The year 2009 is a formidable date for Burns adherents. It is the 250th anniversary of his birth and, as such, will be celebrated throughout the Burns fraternity.
                                                          
Our own Burns Club will be 150 years old in the same year and, as you will be aware, a
Sub-committee ( under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Sec.) are developing a series of events.

                                                            Club  Functions

The Burns Supper was  held on Friday 23rd January 2009  chaired by President Joe Platt  who  proposed the  Immortal Memory.  The Toast to the Lassies was proposed by Past President and former   Moderator of  the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland John Cairns, while the Reply on behalf of the Lassies was given by Jim Haining of Dumfries Howff Club. We were delighted to have Peter Carmylo  from the Dumfries Howff Club  perform a magnificent spoken version of Scots Wha Hae.

The St Andrews Night Dinner will take place on Friday 27th November 2009 and will be chaired by  President Paul Reilly.  The Toast to Scotland will be proposed by Elish Angiolini, Lord Advocate and  Len Murray, a noted Burns orator, will Toast the Lasses.
The reply to the Toast to the Lassies will be given by Annabel Goldie MSP. 
        As well as our usual in-house talent, we will also have  Kirsten Easdale and her accompanist , Gregor Lowrey,  both of whom feature in the excellent Linn Records CD's the Complete Songs of Robert Burns  http://www.robertburns.org/completesongs.shtml

                                                            Other Events

 It is hoped that there will be an  exhibition first in Dumbarton , and then in Alexandria Library. This will use  materials from the 1996 Bi-Centenary exhibition augmented with memorabilia of Jimmy Hempstead, and   the late Bill Hendry and Jim Goldie. However the date and exact vebue for this is under discussion with the Council

West Dunbartonshire Council had agreed to plant a floral bed in Levengrove Park where Burns is reputed  to have stayed at Levengrove House, the home of John McAuley the then town clerk, when he visited the  town in 1787 and received the Freedom of the Burgh. However the Club was asked to bear the £6000   cost of this --- regrettably this was beyond our budget

Club member Robert Watt, Minister of Riverside Church, held  an inter-denominational service in the  church on Sunday 25th January 2009 which involved several Clubs members . Bob Callander read "To a  Mouse" , President Joe Platt read Psalm 90 ( Burns Father's favouriite psalm) and Ian Mclean sang "A  man's a man."  Rev Watt's address explored the text and inner meaning of the poem read by Bob  Callander.

                                                            Publications
We propose to publish Jimmy Hempstead’s new volume of poems entitled Rag Bag of Rhyme, which will  contain the works in the first and second editions of Rhyme for Fun plus new poems. For more details  click the publications button.

We are also giving consideration to re-printing two of the Club’s existing portfolio, Burns in Dumbartonshire and the History of Dumbarton Burns Club.  The latter two will however only be reprinted if there is sufficient demand for them to make it financially viable therefore anyone who would like a copy  should  contact the Secretary in order that we can assess the demand.

                                            Club Ties, Badges & Key Rings
We have developed a new design for Club ties and badges and Members received one of each. The Club’s 150th Anniversary coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Bard’s birth in 2009 and  Members also each received a key ring featuring the pendant on the Presidential chain. The ties and key  rings will also be useful as gifts when we visit or are visited by other clubs and dignitaries.

                                                           First Day Cover
We have issued of a commemorative first day cover.  The front of the envelope is of Strang’s     etching (as per the Club’s Supper programme) and on the reverse a photograph of Lavinia Drew unveiling the plaque on Glencairn House during the Bicentenary in 1996. 
 A facsimile copy of Burn’s Burgess Ticket plus a print of its script, both of which had been facilitated Arthur Jones, is enclosed in the final envelope and an envelope sent to each Club Member.