Voice of The People
Monday, November 17th, 2008
President Malcolm Cordwell-Smith welcomed members as well as the speaker, Ann Anderson from Seamab. Stirling's Gavel team have progressed to the next round and the next match will be against Carse of Stirling at the Terraces Hotel, early in the New Year. There will be a repeat visit to Forthbank Sports Village in Mid January, by which time it will look even more impressive than on our last visit. On November 7th. past, the President joined 111 ladies of the Inner Wheel to celebrate the 60th. anniversary of their club.
Our Speaker, Ann Anderson, Principal of Seamab School, then addressed the meeting. Seamab is a private, Special School, situated at Rumbling Bridge, Near Dollar and founded in 1988 by Mr and Mrs. Quinn. Ann joined as a teacher in 1989 and became Principal 6 years later. The school is residential and has a capacity of only 15 pupils but because they all have Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, staff numbers are correspondingly high. Pupils are able to stay at the school 52 weeks of the year but a small number have occasional home visits. Most have no family contact - not even at Christmas.
The school has a swimming pool with instructor and this facility is popular with the pupils. All the children are traumatised and/or abused and they just "need to be mended".
The Vote of Thanks was offered by Barry Carter and well supported. This week sees a Business Meting, with Visitors Hosts Mary Riley and Ranald Ross-Watt.