DUNROD ANGLING CLUB,
GREENOCK
(inst 1911)
(A short History by Jack Glenny)
past President.
The Beginning.
The First World War was still three years off when a group of men met at the Greenock Imperial Union Club and contrived to form the Dunrod Private Angling Club. The new club was born with the sole fishing rights for reservoirs No 3, 4, and 5, nestling high above the farmland from which the club name was derived.
These reservoirs were remote from the town of Greenock and seldom troubled by the attentions of anyone other than anglers and hill walkers.
The intrepid members found the angling pleasure, after a difficult and exhausting climb to the waters, was well worth the effort and soon had they built a substantial stone hut with three feet thick walls and a great steel door.
Therein they enjoyed their sandwiches and drank their tea, augmented no doubt by a glass or two of a colder but similarly coloured beverage, which induced a feeling of bonhomie even when the fish were reluctant to participate in the angling game.
Being men of some knowledge and enterprise, they quickly ensured a hatchery was also built and spawning burns, controlled and managed with considerable vigour and no little skill.
Thus, all through the first five decades of the twentieth century, Dunrod Angling Club thrived and prospered in the art and pleasure of angling. Fish were reared and caught, reputations were built- and sometimes demolished -on the moor land dams that were the home of this little club.
Good things seldom last and the post war development of Greenock’s housing bit into the quietude of the hills around the town. People found access to the moorland, and consequently the waters much easier than before, but, sadly amongst the good folk were the vandals.
The hatchery suffered first and was gradually abandoned, the hut itself was under sustained attack and finally, in the mid seventies, it was destroyed. Nowadays only a huddle of stone and a few shards of twisted iron betray its very existence.
With these happenings the fishing itself deteriorated and the fish, which hitherto had been well reared and of healthy and stout proportions, gradually increased in number but diminished in size and quality. Members can still enjoy a day or an evening fishing at Nos 3, 4, and 5 reservoirs but with the destruction of the hut and the ever encroaching houses, the privacy and freshness has vanished and for many the attraction has gone
with it.
SPREADING OUR WINGS
All was not lost however and, in 1956, two far seeing and enterprising men who travelled by train to work each day discussed the problem and one of them, Duncan Malcolm, sought approval to approach Ardgowan estate with a view to obtaining a lease on the Gryffe No 1, reservoir which, though part of the Kilmacolm parish was within easy access to Greenock.
Thomas C. Pollock, Factor of Ardgowan, who later became a very highly regarded member of the club, was approached and, thereafter, arranged with his employer for a lease to be drawn up.
It was discovered that Ardgown’s fishing rights covered only the north shore and that the rights on the south shore lay with the Greenock Corporation. These were also successfully sought after by Dunrod and, to this day, the club benefits from the foresight of Duncan Malcolm as well as from the skilful handling by Tom Pollock even although both have now passed on.
The word “Private” had to be deleted from the Club title in order to allow the club to join SNCA (Scottish National Angling Clubs Association.) but, in essence, the club preserves the dignity of angling by ensuring that only those who fish with respect and decorum are admitted.
With the acquisition of the Gryffe, the fishing improved in variety and quality and the old enthusiasm was restored.
A boat house was built doubling as a shelter and meeting place for all members. It was not as substantial as the original reservoir hut but was much cherished. The materials had to be manhandled from the cottage occupied by Archie Carmichael and his wife and situated just to the north of Dowries Farm Road. It was a long slow haul and many were the mutterings, oaths and invocations of the deity in the building of that
celebrated boathouse.
A boat was acquired. It was a fibre class craft which was later thought to be unsafe and a poor drifter and therefore replaced by an excellent timber clinker built boat which handled beautifully.
Through the fifties sixties and seventies, Dunrod went from strength to strength. As well as taking part in local competitions and private visits to the lochside, members enjoyed away outings to Lochs, Awe, Lomond, Leven and Eck, as well as visits to those fisheries which had introduced the now ubiquitous rainbow trout.
Dunrod Angling Club themselves introduced rainbow trout on two occasions as part of the club’s stocking policy but whilst they for a brief few weeks afforded lively sport and no little excitement they did not seem to last long and the members felt generally that “brown is best”, a policy that survives to this time.
