WHERE ARE our DUX MEDALLISTS?

James and Flora Powell Awards for Scholarship.

Do you ever wonder about those awfie clever folk whose names fairly shone in gleaming golden letters from what we think was the DUX MEDAL BOARD in Newlands Primary? A blogger who recognized the name of George Drummond sent us teenage memories and an account of George's career, summarized below .....

Richard Evans writes....
..........Although I'm from Bridgeton and went to Dalmarnock school and from there onto Riverside, most of my teenage pals were from the Newlands area of Parkhead.
One of these pals was George Drummond, who lived in Edmiston Street. When George finished Newlands Primary as a Dux Medallist, he was sent on to Allen Glens Secondary School for boys. In due course, he undertook studies at our famous Glasgow University where his scholarship and hard work in the field of Medicine resulted in George graduating as a Qualified Medical Doctor in 1956.

After he was demobbed from the army, George spent some time as a family doctor, practicing in the north of England. It so happened that his sister had emigrated to Canada in the mid-fifties and shortly afterwards, the Drummond parents followed their married daughter out to Toronto, Canada where they had settled.

I suppose this may have played some part in his reasons to make another move, as around 1960 George took his leave of the U.K. and set out to meet up with his parents and sister in Toronto. However, after a short time there, George apparently got itchy feet again and he made another big move - this time out to Calgary, Alberta, where cowboys and oil wells still ruled.

Once he got his feet on the ground in Calgary, George returned to post-graduate studies and this time he emerged as a Qualified Anaesthetist to add to his distinction in his chosen career of Medicine.

Although I no longer have direct contact with George these days, I am reliably informed that he has retired and still lives in Calgary. I trust this will be of interest for the blog..... Best Wishes, Barbru.

by RICHARD EVANS
(e-mail to barbru@sympatico.ca)

(*A wee note of interest:
Admin actually did manage to dig up a phone number for a George Drummond in the City of Calgary, but an elderly lady who answered our phone call claimed it was not the home of "our" George Drummond from Glasgow, Scotland. Maybe she thought it was a nuisance call to sell double-glazing.....who knows really?)

Great Eastern Road - Parkhead

This entry was prompted by the request of Shiela McDermid for photo's to be taken of the area where her mother lived in Parkhead. Her mother lived in Great Eastern Road. Not a lot of people nowadays know that this was the original name of the part of the Gallowgate from Parkhead Cross, westward to Fielden St just beyond Camlachie.

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The picture above shows the bank building at the corner of Duke St. and the Gallowgate (formerly Great Eastern Road). The reason I know about this is that my mother and several of her sisters were a born in Great Eastern Road, yet some of her younger sisters (who were born in the same house) were born in the Gallowgate. From birth dates, we can tell that this name change took place between 1925 and 1929.

The picture on the right shows the Anchor Bar at 1401 Gallowgate, at the corner of Ewing Place, this pub bears an inscription with the date 1904 shown on it. So this bar would originally have had an address on Great Eastern Road.

The picture on the left shows The Old Black Bull pub at 1316 Gallowgate near Elba Lane. I am not sure about the date of this pub, but it has been there since I was a nipper.

The main entrance to the Barrs Iron Bru factory was through a pen at the right side of this pub and I remember that the lights at this entrance were in the form of huge soda syphons on the wall.

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THE OFFER OF FREE PICTURES STILL STANDS

SEE THE POST ABOUT 12 FURTHER DOWN.

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LET'S GIVE BRIAN A HAND.....by Sheila McDermid

Newlands' Blog Photographer and Admin Team guy, Mr. Brian Charlton, has taken many photos for folks who take up his offer to go around and take foties of their old house etc. He doesn't often hear back from them, (with a wee thanks) but he generously carries on - quietly doing a lot of good work for Newlands Blog Readers ....So it was nice to receive recently this email sent by Shiela McDermid, in Ontario, who thinks Brian Charlton is a swell guy and wrote in to say so. Sheila's "Thank You" is printed here as she requested.....

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"I want to take a moment to thank Brian Charlton for his generosity in taking time to photograph various areas of Glasgow for me. He was quick to get back to me again, and his photos were amazing.

I'm really hoping I have found the area where my ancestors once lived - and knowing that on my visit in Glasgow last spring - that I may have been so close (and yet so far) from standing on that property.... was almost overwhelming.

Again - thank you so much Brian, for taking time off your busy day to help a fellow Scot (Canadian Scot). I hope to come back for a visit some day......and if anyone has any information on any of the names listed above...please do not hesitate to contact me."

Cheers!!!!

Sheila McDermid,
Manitoulin Island, Ontario ( sheilam2001@hotmail.com )

NEWLANDS TWINS....by Tom Donaldson

Tom Donaldson - shown here with his twin brother Jack Donaldson - and very handsome too - recently found our Newlands Blog and sent us photos and quite a few names of long-lost friends from school and early days.

Tom, after an interesting life is now retired and very much enjoying his retirement, along with lovely wife Mary, in Victoria, B.C. - one of the most beautiful garden cities in Canada, known for its very mild winters and glorious summers.

Tom writes:
"Just a little info about myself and my twin brother Jack Donaldson. We both went to Newlands Primary School in Parkhead. Later our family moved to Sandyhills.....we subsequently attended Eastbank Academy.

"My very first job was in a dental laboratory on Bath street. I also managed to complete two years of further education at Langside College....then it was time to do my National Service and I served in the Highland Light Infantry.
I ended up signing on for three years Regular Army, serving in the canal zone, Cyprus, and Sweden.

"Since I was an experienced player of drums and bugle from my days in the Boys Brigade (and various pipe bands), I eventually went on to teach drums at Maryhill Barracks..... and did so until that unit closed down. I decided to emigrate, and my wife Mary and I arrived in Canada in 1957.

Once in Canada, I worked for the B.C. Government and for the Federal Government, and finally retired in 1994.

I am happy and very much enjoying life in Victoria, British Columbia. My wife Mary and I served as Best Man and Matron of Honour at the wedding of friends in 1995.

And I've sent in this photo showing our younger brother Ronald on my Right side , I am in the middle, and twin Jack is on my Left side - at our Family Reunion 1981.

My twin Jack set off to live in the USA when he was 17 yers old, along with his friend Billy Capperauld. Jack was drafted into the US Army where he served for 25 years. We maintained contact with each other right up until he died six years ago.

Friends I still remember and would love to hear from include Billy Cameron, Robert Wiley, Hector Daly, Ian Hay, and John and Robert White, Susan Green, Nancy Nicol and Janet Young who excelled as a tap dancer.

It would be nice to find out how they fared in their adult lives.

Tom Donaldson
VICTORIA, B.C.
Canada


(*If you remember Tom or anyone he has mentioned, you can Contact him by sending your email to us here at the Blog....we will Forward your mail to Tom. He will be delighted to hear from you.)