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December Edition
Dear Readers,
Please accept my apologies for the lengthy period between this article and the previous one. I appear to be suffering what is called by authors as “writers
block” and was advised to take a breakfast of prunes to see if this old fashioned remedy would unblock my mind and give me inspiration. I am not sure this if
this has rectified my problem – I will let you be the judges on that.I told you I had writer’s block. I began this article early Nov. and here it is almost Christmas,
so I will take this opportunity to wish all of you,
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A GUID NEW YEAR.
Dear Readers,
Please accept my apologies for the lengthy period between this article and the previous one. I appear to be suffering what is called by authors as “writers
block” and was advised to take a breakfast of prunes to see if this old fashioned remedy would unblock my mind and give me inspiration. I am not sure this if
this has rectified my problem – I will let you be the judges on that.I told you I had writer’s block. I began this article early Nov. and here it is almost Christmas,
so I will take this opportunity to wish all of you,
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A GUID NEW YEAR.
Highland Gathering
I recently heard some great news: that a committee has been formed to organize a Highland Gathering for the middle of 2010 and plans are well under put
this wonderful event back on the map. This is truly an ambitious project given the current economic and political climate and deserves our full support to
make the Gathering a success. It takes a lot of people committed to playing their part in organizing all the events that take place, not only on the day but in
the weeks leading up to the finale, so let’s put our minds to work to determine just how each and every one of us Scots (and others) can assist the
Chairman and his committee make this Gathering one to remember.
The Mists of Time
Thinking of all the Highland Gatherings I have been involved in over the years put me into a nostalgic frame of mind and I thought of all the people I had
known who gave their time and energy so willingly to ensure each Gathering was a real spectacle. Many of them are no longer in Indonesia and their
contribution to the Games has slipped into the mists of time and their names, as well as their involvement, only remembered by a few old timers, like myself,
who are still around. I need to pen a bit of history before I return to the main subject of this chapter.
A Wee Bit of History
In the early years of the Highland Gathering it was part of the St. Andrew Society’s social programme, but such was the success of the event that it quickly
required more human resources than were available from the Society’s limited number of committee members. It was decided, therefore, that the Gathering
should develop its own internal structure, functioning separately, but still under the umbrella of the Society. With the passage of time, however and a
succession of new Chieftains and committees the link between the St. Andrew Society and the Highland Gathering became very indistinct, to the point where
the Gathering was seen as a completely separate organization from the St. Andrew Society.
I suppose in many ways this was inevitable, but in one respect it was particularly unfortunate, because only the Society can bestow the title of Honorary Life
Member on those whom the Chieftain and committee consider have contributed unusual service to the Society and its objectives. It is in this regard the
sands of time have played a cruel trick on those members of the Society who devoted so much time and effort making the Highland Gathering the success it
became. With the historical relationship between the St. Andrew Society and the Highland Gathering becoming blurred over the years this resulted in those
members of the Society whose principal role was in the Highland Gathering being overlooked when it came to being considered for an honorary award from
the Society. This has been a very unfortunate because I am sure, had it been brought to light, certain members would have been nominated and approved
by the Society for the title of Honorary Life Member.
Unsung Highland Gathering Heroes
I must apologise in advance if I offend anyone for not specifically mentioning their names in relation to the part they played in the Highland Gathering, no
slight is intended; but I am writing this article strictly on memory, as all my Highland Gathering archives were completely destroyed when my house was
flooded several years ago.
It is only fitting for me to begin this tribute with Gordon Benton. Without doubt there has been no other person who has driven the direction and content of
the Gathering more than Gordon. From the very outset in 1975 he has been totally involved and committed and his ideas for filling this one day event with
so many diverse and imaginative events resulted in the Gathering evolving into a unique spectacle in SEA. He was the first Chairman in 1975 and 1976 and
again in 2000 and 2001, the year of the Gathering’s Silver Jubilee. Between his years of chairing the HG committee Gordon undertook many important
functions in the Gathering’s organization, none more so than finding an alternative venue when the Kuningan Stadium became unavailable. It was his idea
to approach the Lippo Group to hold the HG at Karawaci and he did such a good job of promoting the concept that James Riady, CEO of the Lippo
Group, gave the Gathering permission to use, initially to the sports ground at the Sekolah Pelita Harapan and then the island at the golf course at no cost.