During these years the members indulged in enthusiastic Pike Netting with the idea that removing the pike would assist the stock. In some seasons, between March and April, upwards of 60lb of pike could be netted. On reflection, the club may have boobed in interfering with nature’s balancing act, for the decline of pike numbers was accompanied by a boom in trout numbers with a resultant drop in the average size and weight, as the tussle for food became more competitive.
SEVENTY FIFTH CELEBRATIONS
In 1986, the club celebrated its seventy fifth anniversary and a week-end was arranged at Loch Awe. The weather was atrocious, but, from the Ford Hotel those members who attended, fished Loch Awe itself, Loch Avich, and the Cam Lochs, a series of three small lochans not unlike Dunrod’s own 3, 4, and 5 reservoirs.
All were fished with variable success but the conviviality and fun of the evenings in the hotel defy description.
The week-end unhappily coincided with the Chernobyl disaster and much was made of the alleged radioactive rain that fell on us all. Poor Andrew Cockle had forgotten his bunnet and as well as getting a drooking the skin on his forehead mysteriously began to peel.
The result of the Chernobyl accident was that sheep grazing on Scottish hillsides were for a number of years deemed to be inedible, Andrew’s head however recovered and as no one intended eating him there were no British casualties.
OTHER CELEBRATIONS AND EVENTS
The club has traditionally held an Annual Dinner an event which has been graced by some excellent and famous speakers. After Toasts, to the Club and to The Gentle Art, comes the fun part of the evening, the presentation of the Dunrod Mug, a trophy awarded not for any prowess in angling but as a token of friendship, from one member to another. Part of the of the fun is that the recipient should know nothing of his impending award. Although his immediate task is to respond with a brief, and usually humorous thank you he must then commence his search for another victim and a suitable presentation speech for the following year.
Many members secretly carry, in their pocket, at every dinner, a few short words of response, lest the mug falls to them.
The format of the dinner has remained unchanged for many years.
For many years too a ladies’ night was held usually in the Greenock Club but the enthusiasm for this waned somewhat and it was for a time discontinued.
In recent times however it has resumed with great success and is again a highlight of our calendar.
Of late it has been held in the Royal Gourock Yacht Club.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Sadly the improvement of roads and the increasing wealth of the population has manifested itself in an explosion of cars and people visiting the lochside.
The revered boat was stolen and the oars and boathouse reduced to a pile of charred wood and nails.
Such is the way of the world that no further building has taken place and our members have no permanent accommodation in which to shelter from the elements or use as a meeting place. Our current recourse is to a mobile industrial caravan which Neil Caskie whose farmlands border the loch very kindly tows each competition day from his farm to the bay at Dowries Road End.
It is not the most satisfactory of arrangements but in this irresponsible age it is the only available option and one for which the club is very much indebted to Neil.
HONOURS
Dunrod has had a number of excellent anglers as members. Many have shown their prowess merely at club level. Many more may not have fished with prolific success but their charm and companionship has added greatly to our little band of promoters of the gentle art.
Some however have shone like beacons and have represented their country in international competitions.
Right from those early days Dunrod anglers have appeared in Scottish teams
A.M.McMillan 1931
Andrew Ritchie 1936 and 1939
Gordon Simpson 1956
John Love 1958 ( a great little man who fished in club competitions when he was in his nineties)
J B.Thomson 1963
J.P.T. Thomson 1979,1985, 1986. (Brother of the above J.B.)
David Fulton 1990
John Ashford 1992
All these men fished for Scotland but one of our members, John Davey, had the audacity to fish for the “Auld Enemy” England and lived to tell the tale.
We now have Brian Peterson as a member but Brian’s international fame was earned prior to his becoming a Dunrod member. We nevertheless value greatly his display of good taste and discernment in joining us, even thus late in his career.
PIONEER WOMAN
In the days when political correctness was unheard of and male chauvinism was at its peak Dunrod too was ahead of the game. We had lady members- not many it has to be said -but one of them Elsie Blanche turned male superiority on it’s head and became “club champion.” (Inverted commas as really Dunrod never refer to champions but merely to the winner of the Spiers Quaich, our premier trophy.)
Elsie should also have fished for Scotland but didn’t and her qualification for possible selection prompted the Scottish National Committee to introduce a male only clause in the rules. I can hear the gasps of the battalions of women’s lib but that was the way it was then and Elsie fished in no more competitions but the memory remains of a proud champion and much admired lady.
