The Clan MacLeod Society of (NSW) Inc. Newsletter September 2011 Chief: Hugh MacLeod of MacLeod Chief of Lewes: Torquil Donald Macleod of Lewes Chief of Raasay: Roderick John Macleod of Raasay President: Peter Macleod, 19 Viewpoint Drive, Toukley 2263. Phone (02) 4397 3161 Email: peter.@exemail.com.au Secretary: Mrs Wendy Macleod, 19 Viewpoint Drive, Toukley 2263. Phone (02) 4397 3161 Treasurer: Mr Rod McLeod, 62 Menzies Rd, Eastwood 2122. Ph (02) 9869 2659 email: [email protected] Annual Subscription $28 ($10 for each additional person in Important Dates the one home receiving one Clan Magazine & Newsletter, Sat. 26th Nov. - Christmas Lunch - see inside. i.e. One person $28, Two people $38, Three people $48, Sat. 3rd March 2012 - Gundy BBQ - see next Newsletter. etc.). Subscriptions are due on 30th June each year. 4 - 6th May - Glen Innes Festival - see future Newsletters. Dear Clansfolk, The Australian Tug of War Titles lead to much excitment At last there is the scent of Spring. It has been a cold, wet, and crowd cheering as big men gave their best. Highland windy Winter and we will all be glad to see the end of it. and Country Dancers showed their prowess. Fiddler Chris But cheer up! Spring is the season of renewal soon to be Duncan accompanied by Catherine Strutt on keyboard en- followed by our warm, bright and happy Summer. Peter tertained with Celtic Fiddle Music. Toukley BBQ - 4th June A small but keen bunch en- Kiddies were not forgotten with a kilted dash, egg toss joyed a break in our dreadful weather for a pleasant Saturday and three legged race. Later there were prizes for the best BBQ. The weather was mild enough for us to dine outside dressed Laddie, Lassie, Bairn and Pet competition. although what sun we saw was pretty weak. Just after noon Pipe Band displays went all day with the judges settling on all were present and we held our Council Meeting. Then into Lithgow Pipe Band as winners on the day. This band is al- the eats and fine wine. Wendy had prepared a Webber BBQ ways popular because of their innovative routines and wide which went down well with a drop of red and sweets to fol- repertoire of tunes. Most bands had travelled long distances low. Very pleased to meet Murray and Aileen McLeod who Scone Pipe Band to be there, Dubbo, Ar- live at nearby Mardi. Murray is brother of Council Member midale, Tamworth, Coffs Colin McLeod and has recently joined our Society. Harbour, Gunnedah and Aberdeen - Saturday 2nd July Newcastle. Afternoon saw the Tar- Despite pretty ordinary weath- MacLeod Stand er on Friday 1st, Saturday tan Warriors demonstrate morning came up with quite their skills in the tradition- a mist, a fairly good indicator Under the al heavy events. The five judge’s eye of a fine day. Sure enough Bundanoon Stones were Aberdeen lifted in amazingly fast by mid morning the mist had Highland time considering the heaviest cleared and the weather got Games better and better. Wendy & I comes in at 165kg. Wheat arrived late afternoon Friday sheaf over the bar made to stay two nights with Charles nearly 30ft with the crowd and Kerry Cooke. Saturday cheers encouraging contest- morning is always a rush, we have a half hour drive to Ab- ants to strive ever higher. erdeen then need 40 minutes to erect our MacLeod stand. But the highlight of the heavy Neil McLeod came up from Berowra to help us with staff- contests is always the caber ing. Chieftain of the Day was His Excellency Mr. Michael toss. Today’s caber was 6 Bryce AM AE KStJ, Patron of the Scottish Australian Caber Toss metres and weighed 75kg, a Heritage Council. The other honoured guest was Alexander really big fellow. There were about six attempts before a Tristan Duff Brodie of Brodie - Chief of the Clan Brodie. contestant managed a proper end over end toss showing The day started with a Parade of Bands and Clan Society what an art it really is. After a successful toss the winner is Representatives forming up for the start of the Massed Band decided by who makes the caber lie closest to 12 o’clock. In display. Quite a spectacle with 13 bands and enough sound the picture the judge is seen behind the contestant. for the most ardent Scotophile. The opening ceremony in- The day concludes with march on by the bands, massed cluded an address by the Chieftain of the Day and Inspec- band display