THE GREEN BANNER. NEWSLETTER Clan Macpherson Association Canadian Branch GATHERING ISSUE. NEWS OF OUR MEMBERS By Denise Lagundzin, Registrar

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1 ell, here I m strting the second yer of three-yer term! The 68 th Gthering is behind us nd I ws plesed tht it went off well, s it ws my first effort orgnizing Brnch Annul Gthering. I offer my hertfelt thnks to Bob nd Sondr Archibld for their help with covering registrtion nd hosting the fternoon te fter the Kirkin o the Trtn. Jnet McCredie our new Hon Secretry, is lredy looking into our 69 th Gthering for next yer. Our membership survey sw gret prticiption by our members nd resulted welth of good ides to improve how our Brnch cn better serve its members. Members indicted tht more regionl ctivities would be desirble so Council hs THE GREEN BANNER NEWSLETTER Cln Mcpherson Assocition Cndin Brnch GATHERING ISSUE Vol. 11 Number 4 November 2017 NEWS OF OUR MEMBERS By Denise Lgundzin, Registrr s ince the lst issue of the Green Bnner, we sw successful Gthering nd AGM in Brntford with new member, Scott Mcpherson of Essex nd his spouse, prticipting for the first time. We herd from Ewn Mcpherson our Webmster, tht his fther, Professor Aln G Mcpherson, long time life member celebrted his 90th Birthdy. Our congrtultions to Aln on entering his ninth decde. On the membership front, We welcome three new nnul members who joined since September. Two of whom found us online. Mrlene Plce lives in Stoney Creek Ontrio with her husbnd Jim who joined CMA in Jim s Grndmother Mcpherson ws born in Scotlnd. Mrlene decided to join CMA this yer to support Jim nd his Mcpherson interest. Mrlene ws professionl home support worker for severl yers which entiled ssisting hndicpped ptients with their medicl devices to llow them to remin in their homes. She found being cregiver very rewrding work. Mrlene is member of locl five pin bowling legue nd is ctive in vetern s ffirs s volunteer. She belongs to the Veterns Service Legue s n Associte Member which includes volunteering s br stewrd for them on occsion. She is lso MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN w member of the Hmilton Light Infntry Veterns Club. Mrlene hs visited Scotlnd few times with Jim who ws serching out his Mcpherson roots. She lwys enjoys exploring different prts of Scotlnd. Ronld John Fox lives in Toronto with his wife Luci. While pursuing his mternl Mcpherson history, he hppened on the Cln website nd decided to join CMA. Ron is Professionl Aeronuticl Engineer who opertes business buying nd selling irplnes. His hobby is collecting stmps which he hs done since the ge of eight. He is proud of his old Cnd stmps in his collection. Dennis Mcpherson of Lunenburg Nov Scoti cme cross the Cln website while serching his roots, nd decided to join CMA. His gret-gret grndfther Neil emigrted from Scotlnd to Nov Scoti in the erly 1800 s. Dennis is Professionl Engineer with his own consultncy, McPherson Technicl Services, with clients in the power, gs, oil, nd mining industries cross Cnd. His min hobby is genelogy which Photo by Dee Engle he is ctively pursuing with visit to Scotlnd to seek out his ncestry. Dennis enjoys good red nd is trying his hnd t writing novel. He spends some of his time with music nd plys the guitr. We hope we will her him one of these dys t ceilidh. responded by setting up six new regions cross Cnd with Councilors in ech, chrged with implementing new ides for the Brnch. Council is reviewing the finncil implictions to use our funds to support the new regions. As one of the interviewers for the survey, I personlly found it very interesting to tlk to our members nd her wht they hd to sy, I represented our Brnch t the United Sttes Brnch Gthering nd AGM in Dlls this fll, following our Gthering in Brntford. This ws my first time s Cndin Chirmn nd it ws nice to meet new cln cousins nd renew former cquintnces. I lso found it interesting how the US Brnch Council mnges their ffirs. Continued on Pge November Pge 1

2 TREASURER S CORNER By Ken Gillis Honorry Tresurer t he Brnch is in good shpe finncilly s of the end of September. We hve $8,556 in our current ccount nd $11,131 in our Life Membership Fund. We re showing profit of $1,091 yer to dte t the end of September. The mount of profit on the yer is somewht misleding s I did not hve the finl bills from the Brntford Gthering. Since I closed the books for September, I hve received the finl bills for the Gthering s well s series of other bills for equipment purchses nd other smll items. The result is tht we re t bout brek even position yer to dte. The Brntford Gthering hd modest loss of less thn $100. The Gthering ws not well ttended, which ws most unfortunte for those of you who did not ttend, becuse you missed n excellent Gthering, t good venue, with delicious food nd greeble compnions. I congrtulte Ed Smith on n excellent job of orgnizing the event nd mnging the costs. I do not believe there will be ny other lrge expenses for the blnce of this yer. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS w e wish to thnk to following for their excellent contributions nd support to the November issue: John Brton (Scotlnd), Dnn Fitton, Ken Gillis, John C House, Jnet Mcpherson, Myles G Mcpherson, Robert T Mcpherson, Jmes G McPherson, Jmes M Smll, E. Roderick Smith, nd Ed Smith. THE GREEN BANNER Published three to four times ech yer to bring informtion of interest to the members of the Cndin Brnch of the Cln Mcpherson Assocition. Honorry Chirmn: RGM Mcpherson CM, KStJ, Officers: Ed Smith CD, Chirmn Ken Gillis, Honorry Tresurer Jnet McCredie, Honorry Secretry Denise Lgundzin, Registrr Immedite Pst Chirmn: Willim Mcpherson PEng Regionl Councillors: John C House, Estern Cnd Mjor Myles G Mcpherson CD, Quebec nd Estern ON Jnet Mcpherson, Centrl Ontrio E Roderick Smith, Ontrio West Robert T Mcpherson, Western Cnd Webmster: Ewn Mcpherson PhD Editor: John C House MOM, FSA (Scot). Editor Emeritus: Mrk F Mcpherson CD Inquiries nd rticles my be sent by emil to Cnd.Editor@clnmcpherson.org or by post to 318 Stnfield Avenue, Drtmouth