TROPHIES OF THE CLUB
Dunrod prides itself in being not so much a competitive club as a recreational club but man being what he is there are of course competitions, the winners of which receive trophies.
Premier trophy — The Speirs Quaich
The Salmon and Sea Trout Trophy
The Jubilee Cup
The Tom Stewart Trophy
The John W Ashford Trophy
The Elsie Blanche Trophy
In recent years there has been a competition between Dunrod and The Greenock Accies for which the winners have been awarded a small trophy named “The Lost Broch” donated by the Accies. (Ronnie Peterson & Ian Henderson)
NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS
Dunrod has a great association with many angling clubs throughout Scotland and is a member of a number of National Associations which work to improve and assist angling.
Perhaps it is to the neighbours, the farmers, and land owners, that Dunrod as a club owes most.
Neil Caskie has already been mentioned for his sterling work for the club and Jim Barbour too has proved to be an obliging and supportive neighbouring farmer.
In years gone by the Caskie’s, Barbours, Bairds, and Rankins, along with the various, public and now private, bodies that form the Water Authorities, have all played a major role in the progress of the club.
Each one of them has, with Dunrod, worked towards the improvement and protection of the countryside that gives them their livelihood and us the anglers our great sport.
SCRIBES OF NOTE
Dunrod has been fortunate in its choice of scribes.
The first was Jim Sharp a Kilmacolm man who guided the club in its first faltering footsteps and whose skill was to be a template for those who followed in the secretarial role.
Duncan Malcolm, one of the instigators of Dunrod’s acquisition of the Gryffe, was a peppery and meticulous secretary with a sparkling wit and a mind like a rapier his guidance of the club was faultless.
The manner of a man’s death is not usually a subject which club members like to discuss, but the passing of Duncan Malcolm would, I am sure, have been satisfying to the man himself.
Salmon fishing on the River Ayr which he had done with distinction for many years Duncan was discovered by his companion for the day John McKellar, lying at peace with the Great Fisher of Men.
Clasped in his hand was his beloved fishing rod, on the end of which was an eleven pound salmon.
Were all anglers to choose their exit from this world, who could do better than Duncan?
Jack Thomson whose vast experience in the art and knowledge of those involved in angling was another whose guidance was an example to all. Happily Jack continues to guide the club as a committee member.
Most anglers when they talk of Jack think also of his brother Jim, who, like Jack, was an international angler and a great servant of Dunrod, sadly Jim died, in circumstances not dissimilar to Duncan Malcolm, whilst fishing at Auchendores Reservoir one evening.
Another great secretary was Tom Rae, the Master Printer, meticulous yet approachable, skilful yet not pompous, a zealous angler and a clever man, who led the club successfully over many years.
Alistair Doig an efficient and considerate secretary who never failed to cover all the aspects and whose own personal participation in every element of the club’s affairs made a Presidents life easier.
All of these men have over the years led the club through happy and sad times and earned the gratitude of all the members.
Our current secretary Ronnie Peterson brings to the office his tremendous experience and local knowledge. He has boundless energy and his infectious and exuberant sense of humour and he too is the epitome of what Dunrod Angling Club really is –
A group of gentlemen whose desire is to fish the waters and enjoy the wonders of our beautiful land who will embellish it with their own presence and leave it no less beautiful when they put by their fishing tackle.-
If the Club can continue in this way, as we now enter the home straight, towards the millennium and beyond that to our centenary, perhaps we will have fulfilled the original intention of those men of the early days of this
century, who conceived the idea of The Dunrod Angling Club.
The Lead up to the Centenary
A very famous newspaper columnist had his column stopped at the outbreak of WW2 and only resumed after six years. When he did take up his pen again he opened his new column with the words –“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…….”.
So say I now, as I pick up the traces of the History I wrote, some years ago, of our dear old Dunrod Angling Club. Much has changed in the years since the last chapter ended, the new millennium has been and gone, venues and even methods have altered but happily many of our stalwarts are still with us and new members have become established in the life of our club. This infusion of new blood is an essential part of the evolution of any club and it is good to know that it is happening in Dunrod. New faces such as Graham McSporran , Alistair Hendry, Ian Bright and Ronnie Stevenson have featured regularly at outings and functions.,
Some of our more well kent faces have gone the way of all flesh and all of the remaining members have grown older, if not wiser.
