In this issue

A letter from the Manse Paws for Thought On Your Marks Currie Kirk—A History The Guild Kidz@Currie The Boys’ Brigade Christian Aid My Favourite Holiday Snack Lunches Good Book Group Minibus Clipboard Fish Wrapper Community Activities An Invitation to the Manse Family News Flower List Dates for the Diary Who’s Who

CLIPBOARD The Magazine of Currie Kirk J u n e – August 2012

A Letter from The Manse Dear All,

ell I am ready for summer, but as I write, it has still to make an appearance. The heating remains on in the W manse, and I’m quite jealous of Molly and her warm coat! Still, the clear nights of beautiful stars and the green of the hills we are surrounded by are a wonderful sight, no matter what the weather. As a “Celt” I’ve never been one for hot weather anyway, and much prefer the freshness of our Scottish climate, even if it does give us cause to complain at times. What I do like about the summer though, is the longer days of light. It seems to offer more opportunities for being outdoors, and an evening walk along the Water of or at the are things I really enjoy. Of course, much of my walking these days is with the added incentive of clocking up those kilometres needed to complete my Olympic Challenge, but I remain on course for completing the 2012km in time for the opening of the Olympic Games, and would like to thank you for your support and encouragement along the way. There have definitely been days where it has been a challenge both mentally and physically to clock up the distance, but the thought of all your encouragement and sponsorship has kept me going. The sporting theme will continue this summer of course, not just with the Olympics, but also with our children’s holiday club, and you can read all about that in the pages that follow. I am looking forward to that, and watching some of the Olympics too—it’s an amazing thing to watch people achieve their dreams which they have worked so hard for. The life of faith is one that encourages us to dream dreams too, and letting the things that God has placed in our hearts and minds come to fruition can take hard work and commitment to the task, as well as believing in a shared goal. In Philippians 3:13-14 we find these words of encouragement from Paul; “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press onwards towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” While we may not be competing for medals in the Olympics this summer, we are all part of God’s team, and His challenge to us each day is to keep dreaming those dreams and working towards our goal in Him.

God Bless, Lezley J Stewart

Paws for thought! [by Molly]

t was a worrying day when I heard Her on the I’d have thought more of Mum really, especially as She I phone telling Him that a new dog was coming is always saying you should put your trust in what is home! “Molly won’t like that!” said Dad, and never a real and eternal—God. Well, I know I’m the real deal, truer word was spoken! So I waited with some but just as Mum is full of surprises, perhaps God is trepidation to see what this new pup-ling would be too! like. My first impressions weren’t too bad … very small and quiet … four legs, a tail, two ears and a shiny black nose … nice brown coat and bow around his neck, but not quite what I expected! It didn’t take much for my canine powers of deduction to realise this was not the real thing! Instead, She had brought home a “door stop” in the shape of a dog! The indignity of it … making such objects in the image of dog!

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Children’s Holiday Club Monday 30 July—Friday 3 August 10am—12noon at the Gibson Craig Hall

What is it? A week long holiday club for children with a “Global Games” sporting theme. Games, crafts, Bible stories, songs, team work and challenges!

Who is it for? For children of Primary 1-7 age. It is hoped that children should be able to attend for as much of the week’s programme as possible.

What does it cost? £5 for the week. All materials and refreshments are included.

How do I reserve a place? Please register by emailing [email protected] [or telephoning 0131 451 5141] with the name, age and address of each child attending. A registration form is also available at www.curriekirk.org

What is it all about? “On Your Marks” takes a sporting theme in this Olympic year to explore the stories of Jesus from Mark’s gospel. The children will become “athletes” for the week, exploring what it means to be part of a team through a variety of activities each day. The Gibson Craig will become the Athlete’s Village, and volunteers from the church will become sporting legends as they lead their teams to victory!

Do children need to love sports? No! The club has a sporting theme, but that is explored is lots of differ- ent ways. To be an “athlete” just means joining in!

So get ready.…ON YOUR MARKS….GET SET….GO!!!

