Club Memorabilia

Club Memorabilia will go to the Clydebank Library later this month. Pat Maslcolm of the Local History department will come up to Lochearnhead on 18th July and take as much as she can get into her car. Anything left over, I will take down the following week. There are the posters, handbooks, minute books, cash books, letters, etc. I received a lot of stuff from David Bowman's family after he died and then last week after Jim Shields died, his son asked if we would take his father's Harriers mementoes - letters, files, photos, badges, etc. So I agreed and Billy Hislop went down and took them from the house and has them at his house until I can make it down. Then there was another phone call tonight - they have found more - about a bin bag's stuff - including the silver lapel badge and some books with significant information about the club. I haven't told my wife yet that there is more to come - about enough to overfill the boot of a Peugeot 207. If I can get it sorted, it will go to the Library. It is a real shame that the club history will never be seen by current club members without going to the Library and Museum. With the separate venues, traditions are not being passed on orally either and the last remaining method of informing members of their own club is but a shadow of its former self. I speak of course of the Presentation. The current format is one which is a well organised presentation combined with a good social night: a good time is had by all and the seniors at least get to see the younger members. BUT... there is a school of thought that says there should be no speeches. It is not one that I belong to. It is a valuable exercise in passing on club traditions. I mind wan time (as Cyril used to say) when we had a guest of honour at these functions who spoke of our club and its traditions, when the President had a few words to say of the nature of Clydesdale Harriers, and although we moaned at the time we subsequently knew more about Clydesdale Harriers than we did beforehand. That's where club spirit, loyalty and feeling comes from - without it we might as well be Anster Haddies or Arbroath Footers. Clydesdale Harriers is different and we need to work hard to get it back where it wasnine or ten years ago and where it should be.