Tim Daly reports on the

DUNS CASTLE REUNION
18 - 20th February 2000

The seed idea for a Millennium Reunion at Duns Castle was sown after the September 1998 Reunion in Bicester.  Aline (Macdougall) Hay invited a small group of friends to consider a weekend gathering in the beautiful Berwickshire Borders of Scotland.  Although this was a very generous opportunity not to be missed, it was late in 1999 before any firm planning and preparations were undertaken.  After endless e-mails, telephone calls and fax messages, the excited parties totalling 43 people (including partners) travelled by road, rail and air to arrive on a damp and dismal Friday evening at Duns Castle.  A very imposing structure even in the failing gloomy light.
 

Once across the threshold and with barely time to dispose of suitcases, everyone was made extremely welcome and the buzz of gathering Tal Handaquians filled the air.  With drinks in hand the new arrivals strolled through the various chambers and rooms, most with log fires burning, amazed by the splendour of the interior of this magnificent Castle.  Others, like new school borders, had been introduced to tower rooms, cellars and back stairways and were anxious to take new arrivals on unofficial guided tours, before returning to the Great Hall to meet and discuss journeys with latecomers.  Having settled into accommodation, either in the castle or the surrounding estate properties, everyone gathered for a very relaxed evening meal and much of the conversation covered newly established links and missing friends.
 

Saturday dawned with blue skies, superb visibility and an air of expectation.  Some of us were so overwhelmed by the incredible views of the estate from the various towers that a walk around the lake armed with a camera was essential, before tucking into a full breakfast.  Many were now appropriately dressed in the new Tal Handaq sweatshirts collected by the Daly’s from Edinburgh the day before.   By 10.30am decisions had been made and a mass evacuation sent parties in all directions; off to watch the local hunt, clay pigeon shooting, planned long distance walks or just taking a quiet stroll around the enormous estate.  Alan Routledge and Bobbi's (Henson) husband, John, demonstrated how to dispose of clay pigeons, but there were one or two ‘learners’ who also had some notable success.  It took considerable time afterwards however,  for two staff to collect the sea of very serviceable clay pigeons which littered the grounds.  Ten of them were mine!!

On each return to the Castle one could not help but be impressed by the magnificent architecture and amused by the many gargoyles that peered down at you or into the distance towards the various gatehouses.  Lunchtime brought about an invasion of the quiet town of DUNS by gaggles of ‘foreigners’ who ‘raided’ the local curiosity shops and overwhelmed the taverns.  On this occasion the Scots warmly welcomed the English invaders and wry smiles crossed their faces as Rog Wilkin used his two way radio system for command and control in the town square.  By mid-afternoon many had set off on their own exploration around Berwickshire, others had returned to the Castle to relax and talk before the main reunion event planned for the evening.

The evening function was the perfect event.  At 6.15pm people gathered in jackets and ‘posh frocks’ for a drink and to sign the ‘reunion’ visitors book.  This was followed by an excellent demonstration of highland dancing performed by four local youngsters and a lone piper, his airs echoing through the vaulted ceilings of adjoining rooms and halls.  An excellent dinner which included salmon was followed by a much appreciated historical and sometimes humerous account of the Castle and its owners, the Hay family, by our host Alex.  Rog Wilkin thanked our hosts, Aline and Alex, for their invitation and generosity and Bernard presented them with an inscribed silver salver as a token of our appreciation and a memento of the ‘Reunion’.
On behalf of those who attended Rog also presented Viv (Simpson) and I with two crystal millennium wine glasses for our part in organising and administering the Duns Reunion.

As a finale, a local DJ had been appointed to take us back in time to the 60s and even the late 50s.  Even those who declared  “I can’t dance!” were coaxed onto the floor to jive, shake or twist themselves to a standstill.  There were also those who recalled there dance classes at Tal Handaq by performing Scottish reels.  Somewhere during the proceedings the DJ couldn’t take the pace, so Rog Wilkin and Keith Holmes pulled out guitars and their well known numbers drew a chorus of voices from the gradually declining group of party-goers.  My lasting impression of the evening was just before 1.00am, when Keith Holmes engaged me in conversation about a small group of Maltese musicians who used to gather in the ‘Nappa Bar’ in Sliema.  With that he picked up a mandolin and the sounds of this delightful twelve stringed instrument echoed around the Great Hall where we stood.... Wow!! Thank you.

Sunday was yet another clear but very frosty morning which demanded a final venture into the grounds in order to capture those last few shots.  Many arrived early for a hearty breakfast before making the long trek home to all corners of the UK.  All too soon, small groups were loading cars and trying not to miss any of their new found friends as they said their farewells.  As the last rolls of film were used up and final sweatshirt sales were conducted in the drawing room, the first of the cars departed.  It was just after eleven .... how time had flown.
 

Viv and I were the last to leave, with Pam and Bernard.  As we looked back at this superb venue and a really fabulous event, we pondered on what we would need to do next to match such an occasion.  The cry from the dining table on Saturday was clear, "Malta, Malta in the Millennium".  Well we are thinking about it .... the seed is sown ....  but with so many great friendships, how could any event fail?  See you there?

PS:  You will not be surprised to know that many of us used rolls of film to try to capture all the images of the event, the castle and the beautiful surroundings of Duns.  Only a few could be published here, but you might wish to visit the Duns Castle web site for further information on this fantastic location.