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Dear Clansfolk
May I thank all those of you who sent me Christmas Cards. I hope all of you had a lovely Christmas and I wish everyone a very Good New Year and Millennium. You can find our central Hunter Clan web site at www.clanhunter.com. There are pictures of some of teh Mail Order items and more will be going on shortly. There are still some Clan Hunter 2000 Calendars left if anyone has forgotten to oerder any.
The 'Order of the Royal Huntsman' was presented at the Clan Hunter US Association AGM during the San Francisco Highland Games in September. It gave me very great pleasure to be able to present the award to Thomas Munro Hunter the Editor of The Hunter's Horn and one of the US Clan Association's founder members. Tom has worked tirelessly for the Clan ever since. His efforts on behalf of the Clan are much appreciated and The Hunters Horn has been highly commended several times in the Odom Genealogical library annual awards for Scottish Clan Newsletters.
The trip to the San Francisco Highland Games was very successful and we had several new members join up at the games and I had the pleasure of meeting Clan members many of whom had traveled specially including one 90 year-old Clan member who was one of the original joining members. I felt very honoured that Hunters should value their ancestry so highly. The Highland Games are some fo the largest and the attendance was in the region of 45,000.
Tom Hunter, our Canadian Clan Officer, his wife Christine and the Clan members who man the Clan tent at Fergus are all to be congratulated.
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They won the coverted prize, a very fine crystal decanter, for best Clan Tent at this year's Games. The highland Games in Fergus are one of the most prestigious Highland Games held in Canada. There is an excellent photo-graph of Tom with the award on the Canadian Clan Hunter web site at www.clanhutner.webjump.com.
This year is going to be naother busy one as I have been invited to visit the Clan members in Australia and New Zealand by our Clan Officers there. Several of you will know Bert Hunter, our Clan Officer for Australia, and his wife, Claire. They both came to the 1997 Gathering at Hunterston. I honoured Bert by arranging for him to be presented with the 'Order of the Royal Huntsman' last year. Bert has been Clan Officer for the Australian Clan Hunter Association since it was set up by my brother, Charles. Whilst in Australia I have been invited to be Guest of Honour duing the Scottish Heritage Week by the Scottish Australian Heritage Council which is a very great honour and will give a boost to all our Hunter family on the other side of the world.
After visiting our Australian Hunters I shall be going to New Zealand at the invitation of Richard Kearney and his wife Betty, to visit Clan Hunter members who have promised a very warm welcome.
In October this year a very special event was held in Hunterston Castle. Vicky Theuerkauf and Craig Hunter were married in the Grat Hall. It was the first wedding to be held in the Castle and the couple
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who are from Australia had asked specially to be able to come all the way from Australia to get married in Hunterston Castle. Vicki wore a wonderful medieval style dress in ivory and Burgundy damask, Craig was of course wearing a Hunter tartan Kilt. They had a lovely day the weather was fine and the autumn leaves were still on the trees. My mother, Sonia, Madam Hunter of Hutnerston was present as were two of my brothers, Nigel and Angus.
Last year Hunterston Castle was open to the general public as part of a Scottish Heritage event and we had over 400 visitors. I am proposing to do the same this year and if anyone wants to attend I would be happy to have you some. I am also pleased to announce that the Castle Restoration Fund now stands at £7,500. My many thanks to those of you involved in the fund raising, I believe that we have a Castle worth preserving and that having a Hunter Genealogy Library would be a great asset for all Clan members.
I am sure that you are all wondering when the next Gathering will be held at Hunterston. The date for the 2001 Clan hunter Gathering at Hunterston is the 22, 23 and 24 June. I hope that many of you will be able to come and meet up with all your many internationl relations.
Yours Aye
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The Clan Hunter Association UK
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Great Hall, Hunterston Castle, West Kilbride, Ayrshire
Saturday 8 April 2000 at 3.00pm
All members welcome! This is your opportunity to take an active part in the business of the Association.
The Agenda for the meeting and Booking Form can be found on page 3 of the newsletter.
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