ELLON & DISTRICT PROBUS CLUB

Probus Club Meeting held on 14th Nov: 2024

Speaker Sandy Manson, Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire.

Sandy Manson with president John Gill (L/H)

Our speaker today was the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire Sandy Manson who was appointed to the role in April 2020 and his primary function being to represent the King, and uphold the dignity of the Crown.

Sandy addressed a larger than normal gathering of members including six visiting members of the Inverurie Probus Club, and also four lady guests.

His talk centred first on the many engagements the King and working members of the Royal Family have to perform throughout the year, with the King himself involved in over four hundred engagements. Duties of the Lord Lieutenant are many, some of which are organising visits of the Monarch, liaise with local armed forces, attending various ceremonies on behalf of the King to name but a few. Fortunately there is a team of around twelve deputies who can step in when required at events throughout the county. The role of Lord Lieutenant goes back in time to the reign of Henry VIII, and it was a great privilege to be appointed to this role.

A fascinating talk delivered with a good measure of humour and much appreciated by all present at the meeting. The Vote of Thanks was then given to Sandy by fellow member Peter Mackie.

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Sandy Manson in the uniform of the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire.

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Six members of the Inverurie Probus Club who attended the meeting with president John Gill on the left.

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Ellon Probus Club AGM

Held on 24th October 2024.

John Gill

In coming president John Gill in his opening address to members thanked Alan Barker for his term as president and in particular his sense of humour and assistance in running the club.

John thanked members present for their support and looked forward to his stint in the hot seat.

Following a short question and answer session in AOCB the meeting closed at 1045 am.

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Out going President Alan Barker (R/H) hands over the baton to John Gill new President for year 2024/25.

Alan Barker

Out going president Alan Barker made a short statement regarding his very interesting 12 month as president.

He went on to thank all committee members for their support, and also spoke of the sad loss of some members who had passed away during the year. Alan followed on by calling for one minute’s silence in memory of those gone by.

Finally there was a big thank you to Jackie our caterer who was presented with a bottle of champagne for her efforts throughout the year.

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Our fellow member Peter Mackie (L/H) with president Alan Barker.

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Probus Club Meeting 10th Oct: 2024.

Speaker today Peter Mackie and the topic is “Children of the 50’s”

Peter’s talk today centred on a study initiated by Aberdeen University over the lifetime of children born between 1950 and 1956. Members were first shown a video featuring Professor Corri Black who explained the various aspects of the study. This was to take in the lives of the children as they matured into adults, health and wellbeing, learning ability, social, and cultural lives. Some 12000 children were involved and tests were conducted to determine cognitive function at ages 7, 11, and 14.

As the children matured into adults questionnaires were sent out at various times to individuals to gather further data into their lives. This showed that involment in childhood events such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme etc. played a big part in their development. Health and wellbeing featured in the study and those that maintained fitness and active lives were less prone to illness perticularly Heart disease. Social class, neighbourhood environment, being a non smoker, and low alcohol consumption contributed greatly to good health and wellbeing.

As Aberdeen developed through the ages with expansion of the Oil Industry, social and cultural aspects also featured in the study and influenced the lives of the individuals involved. The study is ongoing and results of data gathered can be found online published by various organisations.

An excellent talk by Peter with the moral of the story being keeping fit, and a active social life pays off. The Vote of Thanks was then given by Fred Crawford on behalf of the members present.

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Speaker Lynne with president Alan Barker who gave the Vote of Thanks to Lynne for a fascinating and informative talk of service life.

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Probus Club Meeting 26th Sept:2024

Speaker today is Lynne Copping and her topic is
“Life as a service child”

Lynne was born into a British Army service family in 1950. Her father Richard Wilson had initially joined the Gordon Highlanders in WW2, but was subsequently transferred into another regiment, then the Royal Artillery, and then the Royal Tank Corps. In 1944 he volunteered to become a Horsa glider pilot and took part in “Operation Market garden” landing near the town of Arnhem. After superior German forces overrun the town, he hid in a cellar in the town of Oosterbeek and subsequently together with 11 other soldiers, made it to the Rhine river and was evacuated narrowly avoiding capture by German forces.