and closing ceremony. tion of the Bands. Formalities concluded by 11am and then At night we attended the Ceilidh with a very fine address to full on entertainment. the Haggis, a further display by the Federation Guard, danc- For the third year we were impressed by the drill precision ing to a celtic band, entertainment by Lithgow Pipe Band and of the Defence Force Federation Guard made up of young excellent dinner. A Sunday morning Kirkin of the was service personel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. followed by morning tea at St. Marks Church, Aberdeen. Massed Bands - Aberdeen Highland Games 2011 Christmas Luncheon - Saturday 26th November Clan MacLeod Pipe Banner Presentation From Vice President, Neil McLeod & wife Margaret have offered CMS Newsletter. Our Clansfolk of the CMS Scot- to host our MacLeod Christmas Lunch at their home at 2 land have presented a pipe banner to The Black Watch, now Neerim Close, Berowra. Plans are for a BYO barbeque start- known as the 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (The ing about 11.30am. We will need to know numbers so if you Black Watch). In 1779 Major General Norman MacLeod of can come please phone Neil on (02) 9456 1446, or Peter or MacLeod, 23rd Chief, raised the 2nd Wendy on (02) 4397 3161. Battalion The Black Watch. The Bat- Skye Hospital Allowed to Run Down A recent arti- talion’s original colours are still in cle in West Highland Free Press expressed the opinion that . Since then the clan authorities had deliberately let Gesto Hospital at Edinbane has had a close association with the deteriorate to the point where it is almost beyond repair. The Regiment. The late Chief John, 29th hospital was gifted to Edinbane community by Kenneth Mac- Chief, served with The Black Watch. of Greshornish in 1869 and many years later taken The banner, commissioned by the over by the National Health Service. Locals contend the hos- CMS Scotland, is presented in mem- pital was never sold to the NHS but just ‘taken’ and now they ory of John MacLeod of MacLeod, want it back! The building may be unusable but the site and 29th Chief. It bears on one side the adjacent woodlands could be used to generate income for MacLeod of MacLeod personal and motto of Hugh the community rather than continue to rot under the NHS. MacLeod of MacLeod, 30th Chief, Edinbane is a crofting village (with his permission). The reverse at the southern end of the Wa- side carries the new badge of the ternish Peninsula, about 24km Royal Regiment of Scotland. Since from Portree and 14 from Dun- the 1700s Colonels and Officers of vegan. It has a small primary Highland Regiments have commis- school, pottery and two hotels. sioned pipe banners for Regimental The Hospital is called Gesto but pipers. These banners are fixed with it is not in the Gesto area which ribbons to the long base drone of Gesto Hospital in 2007 is 20km south of Dunvegan. the pipes. One side bears the crest of the person represented, the other Kenneth MacLeod of Greshornish (1809-1869) left Skye at Regimental Badge age 15 for . His fare was paid and he had one golden the Regimental badge. guinea in his pocket. After a year’s work he took the river boat Memorial to Chief John At right is the memorial stone down to Calcutta. On the way he went ashore and visited a to our late Chief John. Much place where an auction of contents of a sugar factory was in loved 29th Chief of the Mac- progress. With his guinea he bought a copper boiler which Leods of Harris and Dunvegan. he sold in Calcutta for £30. He now returned to the derelict The memorial sits inside the Old sugar factory and bought it for very little. This set him on the Kilmuir Church, shown below, ladder to making a fortune in India planting indigo. on the edge of the Dunvegan Returning to Skye he tried to buy the tack of Gesto where Village. his family had farmed for 500 years. MacLeod of MacLeod would not sell it to him. Kenneth then bought Orbost, Edin- bane, Skirinish, Greshornish, Tote, Skeabost and much of Portree. He ensured Edinbane had a tradesman from each of the important crafts and set up the hospital, the first in Skye, and named it Gesto. For those who have read the marvellous book by Alexander Smith, ‘A Summer in Skye’, Kenneth MacLeod has been identified as ‘The Landlord’. Electricity on Skye