3 Currie Kirk—A History by John Brown

Calvary Cross Slabs and Lois Wishart Thomson

uthors researching a subject prior to publication often uncover interesting and intriguing scenarios. So I have A similarly discovered with the two Calvary Cross Slabs which are on the North inside wall of Currie Kirk. Calvary Cross Slabs date back to Norman times and up to the 13th Century. They

were ornate and usually had the sign of the cross within a circle inscribed on the face with a further two horizontal steps or bars on the long cross. With Christian internment these Calvary Cross Slabs were then placed on top of the grave. When the Rev Dr James Langwill died in 1898 (he served as minister of Currie Kirk for 39 years from 1859—his tablet stone is on the inside west wall of the kirk) his family grave outside the front of the church was prepared for his burial. During this dig, the two Calvary Cross slabs were unearthed and preserved. They measure 2 feet 9 inches wide (830 mm) and 11 inches across(280mm). This indicates they were used for child internments. In the east wall of the kirk vestibule adjacent to the gallery staircase, there is a picture glass frame which details the find.

Calvary Cross Slabs 13th century Extract from proceedings of the society of Antiquaries of vol XL: These two stones now preserved in the North wall of the parish church, were discovered a few feet underground when in 1898, the grave of the Rev. Dr. Langwill was being dug. These stones and the Templar stones, to be found in the East side of the Session House were preserved through the generosity of A L P F Wallace of Candacraig, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, in memory of his wife, LOIS WISHART THOMSON. This lady’s name is found in two other inscriptions on the east column of the sandstone portal in the vestibule , which the two swing doors are hinged. The first one states: IN MEMORY OF SIR JAMES WISHART THOMSON K.B.E. Glenpark, this vestibule was restored in 1929 by his daughter LOIS. The other inscription found up the sandstone portal reads: In memory of LOIS WISHART THOMSON, wife of Capt A L P F WALLACE, Candacraig, Aberdeenshire, who died at sea through enemy action OCT 26, 1940. After 70 years, my enquiries to many of our senior members did NOT produce any knowledge of this Lady (benefactor of Currie Kirk) who is remembered with three inscriptions in the kirk. So, who was this Currie Kirk benefactor Lady? She was known to her family as Lois or Toby and had two children to Captain A L P F Wallace. Jinny who was 7½ in October 1940 and Alistair who was five. Her grandson, Thomas Beaumont describes her as an amazing woman, vivacious, funny, kind and full of life. What happened? She was with her husband Captain A L P F Wallace, who was serving with the British army in Palestine, and when the German army invaded France and the Low

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countries, in May 1940, when the authorities ordered all wives home. The ocean liner R M S Empress of Britain, painted grey, had transported troops from Liverpool out to Suez to join the 8th Army (Desert Rats) and embarked the 224 wives and other military passengers to sail back to the U K. The Clydebank John Brown shipyard 1931 ship stopped at Cape Town, South Africa before sailing on to Liverpool. On the 26 October 1940, the ship was 70 miles north west of Eire ie Isle of Arun, off Donegal, when she was attacked by a long range German Focke-Wolf Condor bomber, was machine gunned straffing three times and then hit twice with 250 kg bombs. The ship was set on fire and the captain ordered to abandon ship. Nineteen passengers had been killed. Lois Wishart Thomson was one of them. The 418 crew and the remaining 205 passengers were picked up by destroyers and Lois Wishart Thomson the ship was taken under tow. However, a U boat was given the Empress of Britain’s position and in spite of the destroyers zig-zagging, nipped through and fired three torpedoes and sunk the ship in 500 feet of water. The twist in the tale. It later became a strong rumour that the Empress of Britain was carrying gold from Cape Town to Britain (to pay for our forthcoming lease lend agreement with USA). In 1985, a salvage team did receive a letter from the Departtment of Transport and Shipping saying the gold had been recovered. In 1995, a another salvage team dived on the upside down wreck, found NO gold, but a skeleton in the bullion room!!

For information: Lois Wishart Thomson's great, great, Grandfather was James Thomson(1756—1814) who was a builder in Leith and it is believed that it was he who was awarded the contract to rebuild Currie Kirk in 1784/85.

