The first meeting after the 1952 AGM reported on the formation of an Area Committee by the clubs in the East, who arranged to meet twice a year, in April and September. The inaugural Eastern Area Championships were arranged for Dundee on 31 August, and the round to be shot was a Western. The club at Stranraer had now affiliated and there was a report of a club being started in Arbroath. The two Slazenger Arrow Trophies which had been donated were to be presented for the first time at the Scottish Championships to the 'Open' winners. The second annual International match against Ulster was arranged for September 13. A flight Championships was arranged to be held at Troon. The secretary submitted an expenditure estimate of £101.8/- to the Education Department, which led to a grant of £66 being approved in due course.
An administrative error at the CCPR offices (Central Council for Physical Recreation) resulted in the 1952 AGM business being sent to the British Archer magazine and being published in same. This resulted in an objection from one of the Committee members, Mr. McDougall, about items relative to Scottish affairs being discussed in the magazine. The secretary said he felt no great harm had been done, in fact he felt it reflected to SAA's credit. Mr. McDougall also raised the point made by members of some of the clubs in his (East) Area that "thumbnail sketches" of Committee members made by the secretary at the AGM were in bad taste. No one on the Committee agreed. One member of the Committee said she regretted the apparent lack of a 'sense of humour'.
The first winners of the 'Open' Slazenger Silver Arrows at the Scottish Championships were shown as a Miss M. Sutherland and a Mr. G. Rice. The teams for the International with Ulster were announced and there was to be a Ladies team included for the first time in this year's match.
The March '53 AGM passed without much happening, a few changes to the Constitution and Rules being approved, also the adoption of 'Score and Record' sheets for all archers was agreed, and these were ordered. Clubs would send their members cards in to the Match Secretary once a month, who would record all the scores and return them to the clubs.
The Scottish team had again been successful in defeating Ulster in the International between the countries, though no scores are recorded. Team dress for future matches was discussed and agreed as white skirt and blouse with royal blue cap for ladies and white trousers and shirt with royal blue cap for gentlemen. It was also agreed to look into the possibility of flying to Belfast for next years match.
A planned visit of Her Majesty the Queen to an Edinburgh Sports meeting to be held in June led to the organisers offering a site for archery in Hunter's Bog, the valley between Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags. Miss Gillespie reported she had visited the site and had found it to be rough and unsuitable, as a result of which the invitation to take part was declined. It subsequently transpired that the area of ground shown to Miss Gillespie was in fact not the correct site. It was now proposed to use the Royal High school playing fields for the archery event. The President and Treasurer had visited that ground prior to the meeting and found it suitable. As a result, the decision not to take part was rescinded, shooting an Albion round with a 3 pm start.
A match between the East and West Areas (presumably the first since the East Area was only formed a short time previously) was organised for July at the Edinburgh club ground. At a later meeting the Edinburgh club reported that their ground was not large enough to accommodate six targets, nor were there any dressing room facilities, and it was proposed to see if Burntisland could host the event. As the Burntisland club were already organising a long distance shoot in August, 12 dozen at 100 yds for men and 12 dozen at 80 yds for women (can't see that proving very popular with too many archers in 2004), it was agreed that if they also declined, the Area match would be run as a postal, though even that was reported later not to have taken place.
The Education Department grant of £61.14/- was received (the balance of the promised £66 grant, was received at a later date), and a letter approving the next year's grant of £80 was received. A letter was received from Messrs. Lillywhite (sports equipment suppliers) proposing to put out a fixture diary throughout Scotland , and offering to include archery events if the Association wished. This offer was accepted, the Match Secretary being asked to notify them of the relevant events. The third International with Ulster was scheduled for August 1953, and travel had been arranged by plane from Renfrew Airport (the predecessor to today's Glasgow Airport ), at a cost of £67.10/-, with £20 being made available from the Association's funds, and the balance made up by the team paying £3.10/- each. Ulster had sent a letter requesting a change of team format from the five ladies and five gentlemen of the previous year to three ladies and six gentlemen, as they were having difficulty raising a Ladies team. In their reponse, SAA asked Ulster to make every effort to field a Ladies team, though subsequently it was agreed that for this one year only, it would revert to a match between the two mens teams. Scotland maintained their record of having won all of the previous matches by winning by 2,335 points to 2,236.