What a bonus this proved to be, particularly in recent years, in the Gathering’s fund raising activities!
Every committee needs to be run by a strong and diplomatic chairman and the HG is no exception. Although the HG has had some 17 chairmen over its 31
year history some of those only held the position of Chairman for one year, but others like Gordon Benton, Roy Watson, Norman Campbell, Malcolm
Llewellyn and Bob Park came back for “more punishment” Gordon Benton held the position for 4 years, Roy Watson for 3 years, Norman Campbell for 6
years, Malcolm Llewellyn for 2 years and Bob Park for 3 years. Norman was chairman during the halcyon days of the Highland Gathering when it was not
uncommon to see upwards of 50 general committee members attending meetings at the old Eastern Promise restaurant. He was a terrific person to chair
meetings and I have never seen a chairman get through an agenda with more speed and efficiency than Norman. Not an easy task if you knew the
members of the HG committee present! Bob Park, on the other hand was chairman during the most difficult time in the HG’s history. His 3 year tenure was
beset with not only economic and social problems in Indonesia, but also apathy by many expats, including the Scots, to get involved in organizing a Highland
Gathering. Bob’s ExCom committee consisted of less than 12 people, a far cry from the numbers Norman enjoyed. Yet he still succeeded in putting on a
Gathering and generating a surplus in revenue in each of his 3 years.
It is impossible to run a HG without income, especially when many of the expenses incurred have to be paid in advance of the event. Sponsorship,
advertising and concessions were the principal sources utilized by the committee to raise funds. Here there is only one person comes to mind and that is
Bob Dover. For more years than I can remember Bob was responsible for generating the income budget required to meet the expense budget and create
a surplus of funds. He handled this portfolio for over 20 years and always managed to achieve or exceed his revenue target until around 2003 when many
major sponsors that had previously supported the Highland Gathering withdrew their support in favour of their own corporate responsibility programmes. It
was an incredible record, however, and Bob was missed from the HG when he transferred to Sri Lanka. His mantle was taken up by Susan Whistler who
gallantly fought the uphill battle of coaxing sponsors to open their purse strings and support the HG and she did a magnificent job, ably assisted by Dave
Carswell who focused his efforts on getting concessions and corporate hospitality tents.
The Gathering also required a financial expert not only to ensure all funds obtained were held in safe keeping, but also to prepare financial expense and
income targets. This was well policed for years by Bob Garden, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and on his departure for Singapore, by his successor, David
Dougan. Yours truly took over this task for a couple of years after David Dougan left and I was succeeded by Graeme Garven.
A Highland Gathering must have pipe bands to qualify for that description. The Jakarta Highland Gathering fully meets that criteria and we have had pipe
bands in attendance since 1975, the year of the first Gathering. At its peak the HG could boast of having around 18 - 20 pipe band quintets competing for
honours. The man who immediately comes to mind for arranging the presence of the pipe bands for many years was our resident piper Sandy
MacFarlane, ably assisted by another resident piper, Alex Smillie, when he was working in Indonesia and when Sandy returned to Bonnie Scotland Alex
took up the responsibility of arranging bands to participate in our Gatherings. It was Sandy who not only arranged for the bands to be present but was also
responsible for introducing us to the 3 men who did the judging – Bob Semple, Ron Gallagher and Alan Wallace. These 3 fine gentlemen became a
fixture at the Gatherings, but in 2004 Bob Semple’s age caught up with him and he had to retire. But I doubt if anyone who attended even one Scotland in
Concert programme over the past 15 or so years will ever forget the immaculately kilted Bob Semple, Balmoral at a jaunty angle, silver topped mace
swinging, leading the massed bands on to the stage and then impeccably conducting approx 100 pipers and drummers in a medley of pipe band music. A
finale that brought a tear to many an eye, including my own!
