New cup for revived competition honours founding Rotary Club member
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A FITTING tribute to the late Hugh Johnston of Golspie was held in the village’s Fountain Road Hall last Friday by East Sutherland Rotary Club.
Mr Johnston, who died a year ago, was a founding member of East Sutherland Rotary, and his friends in the club were keen to hold a special concert in his memory.
It was decided to hold a “White Heather Club” ceilidh in his honour.
And the club has also come up with an appropriate way to keep Mr Johnston’s memory alive and ensure his ethos of helping others continues in his name.
It revived this year a fundraising schools sunflower competition he held as a one-off 30 years ago in the year the club was founded.
That initial competition raised more than £4000 and allowed the club to buy an ambulance for an Eye Hospital in India.
The contest, which sees pupils in schools across East Sutherland provided with sunflower seeds and challenged to grow the tallest plant, is now to become an annual event.
A handsome new trophy, named after Mr Johnston and to go to the winner of the competition, was shown to his widow Jeanette following the White Heather concert.
Mrs Johnston expressed her delight and said her husband would have been proud that his original initiative was re-starting.
“I am very touched by the way the Rotary club has honoured Hugh and the connection with schools is some thing he would have been proud of,” she said.
Friday’s concert was a great success with more than 130 people filling the hall.
There was dancing to Strathair Ceilidh Band; Golspie Primary School choir sang beautifully while Holly and friends played the fiddle and organ and danced between sets. Jan Trumble’s young dancers brought “Little Mix” to a new audience and captivated the crowd. The duo Jim and Ian sang folk songs mixed with naughty childhood ditties, romantic ballads and some Country and Western. To cap off the evening Jennifer Port mesmerised everyone with her singing and haunting playing of the clarsach.
Food was prepared by Rotarians and the event raised more than £1000 for local health and wellbeing causes in the community, which were close to Hugh’s heart.
