THE (UNOFFICIAL) CLASS ANTHEM

Thanks to John 'Great Grogs' Grogan for reminding us about this....

Jonathan Edwards' Glasgow South Anthem

We are the Glasgow South Crusader Class
And we'll battle for our rights
We were born in 1927
When attendance was quite light
And now we go from strength to strength
As we tread the narrow way
We are the Glasgow South Crusader Class
And we'll win the victory!

DAILY READING NOTES

Glasgow (South) was so committed to getting God's Word into the lives young men that every month (for a period spanning three decades) it produced it own monthly Bible Notes - The 'Daily Reading Notes'. Over the years many of the leaders and others contributed comments to go with the daily Bible readings. It was Tommy MacKay who initiated them and who sat up in the wee hours of the last day of each month typing them up on Banda stencils.

For those who received them (they were personally hand delivered!), the great excitment was reading the 'Front Pages'. For in the opening pages was to be found the catalogue of chaos that was Tam's existence. Stories about budgies, Trans-Ams, Tunnock's Teacakes, plastic polar bears, and the Giffnock Constabulary were eagerly awaited each month. Over the years most of the Bible must have been covered - and each month Mars Bar tokens were on offer for doing the 'Memory Verses' (word perfect, of course).

What a brilliant way to get boys interested in the greatest Book ever written.

SPORTS DAYS

Scottish Crusader Sports Days were faithfully attended by Glasgow (South) - I say 'faithfully' because it was generally about the taking part rather than achieving sporting glory that marked out these annual days in May for our boys. Grangemouth Stadium was the venue (pic above) and undeterred by our ranking somewhere below the 'Lenzie Special Needs Team' we ran, jumped & hopped giving our all - and this was before the PC days of medals for losers!

Not that it was all making up the numbers - the class did produce a few budding olympians over the years. Ewan Sanderson winning the 100 & 200m finals in 1991, Richard Knak winning the High Jump the same year (although those who remember Richard will realise that that involved him more or less stepping over the bar). David Campbell achieved glory in 1990 winning the all-comers Steeplechase - ah to see DC with the wind in his hair and to smell the vapour trail of Ralgex as he passed by - those were the days!

'THE CRUSADER' - MAGAZINE (VOL. 1)

In April 1979 Volume 1, Number 1 of 'The Magazine of Glasgow South Crusader Class' first rolled off the Banda machine in Tommy MacKay's lounge. So precious was this publication to prove that it only made a further 7 appearances in the following 14 years.

Each volume had three editions - and there is probably nothing else that single-handedly captures the flavour of Glasgow (South). The first edition included articles on the Loch Ness Monster, Fishing, Sir James Simpson, the Waverly Steamer, Creation, and Electronics.

Yes within these pages Southers were informed about Diodes, Paternoster Tackle, the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, who was Chair of Midwifery at Edinburgh University in 1840, Pauline theology, all while stocking up on the worst selection of 'Waiter, waiter' jokes you've ever heard.

The original magazine team consisted of Hugh L Armstrong (Honorary Editor); Thomas AWN MacKay (Editor); Julian V Guse (Front Cover Designer); Craig Barclay (Back Cover Designer)

LENDALFOOT HOUSEPARTY 1991

Lendalfoot on the Ayrshire coast became a popular destination in the latter years of the Spaghetti & Quiche Houseparty Tour. The centre was snuggly tucked between the sea and the main A77 truck road - meaning that Wide Games were likely to end up with someone either very wet or mown down by the Glasgow-Belfast Express Coach (I don't think we did actually lose anyone to the latter but our admin' was very poor - so who knows).

A 'highlight' of the 1991 Houseparty was the problem solving event on the beach (left). Another bonus at Lendalfoot was being in the vicinity of where the notorious cannibal family of Sawney Bean used to live - which was a great basis for the Friday night ghost story. Finally those who remember David Campbell's famous 'Captain Clean-up's Clean Down Operation' speech will be pleased to know that Dave was able to walk again around 1998.

POLNOON 2008

1st January 2008 - the Enoch Burn in full spate ensures that there will be no possibility of it being crossed 'dry shod' - so soaking footwear even before the pre-swim football game is the order of the day. Above right PD takes part in the traditional 'hitting the pole with a stone' activity (NB the NY swim is a complex and multi-layered ritual that has evolved over many decades - a vertitable minefield of social protocols and taboos).

Above left, the football game takes on the increasingly usual format of 3 against 2. The 3 (Andy Hunter, Colin Macleod & Tommy MacKay) quickly take a 10-4 lead - the winning score being first to 11. However, in an astonishing comeback the 2 (Martin Boyd & Peter Dawson) pull back to win 10-11. Afterwards Peter reflects that the turning point in their fortunes came when they decided that the tactic of two up-front wasn't working!

Class Photo - mid/late 80's

Sporting a fine collection of pencil thin ties, v-neck Pringles, and haircut tragedies in this rare Class photo taken in Shawlands X CofS back hall are:

Standing (L-R): Julian Guse; Graham Harold Galbraith; Gregor Thomson; Alistair Gilchrist; David Torrance; David MacDonald, Martin Boyd; John Grogan; Crawford Thomson; Dougie Sanderson; Nigel Mowat, Andy Hunter; Tommy MacKay & Jim Stewart.

Sitting (L-R): Mark Edwards; Peter Sanderson; XXX; Gerard; Ewan Sanderson; Peter Candlish; Colin Wardrobe; Colin Durward; David Wardrobe & David Allison.

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