West Linton Camps

I was, I guess, rather late on the uptake for participating in music camps, but that didn't stop me from having some great times there.

My first (and last as a 'pupil') music camp was in 1970 and it is fair to say that I didn't really know what to expect. It was certainly very different from the previous music camp I had been at - the Glasgow Schools' 2nd Orchestra in Rothesay. Instead of makeshift "bedrooms" in a school the SA camp was in barrack-like wooden dormitories - which at the time seemed to be extremely large, but on reflection were probably not that big!!

I did have the advantage of knowing the "bandmaster" for the week quite well - it was my Dad! The "A" band was pretty equally split between cornet players and the rest. It include a number of guys from Southport who remain among my 'friends' to this day. Indeed a large number of friendships can be dated to music camps - both SA and Glasgow Schools.