John Brown

The Guild

he Guild year has now ended after fifteen enjoyable meetings T which covered many interesting topics. On the 19 May, our outing was to Ayr, then on to Dumfries House at Cumnock which has been beautifully preserved for the nation by Prince Charles and is well worth a visit. After a tour of the House and a stroll round the gardens we enjoyed a lovely meal in the restaurant. The Guild now has a new Committee under the leadership of Mary Thomson. There are four new members, Jessie Bannister, Louise Lamont, Evelyn Patton and Elizabeth Wood. Hopefully they will enjoy being part of a dedicated team within the Guild. Many thanks to the retiring members, Nan Begg, Irene Blyth, Jenette Fraser, Janette Lawrie and Sheena Ramsay, for all their hard work during the years they were on the Committee. This is the final time I shall be writing on behalf of the Guild as I have now retired as President and Mary Thomson will take over this duty. Thank you to everyone for the support and encouragement I have had during the past two years and I will now enjoy the meetings as an ordinary Guild member.

Margaret Ullathorne

5 Kidz@Currie

idz@Currie - operate a Creche catering for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers and a Sunday Club for Primary K and Secondary school age. Children are invited to join the congregation for the start of the Church service at 10am and then leave part way for Kidz@Currie.

Kidz@Currie enjoy stories, arts, crafts and games.

All welcome – please come along and join us!

Holiday Quiz

Guess the country from the clues given:

1. If you see the letter 'D' on the back of a car which country has it come from? 2. If you're eating Tacos, Enchiladas and Churros what country are you in? 3. Which country has the largest population? 4. With a population of around 800 people, what is the worlds smallest country? 5. Maori people come from which country? 6. Ottawa is the capital of which country? 7. The Olympics originated in which country? 8. Which country is it recommended you visit in the Cherry Tree Blossom season? 9. Which country is famed for cheese, chocolate and army knives? 10. Which country has a flag shaped like 2 triangles?

A drawing for you to colour

Answers to the Quiz can be found on page 11

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65th (Currie) Company (Registered Charity No. SCO34640)

n Friday 11 May at the 51st Annual Inspection of the O Company five Boys, Christopher Beattie, Craig Moffat, Calum Brown, Scott MacLeod and Scott Duffy received the Queen’s Badge, the highest award in The Boys’ Brigade. The Chief Guest, Douglas Kerr, had words of encouragement for all the Boys in the Company. The five Queen’s Men have worked within the Community helping at the Octagon Club, the Day Care Centre and Riding for the Disabled. A credit to the Company, the Officers will be sad to see four of them leave at the end of the Session but wish them well in their future careers—we will have the pleasure of their skills at camp as they pass on all that they have learned to the younger members on camp craft. However, four of the young men, Chris, Calum, Craig and Scott Duffy were discharged on attaining the age limit and were presented with a Bible on behalf of the Session of Currie Kirk. Calum Brown will be returning as a Staff Sergeant and Scott MacLeod will continue as a Senior Boy. Scott MacLeod, Craig Moffat, Scott Duffy, Chris Beattie, Before we are off to camp in July we have the pitch and Calum Brown putt competition and the Athletics which we have high hopes for as we have a lot of talented young men. All Sections of the Company resume again the first week in September. House to House collections

uring Christian Aid week we have collected a very commendable £5,641. The amount D raised last year was £5,584. Another tremendous performance by everyone involved and great big thank you to you all. This year the Christian Aid Appeal is focused on Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world, so hopefully, by providing the Sierra Leone people with the `tools` it can help them `out of poverty`. New Team Eunice Stewart and Ishbel Massie are forming the new Currie Kirk team focusing on the annual house to house collections, and we wish them every success for the future. Foreign Currency A wee reminder especially at this time of year. Those returning from holidays abroad may like to donate any ‘left over` foreign currency and, if so, the currency can be handed in to Val Reid at the Church Office, after which it will be forwarded to Christian Aid to boost their general funds—thanks. Bryce and Graeme

Between them Graeme and Bryce have given many years of leadership to Currie Kirk's Christian Aid activities and, through encouraging the participation of our membership, many thousands of pounds have been raised to support the work of Christian Aid throughout the world. We extend our grateful thanks to Graeme and Bryce for all their good work and we know they hand over the reins to two very capable people in Eunice and Ishbel. Grant Gordon, Session Clerk 7 My Favourite

Ina Greg—Orkney First visit due to daughter moving there but has fallen in love with it. The welcome from the locals is great, they are very friendly and there is always a great atmosphere. Some recommended places to see are St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, the Italian Chapel as built by the POWs and the Fossil and Heritage Centre. The dancing is also fun and you don't even need to know the steps!

