LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear members of the St. Andrew´s Society of Mexico,
The committee for this year 2009 has agreed to include a variety of items in the newsletter, including some not Scottish but considered to be of general interest, as has been done in past years. We invite you to send news on events, stories, poems, odd bits of interest, ads, etc that you would like to be included. Also, an apology for the lateness of this issue due to the medical crisis in Mexico City.
Yours aye,
Andrea Raz-Guzman, Jon Mathias
24th February, Christ Church Parish Hall.
Members of the St. Andrew´s Society of Mexico. Welcome
It is an honour to present the report for the last year. The AGM is more than a obligatory ritual. It should be informative to the members giving transparency to the past year, to indicate the financial status of our activities and the Society´s resources. Of course it is an opportunity to see those who formed the Committee and made such a noble effort throughout the year. As they step down you will then have the opportunity to elect a new Chieftain who will then inform you of the new Committee and its aims. So the cycle continues in this, the 116thyear since the Society was founded here in Mexico.
We had a number of events during 2008, in addition to the Society´s formal calendar. We also supported the British Society events, particularly the visit of the Cornish miners in Real de Monte, the St. George´s Dinner at Churchill’s and the Bonfire Night at Reforma Club. At Christ Church we supported the British American Museum project and attended several events, including the successful Victorian Christmas. Your Society was also present, as always, at the Remembrance Day Service for fallen soldiers supporting the Ex Servicemen’s Association. Dr. Pedro Pradal will give a report on our events separately. We did all the usual ones and I will only briefly comment. I decided not to do a picnic this year as we did not, to my mind, have enough children or volunteers to do it. It would seem this has been criticised by some members and I would ask the next Committee to consider this again. Our ceilidhs, social nights of dancing, music and a general agenda of a get together has been well supported but still needs some work on content to make it even more appealing. We had 9 ceilidhs and 2 pre-Ball dance practices which, unlike the ceilidhs, were extremely poorly attended.
The Ball was successful in content and those present certainly enjoyed themselves. We even came in under budget on the expenses but just did not have the planned minimum of 300 guests, and with only 237 inevitably there was a considerable loss. It is a very complicated event to manage, and you must have a critical number to make it work. We did have good support from the British Embassy. In fact, Robert Fitchett, the Consul General, is now a full member. Also Cecile Hillyer, the New Zealand Ambassador, was there together with Canon John White from Windsor Castle. There are very few opportunities in Mexico to get together in such a traditional way and really dress up for a good night out, so hopefully this was just a bad year and will not repeat itself. After all, the effort we put in is the same for 400 as it is for 200.
The Kirkin´ o´ the Tartan here at Christ Church was well attended, but hopefully more members can come along to make this modern day event a lasting tradition. Burns´ Night was our final major event. This is my
personal favorite event and I must say all the speakers were some of the very best I have experienced in all the years. We did Robbie proud on his 250thAnniversary, which made it a very special year all over the world. So much so that the Scottish Government has made 2009 a Homecoming Year and will strongly feature Burns all year. There is an Internet site which you should see and it has a section on the Burns´ Supper. Along with 1000s of others, Mexico is proudly there. Our event was advertised on the site months before and now you can see photos of the event, and I will leave you to make a judgement on how we look, but personally we are definitely up in the top 5. Although I confess I very much liked the tendency by some societies to go into theatrical presentations rather than just reading, now there’s thought for future organisers. Do we have some acting talent in our midst? The Committee made a special commemorative medal to celebrate the 250thAnniversary. It is a truly beautiful piece of art and will be a collector’s item to anyone who loves Burns. We have only produced 60 so they will soon be sold out. They are on sale tonight at $500 for bronze and $1000 for silver while stocks last. It is a good investment and makes a good gift also for friends or even family back home. I know of no other at present, although the Burns society has announced they are making one this year –maybe we will see them on e-bay in future. A side benefit was we now have a mould FREE to make future chiefs´ medals.
Every activity of the Society is a lot of work, so to help the new Committee I have prepared for tonight a questionnaire that gives you the chance to show us what you want from the Society and indicate not only your preferences but also your likes and dislikes, please take a moment to fill it in as your opinion is important to us.
You will hear in the Membership report it was a good year for us and we stand out amongst many other groups who are suffering dwindling ranks. Welcome to all the new members and also thanks to all who have renewed your membership. It really is good value as the special member prices save the membership fee several times over.
