TH MINUTES OF THE 59 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE LADIES’ BRANCH TH OF THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN CLUB HELD ON TUESDAY, 7 MAY 2019 AT 2PM.

Present Office Bearers: Margaret Nicol (President), Morag Wellman (Vice President), Corrie Lawrence (Junior Vice President/Ayr Rep), Kay Gibb (Treasurer/Aberdeen Rep), Gail Munro (Honorary Vice President)

Past Presidents: Fiona Hardie (Crocketford), Sheila Watson (Cumnock & District), Ena Stevenson (Dunfermline Ladies), Kathleen Scott (Dunkeld), Marion Craig (East Kilbride & Haremyres), Marion W Craig (East Kilbride & Haremyres),Patricia Thomson (Glasgow Ladies), Margaret Pottie (Nairn Ladies), Kirsty Letton MBE (Troon Portland)

Centre Representatives: Marion Murdoch (Dryfesdale), Carolyn Tough (Duddingston), Clare McCormick (Dunfermline Ladies), Irene Baillie (Dunfermline Ladies), Anna Burnside (Falkirk Ladies (1960)), Anne Shaw (Forfar Ladies), Sandra MacIver (Forres), Liz Paul (Glasgow Ladies), Trish Petrie (Hamilton Ladies), Jesme Brown (Lynedoch Ladies), Jackie Orr (Muirdykes), Helen Pirnie (Nithsdale Ladies), Nancy Gallacher (Nithsdale Ladies), Ruth Addinall (SIAE/LSC Minute Secretary), Lyn Brown (Stoneykirk), Judith Dixon (Swinton),

New Centre Representatives: Michele Brodie (Abercorn), Jennifer Kubrycht (Hercules Ladies), Janine Wilson (Letham Grange), Karen Jack (Newark), Madeleine Sharp (Nithsdale Ladies)

Invited Guests: Bruce Crawford (CEO), Robyn Munro (Castle Kennedy), Susan Kelsey (Currie & Balerno), Morna Aitken (Currie & Balerno), Rob Niven (Chairman), Lillian Carnegie (Forfar Ladies), Inca Maguire (Forfar Young Curlers), Graham Lindsay (RCCC President), Brian McArtney (RCCC Vice President), Sophie Sinclair (Midcalder),

Individual Members: Barbara Baird (Abdie Ladies), Margaret Robertson (Bathgate), Catherine Dodds (Carrington), Helen Young (Castle Kennedy), Janet McMillan (Castle Kennedy), Myra Fell (Colinton Ladies), Anne Marie Ross (Corstorphine Ladies), Isobel Edwards (Corstorphine Ladies), Kath Murray (Corstorphine Ladies), Margaret Barry (Corstorphine Ladies), Pauline Alexander (Corstorphine Ladies), Betty Gibb (Currie & Balerno), Jenny Barr (Currie & Balerno), Norman Nicol (Currie & Balerno), Margaret White (Dalmellington Craigengillan), Dor Borthwick (Dunfermline Ladies), Lynne Stevenson (Dunfermline Ladies), Liz Cullen (Earlston), Helen Drummond (East Kilbride), Margaret Richardson (East Kilbride & Haremyres), Isobel Brydie ( Ladies), Janet Lynch (Errol),Helen Barrett (Falkirk Ladies (1960)), Christine McLeish (Ford Ladies), Jean Waddell (Ford Ladies), Marion McClung (Ford Ladies), Marleen Salter (Ford Ladies), Carolyn Nicoll (Fothringham), Elizabeth Shaw (Galston Haymouth), Liz Boswell (Galston Haymouth), Mary Shaw (Galston Haymouth), Anne Airey (Glasgow Ladies), Caroleen Clark (Glasgow Ladies), Fiona MacFarlane (Glasgow Ladies), Liz Jamieson (Glasgow Ladies), Fiona Rutherford (Glenfarg Ladies), Elaine Paterson (Kinross Ladies), Elaine Spain (Kinross Ladies), Pat Galloway (Kirkoswald), Marnie Ewart (Kirriemuir & District Ladies), Barbara Sherriff (Kirriemuir Ladies), Carol Fleming (Lothian Ladies), Barbara Gillespie (Lothian Ladies), Shelagh Fulton (Lynedoch Ladies), Heather Billet (Nairn Ladies), Margaret Carruthers (New Abbey), Beryl Harley (Orwell Ladies), Liz Glennie (Orwell Ladies), Maggie Saunderson (Orwell Ladies), Alison Harrington (Pentland Ladies), Gillean Hoehnke (Pentland Ladies), Jean Gorrie (Pentland Ladies), Joan Simpson (Pentland Ladies), Maureen McCulloch (Pentland Ladies), Ros Murray (Pentland Ladies), Ruth Millar (Pentland Ladies), Sandra Renton (Pentland Ladies), Sally Farrell (Portpatrick), Marion Malcolm (Rubislaw), Ann-Marie Davidson (Schiehallion Ladies), Vilma Kirk (Schiehallion Ladies), Beverly Brown (St.Andrews), Margaret Mauchline ( Young Curlers), Jane McLaren (Strathendrick), Mary Steel (Symington), Jo Pegg (Uplawmoor), Fiona Glass (West Stirlingshire Ladies),

1. Welcome President Margaret: Good afternoon honoured guests, sister and brother curlers. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Edinburgh for the 59th Annual General Meeting of the Ladies Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. Thank you all very much for coming along I know some have come from a great distance and it is great to see you. I apologise that we are not holding this AGM at Murrayfield as they are having major renovation work done and there was no guarantee that it would be wind and water tight. Can I just check that your phones are switched off or on silent, thank you.

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On your seat you should have a booklet with details of apologies, obituaries, new & resigned clubs and the Ladies Branch accounts. Should you wish to address the meeting please raise your hand and wait for the roving microphone, then state your name and club before speaking. I would like to introduce the top table to you Morag Wellman, Vice President; Corrie Lawrence, Junior Vice President and Kay Gibb who is our Honorary Treasurer and Elaine Mills who is taking the minutes for the meeting, so welcome to them all. [Applause] It’s a pleasure to welcome our Past Presidents and I would like us to acknowledge them all. Past Presidents if you could all stand and we can thank you properly for coming. [Applause] Thank you very much Now to our honoured guests President of the RCCC Graham Lindsay, Chair of the Scottish Curling Board Rob Niven and CEO Bruce Crawford. [Applause]. Thank you