After many adventures Richard Wilson married his sweetheart and was posted to Egypt joining his Father who was serving as a Wing Commander in the RAF. While in Egypt Richard volunteered to serve in the Water Transport section of the Royal Army Service Corps operating Landing Craft of many descriptions over the next few years.

Lynne was born in Egypt in 1950 and her brother a few years later. The family then moved to Portsmouth and later to Sentosa island in Singapore which is now a holiday resort. Lynne showed many Photographs on the projector screen, and described life as a service child with her parents moving to many postings as her fathers service life required. During this period she had to attend eight different Primary Schools, a varied education no doubt?.

Service life was in the blood and Lynne joined the RAF serving at RAF Wildenrath in Germany. She met and married her husband there in 1973, a helicopter engineer, and after more service postings finally moved to Scotland in 1980. With the oil industry in full flow her husband found work at Dyce Airport with one of the Helicopter Company’s.

Probus Club Meeting 12 Sept: 2024

Speaker Ken McDade on “A Country Legend”

Dolly Parton. Singer, Songwriter, Actress, and Philanthropist.

Our speaker today was our very own fellow member Ken McDade avid fan of Country and Western music and the topic in question was the famous singer Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton was born in 1946 in Pittman Centre Tennessee and was one of 12 children brought up in what she described as dirt poor poverty. She started singing aged 6 at the local church and by age 10 was appearing on the local “Cas Walker Show”. By age 16 she was writing her own songs and having completed school became a professional singer. In 1967 she featured in a regular spot on country music entertainer Porter Wagoner’s weekly show and penned the song “Coat of many Colours” which was a big hit.

Over the coming decades she wrote near 3000 songs, appeared in worldwide shows, worked with many movie and music stars, and won many awards. Her songs have captured the hearts of many “Jolene” and “9 to 5” being two big hits. In 1966 she married Carl Dean a marriage that still endures today, and at age 78 she would appear to still keep on singing and entertaining.

Ken’s talk was full of detailed facts and we also viewed two video’s of Dolly Parton singing. A very enjoyable musical morning.

Frank Reilly in his usual humorous way gave the Vote of Thanks to Ken.

Speaker Ken McDade (L/H) appropriately attaired in Country & Western rig.

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President Alan Barker welcomed new member Eric Walker (R/H) into the Club.

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Claire Russel with President Alan Barker.

Haddo House

Lake at Haddo

Probus Club meeting 22Aug 2024

Speaker today is Claire Russel, Visitor Services Supervisor at Haddo House and her talk was on “A brief history of Haddo House”.

Claire as supervisor is responsible for tours, guests, and staff at Haddo House. It is located about 25 miles north of Aberdeen near the town of Tarvers, and was designed and built in the Georgian style by architect William Adam for the 1st Earl of Aberdeen. Throughout the history of the house the Earl’s of Aberdeen ie: of the Gordon family led prominent lives, and the 4th Earl being Prime Minster between the years 1852 to 1855.

Queen Victoria paid a visit to the house for less than 24 hours on 14th Oct.1857, and during WW2 it was used as a maternity hospital and 1200 babies were born there.

In 1974 the house was donated to the National Trust for Scotland and it’s income is now derived from donors, visitors, and membership. The house is surrounded by terraced gardens, flower beds, and an avenue of lime trees. There is also a small lake which is home to ducks, and other water born creatures. Well worth a days visit.

Claire gave a talk with much detailed history of the house, much appreciated by members present, and the Vote of Thanks was then given by John Gatt on their behalf.

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Probus Club Meeting held on 25th July 2024.

Catriona Reid (R/H) with President Alan Barker.

Our speaker today Catriona Reid is the manager of the Forvie National Nature Reserve which is situated on the East Coast of Scotland 20 kilometers north of Aberdeen. The reserve is mainly a mix of sand dunes with tussocks of marram grass, and heathland.