NS, N0P 2K0 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Continued from Pge 1 I ws plesed to note tht our Council for 2018 is strting out with very few vcncies. I m looking forwrd to working with the new officers nd Regionl Councilors tht were elected, nd nticipte good yer hed. I ws little disppointed tht we hve not found Vice Chirmen yet, so I will be working with the Nominting Committee to fill this very importnt vcncy this coming yer. WE REMEMBER DEADLINE FOR MARCH ISSUE Yours Aye, Ed Smith CD. Hugh Edwrd Mcpherson joined CMA s life member in He pssed wy on August 24 t the ge of 89. Hugh ttended Brnch Gtherings nd generously contributed to the Life Member Fund to help to get it strted. He lso donted funds to the Cln Museum in Newtonmore. Hugh ws born in London, Ontrio nd grew up in Strtford. He grduted from Queen's University Kingston in 1951with degree in Civil Engineering, nd lter furthered his eduction in Business Administrtion t The University of Western Ontrio. As n engineering student, he spent his summers working for King Pving Compny Ltd. Following grdution, he strted his creer t Imperil Oil, then returned to King Pving. In 1983, he purchsed the compny now clled KPM Industries Ltd. nd ws Chirmn nd Chief Executive Officer t the time of his retirement. Hugh ws well respected for the ledership he provided, his unssuming generosity, nd mny contributions to his community such s: Queen's University Bursry Fund for Engineering Students, Joseph Brnt Memoril Hospitl, nd other medicl fcilities. Hugh ws n ctive member of the United Church, nd longstnding member nd director of The Burlington Golf nd Country Club. rticles, stories nd photos for the Mrch issue re due on the Editor s desk on Februry We look forwrd to input to the Green Bnner from ll members. Send your drfts or outlines s soon s possible to Cnd.Editor@cln-mcpherson.org 2017 November Pge 2

3 NEW COUNCIL FOR 2018 t he Brnch Council for 2018 ws elected t the Annul Generl Meeting. All positions were filled with the exception of the Vice Chirmn nd the Regionl Councilor for British Columbi. The Nominting Committee under its new Chir will be serching diligently to fill these two positions s soon s possible. Ex Officio Honorry Chirmn Immedite Pst Chirmn Officers Chirmn Vice Chirmn Hon. Secretry Hon. Tresurer Registrr RGM Mcpherson CM, KStJ Willim Mcpherson PEng. Edwrd Smith CD Vcnt Jnet McCredie Ken Gillis Denise Lgundzin Regionl Councillors Estern Cnd John C House MOM Quebec nd Estern Ontrio Myles G Mcpherson CD Centrl Ontrio Jnet Anne McPherson Western Cnd Robert T Mcpherson Bri sh Columbi Editor Webmster Socil Medi Coordintor Chirmn Nomin ng Commi ee Vcnt Appointments for 2018 mde by Council APPRECIATION t John C House MOM Ewn A Mcpherson PhD Vcnt Willim Mcpherson PEng. he Cndin Brnch wishes to thnk the members of Council, who stepped down this yer, for their loyl service nd support. Chntl McPherson who ws the Registrr for 5 yers nd lst yer, the Honorry Secretry. Helen Mcpherson-Potts Provincil Councillor British Columbi for 3 yers. Donld E Person Provincil Councillor Albert for the pst 8 yers. Bruce Gillis QC Provincil Councillor Nov Scoti for the pst 6 yers. FIRST-TIME BRANCH OFFICERS Jnet McCredie (née Mcpherson), Hon Secretry, joined CMA s life member in She hd 31-yer creer in elementry eduction, first s techer for 17 yers nd then s principl in London Ontrio. After retiring she ws clled bck to run French immersion progrm t the elementry level, which she finds interesting indeed, s she feels tht the French Lnguge is not her strongest suite. Jnet hs been collecting quilts s hobby nd is now embrking on designing nd sewing them herself in her spre time. Photo by Dee Jnet is looking forwrd to tking on the role of Brnch Secretry nd volunteered to be convener for the 2018 Brnch Gthering, She hs strted work on the Gthering lredy nd expects to nnounce the pln for it erly in 2018 so we cn ll mrk our clendrs. Denise Lgundzin, Registrr, lives with her husbnd Mike in Whitby Ontrio. She joined CMA in 2017 nd enthusisticlly responded to request by Ed Smith to ccept the nomintion to Council s Registrr for the coming yer. Denise worked for Autotrder for 17 yers in dministrtive positions, which provided her with unique experience pplicble to being our Registrr. Denise enjoys cooking nd hs tken on the hobby of trying t lest one new recipe week. Her second hobby is photogrphy which will lso be useful in CMA, s we lwys need imges from our events for the Green Bnner. Denise volunteers s guide t The Lynde House Museum & Visitor Centre operted by the Whitby Historicl Society. Her connection to Cln Mcpherson is through her mternl gret-grndmother Mrgret Mcpherson. Denise visited Scotlnd this fll to follow her roots. Denise nd Mike hve three beutiful dughters, four grndsons nd two grnddughters Brnch Council 2018 present t AGM Mrk Mcpherson Former Chir, Rod Smith Regionl Councillor, Denise Lgundzin Registrr, Ken Gills Hon Tresurer, Gordon Mcpherson Honorry Chirmn, Ed Smith Chirmn, Jnet McCredie Hon Secretry, Ewn Mcpherson Webmster, Bob Archibld Former Chir. Missing: Regionl Councillors, John House, Myles Mcpherson, Jnet Mcpherson, Robert T Mcpherson 2017 November Pge 3

