The St Andrew's Society of Montreal

The St Andrew's Society of Montreal was founded in 1835 as a charitable society to assist the Scottish community within Montreal. The organisation seeks to preserve Scottish tradition and culture within Montreal, through engagement with several groups, namely, the Montreal Highland Dance Association and the Black Watch School of Piping and Drumming. Additionally, the society supports students through providing grants for special cultural projects and is a major sponsor of the McGill University Chair of Canadian-Scottish Studies.

In conjunction with their work to preserve Scottish culture and tradition, the St Andrew's Society of Montreal also seeks to bring the Scottish community within the city together. The society achieves this by hosting a variety of different events, ranging from, BBQs, to Whisky tasting, Golf, Curling, Pot-Luck, Burns Suppers, and the St Andrew's Ball. The St Andrew's Ball is the highlight of the society's social calendar and is held annually on the Friday closest to St Andrews Day. Additionally, the society is heavily involved in the Montreal Highland Games, which has been running since 1856!

The first President of the St Andrew's Society of Montreal was the Hon. Peter McGill (McCutcheon). Born in August 1789, at Cree Bridge, Wigtonshire, which is today Dumfries and Galloway. McGill travelled from Scotland to Canada in 1809 and became involved in several different businesses in Montreal. He was the nephew of the Rt. Hon. John McGill, a military officer who had fought in the American Revolution. With no natural heir to his estates, the Rt. Hon. John McGill named his nephew as his heir, providing he took the surname McGill. Hence, Peter McCutcheon became Peter McGill.

In 1919, McGill was elected as a Director of the Montreal Bank, and by 1834 had been elected President. McGill was involved in several different organisations and served as the first President of the St Andrew's Society of Montreal during its formative years from 1835-1842 and 1844-1846. From 1840-1842, McGill served as the second mayor of Montreal, and its first English speaking one, overseeing a period of great improvement within the city.

McGill sadly passed away on September 28th, 1860. His funeral was attended by many of the city's leading citizens and many of the shops were closed out of respect.

McGill was a great man and he is fondly remembered by the people of Montreal. He achieved much in his life and helped to strengthen the ties between Scotland and the city of Montreal. The St Andrew's Society of Montreal continue the work of McGill, by strengthening the bonds between Montreal and Scotland, through the engagement and preservation of the Scottish community of Montreal.

We met Marilyn at the Games last August on a beautifully sunny day and have never felt so welcome at an event. Greig caught up with the president of the St Andrew's Society of Montreal, Marilyn Meikle, once again this month to learn more about the great work of the society and all things Scottish.

What does your role as President of the St Andrew’s Society of Montreal include?

I am proud to be the third woman President of the Society in its 185-year history. As President, I preside at meetings of the Society and Council and represent the Society at public functions. I am a member ex-officio of all committees of the Society except the Nominating Committee. I am an active member of the Activities Committee and the Ball Committee as I was a member of these committees prior to joining Council and I maintained my volunteer roles with my colleagues.

How did you become involved with the St Andrew’s Society of Montreal?

I have always been involved in volunteer causes in Montreal as I feel that it is important to give back. When my daughter was a debutante at the St. Andrew’s Ball in 2010, I became interested in joining the Society. One thing led to another and I joined the Activities Committee, then I started the Golf Tournament, I was then asked to join Council and here I am!

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with the St Andrew’s Society of Montreal?

The most rewarding aspect for me is connecting with members at our various events. Whether it be a low-key event like our Summer BBQ or Fish & Chips Night or a major fundraiser like WhiskyFête or the Annual Ball, talking to our members and learning about why they are involved in the Society is very important to me. We can’t be all things to all people, but we do good work and we connect Montrealers of Scottish descent to Montrealers who are interested in learning about and maintaining about Scottish culture.

Your greatest achievement working with the St Andrew's Society of Montreal?

I have only been in office as President since May 2019 so I can’t say that I have had a “greatest achievement” yet. As a member of the Council, we work as a team to achieve our goals. Certainly, the funds that we have raised and contributed to Montreal charities and to our own community are extremely important.

Here is how the Society helped in 2019:

• $40,000 donated to the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, (founded by Scots), a world-class institution devoted to cutting-edge neurological research, clinical care and education. The Neuro is involved with open-science research with the University of Edinburgh.

• $20,000 donated to the Douglas Hospital Foundation, (founded by Scots), supporting patient care, research in neuroscience and mental health, and education and training

• $60,000 awarded in bursaries to over 50 post-secondary students and educational institutions including Bishop's University, the University of Guelph, McGill University, l'Université de Montréal, and the Presbyterian College.

• Over $35,000 granted to cultural organizations in Montreal and Quebec including Atwater Library, the Black Watch Association Pipes and Drums, the Black Watch Cadets, Kinnear's Mills Celtic Festival, the McCord Museum, and the Montreal Highland Games.