Financially, Ian will show that the effect of the Ball loss has been partly balanced by the good results on the other events, nevertheless it is gratifying to know that our raffle income will allow us to make donations to our Society´s social causes through Christ Church with a donation of over $13000 to the Museum and Santa Juliana activities. A similar amount to the Band and Dance Corps towards their maintenance costs. Thanks to everyone who gave generously at the events.
This brings me to a most important moment in my report. This was a good year with mixed results but overall we had many more activities and enjoyed the company of more people than in recent history. This was not an accident, it was thanks to the dedication and time of a hard working group of people. So a big Thank You from me and you may also clap in appreciation.
First my Committee. Ian Muir, as past Chief and Treasurer kept the numbers right despite what I know was a very challenging year in his career. Thank you, Claudio MacGregor, Vice Chief for your support and attendance at almost all the events. Thank you, Elaine, my wife, the stalwart behind the scenes, a true mil usos and producer of thousands of sandwiches and snacks at nearly every event. Thank you, Lourdes Caldwell, a magnificent and efficient job of Membership Secretary and for sending out the correspondence, including to those without e-mail. Thank you, Miroslava García, as Secretary making sure we documented our progress and for your help at the door and with food. Thank you, Victoria Koloffon, for not only your efforts in publicity but the great work receiving guests and registrations at almost every event. Thank you, Dr. Pedro Pradal, for your kind support and ideas on events, especially at the St. Andrew´s Ball, which was greatly appreciated for the smooth running of the event. Pepe and Rafael Gutierrez, for the personal support at every event and coordinating the Band and Dancing, you are really part of the committed heart of the Society. Thank you to Father Vincent for being much more than our Chaplain, but a really active and creative member of the Committee. Thank you to the veritable army of unseen workers behind every event, in particular I want to mention Miss Sue for always ensuring the church hall was laid out and for cleaning up behind us, Paty Gomez, Diana Gomez, Rebecca de Gutierrez, Juan Jose and Alejandra Muir, the latter especially for standing in when Elaine took a holiday on the food preparation, and of course for preparing the famous secret Muir recipe for the Athol Brose at Burns Night.
Often we do not realise the many things that these and others do behind the scenes. Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support: Dewars whisky, British Airways, Charlottes Bistro, Churchill’s Restaurant, Icky Monk–Hivisa Travel, even in these tough times they managed to be there for us, and of course to all the boys and girls of the St. Patrick´s Battalion Band and Dance Corps for your energy, dedication and enthusiasm at all our events.
Finally a special Thank you to you the active members for your support to keep the St. Andrew´s Society where it is in the community, the best and most active group in Mexico. Without you we would cease to exist. Now as I close I would respectfully request you to join me in a minute´s silence to remember the members and friends and family who have passed away, particularly this year Ian Shaw, an ex chief.
It was an honour to serve this Society,
Yours aye
David Shepherd
David Shepard and Claudio MacGregor
24th February, Christ Church Parish Hall.
Good night to all, and thanks for the support. I joined the St. Andrew’s Society of Mexico in 1994. I was 17 years old, and what drove me to join, was the opportunity to meet people with the same interest I had in the Scottish culture, as well as to share time and joy with the members. I got some of my best friends in it, and met some of the nicest people in it too. Since day one I tried to get involved in it, I joined the dance group and stayed in it for 3 years, I joined the St. Andrew’s Society of Mexico Pipe Band and stayed for 3 years also, I helped form the St. Patrick’s Battalion Pipe Band, I’ve been a committee member 8 times, editor of the Doublet for 2 years, 2 times vice chieftain and 1 time chieftain. I’ve shared with this Society the most important events of my life, my medical studies, my marriage and my family. I have also been privileged in sharing with it other marriages, and funerals. As you see I am not a stranger in the ways of our beloved Society. For years I’ve seen this Society changing, growing, living. Now is the time, my time, to do something for it, and with your help our Society can and will reach it’s prime. Amongst all the nice people I met, there were the Caldwells. I remember Jim, my friend, my brother, my mentor, my dad, who once told me: “Things can always get better”. Of course coming from a canny and witty Scot it had more reach in my life than many other recommendations I had heard