FORTY YEARS AGO Friday April 1, 1983
Busy week for school choir
Last week was the most demanding and busiest so far for Lochgilphead High School Choir.
On Tuesday the group of young singers, and conductor Mrs Sheila McCallum give a concert in the packed church hall where they showed their versatility by performing choral items, vocal and instrumental solos, duets and ensembles.
On Wednesday evening they travelled to Edinburgh to compete the next day as one of the eight Scottish finalists in the competition organised by Granada TV to find the top school choir in Britain.
The honour of reaching such a privileged company after only two years’ existence was rewarded as much as anything by staying in a luxury West End hotel as guests of Granada TV.
They were competing against a list of finalists that read like the who’s who of the best Scottish schools: Edinburgh Academy, George Watson’s, Fettes College, Dollar Academy, Saint Margaret’s Aberdeen, Balfron Academy and Ayr Academy, so Lochgilphead High School has clearly established its musical reputation.
The Scottish finals of any competition must bring out exceptional standards of performance and although the adjudicator said that the high school’s interpretation of the Dirge for Fidele had a truly magical quality, the two choirs chosen to go forward to Manchester were Edinburgh and Balfron academies.
It was agreed once again to sponsor the honey classes at the Mid Argyll Agricultural Show and in an effort to attract new members to reduce the annual subscription of the association to 7/6 (37.5 pence)
Office bearers elected for the ensuing year were: president, Mr EC McInnes; secretary and treasurer Mr R Granger; with committee members G Richie, R Keith, C Ferguson, J MacArthur and Colonel G H Venables.
Mr McGregor, of the county beekeeping advisory service, gave the final talk in a series of lectures on beekeeping.
This dealt with the summer management of the bees and he felt that bigger crops of honey could be procured by careful management of bees.
For his lectures and for all the deep interest he has taken in the association during the past winter, Mr McGregor was warmly thanked by the new president Mr E Campbell MacInnes.