Dumbarton Burns Club
                                                                   Federation No. 10 ----    Instituted 1859
                                                                                          2009


                                              

                                                            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 will be held on Friday 23rd January 2009 and will be chaired by President Joe Platt                                                                      who will also propose the Immortal Memory.  The Toast to the Lassies will be 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 will be given by Jim Haining of Dumfries Howff Club.

                                                            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
                                                            the reply to the Toast to the Lassies will be given by Annabel Goldie MSP. 
                                                            We will also have a group of musicians and singers from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and                                                                         Drama.
                                                     
                                                           Events
                                                            There will be an exhibition first in Dumbarton Library, 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.

                                                           West Dunbartonshire Council has 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.

                                                           Club member Robert Watt, Minister of Riverside Church, has agreed to hold an inter-denominational                                                                        service in the church on Sunday 25th January 2009.

                                                          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.

                                                          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 are developing a new design for Club ties and badges and Members will receive one of each in 2009.                                                             The Club’s 150th Anniversary coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Bard’s birth in 2009 and Members                                                          will also each receive a key ring featuring the pendant on the Presidential chain.

                                                        First Day Cover
                                                        We are promoting the issue of a commemorative first day cover.  If the Post Office agrees, the front of the                                                               envelope would be 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 by
                                                       Arthur Jones, would be enclosed in the final envelope and an envelope sent to each Club Member.

                                                       Anniversary  Bank  Note
                                                       Just as we were about to promote the issue of a special commemorative bank note to the Scottish banks,                                                              HBoS announced that the The Bank of Scotland had issued a £5 bank note featuring the Brig o’ Doon at                                                                Alloway .

                                                        Fund  Raising
                                                        Inevitably these events and commemorations require to be funded, hence why we held our first raffle at the St                                                         Andrews Night Dinner in 2006.  We repeated it in 2007 and will do the same at St Andrews Night 2008.

                                                       We are very grateful to all who have either donated money or who have given prizes for the raffle.  The raffle at                                                        the 2006 St Andrews Night Dinner raised £374 in addition to which £145 was given in donations.  In 2007 we                                                        have received donations amounting to £370 while a further £463.50 was raised at the raffle.

                                                       The total sum raised to date and to be put towards the 2009 celebrations therefore amounts to £1,325.50.