Catriona’s talk first covered the history of the reserve which was once home to Stone Age, and Bronze Age people. Evidence of there lives can be found in the middens, and mounds of shells they left behind. Later a village also existed but was abandoned around 1400 due to shifting sand dunes in the area.

The River Ythan enters the sea at the south of the reserve and the estuary is a vital habitat and food source for thousands of seabirds, and wildfowl. Redshanks, Eider Duck, Terns, to name but a few nest in there thousands at the reserve. A large colony of Seals can be found to the south of the reserve resting on the banks of the River Ythan. In the Spring and Summer the heathland is covered in wild flowers, home to butterflies and insets which is also a food source for the birds.

The Forvie Centre is at the North end of the reserve and is a start point for many paths and trails through the reserve. Some 60 thousand folk visit the reserve each year looked after by Catriona, and staff_ mainly volunteers. Forvie is a true jewel on the East coast of Scotland well worth a visit one day.

Speaker today is Catriona Reid manager of the Forvie National Nature Reserve managed by NatureScot.

Forvie Nature Reserve A colony of Seals on the North Bank of the Ythan River at the south of the reserve.

Eider Ducks. Reputed to be the largest colony of Eider Ducks in the UK.

A much appreciated talk by Catriona and members asked many questions at the end. The Vote of Thanks was then given by Tony La Brooy.

Probus Meeting 11/07/24

Speaker Gordon Benton on the 50/100 year Development master Plan for Scotland

Our very own member Gordon is a well travelled man and spent a lot of time in Indonesia as Devlopment Director of Lippo Karawaci village which has now increased in size to a city. He is therefore well qualified to talk about the development of Scotland into the future.

Any long term development plan requires Research, Strategies, and Stake Holder input to have a measure of success. A good example Gordon gave is Singapore, a country the size of Aberdeenshire with a population of 6 million, a GDP of around 82 billion, and now a booming wealthy hub in the Far East. Scotland on the other hand is 560.000 square kilometres, a population of 5.2 million, and a GDP of Apx: 34 billion. The potential for further development of Scotland is enormous.

Gordon Benton (R/H) with President Alan Barker.

The Vote of Thanks for Gordon’s enlightening talk was given by

Graham McCombie.

The geographic location of Scotland is ideal for trade with Europe. A devlopment plan for Prestwick Airport could see trade links with the West, and Scapa Flow could be turned into a deep water free port.Just two examples of what could be achieved with commitment and investment. Connectivity with rail, and road, is essential between Airports, Ports, and the outer Islands of Scotland to make it all work.

However there are challenges ahead to overcome, an ageing population which is not enough to build up the economy, and not owning most of the land. Taxes must be paid by everyone, a very necessary part of any development plan.

Gordon’s final comment was how essential it is to encourage, and enlighten the young folk today of where their future lies in this great country of ours. It can be done with commitment, and a willingness to succeed.

27th June 2024.

A Dedication and Commemoration event in memory of Ellon Probus Club Members at Ellon Castle Gardens.

Ellon Castle and Gardens

Members were taken on a tour of the Gardens by two Gardens Trust volunteers Alison, and Anne who gave a brief history of the area.

The Castle and it’s gardens stretch back to the 15th century and went through various stages of construction and occupation through the following centuries. The Castle Gardens Trust was set up in 2014 to devlop and protect the gardens in perticular several Yew trees estimated to be 800 years old. Much restoration work has now taken place by the all volunteer staff, and the gardens are open to the public at weekends. At the end of the tour President Alan Barker thanked Alison, and Anne for their time spent on a warm sunny day.

President Alan Barker (r/h), and deputy John Gill who were instrumental in getting the Bench seat made by the Men’s Shed members of Ellon. The president then made a short statement and called for a 2 minute silence in rememberence of those gone by.

The Plaque on the Bench Seat, the words speak for themselves.

Members , Wives, and Partners of Ellon Probus Club who attended the dedication event at the Castle Gardens.

Following the dedication event all persons pictured above then retired to the Ellon Golf Club for drinks and an excellent lunch.

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Probus Meeting 13th June 2024.
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Speaker:
Fred Crawford on the topic of “Railways of East Buchan”.