2. Apologies President Margaret: We have received apologies, apart from those already noted in the booklet, from Barbara Baird (Abdie Ladies) and Jane McArtney (Letham Grange) If anybody knows of anyone else, please let Elaine know at the end of this meeting to allow them to be included in the minutes. Past Presidents: Helen Gordon (Aberdour), Brenda Macintyre (Belmaduthy), Kate Caithness CBE (Honorary President/Dalhousie Ladies), Irene Hird (Dollar Ladies), Sheila Miller (Edinburgh Ladies), Joan Forrest (Eildon), Alison McDermid (Glasgow Ladies), Johan Steele (Lesmahagow), Claire McLaren (Lyndoch Ladies), Mary Anne McWilliam (Portpatrick), Jan Howard (Reform), Marion Fraser (Strathkinness) Centre Representatives: Mary-Anne McWilliam (Portpartick) Invited Guests: (Balfron), (Carrington), Aileen Neilson (Crossmyloof), (Currie & Balerno), Hamish Gallacher (Dumfries Young Curlers), (Dunkeld), Sheila Swan (Glenfarg Ladies), Fran Stretton (Gogar Park), Emma Barr (Gogar Park Young Curlers), (Holywood), Judith McCleary (Keir), Lisa Davie (Kilsyth), (Leswalt), Rebecca Morrison (Meldrum & Daviot), (Perth Junior), Leeanne McKenzie (Perth Junior), Vicki Chalmers (Portpatrick), Angus Bryce (Roxburghe), Vicky Gumley (Stewart's Melville F.P.), Annabel Skuse (Stirling Young Curlers), Naomi Brown (Stoneykirk) Individuals: Betty Watt (Abbotsford Curling SOC), Margaret Wildash (Aberdeen Ladies), Cathy Costello (Ayr), Mary Foy (Ayr), Carol Simpson (Ayr & Alloway), Lorna Alexander (Ayr County), Gillian Macdonald (Beresford Ladies), Rosie Hutchison (Beresford Ladies), Christine Cheape (Blair Atholl), Anne Christie (Blair Drummond), Rona Dingwall (Borestone & Stirling), Morag Bisset (Bothwell Ladies), Ann Turnbull (Cambo), Ann Baynes (Castle Kennedy), Elizabeth Hogarth (Colinton Ladies), Ros Trail (Colinton Ladies), Susan Skene (Dalhousie Ladies), Sheila Travers (Dollar Ladies), Valerie Aikman (Dumbreck Ladies), Jennifer Mutter (Dundonald), Linsey McGillivray (Earlston), Caroline Manson (Falkirk Ladies), Joyce White (Forfar Ladies), Dottie Burt (Fossoway Ladies), Margaret Jenkins (Glenfarg Ladies), Jenny Stark (Heart of the Highlands), Pat Hughes (Hercules Ladies), Maureen Fraser (Highland Ladies), Yvonne Birnie (Highland Ladies), Mo Simpson (Highland Wheelchair), Anne Fair (Holywood), Alison Milne (Kinfauns), Isla Kinnear (Kinfauns), Janette Sloan (Loch Connel), Hannah Fleming (Lochmaben Castle), Susan Fleming (Lochmaben Castle), Kate Drummond-Hay (Lyndoch Ladies), Rosie Andrews (Maxwell), Shirley Jeans (Panmure), Dorothy Wallace (Pentland Ladies), Morag Erskine (Pitlessie), Kate Adams (Portpatrick), Diane Gilmore (Stranraer Ladies), Lynda Blackwood (Stra'ven Ladies), Wendy McLean (Teviotdale), Aileen McCorkell (Troon Portland), Wendy Hollingworth (Troon Portland), Annette Macdonald (West Stirlingshire Ladies)

3. In Memoriam President Margaret: In your booklet, we have a note of those who have passed away; added to that list should be Fiona Fraser (Aberdeen), Marjorie Sleigh (Haddo House), Dot Rollo (Lundie & Auchterhouse), Margaret Macrae (Pitlochry Ladies). Please join with me in a few moments’ reflection, as we remember those curlers who have passed since last year’s AGM. Can I ask you if you can to stand please (A minute silence was observed). Thank you. Individual Members (in alphabetical order by club): Margaret Menzies (Breadalbane Aberfeldy), Rachel Hunter (Breadalbane Killin), Eleanor Watters (Bridge of Allan), Isobel Hastings (Colinton Ladies), Frances Binnie (Corstorphine Ladies), Mary Tyre (Dundonald), Jennifer Main (Elgin), Anne Malcolm (Hercules Ladies), Jean R Chapman (Kippen), Moira Estill (Kirriemuir & District LDS), Marie Haddow (Lesmahagow), 2 Christine MacCulloch (Millport), Polly Ridge (Murrayfield Ladies), Jean Duff (New Monklands), Maureen Watson (New Monklands), Sue Jones (Orwell Ladies), Beth Webster (Raith and Abbotshall), Ann Smith (Rossie), Margaret Scrymgeour (Strathmore)

4. Minutes of the 58th Annual General Meeting President Margaret: So now to the minutes of the 58th Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday, 8th May 2018 at Muthu Newton Hotel, Nairn. They have been published online and no amendments have been notified to me. Can I take these minutes as read?

Proposer: President Margaret: I would like to propose the adoption of the minutes from last year 2018. Can I have a seconder please?

Seconder: Margaret Pottie (Past Ladies President): I am happy to second the updated online minutes, which were updated from those printed in the annual.

President Margaret: Thank you Margaret

5. Business arising from the Minutes President Margaret: We have no business arising from the minutes. Does anyone have any matters arising from the minutes that we haven’t covered in the Agenda? If not we will go on to the next item. None. Okay, thank you very much.

6. New Clubs and Resignations President Margaret: Again, they are noted in the booklet for those who have joined us and sadly left us.

New Clubs 2018-2019: None this season

Resigned Clubs 2018-2019: Cairngorm Ladies and Glasgow Ptarmigan

7. President’s Report President Margaret: I became involved with Ladies Branch five years ago starting as the Murrayfield rep on the LSC, little did I know what I was letting myself in for. When Marion Fraser was president she suggested I might consider being nominated as Junior Vice President. I tried to think of some good reasons why that might not be such a good idea but those of you who know Marion know what a persuasive lady she can be. So three years later here I am coming to the end of my year as President of Ladies Branch. Everybody tells you it will be a quick year and it certainly has it seems no time since I was standing at the last AGM being presented with the president’s flash. The year has just flow in and I have had an interesting and enjoyable time. When we asked the skips from the various women’s teams to report we asked that they try to do that in 500 words. I am afraid I am not setting a good example and mine is twice that long but I have organised it into different topics which I hope helps make it flow.

Competitions and Championships This is a very important part of a president’s life attending Competitions or Championships and over the year I attended 14 of them. Early in the summer last year Graham Lindsay the President, Bruce Crawford the CEO and I met up to discuss our duties and how we would organise the diary for attendance at competitions both nationally and internationally. I was fortunate to attend all the Scottish Championship this year except the Men’s and Women’s finals as I was in Canada at the Junior Worlds. Morag Wellman very kindly stood in for me to present the trophy to the winners. I started in May at the Scottish Mixed Championships in Stirling and watched a very close final between last year’s winners and Team Brydone who eventually won. Just before Christmas I headed to Braehead for the Scottish Mixed Doubles Championships. The final was exciting one and I was delighted to present the trophy to Gina Aitken and Duncan Menzies, who was standing in for Scott Andrews who was injured. This was a particular pleasure as Gina is a fellow member of my local club. January saw us at Greenacres for the Scottish Masters. Graham and I were just perfecting our double act. The women’s final was very close and was won by Kay Gibb’s rink. The men’s title was won by Peter Wilson’s rink. Again, it was good to present medals to curlers I play regularly with at my home ice rink. I must confess that although I happily support any Scottish team I have a soft spot for juniors. So later in January I was delighted to be headed to Aberdeen for the Scottish Juniors Championships. This was a great event with a high standard of curling. The youngest team who qualified were only 11 years old and they held their own against much older and stronger competition. The women’s competition was won by Team Davie 3 and the men’s by Team Whyte. Awarding medals to juniors who I have curled in my own club with and seen them progress to being Scottish Juniors Champions is a real privilege. It was good to meet the parents of the two teams as many of them were going out to the World Juniors and I would meet them there. Then later in January we went to the Scottish Seniors in Perth. Many of the games produced good curling and were great to watch. The women’s final was especially nerve racking as the result hinged on a measure with last year’s winners skipped by Susan Kesley winning. The men’s title was won by a team skipped by David Smith. Graham and I had by this time perfected a very good double act. It is always an honour to present the winners medals but to be able to award them to fellow club members and friends is special. The last Scottish competition I presented medals at was the Scottish Junior Mixed Doubles held at Dumfries in early April. Mixed Doubles is good to watch and many of our elite Junior Curlers were taking part resulting in good close games. The final between Fay Henderson and Angus Bryce and Euan Kyle and Mili Smith was exciting to watch with Henderson/ Bryce winning. It was good to see so many young curlers taking part and some will be stars of the future.

I also attended several other Scottish Curling competitions. The Junior Challenge Divisions 1 & 2 were held at Murrayfield in January. This is a busy full competition it is great to see so many young curlers participating. Division one was won by Stranraer and division 2 by Forfar. After arriving back from the Junior Worlds it was straight to Stranraer for the Henderson Bishop Championships. Both finals were closely fought and kept the spectators wondering who would eventually win. In the end Murrayfield 2 won the Henderson Bishop trophy with Ayr 2 as runners-up. Stranraer won the Cherrystone with Borders as runners-up. The social side of the Henderson Bishop was as always great fun with a civic reception, fashion show and dinner. Entertainment by the local curlers added to the fun and as always The McMillan hotels provided good hospitality. We were fortunate that Robin Bishop the grandson of Andrew Henderson Bishop was not deterred by last year’s beast from the east which affected the Henderson Bishop was again able to be present the trophies and is keen to come back next year.