Lucy Aires—Igls, near Innsbruck, Austria. Fantastic holiday. Lucy loves it for the great walks she has enjoyed there with her husband

Amy Reid—Florida Lots of great sunshine and visiting Disney, it was brilliant

Duncan Low—North Northumberland. Lots to do in this area just 90 miles from Edinburgh. This is an area stepped in history, it is ideal for coastal walks and visits to beautiful sandy beaches. There is an infinite variety of interests and options for all weathers. Some of the highlights include Holy Island, Seahouses, Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle and Alnmouth

8 Holiday

Margaret Palmer—Jerusalem Visited with previous minister of Currie Kirk, Willis Jones. Thoroughly enjoyed an extremely interesting and informative holiday. Super weather. Had an excellent guide and great company. Really was a holiday of a lifetime.

Kirsten Sanders— New Zealand and Singapore New Zealand is great as it is a chance to catch up with grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Stopover to New Zealand was in Singapore which was lovely as it was very sunny and I enjoyed a visit to Universal Studios and took part in an amazing night safari.

Stephen Shepherd—Pluscarden Abbey near Elgin. This is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery which has the motto “In this place I will give peace” (Haggai 2 v9). Guests of all faiths and none are received and guests are free to do as they like (quietly). The monks’ day revolves around the 9 services a day (some only 10 minutes long) - in Latin (translations available) and beginning at 4.30am (for the early riser only!). Attending the services provides a structure for the day and the rest of the time can be spent reading, praying, walking, visiting the surrounding area—or even sleeping, if the 4.30am service started the day! TV and radio are not provided but portable players/laptops may be brought and used—with earphones. Pluscarden Abbey is a community devoted to prayer and is the ideal venue for a self-guided retreat. http://www.pluscardenabbey.org

9 Snack Lunches at the Gibson Craig Hall

nack Lunches are open every Tuesday from 12 noon to 1.30pm in the Gibson Craig Hall between mid- S September and mid-May when teams of volunteers serve delicious home-made soup and homebaking at very reasonable prices. Volunteers come from churches in the area and all the money raised goes to Charity. In the last season we raised over £2,000 with the money being split between the following charities:

 SENSE, a charity for deafblind children £400  Parkinsons £400  Marie Curie Cancer Care £400  CCLASP (Children with Cancer& Leukaemia Advice and Support for Parents) £400  CHAS £200  Gibson Craig Hall £200

Snack Lunches are very popular BUT we do need more volunteers, particularly to help serve the lunches. It’s not too difficult to ladle soup or make tea or cut cakes and it’s not just for ladies—men would be most welcome to help, too! You would only be called upon about once every five weeks which works out at only about four times in the seven months we’re open. Of course, we’re always glad to receive donations of soup or homebaking, too. So if you think you’d like to help out in any way please contact either Meg Watson on 449 4874 or Viola MacPhail 449 4664.

The Good Book Group

fter a short Easter Break the book group reconvened again in May, ready A to discuss its latest read Sleep like the Dead by Alex Gray. Sleep like the Dead is a crime novel set in . The story’s central characters are Marianne Brogan, her brother Billy Brogan, who has ‘associates’ in Glasgow’s underworld and a hired, yet unpaid and ‘unhappy’ hit man! The main protagonist, however, is DCI Lorimer, who along with his team is confronted with apparently unconnected professional killings. The reader is given an insight into DCI Lorimer’s personal life and his wife Maggie. As the story unravels, connections to his private and professional life become intertwined. It’s perhaps this and other improbabilities, which led many of the group to dismiss them as too contrived and too convenient to be believable. A crime novel was a departure from the other genres the group had undertaken and although ‘an easy read’ the consensus of opinion was that as crime novels go, Sleep like the Dead did not reach the mark. It was also felt that the story line and the relationships between some of the characters were contrived for the convenience of the plot. The overall opinion was that the story lacked suspense, intrigue, grittiness and the ‘goriness’ often associated with the genre. Compared to Ian Rankin’s novels, or the chilling words ‘Sir, there’s been another murder!’ from the television series Taggart, this Alex Gray novel failed to deliver. One member of the group, however, had read her other novels, which were much better. Although many in the group didn’t rate the book highly, it did promote a great deal of discussion. Once all the scores out of 10 were added up, the average score for Sleep like the Dead was 5.5.

