MEMBERSHIP NEWS

14th/15th February was the 10th anniversary of the bridging of the River Dulnain, the second of the two biggest obstacles standing in the way of our getting to Grantown. The other is the bridging of the A95 at Gaich. Notwithstanding the difficulties and delays in getting that sorted I know from your renewals that plenty of you are strongly backing that last stage with your donations.

Another anniversary for those interested: it’s exactly 30 years since I took on the post of Membership Secretary, a record term, I wonder?

Talking of renewals – due to an admin error, the forms sent out this year contained errors, and when these were spotted, it was too late. The main problems were with the donation options, which specified Project Undercover (the covered accommodation in the boat yard) rather than the more recently agreed Buildings and Structures Fund intended for any of our buildings, which need a bit of t. l. c. The other mistake was the inclusion of the 828 Trust. This should have been referred to as the Locomotive Fund. We will honour the principle that people donated to 828, as she will no doubt need some money spent on her anyway when she returns from her stay in the South of England. The last mistake was the reference to only R2G and 828 as donations qualifying for Gift Aid; since SRA is now a charity, ALL your donations qualify for that. Next year’s renewal forms will be subject to rigorous proofreading to ensure that there are no more such mistakes!

At this time of year, I am always busy with renewals and making trips to the bank in Thurso. The staff there are very patient and know when to expect me. On these successive visits, I have deposited £21,421 between 17 February and 8 April, which is just income from members who pay me directly. This is quite outstanding, and ahead of we were at the same time last year. On behalf of the railway, I express my heartfelt thanks for your generosity, which has helped the railway overcome the crisis that afflicted it in the latter part of 2023. For the record, donations are as follows – General Fund, £1564, Rails to Grantown £3282, Buildings and Structures £1382, Permanent Way £928, Carriage and Wagon £1122, Locomotives (828) £857 and Survive to Thrive £3527 – Again, thank you all so much.

As always, I have to report changes in the membership; sadly, we have lost 3 through resignation (one being a founder member) and four through death – Ian Brown (a founder member), Kenneth Doig, Edward Simpson and Christopher Price. But again, as ever, we can welcome some new faces – Dennis Squire from St Andrews, Mrs Fisher from Kirkhill, Mrs Armstrong and family from Stonehaven, Thomas Inglis from Inverness, Mrs Frier from Bridgwater, John and Linda Leggat from Perth, Donald Radsma from Rumney (Cardiff) and finally Gordon Kirk from Warrington. My regular plea of “hope to see you at Aviemore” certainly applies to this last as Gordon is the railway’s new General Manager.

Martin McLeod – a long-standing member of the SRA and volunteer (last spotted driving the service train!) – has contributed the following notes about Ronnie Dunn, a life member whose passing we reported in the last issue:-

“Grace and I knew of Ronie’s involvement in the railway. In the 1990s he was our very able and popular Santa Claus on the Christmas services. He loved playing the part. Grace and I had fun bringing sacks of presents up the train for Ronnie to hand out; he was so good with children that we often had to hold up the departure of the train so that he could get around everyone.

After running RD’s restaurant in Aviemore, he entered event catering and, among other things, provided food for Monarch of the Glen filming, some of which was filmed at Broomhill.