From Clan MacLeod Canada News- letter A story from an electricity meter reader of when elec- Kilmuir also houses memorials to our 25th Chief, Norman; tricity came to the Dunvegan area in the 1930s. ‘Many peo- 26th Chief, Norman Magnus; 27th Chief, Sir Reginald and ple in the area only spoke Gaelic and there being no word 28th Chief, Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod. for electricity, it was called “the new light”. One woman had Passing of Estelle MacLeod Estelle and husband a very low usage and reported to the meter reader that she Donald Alister MacLeod visited Clan MacLeod in Australia in only used the electric light long enough to light her lamp.’ the late 1980s. She and Donald were regulars at Parliament when Donald was Business Manager for the ACMS and af- From West Highland Free Tidal Electricity on Skye ter. Estelle was born on the Isle of Jersey and trained there Press A plan to deploy four tidal electrical generation tur- as a nurse. In 1936 she moved to . During the War bines at Kylerhea in South East Skye could see benefits for she was based in Wales where she met and married Don- the local community. The project proposer, Marine Current ald. After the War they lived in Birmingham then back to Ed- Turbines (MCT) have signed a seabed lease with the Crown inburgh in 1966. Estelle passed away on 30th May, aged 94. Estate but are exploring ways to involve the community, per- haps through a special share issue. In early July MCT held Pay by Internet You can pay membership fees or any an open meeting at Glenelg which saw 60 locals attend. other payment to our Society by Internet Banking. This can The project, which would see the turbines deployed in 2014, save you time and postage, and sometimes bank fees. should generate 8 megawatts at maximum power. This is ● Send funds to The Clan MacLeod Society of Australia sufficient to supply up to 8,000 homes with power. Kylerhea, (NSW) Inc. BSB 012 256, Account 008610081. the traditional crossing point for the cattle droves of old, has ● Email Treasurer Rod McLeod advising you have made very strong tidal currents. payment & what for: [email protected] The Desperate Battle of the Birds by Rod MacLeod as in Clan MacLeod Canada Newsletter, Leod Voice. A story links the piobaireachd (pibroch in English) “The Desperate Battle of the Birds” to an incident in . In early days Assynt was well populated with inhabitants who had flocks and herds, and the were often able to give a good demonstration of Highland hospitality. The old lady of the castle was living the life of the nobil- ity, and was much given to wining, dining, and dancing, and would keep the dancing going as long as possible. In those days of candles, cruisies, lanterns but no alarm- clocks, people snug in their beds depended on the crowing of the cock to tell them when it was daybreak. This occasion the mistress of ordered the piper, shepherd, smith, and one of the maids to fasten the beaks of all the roosters, so the dancers would not be able to tell time by the crowing of the cock. In this way she could McLeod Gathering at Pokolbin From Stuart McLeod realise her wish to continue dancing well beyond daybreak. of Tea Gardens. Thought you may be interested in the at- The servants went in the evening to the henhouse where tached photo. It involves the gathering of most descendants flocks of fowl were perched high up on roosts. There was a of two brothers, Roy Alexander McLeod and my father, Don- terrific battle with cocks and hens before they succeeded in ald Gordon McLeod at Pokolbin for a weekend on July 16th. getting the bills of all the males securely fastened. The piper, The two brothers (and four more sisters) were children of like those of his kind - always foremost in battle - got the Angus and Catherine McLeod (nee Pitkin). Attendees came worst of it. - The piper’s hair collected dust, from the UK, Queensland, Victoria, ACT and NSW, and had His clothes held more than mud, a wonderful time, as most of the ‘cousins’ had not met previ- His head was clawed, his face was scratched, ously. Interestingly, there were three generations present of His precious hands dripped blood, both the brothers. It also was an opportunity to celebrate He blessed the birds in Canntaireachd, Roy’s son Ian’s 80th birthday. Needless to say, the vine- Those