development of Ottawa. If any readers know of such a marker, we would be delighted to know.

   Our proposal to the market management was to find a suitable spot, somewhere in the market area, to erect a plaque commemorating the Scots contribution to the area. We also suggested that at that location pipers would be free to play, perhaps with some suitable limits as to time and length of stay. We recognize that there are occasions when restrictions may apply but generally the spot would be available, free, all year round. As a Burns Society we proposed that the spot also be available for the reading of poetry as well and be identified as a "Piper and Poets" spot. To date we have only received a notice that the Market in conjunction with the City are willing to look at a series of plaques which would commemorate all the founding peoples of Ottawa. So far we have not heard any details about this proposal. It should be remembered that for many locations, the NCC must be involved which adds a further complication.

   As this year is the 150th anniversary of the founding of Ottawa we thought that it would be a great contribution to the events taking place during the year and a wonderful way of commemorating all the original Scots who settled here and gave so much to the founding of this city. In fact they gave much to the nation and allowing the playing of an instrument which has been and still is very important in Canada would be a wonderful thing to do. If any member has any good ideas or wishes to add to the concept, we would be delighted to hear from you.

   We are looking for kindred spirits to help with this initiative, so maybe the St Andrew's Society of Ottawa would consider joining with us to promote this initiative. We can be contacted through Scott Reid &emdash; scott.r@sympatico.ca - - or Gary Clarke at gclarke@realontario.ca

At the suggestion of John Shaver, the Society had a presence at the Heritage Day celebration on Monday 21st February 2005, marking 150 years since the founding of Ottawa. Our society is older than that, of course. Many of the exhibitors had displays and demonstrations with historians dressed in 1850s costume.

Our display had a number of artifacts, including a Gaelic bible presented to the Society in 1908. Our history book, celebrating 100 years of our society, was perused &emdash; especially by those who knew members from years ago. Bob Bhan, who was unable to attend, provided colourful historical display cards going back almost 160 years; John Shaver described his Clan Map to interested passers by. Before the communal lunch, there were speeches in the Council Chamber. The room was packed, and the first two rows were occupied by history buffs in Victorian style garments; Hugh Reekie and John Shaver, who manned the booth, were there in kilts, tabards and jabots.

There will be informal dance sessions at the Pinecrest Recreational Complex, 2250 Torquay off Cobden, between Iris and Baseline, run by Hugh Reekie. The dates are Sundays 3rd and 24th April. This activity is suitable for young and old - some just come along and listen to the music. The dances will be talked through, and include such popular ones as the Dashing White Sergeant, the Gay Gordons, Waltz Country Dance and the St. Bernard's Waltz. No experience is necessary; soft soled shoes appreciated - we dance on a wood parquet floor. At the end of the afternoon we relax with tea and scones, Scottish style. Admisson is $4, and $2 for under 16s, reservations appreciated - Hugh & Frances Reekie

Peter Waddell was shocked when he uncovered the catacombs, which are believed to have been built by monks. The network, which does not appear in any records, features a large arched tunnel which runs for about a mile beneath Park Farm, near Linlithgow, West Lothian. Archaeologists believe the culvert, just a few miles from Linlithgow Palace, dates back to the early 14th century when a secretive brotherhood of monks farmed the land. Some local people even believe the tunnels may have provided escape routes and hiding places for the Carmelite monks. The main tunnel is constructed from hand-cut sandstone blocks formed into an arch using medieval building techniques. Nearly 10ft underground, it is about four-and-a-half feet high by a yard wide and is still in immaculate condition.

Mr Waddell uncovered the network while carrying out building work to convert one of his barns into a canal-side bistro. Mr Waddell, 41, a third generation farmer, said that when he was ten, his father told him a story about secret passageways beneath the land, but nothing was mentioned again. The farmer, who lives with his wife Tracey, 32, and daughters Tara, two, and seven-week-old Olivia, said: "I couldn't believe what we had unearthed. We pulled away the stones and there was this gaping hole beneath. We looked in and there was this perfectly preserved arched stone tunnel running as far as we could see. It was quite a shock."

Dr Tony Pollard, an archaeologist at Glasgow University, called for the site to be surveyed. He compared the tunnels to ones he had worked on at Paisley Abbey dating to the 14th and 15th centuries and built by monks for drainage. "The one at Paisley had slightly better stonework and ran off a millpond. It was used to flush out the latrines of a number of buildings which are no longer standing. "But this one is rougher which would make it older. The construction seems quite elaborate for what is probably a glorified drain, but monks were quite wealthy."Bruce Jamieson, a local historian, said the tunnels may have been built by the Carmelite monks who lived in a friary near the site at the end of the 13th century. He said: "Whoever built it must have been well off. The Carmelite friary stood at a place now called Friars Brae and they would have been working the land at this time. "The only people who could afford such a grand structure would be monks or royalty."

