Club History in Pictures

Charter members and executive of the Calgary Burns Club, September 1976

From left to right: Alastair Ross, John Whitelock, Jacky Whyte, Alastair Sinclair, Jock Thompson, Andy Gibson, Grant MacEwan, Bob Watson. (Graham Underwood was unable to attend.)

Club president, Bob Watson, is holding the framed Club Charter from the Burns Federation (Kilmarnock).

A tradition begins – the inaugural banquet of the Calgary Burns Club, January 25, 1977

“We all take it for granted, because it seems to have been around forever, but the Calgary Burns Club logo is probably the best example of its kind that you’ll find anywhere: an emblem that is self-sufficient and needs no further explanation. Take a closer look at it, and you’ll see how perfect an identity symbol it is for our Club, our traditions, and even our place within the city itself. Notice how the 1787 Silhouette of Burns sits perfectly within the legend, “Calgary Burns Club”, and how the lettering itself embodies the old, 1890s cowboy country Western flavour of the Stampede City. It really couldn’t be improved upon, because it reflects, exactly, the spirit and the identity that the original Executive Committee wanted to capture, from the Club’s beginnings. And the colour scheme is classic: stark black, highlighted with the russet cameo. The whole thing was designed, developed and perfected by one man, Alistair Ross, one of the original seven founding members of the club in 1975/76 and, at that time, Creative Director (later General Manager) of Baker Lovick Advertising. It has been years now since Alistair retired and moved away to live on Vancouver Island, but for this one magnificent contribution alone, the Calgary Burns Club should be forever grateful to him.”
– Jack Whyte

The Calgary Burns Club Patron

J.W. Grant MacEwan (1902-2000)

The first Burns Club president at the first Burns Supper, 1977

Bob Watson at the Calgary Inn.

According to Bob the Calgary Burns Club dates back to when a young Scot named John Paterson, came over to Canada to assist in the sale of 53 heifers and cows and three bulls to a Calgary rancher. Bob got to know Paterson and in 1963 ended up attending a Burns dinner with three other couples at his house.

At the Calgary Burns Supper, 1977

Left to right: Graham Underwood, Bob Watson, Grant MacEwan, Alastair Ross

Jock Thompson, the president of the World Federation of Burns Clubs and club president Bob Watson pour whisky into an artifact that reputedly was used by Robert Burns.

Jack Whyte as Rabbie, 1977

“The photograph is the original cover shot for the 12” LP of my one-man show on Burns. It was called “Rantin’, Rovin’ Robin—A Night with Robert Burns” and the Calgary Burns Club sponsored and produced the recording, which featured a collection of the songs and poems from the stage show, all connected by a narrative thread. The cover design was by Alistair Ross, and it was he who Art Directed the photo shoot at which this study was taken. I can still remember that the red rose on the table beside me actually smelt like a rose, though it was looking a wee bit limp by the time we had finished. The book I’m holding is Bob Watson’s version of the original facsimile of the Kilmarnock Edition, and the costume, reconstructed from the famous Naismyth portrait of Burns, was made for me by a tailor in Vancouver. The album came out and was copyrighted in the summer of 1977, so that’s when the photo was taken”

Circa 1984

Left to right: Graham Underwood, John Whitelock, Alastair Ross, Robin Dow, Phyllis MacEwan, Jim Adamson, Grant MacEwan, Bob Ferrier, Ken Rogerson, Bob Willson

Bob Young presents his portrait of Grant MacEwan, 1986.

Left to right: Bob Young, Grant MacEwan, Fiona Foran, Ken Rogerson.

Morag and John Goldie, 1987

Circa 1989

Left to right:
Heath Gordon, John Whitelock, John Goldie, Gerry Wood

Bob Watson at the 1990 Burns Supper

To quote Jack Whyte:

“For many, many years after the Club’s founding, Graham Underwood was our Master of the Address to the Haggis, and he performed valiantly under all kinds of
circumstances, some of them quite alarming. We witnessed him, in an astonishing variety of places, suffering for his Art . . . Stabbing a boiled, watery haggis that exploded, drenching his formal Coatie with its gushing entrails, warm-reekin’, rich; and then, the very next year, attempting to breach another that had not been cooked at all and was still frozen solid when it skidded away from his dirk, fell off the table like a canon ball and rolled noisily to rest beneath the Head Table daïs, leaving the rest of us hugging our ribs, blinded and sore with laughing… Graham merely wrinkled his nose, pushed up his spectacles, quaffed the dram in front of him and signalled for another, then proceeded to address the empty trencher in front of him as though it were in fact groaning beneath the weight of an enormous haggis. He was much loved, and well known, and he loved his dram, and his oratorical adventures once caused one of his fellow-members to muse:

There’s a banker in Calgary City
Who is polished, urbane, wise and witty,
But his colleagues insist,
Every time he gets pissed
He starts talking to haggises… Pity!”