• Over $10,000 given for emergency assistance to families and individuals in need, and further outreach to the wider community including the Red Cross Hurricane Dorian Appeal and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Do you have a favourite event in the St Andrew’s Society of Montreal calendar?

My favourite event is the Annual Charity Ball simply because it brings together so many aspects of Scottish culture for one spectacular night; the skirl of the bagpipes, Highland dance, Scottish country dance and the warmth of Scottish hospitality. Preparing for the event is hectic but once the tartan banners are hung, the auction is set-up and the scent of flowers fill the room, there is a sense of peace as we await the guests. Seeing the debutantes and escorts perform the Scottish waltz is magical and the young page and flower girl usually melt my heart. We have been fortunate to have been graced with wonderful Guests of Honour throughout the years, all adding to the pomp and circumstance of the evening. The funds that we raise at the event are critical to our chosen charity, so it is a win-win in my opinion.

Why do you think it is important to build upon and maintain Canadian-Scottish connections and culture?

As one of 5 million Canadians who claims Scottish background, I feel that it is important to have a connection to my roots. I’m not the only one! According to Scottish Affairs Canada, 131,000 Canadians visited Scotland in 2018 with 70 percent of them claiming a Scottish connection. I will be planning my first visit to Scotland in June 2020 and I can’t wait. Yes, we can look back at history and revel in that, but to me, we must look forward and see how today’s Scots and Canadians are similar. It is these ties that will continue to bind us. Was it serendipity that as I started my tenure as President in 2019, that Scotland’s First Minister opened a Scottish Affairs Office in Canada? The St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal has partnered with the Office to promote various events and to promote the best of current day Scotland under the banner #ScotlandIsNow. Innovation, well-being, equality and diversity are just some of our commonalities. We are stronger when we are connected – even if it is across an ocean.

Do you have a favourite event at the Montreal Highland Games?

In 2019, the Montreal Highland Games welcomed ladies to our Highland Heavy Events, and it was a grand success. As President of the St. Andrew’s Society, I thought that it would serve me well to understand more about the Heavy Events, so I participated in a workshop leading up to the Games and learned how to put the stone, throw the hammer and toss the caber. Having the opportunity to spend a full day in the hot sun, throwing weights that I never thought possible, I’d have to say that my respect for the Heavy Athletes grew immensely. The thrill of flipping even a mid-sized caber was exhilarating! The workshop sealed the deal for me. While I adore the sound of the bagpipes and enjoy the Highland Dance stage, my heart now belongs to the Highland Heavy competitions.

I love the imagery that Burns creates with his poems and while I don’t have one particular favourite, I would say that there is a tie between “Tam O’Shanter” and “To a Mouse”. When performed, I can feel the tension in “Tam”. I am carried away to the action and my heart races alongside Maggie as she gallops. In “To a Mouse” I feel such empathy for the poor creature. I feel the cold wind of winter and want to wrap myself in blankets and sit by a fire thinking about life and its trials and tribulations.

We know that you are connected to Clan Lamont, which is in fact connected to our ‘Clan of the Month’ – Clan MacLachlan, could you please tell us a bit more about how you are connected to this clan?

I am connected to Clan Lamont by my family name Meikle, which is on my father’s side. Having done some research about tartans when our oldest daughter was making her debut at the St. Andrew’s Ball in 2010, I discovered that although for many years our family thought we were from the Murray Clan, we were actually Clan Lamont. I wrote to Clan Lamont Society to ask for confirmation and was so pleased to have a letter back from the Clan Chieftain welcoming me to the “family”. We immediately ordered our sashes and the rest, as they say, is truly history.

Would you please be able to tell us a bit about Montreal 1642 Tartan and your role in the design of this?

The 1642 Tartan was a gift to the City and citizens of Montreal on the 375th anniversary of the founding of our great metropolis. I was not involved with the design of the tartan but several of our Council members were. The colours of the tartan represent the Scots as well as other founding peoples of our city. I believe that the description of the tartan on the Society’s website sums it up best, “The interlocking shades of the tartan express the peaceful integration of these original founding peoples with those of many other nations and cultures that have arrived here from around the globe.”

I wear the 1642 Tartan proudly to many events even though I have my own family tartan, as I feel that it is a sign of openness and inclusivity which is so important these days. Anyone is welcome to wear the “Montreal Tartan” and we encourage citizens to do so. It’s a connection to their roots which may be Scottish or a blend of cultures. Once we have on our Montreal Tartan, “we are one”, Clan Montreal.

We know that there is, of course, the Quebec Tartan, what are your thoughts on this?

I think that the Quebec Tartan is very lovely. It was designed around the same time that the other provinces were having their tartans designed to coincide with the World’s Fair that was being held in Montreal in 1967 – also our country’s centennial. I currently don’t own anything in the Quebec Tartan but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in the future!