Moray, Nairn & Banff Association Celebrating 75 Years: 1930-2005
By KEN ROGERSON
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MALCOLM ALEXANDER MACLEAN (1886-87) was the first mayor of Vancouver. A month after his election the great fire of June 13 destroyed most of the city. He called the council together in a tent and under his guidance rebuilding of the city was undertaken.
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VANCOUVER - The Moray, Nairn & Banff Association of British Columbia was founded 75 years ago by Scots from these three counties in the North of Scotland. In 1930, emigration from Scotland was still at a high level. It began at least a hundred years earlier during the terrible times of the Highland clearances when sheep were more precious than people.
And so it was that the Scots came to Canada. They came to Vancouver and helped to build this city into what it is today. The first elected official in the Lower Mainland was a Scot named James Mackie. A native of Banffshire, he was elected the first warden of Langley in 1885.
The first Mayor of Vancouver was Malcolm Alexander MacLean (1886-87). A month after his election the great fire of June 13 destroyed most of Vancouver. He called the council together in a tent and under his guidance rebuilding the city was undertaken.
This was the same year that the St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society of Vancouver was founded - the first and oldest society in Vancouver - and still surviving today.
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HAGGIS BEARER Joe Cassidy follows Ken McCrimmon on the bagpipes at the Moray, Nairn and Banff annual Burns Supper in January 2002
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The Scottish influence in the city was established and due to the still hard economic times in the north of Scotland, the men and women continued to come to Canada and to Vancouver. They were strangers in a foreign land and sought solace in the company of those who spoke in the same dialect of their native counties of Moray, Nairn and Banff.
On October 3, 1930, a group of Morayshire people gathered outside the First United Church to greet each other and catch up with the week's news. Mrs. M. Webster suggested that they form a Morayshire Club, everyone was keen and it was agreed to meet at Mrs. Webster’s home on October 8, 1930.
Following this meeting of 29 Morayshire people, it was decided to hire the Cinderella Hall to hold a larger meeting. At this meeting a decision was made to include people from Nairn and Banff, and so the Moray, Nairn & Banff Association was born.
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MARLENE and Ken Rogerson with Don Poulter at the door on New Year's Eve at Hogmanay celebrations January 2004.
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Mr. A.R. Mitchell was elected as the first president and the then-Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Randolph Bruce, a Banffshire man, was appointed the first honourary president of the association.
It should be noted that a person seeking membership in Moray, Nairn & Banff had to be born in one of these counties and it is recorded that people from Aberdeen who wanted to become members were refused.
In 1939, it was decided that the Association would hold its social evening on the fourth Saturday of each month, a tradition still held today. For the next 20 years, the social events were held in different halls around the city before finally settling in the Scottish Auditorium on Fir Street.
In 1970, the Association celebrated its 40th anniversary by holding a banquet in the Hotel Vancouver. The cost per person was $6 for a wonderful menu with drinks costing 95 cents for a highball. The MNB subsidized the event to the tune of $2,000 with no cost to the members.
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IT WAS IN THE NINETIES that Isla Robertson became president and the Moray Nairn and Banff Association launched a revival. Isla is seen here with her husband Hamish.
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By the Seventies, many changes started to take place and it was no longer necessary to come exclusively from one of the three counties. Membership dues increased to $3. In 1971, Ken McCrimmon became the Association’s official piper, a role he still holds today.
At the 1974 Burns Supper, Joe Cassidy was the Haggis Bearer and Catherine Symons provided the entertainment. The most significant event of 1974 was that members voted 29 to two to pay $2,000 to purchase a share in the old Scottish Auditorium.
1980 was the 50th anniversary year and a plaque with the signatures of all the members who attended is proudly displayed on the wall of the current Scottish Auditorium. The Melrose-Lobban Orchestra played at most of the social evenings through the Eighties, and the Moray, Nairn and Banff became known as “the active Scottish society.”
However, by the end of the Eighties attendance was again declining, a common thread throughout the history of the Association, and it was in the Nineties that Isla Robertson became president and the MNB launched a revival.
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PEPPERPOT – Darin Bell and Brian Lyons, a versatile duo from Arbroath in Scotland, have become a fixture at Moray, Nairn and Banff Burns Suppers over the past few years.
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Bands like the Battlefield Band, Gaberluzie, The Old Blind Dogs, North Sea Gas, to name but a few, and the January favorites Pepperpot were introduced. This has continued in the new century with bands like The Crofters, The Halifax Wharf Rats, the Mad Celts and the Flannigans. Robert Stuart and friends have entertained MNB for the past 15 years and New Year’s Eve would not be the same without Rob.
So here we are, 75 years on and Moray, Nairn & Banff still provides an opportunity for Scots and their descendants to enjoy Scottish events such as Hogmanay, Burns Suppers, and a variety of entertainment throughout the winter.
The Moray, Nairn & Banff Association's Executive continues to plan monthly and special events with a view to keeping our Scottish Heritage alive in Vancouver for many years to come.
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The Moray, Nairn and Banff Association will host a 75th anniversary gala dinner on October 8 at the Scottish Cultural Centre. It will feature entertainment by the Delta Police Pipe Band and Rob Stuart and the Gala Band. For tickets or more information, call (604) 435-4722, or e-mail: therogersons@telus.net.
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