A leading north-east young farmers club – Turriff & District JAC – has unveiled plans to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.
A committee, comprising past and present members of the Junior Agricultural Club (JAC), has been formed to oversee planning for a special event later this year.
The club, which celebrated its 90th anniversary on March 21, formed in 1932 at an NFU Scotland meeting where a desire to form a JAC in the area was discussed.
“The minutes of this first meeting are still held by the club, and they detail how around 50 young men from farms in the surrounding area attended to discuss the club’s formation,” said event organising committee secretary Aimee Margrove.
“The meeting ended in success seeing James Clark, Knockiemill, appointed as chairman, and John Paton, Union Bank, appointed as secretary.”
She said in the past nine decades the club has had numerous national and regional triumphs across a number of competitions organised by the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC), and individual members had played instrumental roles at SAYFC.
“All of these accomplishments and the memories that coincide will be honoured and celebrated as part of the anniversary event,” added Ms Margrove.
The special anniversary event – Turra’s Tartan Fling – is scheduled to take place on Saturday November 12 at the Thainstone Exchange at ANM Group’s Thainstone Centre near Inverurie.
Event organising committee chairman, Megan Stephen, said funds will be raised from the event via a charity auction and raffle for five causes.
These are: the club itself; rural education charity, the Royal Northern Country Initiative; rural charity RSABI, the Scottish Air Ambulance; and farm safety charity The Farm Safety Foundation.
She said she hoped the event would be an “inclusive, interactive celebration for all members commemorating the past incredible 90 years the club has had”.
Tickets will soon be available for sale and details can be obtained by contacting aimeemargrove@hotmail.co.uk.
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