In March I headed to Kirkcaldy for the finals of the Morton Trophy. Again this was a great event with good performance from all four teams in the semi-finals with Ayr and Borders winning through to the final. Ayr were the winners and have now won the Morton trophy 18 times, quite a record. This is the last year that Kirkcaldy will automatically host the Morton Final. I would like us all to thank the Kirkcaldy Ladies Centre for all the years of hosting the Morton plus providing great hospitality. [Applause] Again in March I presented the prizes at The National Virtual Challenge which was held at Braehead with 18 teams from Virtual Clubs from all over Scotland taking part. Teams play four end games in sections. The high road final was won by Lockerbie 2 and the low road final was won by Borders 2. It is good to see so many new curlers playing competitively. Straight after Braehead I headed to Greenacres for the Newcomers Trophy. This is a competition to young curlers under 16 who have only been playing the sport for up to two seasons. They enter individually and are put in teams allowing them to get to know curlers from other parts of the country. They play four three end games. There were 36 young curlers aged seven upwards and from as far apart as Elgin to Dumfries. It was great to see so many young curlers enjoying the competition and the enthusiasm that they brought to the game. Supporting Scottish teams at international competitions is an honour and I have been fortunate this year to go to four championships.

In November Morag VP, Corrie JVP, Norman my husband and I were part of a group who headed to Tallin for the European Championships. Tallin is a great city to visit and the Christmas Market was an extra attraction. To be part of this strong Scottish support was wonderful. We sang our hearts out and the whole competition had a great atmosphere especially as Team Mouat, after a great final, won the gold medal.

In February Norman and I crossed the Atlantic and headed to Liverpool, Nova Scotia for the Junior World Championship. This was a great competition. Liverpool is a small community with a big heart. Everyone was committed to the championships and everywhere you went it was advertised with large posters and wooden curling stones painted by locals on all the trees and lampposts. One of which found itself in the Nicol’s luggage and is about to go on the fence in our garden. The 200 plus volunteers were excellent always on hand to help or advise on local amenities. The standard of competition was good and I am sure many of these young curlers will be world stars in the future. The Scottish Junior Women’s team started well and had many close games but did just not manage the win which was so frustrating for them. They learnt from the whole experience which will be good for their future championships. The Scottish Junior Men went through the round robin undefeated and they were a joy to 4 watch. Unfortunately in the semifinal they lost to Switzerland. This was an upset to them but they picked themselves up and came back fighting and claimed the bronze medal. The Scottish supporters were in fine voice and the chair of the organising committee told me we added greatly to the atmosphere in the stadium. No-one was in any doubt who we were supporting. Overall this was wonderful experience despite the -8 temperature and the snow.

The next World championship required less travelling as it was to Stirling to the World Wheelchair Championship. This is the first time I have been to a wheelchair championship and I was amazed how quiet it was but this soon changed when Scotland got into the final. The Scottish support was out in full force and it was great to be part of the celebration when Scotland won the silver medal. A few days after the world wheelchair championships we were on our travels again this time to the Women’s World Championships in Silkeborg, Denmark. The outward journey did not go smoothly as were late arriving in Amsterdam for our connection to Denmark and were told if we ran across Schiphol airport we might make our connection. Picture this Norman, Rona Howie and I running full pelt across the airport to make the flight. Not a pretty sight but we did make the flight, unfortunately our luggage didn’t. Team Scotland performed well and had several close games where the result could have gone either way. This is the first exposure of this team to such a high level competitive field and they gained much valuable experience for the future. The championships were well run with a great squad of volunteers helping out and Silkeborg is a pretty town in the Lake District of Denmark. Having an opportunity to visit the media trucks while a game was being streamed was an interesting experience and demonstrates the huge worldwide audience that the championships were being streamed to. The were holding meetings during the championship so I was able to attend the one they had on the development of their strategic plan. It was interesting to see curling from an international perspective. Attending these championships provided me with many different experiences it was a privilege to be part of the Scottish support allowing me to see how well respected Scotland is as a curling nation. Scottish supporters always made themselves heard so if any of you need curling song sheets, saltire flags or musical instruments for future events see me after the meeting.

Tours Organising women’s incoming and outgoing tours are part of Ladies Branch business and this year has been busy one. In October we welcomed an incoming tour of 16 Swedish Women. They arrived in Aberdeen and played at 8 ice rinks throughout Scotland staying 10 days. Each day was organised to include curling and visiting local tourist attractions. This was a structure which was welcomed by the tourists and they were very appreciative of the excellent hospitality they received and much Proscecco was drunk. There was good curling and overall the Swedish women won. Organising such a tour requires effort on the part of a lot of people and I would like to thank the organising committee, local ladies centres and Margaret Pottie immediate past president who acted as courier throughout the tour for all their hard work. In addition to the Swedish incoming tour we issued an invitation to the Canadian Association to send a group of 24 Canadian women tourists to come to Scotland for a three week tour in January 2020. We are delighted this invitation has been accepted and an organising committee has been formed. They say everything comes in threes and this is certainly true. As we received an invite from the American Curling Association to send 20 Scottish Women curlers to tour America in January 2021; this we have accepted. Applications for this tour will be sought in August of this year, so if any of you are interested please keep an eye on the Scottish Curling website.

Ladies Standing Committee Part of the fun of being president is that I get to chair the Ladies Standing Committee. This year we have had seven meetings and much of our time has been spent on the Swedish tour, reviewing the Henderson Bishop and the Morton, looking at our role in merchandising, planning our social media presence and considering what our future role is. It has been an enjoyable experience not without its challenges but my abiding memory of the meetings will be that of laughter and support for each other. We had two joint meeting with the ASC and despite our best efforts the ASC won the annual competition we have and so I hope Morag will be successful next year in winning the Priestfield Cup. The second joint meeting which I was not able to attend as I was in Canada at the World Juniors; included the opening of the Curling Exhibition at Hampden which was a very successful event and well worth visiting.

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Scottish Curling Board As President I attended Board meetings as an observer and I have been at all the meetings this year. I found being part of the decision making part of the organisation informative and certainly helped me in my role as president of Ladies Branch. The board were very welcoming of my presence and while not having a vote I was fully involved in all the debates and discussions that occurred. The away day in September provided an opportunity for me to meet the board and staff and get to know them in a more informal setting. Additionally I have attended some Competition committee meetings and I am part of the Structure Review Group

Representing Scottish Curling As President of Ladies Branch I had the opportunity to attend four events as part of the Scottish Curling group. In June Judith McCleary & I attended the Scottish Women in Sports Conference organised by sportscotland. The theme of the conference was, we want change breaking down barriers for females and sport. This was a well-attended conference with a wide range of sports represented. Speakers were from business, golf, squash, girl guides, football, athletics & academia. Also in June Bruce Crawford, Kirsty Letton and I attended a Reception at Scottish Parliament hosted by the Scottish Sports Association (Governing Body of Sports Governing Bodies) to celebrate volunteering in sports. 200 people attended including over 20 MSPs. Several of the people attending, including Kirsty, had just been awarded honours so it was good to celebrate with them. It was a good opportunity to meet others from minority sports and appreciate that we all have similar issues around increasing participation, increasing profile of the sport and building our fan base. I am delighted Kirsty is with us today and I would like you to join me in congratulating Kirsty on her MBE which was so well deserved. Well done Kirsty. [Applause]

Later in the year in November the Scottish Women In Sport Awards were held. Judith McCleary, Pam Graham and I attended this. Curling had two nominations. Anne Malcolm in official of the year. We were all delighted that Anne won this award and Judith went up and received it on Anne’s behalf. Bruce Crawford presented this to Anne at her home and she was delighted to receive it. The other nomination was Angie Malone in the Inspiration in Sport category. This was won by Rebecca Sellar. This event was extremely well attended and useful contacts were established including spending time with the Minister for Sport Joe Fitzpatrick. The 8th March 2019 was International Women’s Day and Scottish Curling, Women in Sport and Stirling Council all hosted events to celebrate this. Individuals from a range of backgrounds, commerce, charities, other sports etc were invited to the National Performance Centre to Try Curling. Team Muirhead came along and acted as coaches. This was a highly successful event both on and off the ice. After an hour of curling a question and answer session with Team Muirhead was held.