before that day. I tell you this because I think things can get better. The St. Andrew’s Society of Mexico can always get better. We can grow not only as a social group, but also as a community. We can get better communicated, better related, better together. If we are close now, we can get closer. That is the main purpose of Saint Andrew’s societies all over the globe. To get closer, please keep in mind that being a member of this Society is to become a member of a family, and as you should be aware, family should always come before anything. At least that was the dream conceived in 1892 by Mr. Waters and Mr. Felipe Robertson to establish in 1893 a St. Andrew’s Society in this country of ours. That should be our dream too, to become closer together. This year, I get the honour in leading all efforts to get things better. I have a very ambitious plan for this year. I want to organise more events, apart from the traditional Ball and Burns supper. We’ll have ceilidhs with a different approach and format, we’ll have all-family events, we will finally organise our archives, we’ll have a web page, a video documentary, souvenirs, and a better newsletter. Of course all of this costs real money and hard work, and that’s why I intend to increase our membership fee 50%, so we can get resourceful. I have plans to strengthen our Society inside out, that is, to become solid. I also want to have some reciprocity with Christ Church, and with other foreign communities in Mexico. Some have been trying to discourage me, telling me that some things can’t be done, that members don’t care, that I will fail, that this year will be a burden. Let’s prove them wrong! We are better than that! The Saint Andrew’s Society of Mexico is a lot better than that! Let’s help ourselves, I encourage you to become more involved, let’s make a chain reaction, bring your friends, and bring your family. Don’t miss any event, get involved! Pay your annualfees. We can do it. Together we’ll do it! I also have been blessed by coming across people with the same thinking, people who know that things can get better, people that don’t see failure or burdens, people with enthusiasm, with knowledge. People that want to work for a common goal. These people are of high moral values, of high standards, people of excellence. These people now form a group, and that group is my Committee. Let me introduce you to it. Thank you very much, Yours aye Claudio G.L. MacGregor, Chieftain |  2009 Committee Gordon Stuart Vice-Chieftain Jon Mathias Treasurer Jorge Rebolledo Secretary and web page Paty Gómez Membership secretary Andrea Raz-Guzman Macbeth Subcommittee coordinator and newsletter editor Roberto Escobar Vocal Morris Lester Vocal David T. Shepherd Immediate past chief Father Vincent Schwann Chaplain and permanent honorary member of the Committee William J. Shaw Volunteer St. Andrew’s Society of Mexico: This is your Committee. Committee of the St. Andrew’s Society of Mexico: This is your Society. |
SPRING PICNICThe Society´s Spring Picnic took place on Saturday 18th of April, at the Robertson´s house in the Lomas. We had an attendance of 121 adults and many children that made up a nice group, including friends we hadn´t seen in a number of years. Among these was Cesar Ramírez who played his bagpipe during the morning. Later, we also had some piping by Rafael Gutiérrez.
There was a white elephant table at the entrance and a tombola with a variety of items, from pens and key rings, to books, a knapsack, a clock, T-shirts, wine, beer and cider. An inflatable was set up and kept the little ones busy, including Estercita, one of our newest members.
The bar was ready in the morning and Jon served the drinks throughout the day, Saturday having been one of the very hot days of the season.
The brave members of the Committee prepared the hamburger meat the day before…
| for Gordon and Bill to prepare and serve lunch…
which included the usual fare of hamburgers, sausages, beans, onions…
and salad. We also had a delicious Apple Crumble prepared by Jorge. Lunch was followed by the tossing of the caber…
and this was followed by the auction, led successfully, as always, by Bill Shaw, and generating much excitement.
Overall, people reported it as a highly enjoyable day.
We would like to thank everyone who made this day possible. We hope to see you there next year. |
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
If you would like to see our calendar of events click here
ST. ANDREW´S BALL
The St. Andrew´s Ball has a date and a venue:
Saturday 28th November, 7 pm
Navy Club, Salón Candiles
Alencastre 310, Lomas Virreyes
Make a note in your diaries and keep the date open. Tickets will be on sale from the next ceilidh (Saturday 20th June) onwards. The price of a ticket is $700 (members) and $800 (non-members) until the end of September, after which it will be $800 (members) and $900 (non-members). Payment can be made directly at any of our events, or by deposit to the Society´s bank account (data below in “Announcements”).
