Glenbervie Burns Collection

The Father of the Bard Trophy was an outcome of the Father of the Bard Project, a two – year initiative funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Aberdeenshire Council to celebrate the fact that the father of Robert Burns, William Burnes, was born in the parish of Glenbervie in the Mearns, and raised at Clochnalhill farm just outside Stonehaven.

The Project was managed by Forest View Centre, Stonehaven, and it was decided that a partnership arrangement should be set up between the centre and Mackie Academy, to encourage new creative poetry in the style of Robert Burns.

A silver quaich was sponsored as a trophy for the winner of the best poem to be written for the Burns seasonacross all year forums, and a final six poems would be selected as finalists, with three winners being chosen by a panel of the Friends of Forest View and service users.

The winner would hold the trophy for a year, and be presented with the trophy at a lunch, with the judging panel at Forest View Centre.

The trophy would be used again as part of the annual presentation of awards at Mackie Academy.

The competition was initiated in 2009, the Year of the Homecoming, and in the first year generated six new pieces of poetry, and in 2102 generated thirty nine new poems from the pupils of Mackie Academy, a real measure of the success of the initiative.

The Banker’s Prayer won second place in 2012, and is an excellent example of the standard and quality of work which has come from the pupils of Mackie Academy Stonehaven.

The Banker’s Prayer

O thou, wha in the heavens dost dwell
Wha, as it pleases best thysel’,
Gives ane great riches, and ten just nil,
A’ for the econ’my,
And no for work done bad or well
They’ve done afore thee.

I bless and praise thy matchless grace,
When thousan’s lives are in poverty wasted,
That I am in this wondrous place,
Wi’ ma bonuses an’ Lears,
An example o’ shinin’ success,
Tae those in arrears.