In possibly the understatement of the year, GROGS Chairman, Fergus Neil, described guest speaker and fellow former referee, Professor Lorne Crerar, as “a man of many parts”. After retiring through injury from playing up to international level, he took up refereeing at the behest of former GROG, Allan Hosie. He was then appointed as a citing officer for the SRU and the 6 Nations Board before becoming an international Judicial Officer and then chairing the Standing Committee on Governance of the SRU. An early achievement was surviving as a referee mentee of the late Murray Clayton, a much loved GROG and stalwart of Whitecraigs RFC who had pressed Lorne to speak at GROGS. All this whilst looking after his day job as a lawyer and a Professor of Banking Law at Glasgow University. He told a self deprecating story of being accosted by a former law student who, having sat through Lorne’s “boring” lectures, felt he was entitled to have a drink bought for him. As his speech went on, it became obvious that he would not be faced with a similar demand from any of the GROGs present. Rather surprisingly, we learned that such a figure of respectability had been expelled from Kelvinside Academy, not once but twice. Fortunately his skills at rugby allowed him to be welcomed back to complete his education there! Rugby was, and is, his passion. On becoming a referee. He had humble beginnings officiating at the likes of the Cumnock/Dalry derby before officiating throughout the UK, Europe and the US. Lorne confessed to a wonderful career in rugby combining ideally with his law career. He recounted a number of memorable experiences as a Judicial Officer in the sport including sitting in judgement on high profile cases like the Phil Vickery citing case and the infamous Dean Richards/Harlequins “bloodgate” case. During one of these he was even “outed” as a cross dresser named Lorna (not true of course). Lorne ended with a full account of his involvement in the long awaited change in the Governance of Scottish rugby and his role as the Interim Chairman of the new SRU Board. All in all, a very interesting, informative and entertaining address by one of the leading lights in Scottish rugby and well deserving of the bottle of GROGS whisky he was presented with in appreciation of a fine speech.