What a send-off to 2025 our Christmas Lunch Guest Speaker gave us! Baroness Ruth Davidson, happily attired in a Santa hat, contributed in a whole raft of ways to the fun and community singing that are staples to the most popular Lunch in the GROGS calendar year. She had been scheduled to join us last year but had been called away on Parliamentary business at short notice. It was well worth the wait for an absolute record number of members, many dressed in their finest Christmas garments craving the prizes awarded by Chairman Hugh Dan MacLennan. The Baroness lived up to everyone’s expectations. Here was an erudite, experienced and very likeable speaker with skill and humour thrown in. She started with what would have been a surprise to many by talking about the time she lived in Glasgow as a student. “She’s nearly one of us” someone was heard to whisper. Then we had a couple of fun stories about council workers in Kelvingrove Park and her time at Buckhaven High School when she was ‘finding’ herself. She briefly described her early start in journalism and politics and eschewed her qualifications for speaking to an audience steeped in rugby. However, she is an active member in the kitchen on game days at North Berwick Rugby Club and a Director on the SRU Board - sufficient qualifications in most minds. Not wanting to repeat what the Chairman of the Board had said when speaking to GROGS 2 months earlier about the Board workings, Ruth made a passionate plea to Santa, via an imaginary wish list, for a number of gifts when he lands at Murrayfield in a fortnight. Starting with a wish for the new CEO at Murrayfield, Alex Williamson, to be given the gifts of wisdom and energy to provide the much desired success for Scottish rugby, she cleverly asked for special presents for many of the big names at Murrayfield from Al Kellock and Gemma Faye to Gregor Townsend and Franco Smith and highlighting Director of Rugby Development, Gavin Scott, hoping for 20 of his like at the SRU. Overall, she hoped for support for the Murrayfield team because from that, she believes, will come success. Unsurprisingly, Baroness Davidson handled all the questions professionally but was perhaps delighted that the first one allowed her to talk about her father’s football career, particularly with Partick Thistle. Known as a connoisseur of the water of life, she clearly relished the gift of the rare bottle of Special GROGS whisky presented to her with much appreciation.
