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| Focus On - An Occasional Feature For this latest edition of the 'Occasional Feature' i have decided to make it a double feature on two of Aberlady's long running traditions, The Annual Village Gala and the Taxi Association's Children's Outing which both take place in June. Click this link for the Children's Outing piece. Aberlady Village GalaBy the time of my birth, Aberlady Gala - which began in 1949 - was well established as an important annual event. By then five local girls had had the honour of being crowned Aberlady Gala Queen, with the first of these being Jean Watson, who at the time lived at Craigielaw. The run up to the event is not something i remember well, as we children had far more important things to do than worry about the organisational side of things. It was Gala Day itself which held our interest Just as happens today it began with the crowning of that years Gala Queen. This took place in the school grounds and was - if i remember correctly - followed by the judging of the Fancy Dress Competition, which was very popular. I took part in it a few times. On one occasion my Brother made some guitars from wood and card and me and a couple of friends entered as The Beatles, who were very popular at the time. Another time i heard about a woman who lived in School Road who was very good at ideas for Fancy Dress, so two of us visited her and at the end of the day i emerged swathed in bandages as an Egyptian Mummy. Although i never won the competition that was never an issue as it was enormous fun to take part in it. The judging was followed by the parade of floats through the village ( they were parked in School Road while the crowning, etc. took place ). Before the parade began the floats ( lorries ) were judged. The drivers took a very competitive attitude to the dressing of their particular float with each one eager to outdo the others to win the coveted first prize rosette which they would then display as they made their way around the village. Many of the drivers would also make their lorries available to other village galas and had a friendly rivalry as to how many first place rosettes they could collect throughout the Summer. It would be easy to say that the parade of floats was the highlight of the day but we also got a great deal of pleasure from participating in the many races that were held on the Football Pitch - that's what we called it in those days, not the playing field(s). The variety of races was greater than it is today with the Sack Race, Three-Legged Race, Egg and Spoon Race ,Tin Can Race ( two long pieces of string were put through two holes made in two tin cans and using the pieces of string as handles the child would stand with each foot on a can and try to walk on the cans to the finishing line ) as well as the usual sprint events. The week prior to Gala Day each child in the village was given a ticket which entitled them to an ice cream - from Luca's who had a van in attendance on the day - and a bag of sweets. Those were the days. - Children's Outing - Ahoy There It has taken place annually since 1946 when a taxi driver, Mr. Smeaton, came up with the idea. At the time only drivers ranked at Waterloo Place ( along from Waverley Station ), were involved. That first year only around ten cabs ( taxis ) took part, but over the years as more and more drivers became involved this number increased considerably so that as they passed through Aberlady they stretched from one end of the village to the other. Originally the outing was only for children who were, at the time, known as handicapped ( less able may be a more politically correct name today ). As more facilities and activities became available elsewhere for the 'less able' children the outing was extended to include other underprivileged children, who would otherwise never be at the seaside. The decisions about which children can go are taken by their schools and the social work department. .  Flower Power Many of the taxis were hardly recognisable as vehicles as they had been transformed to look like castles, ships, cartoon characters and many other fascinating creations. This decorating of the cabs did not take place in the earlier years, it was a later development. Those first runs were to Gullane beach. The taxis would stop in Aberlady to allow the children to have a meal in the Drill Hall ( now known as Aberlady Community Hall ) - the taxis were parked on the Sea Green. In the years that followed some of the drivers would visit the local hostelry for a pie and a couple of pints while the children had their meal. Not something that would be done nowadays.  Turtles The outing used to be held in May each year but due to the weather often not being very good, it was moved to the first or second Tuesday in June. So put that date in your diary for next year and give the kids a wave. Oh, but if you do, be prepared to get wet, as the children are very often armed with supersoakers these days. The latest development is that a web site is to be set up to give the event a higher profile. aberlady.net would like to thank the following for giving their time, help and information; Alan ( Administrator ) at www.fastblacks.com ( The Edinburgh Taxi Site ). Eddie Smeaton ( taxi driver ). Next Update To This Page - around the beginning of August Please tell your friends about The Aberlady Pages ( aberlady.net ) web site . |
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