The year Invictus came to Killin Highland Games
This was a year of firsts for the Killin Highland Games: its first children’s games and the first time many had seen a caber tossed from a wheelchair.
A huge crowd of 3,000 were drawn to Killin’s Breadalbane Park on Wednesday August 1, undeterred by the overcast weather and midweek date.
The champion of the previous games carries the shield and sword, the traditional symbol of a champion, in procession to the games field. These are handed over to the chieftain, who thanks the retiring champion for returning the shield and sword to the games field.
The chieftain then strikes the shield with the sword four times turning to face each of the four sides of the arena as he does so, invites the competitors to compete in friendly rivalry for the title of games champion, and declares the games open.
Doune and Deanston Pipe Band led the parade from the Falls of Dochart, followed by the games’ chieftain, the 24th Chief of Clan MacNab, James Macnab of Macnab, and the junior games’ chieftain, twoyear-old Oliver Grant, and his grandfather Charlie Grant, the games’ chairman.
Competitors for the first children’s Highland games numbered an impressive 75 in total, sporting new T-shirts carrying their name, The Wee Heavies. ‘They were made to think they were one of the big boys and girls,’ Charlie said.
The events began with the heavy events, starting at 10am with the Perthshire Highland Games Association’s confined section won in all the categories – the shot put, 28lb weight, 16lb hammer and caber – by local man Stewart Anderson of Lochearnhead.
The open events, which attracted 13 giant competitors, included throwing a 56lb weight (equivalent to three
bowling balls) over the bar, won by V Tulacek, K Randalls, L Wenta and S Rider in a draw at 15ft.
Far, far north in John O’Groats on Saturday, the Mey Games, traditionally smallest in the calendar, held an Invictusstyle events for dozens of war veterans and para-athletes.
But a few put in a bit of practice at Killin on Wednesday, including one disabled veteran who tossed a caber from his wheelchair – twice – to great cheers. ‘Nobody at these games had ever seen anything like that,’ Charlie said. ‘Everybody was cheering.’
The afternoon saw the hill race, a 400m climb through 3.5km of ferns, forest and tussocks. The games website explains: ‘Clan chiefs did not have the benefit of communications we know today, but it was important to get and receive messages as quickly as possible, especially if they were warning of danger. Each chief had a fit young male as his runner. His task was to get the message quickly to a neighbour, whose clachan might have to be reached over steep and rough ground. The choice of runner was decided each year by the chief summoning all the fit men. The test was for them to run up a hill and back, with the winner being chosen runner of the clan for that year.’
This year’s hill race was won by Robb Jebb for the men, just shy of the 21:02 record at 21:12, and Sharon Taylor for the ladies at 27:59.
‘There was not a dull moment,’ Charlie said. ‘It has been a lot of hard work. We have a great team of volunteers. I cannot praise my committee enough and all the volunteers. It is them that make the day a success.’ Next year is the games’ 25th anniversary.
Games results at www.obantimes.co.uk