Group Photos - Burns Suppers - THE CALGARY BURNS CLUB

2011 Calgary Burns Supper

President: Anthony Grace

Speaker: Cameron Goodall

Cammy joined Her Majesty's Forces at the age of sixteen and saw service in North America (on a tour with Columbia Artists), Northern Ireland, England and Hong Kong where he was present at the handover of that Territory to the Chinese in 1997. Always involved with music, he joined the Highland Band of the Scottish Division which enabled him to visit New Zealand, Malaysia, Cyprus, South Africa and Belize. During this time Cammy was also deployed on two occasions on active service as part of the peacekeeping force in Kosovo, and then later to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003. Looking back on his musical military career, Cammy is particularly proud to note that over the years he has played at The White House, Madison Square Gardens and at Modena (Luciano Pavarotti's hometown), as well as many performances at Murrayfield, Holyrood Palace and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which was where we as a Club first met him. During this latter time, he also studied at the Open University, graduating with a First Class Honours in Humanities and Music.

Cammy is very active in the world of Robert Burns. He is a member of the Bowhill People's Burns Club in Cardenden, Fife, the Edinburgh Burns Club and the Tarbolton Bachelors Club, as well as being an independent member of the Robert Burns World Federation. He is also the Bandmaster of the Crochallan Fencibles. He is a past winner of the Tam O'Shanter competition run by the Dumfries Ladies Burns Club as part of the Nithsdale Festival, and the current holder of the World John Lapraik speaking contest held annually at Muirkirk, and the Whistle contest held each year at Friar's Carse, just a mile or so over the field from Ellisland. Never one to rest on his laurels, Cammy is currently pursuing a PhD at Glasgow University's Centre for Robert Burns Studies.
Cammy married his wife Gerry at Roslin Chapel and they have two daughters - Murrin and Maggie.

2010 Calgary Burns Supper

President: Jim Hutchens

Speaker: W.S.G. (Willie) Young

Willie was born in Ayrshire, as were his father and grandfather, who ensured that he became familiar with the works of Robert Burns from an early age, and in fact he was still a teenager when he first spoke at a Burns Supper. Since then he has been much in demand as a speaker at Burns Suppers both large and small and both in Scotland and outside. He has delivered Immortal Memories in such diverse places as Cairo, Kenya, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This would appear to be his first venture into the New World.

As well as Burns, Willie has two other passions in life - apart from his family that is. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Private Law and promptly joined the law firm of Brechin Tindal Oatts as an apprentice and has since risen to his present position as the Chairman.

His other passion is soccer and for fifteen years has been a top class referee, during which time he was in charge of over five hundred Scottish Senior matches, including the Scottish Cup Final, the Scottish League Cup Final and the Scottish Women's Football Association Cup Final! Before age finally caught up with him, he was on the FIFA List of International Referees and officiated in twenty seven different countries at seventy one European and World matches, including working as the fourth official at the 1999 UEFA Cup Final in Moscow.

Today in addition to his legal work, Willie makes occasional contributions to radio and television football programs. He also finds time to be a keen golfer with a (rising) handicap and is an active member of three clubs, including Prestwick St. Nicholas.

2009 Calgary Burns Supper

President: Derek Larg

Speaker: Robbie Glen

Robbie Glen is a great favourite on the after-dinner circuit, particularly in his native Scotland. He claims to have been sired by an Ayrshire man out of a Renfrewshire lady, but reared in Lanarkshire. He was educated at Hamilton Academy and Strathclyde University. He taught for one year in Blantyre before joining the Prison Service as an Assistant Governor in 1969.

Until his retirement in 1996, Robbie served as Governor/Acting Governor of several large adult and youth offender institutions in Scotland, including Cornton Vale – Scotland’s only female establishment – and the famous Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

In his youth he played junior football professionally, but that career was cut tragically short at an early age due - he avows - to lack of ability. He still holds the Lanarkshire Schoolboy 440 yards record, because it’s now gone metric!

Robbie is married with two daughters, the younger of whom is profoundly handicapped. Robbie developed a walking aid for her with his staff and prisoners in 1981 which is now being used in 41 hospitals and schools in Scotland to each handicapped children how to walk.

2008 Calgary Burns Supper

President:Jim Hope-Ross

Speaker: Peter C. Brown

Peter joined the Bank of Scotland in 1972 and his current position is Area Director for corporate business in Edinburgh.

A keen golfer, Peter was Chairman of Glenbervie Golf Club for five years and has a handicap of 11. He is a supporter of Falkirk Football Club and goes to the games when time permits.

His reputation as an after-dinner speaker has grown considerably over the last year or two and he can regularly be seen at weekends entertaining at corporate or sporting functions throughout Scotland. He is a founding member of the Friday Night Burns Club No.1069 and regularly, during the month of January, celebrates the life of our national bard.

His ambition in life is to be the last man on earth, just to see if what all these girls said to him as a teenager was true!

He lives in Falkirk, has 3 children, a few ex-wives and a big mortgage.

2007 Calgary Burns Supper

President: Ken R. McTavish
Speaker: Len Murray

Len is a Glaswegian by birth. He played football in his youth and at Glasgow University. He was once told that there was only one reason he was not chosen to play for the Scottish Universities - he was not good enough. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Glasgow University. He practised as a solicitor in Glasgow for over forty years and is now retired. He says that he wishes he had done so years ago. So do many of his former clients. He now lives in Milngavie, not far from Glasgow, but a long way from Twechar.

Len practised in the Scottish Courts throughout his professional life and he built up one of the most respected law practices in the country. He was once described by a High Court judge as "the most respected pleader of his generation." His colleagues nicknamed him "The Silver Fox" though they could never be persuaded to say why.

He served on many of the professional bodies connected with the practice of the law and for some years he was Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the Law Society of Scotland. He was also a member of the part-time staff of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities and a guest lecturer at the Scottish Police College, Tulliallan. He also served as a Temporary Sheriff and was a part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals for many years.

Len was the first ever media spokesman for the Law Society of Scotland in litigation matters and in that capacity he appeared regularly on radio and television over the years where his views were sought, but seldom heeded, on a wide range of topics.

He is a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre, a Knight of Grace of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, (Knights Hospitaller), a Justice of the Peace, and a Solicitor to the Supreme Courts of Scotland.

Apart from his abilities as an after-dinner speaker, Len Murray is generally recognised as one of the foremost speakers on Robert Burns. He has spoken at over 300 Burns Suppers in many parts of the United Kingdom and abroad. He is an Honorary President of Greenock Burns Club, the oldest Burns Club in the world and a Life member of that Club.

For more information on the life and times of Len Murray, you are encouraged to buy his autobiography, entitled "The Pleader", although, sadly it does not contain one of its most memorable chapters: Len's Immortal Memory addressed to the 31 st Annual Calgary Burns Club's Burns Supper.