THIS AND THAT
Thrift
by Jon Mathias
My dear sweet grandmother from Kircaldy was always handy with a wise saying or two regarding the micro-economics of the family household. She would offer such gems as:
“A penny saved is a penny earned” “A stitch in time saves nine” “Pick up every penny you find in the street and you’ll never be poor” (my Welsh grandmother might have actually said this one) “Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves” (although I found out later that this should really be credited to Lord Chesterfield -pence & pounds)
After approximately three decades of unrestrained growth in the world economy, most noticeably in the Western world, and even more noticeably using unrestrained credit, we find ourselves once more yearning for a little more thrift than that to which we have become accustomed.
Because of our profligacy, we have squandered our natural resources relentlessly, not on improving the world and all that is in it, but rather on obeisance to the gods of greed. “I want more and I want it now” became the new mantra. In achieving this excess, we have concomitantly soiled our natural environment on an unsustainable, and some say, irreversible level.
The current “crisis” in the world economies gives us a chance to stop and take a look at what we have been doing with our excesses, and perhaps a chance to at least reverse some of the more extravagant nonsense we have been worshipping, such as: ever larger cars and SUVs, ever larger and less efficient homes, televisions and TV accessories in every room, extra refrigerators in the bar and recreation rooms, etc.
I know that most of us are not guilty of all of the above, but it’s the thought that counts. We quietly accept the above as something desirable, even admirable, and strive to emulate those that do indeed succeed in living that lifestyle.
The crisis will bring a little relief to our planet Earth, relief it sorely needs. Let’s use this opportunity to insist on a more sustainable lifestyle for our planet. “Recycle, re-use, refurbish, re-invent” are not just convenient terms that make nice posters. They reflect much more than just a thrifty lifestyle. They are absolutely necessary concepts if we are to survive a few more centuries on Earth. To paraphrase Jared Diamond: “What was the man who cut down the last tree on Easter Island thinking?”
Let’s go back to the healthy lifestyle my grandmother promoted, although thrift is not exclusively a Gaelic or Brythonic trait. As Oscar II of Sweden said: “I would rather have my people laugh at my economies than weep for my extravagance.”
 | A RealAge TIP (from RealAge.com) Trick Your Digestive System Into Eating Less One of the best things you can do for your digestion and your weight is to slow down the speed at which your digestive system works. Why? Because it means you will feel fuller longer, so you eat less. Follow these 3 keys to take things nice and easy, and a better digestion. Eat often. By never allowing yourself to get too hungry, you help turn off appetite-inducing hormones. Have a healthy-fat appetizer. Eating a little healthy fat before a meal, like a handful of nuts, slows the rate at which your stomach empties, so you’ll feel full faster from the meal. Feast on fiber. Fiber takes a long time to digest, which means your stomach empties more slowly, and the time until your next meal won’t seem so far away! |
  | Languages of Scotland (from Internet) For a small country, Scotland has used a number of languages over the years and a good number of confusing terms. Here is a brief outline. When the Romans arrived in Scotland in 80 AD, neither Gaelic nor English were in use. The language used was a form of "Brythonic" which can best be described as early Welsh. North of the Forth-Clyde valley, the Picts spoke a variant of this language, although as they left no written records (apart from a list of kings´names written in Latin, and their symbols carved in stone --see above), the precise nature of their language is unknown. Later the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians, who spoke Germanic dialects, advanced from the Humber estuary as far north as the Firth of Forth. In the meantime, the Scots from Ireland were establishing themselves in Argyll in the west and eventually merged with the Picts, obliterating their identity and establishing Gaelic as the language of the Highlands. In the 9th century, Kenneth MacAlpin expanded his kingdom south of the river Forth to the river Tweed. One of his daughters married into the royal family of Strathclyde and this eventually resulted in that kingdom becoming part of Scotland. Scandinavian Vikings at the time were invading much of the western and northern coasts, as well as the Orkney and Shetland Islands, settling down and introducing elements of their own language. By the 10th and 11th centuries, Gaelic was the main language over much of Scotland. In the second half of the 12th century, King Malcolm III (known also as Malcolm Canmore) married Margaret, a descendant of the English King Alfred. She introduced English into the court. Anglo-Norman English was encouraged by the Norman and Flemish aristocracies who were granted land by King David I (who had spent his formative years in the English court). Eventually, the common people came to speak a type of Northern English which, with Viking influence, developed into Scots. Thus, Scots derived, as did English, from "Old English", the language of the Angles, a Germanic tribe who crossed the North Sea and