By coincidence , local Newspapers have just published a Report by Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, and Campagin for North East Rail (CNER), on the possibility of reopening the Aberdeen to Peterhead line in the hope of creating an economic boom in the North East.

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A proposal was first put forth to run a rail line from Aberdeen to Peterhead, and Fraserburgh by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) and was approved in 1855. This was known as the Formartine & Buchan Railway, and was constructed in stages. Dyce to Mintlaw opened in 1861, then on to Peterhead in 1862, and finally on to Fraserburgh via Maud in 1865.The line supported mainly the fishing industry in Peterhead, and Fraserburgh.

However in 1963 a report was published by the Chairman of the British rail Board Dr. Richard Beaching axing much of the rail lines due to operational losses. 55% of Stations, and 30% of line routes throughout the UK were closed. All of the East Buchan lines closed between 1965 & 1967. A reminder of this rail history can be found in a small Rail Museum in Maud.

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Our esteemed and long serving member Fred enlightened us all with his considerable knowledge of the East Buchan rail system.

Following his talk, many questions were asked by members who also had memories in their younger days of the North East rail services.

The Vote of Thanks was then given by Pete Mackie on behalf of members for a memorable talk by Fred.

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Formartine and Buchan Railway route to Peterhead and Fraserburgh as it was in 1865.

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Probus Club Meeting 23rd May 2024
Speaker Gordon Hay on the topic of The Scots Doric Dialect.

Gordon described himself as a Turriff Loon, and after a University education became a solicitor working in the town of Peterhead. Now retired, he has taken a deep interest in the Doric dialect of Northeast Scotland.

Doric is derived from the Greek term Dorris which refers to a distinct rural, or rustic dialect. It is sometimes referred to as Scotlands third language next to English, and Gaelic.

Gordon then recited a rather lengthy poem “It wasna his Wyte” (It was’nt his fault) by the poet Charles Murray a man who published many books in the Doric dialect. Many members understood what was being said, some however were perplexed! …”Dinna ken fit he’s saying?”

A Church of Scotland practioner over thirty years, and now an Elder, Gordon spent many years translating the Bible into the Doric dialect. A Parlimentary motion was laid by Scots MSP Jackie Dunbar in June 2023 to officially recognise the effort made by Gordon in this project.

Several books have been written by various authors in the Doric dialect, however there is no standardisation in spelling due to the regional variations throughout Northeast Scotland. This factor is one reason which hampers the Scottish government in its efforts to create a Standard Scots Language. A mix no doubt of English, Gaelic, and a good measure of Doric.

Alistair Martin then gave the Vote of Thanks to Gordon for his well presented and informative talk.

Gordon Hay (R/H) with President Alan Barker

Gordon with copies of the New & Old Testament which he translated into the Scots Doric dialect. The first translation of the Bible in any Scots language in 640 years.

Probus Club Meeting 9th May 2024

Speaker: Innes Simpson on the Charity

“Hearing Dogs for the Deaf”.

Innes Simpson (L/H) one of 3000 volunteers helping the charity, with President Alan Barker.

Deafness is an invisible disability and has a range from Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound ie: zero sound. It is the latter who need the most help which is where the charity comes in. Just as with the blind, it was decided to try and train dogs to help the profoundly deaf.

Innes started his talk with some detail about the cause of deafness and the inner workings of the human ear and it’s link to the Brain. It is the Brain that actually processes and hears the sound.

Training of dogs starts with eight week old pups and follows on to make them react to various sounds eg: doorbell, telephone etc.The dog has to be matched with the deaf person and will use its paws, tail, nose etc, to alert the person depending on the perticular sound. It costs in the region of £40,000 pounds for the training and working life of the dog, usually 11years.Today there are 1019 dogs assisting deaf persons in the UK, and 450 are in training.

Members were then shown a video of a young lady “Sophie” a former opera singer who became progressively deaf. She was matched with a dog “Rusty” which was a life changing experience giving her more independence, fulfilment, and better mental health.