The book for June is One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner.

The next meeting of the book group is Monday 4 June at 7 pm in the Lounge at the Gibson Craig Hall.

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Kirk Minibus AGM—Gibson Craig— 12 June @ 7.30 pm

ou are invited to attend The Annual General Meeting of the Kirk Minibus which is being Y held on Tuesday 12 June at 7.30 in the Gibson Craig Hall. It is vital that the Committee gets feed-back both from the drivers and the passengers who use the bus. So please come along and let us have your views on what type of replacement bus should be purchased in future. A special thanks to all those who have anonymously handed into the Kirk Office their Sunshine Bags of change and to all those other individuals and organisations who have sent cheques. The Committee looks forward to seeing you on the 12 June.

Rename this Magazine

he Kirk is looking for a new name for its Magazine—Can you help? The thought behind T this is perhaps the name “Clipboard” is not as trendy as it used to be so can you put on your thinking caps and come up with a new name to take your magazine forward in the new Session.

Please email the Editor with your suggestions to: [email protected]

Clipboard—Yearly subscription

hank you for your donation which is much appreciated. This goes towards the printing of the magazine and if T your collector has missed you this can be handed into the Church Office. Please mark your envelope “Clipboard”. You can, of course, receive the magazine free of charge on the website—please see below.

Electronic Version

e are trying to encourage as many people as possible to sign up to receive w Clipboard electronically, via the Currie Kirk Website. We would very much encourage you to do this as it obviously reduces paper and significant printing costs and it is good for the environment. Each month you will be advised by email that the latest Clipboard is available on the website. Why not send an email to the Office requesting the electronic version of Clipboard or phone Val Reid at the Office during office hours? Email address [email protected], telephone no 0131 451 5141.

Answers to Holiday Quiz 1.Germany; 2.Mexico; 3.China; 4.Vatican City; 5. New Zealand; 6.Canada; 7.Greece; 8.Japan; 9. Switzerland; and 10. Nepal

11 The Fucellas’ Current Update in Thailand

ollowing on from December’s Clipboard, Mike and Jane have written the following Fish Wrapper, which includes F a summary of their situation since the floods, their activities to date, including a robbery, and plans for their imminent return to Scotland in June of this year. It’s a lengthy document, but well worth reading.