Until the committee brought the first “Heavies” out from Scotland in 1978, the Indonesians who attended the Gathering had probably never seen a caber
being tossed or a hammer being thrown! The Heavies have become one of the most spectacular and popular events on the programme and from the
beginning, Jason Morris, assisted by Jim Baxter took responsibility for organizing all the detail involved in making sure this part of the day’s events went
off in the style it deserved. For over 30 years these two worthy Scots were the controllers, together with a team of assistants who loyally turned up, year
after year, to toil away in the hot sun to ensure enjoyment for all. It was incredible that Jason managed to basically keep the same core of assistants for
such a long time. Maybe it was the crates of beer he brought along to quench their thirst that was the incentive! Whatever the reason, it was successful. On
the Heavies, the story of how the first Braemar caber got into Jakarta is a tale on its own, but it was thanks to Rod Ramsay and Ben Lines, the Scottish
shipping company. On Rod, for years he spent numerous hours at the airport waiting for overseas participants to arrive and make sure they went in the
correct transport arranged to take them to their allotted accommodation. A thankless but a most essential task.
I must mention a couple of interesting facts about Jason, not known by many members of the Scottish community. To show his appreciation for all their help
Jason held a “Post HG Party”, lunch and drinks, inviting his assistants, their families and girlfriends to his house – a “lunch” which went on well into the
evening, I understand. In all the years he did this Jason never once rendered a bill to the HG Treasurer for his financial outlay. Typical Jason!
He was also instrumental in finding bamboo shafts in Indonesia for the hammers, replacing the standard wooden ones and this proved so successful that
you can see bamboo shafts being used today at Highland Games in Scotland.
Football, Scotland’s national passion, also featured at the HG and here again we have unsung heroes. For about 15 years Craig Bailey handled this part
of the day’s events and when he finally retired back to Airdrie in Scotland his job was taken over by Sid Whyte who has carried on Craig’s legacy of rarely
attending committee meetings, never asking for money to finance the event but producing a full competition on the day. No mean feat!
In the earlier days of the HG we had a real plethora of dancers, both men, women’s and mixed teams competing for the coveted gold medals. The drivers
behind this event were ladies, initially Marilyn Ferguson, then for many years Gill Wight and currently Susan Whistler. All these ladies did a fantastic job
arranging teams from all over SEA and making the winning “a gold” at the Jakarta Highland Gathering an award to be treasured and remembered. Can’t
finish this paragraph without mentioning Mick Pratt, our almost resident highland dancer, who has performed at almost all of the Highland Gatherings I can
remember and at Scotland in Concert too. A real staunch supporter who never fails to appear, despite any problems Indonesia may be incurring.
The Editor will probably have a fit when he sees the length of this article and I’m not finished! There are other “Unsung Heroes” that I must mention, but
excuse me if I don’t have space to wax lyrical on the vital contribution they all played in making the JHG a success. They did, that’s what matters.
Elaine and Jim Shon, who have spent many years taking care of the production of the HG Magazines, Programmes and Jim taking all the photos on the
day. Konrad Lerschmacher, for many years Konrad had the unenviable job of ensuring the Gathering had sufficient electrical power to handle all the day’
s requirements and to make sure the power was properly distributed. Even after he retired back to Germany, so much did he love the HG that he came back
to Jakarta every year to oversee this task. Also now retired, Di Piff, a primary school teacher at the British school, took care of the children’s events at the
Gathering. Since the venue moved to Karawaci and specifically the island, the responsibility of ensuring the grounds were in good shape for the day has
fallen on Todd Gibson, assisted by Dave Carswell. They have both done a great job on this. As the HG matured so too did a couple of events that took
place the week of the Gathering - the Golf Tournament and Scotland in Concert. The golf has been the primary responsibility of Bob Park and Malcolm
Llewellyn and what a terrific job they have done. The most recent Chairperson for the Gathering was Hilary Munroe ably assisted by Colin, her husband.
Every year the HG Treasurer can look forward to receiving a sizeable donation from the excess funds generated by the golf tournament. Scotland in
Concert has had a number of key players in its production and success. From my memory they include, Leslie McFarlane, Scott Younger, Isobel and
Alex Smillie, Geoff Marriott and Ross Scholes. How professional a concert it has become – a long way from the first held in the newly opened Hilton
Hotel, overlooking the pool area in 1978.
