Monthly Meeting – “You can’t turn the clock back but you can wind it up again”
Tuesday 9 April 2024
The ringing of the school bell welcomed everyone to the April meeting of Ruskie Rural on a day of sunshine and showers – daffodils are blooming in the garden. Our Treasurer Helen shared the great news that SSE have awarded us a credit on our account which will cover the cost of our electricity for a while - hurrah!
Anne provided a brisk review of the news to date covering both the Federation and our own institute. She reminded us of the resounding success of hosting the Federation Quiz on 1 April (no fool!) which Polmont won and will host next year, and forthcoming events of the next craft meeting (an embroidery evening at Anne’s studio, date TBA) and our visit to Cultybraggan Camp on 20 April. She reminded everyone of the Morton Pairs (3 fabric flowers and 2 lemon tarts) and New Forge trophies (crochet baby hat) for the SCWP Federation Spring meeting and that we are on duty along with Buchlyvie so volunteers will be welcome. Additional Federation news is that SWI diaries and calendars are on sale, and the Area lunch has been booked at the Stirling Court Hotel on 2 June; the Warnock Writing competition this year is 500 words on the theme of “If you know a good thing, pass it on…” with submissions by 30 September)
Ruskie Rural are also stewarding again at Wild Fox events for the Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon (6 July) and the Glencoe Marathon (15 Sept). Anne mentioned Lottie on another ‘big’ birthday – congratulations (and a song) from all of us! Finally, Anne introduced our October Competition – if it feels a bit early to think about that yet, it’s only because it is to grow the heaviest pumpkin for Hallowe’en so we need to start now. Seeds and instructions available from Liz Black!
Anne then went on to introduce Peter Mehta, horologist, a friend from Callander who is known to many of us as he is active in many organisations and volunteers in others (including both whisky tasting groups!). Peter spoke to us about how clocks provide a link to our heritage. 200 years ago clocks were tough to make and expensive so limited to rich people and often passed down through families so can reveal a lot about our past. Often as a clock maker he can find a date hidden inside a clock that reveals that he may be only the fourth generation repairer to work on an item – consider how this compares to other items in your home and how long they may be expected to last. As a child Peter was fortunate to have a mother who loved antique auctions and occasionally brought a clock back that started his hobby of repairing them. Time was first measured by Romans, for example water clocks or sundials. The Callander sundial is engraved with a message to confirm that it follows the sun and should be accurate based on that but will not match a Greenwich time on a watch (which is based on mean solar time). Peter worked on a clock from 1695 for a Scottish House which has only one hand - because why would you need to be more specific in the 1600s?! The clock also has a pendulum which was developed in 1666 to make it more accurate based on an idea from Galileo observing chandeliers moving and the length of their suspension spring. Another clock from 1749 illustrated the concept of a 24 hour day although this was a challenge in Japan who had a different system – in spite of trying to convert them to this system and the Jesuit religion they rebelled and closed all borders til 1872 so did not benefit from the pendulum invention. Old Japanese clocks are very valuable as many were destroyed when they did decide to modernise. The public clocks in Callander are in a sorry state of repair but this is not a priority as we all have private time devices now instead. Big Ben is a valuable public clock and is used to make major milestones and has been recently repaired. The One o’clock gun in Edinburgh has similar prominence and is fired based on the Hamilton & Inches regulator time (which is based on the one o’clock gun!).
Public timekeeping is also important in the railways and although Callander station is now closed there are clocks which have historical value and were used to standardise the railways on GMT in 1848. Peter shared the story of Lachlan McQuarry who rose to be governor General of NSW in Sydney until 1821 where he ordered a convicted clockmaker to make a clock from the hull of a ship which is the oldest public clock in Australia (Lachlan is now buried in Mull). Peter also told us of personal history in clocks where a farmer scuffed a cherished clock with his calloused hands; or an engraving to mark a wedding in Balquidder which opens up a whole history of a family; or a clockmakers adulterous affair in Alloa captured in artwork that is now in the National Gallery that resulted in the man making a clock for the church to atone for his sins. Peter works closely with other skilled individuals to repair clocks and reinstate paintwork and cabinets and can restore amazing pieces which can be bought for not very much money when they are in a state of disrepair. He shared stories of wonderful clocks, poetry, and mystery and intrigue in St Petersburg and knitting socks for the Russian Tsar which resulted in the building of another clock! Peter shared a final story of a grandfather clock mechanism in a garden shed in Callander which was restored to a thing of beauty all because of his love of clocks – they can each tell a story and themselves are a part of our heritage.
Anne thanked Peter and our hostesses Janice Oman, Alison Smellie and Noreen Hinton served a super and abundant supper before the raffle was drawn and pumpkin seeds were handed out and members headed off into the night.
Competitions: Most items in a matchbox – 1) Sharon McRobert (88 items) 2) Pamela Deans (67 items) 3) Christine Bauer (65 items)
Favourite timepiece – 1) Alison Smellie 2) Sheena Gibson 3) Christine Bauer