Another event I took part in was the Junior Summer Camp in July This is held at the Peak with 43 young people aged, between 13-17 with one from USA. There is a wide programme of events including ice time, mountain biking, climbing. It is great fun with a high caliber of coaching provided. Everyone goes to bed exhausted but eager for the next day. I went twice and I was asked to play in the athlete’s night this is where elite curlers are invited to come along and play with the young curlers. I was there to make up the numbers!! It was strange to be playing curling mid July. The warm up exercise was the Slosh which was videoed but I am glad to say I don’t think it has hit YouTube yet. Writing a report like this quite daunting and I hope I have not missed anything. If I have I do give my apologies. I would like to conclude by thanking a few people. First Morag, Corrie and Kay who have always offered wise advice coupled with much laughter and the occasional glass of wine. The Ladies Standing Committee who have been great to work with always willing to debate issues. To Ruth Addinall who so ably takes our minutes for all our meetings. I owe enormous thanks to Bruce and the staff at Scottish Curling for all the help with many of the daft lassie questions I asked. Graham Lindsay president of the RCCC he and I developed a good partnership over the year. Brian McCartney, Vice President RCCC and his wife Jane; who were part of the Scottish Travelling support and the mainstay of the singing. Kate Caithness our honorary president and president of WCF, who is not able to be here today but was very supportive to me and always made time for me.

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Murrayfield Ladies Centre and my own two clubs Currie and Balerno and Pentland Ladies have been in the background gently offering me help and support when I needed it. Thanks also to them for providing the afternoon tea at the end of the meeting.

I need to mention my husband Norman who has been my mainstay throughout this year accompanying me on many of my travels. He has acted as chauffeur, baggage handler and travel agent and kept me sane when things were not quite going to plan.

Finally can I thank you all for coming and for electing me last year as your president it has been a real honour and privilege. Thank you very much. [Applause]

8. Treasurer’s Report President Margaret: Now if I can call on Kay GIbb to report on the Ladies Branch accounts.

Treasurer Kay: President Margaret, fellow curlers and guests, I have much pleasure in presenting the treasurers report and annual accounts for the year ending 31st April 2019. A copy of the accounts can be found in the booklet you received. This has been a busy but enjoyable year, especially when we hosted the Swedish Tour in November. Donations from the centres is up this year, by over £200, many thanks to all the centres for their contributions. Despite efforts we are still unable to find someone to look after the sales of our merchandise and it was agreed at our June meeting last year to reduce the prices of our remaining stocks to just a little over cost value in order to encourage more purchases. Sales were up by £1,000. Thanks to all the centres for their efforts and the generosity of North West Castle, ladies thank you for all your efforts. Ladies Branch handled the opening and closing banquets for the Swedish Tour which made a small surplus of £135. I would like to thank Gail for her help and invaluable advice during my first year as treasurer and Nicola at the office for her patience and support throughout the year. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Margaret, Morag and Corrie enjoying their company and friendship throughout the year and at many events. I believe the accounts are self-explanatory but would be delighted to answer any questions. There being no questions I would like to propose the accounts for adoption, could I have a seconder please?

Seconder: Carolyn Tough (Duddingston): I’m happy to second the accounts.

President Margaret: Thank you (See Annex A of these minutes for a copy of the Ladies’ Branch Accounts for the year ended 30th April 2018)

9. Anne Malcolm Legacy President Margaret: Now we move to item 9 on the agenda, you will see that today we are launching an appeal for The Anne Malcolm Legacy, there should be details on your seat. As most of you know Anne Malcolm died earlier this year, her death was a great loss to her family and friends but also to curling. Anne was a well kent face both nationally and internationally, acting as an umpire for all the major curling championships. We thought it was fitting that we should set up a legacy under her name which would be used to support the development of women and girls curling in Scotland. I hope that you will take away the leaflet that is on your chair and that you will donate, details of how to donate are also on the form.

We always have a tradition of the president holding a party/dinner the night before the AGM and we have managed to raise £300 which is a good start. I do hope you will take it back and publicise it. Thank you [Applause]

10. RCCC Report President Margaret: Now we move to item 10, can I ask Bruce Crawford to for his report

Bruce Crawford: President Margaret, Ladies and Gentlemen. Staying with The Anne Malcolm Legacy if you require further information about it you will find information on Scottish Curling Trust. Thank you for inviting me to join you at your AGM today to report on some of the work of Scottish Curling over the last year. I would like to start with some thank yous. To all the volunteers, coaches, umpires and officials whose time and energy makes the sport happen and grow at clubs across the country. To all the parents and family members who help make the sport possible for young people. To the committee members and staff who help plan and coordinate so much activity for the sport.

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On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Margaret Nicol for her significant contribution and commitment that she has made at board meetings this year. We have enjoyed your company and contributions to the board and committees. I hope that you will cherish lots of happy memories from your involvement in the organisation, and I know you are keen to continue your involvement in the work of Scottish Curling. This year we attracted more people to the sport than the previous year. Try Curling brought 3,000 new people along to have a go at curling. There were 4,400 children who participated in Curling’s Cool. We ended the year with 11,531 members in 622 clubs.

During the season 462 people attended 45 courses for coaches and officials that we ran. We also ran 7 seminars with 155 members involved on a range of subjects including: sweeping, mixed doubles, tactics, timing and seminars for women’s club members. Our Scottish Curling Academy programme provided training for 48 athletes, of whom 60% were women. We also sought to remove barriers to participation in curling and our work in sign language is world leading and has helped us to make the sport more inclusive. In a new initiative in 2018, we created Future Leaders; a programme designed to support, inform and educate a group of young people who have an interest in developing their leadership skills and provide a voice for young curlers. Eight young people were recruited and included four young women: • Anne Craig (East Kilbride) • Rachel Dakers (Gogar Park) • Layla Al-Saffar (Forfar) • Faye McInnes (Nairn) It has been a great success and plans are being put in place to have a future leaders group next year. In November the board appointed a Working Group to review the structure of the organisation, led by Jim Cullen past president with active involvement from the LSC leadership team: Margaret, Morag and Corrie. We opened up the group for members to join the Working Group and the board confirmed Janine Wilson, Lorna Brown, Maggie Wilson, Kat Howes and Judith McCleary, who all gave meaningful contributions and helped to progress the work of the group. After seven months, the group has settled on a couple of structural changes that make sense, these concern additional office bearers and national committees. Further details now need to be worked out and we will be consulting the members on the proposals in the autumn when curlers are back in their clubs and ready to engage; with a view to present to members at the 2020 AGM. Five women reached 50 years of membership of RCCC and will be invited to the AGM at which they will be officially recognised. • Hilda Fulton (Elgin) • Jean Leitch (Falkirk Ladies) • Jean McGregor (Lesmahagow Ladies) • Rosemary (Omy) Lawrie (Lynedoch Ladies) • Sheena Bayne (Strathkinnes) The following 17 women were on 7 of the 10 teams that earned 8-ender awards this season in 7 different ice rinks, among them are two past presidents of the Ladies Branch. • Sheila Millar, Liz Bark, Janet Hepburn (Ayr Ice Rink) • Judith Thomson, Joan Inglis (Beechnuts) • Gillian Wright, Audrey Mason (Between the Sheets) • Clare Lang, Heather Davis (Carrington) • Mary Radcliffe and Lynne Sharp (Errol) • Jackie McQueen, Anne McGrory (St Andrews) • Irene Hird, Lesley McConnell, Rosemary Jarvis, Janet Simpson (Stirling) Others at this meeting will report on the achievements of our women’s teams representing Scotland on the international stage, but I would like to congratulate the success of the one woman who has represented Scotland 143 times since her first appearance in 2007 and regularly as skip since 2011. She has won 3 bronze and 3 silver medals, the latest of which was in front of the home crowd in Stirling at the final of the World Wheelchair Curling Championships, Aileen Neilson is one of Scotland’s most decorated curlers. [Applause] The World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Stirling in March was a success and not just due to Scotland reaching the podium, but also the tickets sold out for the finals and the event made a small surplus. There is also legacy from the event in touchpad doors and new led lighting at the ice rink. The Local Organising Committee and volunteers from the local community and curlers were a great asset and did a great job. You may also be aware that we are looking to recruit some keen individuals at the moment:

