Alumni Services

A double crop of agriculture reunions

Two groups of agriculture alumni from the classes of 1971 and 1976 reunited this summer to reconnect and share stories of their time together and the friendships they harvested.

There has been a long standing relationship between the University of Edinburgh and agricultural education in Scotland so we were delighted that two BSc Agriculture groups chose to mark their time together with a reunion.

1971 Agriculture Reunion
1971 Agriculture Reunion

Class of 1971 - 25 June 2016

The last time the class of 1971 Agriculture reunited was in 1996, so the 2016 Royal Highland Show (RHS) in Ingliston, Edinburgh gave the perfect opportunity for the classmates and old friends to reconnect after twenty years. The group of eight alumni, joined by four partners, convened at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) stand at the RHS. The group enjoyed a light lunch at the Show and a long overdue catch up on each other's lives.

The reunion ended with the promise to meet again in 2021 when the former classmates will celebrate 50 years since graduation.

Hope to see everyone in 2021

Chris Firby - 1971 reunion organiser
1976 Agric Reunion
1976 Agriculture Reunion

Class of 1976 - 23 July 2016

It had been thirty years since the BSc Agriculture class of 1976 held a reunion and holding one to celebrate forty years since graduation served as the perfect opportunity for the group to catch up and reconnect with long lost classmates. Of the thirty-three 1976 graduates, twenty-four were able to attend and were accompanied by 18 significant others.

The day kicked off at Kings Buildings House where the former classmates convened at the Edinburgh University servery, Pi in the Sky, for lunch and afternoon tea. The group then made their way to the Peter Wilson Building, home of the Edinburgh SRUC campus, where the special reunion conference, featuring seven talks covering a variety of subjects, got underway.

Three former lecturers and two SRUC staff joined them at the conference. Former lecturer, Dr Fred Harper, held the honour of chairing the conference and travelled up from Devon for the occasion. Dr Mark Hocart, Postgraduate Manager and Dean of Edinburgh Campus at SRUC, gave an interesting talk about 'Today's Students' and later Dr Sugyergeir Thorgeirsson from Iceland spoke of his research and work with Icelandic fisheries in a talk titled 'Agric-pelagic Tales'. 

The day finished up at Cannonball Contini in the heart of Edinburgh's old town where memories of their time at the University were shared over dinner. Following dinner, the merriment and adventures continued well into the wee small hours.

My main memory of the reunion is how everyone mixed, laughed, and smiled.

Derek Wood - 1976 reunion organiser

Keep in touch

Don't miss out; if you haven't updated your details with the University in a while, get in touch to make sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to reconnect with your old classmates.

If this article has sown the seeds and got you interested in organising your own reunion then please get in touch with a member of the alumni relations team. We can contact alumni on your behalf, suggest venues and activities, and let you know the secrets of a successful reunion. Check out our quick guide to get you started.

Alumni Engagement

Contact details

Related links

SRUC Alumni Facebook

Scotland's Rural College (SRUC)