Gordon Clephane

The Fish Wrapper, March 2012

e always plan to write four Fish Wrappers a year. However in recent years the reality seems to have been W much less frequent! Our excuse this time is that we have been waiting for concrete news to pass on about our future plans. But first—the last few months. When we last wrote Thailand was suffering from the worst flooding for fifty years. We ourselves stayed dry—but the efforts of the authorities to keep the commercial and business centres flood free meant that those just outside the centre remained under 2-3 metres of water, in some cases for as long as three months. Thousands of people lost everything and many homes have had to be destroyed. Even those that survived are damaged and mouldy, causing health risks for home owners. Yuki, who coordinates the child protection project, and his wife Milk and two-year old Miki are one family of many whom we know, whose home was badly damaged. The resource booklet that the Office of Child Protection produced to help children cope with the trauma they have gone through and keep themselves safe, has been well used across Thailand, and even in other countries. We produced a small number in English so if anyone is in an area that floods and would like copies let us know. There are many Thai copies still available. Christmas was subdued in many ways this year, in large part due to the floods. Celebrations started late and the beautiful bamboo stars used to decorate the Student Christian Centre did not go up until the middle of the month. A week before Christmas ten young people arrived from Australia to work at Christ Church. Jane organised their programme giving them the opportunity to visit projects and help out with things like a Christmas party for 250 elderly folk and a fun holiday club for church kids. They were also an essential part of the team, along with the Fucella family, who worked the Christmas weekend under Ineke Cook’s amazing leadership, to produce a full three course Christmas lunch for 160 people! It was a fantastic occasion with great food (including a ham cured for a month by Mike and Christmas puds smuggled in from the UK), beautifully decorated tables, efficient service and a wonderfully festive atmosphere. The child protection team, Noi, Kiwi and eight month old Dave sat at our table— although Jane didn’t actually sit down or eat, being rather busy serving!! After Christmas the Australians headed up to Mae Sot where they helped out at Noh Bo Academy—the migrant school Jane works closely with in her role at Christ Church. If any native English speakers would be interested in volunteering as English teachers up there between June 2012 and March 2013 please get in touch. It’s an amazing experience. Mike and his team were at the school in January helping them work on their child protection policy, as well as doing training with Compassio (where our good friends the Trendell’s work) and an amazing school/orphanage run by some Catholic nuns—who only spoke Spanish so it was a linguistic challenge! It was wonderful to have Jane’s sister Sarah visit us for two weeks. For the last few years Sarah has worked tirelessly to support the ‘Family Home’ in Sangklaburi. This is the small home run by Dodo where a group of five boys live—three of whom live with AIDS and one with cerebral palsy. (You will remember us writing about Pupa’s death in the last Fish Wrapper) So Jane and Sarah went to Sangkla for three days and had a wonderful time visiting the children as well as all the other projects we have been involved with over the years. Sarah brought gifts for the boys including ‘nerf guns’ which they loved. Sarah also got to explore some of Bangkok, go to school by boat with the girls and attend both Christ Church and Mike’s church, Ratchatewi. Most of the girls’ news is in the Minnows. Aylie has set up a custom made badge production business and has sold about 300 badges so far in an effort to help Rachel raise funds for Cuba! If you have an idea of a design you would like made into a badge (‘button’) please let Aylie know! Aylie did exceptionally well in her writing in November (30,000 words in 30 days) and now just needs to finish the book! She is distracted at the moment as she is also writing a modern screen play of The Tempest which they are studying in English! Jane accompanied her in the November writing task by starting a book about our experiences over the last 25 years here. She reached her goal of 50,000 words in thirty days, but also has a long way to go before the book will be finished! Please pray for Aylie now. This is being written by her bed in hospital. She was attacked by a frenzied stray cat yesterday and has a nasty wound on her foot which is infected and so she has been admitted for treatment. 12 The last month has been a stressful one, and not just because Rachel has been doing exams! We came home from church one day to find we had been robbed. The community where we live has CCTV cameras and the thief was caught on camera, going up to our flat and leaving it with lots of stuff (computers, cameras, phone, kindle). No-one recognises him but at one point he is being given directions on the phone. He knew exactly where our spare key was to be found, arrived five minutes after we went to church and was in and out of the compound in less than 15 minutes. So for us it has been hard to think that someone we trust has betrayed us. The insurance company has reimbursed a large part of the financial loss which is great, but sadly due to problems with external hard drives we have both lost most of our data. This includes all our Fish Wrapper mailing lists. We have spent hours trying to ‘rebuild’ them but will inevitably have missed people out or dug up old email addresses for some that no longer work. So if you know anyone who normally gets the Fish Wrapper by email please check that they received this one, and if not, ask people to write to us so we can add email addresses back to the list. Also there maybe some who have received this issue who are not normally on our mailing list! If anyone would like to be removed from the list please let us know. We certainly will not take offence. About the same time as the robbery our beloved cat Tiger started to get sick. He is nine years old and came with us from Sangkla. Mike and Jane took him to the animal hospital several times (by motorbike) but there is nothing they can do. It hard to watch him just get thinner and weaker—he has not eaten for over a month now. Vets here will not put animals down so we are just hoping he will ‘slip away’. It has not all been bad in the last weeks. Jane had the most amazing opportunity to travel down a stretch of the Mekong River in Laos by boat. It has been a dream ever since we lived in Sivilai, close to the Mekong. She went with Winnie, a friend from Chiang Mai and they had a wonderful two days going gently and peacefully down the river, through stunning scenery. They travelled from Chiang Khong in Northern Thailand, to the ancient town of Luang Prabang in Laos where they stayed for a day of relaxing, walking and shopping! A few days later Jane was away again. This time in Hua Hin south of Bangkok on the coast, but she did not even see the sea. She went to do three mornings of teaching about cross cultural ministry, for a group of people preparing to work in China. It was very interactive and fun—and gave Jane the chance to enthuse about lessons of the last 22 years and tell lots of stories. Then this last weekend we all had a wonderful three days in Cambodia. Mike and Jane spoke at an Interserve conference. We all four enjoyed the slow pace of life in Phnom Penh and the chance to say good bye to some good friends there. In the midst of all this we heard recently that a placement has been arranged for Mike to do his one year of ‘familiarisation’ to the Church of Scotland. We will be at Kirriemuir Old Parish Church, about twenty miles north of Dundee. Kirriemuir is famous as the birth place of JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan) as well as a member of the band AC/DC, and a particular kind of iced gingerbread! Since this has been arranged we have been in close touch with Malcolm, the minister and also friends of ours, Alastair and Mary Morrice, who live in the town and go to the church. We are getting very excited about being in Scotland. We plan to fly to England on 15 June. We will stay with Jane’s family for a week or so. Three of us (Rae has other plans) will then be based in Edinburgh for about a month (2 Grange Loan Gardens) before moving to Kirriemuir at the end of July ready to start work on 1 August. Please pray for accommodation to be found for us there. Inevitably, despite the excitement we have very mixed feelings. Saying good bye is going to be very hard. Goodbye to people, to places, to work, to sounds, sites and even smells which are so familiar to us. For the children they are not ‘going home’ - this is their home. As Rachel mentions in the Minnows we have started sorting and giving away, and are also working on handing over responsibilities. We are delighted that Dan and Rachel Djamuldin are planning to come from Australia to work in the Office of Child Protection. Please pray that they will raise the necessary support they need in order to arrive before we leave. Dodo is going to find it very hard when we go, not just because of the support Jane gives her with the AIDS project, but because they are such close friends. We are praying for someone to take over Jane’s role with Karen through Christ Church. The next few months will fly by but we have a huge amount to fit in! We hope to write one more Fish Wrapper before we leave Thailand with details of our plans as well as answers to the prayers we have asked for! However we promise it won’t be as long as this one. Thank you again for your love, encouragement, support and prayers.

