Annual General Meeting November 6 2011

Annual General Meeting

November 6 2011 - Sylvia Hotel 12:00 AM to 3 Pm

1154 Guildford Street Vancouver BC

Following a short business meeting at 12:30 p.m., brunch was served to about 26 Clan MacLeod members.

Election of Officers:

President: Mark MacLeod

Vice President: Norman MacLeod

Treasurer: Stephanie MacLeod

Secretary: Edie Kernighan

Directors: Bill McLeod, Allan MacLeod, Jack MacLeod, Ollie MacLeod, Jean McLeod, Ian MacLeod

Mark thanked everyone for coming and briefly went over the events of the past year, including Burns Lunch, Spring Gathering, Highland Games and get together at Ray and Ollie’s. He thanked everyone for their participation and Bill & Edith for hosting the spring gathering and Ray & Ollie for hosting the summer get together. He also welcomed Linda MacLeod, Anne Trites and Bernice Davidson to the luncheon.

Clan MacLeod Archives:

Bill G. met with two key SFU representatives on October 13 to discuss the possibility of transferring cmsgv archival material to SFU for storage and security. Dr. Leith Davis, Director, Centre of Scottish Studies arranged the meeting with Paul Hebbard, SFU Archivist.

Bill presented some items to show the scope of our activities (local, regional, national & world). Paul Hebbard stated that the storage of CMSGV material would come under their mandate. The material would be donated officially to SFU Archives free of charge. Paul Hebbard presented the following overview:

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS LIKELY TO BE ARCHIVES

• Minutes, agendas and meeting papers of the executive or any CMSGV committees
• Articles of incorporation, the CMSGV constitution, and any of the society's policies and procedures
• Master sets of annual reports, newsletters and other publications issued by CMSGV
• Annual accounts statements, Membership records, Event and project files
• Executive correspondence (incoming and outgoing)

Bill asked for and received the continuing support for this project from the executive and membership. The next meeting with SFU reps will be in the early new year. In the meantime, it is important for us to find the archives of several past years. Please contact Bill if you have any information in this regard.

Clan MacLeod Summer Get Together at Ray and Ollie's

It was a bright beautiful day to gather in bright beautiful surroundings at the lovely home of Ray and Ollie on the edge of the Capilano Golf Course in the British Properties.

From our perch on the deck we could watch as golfers worked their way up the fairway to the final hole by the clubhouse. Food was wonderful with poached salmon, an array of salads, fruit and much more. Hospitality was terrific and we enjoyed a sing-along led by Alan MacLeod with Don MacLeod playing his button-box for all to enjoy. Just sitting around the tables on the deck, under sunny skies telling a tale or two was a great way to pass an afternoon. Thank-you Ray & Ollie for the wonderful hospitality hosting our summer ‘picnic’.

The Highland Games

Several clan members braved the rain and some wind to set up the Clan MacLeod booth at the Highland Games on Saturday. We had more visitors as the day wore on and the weather improved. Some said it was fitting to have "Scottish" weather at a Scottish event. Bill, Allan, Ian, Mark, and Dr. Don answered questions from MacLeods and others that stopped by and they along with Alison and Chris held our banner high in the clan parade. Niel, June, Robert, Ray and Ollie joined us later in the afternoon. The stadium offered a beautiful setting, despite the black clouds. The MacLeods found some great deals for socks and golf shirts at the booth across the way.

Spring Get Together April 10 2011

On Sunday afternoon, April 10th, Clan members gathered at Bill and Edith's to enjoy lunch and a visit. The wet weather kept us indoors but the good company warmed us.

Clan MacLeod Membership

Would you like to join the Clan MacLeod Society? Did you forget to renew your membership?

No problem....just request a registration form by email (ediek@mac.com) and we'll send it to you.

Scottish Information from Ian MacLeod

There are tons of Scottish celebrations around Robbie Burns Day (Jan 25), Tartan Day (April 6 in Argentina, Canada, Scotland and the USA and July 1 in Australia and New Zealand) and hundreds of highland games every year around both Canada a...nd the USA. On October 21, 2010, Tartan Day was formally recognized by the Government of Canada. In the US, on April 4, 2008, President George Bush signed a Presidential Proclamation making April 6th National Tartan Day. Before that, US Senate Resolution 155, passed on March 20, 1998, referred to the predominance of Scots among the Founding Fathers and claimed that the American Declaration of Independence was "modeled on" the Declaration of Arbroath. The Declaration of Arbroath is the declaration of Scottish independence, made April 6, 1320 (following Robert the Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn, near Stirling, on June 24, 1314 – remember the closing battle in Braveheart). That Declaration said, among other things, “for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” – pretty inspiring stuff! President Woodrow Wilson (28th President, 1913-1921) said of the Scots, "Every line of strength in American history is a line colored with Scottish blood.". The Maple Leaf Tartan was approved as an official symbol of Canada on March 9, 2011. And of course, there is the book by Dr. Arthur Herman (Professor of History at Georgetown University): “How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The true story of how western Europe's poorest nation created our world & everything in it”, November 2001, Crown Publishing Group, NY (the Scots provided free, universal education about 100 years before anyone else in the Western world - it paid off!).

A Toast to Robbie Burns

Robbie Burns Day January 23 2011

Approximately 90 Clan Members, Friends and Family celebrated Robbie Burns Day at the Richmond Curling Rink. This event, organized once again by Bill McLeod, featured Scottish Dancing, Fiddlers and a traditional buffet lunch.

Scottish Words and Customs from Ian

Fellow MacLeods:

I recently came across a couple of rarely used words out of Scotland (you need a really big dictionary to find these words!):

1. Assoil (also assoiler, assoiling, assoilment) (from Scottish assolyhe) - it has several meanings, all in the theme of, and including: 1. to absolve from sin, 2. to reverse an excommunication, 3. to set free from obligations, 4. to acquit of a criminal charge, 5. to set free, 6 to atone.

I came across this one in an old Scottish legal decision.

2. Gardyloo (from the French "gare de l'eau" meaning "beware of the water") - "A warning cry uttered (in old Edinburgh) before throwing dirty water from the window into the street."

I came across this one in a legal publication. They said "Gardyloo - a well-known Scottish expression whose usage is now thankfully unnecessary. The cry 'Gardyloo' preceded the dumping of slops into the street from high tenement windows."

I'm sure that you can find a way to use these words, and show off your expanded vocabulary, somewhere in everyday conversation.

Hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and hogmanay (which, for some of our kinsfolk, may have just wrapped up!).

As to Hogmanay, here is what wikipedia says about the Scottish custom:

"There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of "first footing" which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink (as the gifts) are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into the middle of January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot."

Best wishes for 2011, not to mention today's Robbie Burns' celebrations (for the first time, I'm doing the Toast to the Haggis in a couple of hours, at my Mom's retirement home - wish me luck).

Ian C.