   - summarized from an article by Jonathan Lessware - The Scotsman, Tue 8 March 2005    - with thanks to Bob Bhan

There was quite a crowd for the February "Pub night" at The Tartan Pub, Wellington St. There were ten attending a month later on March 14 at The Tartan Pub, 4025 Innes Rd. On April 18 (later than usual) we will be back at the Highlander on Rideau St, downtown - 6.30 for 7pm supper. On 8th May the supper will be at the Black Bear, corner of Albert and Bay; this lesser-known Scottish Pub and eatery is adjacent to an Italian Restaurant; there is a vast malt whisky selection, and haggis is on the menu. If you attend on a Wednesday wearing a kilt, you get a discount! The pub runs monthly whisky tasting sessions, on Sundays; thanks to Stuart Jardine for details of this pub. On Monday 13th June we plan to be back at The Glen, Kanata. To assist with table management, reservations are appreciated - Hugh Reekie 728-5343.

Eamonn Butler, a Scot who lives in London, England is heading a group which plans to erect a special statue in Edinburgh. The city council has given permission for a 20' monument on the Royal Mile, near to St Giles Cathedral and the Mercat Cross; nearby stands a statue of Smith's acquaintance David Hume.

Adam Smith is author of The Wealth of Nations (1776), he was the champion of free trade and the pioneer of the modern market economy which dominates the free world today. With David Hume, he was one of the leading figures of the Scottish Intellectual Enlightenment. He lived and died in Edinburgh: yet there is no statue of him anywhere in Scotland.  Many visitors go to Edinburgh to seek out Adam Smith's tomb, but come away disappointed. It is gloomy and hard to find, in an old churchyard off the narrow Canongate. It stands in grim contrast to Karl Marx's imposing, well cared for, iconic and much-visited monument in London. And of course, throughout the world, hundreds of statues of Marx still remain.

It is time that Adam Smith was properly commemorated. So the Adam Smith Institute is proposing to erect a hugely impressive statue of the great sage in the city he made his home. For donations, either use their web site, www.adamsmith.org, or use: Adam Smith Institute, 23 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BL England.

L'Orignal, Carillon, St Andrew's East & Pointe Fortune - The event is set for Saturday 4th June 2005. We start at Knox Presbyterian Church, Vankleek Hill - about 9.15am - with registration, and a snack. The church is on Hamil St - right off Hwy 34 at the slight bend - just before the traffic lights at Main St. We leave for L'Orignal and a 10-minute outdoors walking tour to include the Regional Courthouse, built by a Scot in 1825 and St Andrew's Church, built in 1820. More details of the tour are available .

Crossing the Ottawa River at Hawkesbury, we travel the north shore road through Carillon to St Andrew's East, now called St. André d'Argenteuil. After lunch in the Presbyterian Church we explore part of the town on foot, including the Anglican Church. On the way back to Carillon we stop to look at the Scottish headstones in the local Protestant graveyard &endash; and then visit the Argenteuil Regional Museum, Carillon: the building was built by the British Army in 1836. Included in the many museum exhibits are models of a broad-gauge railway in the area and Ottawa River steamboats. There are artifacts from the Abbott family: John Abbott, born in St. Andrew's East of Scots parents, founded McGill University; he was the first native-born Prime Minister of Canada.

Then we take the short ferry to Pointe Fortune, Quebec, and go to the Macdonell-Williamson House, built in 1817. After a house tour we have a Scottish tea. The tour finishes about 6 pm; it is 10 minutes to the main Montreal-Ottawa highway #417. For the optional dinner, we go east to Hudson and the Lake of Two Mountains, for a 7 pm pub supper at the Willow Place Inn, which is just East of the centre of Hudson. Leaving about 8.30, we'll be in the Ottawa area by 10 pm. A detailed flier will be mailed to members in late April; registration is by mail and drivers, on request, will be mailed a map showing the intinerary, and how to get to the church in Vankleek Hill. Cost - in the $40 - $50 range.

               - Tour planned by Hugh & Frances Reekie

The Society intends to have a booth at the Veterans Memorial Highland Games, Spencerville on Saturday 18th June 2005; the Games got off to a good start last year. More details: http://www.cybertap.com/brothers/hg/2chg.html - The world-famous Glengarry Highland Games will be held at Maxville on July 29/30 2005. Tickets are $20 for the Saturday, or $18 if purchased by July 15th. There will be a Friday concert as usual. Details - http://www.glengarryhighlandgames.com/ The last local Highland Games of the season will be held on Saturday August 20, 2005 from 9am to 6pm. The North Lanark Higland Games will be held at the N.L.A.S. Fairgrounds, Almonte, Ontario. It is expected that, in addition to Spencerville, the Society will have booths at both Maxville and Almonte.