I hope the article gives the current Chieftain and his successors some food for thought.
St. Andrew’s Ball 2009
Well, the Ball’s over for another year and having attended, I take great pleasure in offering my sincere congratulations to our Chieftain, Jim Shon and his
Committee for making it a truly magnificent and entertaining evening. Well done!
I recently heard some great news: that a committee has been formed to organize a Highland Gathering for the middle of 2010 and plans are well under put
this wonderful event back on the map. This is truly an ambitious project given the current economic and political climate and deserves our full support to
make the Gathering a success. It takes a lot of people committed to playing their part in organizing all the events that take place, not only on the day but in
the weeks leading up to the finale, so let’s put our minds to work to determine just how each and every one of us Scots (and others) can assist the
Chairman and his committee make this Gathering one to remember.
The Mists of Time
Thinking of all the Highland Gatherings I have been involved in over the years put me into a nostalgic frame of mind and I thought of all the people I had
known who gave their time and energy so willingly to ensure each Gathering was a real spectacle. Many of them are no longer in Indonesia and their
contribution to the Games has slipped into the mists of time and their names, as well as their involvement, only remembered by a few old timers, like myself,
who are still around. I need to pen a bit of history before I return to the main subject of this chapter.
A Wee Bit of History
In the early years of the Highland Gathering it was part of the St. Andrew Society’s social programme, but such was the success of the event that it quickly
required more human resources than were available from the Society’s limited number of committee members. It was decided, therefore, that the Gathering
should develop its own internal structure, functioning separately, but still under the umbrella of the Society. With the passage of time, however and a
succession of new Chieftains and committees the link between the St. Andrew Society and the Highland Gathering became very indistinct, to the point where
the Gathering was seen as a completely separate organization from the St. Andrew Society.
I suppose in many ways this was inevitable, but in one respect it was particularly unfortunate, because only the Society can bestow the title of Honorary Life
Member on those whom the Chieftain and committee consider have contributed unusual service to the Society and its objectives. It is in this regard the
sands of time have played a cruel trick on those members of the Society who devoted so much time and effort making the Highland Gathering the success it
became. With the historical relationship between the St. Andrew Society and the Highland Gathering becoming blurred over the years this resulted in those
members of the Society whose principal role was in the Highland Gathering being overlooked when it came to being considered for an honorary award from
the Society. This has been a very unfortunate because I am sure, had it been brought to light, certain members would have been nominated and approved
by the Society for the title of Honorary Life Member.
Unsung Highland Gathering Heroes
I must apologise in advance if I offend anyone for not specifically mentioning their names in relation to the part they played in the Highland Gathering, no
slight is intended; but I am writing this article strictly on memory, as all my Highland Gathering archives were completely destroyed when my house was
flooded several years ago.
It is only fitting for me to begin this tribute with Gordon Benton. Without doubt there has been no other person who has driven the direction and content of
the Gathering more than Gordon. From the very outset in 1975 he has been totally involved and committed and his ideas for filling this one day event with
so many diverse and imaginative events resulted in the Gathering evolving into a unique spectacle in SEA. He was the first Chairman in 1975 and 1976 and
again in 2000 and 2001, the year of the Gathering’s Silver Jubilee. Between his years of chairing the HG committee Gordon undertook many important
functions in the Gathering’s organization, none more so than finding an alternative venue when the Kuningan Stadium became unavailable. It was his idea
to approach the Lippo Group to hold the HG at Karawaci and he did such a good job of promoting the concept that James Riady, CEO of the Lippo
Group, gave the Gathering permission to use, initially to the sports ground at the Sekolah Pelita Harapan and then the island at the golf course at no cost.
What a bonus this proved to be, particularly in recent years, in the Gathering’s fund raising activities!
