Aberdeen and Distrct Angling Association History--To Date!

Comment from Secretary -

For many years there has been suggestions made that the history of the Association should be recorded in some way for posterity. However while everybody thinks it’s a good idea nobody ever seems to be able to find the time to do it. With the launch of our own web-site I thought it would be opportune to at least attempt to summarise some of the significant moments that I am aware of. Perhaps one day if someone does take up the challenge of writing a book or whatever they will find this useful. I am also keenly aware that through my extremely limited research I will have missed some key happenings & details that some of you out there may be aware of that could be added. Anyway, any contributions will be welcome, & if the book is ever written & becomes a best seller you can form a queue behind me for a percentage of the royalties!
Paul Toseland, March 2005
Update at December 2008
With Alastair Hume standing down as President at the 2008 AGM, the decision to make Alastair an Honorary President and Bob Dey’s election to President now is an opportune time to update this part of the website. Also from Bob’s tribute speech to Alastair I was also able to go back over previous years and add some other significant moments and more detail to that posted previously.

Paul Toseland, December 2008

DECADE

SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS

1940's

1946-1947- The Association was formed, its first President, Pat McGee. The Association owned no waters and members fished the Pots and Ford of the Dee – the Association having been formed by the anglers who fished there by buying tickets from Powries, the people who had the Salmon netting. The Association’s first leased water was the Loch of Loirston, acquired in the summer of 1946 from tackle dealers Sharpes of Belmont Street.

1950's

1954-
The Association purchased its first water, Upper Parkhill, at an Extraordinary General Meeting the members felt that they could not afford to take on a loan to purchase both Upper and Lower Parkhill and settled for purchasing Upper Parkhill at a cost of £2000. Members attending the meeting were invited to make loans or gifts to the Secretary within one week. This raised £120 and a loan of £1500 was arranged. Lower Parkhill could have been purchased at that time for a further £1000.

1960's

1964- December- Duncan Wilson was appointed President on the 7 December 1964 taking over from Mr Cliff Jordan. Alastair Hume was appointed as Vice President.

1966-Methlick fishings, River Ythan, purchased.

1967- Machar Pool fishings, River Ythan, purchased. At this time, the Sea trout and finnock fishing in the Ythan estuary was superb and the Machar Pool must have been one of the best sea trout fisheries in the whole of the United Kingdom and it was a real feather in the Associations cap to acquire it.

1970's
General- The Association plays a major part in getting the lower Don Paper Mill pollution cleared up. A group led by Vice President Alastair Hume led the protests against the conditions on the Lower Don. The river from Dyce to the sea was like an open Sewer due to the activities of the three paper mills and the Dyce Bacon Factory on Lower Don. Pressure was put on the North East River Purification Board to take action and Alastair was in fact elected as a Member of the Purification Board. A series of meetings took place with the Mills and factory who undertook dramatic improvements to their treatment of waste water, at a cost of many millions of pounds until the Lower Don gradually cleaned up into the river we know today, virtually free from pollution and having healthy fish and fauna life.

1973- River Feugh fishings purchased.

1976- Upper and Lower Fintray beats purchased for the sum of £20000 – a lot of money in those days.

1978- Lower Parkhill South purchased costing £13000. These purchases stretched the Association’s finances to the limit but the purchases were all made without need for any borrowing. It then took some years to rebuild the clubs financial position again.

1978- March- A 42 1/2lb salmon was caught on a devon minnow at Split Stone Streams, Upper Parkhill by Mr Morrison. Legend has it that the huge fish broke the tailer and burst through the salmon bass when it was being carried up the hill to the car park!

1980's

1980- The Senior Club Championship is initiated by Entertainment’s Convenor Nevill Myhill.
1983- A three Man Team qualify through a heat and semi-final to the final of SANA Scottish Club Championship.

1988- Garthdee fishings, River Dee, purchased. This time the asking price was a whopping £63500. This was considered a fortune by some at the time, but the purchase went ahead. The purchase of Garthdee virtually cleaned out the Associations financial reserves but these were gradually built up again.

1990's

1990- Alastair Hume and the late David McLean travelled down to Edinburgh to personally present the Don Brown trout protection application and to speak on behalf of the application to the Scottish Office. They were successful and the River Don Catchment Protection Order came into force in October 1990.

1991- There was a now famous event when a whole busload of anglers fishing without permits, in breach of the Protection Order, were arrested on upper Donside and landed up in the police cells in Inverurie. The bus they were travelling in was also impounded and the company who had hired the bus to the anglers was warned that they were at risk of their bus being confiscated as it had been used in conjunction with a breach of the Protection Order. The end result was that a strong message was received by bus companies throughout Central Scotland who then declined to hire to groups of anglers travelling north to visit Donside, and at long last the raids on the river ceased.

1994- Senior Club Champion Mike Cordiner finished high enough in the SANA National Final to qualify to represent Scotland at international level.

1997- 50th Anniversary of Association. A Dinner Dance was held at the Beach Ballroom. 1997- Annual Diary launched for members. 1997-Three Man Team qualify through heat to reach semi-final of SANA Scottish Club Championship.