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• Open recruitment of Chair of the Board - as Rob Niven is stepping down in June. • Head of Development – as Judith McCleary leaves • Competitions Co-ordinator – as Eoin McCrossan leaves Thank you again, for giving me this opportunity to share some information with you today and if anyone has any questions I would be happy to take them from the floor or directly after the meeting today. [Applause]

President Margaret: Thank you Bruce

11. Report on Ladies’ Competitions President Margaret: Now to the reports on Ladies Competitions. You will see that these reports are listed in your booklet today.

a. The Scottish Women’s Championship: 10th–16th February, Dewar's Centre, Perth. Four teams participated. The final between Team Jackson: Sophie Jackson, Naomi Brown, Mili Smith and Sophie Sinclair and Team Muirhead: Eve Muirhead, Jennifer Dodds, Vicki Chalmers, Lauren Gray and Vicky Wright. Team Jackson won and went on to represent Scotland in the World Women's Championships in Silkeborg, Denmark

b. The Scottish Junior Women’s Championship: 23rd–27th January, Curl Aberdeen. Following the Qualifiers eight teams went through to the final. The final between Team Davie: Lisa Davie, Kirsty Barr, Anna Skuse and Emma Barr and Team Bryce: Amy Bryce, Layla Al-Saffar, Molly Keen and Jane Barr. Team Davie won and went on to represent Scotland at the World Junior Championships in Liverpool NS, Canada

c. The Scottish Senior Women’s Championship: 31st January–3rd February, Dewar's Centre, Perth. Ten teams entered. The final was between Team Kesley: Susan Kesley, Fran Stretton, Vicky Gumley and Morna Aitken and Team Lockhart: Jackie Lockhart, Christine Cannon, Isobel Hannen and Margaret Richardson. Team Kesley won and went on to represent Scotland at the World Senior Women's Championships in Stavanger, Norway

d. The National Masters Women’s Championship: 17th–20th January, Greenacres. Nine teams entered. The final was between Team Gibb: Kay Gibb, Kate Henderson, Dot Moran and Marion Malcolm and Team Prentice: Gwen Prentice, Marion Craig, Helen Drummond and Rhona Fleming. Team Gibb won.

e. The Henderson Bishop Trophy: 25th-28th February at Stranraer. Twenty teams took part in the final over four days at Stranraer Ice Rink. In the final for the Henderson Bishop trophy, Murrayfield (2) Team skipped by Susan Kesley, with Fran Stretton, Jenny Barr and Morna Aitken were the winners over Ayr (2) Team skipped by Margaret Agnew with Gail Thomson, Alison Cunningham and Anne Anderson. In the Low road the Cherrystone final was won by the Stranraer team skipped by Kate Adams with Christine Cannon, Katie Wright and Louise Kerr over the Borders team skipped by Margaret Robertson with Wendy Henderson, June Swan and Anne McAulay.

f. The Morton Trophy: The 53rd Anniversary of the Morton Final took place at Fife Ice Arena, Kirkcaldy on the 12th March. In the semi-finals eastern section winners Borders beat Forfar from the North section winning all three games. Ayr played Braehead in the other semi-final with Ayr securing their place in the final by winning 2 games. The final saw Ayr secure the title by winning all three games over Borders. Some excellent curling saw Ayr claim The Morton Trophy.

12. Reports of the Women’s International Championships President Margaret: I would now like to ask for reports on the women’s curling championships.

a. The European Curling Championships: President Margaret: As Eve is unable to make it today Morag will read the report in her absence. Vice President Morag: So this is the report from Eve and I have to say that I was there and it was a good week. President Margaret, Ladies and Gentlemen. After a long days travelling via Frankfort we made it to Tallinn late on Wednesday evening. The team were in good spirits and ice was good and we began our quest for medals. We kicked off with Denmark. A good, solid game and came away with the victory. It’s always

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good to start with a win in major championships. Next few games were a little inconsistent, some really good along with some not so good but we stayed strong as a team. We put ourselves in a position we had to win 2 of our last 3 games. This was defiantly possible. Germany first, and a good solid game. Another win on the board. Next up was Russia. We controlled the whole game and it came down the last stone, last end. (as the vast majority of these games do) Sometimes luck is on your side and sometimes it isn’t. Unfortunately i was sliding out and had the worst pickup I have ever encountered. The gouge in the ice was long and deep and I was more or less draw to a halt during my slide. At first glance everyone had thought my hip had given way but it was just an unfortunate break. This was our European campaign over. It was always going to be a tough ask after a team change, national coach change and me just 6 months post hip surgery. But we gave it a good shot and finished a credible 5th place. Having medalled in the previous 6 Europeans it was a tough time to leave empty handed but as a team we pull together and work even harder for success. Thanks to the coaches and support staff for their efforts throughout the week and 5th man Vicky for all your hard work. Thank you. [Applause]

President Margaret: Thank you Morag b. The World Women’s Curling Championships: President Margaret: I am pleased to say that Sophie Sinclair here with us, Sophie would you like to give your report.

Thank you - On to our next adventure, we got ready to take on another 3 flights to get to Silkeborg, Denmark, for the World Women’s Championship. After an eventful few flights, one of which we nearly missed, we made it to Denmark. We had a few days once we arrived to settle in and rest after our eventful travels and previous championship. This allowed us time to have a wander around the beautiful city of Silkeborg and find out all the great places to eat! We were spoilt for choice with many wonderful restaurants that the city had to offer. Soon all our support staff and fifth player, Lauren Gray, arrived in time for the championship starting. Friday the 15th started with the team meeting followed by practice and then the opening function which was held in a beautiful art gallery looking over a big lake. By this point we were excited and ready to start our first World Women’s Championship as a team! Day one started against Japan, it was a close game, but Japan managed to edge the win. Day 2 we then moved on to play China, we struggled in the first few ends with Sophie battling through an injury. Sophie decided to go off due to being in a lot of pain. This meant we brought Lauren on for the first time. She fitted in great and although we lost against China, we fought back hard. Our next game was against Finland and was our first win at the Championship, this felt great! We then followed this win with 3 more victories against Germany, Latvia and Canada, Sophie returning to the ice against Canada. Beating Canada was one of our biggest highlights, it is always a great game Scotland vs Canada so we were ecstatic to come off with a win. The rest of the event involved many close games, such as our game against Sweden that came down to the last stone, but unfortunately all resulted in a loss. This put us on 4 wins and 8 losses for the event, placing us 10th out of 14, which at the time was really disappointing for us, but looking back there were so many positives to take away from our first World Women’s. Being a part of this event was just incredible and we took in as much as we could while we were there. We had an amazing fan base with us, who kept us upbeat and tried there hardest to embarrass us in some way, but we loved every minute of their support and a special mention to the Scottish Curling ladies President Margret Nicol for being out in Denmark with us to, it was great. Having the opportunity to play the top teams in the World was amazing and we all loved the experience and atmosphere. We learnt so much from all the support staff out with us, which will be key for us to take forward as a team. We would like to thank everyone for all the encouragement and support we have had this season, we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to represent our country and we hope to use our experiences to develop our team further in the future. Thank you. [Applause]

President Margaret: Thank you Sophie c. The World Junior Curling Championships: President Margaret : The World Junior team are in the mist of their exams and I am very pleased to say that Kirsty has managed to sneak a little time out of her schedule to come along, Kirsty