became established on the east coast of what is now England. From the 13th to the 16th century, the links with France and the "Auld Alliance" resulted in a number of French words coming into the Scots language. The Union of the Crowns in 1603, the King James VI bible and the Union of Parliaments in 1707 hastened the demise of the Scots language. Lists of "Scotticisms" were drawn up - Scots words to be avoided by the educated classes. Scots ballads and poetry survived longer, and poets such as Robert Burns (1759-1796) kept the language alive in that form. Lallans is the name given to the variety of Scots spoken in the Scottish Lowlands (it comes from the Scots word for Lowlands). There is also a "literary" version, referred to as Lallans Makars, used by some 20th century Scottish writers (notably Hugh MacDiarmid). At one time, the term "Doric" (derived from a form of Greek spoken by the Dorians) was used to describe any rural dialect of English, but especially from the Scottish Lowlands. It is now applied only to the dialect of north-eastern Scotland in Aberdeenshire. Around 1% of people living in Scotland today speak Gaelic. It is estimated that as a result of immigration, there are more people in Scotland speaking the languages of the Indian sub-continent than speaking Gaelic. |
Don't mess with us Scots (circulated by email) A lawyer and a Scot are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer is thinking that Scots are so dumb that he could get over on them easy... So the lawyer asks if the Scot would like to play a fun game. The Scot is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, and says that the game is a lot of fun. I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5. You ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500, he says. This catches the Scot's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game. The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from The Earth to the Moon?' The Scot doesn't say a word, reaches in his pocket pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer. Now, it's the Scot's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?' The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail. After one hour of searching he finally gives up. He wakes up the Scotsman and hands him $500. The Scot pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep. The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the Scot up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?' The Scot reaches in his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep. Don't mess with us Scots. | TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH RECIPES Coffee with Drambuie Drambuie is THE liqueur of Scotland and has an ancient and honourable pedigree. Fleeing from the English forces, Bonnie Prince Charlie took refuge with the Mackinnons of Strathaird on Skye. As a gift for their hospitality, he gave them the recipe for this liqueur. It is still made to this day from that recipe based, naturally, on whisky. Coffee with Drambuie is delicious served at the end of a meal. 1 measure of Drambuie 1-2 tsp brown sugar a pot of strong coffee double cream To make each serving take a stemmed glass and warm it. Put in the Drambuie, stir in the brown sugar and fill with coffee to just an inch below the rim. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved and add the cream pouring it over the back of a teaspoon, so it floats on the surface. |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Society´s contact information
E-mail: st.andrews.mexico@hotmail.com
Web page: standrewsmexico.synthasite.com
New grill for the picnic
The Society now needs a new charcoal grill for the picnic, as the one we have used for years has finally fallen apart. If anyone has one big, or two medium, or three small grills that could be donated to the Society, it will be much appreciated. Please get in touch with any Committee member.
Society membership fees
We ask all Society members to please pay their 2009 membership fee, either by direct payment to the treasurer or by deposit at HSBC, account number 4035300011 in the name of Ian Muir by June 30th. After this date, the membership list will be updated. Please advise the Treasurer of your deposit by email at jemathias1@hotmail.com and include a scanned copy of the deposit slip showing your name and the date.
You can also pay at the upcoming event, the WINE TASTING and CEILIDH on Saturday 20th June, at Christ Church.
The Committee advises all members and friends that from next year on, membership fees for the year must be paid at the latest at the AGM (sometime in February), after which the membership list will be updated. Membership entitles you to receive the Doublet, as well as reduced rates for the St. Andrew´s Ball and the Burns Night supper.
Obituary
The Society is sorry to inform all members and friends of the passing of Mrs. Alicia González last March. She was a long-standing member of the Society together with her children Alina, John and Regina, and two of her grandchildren Michael and Tina. We share the grief and loss with Mrs. Gonzalez´s family and friends.
Pipers and dancers
For information on the pipers´ and dancers´ activities please contact:
Rafael Gutiérrez
pipergutierrez@yahoo.com.mx
José Manuel Gutiérrez
pepent@hotmail.com
Doublet Archive Here you can download old PDF's of our official newsletter. Just Click on any of our past issues. If you want to save, right click and select save source as...
Doublet December08 to January 2009