Every committee needs to be run by a strong and diplomatic chairman and the HG is no exception. Although the HG has had some 17 chairmen over its 31
year history some of those only held the position of Chairman for one year, but others like Gordon Benton, Roy Watson, Norman Campbell, Malcolm
Llewellyn and Bob Park came back for “more punishment” Gordon Benton held the position for 4 years, Roy Watson for 3 years, Norman Campbell for 6
years, Malcolm Llewellyn for 2 years and Bob Park for 3 years. Norman was chairman during the halcyon days of the Highland Gathering when it was not
uncommon to see upwards of 50 general committee members attending meetings at the old Eastern Promise restaurant. He was a terrific person to chair
meetings and I have never seen a chairman get through an agenda with more speed and efficiency than Norman. Not an easy task if you knew the
members of the HG committee present! Bob Park, on the other hand was chairman during the most difficult time in the HG’s history. His 3 year tenure was
beset with not only economic and social problems in Indonesia, but also apathy by many expats, including the Scots, to get involved in organizing a Highland
Gathering. Bob’s ExCom committee consisted of less than 12 people, a far cry from the numbers Norman enjoyed. Yet he still succeeded in putting on a
Gathering and generating a surplus in revenue in each of his 3 years.
It is impossible to run a HG without income, especially when many of the expenses incurred have to be paid in advance of the event. Sponsorship,
advertising and concessions were the principal sources utilized by the committee to raise funds. Here there is only one person comes to mind and that is
Bob Dover. For more years than I can remember Bob was responsible for generating the income budget required to meet the expense budget and create
a surplus of funds. He handled this portfolio for over 20 years and always managed to achieve or exceed his revenue target until around 2003 when many
major sponsors that had previously supported the Highland Gathering withdrew their support in favour of their own corporate responsibility programmes. It
was an incredible record, however, and Bob was missed from the HG when he transferred to Sri Lanka. His mantle was taken up by Susan Whistler who
gallantly fought the uphill battle of coaxing sponsors to open their purse strings and support the HG and she did a magnificent job, ably assisted by Dave
Carswell who focused his efforts on getting concessions and corporate hospitality tents.
The Gathering also required a financial expert not only to ensure all funds obtained were held in safe keeping, but also to prepare financial expense and
income targets. This was well policed for years by Bob Garden, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and on his departure for Singapore, by his successor, David
Dougan. Yours truly took over this task for a couple of years after David Dougan left and I was succeeded by Graeme Garven.
A Highland Gathering must have pipe bands to qualify for that description. The Jakarta Highland Gathering fully meets that criteria and we have had pipe
bands in attendance since 1975, the year of the first Gathering. At its peak the HG could boast of having around 18 - 20 pipe band quintets competing for
honours. The man who immediately comes to mind for arranging the presence of the pipe bands for many years was our resident piper Sandy
MacFarlane, ably assisted by another resident piper, Alex Smillie, when he was working in Indonesia and when Sandy returned to Bonnie Scotland Alex
took up the responsibility of arranging bands to participate in our Gatherings. It was Sandy who not only arranged for the bands to be present but was also
responsible for introducing us to the 3 men who did the judging – Bob Semple, Ron Gallagher and Alan Wallace. These 3 fine gentlemen became a
fixture at the Gatherings, but in 2004 Bob Semple’s age caught up with him and he had to retire. But I doubt if anyone who attended even one Scotland in
Concert programme over the past 15 or so years will ever forget the immaculately kilted Bob Semple, Balmoral at a jaunty angle, silver topped mace
swinging, leading the massed bands on to the stage and then impeccably conducting approx 100 pipers and drummers in a medley of pipe band music. A
finale that brought a tear to many an eye, including my own!
Until the committee brought the first “Heavies” out from Scotland in 1978, the Indonesians who attended the Gathering had probably never seen a caber
being tossed or a hammer being thrown! The Heavies have become one of the most spectacular and popular events on the programme and from the
beginning, Jason Morris, assisted by Jim Baxter took responsibility for organizing all the detail involved in making sure this part of the day’s events went
off in the style it deserved. For over 30 years these two worthy Scots were the controllers, together with a team of assistants who loyally turned up, year
after year, to toil away in the hot sun to ensure enjoyment for all. It was incredible that Jason managed to basically keep the same core of assistants for
such a long time. Maybe it was the crates of beer he brought along to quench their thirst that was the incentive! Whatever the reason, it was successful. On
the Heavies, the story of how the first Braemar caber got into Jakarta is a tale on its own, but it was thanks to Rod Ramsay and Ben Lines, the Scottish
shipping company. On Rod, for years he spent numerous hours at the airport waiting for overseas participants to arrive and make sure they went in the
correct transport arranged to take them to their allotted accommodation. A thankless but a most essential task.