The committee received an approach from Bangour Hospital with a view to starting archery as a means of rehabilitating the patients, and asking if SAA could supply an instructor for the hospital. This was found not to be possible, but it was arranged for someone from the hospital to be given basic instruction in coaching archery at one of the Edinburgh clubs. It was reported at the following meeting of the Committee that Edenhall Hospital in Musselburgh had also been considering the introduction of archery, Tulliallan Police College had an archery club, the National Cash Register Co. had asked if it would be possible to have an archery demonstration, and Anderson Boynes (coal cutting machinemakers) were interested as well. The President, Mr. Hamilton, reported that he was already visiting the Miners Rehabilitation club at Uddingaton once a week, helping patients doing archery. The Committee welcomed this evidence of the development of the sport, and agreed to give all possible assistance.
In February 1954 a letter was received from the Ulster Archery Association by the President Mr. Hamilton, informing him that the Ulster Association had decided to withdraw the trophy that they had put up and which had been shot for between the two countries at the 1952 and 1953 matches, and asking for his views. In his reply, Mr. Hamilton said the committee regretted the decision to withdraw the trophy but accepted it nevertheless. No mention is made of any reason for the trophy being withdrawn.
There are no minutes recorded in the minute book for the 1954 AGM, though at the following Committee meeting a draft copy was read out and amendments made as required.
An archery section of the Scottish Aviation Social Club at Prestwick Airport joined SAA as an Associate Club, and were having a recreational ground laid out at the Airport. The Committee felt that it might be possible to hold the 1954 International match with Ulster there if this could be agreed with the club. A new club in Alloa had now affiliated, and a possible new club in Kilsyth had been visited and given some elementary instruction by the President.
FITA were again approached by the Association for recognition, and after a meeting with the FITA secretary, Mr. Lars Ekegren, it was again pointed out to us that GNAS were the only body FITA could recognise for archery in the United Kingdom . He did say that he appreciated our point of view, and in fact notified GNAS of his meeting with us, as a result of which a letter was received from GNAS in December 1954 asking if the two bodies could try to resolve their differences. The President replied saying that the situation would be discussed at the next Committee meeting. After general discussion, the opinion of that meeting was summarised thus : 1 - SAA had no wish to lose its identity : 2 - that the grant from the Education Department might possibly cease if we joined GNAS : 3 - in addition to which we would also be liable to pay the GNAS subscriptions and adopt their constitution and rules. The meeting then agreed that they wished to remain as a separate body, but to attempt to ensure that we had some say in the selection of British teams, and to try to persuade GNAS to make their Championships an 'Open' event. This elicited a letter from GNAS inviting SAA to send two members to the next GNAS Council meeting in February 1955 to discuss the whole matter. This invitation was accepted and the President Mr. Hamilton and a Mr. Munro were appointed as the Association's delegates to the meeting. The basis of their assignment was to ensure that SAA did not lose its own identity as the National Association for Scotland . If this was agreed, they would examine any basis for closer co-operation between the two parties. If not agreed, they were to press for representation in the selection of National teams, and to enquire what arrangements were in place for payment of expenses for members of National teams should SAA have a member of such a team.
Two members of the Dundee club had applied to become SAA coaches. They were asked to attend and sit a special coaching examination, and Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Brown were asked to prepare a suitable list of questions. The possibility that new clubs might be formed in Falkirk, Aberdeen and Montrose was reported. Purchase of 25 80cm target faces and 25 60cm faces was authorised for the sum of £9.7/6d. Clubs could purchase these for 5/- per face. It was also agreed that the SAA financial year should now end on 31 December, this to enable audited accounts to be prepared prior to the annual grant application to the Education Department.
Ray Masson. (2004)