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Lady Beatrice Wright (Ctr) received an MBE from the Queen in 1986. She was Co-founder of the charity with Bruce Fogle and it was launched at the Crufts Dog Show in 1982.

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40th Anniversary Celebration held in 2022. A fund raising event “The Great British Dog Walk” will take place on 2nd June at Balmoral Castle, open to all comers.

The Vote of Thanks to Innes was then given by President Alan Barker for the important and admirable work carried out by the volunteers of the charity

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Probus Club Spring Lunch at Ellon Golf Club.
28th April 2024.
Speaker Ryan Crighton and his topic was the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce.

Speaker Ryan described himself as a local lad, educated at New Deer school, Mintlaw Accademy, and RGU in Aberdeen. He started his career as a trainee journalist with the P&J newspaper and during his tenure won Young Journalist of the year in 2009, and became Chief Reporter and Business Editor of the P&J.

He left the news paper in 2014 and joined Aberdein Considine as Director of Marketing for seven years. He moved on to join the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, and also co-founded his own Company “Sovereign Grooming”.

Ryan explained in some detail the role of the Chamber of Commerce and all the projects in hand to promote business in Aberdeen. Some examples being the regeneration of Union street, continuing role of the oil/gas industry, and huge opportunities in Hydrogen and offshore wind farms. Further to this there is the promotion of the tourist industry, and also Cruise ships into Aberdeen harbour. It all takes time, and most of all supportive government policy. A well presented talk much appreciated by members and guests at the lunch.

Top Table with Ryan Crighton giving his talk. Deputy President John Gill (second from left) was in charge of proceedings for the club lunch.

The lunch was an excellent carvery put together by the Golf Club catering staff.

This was followed by a quiz and raffle organised by the doyen of ceremony Colin Grant ably assisted by John Gatt.

Finally Frank Reilly gave the Vote of Thanks to all concerned for an excellent Lunch and gathering at the Golf Club.

Probus Club Meeting 11th April 2024

A Musical Morning

Yet again the members entertained themselves to music and songs selected by nine individuals. An explanation was needed as to why each song or piece of music was selected. A particular date, event, or simply a little ditty that they liked was among the reasons for the selection. Amusing, funny, and in one case an 11 year old girl singing a famous opera song were all in the mix. A fun morning to say the least by some oldie guys 🥸🤓😂.

Norman Davidson who was deeply impressed by it all🤭 gave the Vote of Thanks to those who contributed, and especially to Colin Grant who coordinated the mornings fun.

Man of the moment Frank who also brought with him his favourite Libyan delicacy “Baclava” for members to sample made by his good lady wife off course.

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Probus Club Meeting 28th March 2024.

Speaker Frank Reilly on his work in Tripoli.

One of our fellow members Frank took the stand to give us a talk on his stay, and work in Tripoli. He was there in 2008 working for BP and his job was to train up people in risk management and suitability for employment in a large Oil field complex in Libiya. He worked with a team of four all fluent in Arabic.

Culture differences being as they are Frank had to come to terms with how things were done there. The Libyan boss’s ruled, and a prospective employee was simply told what job they will be trained in, they had no choice. The National Oil Co. of Libya also had a school where kids 12/13 year olds were being moulded into future oil industry workers. The pupils 600 strong, lived in not very impressive conditions with no proper facilities, certainly not to Frank and a lot of changes were required there.

Frank did however live well in a plush hotel, and was chauffeur driven around. This was a perilous and dangerous exercise considering the driving skills and traffic conditions of Libya’s roads. When his contract was over and he left Libya, he was given a gift of a gold coloured table cloth which he brought to the meeting. His wife apparently would never allow it on her dining table😂.

A talk full of humour, and much detail which went down well with the members.

Gordon Benton then gave the Vote of Thanks for this well presented talk.

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Lexie Conyngham pictured with president Alan Barker is a Historian, and Crime writer, and has published over thirty books to date.

Probus Club Meeting on 14th March 2024.

Speaker: Lexie Conyngham on the subject of
“Surviving Self Publishing”.

