Culter Gala 2004
Culter Olympics
SADLY Gala Day this year brought with it the rain, however the crowds came, and we still managed to pull the Community together once again. A moist but enjoyable afternoon was had by all.
The Parade as always began from Borsalino's, led by Deeside Stretch Limos. David Deans, our guest, could be seen standing from the sunroof of Brian Black's limousine. The tractors and other vintage vehicles followed behind, as did the Pipe Band, and THREE floats, which was a very pleasurable sight to see. Also accompanying the procession through the village were the Scouts and parents who were running our on-street collection. They did a wonderful job in filling their buckets with cash.
All year I have spoken about getting more floats and appear to have succeeded, so a big thank-you to Culter Theatre Club, Culter Boys Club and The Beavers. I am sorry for the soaking you got while participating in this fun event.
David Deans, World Ironman Contender, officially opened the Gala and proceeded to judge various competitions on the field. Best Float was won by Culter Boys Club and Best Stall by Peterculter Parish Church.
Our Compere for the day was the wonderful Bill Duncan, who kept the day flowing smoothly. The children flocked to the centre of the field to participate in the Kids races. Some very close finishes so watch this space for some budding Culter athletes!
HJS helicopters operated their rides overhead while we enjoyed a full afternoon of entertainment including
• Gypsy and Indian dancing,
• Dave Ross with his magnificent Gun Dog display,
• Miss Berry's School of Dance,
• Culter & District Pipe Band and • Culter Boys Club played out the final of their tournament, which had started on Tuesday evening.
The Vintages Vehicles were once again situated in their own area of the field, giving all those interested plenty of space to have a good look around.
For the younger age groups we had a bouncy castle situated near the Council 'Towd about', and on the other side of the field we had a new inflatable attraction; Bungee Run, where participants wear a padded
belt and run against a fixed bungee cord.
PRE GALA DAY events ran smoothly and continue to be well attended. l The GVmkhana, complete with sunshine, kicked these off on Saturdav 15th, at Hayfield. Entries were verv healthy prior to the actual dav, but fantastically DOUBLED on the day, this did cause the day to run later than planned, but a fantastic day was had by all, and a massive thanks is due to all participants, spectators, to Hayfield and especially John Crawford. My personal thanks to Karen Davidson for running this event.
• The Duck Race was held on the previous Saturday, which too was a beautiful day of sunshine. This reflected in a healthy attendance at the Car Boot Sale.
• Sunday was the Children's Treasure Hunt organised by Mothers & Toddlers.
• Culter Boys Club's young footballers were out on Tuesday evening braving the cold winds on the School Field for several thoroughly enjoyable matches.
• 14 carloads of Treasure hunters attended at the Heritage Centre the following evening for the Car Treasure Hunt organised by Ann Wakefield.
• Paul Cowie's Pool tournaments continue to prove popular throughout.
* Steve Davidson oversaw the Bowling Hat Night and Quiz Night at the Mill Club.
The major pre-gala fundraiser was the Race Night in The Village Hall, held on the eve of Gala Day. Over 80 attended and enjoyed the races while helping to raise over £1200. Thanks to Karen Davidson and Cllr Pam MacDonald for the smooth running of our own bar.
Taking on board feedback from last year, we managed to considerably increase the number of stalls, but still need to get more community based stalls, and some with games for children. This was a common request from parents this year.
The Gala Committee continues to struggle with willing helpers. Being part of the committee can fall into one of two categories:
1. Attending the committee meetings and assisting with the planning involved.
2. Helping on Gala Saturday. If we could get a few more pairs of hands on Gala Day it would be brilliant. Hopefully you have just read this, and said to yourself, "I could do that." If you have, pick up the phone and give me a call NOW!!
• Culter Village Hall once again assisted the Gala with endless resources; CD player, seats, tables..... Need I go on? It's frightening to think how deprived the village would be without this valuable resource.
• Aberdeen City Council gave us a financial Grant l
• We had the expert services of the Police who organised safety procedures especially during the Parade.
• The Bruce family, Jackie Cosgrove and Wilma Reid 'manned' the gates and collected a massive amount again.
• OAPs who dealt with the Raffle - selling and folding tickets!
On a sadder note however, there was a lot of red tape surrounding this year's Gala. New rules enforced by the Aberdeen City Council meant several licences being applied for, interviews by police, and some of the Gala funds being used to pay for licences. This is going to be an on going discussion thread between the
Gala Committee, Culter Community Council and Aberdeen City Council over the next few months.
Everyone I have mentioned so far deserves a big thank you. As does Bert Stewart for organising the procession, Culter Community Council for their donation of prizes for the Race Night and for their money counting on Gala Day, and Callum Stuart who organised our publicity and photos, see www.culter.net for details.
Culter Pipe Band provided much appreciated support this year and band vice-chair Aileen Ironside assisted with the transport of goods as well as running her ever-efficient refreshment marquee on the field.
As this was my first time as coordinator of the Gala, Ann Wakefield, whose task this had been, agreed to remain on the committee and guide me with the planning involved. This was personally appreciated as was the assistance of her husband David in transporting tables and chairs from the village and helping to set up/ take down the various items in the field. Ann also undertook (as in previous years) to provide food and refreshments for the organisers, performers and guests. A wonderful spread was on offer - thank you, Ann.
Income from Gala 2004 is up once again (there was no Gymkhana last year) and I thank all involved for making this happen.
Thanks to all local businesses which donated raffle prizes or made cash donations to Gala funds. It's all very much appreciated.
The Gala wouldn't have functioned this year without two very dedicated community people. Nicola Hector (CCC Treasurer) and Jan Murphy A massive amount of thanks is due to this pair who have worked with me tirelessly. I couldn't have done it without you!
The committee as a whole has worked very hard and will now enjoy a wellearned rest before commencing planning for 2005. If anyone has a suggestion for the theme of our next Gala please contact me.
Paul J. Anderson Gala Co-ordinator
As well as Paul, the Gala Committee for 2004 was:
Lavina Massie (Chair of CCC), Nicola Hector (Treasurer of CCC) Ruth Carleschi, Jackie Cosgrove, Paul Cowie, Karen & Steve Davidson, Peter Fraser, Aileen Ironside, Jan Murphy, Ann Reid, Bert Stewart, Callum Stuart, Ann Wakefield. Thanks to all of you for a successful Gala.