Well done to Lewis from the 1st Fraserburgh who has completed his Building Your Skills Course online.
His certificate was presented to him by his Company Captain, Duncan Leel.
Completing BYS means that Lewis has taken a big step towards his President’s Badge, the second highest award in the BB.
Well done Lewis!
Congratulations to Bailey Lynch (4th Peterhead), Jon Anderson (1st Fraserburgh) and Brody Tocher (1st Fraserburgh) who have successfully completed their Queen’s Badge work!
The three attended the North Scottish Area’s Completion course at Kincraig this week. Well done to all three for the high standard of work they put in to achieve the award.
We will look forward to seeing them received their badges at presentation nights in the very near future!
The President and Executive of the Buchan Battalion send their congratulations to Connor and Brandon Mowat, twin brothers, who were presented with their Queen’s Badge on Friday evening. As remarked on Friday, both brothers far exceeded the requirements for the badge.
It was a ‘proud mam’ moment for Company Captain Elaine Michie too, who was chosen by the twins to present them with their badges – the highest award in the Boys’ Brigade.
In his remarks as Inspecting Officer the Queen’s Badge Advisor noted that these Queen’s Badges were historic for two reasons. First, it is understood that Connor and Brandon are the very first Queen’s Men of the 1st New Pitsligo Company. In the same breath, if the award changes with the new reign as anticipated, the twins will be the last in the Buchan Battalion to be presented with a Queen’s Badge.
Well done Connor and Brandon! The 1st New Pitsligo is a Company with a very bright future!
It was a proud night for the Company on Tuesday as we saw three of our members presented with the President’s Badge by Sandy Manson, Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire.
Finlay, Tayler and Kaelyn received the second-highest award in the Boys’ Brigade. Finlay was the first boy to receive the badge in our Company in at least 12 years, whilst Tayler and Kaelyn have the distinction of becoming the first girls in the Buchan Battalion to receive the award. Between them they gave nearly 200 hours of service to the Company this year.
The Captain explained that all three are now Queen’s Badge candidates but that it was expected that in September they would officially become King’s Badge Candidates. Well done all – we are extremely proud of you!
(Photo: Billy Watson)
Well done to Noah Duncan, 1st Rosehearty, who has been presented with his President’s Commendation certificate.
Issued by the Brigade President, Rev Dez Johnston, the certificate states: “In recognition of the practical, calm and caring way you responded to an incredibly traumatic situation, saving your mum’s life, you are being awarded this Commendation. I feel honoured to serve in an organisation with young people at the heart of it, like yourself!”
Well done to Noah who is pictured with his mum, Lt Tiphanie Duncan, and Mr Sandy Manson, Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, who presented the certificate
Congratulations to our Battalion President, Marc Thomson, who was presented with his Bronze Long Service Award by Mr Sandy Manson, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, yesterday evening.
The award recognises his 15 years as a volunteer officer with the Boys’ Brigade within the 1st Fraserburgh, 1st Rosehearty and the Buchan Battalion. The President was surprised on the evening when the award appeared from “the Captain’s Mother’s handbag”.
We all send our congratulations to the Battalion President on this well deserved recognition.
The award was introduced by the Captain of the 1st Rosehearty, who said the following words about Mr Thomson:
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“Although celebrating 15 years as an officer, Marc has been a member of the Boys’ Brigade for a great many years more than that. He first joined the 1st Fraserburgh Anchor Boys back in 1994 at the age of 5, meaning he has been a BB member for nearly 29 years. As it happens it would have been that year I first met him in Mrs Watt’s Anchor Boys, but I have no memory of it.
Making his way through the Junior Section he joined Alastair Sinclair’s Bugle Band with the 1st Fraserburgh, attending the national bands competition on an annual basis on the drum. All the while, in the Company Section, ‘Keno’ proved to be very able at the PT work learning a great deal from Mr Muirhead on the buck and the horse. He achieved the Queen’s Badge in 2007 and the following year became an officer of the Boys’ Brigade with the 1st Fraserburgh.