4 MEET THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCILLORS Regionl Councillor Estern Cnd John C House MOM, FSA Scot joined CMA in He served s Provincil Councilor Newfoundlnd nd Lbrdor from 2013 to John grew up in southwestern Newfoundlnd community clled the Highlnds, where his mternl forberers included Mcphersons tht hd emigrted vi Cpe Breton from western Scotlnd during the erly nineteenth century. John ws member of the Royl Newfoundlnd Constbulry for more thn 30 yers, nd retired s Superintendent. He then moved to Hlifx with his wife Penny to tke positon in the Nov Scoti Ombudsmn s Office. John studied t Memoril University nd completed Mster of Science Degree in Investigtive Psychology t the University of Surrey in Englnd. In 2014 he grduted with Mster of Letters from the University of the Highlnds nd Islnds. His topic ws the Viking Age in Scotlnd. He is continuing grdute studies in Scottish history. In 2009, John ws invested s Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (MOM) in recognition of his contributions to policing cross his creer. In 2016 he ws elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquries of Scotlnd. Photo by Dee Regionl Councillor Quebec nd Estern Ontrio Mjor Myles G Mcpherson CD lives in Kirklnd QC with his wife Lind Zem, who is life member nd his dughter Arielle who is n nnul member. Myles joined CMA s life member in 2001 nd in 2009 he ws elected to Council s Provincil Councilor for Quebec. He hs ttended Cln Gtherings in Bdenoch s well s severl Gtherings in Cnd. Myles is grdute of Concordi University nd holds Bchelor of Commerce nd Mster of Business Administrtion degrees. He presently serves with the Cndin Armed Forces s stff officer in Ottw. He is federlly licensed mteur rdio opertor, but his principl hobby is model rilroding for which he is building n extensive N scle setup in his bsement. Regionl Councillor Centrl Ontrio Jnet McPherson of Toronto Ontrio joined CMA in 2002 when Mry-Mrgret Gillies, long-time member with whom she ws working t the time, convinced her to become member. She ws impressed when she visited Scotlnd to ttend the Cln Mcpherson Gthering in Bdenoch shortly fter joining CMA. Jnet grew up in Moncton NB, nd grduted first from Mt. Allison University, then Emmnuel College of Victori Univer- sity t the University of Toronto. Jnet ws commissioned in the United Church of Cnd in 1969 nd ws missionry in Jpn. After returning to Cnd she worked t the United Church s ntionl office nd the Cndin Council of Churches until she retired. She continues her connection with church volunteer work. Tht keeps her busy! Regionl Councillor Ontrio West Rod Smith joined the CMA in 1998 nd served on Council from 2000 to He Photo by Dee ws born in North By nd ws rised in Wterloo, Ontrio. He is grdute of both Wterloo nd Lurier Universities with degree in Environmentl Studies nd mster s degree in pstorl counselling nd fmily therpy. He followed creer in building science engineering nd building restortion with mjor consulting firms. Rod hs been involved with Scouts for decdes s triner nd district commissioner. He continues his voction in scouting tody. He is ctive with the 78 th Frser Highlnders, heritge unit tht supports young people who come to lern nd ply the pipes nd drums during the summer while reencting 18 th century militry drill for the public. Rod joined the Order of St Lzrus in 2005, chritble orgniztion dedicted to the relief of humn suffering. He is the Tresurer for the Western Ontrio Commndery of this Order of Chivlry. Regionl Councillor Western Cnd Robert Thoms (Bob) Mcpherson who lives in Cochrne, Albert, joined CMA in 2014 He ws born in Drumheller nd rised in Hnn, Albert. Bob is fourth genertion Cndin Scot whose gret-gretgrndfther cme to Elgin County, Ontrio in the mid 1800's from the Trbert re of Kintyre, Scotlnd. He hs mny distnt reltives in the St. Thoms re of Ontrio. Bob hs keen interest in nd love of his Scottish heritge. He nd his wife, Sylvi, hve been to Scotlnd four times so fr nd ttended the Cln Gthering in 2015 with plns of ttending gin in Bob nd Sylvi hve hosted Burns' night for over thirty yers. Bob lso hd the honour of giving Tost to the Lssies nd delivering the Immortl Memory t some of the Grnde Pririe Burns' suppers. Bob spent his creer s techer in Grnde Pririe before retiring to Cochrne Albert to be close to the three children nd two grndchildren living in Clgry. After ttending mny Highlnd gmes nd Burns' suppers in Grnde Pririe, Bob strted ttending gmes in Clgry nd Cnmore the lst few yers nd is looking forwrd to incresing our presence there to drum up interest in CMA in the west, strting in Albert November Pge 4

5 FITTON FAMILY GOES TO SCOTLAND By Dnn Fitton s cotlnd truly is for ll ges nd stges. We were very fortunte to be ble to spend the lst two weeks of July in Scotlnd with our children, Simon, nd Courtney with her prtner Adm Fir, nd our grndchildren, Ett, one nd Elliot, four. I know you might be questioning our snity, but we ll greed tht the trip exceeded ll of our expecttions. You cn t get better thn tht. We rented flt in Edinburgh for five dys, which llowed us to ctch up with former CMA Chirs Sndy nd Ctherine Mcpherson, s well s spend n evening with Shelgh nd husbnd Alstir Noble. Mid-week we visited Sndy nd Ctherine s son, Bruce, nd his wife Michelle t their wonderful old home outside Peebles in the Borders region. The rest of the time, we explored Edinburgh, often meeting up in prks to listen to music, let the children ply nd hve beer from locl tent. Climbing Arthur s Set ws populr with ll including the four yer old. Grn (me), hd to keep Ett busy on the nerby green spce. Drn! Elliot ws in serch of cstles nd ws thrilled when his fther bought him plstic sword in scbbrd while visiting Edinburgh Cstle. Somehow his mother discovered s she climbed Arthur s Set, tht she ws still crrying Elliot s sword nd Elliot ws still t the bottom of the hill with Dddy nd probbly wondering wht hppened to his sword. I guess she felt tht she needed to led the chrge. nd the Folk Museum. We did them ll, nd the children loved being out nd bout. We visited pubs nd cfés, nd did tke-out from the Glen Hotel to shre in our own dining room on our lst night together. Visiting the Cln Mcpherson Museum with our fmily ws specil. Ruisert the curtor, found the cromch donted by my fther, Dn Gillies of Whetley. Ech of us hd turn crrying it s we explored the museum. Young Elliot ws intrigued by the sword which lso hd been donted by his Gret Popp. The cot of rms of Uncle John Gillies former Chir of the Cndin Brnch, ws on the wll of the Herldry room, which is n mzing collection of colours nd designs. Of course, the highlight of this week ws going to Blirgowrie ner Perth, to hve lunch with Cluny nd Hilry t Newton Cstle. They were in good helth, wonderful spirits nd the rin stopped s soon s we rrived. It ws such plesure for us to be with them gin, nd we were hppy to be ble to introduce Adm nd the children to our Chief.. Photo by Adm Fir Lunch t Newton Cstle