MEMBERS of the Druids Curling Club celebrated 50 years of competition at a special reunion lunch.

The club’s activities – like those of all sporting organisations in the Helensburgh area and far beyond – have been badly affected by the pandemic, but that only made the occasion all the more special as 49 past and present Druids gathered at Cardross Golf Club alongside six guests from clubs against whom the Druids play friendly matches each year.

The club was formed not in Helensburgh but by ladies in the Giffnock area of Glasgow who tried their hand at curling at the old Crossmyloof Ice Rink in 1971 once their children had gone to school.

Only in the 1980s did players from Helensburgh begin to appear on the ice for the Druids – the late Edith Benson was a friend of Maggie MacAulay, Druids president at the time, and Delia Irvine was friendly with Edith, and from then on it snowballed, with almost all the club’s members now from the Helensburgh area.

Retiring president Isabel Bone handed over her badge of office to Margaret Morrison, before Isabel and Margaret cut a special anniversary cake and Rosemary Robertson read the Curler’s Grace before lunch.

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Guest speaker Judy Mackenzie, who was made an MBE in 2009 for her services to the sport and in particular for her guidance and training of Scotland’s wheelchair curlers, amused the gathering with memories of Crossmyloof’s quirks and hazards, including occasions when freezing plants were less than reliable and drips fell from the roof on to ice like porridge, as well as her experiences representing Scotland on curling tours abroad.

Margaret Morrison thanked Judy and presented her with flowers and a gift from the club before thanking Michelle and all others at the golf club who had made the day run smoothly, before Caroleen Clark proposed a vote of thanks to the event’s organisers.

The club plays on Wednesdays most weeks from October until Easter, and new members are always welcome. Coaching will be given to help beginners.

For more information contact Margaret Morrison on 01436 676414 or Chris Henderson on 01436 820750.