The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
History, natural beauty and a real spirit of community
Treasures: Montrose’s own dancing queen Robina Addison is the guide to highlights that make the town one of the shining jewels in Angus’s crown
Robina Addison’s life has presented ample scope to sing the praises of Montrose. Not once has the principal of the Gordon School of Dancing missed a step in making every opportunity count.
Whether it be on the streets of Montrose’s French twin town Luzarches, the sparkling sands of Trinidad with her Highland dancers, or in the presence of royalty as a deputy lieutenant for Angus over 15 years.
She was described as the “beating heart of Montrose” when she retired from the lieutenancy last year.
Robina was delighted to bang the drum for an Angus burgh rich in beauty, culture and community spirit.
THE MID LINKS
Montrose is steeped in history.
But it is also at the vanguard of new industries through the likes of pharmaceutical giant GSK and the burgeoning offshore renewables sector for which Montrose Port is becoming a key hub.
The Mid Links originally separated the long High Street from the later industrial areas and the coast beyond.
At its west is Montrose Academy under the school’s famous golden dome.
“The Mid Links is such a beautiful place,” she says.
“It’s so peaceful and then close by you have the areas leading to the town centre, like the Kirkie Steps which is just stunning when the crocuses are out.
“All the way along past the Mid Links is the Curlie Pond. I remember skating there as a little girl.”
BUTTERFLY PARK
“The Butterfly Park is part of the Mid Links but is so special,” Robina adds. Nestled among the children’s play equipment there is the butterfly bench remembering Montrose girl Adana Forsyth. The courageous youngster lost her battle against the skin condition epidermolysis bullosa in 2008 at the age of just 10. Robina led the fundraising for the bench and its unveiling in 2009.
“I have never met a kid who inspired others as much as Adana did,” said Robina.
“She suffered from the minute she was born, yet she was such an amazing little girl.
“It was horrible weather the day before the event and on the morning of it, then the sun shone and we knew she was looking down on Montrose.”
THE MARQUIS AND OTHERS
Robina chaired the Marquis of Montrose Society which unveiled a Castle Place statue of the 17th Century nobleman and soldier James Graham in 2000.
“We are very proud of that statue, and all the others the town has.
“There is the High Street statue of Joseph Hume, who was born in Montrose.
“And we have William Lamb figures including those at the harbour and Traill Drive. Norwegian sea dog Bamse is another great talking point.
“Montrose has the greatest number of public statues in Angus and it has a sculpture trail for visitors to enjoy.”
HIGH STREET AND HIGHWAYS
“Montrose High Street is facing the same challenges as others but I have so many special memories of it,” says Robina.
“In 1995 we had it closed for the very first time for the signing of our twinning charter with Luzarches.” Since then it’s hosted huge public events like MoFest and the annual Santa Claus in Montrose event. Robina adds: “Another thing I really love about Montrose are the views of the town you get approaching it in every direction. “Whether it’s coming down Rossie Braes on the road from Arbroath, looking across the Basin on the road from Brechin or Forfar, or from the north at the top of Hillside it is just beautiful to see.”
MONTROSE’S YOUNG AMBASSADORS
“The Gordon School of Dancing celebrates 60 years next year and I have been fortunate to teach so many amazing young people,” adds Robina.
“We’ve been to 17 countries, including America, Canada, China and across Europe.
“I’m now teaching the grandchildren of some of my original pupils.
“All of them have been amazing ambassadors for their town.”
Her time as a deputy lieutenant revealed the drive of young folk in a variety of fields including the cadet forces.
“Things are very different now and youngsters are so clued up on technology.
“I’m old school when it comes to manners. I am always so proud when you take kids away because they present such a good impression of Montrose.”
Sun shone and we knew Adana was looking down
Days out here and there are what the Doyenne and I like. We woke to blue skies and the weather seemed set for the day.
I made an executive decision that we’d take ourselves off to Moulin, outside Pitlochry, for lunch at the Moulin Inn which we have passed many times but never favoured with our custom.
Hamish was walked and watered and fed. He always senses when we’re off for the day and nervously hangs around under our feet, tripping us up, because he thinks he’ll be left behind on his own.
So we bundled him into the car where he barked for the next quarter of an hour because we had not yet set off. For such a small dog he is very demanding.
For Pitlochry we would normally drive to Coupar Angus and take the Blairgowrie road, turning left on to the A984 for Dunkeld where we join the A9 and head for Pitlochry.
On the basis that a change is as good as a holiday we took the A924 to Bridge of Cally and then on through Strathardle by Kirkmichael.
It’s bonny countryside and we were struck by how green everything is. There’s scarcely any cultivation, it’s all sheep farming with grass fields full of sheep, many with lambs – mostly twins, it seemed.
As you near Pitlochry a finger post directs you to Edradour and the Edradour Distillery.
It is Scotland’s smallest distillery and I went round it almost 50 years ago.
My recollection is of compact, low, whitewashed buildings and everything neat and tidy. It wasn’t a long tour so each step of the distilling process was easily related to the previous one.
After lunch at Moulin we carried on down to Pitlochry, heading home.
We wanted to stop at Loch of the Lowes, the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s reserve on the A923 to Blairgowrie which sprang to fame in 1954 when a pair of ospreys nested there after an absence of 40 years. The ospreys have returned to the same nest each year since and there are hides with powerful telescopes and binoculars to watch the hen bird sitting on three eggs in her large, untidy nest which gets bigger each year.
There is also a live camera focused on the nest to give a bird’s eye – forgive the pun – view of the interior of the nest.
Three roe deer were feeding at the foot of the nesting tree. A male tufted duck with the distinctive long drooping tuft, or crest, of feathers down the back of its head, was diving for food and popping up to the surface again like a cork out of a Champagne bottle.
Dogs are strictly forbidden anywhere near
It is strange what can sometimes bring back a memory
the lochside but we were able take Hamish for a walk on a good track leading to Dunkeld.
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It is strange what sometimes brings a memory back to mind. I came across the poem The Doctors by that tireless, evergreen composer of rhyme, Anon.
It reminded me of a story our own doctor told us many years ago.
He was woken by a call in the early hours when he was nicely tucked up in bed.
A woman said he must come straight away as her cat was very poorly and she wanted him to have a look at it.
Madam, he thundered, I am a doctor. Aye, replied the impudent bizzim, but you’re free.
Be honours which to Kings we give, To Doctors also paid;
We’re the King’s subjects while we live, The Doctor’s when we’re dead.
Though when in health and thoughtless mood, We treat them oft with scoffing;
Yet they, returning ill with good, Relieve us from our coughing (coffin).
At times they kill us, to be sure, In cases rather tickle;
But when they’ve kill’d – they still can cure Their patients – in a pickle.
And when at last we needs must die, The Doctors cannot save From death – they still most kindly try To snatch us from the grave.
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I’ve seen my first wasp of the season banging against the kitchen window trying to get out.
My instinct was to swat it but I remembered that wasps are as important as bees as pollinators and if left to get on with their lives won’t be aggressive. I spared it, catching it in a glass and releasing it outside.
In winter, worker wasps die from lack of food and cold. Queen wasps which have mated go into hibernation, emerging with the warmer spring weather to set about building a nest – byke in Scotland – and to lay their eggs which will become the next generation of worker wasps.
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By way of a canine afterthought, Inka One’s Kennel Club name on his pedigree was Edradour Egret. As egrets have allwhite plumage the name did seem at odds with an all-black dog.