Branch History
THE SCOTTISH BRANCH 1973 – 1998
In October 1970 the first class for Beardies at an open show in Scotland since World War II was held at Selkirk, drawing an entry of 17, of which 13 were present. With about 30 members of the Bearded Collie Club resident in Scotland, we began to think about forming a branch, as most club activities seemed somewhat remote – for example the big social event of the year, the annual Bounce – in, was held in Worcestershire. The Club Committee was not yet, however, ready to consider the formation of branches. Instead, Barry Diamond proposed that each area should appoint a representative who could organise events in their area and would be entitled to attend meetings of the Club Committee in a non-voting capacity. At the S.K.C. October Show, held in the old Waverley Market, a meeting of Scottish members was held at the Beardie benches after the judging. The meeting was slightly disturbed by the influx of a number of Sheltie exhibitors who had been celebrating their success or drowning their sorrows, but Madge Caldwell quickly sent them about their business and I was elected as the Scottish Area Representative.
It cannot be said that this created any great flurry of activity. I attended the Club Committee meetings and the A.G.M. to give a report on our activities, and in December I produced a Newsletter, duplicated on my little spirit duplicator. One or two other breed clubs invited us to take part in matches, and in June 1972 we held our first event, a rally, as we called it in those days, at Pamela McLellan’s smallholding at Ravenstruther, near Lanark, attended by about thirty people. By the end of 1972 the Club Committee had come round to the view that no irreparable schism would be caused by the creation of a Branch, and the A.G.M. in March 1973 gave its approval. The inaugural meeting of the Branch was held at the S.K.C. Glasgow show in the Kelvin Hall and the application for registration of title duly lodged with the Kennel Club. While we were waiting for the application to be approved we held our second rally at Crarae in Argyll in June, and registration of title was approved in, I think, October.
During the first ten years the membership of the Branch increased by leaps and bounds, reaching over 200 in the late 70’s or early 80’s. One of the principal activities in those days was the holding of matches against other clubs. It seems a pity that this activity has more or less fallen into disuse. In 1981 the S.K.C. held a knock-out competition for Scottish clubs in which the Branch took part, losing in the second round. A similar competition was held in 1984 and this time the branch reached the semi-final, where we lost to the Scottish Afghan Club by one heat. These competitions were popular with the clubs but not with the S.K.C. staff who were involved in a great deal of extra work!
In 1974 Nicolas and Nell Broadbridge offered a trophy, the Linnmill Quaich, to be competed for as an annual points trophy. A trophy, the Sassenachs’ Stoup, was also donated to be competed for by associate members at Scottish shows. At about the same time we discovered that the Bon Accord Club in Aberdeen had a trophy, the Balmacneil Jock Trophy, which had been presented by Mrs. Cameron Miller before the war, for best Beardie, but was now being awarded for best Shetland Sheepdog. The Bon Accord Club allowed us to have this trophy, upon the provision of a substitute, and it became the Stud Dog points trophy. The oldest Bearded Collie trophy still extant, it was won for eight years in succession by Rhona Gilchrist’s Westernisles Wishanger Rough Grass and then for the next five years by Dorothy Lindsay’s Mountain Dew of Tambora. For the first year there was no points trophy for the Best Brood Bitch, but a special was awarded and Jean and Derek Stopforth, who were then associate members, then donated the Calasona Westernisles Loch Aber Trophy, bringing the number of points trophies up to four. There are now nine, which must certainly provide some work for the Trophy Steward. Ch. Calasona Westernisles Loch Aber was the first Scottish bred Beardie to become a champion.
The Beardie Collie Club Open Show was held in Scotland for the first time in 1975 and continued to be held every other year until 1987, when the increase in the number of branches meant that the show could only come to Scotland every third year. We had already, since about 1982, been holding a Limited Obedience Show during the years when the Open Show didn’t come to Scotland. We asked the Kennel Club if there was any objection to the Club holding a show in Scotland in addition to its allocation of shows in England and Wales. We received the answer that shows below championship level were entirely a matter for the Scottish Kennel Club. As a result, since 1988 the Club has held a Limited Show in Scotland in those years when the Open Show is not held here.
The Branch played an important part in the revision of the breed standard between the years 1976-78, when many of its suggestions were adopted at the open meeting to produce the final draft. In 1988 the Branch held the first of its annual seminars, which usually draw an attendance of between 40 and 50 each year. Other activities have included the Primary Show, first held in 1982 but now under threat from the Kennel Club, and the Breed and Obedience Knock-Out Matches. In addition to the Annual Gathering, the North of Scotland Barbecue is a highly popular event.
The Branch, thanks largely to Pat and Alex Scott, was one of the earliest organisations in Scotland to take an interest in Agility, and for a few years it ran its own Agility team, reaching its peak when it won the invitation event at the Royal Highland Show in 1986. With the growth of the sport, Agility clubs did not look kindly on their members going off to compete for a breed club, and it became no longer possible to run a team. For a few years Agility classes were included at the Open and Limited Shows, but from about the end of the 80’s these have been replaced by a highly successful Open Agility Show, which includes a class for Beardies only.
Since the height of the expansion in the late 70’s and early 80’s the membership of the Branch has settled somewhere in the middle of the 100-200 mark. My impression is that the proportion of pet owners has declined, and also that the proportion of those interested in Obedience and Agility has declined compared to those interested in showing only. As against that, the successes gained by members of the Branch in the show ring have increased out of all proportion, and I think that the Branch has every reason to look forward with confidence to its next 25 years.