Left to right: Hilry Ldy Birnm, Cluny, Simon, Ron, Dnn, nd Courtney I hertily recommend fmily trip such s this- some time together, some time prt. There seemed to be something for everyone. Our children re lredy indicting tht they wnt to go bck, perhps to explore Adm s Ross roots, to check out the islnds nd the North. If Ron nd I re lucky, they might invite us to come long! Arthur s Set ner Holyrood Plce Photo from the Internet The blnce of our trip ws spent t Netherwood, wonderful house in Newtonmore, once owned by Sndy s unt. It ws very interesting being there out of Gthering time. There re mny things to do from tht loction such s, bicycling, hiking mny trils, visiting Dlwhinnie Distillery, Rhuthven Brrcks Dnn Fitton (neé Gillies) lives in Scrborough Ontrio nd hs been involved with the Cln Mcpherson Assocition for over thirty yers, inspired by her fther, Dn Gillies of Whetley, who ws very ctive member, Dnn nd her extended fmily often joined him t gtherings in Scotlnd nd Cnd to enjoy time together nd to celebrte our Cln heritge. Dnn ws techer in Toronto nd hd the plesure of teching not only dolescents, but lso dults who cme bck to school to finish their eduction or to get Cndin credentils nd experience in Cndin workplce. Dnn is ctive in community choir clled Shout Sister, nd hs lwys been involved in her community nd church orgniztions. She nd her husbnd Ron re getting redy to move into condo nd re looking forwrd to new dventures once the work of downsizing is complete November Pge 5

6 THE COLONEL, THE LAIRD, AND MY FAMILY Rev. Jmes Mcpherson Smll ll Peoples throughout history hve wnted to record their history whether in song, story, memory, or writing in some form or other. The Scots re definitely People... with long history. It is good to reflect on our history, with its vrious vgries. But tht is lengthy possibility, so I m breking into my history by beginning with Lt. Col. Donld Mcpherson who commnded the Kingston Grrison during the Wr of 1812 nd ws my gretgret-gret-grndfther. Lt. Col. Donld ws born in Lggn in 1755, joined the rmy, nd pursued militry creer when he cme to Cnd. He mrried Elspeth Mcpherson in Scotlnd, nd they hd son Alln, who ws bptized in the Prish of Lggn in Lt Col Donld Mcpherson Circ 1800 businessmn who invested in the goverment grist mill. His other interests included distillery, sw mill which ws n integrl prt of his lumber business, nd he lso estblished the first newspper in Npnee. As leding member of his community he took on government ppointments nd ws the first postmster in Npnee, nd Justice of the Pece. He ws lso ppointed Crown Lnds nd Immigrtion gent. Alln hd n interest in eduction like mny Scots nd built, t his own expense, the first school house in the villge. In 1809 my gret-gret- grndfther Alln cme to Cnd from Bdenoch t the ge of 22, eventully settling in Npnee to the west of Kingston where he becme leding Alln Mcpherson Th e Lird circ 1858 Topping ll this off he built his new home on the other side of the Npnee river from the villge. Alln s house ws considered to be the most imposing building of its kind in Npnee by the locls. Becuse of this he becme known s the Lird. Mcpherson House, Npnee tody I grew up hering of my gret-gret-grndfther s prctice of grub-stking (finncilly supporting) people who went to work in the wooded unknown north in wht is now the well-settled County of Lennox nd Addington in Ontrio. Alln nd Mry hd 4 sons Richrd, Donld, Alexnder, nd Jmes; nd three dughters Henriett, Emm Jessie, nd Willin [who died young]. Their son Richrd my gret-grndfther, mrried Emm Jckson, nd in time they hd dughter Mry [known s Minnie]. Minnie mrried my grndfther, Henry Beumont Smll medicl doctor nd surgeon in Ottw. Henry nd Minnie hd three children; Dorothy, nd her sister Mrjorie [known to us s Aunt Mc] who did not mrry, but kept the house nd home of the Doctor fter Minnie died, nd son Richrd my fther, who mrried Mry Elizbeth Mrtin. Mry (Minnie) Mcpherson Smll circ 1878 In the fullness of time, Richrd nd Mry hd two sons, my brother, Richrd Mrtin Beumont Smll, nd I Jmes Mcpherson Smll who mrried Jon Frnces Blckwell. Jon nd I were blessed with two sons Keith Mcpherson Smll nd Gordon Richrd Jmes Smll. Gordon who lives in St Hubert QC now hs young son Mthieu. So the fmily continues... Richrd nd Emm Mcpherson Circ 1865 Jmes Smll with sons Gordon on left nd Keith on right 2017 November Pge 6

7 MCPHERSON S SCHOOL, BRANT COUNTY By Jmes G McPherson of Creemore ugust 6 th of this Cnd 150 th yer mrked the first ever reunion of McPherson s School, little yellow brick school house tht stnds t the corner of Scenic Drive nd McPherson School Rod bout one mile north of Blue Lke in the County of Brnt, Ontrio, Cnd. The event ttrcted, in my words t the time, ll who went to the school, wish they hd gone to the school, or re just plin curious s to wht life ws like ttending clssic one room rurl school. The event fetured, in honour of Cnd s 150 th birthdy, re-dediction of the school s bell which exctly 50 yers prior ws mounted on solid grnite stone mrked by Cnd Centennil plque with the words Site of McPherson s School, SS#10, , Dedicted Aug. 6 th Hppily, ginst ll expecttions t tht time, the school building is not only stnding, it is lovingly cred for by the present owners Suznne Sewrd nd Pul Stouffer. They grciously llowed the school nd school yrd to be open to ll. While the interior is completely re-done s modern comfortble country home, the McPherson s School SS 10 wrm brick outside wlls stnd tll nd the front hve been meticulously restored to its originl configurtion. The bricks ber the nmes (nd for those less dring, only the initils) of most former students, nd re still there to be seen, fingered nd the circumstnces of their being crved by nil or jckknife were reclled or imgined. Mny of the nmes recorded of McPherson children who ttended from two djcent frms, one of which is still owned by McPhersons who first settled in this bit of Brnt (s emigrnts from Btvi, Genesee County, New York Stte) in the erly 1820 s. This building bespeks Cnd, being built 3 yers fter Confedertion t cost of $816 on lnd