I must mention a couple of interesting facts about Jason, not known by many members of the Scottish community. To show his appreciation for all their help
Jason held a “Post HG Party”, lunch and drinks, inviting his assistants, their families and girlfriends to his house – a “lunch” which went on well into the
evening, I understand. In all the years he did this Jason never once rendered a bill to the HG Treasurer for his financial outlay. Typical Jason!
He was also instrumental in finding bamboo shafts in Indonesia for the hammers, replacing the standard wooden ones and this proved so successful that
you can see bamboo shafts being used today at Highland Games in Scotland.
Football, Scotland’s national passion, also featured at the HG and here again we have unsung heroes. For about 15 years Craig Bailey handled this part
of the day’s events and when he finally retired back to Airdrie in Scotland his job was taken over by Sid Whyte who has carried on Craig’s legacy of rarely
attending committee meetings, never asking for money to finance the event but producing a full competition on the day. No mean feat!
In the earlier days of the HG we had a real plethora of dancers, both men, women’s and mixed teams competing for the coveted gold medals. The drivers
behind this event were ladies, initially Marilyn Ferguson, then for many years Gill Wight and currently Susan Whistler. All these ladies did a fantastic job
arranging teams from all over SEA and making the winning “a gold” at the Jakarta Highland Gathering an award to be treasured and remembered. Can’t
finish this paragraph without mentioning Mick Pratt, our almost resident highland dancer, who has performed at almost all of the Highland Gatherings I can
remember and at Scotland in Concert too. A real staunch supporter who never fails to appear, despite any problems Indonesia may be incurring.
The Editor will probably have a fit when he sees the length of this article and I’m not finished! There are other “Unsung Heroes” that I must mention, but
excuse me if I don’t have space to wax lyrical on the vital contribution they all played in making the JHG a success. They did, that’s what matters.
Elaine and Jim Shon, who have spent many years taking care of the production of the HG Magazines, Programmes and Jim taking all the photos on the
day. Konrad Lerschmacher, for many years Konrad had the unenviable job of ensuring the Gathering had sufficient electrical power to handle all the day’
s requirements and to make sure the power was properly distributed. Even after he retired back to Germany, so much did he love the HG that he came back
to Jakarta every year to oversee this task. Also now retired, Di Piff, a primary school teacher at the British school, took care of the children’s events at the
Gathering. Since the venue moved to Karawaci and specifically the island, the responsibility of ensuring the grounds were in good shape for the day has
fallen on Todd Gibson, assisted by Dave Carswell. They have both done a great job on this. As the HG matured so too did a couple of events that took
place the week of the Gathering - the Golf Tournament and Scotland in Concert. The golf has been the primary responsibility of Bob Park and Malcolm
Llewellyn and what a terrific job they have done. The most recent Chairperson for the Gathering was Hilary Munroe ably assisted by Colin, her husband.
Every year the HG Treasurer can look forward to receiving a sizeable donation from the excess funds generated by the golf tournament. Scotland in
Concert has had a number of key players in its production and success. From my memory they include, Leslie McFarlane, Scott Younger, Isobel and
Alex Smillie, Geoff Marriott and Ross Scholes. How professional a concert it has become – a long way from the first held in the newly opened Hilton
Hotel, overlooking the pool area in 1978.
I hope the article gives the current Chieftain and his successors some food for thought.
St. Andrew’s Ball 2009
Well, the Ball’s over for another year and having attended, I take great pleasure in offering my sincere congratulations to our Chieftain, Jim Shon and his
Committee for making it a truly magnificent and entertaining evening. Well done!