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Catch up with all the latest happenings here, the miscellaneous things that just don't appear anywhere else! If you have anything you think should be on the News page, email and we will gladly add it.
Careers Convention Well done to Carolyn, Isobel and Hamish for attending the Careers Convention in Wick to represent the club and to try and entice some new members to join. Early indications are that a number of new members will be joining soon.
Community work continues with Pond Clean up at Braal The before and after pictures from the clubs pond clean up at Braal on Sunday 30 September
Sponsored Cycle Cash Cash is handed over Halkirk Young Farmers Club held a sponsored cycle recently traveling the 10 miles from Halkirk to Westerdale and back to Halkirk via Scotscalder. Half of the proceeds were for club funds with the other half of £234.50 being presented to the Caithness Branch of the Riding for the Disabled. Sponsors were also invited to guess the quickest time of the cycle whilst giving their donation. The winning time was 57 minutes, cycled by Hamish Coghill. The prize, generously donated by local agricultural engineer, Messrs G S Donn, was won by Mr Ronnie Mackenzie. Pictured are Ellen Falconer, Halkirk YFC treasurer, handing over the cheque to RDA stalwarts, Morag Miller and Sarah Coghill, whilst young Warren Mackay is on Buster. Also in the picture are some of the other dedicated RDA volunteers as well as Halkirk YFC chairman Bryan Sinclair and secretary Isobel Swanson.
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES 2008
OPEN STOCK JUDGING WINNERS
l/r John Bremner, Colin Campbell, Selena Campbell & Lesley Oliphant
National Club of the Year Interviews The final interviews for the
Club of the Year 2007 are due to be held on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th
May 2007. They will be held in the Young Farmers
Centre, Ingliston over two days. DISTRICT CLUB OF THE YEAR At the Caithness District AGM on Wednesday 14th March, Halkirk were crowned Caithness District Club of the Year. The club will now have to submit a written entry form before the end of April as well as attending an interview at Ingliston as part of the National Competition. With £1000 at stake for the winning club, this is a competition well worth winning!!!
A Conference Poem We head to the North Conference and thought we’d take the train, All that time with Angus, we nearly went insane, Everyone behaved and we arrived safe and sound, But that wouldn’t last, we soon turned it round, And so it proved as there was sick on the bus, But the biggest surprise, it wasna even Gus, I can’t tell a name but look for the scar, It was caused by a flower pot and not an iron bar, And what was that on the front seat, I wouldna like to guess but it was definitely weet, Then to the formal dinner it seems there was a thief, The Yorkshires went missing and even a slice of beef, Then it was time to mingle and someone met a No-el, She kicked off her shoes but that’s all I can tell, But the entertainment didn’t stop there, Butch trying to fight the locals now that was rare, And who fell in the rosebush and cut her leg quite bad, There was blood everywhere, it made her feel sad, Then the Saturday saw the Treasure hunt round Grantown, Someone found treasure by the name of Mr Brown, As the day wore on there were moments from Moogie, Nearly surpassed later by Angus doing the riverdance boogie, The light fingering didn't end on Friday night, When the thistle barman studies his floor he’ll get a fright, It seems Kendo’s no happy with taking down a mart, Now its demolishing pubs he’s going to start, Back to the moments because there’s a few to tell, She protested her innocence and said it didna smell, She showed her long tongue it was like a stick, She said it was right handy for giving the odd lick, And in the Legion she said she wouldna show, What she meant we honestly didna know! And have you ever met a librarian who’s dyslexic, Apparently she did her NC at the college in Wick, Then in the fancy dress comp Angus came out on top, Once he got on the dance floor we thought he wouldna stop, Of course there were those who missed the dancing masterclass, They were in their beds by ten were they planning Sunday mass, For the Sunday blues, breakfast would do the trick, It seemed to be working till Daniel was sick, Then it was time to leave and we thought we’d heard it all, But on the minibus to Aviemore Moogie had one last call, It seems her cat has webbed feet, Its dad is a duck this story is hard to beat, And as thoughts turn to the conference next year, We’re only left with memories after all the spirits and beer!
Club Rugby Tops The new club rugby tops have now arrived. Kindly sponsored by the Commercial Hotel, Halkirk. The official handover was on Sunday 21st January. If you didn't order a top this time but like what you see in the picture below, get in touch by telephone or email as another order will be going soon.
North Region Conference 2007 Wondering what its about? When it is? Where it is? What it costs? Download the first details here and look out for more info soon!!
60th Anniversary Official Pictures Follow the Link below:-
COFFEE MORNING & SEED AND ROOT SHOW Saturday 25th November For more info download the attached list
Past and Present Halkirk members generate cash for Charity One of the club's Honorary Presidents and the 60th Anniversary secretary took part in the Caithness District Young farmer's Charity generation Game. Sandy Douglas and his mother Kathleen were the eventual winners whilst Ellen Falconer and her father Hamish were knocked out in the first semi-final by Kathleen & Sandy. Not before all four had put up a great show of flower arranging and disco dancing, the like might never be seen again. The Douglas team then defeated Andrew & Joanna Mackay in the Majorettes finale before winning all 15 prizes on the conveyor belt for themselves. The £200 awarded to the charity or charities of their choice was £110 for Chest, Heart & Stroke with £30 a piece to NRG disco dancers, Tanya Horne Highland Dancers and Marellian Majorettes. All three dance troupes took part in the Generation Game. The pictures are shown below but are quite dark but still worth a look!!!
