A new badge for a new era
Great idea to get fans onboard
On the subject of school art contests... it’s time to confess a classroom secret I’ve kept for over half a century. I was an art forger! Yes, back in the day when I was about eight- years- old, Ayrshire schools were invited to submit paintings for some kind of event at Ayr Ice Rink. Its theme was ‘ The Space Age’.
Seeking inspiration, I found a book at home with some futuristic planet pictures and started to copy one of them.
It was a Fireball XL5 type spaceship, sitting upright on a bright green planet. I dashed it off during a single episode of The Man from U. N. C. L. E. My caption – the only original thing on it – was “Forward to the 70s – Forward to The Moon”. I handed it in the next day and thought nothing of it.
A few weeks later, a beaming headmaster came into the class to announce that one of us had won a prize.
“Well done Bobby Shields” he said, and invited the others to give me three cheers.
“Bobby will collect his prize from Princess Alexandra in a ceremony at the Ice Rink next week!” I was horrified.
I can still feel the dread of standing beside my painting as the Provost brought HRH along the line of winners.
I was convinced she’d say “I’ve seen that painting before...” and I’d be dragged off to prison.
Instead, she said “Well done,” and handed me a scroll of commendation.
Of course, there will be no such deception in this Ayr United contest!
I’m sure The Honest Men will get lots of honest – and original - designs. And I look forward to hanging a copy of the winning entry in my pub.
For all the “real” Ayr United fans out there!