January 10, 2002
CHIEFTAN OF THE PUDDIN’ RACE GOES DOWNTOWN
William Burns won’t need to hear the forlorn sound of bagpipes wafting into his classroom to be compelled to join Simon Fraser Universities annual Robbie Burns Day procession this year. SFU’s ceremonies office has invited the 73 year old master’s in general studies student to participate in the ritual parade of haggis around campus to celebrate the birth of Scotland’s national bard.
Last year, Burns, the master’s student, was in the middle of a class when he was stirred by the strains of a bagpipe. They were coming from a member of SFU’s world champion senior pipe band leading the Robbie Burns Day procession. "When a Scot hears the bag pipes, it gets his blood flowing and he’s got to join a procession," says Burns, who did exactly that.
The very distant and tenuous relative of the poet laureate Robbie Burns, is proud to say that he, his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather all bear the same name as the notorious poet. "Just like Robbie Burns’s family, my family, including me, comes from Dundee, Scotland. We Burns are a sect of the Campbell clan, the largest clan in Scotland," says the retired social worker.
Clad in his tartan trews (trousers worn by some Scottish regiments) Burns will participate in the annual parade of the haggis from W.A.C. Bennett Library, Burnaby campus at noon on Friday, January 25. The procession will stop at Diamond University Centre, MacKenzie Cafeteria, Highland Pub and Raven’s Cafeteria. Frank Campbell of SFU’s Learning & Instructional Development Centre, a true Scot himself, will address the haggis and carve it up for all to enjoy. William Burns will be one of the first to dip his cracker in what he calls "Scottish caviar".
For the first time in its more than 20 year run, the parade of the great chieftain of the puddin’ race will also surface at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus and Wosk Centre for Dialogue. For those whose appetites are whetted by the free helpings of haggis, there is the annual SFU Gala Dinner for Robbie Burns Day that evening. Complete with haggis, neeps, roast beef and all the trimmings, the dinner raises money for SFU’s world champion junior pipe band. The senior and junior pipe bands and their dance team will perform at the event, which takes place at Executive Inn Hotel and Suites, 405 North Road, Coquitlam. Cocktails at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. The event includes a silent auction. Cost $65. For more information email or call Greg MacRae (greg_macrae@telus.net), 604-683-3613.
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CONTACT: Marilyn Pankratz, 604-291-4643
Greg MacRae, 604-683-3613
Carol Thorbes, media/pr, 604-291-3035
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