Welcome to our latest newsletter.  Much has happened since the last one and an interesting and busy year lies ahead of us, as noted below and recorded elsewhere in this issue.

Several recent events have cast a shadow over our activities, these events being  sudden  deaths  among our membership.
The  death, on January 9th, of our President ,Nigel Tranter, saddened the nation.  Peter Gillies's appreciation of Nigel appears on page one, but I feel it appropriate to add my own comments here.  First, we were very privileged that Nigel consented to be our president (and, typical of the man, a paid-up "ordinary" member too!), and must now live up to his expectation that the SCA would become a major voice in support of Scotland's castles.  Secondly, I doubt if the full extent of his contribution to the preservation (renaissance, even) of Scotland's castles has been fully recognised in his lifetime, and one of my hopes is that the SCA can play its part, in future, in remedying this oversight.  Finally, his was a shining example of a life well lived - he was talented, productive, successful, and prodigiously knowledgeable about Scotland's history and culture, yet modest and friendly. Nigel was fit in body and mind virtually to the end of his 90 years - he will be missed by many, not least his friends in the SCA.

I must also report the passing of Gerald Coulson of Kelly, a founder member of the SCA, who died in November.  Gerald was a Canadian, but almost a Scot by adoption.  Kelly Castle, his home near Arbroath, was justifiably his pride and joy, and many members will remember our visit there in 1997 . He was a sturdy supporter of the SCA from its inception, and an enthusiastic participant in our events programme.  An obituary, by Stuart Morris of Balgonie, appears overleaf.

Even more recently, we learned of the death of Mike Stockwell of Balcomie, another  well-known SCA member who, with his wife Pat, had been  involved in the activities of the association since its early days. While Mike had come to Scotland after many years of farming in England, he had long since adopted his farm and castle by Crail in Fife as his permanent home. An obituary, by John Buchanan Smith appears on page 5.

Our sympathies go to the families of each of these our departed friends.

On a happier note, our second annual conference, held last October at Culcreuch Castle, was a considerable success, much enjoyed by all who attended.  Muriel Draper's report of it appears on page 7.  Also, as you will have seen from our newsletter masthead, the SCA has gained charitable status, which will, over time, strengthen our financial position, and help us do some good.  Your Council has various projects in mind - of which, more in future issues.

For this year, we have a full events programme, comprising the symposium on castle restoration, already notified to you, at Fernie Castle on 20 February, the other various "visits" days detailed elsewhere, a very special "social" afternoon at a magical location in May, and our third annual conference in the Autumn.  I look forward to seeing friends, old and new, at these events; if you haven't yet attended one, I urge you to do so - they are great fun!

More seriously, the SCA has added its voice to those of the many heritage bodies which have lobbied the government on the "VAT on repairs" issue.  Let us hope that the Chancellor recognises a valid case when he sees one!  We are also keen to improve our lines of communication with the Scottish Parliament, and with Historic Scotland, with a view to bringing our views to bear on policy formulation, and will be advancing on this front in the coming months.

We can only achieve our aims, of course, if we have sufficient members and, among them, activists (otherwise known as Council members!).  Our AGM falls on the 15^th of April, during our weekend visit to Argyll.  Please attend if you can, and make your views known then.  If you can't make it, please feel free to communicate your views to me (daytime telephone 0141 626 5209, evenings and weekends 0141 889 1399), at any time.