Good evening,

 Tah-Puh Laht, or thank you very much Mr. Chairman for those too generous words of introduction.  Whether or not I am worthy of the Council’s nomination of me as Scotsman of the Year for 2008, I want you, the Quebec Thistle Council, and everybody present in this historic Black Watch Armoury this evening to know that I do accept this honour with enormous pleasure, albeit with much and genuine humility.

 Any hesitation I may have had when Chairman “Tram” Malcolm first approached me last May was rapidly dispelled as I reflected on the true character of the Award, the worthy and important mission of the Quebec Thistle Council and, indeed, the solid foundation and profound roots of my own Scottish heritage and experiences with my personal “Scottish-ness” over three score and ten years.

 «Est-ce que je suis vraiment un Écossais ?», je me demandais à l’époque.  Qu’est-ce que c’est, un Écossais au Canada de nos jours ?  Faut-il parler le gaélique et porter le kilt tous les jours ?  Then the penny dropped …  The spirit and the mystique enveloped me.  For surely, if you feel Scottish or think you’re Scottish, or even act like you were Scottish, then you ARE a Scot.

And —auch aye, sae goode it is !!

 Arthur Herman, in his 2001 book “How the Scots Invented the Modern World”, expresses it perfectly: “The point of this book is that being Scottish is more than just a matter of nationality or place of origin or clan or even culture.  It is also a state of mind, a way of viewing the world and our place in it …  This Scottish mentality was a deliberate creation,” he says and adds, “from this point of view, a large part of the world turns out to be Scottish without even realizing it …”

 Dear friends, I regret to say I don’t speak Gaelic, although I did try to learn a wee bit for this evening, such as the two phrases in my introduction.  During a recent visit to Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland, a retired Scots surgeon came up to me and said, “It’s a wee bit ‘o Gaelic yer wantin, is it?”  I said, “Yes, please, Sir.”  He then said, “Say after me … FURRY BOOTS ARE COMFY.”  I did so and he said, “Well done, you’ve just asked me in Gaelic where I come from.  Ah cae fra Aberdeen !

 I also heard about a Scotsman walking through a field on his farm. He saw a man scooping up water from a puddle with his hand and drinking it.  The Scot shouted out “AWA YE FEEL HOOR THAT ÂS FULL OÂ COOS SHARN!”  (Don’t drink that water, it’s full of cow pooh pooh !)  The man shouted back, “I’m English, speak English.  I don’t understand you.”  Whereupon the Scot replied, “I said, use both hands, you’ll get to drink more.”

 I am exceedingly grateful to the Thistle Council in that their nomination of me as Scotsman of the Year has led to my reading a vast array of Scottish literature, history and lore, with two principal results.  For one, I quickly came to realize how sparse and incomplete my knowledge of true Scottish history (perhaps I read at school a version prepared by “the English !”) is and, secondly, I am now prouder and much more conscious than ever of my Scottish roots and of the major role of the Scots in developing and building not only our great Canadian federation, but also so many of our proud universities, hospitals, railroads and businesses.

 My late father, Mel Angus, was very proud of his Scottish ancestry. His Scottish grandparents emigrated to Ontario around 1850 from the Aberdeen area and his father married another Scot, Miss Graham.  My mother, Ada Hutchison, is still going strong at 92.  Sadly, she could not be with us this evening but sends her greetings.  Her parents, also from the Aberdeen area, emigrated to Montreal in 1900.  She and her sister Frances were sent by their parents to St. Leonards School in St. Andrew’s, Scotland, making the transatlantic voyage to the old country by steamer each year.  There, the girlies got a solid Scottish secondary school education, were taught proper manners and learned to golf with brassies, baffies, mid-irons, mashies and niblicks on the Old Course at St. Andrew’s.  As children, my sisters and I were provided with Angus tartan dressing gowns, jackets, trousers and the like and, of course, golf clubs.  We were also well versed at the Kirk of St. Andrew & St. Paul.  Dad wore his Angus plaid jacket for all important family functions or, as he called them, tribal occasions.