Left to right: Jim Currie, John Goldie at the 1990 Burns Supper

Terry Lauder at the 1990 Burns Supper

1992 Burns Supper

Left to right: John Whitelock, John Goldie, Grant MacEwan, John Inglis, Mayor Al Duerr, Tommy Miller, Stuart Chalmers, Bob Carnie, Bob Willson, Jack Swinton, Jim Bell

1992 Burns Supper

Anne and Bob Ferrier

Celebration of Grant MacEwan’s 90th birthday

Crystal Ballroom, Palliser Hotel, September, 1992

John Goldie (as President of the Calgary Burns Club) presenting Grant MacEwan with a book of poems.

Crystal Ballroom, Palliser Hotel, September 23, 1992

Back row from left to right: Duncan McLeod, Jim Currie, Trevor Ramage, John Goldie, Stewart Chalmers, Dennis Anderson, John Whitelock.

Front row from left to right: Bob Willson, Bob Young, Grant MacEwan, Tom Miller, Dave Spence, Graham Underwood.

Crystal Ballroom, Palliser Hotel, September 23, 1992

Back row on left – Jim Osborne, piper – John Whitlock, second from right – Stuart Chalmers, on right, Graham Underwood.

Front row left to right :
Ron Girardau, David Spence, Grant MacEwan, Bob Willson, Jim Currie, Dennis Anderson.

Left to right :Tom Miller, Grant MacEwan, Bob Young, Joe Dundas

Burns Supper 1993

Left to right: Stuart Chalmers, John Goldie, Jim Currie.

Left to right: Bob Ferrier, John Whitelock

World Federation Conference – July, 1993

Left to right: John Whitelock, Bob Young, Alex McDonald, Dave Spence, Jim Mackie,Bob Watson, Bob Ferrier, John Goldie, Grant MacEwan, Jim Christie, Terry Lauder, Jim McLaughlin, Tom Miller, Duncan McLeod, Alistair Howatt, Graham Underwood, Jim Osborne.

World Federation Conference Stampede breakfast, 17 July, 1993

From left to right: John Goldie, May Budd, Grant MacEwan, Morag Goldie

At the Legion, 1993

From left to right: Bob Young, Faith Young, Margaret Ramage, Trevor Ramage

The Scottish Societies Float in the Calgary Stampede Parade, 1993

Jim Osborne in the foreground. The float won first place that year. Trevor Ramage’s wee heid can be seen on the right hand side driving the float

At the Burns Supper, January, 1994

From left to right: Graham Underwood, Grant MacEwan, Bill Forster, John Goldie

From the Calgary Herald, January, 1996

Toasting the Burns Supper, 1997

From Left: Bill McLaughlin, Mayor of Calgary Al Duerr, Speaker Drew Cochrane

From left: Jack Whyte, Bob Watson and 1997 Burns Supper speaker, Drew Cochrane

Calgary Burns Club musicians, March, 1998

Left to right: John Goldie, Ron Budd, Sandy Patterson

At the 1998 Burns Supper

From left to right: Tom Strang, Jim Christie, Wally Hunter

Left to right: Bob Willson, Trevor Ramage

Ron Cantlie at the 1998 Burns – “Brithers A’”

“Willie brewed a peck of Maut”. Burns Supper, 1998

“We are na fu’ “

Left to right: Bob Ferrier, John Goldie, Ron Budd

Left to right: Gerry Wood, Allan MacRae At the 1998 Burns Supper

After recording “Willie Brew’d a Peck o’ Maut” 1999

Left to right: Jim Osborne, Ron Budd, Jack Whyte (base part), Gordon McCulloch (tenor), Willy Joosen (pianist), Jason Wright (recording engineer).

Taken outside Jason Wright’s house after a recording of Jack Whyte and Gordon McCulloch for the song “Willie Brew’d a Peck o’ Maut” for the CBC Singers first CD.

Jim Osborne had to pass on the baritone part due to laryngitis and Bob Ferrier later filled that spot.