Breabach Beats that go, yards and eating facilities in the area got a hammering. Ho-drin-in-ti, Ha-drin-in-te, It was so enjoyed that the participants want to do it again Ha-drin-in-ti, Ho-dro. next year and plan to try to track down descendants of the Rejoicing the battle is over, and happy because madam is four sisters and see if they would like to be included. pleased with the work achieved, the piper, now with the pipes on his shoulder, defiantly sends a “MacLeod” tune echoing through the halls as he leads the “Grand March” into the ballroom. There is dancing of Flings and Reels during the long weary hours of the night. Tapestry covered windows let in no light and muzzled roosters are unable to announce the daybreak. So the dancing went on till noon next day. Rod MacLeod’s story is one of three possible sources of the tune we know today as “The Desperate Battle of the Birds”. One story goes back to a time when King Robert III in the late 1300s arranged a clan duel that left all but a handful of par- Viking Shipyard on Skye ticipants dead. After the battle, flocks of birds swooped down From Clan MacLeod WA Newsletter. to feast on the corpses of dead and MacKay Colin Martin, a marine archaeolo- warriors. A third version, based on a popular Gaelic poem of gist and one of Ian MacLeod’s col- the time, is an Argyll story from the late 1700s about a flock leagues (Ian is CMS WA President), of birds that killed the wife of their keeper. Many piobaire- has discovered a 12th century achd are based on oral history carried down the generations Viking shipbuilding site at Loch na h-Airde on Rubh an Dun- by Bards. At some point in time a piper would compose a ain, . The peninsula of Rubh an Dunain is the piobaireachd based on the theme of a Bard’s creation. Rod historical home of the MacAskills, famed coastwatchers and MacLeod’s Ardvreck tale falls into this category. galley commanders of the Chiefs of the Clan MacLeod. The Big Crowd for Sun Drenched Skye Games - West find includes boat building timbers from the 1100s, a stone Highland Free Press Warm weather, and a crowd well up on built quay and man made canal with blockage system de- last year’s event, made for a highly successful 134th Skye signed to keep the water level in the Loch constant. Highland Games in Portree on Wednesday 10th August. Aerial surveys are being carried out over Skye to help archae- The picturesque setting on the Lump, which unlike last year ologists investigate other sites. They are using a six bladed was bathed in sunshine, was remote controlled model helicopter to carry the cameras to packed with over 3,000 specta- the correct height for photographic recording of the sites in tors, who again were not disap- three dimensions. Very exciting to find evidence demonstrat- pointed by the programme of ing the Loch was the focus for activity from the time of the traditional track and field, heavy Vikings to that of the MacAskills and MacLeods. The Loch events, piping and Highland and canal would have been used to protect boats in winter dancing. Piping & dancing com- and for their construction petitions started several days & maintenance. No other before official Games day due site like this has thus far to the number of contestants. been found in Scotland. Viking Anchor Found on Skye - BBC website Clan MacLeod Woodland Initial In December 2009, crofter Graeme MacKenzie was planting of the Clan MacLeod Wood- using a hired excavator to clear a drain on his croft land at Orbost on the Isle of Skye was at Sleat when he came upon a 4” (10cm) iron spike completed in early May 2011 with 5200 protruding from bottom of the ditch. He levered Rowan, Birch and Elderberry trees. So it out and was stunned to see the ancient an- far 400 trees have been sponsored, in- chor emerge. It measures 4ft x 4ft (1.2 x 1.2m) cluding 100 by the Clan MacLeod Socie- and was sent away for dating and metallurgical testing. ty of NSW. Despite a wet and windy May Graeme MacKenzie found the anchor about 100m from the on Skye the trees are growing beautifully high water mark but as this is a raised beach it could have and will make a stunning woodland over been underwater 1000 years ago. It was different to modern the coming years. metalwork and appeared to be made by a blacksmith. The Our Society has received a Certificate of Appreciation