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Robert Burns World Federation Limited www.rbwf.org.uk The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by The Researching the Life & Times of Robert Burns Club World Federation Spring 2013 The digital conversion was provided by Solway Offset Services Ltd by permission of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited to whom all Copyright title belongs. www.solwayprint.co.uk Burns Chronicle Making Teacakes for your Thomas Tunnock Ltd., 34 Old Mill Road, Uddingston G71 7HH Tel: 01698 813551 Fax: 01698 815691 Email: [email protected] enjoyment www.tunnock.co.uk Spring 2013 22208_OTM 297x210 1205.indd 1 12/05/2011 14:18 Federation Shop Federation Bookshop IN AND OUT OF TAM O’ SHANTER The Story of a Tale Classic Federation Badge with Coat of James Thomson’s detailed study of the poem and its Arms and Motto background from inception to publication and beyond, £4.00 plus P&P along with all manner of related sub-topics. Illustrated throughout. £ 8.99 plus P&P Homecoming Souvenir THE DELTIOLOGY OF ROBERT BURNS Badge showing Federation Logo and Anniversary Dates. The story of the Life and Works of Robert Burns illustrated with over 420 different postcards £4.00 plus P&P from the collection of Peter J Westwood, amassed over more than 10 years, arranged by topic and style. £10.00 plus P&P. Available from Federation Headquarters. Available from Federation Headquarters. Burns Chronicle Spring 2013 SPRING 2013 Contents Thanks from the President, Robert Stewart .............................................................2 G Ross Roy .................................................................................................................4 New Federation Newsletter ....................................................................................6 Editorial ................................................................................................................... 7 Scotland’s DNA .........................................................................................................8 Burns Letter Discovered .........................................................................................10 2013 Celebrations ...................................................................................................13 Burns in the Media ..................................................................................................29 Glasgow Conference ...............................................................................................31 A Corner of Scotland in Ukraine ............................................................................32 Children’s Competitions .........................................................................................33 Around the Burns Scene, snippets of news from Clubs ..........................................36 Kinross Jolly Beggars, a Club Profile.......................................................................38 Review, Robert Burns Night app ..............................................................................41 RICS Membership for Burns ...................................................................................42 Thornhill Roy Medal Winner ..................................................................................43 RBHA 2013 ..............................................................................................................44 Obituaries................................................................................................................46 Contributions of articles and reports of special events for the Annual Chronicle should be emailed to [email protected] Deadline for the annual is September 30th 2013. Reports of Club news & regular events for the bi-monthly Newsletter should be sent to [email protected] The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd does not accept any responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in the Burns Chronicle, contributors are responsible for articles signed by them; the Editor is responsible for articles initialled or signed by him and for those unsigned. All communications should be addressed to the Federation office, The Dower House, Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock KA3 1XB. Copyright rests with The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd unless otherwise stated. 