Highland Games

As our theme this year is all things Scottish, our Committee on Arrangements planned a “mock” Highland Games”. This took place in Stanbridge East on May 6th. What a fun-filled, hilarious day it was. My ribs are going to be so sore from laughing by the time this year is over! Before the games started, we enjoyed a wonderful social gathering, during which we also formed our teams. My team was of course called the Marshall Team (as that is my actual clan). One team called the Yaxley Team (or should I say the McYaxley’s) actually had T-shirts printed up with their team name on it. Our Grand Sentinel, Doug Black brought along his family and they wore black T-Shirts. Doug’s wife, Helen, whose maiden name is White brought her family and they all wore white T-shirts, hence the Black & White Team! I believe there were about 12 teams total.

The games themselves were hilarious. We had the Sword Dance (where you had to try and be the first to get your tidly wink over the sword first), the sheaf toss (where you had to carry a Wheatabix between two sticks to your team mate), the Cabor Toss (where you had to shoot a decorated toothpick into a net), the Highland Fling (where you had to fling a tennis ball from a bra. When it came time for my team to do this, we broke the bra!), the Stone Throw (trying to get a water filled balloon into a mug – I won first prize on this event. Don’t ask me how I did that, but I won’t argue!). The last event was a Clan Relay. We were given a slimy, gel filled tube that we had to hold behind our back and run to pass to our team mate. We had to pass this to our team mate with our backs turned to each other. This event was not easy as the tube was very slippery and kept falling out our hands.



There was also a penalty of $1.00 for anyone who was not wearing tartan (of which I had to pay!). The Black and White team decided that they were going to oppose this fine by making their own Black and White tartan. Do you think it was justified?

After all the games were finished we sat down to a delicious meal made up of all different Scottish foods. Of course, the meal began with the parade of the Haggis. I had the honour of carrying in the haggis, accompanied by Brother Bill, WGP, after which Sister Bobby Hall, P.G.M. recited the Ode to a Haggis and of course, the Toast.




After the meal, we had the presentation of Trophies. These were all engraved with the Event title and which prize it was for.



Here are all the cooks hard at work and "The Boss", MacBobby Hall:


This was such a super day and I thank the Committee on Arrangements for all their hard work. The money raised for this event will be used to help finance our Grand Sessions in October.