BOTB 060719

BELL O' THE BRAE COMMEMORATION - 6TH JULY 2019

Saturday 6th July 2019:

The annual commemoration of the unveiling of the Bell o' the Brae memorial was held at 2:30 pm on a warm and bright day. Turn out was limited compared to previously, mainly due to the facts that an Independence march was being held in Ayr on the same day, and also that a large Orange walk was also taking place in the vicinity, which may have discouraged some folk! However, a stalwart few turned up to mark the occasion.

SOWW Convenor Gary Stewart outlined the skirmish the memorial commemorates, and followed this by a mention of those no longer with us who had helped bring about the siting and erection of the monument - Duncan Fenton, past convenor, Andy Hillhouse, who designed the sculpture, and Chris Chalmers, one of the two sculptors who turned Andy's drawings into a 3D reality.

This was followed by a short speech from Gordon Aitken, and rounded off by his leading us in a rendition of "Scots Wha Hae". Gordon then presented Gary with an appropriate bottle of ale (see photos).

This concluded what is always a short and somewhat poignant event for some of us. Hopefully next year there will be no clash with other events and the crowd will be nearer its usual size. Till then,

Nick
Webmaster