1 Burns Chronicle Spring 2013 Grateful Thanks From The President Of The Robert Burns World Federation To All Clubs, Members And Associations. Dear Secretary/Member, You will no doubt recall that an appeal letter for donations to reduce the financial deficit of the R.B.W.F.Ltd. was included with the last issue of the Burns Chronicle. I am pleased to report that, due to your very generous support, the Federation has to date received donations amounting to a total of £7653.00 On behalf of the Directors and C.E.O., I would like to thank all the Clubs, Members and District Associations who have responded so generously to our appeal. Believe me when I say that your timely and generous assistance is very much appreciated and will enable us to continue the work and endeavours of your Burns Federation. We are not “out of the woods” just yet but with your donations and on- going applications for potential funding from other sources, we hope to be able to return the R.B.W.F. to a more stable future. Yours faithfully and in friendship, Robert Stewart. President. The following Clubs, groups and individuals have responded to date with donations: Club Donations Alexandria Burns Club Dumfries Ladies Burns Club Allanton Jolly Beggars Edinburgh District Burns Club Assoc Ayrshire Assoc of Burns Clubs Eyemouth Masonic Lodge Balmullo Burns Club Galashiels Burns Club Bendigo & Dist Caledonian Soc Inc Gatehouse of Fleet Burns Club Burns Howff Club - Dumfries Greenock Burns Club Coldstream Burns Club Irvine Lasses Burns Club Coltness Mem. Church Mens Club Larkhall Burns Club Cupar Burns Club Montrose Burns Club 2 Burns Chronicle Spring 2013 New Cumnock Burns Club Sanquar Black Joan Burns Club Peebles Burns Club The Howff Burns Club Peterhead Burns Club Wilson Ironworks St John Lodge Poosie Nancies BC Family and Individual Donations Jean Allan Wilfred Lakie Margaret Anderson Robert Lawson Mary Andrews George & Mary Letham Eric Achibald Harvey Littlejohn David Baird Alex MacKenzie Ralph Balfour Joseph Main Shirley Bell Harry & Jane McGilp Ian Blair Dr J Walter Eileen Bremner Ian McIntyre Jane Brown Ian McMillan Eric Budgell David Miller Marion Conaghan Alex Miller Elma Connor James Minns May & Alex Crawley Helen Morrison Robert Dinwiddie Marie Murray Mike Duguid Martin Murray John Elliot James Robertson Robert Farmer Thomas Routledge Anne Fawbert Henry Seabourne Anne Gaw James Shields Willie Gibson James Smith Alistair Gowans David Smith John & Ruth Haining Robert Stewart Jim Henderson Margaret Stokes Margaret Hopkin Stewart & Irene Storie Alexander & Ellen Hunter Les Strachan Jack Jackson Mrs & Mrs Harry Summers Brian Jackson Alison & Norman Tait Gordon Jamieson James Thomson Brian Keenan Helen Waddell Joe Kennedy Maureen Watt John Kidd 3 Burns Chronicle Spring 2013 G. Ross Roy G. Ross Roy, Honorary President of The Robert Burns World Federation, noted Scottish literature & Robert Burns scholar and collector, and Distinguished Professor of English & Comparative Literature Emeritus, at the University of South Carolina, died on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, aged 88, peacefully at home. George Ross Roy was born August 24, 1924 in Montreal. His education was interrupted by World War II, when he was commissioned as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving with the RAF from bases in Britain, Africa, and India. He earned his BA from Sir George Williams University, his maitrise from the University of Strasbourg, an MA and PhD from the University of Montreal, and a doctorate from the Sorbonne. Following his marriage to Lucie in 1954, he taught at the Royal Military College of Canada, the University of Alabama, the University of Montreal, and Texas Tech University, before moving to The University of South Carolina in 1965 as Professor of English and comparative literature. He was visiting professor at the University of Metz, and honorary professor of Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow. Of Scottish descent on both sides of his family, he was introduced to the poetry of Robert Burns as a boy by his grandfather, W. Ormiston Roy, a noted collector. After earlier scholarship on Canadian poetry, Whitman, and comparative literature, he concentrated on Scottish literature, especially Burns. As well as writing hundreds of articles and reviews, he edited Burns’s Letters in two volumes (Oxford University Press, 1985) and Burns’s Merry Muses (USC Press, 1999). In 1963, he founded the first refereed scholarly journal in the field, Studies in Scottish Literature, which he had edited with his wife’s help for almost 50 years. In 2012, he donated copyright in the journal to USC Libraries, ensuring its continuance. In 1988, he transferred his Robert Burns and other Scottish collections to the University of South Carolina, serving as honorary curator, donating additional materials each year since the original gift (including in 2008 a notable collection of Burns manuscripts), directing or codirecting a series of international Scottish conferences at USC, and establishing with his wife the W. Ormiston Roy Memorial Fellowship to promote the collection’s use. In 2010, friends named a room in Hollings Library in his honour, featuring items from the collection. Ross Roy’s own achievements and his role in establishing Scottish 4