Halkirk Members play host to Carluke Halkirk welcomed 15 members from Carluke on the weekend of 25th - 27th August. After a brilliant weekend in Carluke in June, we were under pressure to shoe our visitors a good time. After arriving at the Park Hotel on Friday night it was a quick drop off of bags and down to Charlie Chan's for some grub. Then the Holborn and of course Skinandi's where some members felt it only right to try and make our guests feel "welcome". Well done Mr Findlay!! Saturday was a farm walk at Thurdistoft, Castle of Mey tour and lunch in the Northern Sands. A visit to the Dunnet Marymas and then back to the hosts houses and ready for the 60th Anniversary festivities. Another chance for some "bonding" sessions, Well done Mr Findlay yet again and Mr Gow!! Sunday morning was either a trip to John O' Groats or a visit to the Dunbar Hospital, depending whether you had taken your contact lenses out or not as the case may be!!! Lunch followed in the Viking Bowl before our visitors made their long journey home to Carluke. Hopefully they enjoyed their weekend as much as we enjoyed hosting them.
June sets new records for website with 2652 visits and 81414 hits. An average of 88 visits per day. July has seen visits hit the 25,000 mark since the website began with hits passing the 750,000 mark.
An Ode to the Highland So the Highland is over for another year, Loads of laughs and plenty of beer, We wondered where everyone would stay, Maybe a stockman’s chalet and time to play? Some of the lads got caravan space, And into the North park they did race, But Angus and James lost their bed, I might pull a bird, Jock had said, And on the Saturday night to his word he was true, The Steward from the Stock Judging he did woo! But the Carluke girls to the rescue they came, There’s space in a chalet if your game? So thanks to Hazel and Lorna with her bruised toe, For a while the boys were feeling real low, Not so the Halkirk Club chairman on Thursday night, With all the girls rubbing his head he was feeling alright, On Saturday in stock judging we tried to compete, Even got a first prize it was no mean feat, We watched the TOW but no Halkirk team to cheer, Strathearn would win the boys from the start it was clear, By Sunday afternoon Angus and Davie looked ill, In the Pentathlon Construction, they showed off their skill, Unfortunately for them, there was a time cap, But we’ve never seen a sheep box with such a big gap, Then into our cars and headed up the A9, What a time we had it was mighty fine, And as we headed home we drove past Tain, And thought it’ll not be long till we’re back again,
Club Exchange to Carluke Eleven members made the trip to Carluke for our first exchange in two years. A great time was had by all. Those attending were Bryan Sinclair, James Morrison, Greg Macleod, Cheryl Henderson, Angela Sutherland, Angus Mowat, Carol-Ann Budge, Willie Budge, John Anderson, Natalie Blackwood and Jamie Henderson.
A break from Tradition for Halkirk YFC With an Open Stock Judging being held as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations, Halkirk YFC broke with tradition and held a Mock Auction and Slave Auction on Wednesday 31st May. The event was held in Thurso Auction Market. The Mock Auction comprised 42 items ranging from a box of washing powder, fencing materials and lambs milk to a Texel Tup and details of agricultural property. Competitors had to value each item. Points were awarded depending how close they were while zero points were awarded outwith certain price ranges. A number of items were supplied by Allan’s of Gillock, Charles Angus, R B Flett and W & A Geddes, while the livestock came from Messrs Campbell, Todholes. The official adjudicator was Mr Iain Thomson while Mr Phillip Coghill was the slave auctioneer. The winner of the Mock Auction was Dorothy Binnie, Barrock Street, Thurso who scooped both the Open and Ladies titles. The Young Farmers’ winner was Alan Macleod, Olgrinbeg, Scotscalder. The Slave Auction saw 16 Slaves sell to a top price of £60 for Alan Gow to average £30.31, down £12.28 on last year. The full results list was as follows:- OPEN - 1st Dorothy Binnie, 2nd Robert Budge, 3rd Alan Macleod LADIES - 1st Dorothy Binnie, 2nd Kathleen Campbell, 3rd Susan Cowan YOUNG FARMERS - 1st Alan Macleod, 2nd Alan Gow, 3rd Kathleen Campbell Guess the weight of “Sweetie” the Rabbit – Danny Budge
L/R Dorothy Binnie, Phillip Coghill & Alan Macleod
Comm Clean Up In conjunction with the Sponsorship deal below, the club cleared a small area behind the hotel, and there are pictures to prove it! Big thanks to Alan Gow and Bob Budge for providing the expertise and machinery to remove the mound! The Chairman also removed some scrap on the 2nd of June to complete the job!
Club Sponsorship The Commercial Hotel, Halkirk have kindly agreed to sponsor the club and a new order for Rugby shirts will be despatched soon. Our thanks goes to James and Kate Campbell for supporting the club in this way.
Club Exchange The Club Exchange with Carluke will take place between 9th and 11th June. Anyone still wishing to go should contact Bryan or Carol-Ann as soon as possible. It sounds like they have a great weekend in store for us!
Club of the Year Competition following on from the questionnaire which was submitted by the end of April, the Club of the Year interviews were held at the Young Farmers Centre in Ingliston on the 27th of May. This comprised a 10 minute presentation on the club followed by questions from the panel of three judges. There are 9 clubs entered in the National competition this year with Halkirk the sole representatives fr4om the North Region. Other clubs entered are Carluke, Strathearn, SSS, Bell Baxter and Brechin. The results will be announced at the Highland Show on Saturday 24th June. |