13 Community Activities

he Gibson Craig Hall is used by various groups during the week and, if anyone is interested in joining a group, T please telephone the contact noted below.

Contact name Tel No: Day Baby Ballet Claire Robertson 336 5982 Wednesday Bridge Club Ron Dow 538 2313 Monday Blue Sky Pilates Claire McDonald Thursday Children’s Dance Carol Campbell 339 2315 Friday Currie and District Local History Peter Cowlishaw 449-2520 Monday Evenings twice Society monthly October to March Day Care Centre Elspeth Frame 449 3603 Friday by referral

Judo Jo Imrie 01506 884633 Tuesday 4-6 pm Octagon Club Alastair Hardie 453 3556 Wednesday Iain Grant 332 3413 Parents & Toddlers Hazel Lumsdaine 449 7798 Friday

Sequence Dance Tom Masson 449 2561 Thursday Senior Citizens Jean Smith 449 5596 Monday Snack Lunches Viola MacPhail 449 4664 Tuesday Tai Chi Denise Cunningham 449 3468 Tuesday Zumba Exercise Class Tom Lowe 07980 692929 Thursday

Manse Garden Party Sunday 1st July 2-4pm

Lezley and Andrew request the pleasure of your company at the Manse [43 Lanark Road West] for afternoon refreshments. No hats required!

And Finally some deft definitions………….. Retirement(a wife’s point of view): twice as much husband for half as much money. Religious awakening: what takes place after the sermon. Teenagers are people who:  express a burning desire to be different by dressing alike.  get hungry again before the dishes are even washed.  believe in free speech (when away from home they telephone and reverse the charges or get their parents to call back). 14

Family News

Obituary: Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25)

