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THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the Hunterston Castle Restoration Fund, either through your subscriptions or by individual donation. Our Clan Seat is now looking as it should, and I hope that many of you will come to see the work that has been carried out. The official Reopening of the Castle was held as the first event of the Gathering on a beautiful warm Friday evening. The front of the castle is now filled in with stone and an arrow slit, while surrounding the Pele Tower is a wide border of gravel and fencing. Thanks to the extra funds, I have put a slate sign at the front of the Castle and installed new floodlights.
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Clan Hunter UK Association Council
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After the ceremony, I presented the Order of the Royal Huntsman to Mel Hunter, Treasurer of the Clan Hunter Association USA, and a boxed presentation arrow to his wife, Pat. This is in recognition of the fact that it was Mel and Pat who approached me in 1998 with the suggestion that we raise funds to restore the front of Hunterston Castle. This work is now complete, but the Fund will continue for the maintenance and any other restoration work that needs to be carried out. At the Clan Officer's meeting, it was decided to put any further funds into the creation of the Genealogy Library and the improvement of the Clan Museum room. I must also thank Nadene Hunter Jr. of the Clan Hunter Association Canada for the idea to create a Cairn. This is in tribute to all Hunter Clansmen and women who visit the Castle, and all those attending the Gathering were able to take away a piece of stone from Hunterston Castle that had been removed during the restoration work.
The Gathering was the best we have ever had with 150 Clan members present from all over the world. The weather was glorious and everyone was able to eat outdoors. All six Clan Officers
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and their wives came and it gave me great pleasure to be able to introduce our two newest Clan Officers, Richard Kearney of New Zealand and Ramon Santamarina Hunter of Argentina, to our other Clan Officers and Clan President. There was a great spirit of camaraderie and many new friend-ships were formed as well as old ones being renewed. We had a very wide range of Clan Members in attendance from Annie Hunter of the USA, our oldest and one of our longest members, to Sophie Santamarina Hunter of Argentina, at six months our youngest Clan member. There was a moving dedication of a newly planted rowan tree in memory of Brett Hunter Pirkle, which Robert Hunter, our UK Clan Officer, describes in more detail in his column.
We all regretted the accident on the Castle stairs which resulted in Father Roger Hall Hunter breaking a leg. I'm glad to say that I've heard he's making a good recovery back home. I must express my thanks to our pipers Harold Hunter from Michigan and Mel
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Hunter from Canada, and our newly appointed Clan Hunter Association UK Piper, Scott Dundas McNab, and to everybody on my team and Clan Members at Hunterston for making the Gathering such a memorable success. It has been decided to hold the next International Clan Gathering at Hunterston Castle in the second half of July 2004 and at three-year intervals thereafter.
Yours Aye
Madam Pauline Hunter
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