given by Dniel McPherson t the corner of his frm. Clsses cesed in 1961 s better rods nd greter mobility led to new er of consolidtion. But hppily gin, not only is the school stnding, but so re mny of its grdutes from the 1930 s onwrd. By grpevine nd socil medi, word of the Reunion spred nd 89 ttendees from Cnd, Stte of Wshington, Minnesot nd Illinois gthered to recll, perhps for the lst time, the times when the school bubbled with lughter or ws silenced by the crck of the strp! But good times by fr previled, despite no phone, no running wter, no internet nd very little money. The Brntford Expositor newspper cptured the mood when it reported tht the Reunion hd ll the ermrks of wrm fmily homecoming. Written remrks from Audrey Wnn (neé McPherson ) of Tucson AZ who t 96 declined to ttend becuse she hd nother rod trip, relting her memories of being disciplined in the woodshed. Recollections of Dr. Duncn McPherson of Vncouver regrding summer trget prctice t the bell with his 22 when nobody ws round dded to the humour of the dy. Myor Ron Eddy of Brnt spoke nd noted the importnce to our history of hving such public structures preserved by finding new uses for them, s they re irreplceble reminders. The old school bell, newly pinted nd polished nd showcsed by fresh lndscping, ws unveiled by Aln nd Flor McPherson of Clgry (gret-gret grndchildren of Dniel), nd Mrgret (neé McPherson) Scheske nd her dughter Jenn who reside in the djcent McPherson frmhouse. They were ssisted by Dolores Gllgher, the oldest former pupil present. A Cln Mcpherson trtn blnket served dmirbly for this occsion s cover. I sked ll present to join me in rededicting this bell this ringing symbol of our school, our community nd ourselves. As the blnket ws pulled side O Cnd ws sung nd hppy dy drew to close. Following the redediction of the school bell, I sked my grnddughter Flor McPherson to ring the bell with smll hmmer to mke sure the bell rng true. It did,nd brought bck finl memory for ll who were present 2017 November Pge 7

8 68TH ANNUAL GATHERING By Mrk Mcpherson About 24 members nd guests congregted for the Chirmn s Reception nd ceilidh hosted by Ed Smith t the Best Western Brntford on Fridy evening September 15. Our congenil host hd rrnged for the Royl Scottish Country Dnce Society Hmilton ON Brnch Dnce Demonstrtion Tem to present demonstrtion of Scottish Country Dncing with members of the udience joining in t the request of the dncers. All enjoyed the reels nd Strthspeys. Ed brought out his Scottish song list nd everyone joined in gret sing-song long with few tlented individul performnces. A snck of cold cuts nd slds ws lid on with n open br which ws enjoyed immensely. Hmilton Dnce Group giving demonstrtion of Scottish country dncing Once the exciting business of the Annul Generl Meeting ws out of the wy on Sturdy morning, members dispersed for the fternoon to tke in the interesting sites round Brntford, to do some locl shopping, or just relx nd let the world pss by. Ewn our Webmster nd Piper, visited the Bell homested nd reported: Visited the Alexnder Grhm Bell homested. The young mn giving tours ws very knowledgeble. I hd been looking forwrd to this hving recently red Chrlotte Gry s biogrphy of Bell nd lso Dr. Cluny s ccount of meeting Bell on trin nd lerning the story of the Lost Portrit. Gret to see the Bells first North Americn home nd mny of their originl possessions June nd Mrk went to the Cndin Militry Heritge Museum nd enjoyed the visit. There is more on this visit in seprte rticle. The forml highlnd dinner which is lwys feture of our Gthering ws excellent, with most members complimenting the qulity of the food, prticulrly the hggis. Bill Mcpherson former Chir nd Robbie Burns devotee, gve the ddress to the hggis with his usul flir. Ewn who hd piped in the hed tble nd the hggis, fter dinner gve fine demonstrtion of his rt. Then n innovtion this yer, t lest something we hven t seen for while, we hd guest speker on Scottish subject, s requested by mny members who hd responded to the membership survey erlier this yer. The keynote speker ws Dr. Jmes Frser of the University of Guelph who ddressed the problems of Professor Jmes Frzer ddressing the dinner reserching Scottish history which is bsed on minly orl trdition where fcts nd myths tend to be mixed up. Ewn introduced nd red Dr. Cluny Mcpherson s recollection of chnce encounter with Alexnder Grhm Bell on trin heded to Montrel, where Cluny ws to begin his medicl studies, ged 17. Bell s fther ws friendly with the St. John s Mcphersons in his youth, nd Bell hd lso visited them when Cluny ws child. Bell recounted the story (entirely unknown to Cluny) of the Lost Portrit of Cluny s gret-grndfther. The portrit hd been lost t se, but ws lter discovered by chnce by Cluny s grndfther hnging in cottge on the west cost of Irelnd. For Dr. Cluny s full ccount, see cluny (Notebook 2, pge 32). Bill presented the story of Cluny s Cge where our Chief hid out following the bttle of Culloden. These fter-dinner tlks were generlly well-received. Some members suggested tht sound system would hve mde it esier to understnd ll tht the spekers were presenting. Ed hving the guest speker mke the first drw to strt the prde of lucky winners with Dee Engle looking on. Continued on pge November Pge 8