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President Margaret, Ladies & Gentlemen - After a long day travelling out to Canada, we were welcomed in Halifax by a minus 22 wind chill and a very pleasant bus driver. The 14 of us spent the few days enjoying the stunning scenery and the incredible Canadian hospitality. We had the opportunity to practice in local curling rinks and meet many local junior curlers. Six days after we had flown out, we began our campaign. After a strong season winning the Under 21 Slam Tour, the Braehead EJCT, a Nordic junior event in Copenhagen and of course the Scottish Juniors, we were desperate to get our first taste of a World Junior Championships. Our opening game was against the hosts, Canada, which was always going to be a challenging game. We managed to win this game and appreciated our singing support in the form of 22 family and friends who had come to watch us. From there on we had very close games against much older and more experienced teams and although some games went to the last stone, we ended up in relegation position. We are already planning to come back next year and fight to get to World B’s to re-qualify Scotland back into the A Division. We have been busy training in the gym and of course on the ice at the NCA every Monday night. We would like to thank our fabulous supporters that flew out to watch us, Rambo and Scottish Curling for their support and of course our dedicated coach Andrew who has been amazing all season. We couldn’t do it without him. We would also like to give special thanks to President Margaret for her thoughtful gifts she had made for us all as a reminder of this special time in our lives. I know she and Norman enjoyed their trip to Canada to watch us and it was made all the more special having so many Currie & Balerno members there. Thank you. [Applause]

President Margaret: Thank you d. The World Senior Women’s Championship: President Margaret: We are delighted that two members of the team are with us today Susan and Morna. Susan is going to give the report. President Margaret, Ladies & Gentlemen Our journey to this year’s Senior Worlds began with a measure at the last end in the Scottish Final against Team Lockhart. We were going to the World Seniors again, fantastic. For Morna, the bonus was that Gina, her daughter was already going to the Mixed Doubles, this was extra amazing. We left for Stavanger on the 6am flight from Edinburgh, flying through Amsterdam arriving in Stavanger late morning, giving us time to have a couple of practices at the local curling club, a great facility set above two ice hockey arenas. They only have 20 members and derive most of their income from corporate curling. We had Ice Rink Envy! The 2 mile walk over the hill on Thursday lunch time to visit the Arena gave some fantastic views, the weather was unbelievable, even though the locals said that it always rains there, make you think of anywhere? The arena was amazing, set in the centre of a speed skating track. The Mixed Doubles at one end Mixed Doubles Coaches bench and some spectator viewing in the middle and the Seniors at the other. The catering was great, although expensive - £15 for a bowl of soup - we had lunch in the sun at the Arena. Thursday night brought the Team meetings and Friday was practice day and a Ferry trip around some Islands. It was beautiful and scenic very like the north of Scotland. Then, on Saturday, the competitions began in earnest. We started with wins over Japan 10-5, Italy 7-1, England 9-4, New Zealand 12-4, Latvia 11-3 and then had a last stone loss against Denmark 4-6 and finally we beat Switzerland 7-5. There we were again. The same Win/Loss record as Denmark, BUT they had beaten us, so they went straight to the Semi Final and we went to the Quarters where we played USA, last year’s runners up and we managed a win 5-1, we were in the Semis. We played Canada, we couldn’t avoid them, and they are the team who not only won last year but have just won the Canadian Senior Nationals for the 3rd time in a row. We had a very close first five ends, both teams being very cagey. Then came a 4, when Sherry Anderson sneaked (no squeaked past a guard) to take out our shot stone. We lost – disappointed – but we knew we had played a great team. Then for the Bronze game. Now that was a disappointment, we just didn’t bring our A game. We were gutted to not bring back any kind of medal.

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It was great to be able to support Scott and Gina in the Mixed Doubles and we were delighted that they managed to qualify Scotland for next years A division. It was also great to and watch Team Hay win Silver, there Canadian opposition played a fantastic angled Double to win. We had some fantastic supporters with us. They were always there in their kilts and Wee Jimmy hats cheering us on and became celebrities in their own rite. The Japanese team were aghast when the hats were removed and the ‘Ginger Locks’ came off too! And of course there was the usual curiosity about what was under the kilts. We made so many new friends from around the world as well as meeting up with some from last year. We had a ball and we really appreciated the opportunity to represent Scotland again. Thank you [Applause]

President Margaret: Thank you Susan

13. Presentations President Margaret: We now come to present the teams who have represented Scotland.

a. Morton Trophy: I would like to present the Morton Trophy to Ayr who again won with an amazing record of 18 times, Corrie congratulations

b. European Youth Olympic Winter Festival: We also as Ladies Branch present gifts to the teams who achieve gold medal performances. So we celebrate a gold medal in curling from the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival 2019. This is Europe’s first elite multi sport event for athletes between 14 and 18 years. I am delighted that the gold medal for curling was won by team GB and that Robyn Munro and Inca Maguire are here today, Hamish and Angus were unfortunately unable to join us today. I would like to present Robyn and Inca with their gift and we will arrange to send Hamish and Angus theirs. (President Margaret presented Inca and Robyn with their gifts) [Applause] Inca and Robyn also have a report. Thank you – So first the selection process, we were invited to apply and the applications were whittled down to 4 boys and 4 girls who were invited to attend a training session and to give a presentation entitled “If selected for European Youth Olympic Festival how will I ensure I learn as much as possible for my future curling career”. This was a bit nerve wracking but a good experience for us for future interviews. Apparently, it was obvious when Hamish, Angus and the two of us were put into a team for training that we fitted and worked well together! So, we were chosen along with coach Scott Hamilton and Cate Brewster, although Scott was the only one allowed to travel with us. We had 4 training session before we left for the games and a drugs awareness session. These were mostly during the Christmas holidays as we all had prelim exams and the usual slams to fit in as well. The whole Olympic experience was brilliant, meeting all of team GB in London and getting the enormous amount of kit. We flew from London en masse to Bosnia via Munich and it was great to get to know everyone. Once in Sarajevo we were housed in two hotels side by side which made up “the Olympic Village” We mixed with athletes from all other countries but us curlers didn’t have much down time as we played 6 games in the round robin stages and this meant travelling back and forward to the Ice Rink in Pale which was around 45-55 minutes away from our hotel. We won every game and never finished all 8 ends. The round robin stage took 4 days and then on the Friday we were through to the semi-finals against Poland. This might have been one of the most nerve-wracking games as the winner is definitely getting a medal, the loser doesn’t know. We came out on top with a score 8-2, they shook after 6 ends. The final was on the Friday afternoon and was pretty tough and it was touch and go at some points but we won 6-2 against Switzerland, again they shook before the end of the last end. What a feeling – still brings a grin to our faces, to have our parents there watching, shouting and chanting and just the relief. We were told in the middle of the week that we were expected to medal so there was an expectation there and we met it in the best way possible. The experience has given us more confidence, in our personal and curling life, we would like to play as a team again and hopefully we can get that opportunity. Drugs testing was also completed at every occasion, which was also an experience. Since coming home I’ve done 4 presentations to my primary school and 1 to about 80 family and friends who were supporting us from home. Social media is great as we’ve been in touch with some of

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team GB since and also some curlers from other countries and I met up with a couple of them recently in Sweden at a mixed doubles competition. Thank you [Applause] c. Scottish Champion: We also at this time wish to acknowledge the Scottish Champion and I would like to ask Sophie Sinclair to receive the gift and we will ensure that the others are receive theirs. (President Margaret presented Inca and Robyn with their gifts) [Applause] d. World Mixed Double Championship – reported from Gina Aiken It was the biggest ever World Curling Championships in terms of number of nations with 48 countries competing. But it was also the last in this format before it reduces to 20 teams in 2020. The organising committee in Stavanger did a stellar job everything went smoothly and logistically with the number of people involved that is very impressive. I have never seen such a huge ice hall – they had two fields of play running back to back and yet it still felt like there was so much room around us. Team Scotland travelled out a day before the first meeting took place which allowed us to explore the area – and I couldn’t think of many more stunning places to go and visit. Stavanger, for anyone who has not had the pleasure of visiting, has many beautiful walks and lots of lovely restaurants and cafés down at the harbour. Well worth short hop across the North Sea. Our schedule was slow – a symptom of having such a large number of teams competing – with only 1 game a day most days. We started off playing Belgium, Mexico (in their debut championships), Lithuania and Slovakia. 4 – 0 we knew we had a few games to warm up before our tougher second half. We upped our game against Germany and played well to secure an 8 – 5 win. Game 6 was Estonia, and in this game our performance dipped and we lost 8-6. Going into our last game, we knew the most important thing to get us through to the next stage was our draw shot. An intense 9 minute practice and we got our last draw shot on the button. Great news – we knew we had done enough no matter how the match against hosts Norway finished. In fact, we came out with a very strong start and lead the game in the first half. Norway pulled back in the last few ends to take it to an extra but with one shot touching the button at the end of play we secured another win. 6 wins and 1 loss – we finish 3rd in our section. This means that we ended up playing Estonia once again in the round of 16. A change of ice conditions meant we missed a few too many in the first 2 ends and after that we couldn’t manage to make up the deficit. A disappointing end to our Championships but we are delighted to have earned Scotland a place in the 2020 World Mixed Doubles Championships in Kelowna, BC. A big thank you from myself and Scott for all the support we received before, during and after this event. It’s been a tough season and we hope to be back again… stronger! Thank you

