Scotland: A Small Country on the Map
But a Big Country in the Mind
By MAURA McCAY
VANCOUVER - Scotland holds the promise of a vibrant future and has earned the right to celebrate some outstanding achievements. It is a small country on the map but a big country in the mind and has left a mark on the world that far exceeds its size.
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PHOTO: By Greg Ehlers
RECEPTION at the Vancouver Club: (L-R) Martin Cronin, the British Consul General; Michael Corish, Sr. Vice President with Scottish Development International; the Rt. Hon. George Reid MSP, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament; Dick Mungin, CEO, the Scotland Funds; Harry McGrath, Co-Ordinator of the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University.
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That was the message from the Rt. Hon. George Reid, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament at a reception held at the Vancouver Club on St. Andrew's Day, November 30. The event was co-hosted by the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University, the Scotland Funds, Scottish Development International, and the British Consulate General in Vancouver.
Reid's declaration that, from this day henceforth, St. Andrew's Day in Scotland will now be recognized as a day of national celebration, was met with a cheer of approval from those gathered in the room. The Scottish Parliament had just recently approved the motion.
There was much pride as Reid spoke glowingly about advances in the country since the new Scottish Parliament was established in 1999. He said this development after 300 years has signalled that Scotland is a now a country ready to move forward with confidence.
He also pointed out the intellectual and scientific contributions which Scotland had made to the world, including some of the most significant discoveries and inventions in the history of human endeavour.
Some of these ground-breaking inventions range from the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, to the steam engine, radar, the television, the bicycle, penicillin, the cat scan, and the impressive list goes on.
While Scotland is proud of its past, it is eager to create its future. Today, Scotland is a thoroughly modern country - a country that is high on ambition and hungry for success in the global economy.
Scotland's economy is one of the most changed in the western world. Were once it led the world in shipbuilding, engineering and textiles, today they are at the forefront of new technologies in optoelectronics and life sciences.
Reid said people are drawn to Scotland to live, work and study. It remains one of the world's most inviting and hospitable countries, and is actively attracting people in order to continue to grow and develop as a nation.
The reception in Vancouver was opened by a welcome from Martin Cronin, the British Consul General in British Columbia. This was followed by a short introduction from Michael Corish, the Senior Vice President, Canada of Scottish Development International based in Toronto, Ontario.
Harry McGrath, the Co-Ordinator of the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University spoke about his work with the Centre and some of the programs and lectures series which they have presented.
Among the highlights, McGrath spoke about the Scots in B.C. Archive Project which was started by the Centre to identify, collect and preserve materials associated with the history of the Scots in British Columbia.
He also mentioned the success of the "Scottish Enlightenment and Emigration" lecture series where the Centre has welcomed such notables as Scottish historian Tom Devine and Duncan Macmillan, Professor Emeritus of the History of Scottish Art at Edinburgh University
Harry McGrath was also presented with a cheque in the amount of $2,000 by British Consul Martin Cronin in continuing support of the Centre for Scottish Studies.
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