 I was still a raw and skinny 16 year old, just out of Lower Canada College, when my father had me flown to Glasgow, where I signed on with the Lyle Steamship Company as an apprentice in the British Merchant Marine.  I sailed from the Clyde in June of 1954 with a Scottish crew —some 35 rough and ready Scots seamen who drooled at the opportunity of imbuing a wee “spoiled” Canadian lad with the ways of hardy and able-bodied Scottish mariners.  Soon, I was fluent in their very coarse vernacular and dialects, acutely sensitive to their antipathy to and disdain for the English and well aware that Scots are not in fact boring, righteous and dour, as reputed, but rather fun-loving, witty and very doon-tae-earth !  This 18-month experience of — as my father called it —“becoming a man” has been a profound influence throughout my life.

 Whilst at sea, the sailors told me “Angus” was indeed a very Scottish name —“Celtic,” they said.  “Your people were originally the Scots who came from Ulster, the ones who settled in Islay, Mull and Kintire.  Heavy drinkers of peaty malt whosky,” they said !  Apparently, Angus originates from the Gaelic “Oenghus”, “Aeneas” or “Hungus”.  There is much confusion as to who was the Angus Clan’s founder or leading ancestor, but the most distinguished contender seems to be a 6^th Century Ruler named “Oenghus”, who was one of the co-founders of the Ancient Kingdom of Dalriada.  We have very close links with the McInnes Clan, whose Gaelic name is said to mean “Son of Angus”.

 I was very fortunate to be able to attend Princeton University —founded by Scots and of strong Presbyterian persuasion—after my sojourn at sea.  Whilst there, I believe I first heard my name pronounced publicly in Gaelic.  I was on the freshman hockey team.  We were in Providence, Rhode Island, playing against Brown University.  My parents were in attendance.  It was a big night, in a big arena, with a big crowd.  In announcing the starting line-up for the visiting Princeton team, the P.A. announcer concluded by saying, “And now, playing centre for the Tigers, wearing no. 12, from Westmount, Quebec, Canada … David Anus !”

 Over the years, I have visited Scotland frequently, and in the course of these visits have had further exposure to Scottish wit and culture.  As well, I have been able to develop a deep appreciation for —indeed a love— of single malt whiskey, as well as for links golf.  The words “a wee one” have taken on a new meaning for me.  Quite recently, whilst in Gullane, East Lothian, a Scottish gent invited me back to his home for a “wee one” after dinner.  That was at 10:00 PM.  About four hours later, I had become desperate to escape his iron grip and get back to my hotel.  “Auch nae,” he mumbled, “Ye’ll nae leave ma wee hame until ye’ve had just one more “wee one”!”  Needless to say, the next day was tough for me.

 The Scottish caddies are a “canny”, humourous and hard-drinking lot who all like to be properly paid, especially at famous Links such as St. Andrew’s.  One day at the R&A, the visiting golfer at the end of the round gave his caddie three pennies as a tip.  The caddie laid them in his palm, saying to the golfer, “Sir, are ye aware that I can tell yer fortune from these three coins?”  The caddy went on to volunteer that the first one told him, “Yer no’ a Scotsman,” to which the golfer nodded assent.  “An the second that yer no’ married,” continued the caddy, to which the golfer nodded as well, asking about the third.  “Weel, the third wan tells me that yer father wisnae married either !!!”

 These two or three wee stories say much about the Scots:

 A Scots boy came home from school and told his mother he had been given a part in the school play.  “Wonderful,” says the mother, “What part is it ?”  The boy says “I play the part of the Scottish husband !”  The mother scowled, saying to the laddie: “Go back and tell your teacher you want a speaking part.”

 When Angus moved to London, he constantly annoyed his English acquaintances by boasting about how great Scotland was.  Finally, in exasperation, one said, “Well, if Scotland’s so marvelous, why didn’t you stay there ?”   “Well,” explained Angus, “they’re all so clever up there I had to come down here to have any chance of making it at all.”

 A Scottish woman was looking to reenter the work force, now that her kids were all grown up.  But before applying anywhere she went tae the doctors’ fae a wee physical before takin’ oan a new joab.  When she returned, her hubby noticed she was just bustin’ wi’ pride and all chuffed.  So he said, “What’s all this about ?”  She said, “I’ve just been tae the doctors’ and he said I’ve got the body of a 20 year old and the heart of a 16 year old.”  To which her hubby fired back … “What about your 50 year old ass ?”  “Your name never came up,” she replied !

