The Foggie Gossip

July 2007 Edition

WIGHT / THOMSON

Steven Wight and Carron Thomson were married at Fyvie Castle on Saturday 2nd June 2007.

Steven, from Aberchirder, is a welder with Caledonian Petroleum Services in Dyce.  Carron, from Turriff, is a Family Support Worker in Aberdeen.

The couple have set up home in Turriff.
 

CHALMERS / BROWN

Married at the Fife Lodge Hotel on 30th June 2007 were Barry Chalmers and Amanda Brown, both of Corskie Drive Aberchirder.

Barry is a Motor Engineer in Aberchirder and Amanda is a Hairdresser in Macduff.

HALL / WHITESIDE

Married on 7th July 2007, on the beach at Riu Club Hotel at Bloody Bay, Negril, Jamaica, were John Hall and Lynn Whiteside.  John is originally from Kirkcaldy and Lynn from Orsett, Essex.  Both moved to Aberdeen then spent two years in Jamaica before moving to Aberchirder.

John & Lynn have the Quality Napkins retail business in Main Street.

GATENBY / HART

Andrew Gatenby and Kelly Hart married at Duff House, Banff on 14th July 2007.
Andrew, from Causewayend Crescent, Aberchirder, is a history graduate who, having spent a short spell in teaching, is now moving into his second year as a medical student.  Kelly, originally from Kent, teaches in Glasgow where they both now reside.

Beckley / MacKenzie

Married on 14th July 2007 at St Aidan's Church, Aviemore, were
Andrew Beckley and Joanna MacKenzie.

Andrew is a Leisure Manager at the Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel, Aviemore and Joanna is a teacher at Deshar Primary School in Boat of Garten.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks after returning from a wonderful honeymoon in the Maldives, Andrew was involved in a motorcycle accident.  We wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery.

Picture Courtesy of Jon Laing Photography

MOUNTAIN MOVES TO FOGGIE

Princess Royal Sports Trust organised a wall climbing event on 2nd August
to give youngsters a chance to try out their climbing skills.

The event, which was held in McRobert Park, was sponsored by Bingo Bremner

Pictures Courtesy of Andy Taylor, Banff

During last term, the Aberchirder Playgroup took part in a sponsored walk around the Hill.  The following day the Mothers and Toddlers group held another walk around the village and from both events they raised £722.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Change of times:

Playgroup meets at 9.15am - 11.15am Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Mother & Toddlers meet at 9.45am - 11.15am Thursday

Places available for children over 2 years:
Contact Mary Turner on 01466 781114

Pictured here are some of the children who took part in an end of term party where they dressed up in party clothes or fancy dress.

Guests at the event were Mary and Joe Burnett-Stuart.  A colouring competition was held and Mary judged the winner to be Ellie Seivwright (pictured right in Minnie Mouse dress).

Ellie Seivwright (left) and Katie Brown (right)

Wednesday, 1st August 2007 was celebrated by Scouts all over the world.  It was 100 years since Lord Baden-Powell first took some boys to Brownsea Island to camp.

Marnoch Beavers and Cubs celebrated by holding a Sunrise Ceremony beside the pond owned by Group Scout Leader David Beckley.  At 8am, all involved carried out their Scout Promises.  Max Brown, the Assistant District Commissioner, attended the event.  Formalities were followed by breakfast of cereal, bacon and sausage buns.  Activities included making butter from cream, pitching and striking a hike tent and decorating tiles as a keepsake.  The morning ended by David reading Baden Powell's last message.

Everyone who attended the celebration was presented with a special 'First Day Cover' to mark the anniversary.  Only 500 of these were produced.

The Commercial Hotel celebrated the reopening of its function hall on Saturday 4 August by holding a table top sale.  The £60 raised from charges for 12 tables has been added to money raised in sponsorship for Jim Wood’s forthcoming 20-mile walk in September, which will be given to the Community Association’s Festive Lights appeal.

Paul van Sittert was inducted as the new minister of Marnoch Parish Church on 10th August 2007.

Born in South Africa, in the town of Kroonstad, he was raised on a farm between Pretoria and Brits.  After two years National Service in the Marines, he studied in Pretoria and became a Minister of religion in the Dutch Reformed Church.  There he met his wife Michelle, a librarian, and they married in 1992.  In 1997, Paul became minister in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe where their son Paul was born a year later. When things took a turn for the worse under the leadership of President Mugabe, Paul and family had no other choice but to move back to South Africa.

There he took up a charge in Nietverdiend - a rural parish close to the Botswana border and which included the Madikwe Game Reserve.  Surrounded by wildlife and a long way from anyone (the manse was 37 miles from the nearest town and over a mile to the nearest inhabitants) it was not unusual to have wild animals digging up their garden.  Paul and Michelle's youngest son Francois was born in 2002.

Rev van Sittert (right) being welcomed by Presbytery Moderator
Rev. Murdo Macdonald, Turriff.

The van Sittert family - Paul, Paul jnr (9), Michelle and Francois (5)
Pictures Courtesy of Andy Taylor, Banff

Paul always felt a very special bond with the military and when he found that the British Army were recruiting Chaplains, he applied, only to find that he needed a mainline church to sponsor him.  As the Church of Scotland is very similar to the Dutch Reformed Church, he came over here in 2005 to speak with people from the Church of Scotland and, after touring the country, he fell in love with Scotland (understandable).  In 2006, the family moved from South Africa to Glasgow where Paul worked as Assistant minister in St John's - Renfield Church.

We welcome Paul and his family to Aberchirder and wish to assure them that there are no wild animals in Foggie (no letters or suggestions please) but if any undomesticated creature does venture into the garden of the manse, we're sure Paul's military training and his wonderful Afrikaans accent will see them off.