Lexie Conyngham’s first interest in writing started while in Secondary school, a story of around ten thousand words, but after graduating from University her first novel stretched to a hundred thousand words. They were all crime related novels based primarily on her life long interest in Scotland’s old Cities, Universities, and Aristocratic Estates.

The first novel was on the 1800’s fictional Aristocrat Charles Murray Laird of Letho, and stretched into a 12 novel series. Publishing was always a taxing business, as the profit margins with the big company’s was limited. However, doing it your self was a better option so self editing, publishing, ebooks, and also paperback editions with Amazon’s world wide distribution proved profitable.

A second series of 5 crime novels followed featuring another 1800’s character Hippolata Napier, a lady based in the Scottish highland town of Ballater. Lot of crime in Ballater in those days??. A fascination with the world of the Vikings provided another 3 novel series “Orkneyinga Murders”

Lexie has published several other stand alone novels, and is still continuing her writing career today, usually taking three months to complete each one. Fascinating incite into the world of fiction writing, and publishing is how we would describe this talk, much appreciated by the members.

The Vote of Thanks on behalf of members present was given by Bill Reed.

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The winners of the quiz with suitable refreshment in hand were

L/R. Shona and Kevin Reid, with Eric and Sandra Brockie.

Probus Club Quiz 23rd Feb: 2024.

Held at Ellon Golf Club.

Eighteen teams made up of Probus Club members and guests were asked to tax their Brain power in this quiz session to raise funds for the Probus Club. Asking the questions were chief invigilator Colin Grant able assisted by President Alan Barker. A healthy amount of over six hundred pounds was raised no doubt putting a big smile on Treasure Ian Smith’s face 🤗.

Probus Club Meeting 22nd Feb. 2024

Speaker and fellow member Ewen Johnson on “The History of the Oil Industry in Shetland”.

Ewen started his talk with a brief history of the Shetland Isles. When oil was discovered east of Shetland in the 1960”s the Uk Government and the Zetland County Council purchased land to build a Oil Terminal at Sullom Voe to process this Oil and Gas. This of course would be of benefit to the Islands community and a Charitable Trust was set up to do just that in 1976. The Trust would be utilised to improve the quality of life of the Islanders, support local facilities, and invest in local industries.

The first oil flowed through a pipeline to the Terminal from the Ninian, and Brent oil fields in 1978 and subsequently exported to the UK, and Europe. When oil was discovered West of Shetland, well this was “Boom Time” right through the seventies, and eighties. Many Shetlanders who worked in the mainland of Scotland returned home to take advantage of better job prospects including Ewen who was born there.

Today a separate industry has evolved at Lerwick Harbour where the decommissioning of oil rigs takes place. Many of them out there and years of work remain.

The Vote of Thanks for an excellent talk was given by Ken McDade.

Sullom Voe Oil Terminal

Shetlands Isles North of the Scottish mainland.

Probus Club Meeting 8th Feb: 2024

Speaker James Clarke on the Titanic.

Titanic

She was 269 meters long with a 92 meter beam, and weighed in at 46330 tons. Built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast and launched on 31st May 1911.

James’s talk centred on a detailed description on the design, construction, and accommodation of the ship. This was followed by the events that took place in the early hours of the 15th May when she struck the Iceberg on her maiden voyage. Of the 2453 passengers, and 900 crew, over 1500 people lost their lives before SS Carpathia came to the rescue of others. Many lessons were learned which were later implemented into ship safety. Undoubtedly the most famous maritime tragedy in history.

On behalf of members present, Jim Gauld gave the Vote of Thanks for an excellent and informative talk.

James Clarke (R/H) with president Alan Barker.

James Clarke was born in Ireland and at age 16 started as an apprentice with A.W. Hamilton Ltd. as an engineer. After completing training he moved to Belfast where he took a deep interest in the Titanic and her history.

Probus Club Tribute to Robert Burns held on 25th Jan: 2024.

Event organizer and master of ceremonies Colin Grant gave a short talk on the life and times of Rabbie Burns as he was known. Even though he was known as a philanderer and a man who lived a diverse life style, he is still regarded as Scotlands most famous person. He died unfortunately at the young age of 37.