1998- Duncan Wilson, President, made MBE.

2000The Association gains the majority shareholdings in the Nether Don fishing’s.

2001 Kemnay fishings, River Don, purchased, the price £45,000.

2002 Access to Cruives fishings, River Don, finalised.

2003 The Associations web-site, www.adaa.org.uk goes live.
An Association Four Man Team win one of the Scottish heats to qualify for the national Fishtec Team Challenge competition held at Rutland Water, England.
Senior Club Champion Mike Cordiner finished high enough in the SANA National Final to qualify to represent Scotland at international level for the second time.

2004 January- AGM- Duncan Wilson MBE, stands down as President, Alastair Hume, Vice President, elected as President, Robert Dey, Secretary, elected as Vice President, Paul Toseland, Entertainment’s Convenor, elected as Secretary.
The AGM approves a number of changes to the Constitution that allows the Association to register as an Amateur Sports Club under the Inland Revenues Amateur Sports Club Scheme.

An evening with Paul Young in the Queens Hotel was held on the 8th of March when the event was organised by Mike Cordiner in conjunction with Aberdeen Sports Council the proceeds going to the Sports Council. The evening was a great success with a larger turnout than expected, nearly 250. Paul Young was very expansive of his praise of the Association.

On 27th May a presentation of a painting of a leaping salmon by Chris Sharp to Duncan Wilson was held to honour his 39 years as President of the Association at an event again at the Queens Hotel. This also was a great success. Among the guests invited were the Chairmen of the Dee and Don Fishery Boards and the Clerk to the Ythan Board. The evening went very well and the feed back from those who attended was very heartening. Duncan was pleased with his oil painting and thoroughly enjoyed the party in his honour.

As part of an agreement with BAA regarding the pipeline going into the water at Lower Parkhill, a Fly Calendar was produced at BAAs cost showing the fly life and times of its appearance on Association waters on the Don.

This year was the first year of the newly leased fishing at Banchory Devenick.

During the year the carpark at Methlick was enlarged and upgraded.

Alastair Hume, as President of the Association, was appointed a member of the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board and also the Don District Salmon Fishery Board – both appointments are for periods of three years.

Iain Morrison, Web Master, was appointed to The Dee Salmon Fishing Improvement Association as the Associations representative.

The Web Site continues to be a great success. The number of total pages hit since it started is now passing 87,000 and, per month, have doubled from last year. Well over 1000 people per month visit the site from all over the world averaging 120 cities and 30 countries. A Forum was also introduced.. The site also won first prize in the Press and Journal angling web site awards for 2004.

The agreement introduced last year for the members use of the Sportsmans Club in Queens Road continues.

2005 A Dinner Dance is held on 12th of February in the Mugiemoss Social Club and once again proves a success with the membership.

The Associations Works Contractor, Roy Ritchie, retires after being its contractor for around 25 years. A detailed works contract for future years is drawn up led by works convenor Alec Paterson Alec is also successfully co-opted on the Don District Salmon Fishery Board.

An underwater survey of the fishing of the Dee from RGU downstream to the Old Bridge of Dee was organised to show a record should the fishings be damaged by the removal of the counter. Committee member Dave Gordon and his colleague Duncan made a thorough examination of the river and when doing so were absolutely amazed by the number of salmon in the Leggart Pool – they estimated around 10,000.

Mike Cordiner, Paul Toseland, Richard McHattie and Ernie McKay were the worthy winners of The Glen Garioch Challenge Trophy. In a very competitive contest 10 heats were held at venues up and down Scotland with the winning teams fishing in the Grand Final at Swanswater Fishery, near Stirling.

2006 A new water on the Ythan is purchased, Ardlethen for, the sum of £180,000. The Association now owns beats on the lower, middle, and upper river.

The SANA National River Championship Final is held on the Upper Parkhill and Upper Fintray beats.

A questionnaire is issued to all members as both a chance to influence the future direction of the Association and gain the information on which to base the Association’s forward planning.

Also as part of the questionnaire circulation arrangement to the Associations 1000 plus members a leaflet on the Gyrodactalis Salaris parasite is sent along with a declaration requiring signing acknowledging that the leaflet had been read and understood. A similar arrangement will be put in place for new members.

2007 The 60th Anniversary of the Association. A Dinner in the Elphinston Hall is held. Paul Young was a guest.

Catch reporting arrangements for members are amended as a result of new legislation.

A commercial side to the Association is launched thanks to Stuart and Julia Fleming, Dave Gordon and Iain Morrison in particular. Sales of badges, Beanie hats, sweaters etc and also fishing days at Tilbouries and Casting Lessons from Willie Banks prove a success.

After many years of campaigning by the Association and others a three year trial extension on the Dee starts next year. This is a three year extension into the first two weeks of October.

The Associations team of Kenny Riddell and Ernie McKay win the SANA Open Pairs Final.

2008 January- AGM- Alastair Hume is made an Honorary President of the Association. No-one has held this position since the days of the late Dr Charles Alexander. He stands down as President. Robert Dey, Vice President, elected as President, Mike Cordiner elected as Vice President, Paul Toseland, re-elected as Secretary.