9 YOUR OPINION COUNTED By Mrk Mcpherson w ell we did it! We tlked to every member who wished to prticipte in our lndmrk survey, the purpose of which ws to find out how to find new members nd keep those who hd joined. A questionnire ws designed nd tested. Then members were clled by other members who hd volunteered to do telephone interviews. Prticipnts lso hd the option of completing the survey on their own nd returning the questionnire by emil. In the end 61% of our members completed the survey, which is n excellent response. A totl of 244 suggestions were offered to improve recruiting, retention, the events offered by the Brnch, nd communictions with our members. When sked why they joined, most members not surprisingly, checked ffilition with Cln Mcpherson, interest in cln history, or following their roots. A significnt number felt the messge put out by CMA ws not cler, nd mny felt the use of socil medi such s Fcebook should be hrnessed to enhnce the imge of CMA. We hve been looking for someone to serve on Council to do just tht! We re still looking. When sked bout the orgniztion of the Governing Council of the Brnch, significnt minority felt they did not know much bout it, but the mjority felt it ws importnt to the Brnch. You will note in this issue of the Green Bnner we hve tken gret pins to inform everybody of the orgniztion nd composition of Council. One of the key issues rised in the survey ws tht members in generl were not ble to ttend the events offered by the Brnch, nd tht more regionl nd possibly fmily-oriented events were necessry. The Council hs reorgnized the Brnch into six regions to ddress these issues. We re exmining the possibility of fmily-friendly summer events s well. We hve to develop our messge nd prepre mteril tht our existing members cn use to bring in new people. We know there re mny out there with the nme Mcpherson, or of the llied fmily nmes, who don t know bout the CMA. These people my be interested in joining if they hve the sme motivtion s those of us who re lredy members. We just hve to find them nd tlk to them. You cn find the complete report of the survey on our privte pge on the Cln website t cnd/membersdocs/membersonly2017.html 68TH ANNUAL GATHERING Continued from pge 8 Everyone enjoyed the prize drw mnged by Ed who mde sure of firness by hving the previous winner drw the next ticket. There were hppy winners nd less hppy losers s usul. Ewn reported ltely tht he is still enjoying his prize drm by drm! On Sundy those of us tht could, got up nd met t the Centrl Presbyterin Church in downtown Brntford to be piped in by Ewn. We were greeted by Worship Leder Anne Miller who ws officiting, nd then we joined the congregtion. Ed, Ken Gillis, nd Rod Smith did us proud with their redings of the scriptures. It ws n impressive church, mking for n enjoyble occsion. At the Centrl Presbyterin Church Bck row: Rod Smith, Bob Archibld (Port Hope) Ken Gillis (obscured), Mrs. Duncn McPherson, Duncn Scott McPherson, Mrk Mcpherson Front row: Kim Griffiths, Robert W Archibld, Mrlene Archibld (Port Hope), Ed Smith, Dee Engle, Ell Gillis, June Mcpherson, Ewn Mcpherson In the fternoon, Bob nd Sondr Archibld hosted n outdoor luncheon t their beutiful home in Brntford. We were blessed with nice sunny dy, so the fellowship ws gret nd the food nd wine mgnificent. Everyone is looking forwrd to next yer when we will be celebrting out 69 th Gthering. Mître d'hôtel: 'Are you here for specil occsion?' Cmpbell: 'Aye, we won the third prize in the nnul Robert Burns Contest, hggis dinner for two.' Mître d'hôtel: 'Wht were the other prizes?' Cmpbell: The second prize ws single hggis dinner, nd, if you won the first prize, you didne hve to et the hggis.' Enjoying fellowship t the luncheon Our genil host, Robert W Archibld, Bob Archibld (Port Hope) Ken Gillis, nd Ed Smith 2017 November Pge 9

10 TARTANS! TARTANS! TARTANS! By John Brton t rtn s we know it tody is not thought to hve existed in Scotlnd before the 16th century. From tht time, there re numerous references to striped or checkered plids, but it is not until the lte 17th or erly 18th century tht ny kind of uniformity in trtn is thought to hve occurred. Even then, those trtns pper to hve been territoril nd were not necessrily ssocited with ny prticulr fmily. As Highlnd regiments in the British rmy multiplied, their trtn uniforms were differentited, nd this my hve given birth to the ide of differentiting the trtn tht might be worn by ech cln. Depending upon how "different trtn" is defined, it hs been estimted tht there re now bout 3,500 to 7,000 different trtns, with round 150 new designs being creted every yer. The officil Scottish Register of Trtns ws estblished in 2009, The Register is mintined nd dministrted by the Ntionl Archives of Scotlnd, sttutory body bsed in Edinburgh. The Scottish Register of Trtns is not selective, nd records no less thn thirty-one Mcpherson trtns1 The Hunting Mcpherson The Hunting Mcpherson is instntly recognizble. In the Cln Museum t Newtonmore, there is mgnificent life-size pinting of Ewen Mcpherson ( Old Cluny ) who succeeded his fther s Chief in 1817 nd who died in Old Cluny is wering kilt nd plid of the Hunting trtn. In the pinting, the sett of the trtn is unusully lrge. More recently, smller sett of the Hunting trtn hs been generlly preferred. Erly records show two forms of the Hunting trtn with grey bckground or white bckground. It is open to suggestion tht the grey version my be the originl, reflecting the nturl colour of the wool without bleching. The White or Dress Mcpherson This trtn my be of similr ntiquity to the Hunting. In its erly form, it hd three white strips, nd usully there were lso two prllel purple strips. This trtn ws known s the brecn gls (the pied wgtil) reflecting it s lrgely blck nd white colouring. The figure depicted by R R McIn nd published in his The Clns of the Scottish Highlnds (1845) is shown s wering this trtn; nd it ws silk scrf of the sme trtn which Robert Louis Stevenson wore s child in the 1850s). Old Cluny cknowledged the ntiquity of this version, but preferred the vrition in which the second of the three lines ppers in yellow. This is now the preferred version nd the kilt in this trtn is usully worn with forml dress. The Red Mcpherson There re no erly pintings showing the Red Mcpherson, nd there is no evidence tht it ws worn prior to the beginning of the 19 th Century. However, it hs been included in most collections since tht time, lbeit with vrying hues within the sme colour pttern. More recently, there hs been n increse in the populrity of the wethered or muted colours: but such colours hve not resulted in seprte registrtion. The Registers lso contin nother less fmilir Red Mcpherson of recent origin. On looking closely, the pttern follows the design of the White Mcpherson, but with red bckground! Other Mcpherson Trtns Wht of the mny other Mcpherson trtns on the estblished Scottish Register