The club itself continues to fish the Gryffe and though most of our traditional outings have been discontinued we still enjoy the local competitions and the occasional away outing still remains a possibility. One of
the favourite venues is on Bute when we fish Loch Quien.
One of the most memorable days for me on Loch Quien was when Calum Henderson and I shared a boat there, on a breezy summer outing. There were not many fish about but there was a third occupant of our boat who was named Macallan and hailed from Speyside.
The hapless Macallan did not survive that day and Calum and I remember little of his passing. What is strange, however, is the quiet smile that flits across the face of those who were present that day, whenever Calum, Quien and I are mentioned in the same breath, funny old sport, Angling!!!
Our camaraderie with Dunoon continues to flourish and indeed has strengthened even more in recent
years. Trips to Tarsan, Loch Eck and the Dunoon Lochan have proved popular. A feature of our Dunoon/ Dunrod friendship is that our Treasurer Ian Henderson is also performing the same task for
Dunoon. Our Secretary Ronnie Peterson is also a member of Dunoon and fishes there quite often.
Fishing on our own Gryffe continues to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience even if the fish can be fickle there are occasional exciting days and some of our newer members such as Ian Bright, Ronnie Stevenson and John Howieson can cover acres of water and return some very good baskets. John Davies continues to methodically cover the shoreline to great effect giving the young bloods a good run for their
money in every competition. It is pleasing to record that some of our current members are the sons of existing and past members of our club. Campbell and Graham Forbes, sons of Drew Forbes, are current examples of this feature. Sadly some of our kenspeckle members have passed on, great characters like Russell Balfour, Frank Dunnet, Dick Simpson, John Ritchie, Stewart McNicol Jackie Bryce and Donald Galbraith have left fond
memories of days gone by. Some years ago the club heard of the death of John Storey, a member in the nineteen seventies, who latterly had lived in Canada but always kept in touch with the club.
Our oldest member Jack Thomson, who was 10 years of age when the club was formed, still maintains
his interest in Dunrod and Dunoon respectively. Jack joined the Dunrod boys at Dunoon when the club had a Centenary celebratory week-end’s fishing on the Dunoon Club’s waters and also held the Thomson Trophy competition. Although Jack did not fish he attended the evening dinner and even recited an epic poem,
with great aplomb, to the assembled anglers.
Andrew Cockle, Jim Crawford and Harry McGilp no longer find it as easy to fish the Gryffe as they did in previous years but continue to maintain an interest in the club.
Dunrod’s Gryffe competitions of yesteryear centred round our beloved boathouse which was situated on the South shore across from Darndaff Cottage. It is sad to think that many of our newer members will doubtless fish right past where it once stood, without them even knowing.
The unfortunate boathouse fell victim to the vandals who occasional plague our hills and lochsides. It was burnt to the ground and the contents, including our boat and oars, were wrecked.
Typical of the grit and spirit of the club, Dunrod bounced back and after years of lunching al fresco we obtained a very solid caravan which John Davies meticulously maintains and Neil Caskie our friendly farmer , who is a gem of a neighbour transports up and down to the waters each competition day .
Gryffe fishing competitions continue in the Dunrod tradition of being more of a social gathering than a competition. It has to be said however that we still have members who aspire to fish for Scotland
On the other hand, with guys like Willie Thornton, Angus Meldrum and Derek Masterton around Gryffe competition days are very often more fun filled than fish laden.
The centenary outing to the Dunoon waters has not been the only outing of recent years. In the mid-nineties there were visits to the Callander area for week-ends on Lochs Finaglas, Arklet and Achray which produced extremely strong wee fish, there was also great days on Loch Vennacher, but sad to say these lochs no longer seem to find the same favour as they did in those heady days.
As Dunrod moves into the next century the names of the office bearers change but the dedication to the club remains as it was all those years ago. In our current Secretary, Ronnie Peterson, we have a keen and energetic angler, an enthusiastic club member and an efficient secretary who will ensure that this fine old club grows stronger as it grows older. Together, with Ian Henderson as Treasurer we are indeed fortunate in our executive team.
The essence of angling is in the enjoyment of the hills and lochs, the thrill of outwitting the fish and the great joy and companionship of kindred spirits- indeed any other spirits as well. Let this old club move on now to its second century with those thoughts in mind and along with the happy memories of fun-filled days fishing may we also enjoy the anticipation of the days that lie ahead.
Tight Lines
Jack Glenny
