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2005
Gathering
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27TH
ARMSTRONG GET-TOGETHER IN THE
HEART OF ARMSTRONG COUNTRY IN LANGHOLM
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| Friday Evening |
| As always, the Gathering
started in a local hostelry. This time in the Buck Hotel in
the High Street where we were made very welcome. Here were faces
from all over the U.K., the United States and Canada. Chairman
Micheil was on hand to greet old friends and make new ones.
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| Annual General Meeting |
| This year the AGM was held on a Saturday morning and was very
well-attended. The reiver Trail and the web site were discussed
– as was the possibility of signs for the museum, but among
the more pleasant tasks of the day was to give a Life Membership
to Johnnie Armstrong. Johnnie lives near Dumfries and has spent
many weeks of his life tending the museum and the garden and
his work was recognized by all present. Thoughts also went to
Johnnie’s former wife, Betty, who was, for many years, a mainstay
of the Trust and a wonderful secretary. |
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| Saturday Afternoon |
| We spent the afternoon at the Museum with a talk and video
show given by John Sadler the curator of the Bellingham Heritage
Museum in Tynedale. Dressed in authentic reiver clothes with
steel bonnet, armour and weapons, John also gave members lessons
in the use of weaponry of the period, outside the Museum of
course. |
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| Saturday Evening |
| Yes, the Armstrongs were once again celebrating together -
sitting down to a delicious meal prepared by Chairman Micheil
(what an amazing cook he is!), his wife, Cherry, and Editor
Fiona. The venue was different this year - for the first time
we were at the Rugby Club in Langholm and what a splendid spot
it was, with a warm dining area, decorated with candles and
clan flags! The guests included the Graham clan (Bruce and Sonia,
Cameron and Sue) and the MacGregor Clan Chief (Fiona's new husband)
and the fare consisted of magnificent cold roast beef with new
potatoes and salad. Then came the puddings, from lemon tart
to toffee roll, to a chocolate mousse... and that was followed
by the entertainment. |
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| This year we were without the excellent services of compere
Billy Young (they call him Mr Langholm) Instead we had an equally
excellent musical interlude, provided for us by a group of entertainers
from Hawick, and we all finished, in true Armstrong tradition,
with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. |
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We were delighted to see so many old faces at the Gather
- Bill of Dalgetty Bay, Eve Armstrong of Mountbenger Lodge,
John and Anne Carmichael from the States and also to meet
some new ones - from America came Junel Davidsen with her
cousins Betty and Charlene, John Armstrong QC and his lovely
wife from Alberta and Loree Benuik with her family from Ontario
... new members who have offered to help us by acting as conveners
in their particular part of the world. (see page 10.)
There was a surprise for Editor and former Chairman Fiona
– a special medal for the work she had put in over the years.
As Chairman Micheil said, she had not only helped the Armstrongs
by developing the museum and the magazine, she had brought
people of all clans together across the borderlands and beyond.
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| Sunday Gather |
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The day dawned bright on the Sunday when we prepared to enter
dangerous territory! We had very kindly been invited by the
Grahams to join them at their annual gathering at Netherby
Hall near Longtown, just south of the Border. At the centre
of a mighty estate on the Border Esk, the building of Netherby
is synonymous with the Grahams - at one stage this formidable
borderland family owned forty-thousand acres across the divide.
Here there are tales of the notorious reiver Ritchie Graham
of Netherby - and here are reminders of an aristocratic family
that once held sway in this part of the world. However, it
is another family, the Robbs, who live there now and they
allowed the Clan Graham Association to erect a tent in the
magnificent grounds - and the Association asked us to join
them. The mood was very cordial, but when happily seated and
enjoying their extensive hospitality, there was a touch of
the rivalry of old... Bruce Graham, their outgoing chairman
and Cameron, the new chairman, produced swords and began to
menace the party. 'Right, we Grahams have been waiting several
hundred years to get a party of Armstrongs in our midst and
now we have you captive!' A rattle of steel followed and a
payment of five pounds a head was suggested for our safe release...!
Seriously, Bruce Graham has led the Graham Association for
a good ten years now - and his work in promoting the family
name and preserving family sites has been legendary. We wish
him all the best for the future and we thank him for the help
he given the Armstrongs over the years. We also wish Cameron
well in his new role and confirm that the bond between the
Grahams and the Armstrongs is as strong as ever here on the
borderland…
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