of Trtns? A gret number re designted s Exmples of modern dnce trtns dnce trtns. Typicl of the trtns to be seen in the dnce competitions t Highlnd Gmes, they re ll very colourful nd pper to be bsed on the white dress trtn. However, outside of the dnce scene, they re rrely worn. A few fmily trtns hve lso been registered in recent times for exmple, the Glentruim trtn, designed by Lochcrron for the lte Ewen Mcpherson of Glentruim. Its dominnt colour is green, nd it is proudly worn by members of tht fmily. Wht is the Correct Trtn? The selecting of trtn of new kilt or other grment is mtter of personl choice. For those wishing to degree of conformity, one my wish to choose from mong the generlly ccepted trtns. However, the design of mny of the trtns hs evolved over the centuries. It is lwys open to members of the Cln to innovte nd it will be the test of time to decide whether ny such vritions will come to be ccepted in the future November Pge 10

11 ALAN G MAPHERSON TURNS 90 By Ewn A Mcpherson PhD y fther, our cln historin nd Senchidh, Professor Aln G. Mcpherson PhD celebrted his 90th birthdy on Thursdy 28th September Aln is the uthor severl books relting to Cln Mcpherson including, A Dy's Mrch to Ruin [ documentry nrrtive of the Bdenoch Men in the 'Forty-Five nd biogrphy of Col. Ewn Mcpherson of Cluny, ] nd The Posterity of The Three Brethren - Short History of the Cln Mcpherson. Copies of Aln's books re vilble from the Cln Museum. Aln is interested in the reltionship of DNA to genelogy nd mounted reserch project on this within the Cln few yers go. Countless members of the Cln Assocition re grteful to Aln for his time nd knowledge willingly given regrding their genelogy nd other historicl mtters for over 60 yers. The lyout of the Cln Museum, prticulrly the Photo by Dr. Joyce Mcpherson pre-victorin period, is lrgely Aln G Mcpherson 2005 due to Aln s guidnce nd direction. Aln nd his wife of mny yers Joyce, now reside in London Ontrio. Declining helth in recent yers hs prevented him from pursuing his Cln nd other cdemic reserch, but he is plesed tht his contributions over the yers hve been pprecited by Cln Mcpherson. This rticle is bsed on mteril posted to Fcebook by Ewen S L Mcpherson BRANCH CONSTITUTION c onstitutions re not normlly considered n exciting prt of life unless you re lwyer or like to red erudite text. However in the interest of consistency nd good governnce it is importnt to hve the objectives nd rules governing n orgniztion written down for reference by those who re chrged by the membership with mnging its opertion. Lst yer the Council tbled n updte to the Cndin Brnch Constitution nd sked for comments from our membership t lrge, nd pprovl from the CMA Council in Scotlnd. The mendments were subsequently dopted t the Annul Generl meeting in Brntford this yer. The finl pproved nd dopted Constitution my be found t the Cndin Brnch member s privte spce on the Cln website t Hve good red! m FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR By Mrk F Mcpherson fter eleven volumes of the Green Bnner nd ten yers of publiction it is time to pss the Editor torch to n up nd coming competent new person. I hve enjoyed immensely my term s Editor nd I m plesed tht our newsletter hs gone from one pge t the beginning of 2007 with the Editor dong most of the writing, to n verge of 12 pges with mny contributors, not only from the Cndin Brnch, but lso from our other brnches round the world. This support is invluble for n interesting newsletter. I relized tht I ws getting little long in the tooth nd it ws time to hng up my sktes. I welcome John House s our new Editor for the Green Bnner. John s life experience s senior police officil nd his keen interest in lerning new things through forml nd informl studies, mkes him n ide person to tke on this role. I know he will be fforded the support I received over the yers from our Assocition to produce first-rte product for the Cndin Brnch. We hve two new contributors for the November issue in Dnn Fitton nd Reverend Jmes Smll, who submitted two excellent fmily-oriented stories. Our flying Mcpherson, Jmes G McPherson, told us bout the reunion t McPherson s School t which he pssed his elementry yers. John Brton gve us short introduction into Mcpherson trtns, topic tht should interest ll of us, s it is importnt to our identity s Scots nd Clnsmen. MILITARY HERITAGE MUSEUM By June Mcpherson w ith Sturdy fternoon free t the Gthering, nd mny choices s to wht to do, Mrk nd I decided to visit the Cndin Militry Heritge Museum in Brntford. I knew Mrk would enjoy it but I wsn t too sure I would. However the museum hd been estblished by nd is run completely by volunteers. As dedicted volunteer myself I ws relly stonished nd impressed by wht they hd ccomplished. The museum ws contined in very lrge building the size of two footbll fields. It covered Cndin militry history from the 1700 s to the present dy nd we were very lucky to hve most knowledgeble volunteer to guide us through the museum. Mrk nd I hve visited the Cndin Wr Museum in Ottw which, of course, hd millions of dollrs lvished on it nd indeed it is very memorble, but wht these volunteers hd chieved without government ssistnce ws eqully impressive. Continued on Pge November Pge 11

