The 1st Rosehearty will enrol for the new session on Tuesday 29th August at Rosehearty School. All sections are invited to enrol on that day.
Anchors and Juniors will then meet weekly from Tuesday 5th September (Anchors 5.30-6.30pm, Juniors 6.30-8pm).
Company and Seniors will meet weekly from Thursday 7th September, 7pm-9pm.
We look forward to seeing all existing members return and for new members to join us!
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.
Buchan Battalion was well represented at the Company Management Training hosted at Aberdeen & District Battalion HQ today!
Well done to the 9 Captains and Officers-in-Charge who attended from Buchan representing the 1st New Pitsligo, 4th Peterhead, 1st Fraserburgh, 4th & 5th Fraserburgh and 1st Rosehearty.
Thanks to Iain, David and Martin for running the course. And thanks to Martin for driving the mini-bus through.
Great to meet up with other officers from across the North and further afield, including Phillip from 2nd Turriff!
This afternoon a contingent from the Buchan Battalion was represented at the historic unveiling of a new Flag for Aberdeenshire in Fraserburgh!
The President and Hon. President were in attendance with representatives of the 1st Rosehearty, 1st Fraserburgh, 4th Fraserburgh and 5th Fraserburgh Companies.
Companies in the old Fraserburgh District of the Buchan Battalion are invited to attend the Fraserburgh Remembrance Sunday Parade and Church Service.
This will take place on Sunday, 13th November. Boys and Girls should meet at the Fraserburgh Royal British Legion (Hanover Street) for no later than 10am, the parade leaving at 10.15am for the Old Parish Church. It may be the town’s the last Remembrance ceremony in the town’s Kirk after a century, as the Church of Scotland seem adamant to close it to save them some money.
The service is expected to take about an hour (10.55am-12pm), after which the parade will march to the war memorial for a wreath laying ceremony. After this the parade will then return to the Legion building for approximately 12.45pm.
The Companies of the old Fraserburgh District include 1st, 4th, 5th Fraserburgh, 1st Sandhaven and 1st Rosehearty. Companies will parade under Battalion colours.
We look forward to seeing you on the 13th November.
Companies who normally attend commemorations at their own villages are encouraged to do so again this year, if commemorations are proceeding.
Well done to all teams who took part in this evening’s Buchan Battalion Unihoc competition. It was great to see so many boys turn out for the first competition of the year. Battalion President, Marc Thomson, handed out the medals to the following teams:
SENIORS
1st Place: 1st Fraserburgh = 3 points
2nd Place: 4th/5th Fraserburgh = 2 points
COMPANY
1st Place: 1st Strichen = 3 points
2nd Place: 1st Fraserburgh = 2 points
3rd Place: 1st Rosehearty = 1 point
The points will be collected through the year to decide who become battalion champions and win the Andra Buchan Memorial Shield!
