Post by hugh on Jan 29, 2012 11:17:39 GMT -1
..here goes.....After a resurgence of interest in scooters in Newton in the mid 90s , Sparra took the initiative in early 98 by organising a meetin where ,in effect, the Lowlanders were born. Meetings followed ,with the club name the main topic of discussion.....we couldve been the covenanters, the galloway raiders, just Newton Stewart sc...the Lowlanders winnin on the basis that there were less objections.LOL. Raymond Barr would b the 1st chairman. It didnt take long for the talk of havin a small rally at Bladnoch to start, and so ,with the help of Sid Ambrose(who later found fame with the Wickerman) the 1st Whisky Galore took place,if ah remember rightly ,named by Mr Sammy Mcclymont. The 1st rally was a 1 day only event, with expectations as to numbers not exactly high. however, these were far exceeded . A great do at night followed and the general consenus seemed to be that it had been a success. The club continued to grow, with members in Dumfries and Stranraer helping to swell numbers, these peaking in the 20s around 99/2000. On the back of the 1st rally"s success it was decided to go for a full weekend event in 99, which again proved a resounding success, a highlight bein Big George from Stranraer gettin his dreadlocks shaved off for charity. Throughout this time we got out and about,attending rallies around Scotland ,Northern Ireland and England. We also had a couple of nites out in Portpatrick,although the last one ended in a ban from the campsite.LOL. We even had end of season awards...who could forget the "dirty wee dog" trophy won 3 year in a row by mr Peter Goonie McCleary! . Whisky Galore continued full steam ahead into the new millenium, with that years rally bein a particularly good one , the weather helpin by bein sunny from beginnin to end. The follwing year saw the foot and mouth epidemic and so the decision was taken to cancel it, with it returning in 2002. This duly happened but by this time numbers had began to fall away, a theme which would continue throughout the year. The rally took place in mid july and was, again, a great success, this being the 1st year where we had a large presence from over the water, another theme which would continue over the years. It was just before this took place that Raymond and Fiona declared their intention to stand down....who would replace them?...only time would tell...and here endeth chapter 1...Coming soon................chapter2! ;D