Robert Burns

Writer of over 600 songs, and poems. How many millions of folk who sing “Auld Lang Syne” at New Year’s parties would even know he wrote the words?.

27 members at the Tribute

Members and guests enjoyed the morning with the traditional fare of Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties, washed down with cans of Irn Bru.

The President and Guests

Guest Jim Mortimer (L/H) read two poems at the tribute. Seated with the President Alan Barker is also guest Sandy Simpson (R/H).

Sandy Simpson, the Bard of Ellon 😊.

Sandy made the traditional address to the Haggis, ie; The great Chieftain of the Pudding Race.

Alistair Martin on Mouth Organ.

Fellow member Alistair surprised the members with two of Burn’s songs played on Mouth Organ. A hidden talent no doubt?.

Catering Ladies Jackie & Dorethy. 👩‍🍳👩‍🍳.

The ladies did a fine job serving up the traditional fare well appreciated by the members. Photo with President Alan Barker (L/H) and Colin Grant event organiser (R/H).

Probus Club Meeting 11th Jan: 2024.
Speaker Naomi Watson on Shipwrecks of the Ythanmouth.

At our first meeting of the year, our speaker was Naomi Watson a fully licensed Aircraft engineer working for Bristow Helicopters.

Naomi is an experienced Diver with “Buchan Diving” an organisation dedicated to location, identification, and exploration of shipwrecks off the East coast of Scotland. Before venturing off on a dive a bit of research is required mainly from Newspaper articles, Museum archives, and also the Lloyds register of wrecks. Having made their diving plan it usually takes place in water depths of 40 to70 meters and at sea temperatures from around 6 to 16 degrees C. The average dive time is Apx: 25 minutes.

Naomi spoke with some detail about three specific wrecks that the team dived on.

1. The Cristabelle Stephen a trawler built by A. Hall & Co in Aberdeen was on her way North from Aberdeen in 1939 when she hit a rock off Ythanmouth and was grounded. Taken in tow by another trawler they ran into bad weather and a huge wave capsized the Cristabelle and she went down with the loss of nine lives.

2. The SS Kathleen was a steam powered coaster built in Belfast, and in 1914 she left Burghead carrying railway sleepers to Middlesbrough. She was never seen again and her whereabouts were a mystery that is until the Buchan team found her in 50 meters of water in 2022 off Ythanmouth. Proof that she was the Kathleen was the recovery of the ships bell.

3. The last ship located was another coaster SS Dungonnel on her way from Tyne to Belfast carrying telegraph poles. She too vanished without trace, until located by the Buchan team in 2022 off Ythanmouth. All eleven crew perished in the sinking and the proof came in the form of the large quantity of telegraph poles in the hull.

This was a very interesting talk by Naomi, finding these wrecks not only provides a historical record but is also of value to the Kith & Kin of those who perished who now know the location of the wrecks.

President Alan Barker and Naomi with the bell from the SS Kathleen.

Buchan Diving’s boat “Buchan Elle” based in Peterhead.

The Vote of Thanks for this well presented talk was given by the President Alan Barker

The SS Cristabelle Stephen steam powered coaster owned by the Stephen & Co, fishing company.

Graham McCombie (L/H) hands over the Presidency to Alan Barker.

Probus Club AGM Meeting
26th October 2023

Handover of club Presidency from Graham McCombie to Alan Barker (R/H), for year 23/24.

Having conducted the normal business of the AGM, outgoing president Graham McCombie gave a brief account of his term in office and also his role as the secretary of the club. He thanked members for their cooperation, and support, and in turn received thanks and appreciation from members present for the dual role he took on as President, and Secretary. “Well done that man” is what we all say for his endeavours in the job.

To loud cheers, and applause 👏 🤭 Graham then handed the badge of office, and reins to incoming president Alan Barker. A hard work ethic , enthusiasm, and drive is what Alan will bring to the job….Yes he will!! and the members look forward to his term in office, and wish him the best.