As an officer he has played a very active role in the Fraserburgh Company. As early as c.2011 he was placed in charge of the Seniors Challenge+ badgework and through that had his first appointment to the Battalion Executive as convener of the seniors group. As the years have gone on he has continued to play an active role in instructing drill and PT work as well as organising annual camps.
In May 2017 he was appointed Vice-President of the Buchan Battalion and as a result was also appointed Chair of the Battalion Company and Seniors Committee in preparation for his elevation to the top job – Battalion President – in March 2022. His enthusiasm has massively helped in the Battalion’s recovery from COVID-19 with a full and growing number of Battalion competitions being reintroduced to the area. I know from speaking to other Captains and Officers around our Battalion that his personal interest and keenness to celebrate the achievements of companies, young people and officers by way of letters and visits has been very much appreciated by all who have been in receipt of them.
What about this Company [1st Rosehearty]? It was on the 25th March 2018, at the Battalion Parade at New Pitsligo, that he had a very brief chat with me about Rosehearty. The previous evening he had bumped into my Uncle at the Davron Bar and the question was asked of him “Why isn’t there a Boys’ Brigade in Rosehearty”? The next morning, at that parade, Marc told me of this question (and the offer of a donation to get it started) and it was asked – half jokingly I suppose – if we could set up a new Junior Section in Rosehearty.
I have to say that if anyone else had asked me, I would probably have said no. It was never going to be an easy job.
I said yes for two reasons. In the first instance I knew I was being asked by someone who was dependable, committed and skilled in BB work. I knew he had a successful record in other BB projects. And I knew that because he wanted it to work that he would put in 110%. On those scores he has yet to prove me wrong. In five years we have gone from being a Company at risk of closure, to one of the strongest in the Battalion and in that effort his contribution has been immeasurable. The second reason I said yes; it was a chance to do something good with one of my oldest friends.
Like most awards in Buchan, this is an occasion where we celebrate not only the quantity of years but the quality of the service to back it up. He has done more than you will ever hear about and more than he will ever take the credit for. It may be a Bronze award for the years given, but it’s a Gold award for the time, talent and dedication gifted to our Battalion and Company to make it better for the young people we serve.
It gives me great pleasure to invite the Lord-Lieutenant to present our Battalion President with his Bronze Long Service Award”.
We are delighted to announce that Noah Duncan, 1st Rosehearty Company, has been awarded the President’s Commendation for his conduct and actions whilst a family member suffered a medical emergency. This national award was confirmed by email by John Sharp, BB lead for Scotland.
The Captain and Officers-in-Charge of the Company nominated Noah for the award after they learned about the distressing incident which occurred at home. When the family member showed signs of illness Noah first tried to get help from other relatives by phone but when the situation worsened he was forced to act and treat his ‘patient’ whilst waiting for professional help. After the paramedics arrived, they made it clear that his quick thinking and actions most likely saved life.
All at the 1st Rosehearty are extremely proud of Noah for his actions on that day. In the nomination the Captain mentioned how Noah himself lives with the condition which caused this medical episode and so his knowledge of it would have been crucial in dealing with the incident.
This will be the second President’s Commendation awarded to a member of the 1st Rosehearty, this first being awarded to Jack Irvine in 2021.
Noah will be presented with his official President’s Commendation award certificate at a later date during our Centenary year!
Well done Noah!
With a month to go until our first ever Queen’s Badge and President’s Badge celebration we are delighted to advise that Iain Hamilton, Aberdeen Battalion, has accepted our invitation to be Chief Guest.
As Training Convener for the North Scottish Area his face will be a familiar one to Queen’s Badge Recipients whilst those who attend the NSA residential courses will get to know him over the next two years.
A reminder that all recipients of the Queen’s and President’s Badges are invited to attend this celebration which should see representation from 1st Fraserburgh, 4th & 5th Fraserburgh, 1st New Pitsligo, 1st Rosehearty, 4th Peterhead and 1st Strichen.
All Officers from across the Battalion are invited to attend but numbers must be forwarded to the Battalion Secretary for catering provisions.
Well done to Ross Duthie & Marcus Stuart from the 1st Fraserburgh who received their Silver DofE Awards on Friday evening.