12 MILITARY HERITAGE MUSEUM Continued from Pge 11 A former Cndin Army signl officer visiting the World Wr II er signl office exhibit. As one progressed from very erly mps depicting bttles tht took plce in the 18 th century, to mock-up of dugout in World Wr I, nd signl office in World Wr II, it ws esy to see the loving cre which hd been devoted to mking this truly interesting plce to visit. There were wepons on disply for ech period, from old muskets to 19th century Gtling gun, n erly form of mchine gun, to collection of field rtillery pieces nd vehicles from the second world wr. As librrin t our locl community librry in Hemmingford, I ws interested in the collection of militry books tht hd been donted by the public. On more personl note, one The Gtling gun. It hd severl brrels, fired in succession, turned by hnd crnk. On the modern version clled mini-gun,used on helicopter gun ships, the brrels re turned by n electric sw mny plques motor. noting the nmes of service men from the re who hd died in bttle. These plques hd been rescued from re churches, which hd been put to other uses. This museum is fitting plce to honor our Cndin soldiers. EASTERN CANADA REGION By John C House MOM, FSA Scot. Councillor i m honoured to ccept the position s Councillor for Estern Cnd nd Editor of the Green Bnner. I hope to be ble to continue the high stndrd tht Mrk hs chieved with this publiction. I look forwrd to his continuing involvement in the future. I m wre tht there re mny Mcphersons residing in estern Cnd. I m considering different wys tht we cn encourge incresed interest in the Cln Mcpherson Assocition in the region. I hope we in the Estern Cnd Region cn get together for locl event. I will be contcting you in the future to discuss our options. Estern Cnd Region includes the three mritime provinces nd Newfoundlnd-Lbrdor. QUEBEC AND EASTERN ONTARIO By Myles G Mcpherson CD., Regionl Councillor i m certin tht we hve ll been enjoying life over this pst summer nd hopefully not working too hrd. The Cndin Brnch ws reorgnized t the AGM this yer to replce Provincil Councillors with Regionl Councillors. Although this doesn t chnge much for our Region, in order to get more ctivity I will be looking for help to contct ll of the members in the region nd ssist me to orgnize locl event. The two min centres in which I will be looking for help re Montrel nd Ottw. Suggestions re welcome. I m looking forwrd to some interesting Scottish ctivities coming up over the coming months. If ny Cln Mcpherson folk would like to join me, this would be gret opportunity to get to know one nother better nd meet t n event held in our re. Plese contct me t my home phone nd we will work out the detils to meet up: 11 Nov - There is lwys militry prde in downtown Montrel. I pln to visit the prde nd go to pub nerby fter the ceremonies; Burn s Night Dinner I pln to ttend the St Andrew s Society event on 25 Jn 2018; nd Mxville Highlnd Gmes nd Montrel Highlnd Gmes these two events will tke plce on the weekend of 3-5 August I hope to her from you soon. The Quebec nd Estern Ontrio Region includes the Province of Quebec nd estern Ontrio to Colborne nd the Ottw Vlley November Pge 12

13 WESTERN CANADA REGION By Robert T McPherson Councillor s the new Regionl Councillor for Western Cnd, I thought I'd better get busy with some news. I would like to first thnk the outgoing Albert Provincil Councillor, Don Person of Clgry, for his efforts over the lst few yers. I hope to be ble to stir up some more interest out here in the west for our Cln. It is chllenge, to be sure. I would lso thnk the Cln Mcpherson Assocition for its confidence in me to represent our Cln in the priries. I ttended the Cnmore Highlnd Gmes on September 3 nd found them to be one of the best they hve put on. This ws very re-ssuring s the nnouncement in December 2016 ws tht the existing Scottish Festivl Society would no longer be putting on the gmes due to lck of volunteers to help orgnize the gmes. Then in lte spring locl Cnmore developer Frnk Kernick, stepped up nd offered mjor sponsorship s well s dministrtive nd volunteer support to the gmes through the new Mlcolm Scottish Society. Frnk ws nmed Honorry Chieftin for the dy for his efforts. CENTRAL ONTARIO REGION By Jnet Ann McPherson Councillor s the new Councilor for Centrl Ontrio which is the core of the Cndin Brnch nd is lso the lrgest region with 50 members, I ws honored to be sked to tke on this position on the Brnch Council. I must confess tht I m little pprehensive t the responsibility I hve tken on for Cln Mcpherson. To mke Centrl Ontrio successful Region for CMA, I will need help from the members especilly those who hve experience in orgnizing ctivities nd events. On reding the report for the recent member survey undertken by Council during the pst yer I see tht the members wnt more events in the regions beyond just the Annul Gthering. Also there were mny good ides offered by the members who responded to the survey. I hope to contct ll of the members in the Region to determine wht sort of ctivities will be supported. To do this I will be sking some members to help me mke the contcts nd orgnize the events. If we work together we will be successful nd the Assocition will work better for ll of us. The Centrl Ontrio Region consists of the Greter Toronto re nd the province from Cobourg in the est to Hmilton Nigr in the west nd north to Georgin By. Piping competition t Cnmore King Mlcolm III of Scotlnd ws lso known s Mlcolm Cnmore (Cnmore mening 'big hed' or 'chief' not hed size!). The town ws nmed for him so it is very fitting tht these gret highlnd gmes re held here nestled in the Rocky Mountins of Albert. Albert lso hs Highlnd Gmes in Clgry, Red Deer, Edmonton, Grnde Pririe nd Okotoks, so you cn see tht there is lots of interest in Scottish culture in Albert. Hopefully, I will put in n ppernce with our cln tent t some of these events in 2018 nd encourge interest in our Assocition s well. The Western Cnd Region comprises the provinces of Mnitob, Ssktchewn, nd Albert. ONTARIO WEST REGION By E Roderick Smith Councillor s the newly elected Councillor for Ontrio West, I m hoping tht we cn hve few events during the yer prt from the nnul Brnch Gthering, where CMA members in the re cn enjoy ech other s compny. I m plnning to orgnize cln picnic t Bingemn Prk in Kitchener. Bingemn s hs n excellent wter prk s well picnic nd cmping res; so tht CMA members my wnt to bring children nd grndchildren s my be the cse. The prk cn be seen t comments nd suggestions re welcome. There is lso the possibility of dinner /thetre evening t the Dunfield Thetre in Cmbridge (Glt) which is n excellent fcility with number of respectble plces to et nerby. The thetre cn be seen t I would invite those interested to get in touch with me. I look forwrd to contcting nd meeting s mny CMA members in our re in the not-to-distnt future. Ontrio West Region includes Hmilton Nigr, Western Ontrio, nd Northwestern Ontrio November Pge 13