Reports below were received however not reported on the day. e. World University Games – reported from Sophie Jackson President Margaret, Ladies and Gentlemen. We arrived in Krasnoyarsk, Russia after a long three flight journey where we were welcomed by the Universiade volunteers. As soon as we entered the arrivals area in the airport we knew that we were going to be taken well care of during the championships, there was even a live band with dancers playing for us to enjoy whilst we waited for our transport to the athlete’s village. Once we reached the village we were introduced to our Team GBR staff, who were all extremely attentive in catering to our needs, whilst trying to locate our lost luggage! During the first day we toured the athlete’s village and got used to our surroundings, including a very steep hill from the accommodation to the dining hall which we were all glad to see the back of come the end of the championship! On the second day we were delighted to be reunited with our luggage, we freshened up and attended the flag ceremony for GBR. After a few quick days the championship was upon us where we met Switzerland in our opening game which resulted in a win. In the evening draw we played the host nation in a tight affair where we came back from being down in the first half of the game. We lay 2 shots and the game when Russia came to play their last stone, where the skip played an angled raise which she confidently made this sent the packed arena crowd wild. After 6 days of Round Robin play we qualified for the quarter final game in sixth place, where we took on Canada. Again, we were down at the half way mark and we knew we had a fight on our hands to finish this game off. We stole the 9th end to tie the game up, without coming home. It was great for us to get the steal in that end as it gave us confidence that we could do it again in the 10th. With the

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opposing skip coming to play her last she was facing 3 of our counters buried behind centre guards, she was going to have to play a good one to win. She slid passed the four-foot and the game was ours. Onto the next on, semi-final vs Sweden. We battled hard and tried to fight the aggression and good play from Sweden’s Team Wrana but unfortunately they were too much for us on the day. A tough loss, but time to regroup for the Bronze Medal match the following day. We knew it would be a loud one facing the host nation, Russia. After a strong first end from us, they made a good freeze which we were unable to remove which resulted in a 2 for them. In the second end they got an early jump on us that we were unable to clear, resulting in an unfortunate steal of 3. Our backs were up against it; we put them in difficult positions throughout the game and got back within 2 points, however eventually they had enough to see us off within 8 ends. We were gutted to have came away from that championship without a medal but extremely proud of our team effort in the last few games, we gave the games everything and unfortunately we were just out played on those days.

f. World Wheelchair Championship – reported from Sheila Swan President Margaret, Ladies and Gentlemen – Apologies that neither Aileen nor I can be in attendance today, one of us is enjoying the heat of sunnier climes and the other is stuck in a meeting room… I know where I would rather be! The opportunity to represent your country at a home world championship is very special, irrespective of whether you are a seasoned campaigner or making your debut in a Scotland jersey. The selected team was a balance of experience and new talent; Aileen Neilson, Hugh Nibloe and Robert McPherson, alongside debutants David Melrose and Gary Logan. This was also our first opportunity to gain crucial qualification points towards the next Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022. Despite an inauspicious start to the week which saw us lose our first two matches, we steadied the ship and put together performances that were reward for the effort and hard work that the whole Squad have put in throughout the season, and qualified for the knockout stages with a 7-4 record. There was a new format for this year’s World Championship; 12 nations were competing and the top 6 qualified for the knockout stages for the first time, it certainly led to an exciting end to the round robin stage. Onto the knockout stage - A nail-biting extra end win in the qualification game against Slovakia and a strong performance against reigning World Champions Norway in the semi-final booked our place in the final. Up against Paralympic Gold Medallists China, the final was a game of small margins; an inch here or there and 2 absolute nailers from the opposition Skip in ends 5 & 7 sealed the victory for China who were very worthy winners. Finishing on a loss isn’t easy but being on the podium on home ice, in front of all our supporters, certainly eased the pain and we were delighted to take home a medal and secure valuable Paralympic Qualification points. On behalf of the Team there are several thank yous I would like to make… • British Curling, UK Sport and the sportscotland Institute of Sport for their support • The Support Staff who have worked with the Squad throughout the season • Scottish Curling and the Local Organising Committee for hosting a fantastic Championship. It takes a monumental effort to host a Curling Championship and we are incredibly grateful to everyone involved for making it so special and one which we will never forget. And finally to everyone who came out and supported us throughout the Championship, you were AWESOME. Aileen and I were both spectators at the worlds when they were last hosted in Scotland back in 2005 and were inspired to get involved in the sport. I hope that this team has done as good a job and have inspired the next generation of wheelchair curlers and coaches. Thank you

14. Election of Office Bearers President Margaret: We now move to the election of office bearers. Firstly the election on the President of the Ladies Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club 2019-2020. It gives me great pleasure to nominate Vice President Morag Wellman. Morag will be an excellent president with her commitment and determination. Could I have a seconder please?

Seconder: Irene Baillie (Kinross & District Ladies Branch): Good Afternoon Madam President. Past Presidents, Invited Guests and Sister Curlers. I have the privilege of seconding the nomination of Morag as our President. There can be no one more suited or ready for the job. Over the last two years she has been a lady in waiting, listening, learning and preparing for today.

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I personally have lost count of the number of committees she has served on, meetings she has attended and I am sure she sometimes feels her car knows its own way to Stirling. I think she has loved every minute of it; there is pride in her voice when she speaks about her curling and that is what we want in our President. Back home in the more down to earth everyday challenges of Club Curling she continues to take part in everything, as she says in a small club you have to, but Fossoway Ladies maybe a small club but with so many members here today to support Morag it just shows what a popular character she is. She still finds time to play in Kinross Superleague, played with me in the Masters and represented Scotland at the 4 Nations she also recently joined a local mixed club – she quite likes the challenge of playing with men. She skipped the team who qualified out of Kinross for the Henderson Bishop Finals this year and they didn't bring home any trophies but did bring back happy memories and as we have said before it’s not the winning but the taking part. Morag is fun-loving, caring and has way of making people feel at ease, she will make and excellent job of her new post and Kinross and District Ladies branch will be there to support you whenever you need us. Good Luck [Applause]

Outgoing President Margaret: Morag, it gives me great pleasure, to present to you the President’s Rose Bowl and President flash, I wish you all the very best for the future. Thank you. [Applause]

President Morag - Introductory Speech: Immediate past President Margaret, Past Presidents, Brother and Sister Curlers, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with much pride and a little trepidation that I accept the role of President of the Ladies Branch of the RCCC. Thank you Irene for your kind words and good wishes; I will work hard to promote women’s curling for all ages and abilities and also the role of women in curling. It has been a learning process over the past 2 years and although I thought I was writing everything down I am sure that there is a great deal I haven’t noted which will cause moments of panic in the next year. I look forward to working with Corrie and Lillian and the LSC committee and with Brian McArtney, the incoming President in what I am sure will be a busy year. I should like to thank my club, Fossoway Ladies and Kinross and District Ladies Branch for their encouragement and support during the past 2 years and thank in advance those who will step in to sub for me when I disappear on official duties. It has been 20 years since Kinross has had a home gown President in Ena Stevenson, Ena is a hard act to follow as she had some innovative ideas including the Gold and Silver Leagues for women. I hope we can come up with some new ideas to encourage women into competitive curling. I should now like to pay tribute to Margaret Nicol who has worked hard over the past 3 years to encourage women in curling. Although not a courier on the Swedish Tour in November, she popped up most days to help Margaret Pottie out with time consuming odds and ends and helped to make it a successful tour. I feel very confident in saying that Margaret has not finished yet with curling management and we wish her well with her future endeavours. Mention should always be given to Margaret’s husband, Norman, who has been her chauffeur and companions to most competitions and his calmness and presence has been of great support to Margaret. Margaret, thank you and please accept the past President’s badge and these flowers as a small token. Thank you very much. [Applause]

Vice President President Morag: We now come to the election of Vice President; I am delighted to propose Corrie Lawrence, to be Vice President. I first met Corrie when we were selected for the last outgoing Swedish tour and Corrie was the captain; she kept us in order then and I am sure she will continue in that vein. Corrie has been a great support to both Margaret and me and I look forward to continuing working with her.