Mr John Fraser, 358 Lanark Road West Mrs Margaret Paterson, 30 Bryce Road

Marriages 5th May Jennifer Louise Harper and Christopher Brown

Flower List

3 June 15 July Mr J Donald, 15 Cherry Tree Crescent Mrs B Dow, 48 Thomson Drive Mr & Mrs B Eunson, 7 Muir Wood Crescent 22 July 10 June Mrs H Stewart, 4 Forthview Road Mrs M McDonald, 1 Featherhall Crescent South 29 July Mr A Thomson, 32 Riccarton Crescent Currie Kirk Flower Fund 17 June 5 August Mrs M Jack, 19 Nether Currie Road Mrs M Davidson, 12 Thomson Road Mrs M Watson, 31 Muir Wood Drive Mrs M Jackson, 41 Nether Currie Road 24 June 12 August Mrs A Murray, 30 Easter Currie Terrace Mrs M Greig, 45 Thomson Road Mrs J Sandilands, 21 Rowantree Avenue Mrs I Williamson, 19 Pentland Place 19 August Mrs W McLauchlan, 86 Lanark Road West 1 July Mrs M Gray, 1 Marchbank Way 26 August Wedding—Helen Lyell & Matthew Hamilton 8 July Mrs N Wardall, 1 Cherrytree View Mrs Patton, 8 Cherrytree Loan

onations for flowers may be sent to Mrs Erica Porteous, 2 Pentland View, Currie, or left at the Church Office D or in the Elder’s Box of Bill Porteous in the Link Building, and any cheques made payable to Currie Kirk Flower Fund. Erica can be contacted on 449 6894 for any further information regarding donations. Dates for the Diary… 12 June Minibus AGM—Gibson Craig 7.30 pm 17 June Kidz@Currie Prize Giving 24 June Kidz @ Currie Fun Day 27th June Prayer Group—Gibson Craig Lounge—7.30pm—8.30pm 29 June Messy Church 30 July—3 August Holiday Club

Kidz@Currie resumes after the summer on 2nd September Boys’ Brigade: Anchors, Juniors & Company resume the first week in September

15 WHO’S WHO

Name Contact Meeting Day Telephone No Minister Rev Lezley J Stewart, The Manse 449 4719 43 Lanark Road West [email protected] Pastoral Associate Margaret Gordon 449 2554 Currie Kirk Church Office Gibson Craig Hall, Lanark Road West, Monday 12 Noon—2.30 pm (Scottish Charity No. SC001554) Currie, EH14 5NY Thursday 9.00—11.30 am 451 5141 Secretary: Val Reid Saturday 9.00—11.15 am e-mail [email protected]

Session Clerk Grant Gordon 449 2554 email: [email protected] Treasurer Neil Beattie 38 Newmills Crescent 449 2792 e-mail [email protected] Gift Aid Treasurer Ron Dow 48 Thomson Drive 538 2313 [email protected] Weddings/Funeral Officer Sandy Harper 16 Pentland View 449 4258 Organist Contact Church Office 451 5141 Gibson Craig Hall Caretakers & May and Bill Sutherland 449 7747 Bookings 56 Thomson Crescent Hospital Transport Coordinator Elizabeth Wood 538 0363 Kirk House Bookings Catherine Crawford 449 4312 Life and Work Alastair Hardie 453 3556 Magazine Distributor Jean Dick 449 6374 Boys’ Brigade Captain Jim Webber : Anchors Thursday 6.00-7.00 pm 451 5112 Juniors Thursday 7.00-8.30 pm Company/Seniors Friday 7.00-9.15/10.00 pm Mini Bus Sunday lift organiser Jean Pringle 449 7716 Mini Bus Bookings Isobel Webber 451 5112 Banner Group Janet Robertson Thursday 441 1499 Care Van Fiona Pigott Once a month 466 1459 Pastoral Visitors Sandra Cranford 449 4639 Currie Kirk Singers Tom Masson Various 449 2561 Festival Choir Margaret Douglas As Arranged 449 2092 Guild Mary Thomson Tuesday 449 5919 Kidz@Currie Norma Beattie Sunday 449 2792 Messy Church Contact Church Office Last Friday of each month Gibson 451 5141 Craig Hall from 2.00 pm—3.30 pm except July, August and December Walking Group Rena Milligan Third Sunday of each month 449 2017 Clipboard Clipboard can now be found on the Currie Kirk Website with one click to http://www.curriekirk.org/clipboard/ - why not mark it as a favourite. The Church year traditionally begins in September and it would be good if articles for the September edition featured the life, work and activities of the Church. Using a Word attachment, these should be sent by email to [email protected] by Friday 17th August 2012.

Currie Kirk is a registered Charity (Scottish Charity No. SC001554) 16