 Tonight’s dinner is billed as The Auld Alliance Dinner, the reference being to the famous and centuries-old alliance between the Scots and the French.  In early times and over the years, neither the Scots nor the French have gotten on well with the English.

 Aujourd’hui, cette «Vieille Alliance» demeure pour les Écossais l’une des caractéristiques de leur identité nationale qui les différencient profondément des autres «Britanniques» soit chez eux, en Écosse, ou ici au Canada pour leurs descendants.  Les Canadiens-écossais se sont toujours sentis, de cœur et d’esprit, plus près des Canadiens-français avec qui ils partagent plus spontanément la joie de vivre, la musique, le scotch et, bien sûr, le vin rouge.  As Sir Wilfrid Laurier stated in an important speech in Toronto in 1893, “If I were not French, I would choose to be … Scotch.”

 Chers amis, dans ma famille cette «Vieille Alliance» est présente et bien vivante.  Ma sœur Élizabeth, qui ne pouvait être des nôtres ce soir, a épousé un bon Franco-Québécois de souche, Michel Côté.  Et mon épouse, Louise Hélène Hébert, est une Québécoise pure laine avec des racines familiales en Normandie.  Louise is here tonight and proudly wearing tartan.  Also here from my family are my son Gregor, suitably kilted, with his wife Juliet, my daughter Jacqueline with her friend Jon, Louise’s son Nico avec sa compagne Ylang et mon neveu Philip Côté, wearing the family colours.

 The 2006 Canadian Census figures were released this week in Ottawa and it is remarkable to note how very strong the Scottish influence is — all across our nation.  According to Statistics Canada, our total population in 2006 was 31,241,030, of which 4,719,850 claimed Scottish ethnic origin (compared to 4,157,210 in 2001).  Of these, the sum of 202,515 live in Quebec (compared to 156,145 in 2001).

 Before concluding, let me say just a couple of words on Tartan Day, a relatively recent North American initiative designed to promote and recognize our Scottish culture and to highlight the unique traditions of the Scots, their creativity, their innovation, their heritage and their great business acumen.  In each of Canada’s ten Provinces, April 6^th has been proclaimed Tartan Day by Premier’s Proclamation.  It is not called “National Tartan Day” because unfortunately, as yet, no appropriate federal legislation has been enacted.  Tomorrow, all across Canada, there will be Tartan Day celebrations, Kirkin o the tartan, pipe band parades, Scottish flag-raising ceremonies and, most important of all, a wearing of the tartan by Scottish-minded people.  This will happen too, here in Quebec, thanks to the Thistle Council.

 The significance of the date is that on April 6, 1320, at Arbroath Abbey on the East Coast of Scotland in the lovely county of Angus, the nobles, barons and freeholders, together with the whole community of the realm of Scotland, came together and pronounced the Scottish Declaration of Independence underlining the independence of Scotland from English domination.  This became known as the Declaration of Arbroath, and it stated in part:

 “For so long as a hundred of us shall remain alive, we are resolved not to submit to the domination of the English.  It is not for glory, for wealth or honour that we are fighting but for freedom and freedom only, which no true man ever surrenders, except with his life.”

Chairman Bruce, my renewed and heartfelt thanks to you and your colleagues on the Board of the Quebec Thistle Council for the wonderful honour you have bestowed upon me this evening.  I appreciate it greatly and pledge to assist and support the Council in any way I can in pursuing its mission of recognizing, preserving and celebrating Scottish culture, heritage and tradition here in la Belle Province de Québec.  As a first step, I am pleased to advise that I have made arrangements to this month introduce in the Senate of Canada a Private Member’s Bill decreeing that April 6^th be National Tartan Day throughout Canada.  I suspect and hope it will receive speedy passage through Parliament.

Thank you all for a marvelous evening.  Tah-Puh Laht.

???????????

Please click on photographs to enlarge.

Senator Angus with family and friends...