Can I have a seconder please?

Seconder: Kirsty Letton MBE (Troon Portland): President Morag, Immediate Past President Margaret, Honoured Guests, Sister and Brother Curlers. It give me pleasure to second the nomination of Corrie. Corrie has been involved in curling for many years and apart from playing well she has fulfilled other roles very successfully, from Lady President at Ayr to Captaining the last Scottish Tour to Sweden. With her experience and love of curling Corrie will be an asset to the Ladies Branch and a great support to Morag in her year of office. [Applause]

President Morag: I will now present Corrie with her Vice President Badge and ask her to say a few words.

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Vice President Corrie Lawrence – Introductory Speech: Immediate Past President Margaret, President Morag, Past Presidents, sister curlers, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you Morag and Kirsty for your kind words and for your support and friendship. It is a great honour for me, my mother club Beresford Ladies and Ayr and District Ladies Branch to be nominated as Vice President and I have much pleasure in accepting. During my year as Junior Vice President I have listened and learned and have enjoyed the friendship offered to me by Margaret, Morag and the lovely ladies of the LSC. I will endeavour to support the ongoing work of Royal Caledonian Curling Club and look forward to being part of the organising committee as we prepare to welcome the Canada to Scotland Ladies Tour in November 2020. Thank You. [Applause]

Junior Vice President President Morag: I have very great pleasure to propose Lillian Carnegie (Forfar Ladies) as Junior Vice President. I first met Lillian when we sat on the LSC in around 2010/2011. I am sure she will be a very effective Junior Vice President. Lillian would you like to come up and join us.

May I have a seconder for Lillian please?

Seconder: Anne Shaw (Forfar Ladies): President Morag, Past Presidents, sister and brother curlers. On behalf of the members of Forfar Ladies Curling Club I am delighted to second the nomination of Lillian Carnegie as Junior Vice President of ladies branch. Lillian has been curling for around twenty years in Forfar and has been actively involved in ladies curling in Forfar during a lot of that time. She is currently Morton secretary at Forfar centre. She is a past president of Forfar Ladies and has been the LSC rep for Forfar. She was chosen to go on the RCCC Ladies tour to Canada in 2015. She was born and brought up in Angus and lives with her husband Graeme at Inverarity. They have two daughters and two sons and enjoy their trips down under visiting Suzie and Abby Lillian’s outgoing sociable personality will be an asset to Ladies Branch. Curlers in Forfar wish her well during her time in office and will support her in her new role. Thank you [Applause]

President Morag: I will now present Lillian with the Junior Vice President brooch and asked her to say a few words.

Junior Vice President Lillian Carnegie – Introductory Speech: President Morag, Immediate Past President Margaret, Past Presidents, sister & brother curlers, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you Morag and Anne for your kind words and for your faith in putting me forward for this post. They are very much appreciated. It is an honour for me and for my mother club Forfar Ladies and Forfar Ladies Ladies Branch in me to be nominated for the post of Junior Vice President of the Ladies Branch of the RCCC and I am delighted to accept the nomination. When I was a year or two younger I was in the Brownies, Guides, the Rangers then the Venture Scouts, yes they were inclusive, even in the 70s and as a Cub Leader for over 25 years you had to promise to do your best in all of these. So, I promise to do my best for curling in Scotland and to be prepared for whatever comes my way in supporting Morag and Corrie!! Thank you [Applause]

Treasurer President Morag: Thank you. I would now like to propose Kay Gibb to remain as Treasurer. Kay took over the post last year and has proven to be very effective.

Could I have a seconder please?

Seconder: Corrie Lawrence (Vice President): I would like to second Kay

President Morag: Thank you.

15. AOCB President Morag: We now move onto any other business. There have been no formal notifications given to me, has anyone got anything they would like to discuss before I move on?

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Marion Craig (East Kilbride & Haremyres) Past President: I would like to ask a question regarding the survey that was carried out regarding the Henderson Bishop. Firstly were all the ladies surveyed regarding this? When discussing the Henderson Bishop there are a lot of ladies that have said that they weren’t. My second question, what was the route for this information to be sent? It seems that the information was that the Henderson Bishop was probably going to always be on a weekend. I would like to ask the ladies branch if they clarify this for me.

President Morag: Thank you, could I pass this question onto Margaret, as she is best placed at the moment to answer Past President Margaret: Thank you. The survey went out initially to all the skips who played in the Henderson Bishop, that we had emails for. The plan was that when we got it back and it was discussed at the ladies branch we re-designed it slightly and that’s with Eoin and the competitions committee at the moment. We have looked to get it out but because of commitments we haven’t managed to get it out, we do have another survey, which has been added to, to out to the whole membership that we hold email addresses for. This will go out along with all the other surveys that are sent out from Scottish curling. I’m sorry it hasn’t gone out yet. I think when you’re saying it will always be on a weekend that is not necessarily true, many of the people who were involved felt that it would be appropriate. That doesn’t mean to say that it will always be a weekend, I think we have to look at the bids that come in and what suits the ice rink and that was the reason as it fitted with Aberdeen’s ice commitments.

Gail Munro (Castle Kennedy): Should the AGM not be on the second Tuesday in May rather than the first? President Morag: I will check into this

President Morag: Thank you Margaret. Does anyone else have any other questions? As there are no more there are a few dates for your diaries. • The AGM is on 15th June 2019 at 2.00pm at Dewar’s Rink, Perth. It would be good to see a good turn out from Ladies Branch there. • The Henderson Bishop Final will be in Aberdeen from February 27th to March 1st, 2020. • The Morton Final will be in Forfar on March 10th, 2020. • The Incoming Canadian Tour is in 2020 • The outgoing tour to USA is 2021 • Next year’s Ladies Branch AGM will be hopefully be in Kinross on Tuesday 5th May 2020. Once confirmed it will be posted on the Scottish Curling website.

16. Vote of Thanks President Morag: Can I now ask Carolyn Tough to give the vote of thanks.

Carolyn Tough (Corstorphine Ladies)): President Morag, Immediate Past President Margaret, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. On behalf of Edinburgh/Murrayfield Lady Curlers I am delighted to give the vote of thanks this afternoon. Past President Margaret thank you for presiding so capably over this meeting and for giving us a full and interesting Presidential report. Margaret has had a very busy year as President, supporting and promoting ladies curling, both here and internationally, travelling all over the world to do so. I hope you will now enjoy a very well-earned rest and get in a few games of bowls over the summer and hopefully some walks too. I would like to thank Margaret on behalf of the Ladies Standing Committee for a fun-filled supper evening held at the Ice Rink last night. I would also like to thank Norman, Margaret’s long-suffering husband, for all the support he has given her while she has been so engrossed in curling affairs. Thank you to Paul and his staff for looking after us so well both last night and today. To the ladies of Edinburgh/Murrayfield, a big thank you for the afternoon tea goodies, which I hope you are all about to enjoy. Finally, thank you all for coming today. I hope you have had an interesting and informative time and I wish you a safe journey home. Thank you (Applause)

President Morag: Thank you The AGM is now concluded. I believe afternoon tea is now being served. Thank you very much for coming and a safe journey home. 17

Annex A

Ladies’ Branch Annual Accounts 2019-20

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