Cross Country Club Awards

The Donald Hastie Quaich
for the Captain of Cross Country

Donald M Hastie
former Honorary President of Heriot's Cross Country Club

(Extract from the Herioter on the occasion of his retiral)

Donald joined Heriot's in 1949 as full-time Games Master, charged with the daunting task of developing School sport inside the curriculum.  This was easy enough to organise in the summer term, when cricket, tennis and athletics offered ready options. Winter and spring terms, however, presented real difficulty, where rugby was already a powerful Heriot tradition. Cross-country running was introduced as an acceptable alternative, rowing was presently added and others such as badminton and golf were soon to follow.

It was, however, in his own field of athletics - he had been Scottish pole vault champion in 1948 and a member of the Scottish international athletics team for three seasons - that Donald was to produce his most striking results for the School. In the 13 summer seasons covering 1957-69 the School's athletics team had 111 contests and lost only one (a single-age-group contest, where ordinarily three age groups would be involved). In June 1965, at the Scottish Schools' Athletics Championships, out of some 35 events Heriot's supplied seven of the 26-member Scottish Schools team for the Schools International contest. For some six years Donald was team manager of the Scottish Schools Athletics Team and at the end of that period was elected national President.

As Games Master at Heriot's, his was a six-day stint every week; even sudden Saturday cancellation meant major exercise. Nevertheless he subscribed willingly to the tradition that members of Heriot's staff gave of their time, interest and energy in areas of School activity beyond their strict teaching duties. He established the Heriot annual School Sevens, one of the most popular inter-school events of the rugby year. His wartime experience with the Royal Navy enabled him to assist as a lieutenant with the R.N. Section of Heriot's C.C.F. from 1949 to 1963. His wider interests were reflected when he twice adjudicated in the Inter-House Drama Festival and he has been known to entertain in "The Lit" on occasion with a spirited rendering (in full) of "Tam o' Shanter".

Donald Hastie gave himself unsparingly to Heriot's in a wide variety of ways, all of them marked by a deep personal concern for the good of the individual boy. He was quick to detect potential talent in the field and assiduous, as many Herioters will readily testify, in seeking to develop it. They and the rest of the Heriot Community will join in wishing him a long and happy retirement in sincere gratitude for his splendid devotion to the School and for the unique contributions he enabled it to make to school athletics in Scotland. 

The John Dickson Cup
for Junior Boys' Cross Country

John Dickson MBE (1886 - 1985)

(Extract from the Herioter)

Johnnie came to Heriot's in 1896 as a Foundationer at the age of 10. At 14 he left to join the junior Bank of Scotland and worked in Edinburgh until 1940 when he was appointed manager in Kirkwall. He worked there until 1952 when, on retirement, he returned to Edinburgh.

He called at the School and offered to help in any way he could. In the early 1900s he had been a founder member of the Heriot Cross Country Club and he again applied his knowledge and enthusiasm to the sport in his old School. He attended Goldenacre on Tuesday afternoons and nearly every Saturday in the winter took the School Cross-Country Running team to contests or championships. In the summer he gave invaluable help with School and FP athletics.

Johnnie's contribution to life and his achievements which were outstandingly varied were quite amazing. He was, as mentioned above, a founder member of the Heriot Cross-Country Club and served it, for many years, in different capacities. He was its President from 1929-33. He achieved the honour of election to the Presidency of The Scottish Cross Country Union for 1926-7. In 1914 he was mobilised as Sergeant in the Bankers' Company of the Fourth Royal Scots. He was later commissioned and served in France, being twice wounded on active service.

In the Second World War he was appointed Major in the Home Guard in Kirkwall and was awarded the MBE for his services.

Johnnie was President of the Heriot Club from 1929 to 1931. He was made an Honorary Life Vice-President of the Club, an honour given to few. In 1940, as representative of the Heriot Club, he was a Governor of the George Heriot Trust.

Throughout his long and wonderful life, he was always one for exercise. Prior to 1914, as well as being a cross-country runner, he had a daily swim in the sea at Portobello - summer and winter! At one time he held the Scottish Record for one mile. He was also great walker and knew the Pentlands like his own back garden. A few months before his death he was still doing exercises.

Always brave, always cheerful, he had a fantastic interest in everything and an insatiable capacity for work - especially when it helped others. He was a very happy man, a devoted husband and wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather. He was unfailingly pleasant and courteous to everyone and had a delightful puckish sense of humour.