Five is the magic number
1970 BSc Agriculture students reunited for the fifth time to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their graduation.
The former students have held a reunion every 5 years since 1995. Each occasion is organised by a different graduate and ‘the baton’ passed on at the reunion dinner. This time ‘the baton’ of reunion responsibility was carried by retiree Martin Reece who previously worked in the animal feed industry before running a hotel on the West Highland Way.
Travelling from far and wide
This year’s event was attended by twenty former classmates with some travelling from as far afield as Australia and America. Arranged as always to coincide with the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, 2015’s reunion was a relatively low key affair culminating in a dinner held at Old College.
2010’s reunion, by contrast, was more expansive and included visits to the Bush estate - a centre for research in animal biosciences, animal health care and the home of the University’s Vet School - and the research farms of Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) in the company of SRUC’s Vice Principal (Research), Professor Geoff Simm.
This year's reunion was organised with the assistance of Edinburgh First, the University's events and accommodation service. The contribution from the Alumni's office for room hire and discounted accommodation and catering services was greatly appreciated.
Wild sheep chase
As always memories, recollections and storytelling dominated proceedings with one of the most memorable stories an Arthur’s Seat sheep-rustling incident.
The perpetrators, who will forever remain nameless, managed to round up the sheep from Edinburgh’s famous extinct volcano and move them half a mile up the road to the student accommodation at Pollock Halls. The sheep were then persuaded into the lifts and sent to the girl’s dormitories to run wild.
Many lifelong friendships were formed during our 4 years at Edinburgh, cemented by our final year living together in the hostel accommodation of Bush House.
Beyond an Edinburgh education
Most of the class of 1970 have remained in Scotland and moved into roles related to their agricultural degrees. Careers range from farming itself to research or commercial agribusiness. One notable alumnus is Andrew Abrahams who, eight years after graduation, began oyster farming and bee-keeping, becoming the driving force behind the creation of a British black bee reserve on Colonsay.