for our ground was being prepared to grow potatoes the next year. donation to the Clan MacLeod Woodland and on it, is this Tests subsequently proved the anchor was of Viking origin charming tribute to the Rowan Tree: and it has been claimed by the Crown on behalf of the Na- Oh! Rowan Tree! tional Museum of Scotland. Under UK Treasure Trove Rules How fair wert thou in simmer time, Wi’ a’ thy clusters white. the finder will be paid a small amount of compensation. How rich and gay thy autumn dress, Wi’ berries red and bright. McLeod Snippets from Far North Queensland On thy fair stem were many names which nownae mair I see. But they’re engraved on my heart. Forgot they ne’er can be! Oh! Rowan tree! Orbost House Although the Clan MacLeod Woodland is on the historic lands of the MacLeods of Orbost there is no connection with the nearby Orbost House. However, it gives me an excuse to let everyone know something about this his- toric house. It was built from about 1760. The first MacLeod of Orbost, Isabella, was descended from the MacLeods of Berneray. She acquired Orbost House around 1807 after be- ing dispossessed of her Berneray property. The male line of the MacLeods of Orbost became extinct in 1940. Pat & Rod in Cairns, ship behind is Endeavour Replica From Rod & Pat McLeod. Cairns in far north Queensland is blessed with spacious, elegant streets. Driving and parking is a pleasure. One of the finest is McLeod Street, a main street in the city centre, named after a Norman McLeod. On 6 October 1876, a party of customs officials including Nor- man arrived in Trinity Bay on the S.S. Porpoise. Norman quickly set up the settlement’s first post office, on the street Orbost House, Gardens & View bearing his name. His tenure was brief: in February, 1877 The house is in beautiful condi- he relinquished his post to a Robert Jackson Craig. Craig’s tion. Two apartments are let on tenure was also short: William Smith shot and killed him at a self catering basis. Smithfield on Boxing Day 1877. Norman McLeod died at Roper River in the Northern Territory . VALE: Janice Stibbard In Weipa there is a McLeod Drive, named for Peter McLeod, Janice passed away in June after a long, slow decline in who was Comalco’s first General Manager at Weipa. health. A very gracious lady who we enjoyed seeing each Mareeba has a McLeod Street, named for Donald McLeod, year at the Glen Innes Celtic Festival. To husband Lance Postmaster there from 1898. and daughters Del Roberts and Rosemary Moore who are William (Billy) McLeod has a river in the Palmer River dis- all members of our Society and also to the rest of Janice’s trict, a street in Thornborough, and hills on the Hodgkinson family, we extend our condolences. Goldfield named after him. Billy was a prospector in the area VALE: Wilf Hilder between 1874 and 1876. Wilf passed away on 29th June. He had been a member Perhaps more exciting is the story of Captain Lewis (Lewis is many years and had joined our Society through his interest a MacLeod ). The story begins on 15 August 1834 when in Scottish Country Dancing. Condolences to his long time Charles Eaton was wrecked on the Barrier Reef. Some friend Gretel Woodward. Wilf lived at Carlton, Sydney. of the crew sailed a boat to Timor. The rest built rafts and drifted to Boydong Island, where they encountered a fishing VALE: Helen Charlton party of natives, who killed and beheaded them. The heads Helen passed away on 21st July after an extended illness. were later taken north to Aureed Island. Captain Lewis in She served on our Council for a number of years although the schooner Isabella found the heads there and took them ill health prevented her attendance at meetings for some to Sydney, where they are buried in the Pioneer Section of time. Helen, whose mother was born MacLeod, joined the Botany Bay Cemetery. Two boys, William D’Oyley and John Clan MacLeod Society after a visit to Scotland with her sister. Island escaped massacre; they were sold for a bunch of ba- What an exciting history we Mac- nanas each to Murray Island natives and were eventually Leods have. Some of our ancestors rescued by Captain Lewis. could well have been involved in this (Information gathered on a recent visit to Cairns. Captain Newsletter’s Viking stories. Lewis story as described in Points North by S.W. Mort). Peter