12/07/2010
Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP will be introduced to three Black Watch veterans as part of his summer programme touring Scotland.
During a visit to the home of the Black Watch Regimental Museum in Balhousie Castle in Perth on Monday 12 July, Mr Fergusson will meet veterans Jim Turpie, 76, who saw active service in Korea, Jim Sandilands, 59, who served in Northern Ireland and Alan Stewart, 31, who served in Iraq.
The Presiding Officer will also be given a tour of the castle by Major Ronnie Proctor, Secretary of the Black Watch Association, who has more than 40 years of service in the regiment. Dating back to 1631, the castle became the headquarters of the Black Watch in 1962 – and displays the history of the regiment from 1739 to the present day.
Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP, who is an honorary vice-president of the charity Poppy Scotland, said: "It is a real honour to be meeting these three Scottish heroes who have shown such dedication and bravery in protecting our country and who have all played a part in safeguarding the privileges and liberties that we all enjoy today.”
Regimental Secretary of the Black Watch Association and museum curator, Major Ronnie Proctor said: "We are delighted to welcome the Presiding Officer to Balhousie Castle to learn more about the distinguished and proud history of the world's most famous regiment. The Black Watch can boast three centuries of history - of honour, gallantry and devoted service - from the battles of Fontenoy to Fallujah, with Waterloo, Alamein and two World Wars in between."
Housed in historic Balhousie Castle, the Museum of The Black Watch displays 266 years of the rich history of Scotland's best known and oldest Highland Regiment.
The collection consists of uniforms, fine paintings, medals, photographs, weapons and military equipment which bring to life the proud military heritage of this family Regiment.
While in Perth the Presiding Officer will also launch the ‘Understanding and Influencing Your Parliament’ conference. The event, which is being held at Holyrood on 2 October, gives practical advice on helping community groups have their voices heard at the Parliament.
The Presiding Officer will take the opportunity to talk directly to local members of civic groups and charitable and voluntary organisations about the workings of the Scottish Parliament and their experiences.
This is the third summer programme undertaken by the Presiding Officer. By the end of this tour Mr Fergusson will have visited more than 30 different organisations in every region of Scotland during his past three summer programmes.
The programme provides an opportunity for the Presiding Officer to learn from local people and groups about how the Scottish Parliament is communicating with them and encourages them to do more to engage with Holyrood’s work.
You can now get in touch with the Parliament by text message. Our interactive service enables you to get the name of your MSP by sending your postcode, lets you ask questions about the Parliament and its work, and enables you to request a selection of free leaflets. The number to take advantage of is 07786 209888. Texts are charged at standard network rates. More details can be found on our Text Service page.