Born in Lanark, Lord Cornet Kenny Lean grew up in Symington. The son of a local nurseryman, Norman Lean, he went to York to study horticulture and landscape design. He moved to Lanark 16 years ago to work with Clydesdale District Council. He is now an Economic Development Team Leader, working on external funding for projects across South Lanarkshire.
Kenny is Past Chairman of Lanark and District Round Table, Chairman of Lanark Primary School Parent Group and a member of the Lanimer Committee and Lanark Guildry. He helps coach PI to P3 pupils at Biggar RFC, but his real passion is Formula 1. He supports the Brawn GP Team and will be watching them this year – when he can. Kenny has helped build several Kranal Club Lanimer entries and has participated in guises from a wizard to a Teddy Boy!
Kenny and his family are looking forward to the busy year ahead. Hazel’s brother-in-law, Alistair Stewart A Fire Brigade Crew Commander, will be his Lanimer Week Companion. Kenny will carry the Burgh Standard with pride, and looks forward to taking part in other Ridings. He and Hazel wish Lanark residents and visitors a very happy Lanimer Week.
Our Lord Cornet this year, John Dickman, came to Lanark from Motherwell when he was seventeen and worked at Ravenscraig Steelworks. At twenty five he joined Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, ending his career in Motherwell, in 2006. He remains on the police civilian staff in Glasgow. John is a member of Lanark Guildry.
John was a Boys’ Brigade Officer in Lanark, but is probably best known as a musician. He is a member of Lanark and District Pipe Band and Lanark Amateur Musical Society (LAMS). He is an active member of the Lanimer Committee and its Bands Committee, and is involved with Music in Lanark. In recent years two friends and he have formed Trilogy, a popular group presenting traditional and modern Scottish folk music at local events and, increasingly, further afield.
An Elder in Greyfriars Church, John is also a member of the church choir and is involved with the Kilninie Club and its Lanimer entries. He and his wife, May, are quietly enthusiastic about the busy time ahead. Their son, Gavin, will be John’s companion during Lanimer Week, while their daughter, Alison, will accompany her mother. Our Lord Cornet this year will have no difficulty in recognising his Sashing Lady and the Crowning Lady. John and May both worked with Mary Margaret Meldrum before they came to Lanark, when they were all members of St Aidan’s Operatic Society. Our Crowning Lady is a fellow Elder in his church. As he leads our Lanimer celebrations this year John will have ‘kent faces’ close to him. Beyond, the townsfolk of Lanark will watch with pride as he bears the Standard of the Royal and Ancient Burgh during his term of office. ‘Safe oot; safe in; John’.
BRIAN ROSS lives in Hardacres with his wife Katrina and two daughters, Katie(13) and Allyson(10). He is a principal sheep auctioneer for Lawrie and Symington at the Lanark Agricultural Centre. He has long been involved in the equestrian side of Lanimers. Now aged 47 he first started in 1974 when he was chosen as an outrider, when Leslie Morris was Lanimer Queen and Jimmy Hamilton was Lord Cornet. Since then he has ridden in all Lanimer ride outs and has recently been joined by his two daughters, so this year promises to be a real equestrian family celebration.
Brian is a stalwart of Lanark and Upperward Pony Club, as a member until 1980, and since then a Committee member, treasurer and now Assistant District Commissioner. He took over as Coach to the Prince Philip Cup Games Team in 1982 and has guided them to be one of the top teams in the country, coaching a number of riders to international level. In 1995 he was chosen to coach the Scotland Team at the prestigious Royal Windsor Horse Show, where, in 1996 they secured a victory, the first time for Scotland in 20 years. He continues to coach on a weekly basis where he is joined by his two daughters.
Brian is looking forward to his role as Lord Cornet and to leading Lanark’s annual celebrations, and not least its equestrian elements, flanked by his Right Hand and Left Hand Men, and followed by a committed team of ex-Lord Cornets, some of whom he has been riding behind for nearly thirty years, in his loyal equestrian support of the Lanimers. We hope a good number of them will join him as he looks forward also to representing the Royal Burgh at the other March Ridings during his year in office. Lanark wishes its Standard Bearer a memorable year as Lord Cornet.
Note: We are grateful to ex-Lord Cornet John Armstrong for the use of ‘Ambassador’, as Brian’s mount for our official photographs. ‘Will’, as he is affectionately known, seems to sense the occasion.
KENNY DOUGLAS has been chosen Lord Cornet 2006. He is 34 years old and has lived in Lanark for almost 20 years. He is a former pupil of Lanark Grammar School.
As a young man himself he is very in touch with the youth issues in the town and as such is very involved in various organisations. One of these is ICE (Independent Community Entertainment) which he was instrumental in setting up in 1999. This group offers young performers the opportunity to go on stage or experience any aspect of amateur theatre. Kenny is also a founding member of STYL (Support Team for Young Lanark), and represents them on the Lanark Town Group. He has been an active member of Lanark Panto Club for more years than he cares to remember and is now working, as director, with Lanark Amateur Musical Society (LAMS). Kenny has previously been an active member of ‘The Crazy Gang’ during many Lanimer processions, only straying a few times to help with ICE lorries, and putting out a disastrous entry in the early 90’s!
As a serving member of the Royal Burgh of Lanark Community Council he has been elected to sub-committees dealing with youth issues and public awareness. Kenny works with South Lanarkshire Council’s Youth Learning Services, having worked with Street Level in Carluke and assisting in the setting up of Lanark Universal Connections. He is now based with Universal Connections at the Key in East Kilbride.
In between all this, he is finding time to work towards a BA in Community Education at Strathclyde University (currently on placement with community regeneration in Cambuslang), to add to his earlier HND from Bell College. Kenny considers his appointment as an honour and will fulfil his duties with pride and enthusiasm.
Lanark born and bred (and proud of it) Lord Cornet for 2005 is TOM WADDELL.
Over the years he has been a stalwart of the Lanimer Committee and was Procession Convenor for the best part of a decade.
Tom is a member of the Kranal Club and appeared in their Moulin Rouge entry last year as the Ringmaster, his first role in a Lanimer Lorry for many years. Prior to this he was heavily involved in the construction and driving of Karen Romer’s Lanimer Lorries. He has also been a background helper with several organisations, including the Panto Club and the YMCA Ski Club over the years.
Tom is currently Project Safety, Environment and Quality Engineer for Carillion Rail on the £36.5 million project to reopen the rail link from Larkhall to Glasgow. On leaving school, Tom completed a Civil Engineering Apprenticeship and worked on many major road and rail infrastructure schemes in the west of Scotland before joining local quarrying firm Alexander Russell, during which time he moved into health and safety, graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Two of his interests are skiing and travelling and he was in Italy doing both these things when he was chosen to be Lord Cornet Elect. Other hobbies for Tom include motorsport, photography and cooking and Tom is a member of Lanark Guildry and Lanark Bowling Club.
Tom is looking forward to his time as Lord Cornet and he and his family are wished all the best for the Lanimer year.
WILLIE WILSON, the Lord Cornet for 2004-2005, lives on Hyndford Road with his wife Aileen and two daughters, twelve year old Victoria and Sarah who is six. He is Convenor of the Silver Club Committee which raises the largest percentage of money that is required to fund Lanimer Day.
Since starting in 1971 at Ravenscraig as an apprentice, his working life has been wide and varied. He has been settled in Lanark for the past twelve years after various moves around the country in the course of his employment. He enjoys photography, joinery and period restoration work. These lifelong interests are currently realised through his business interests in property development and e-commerce Website photography.
Willie has many different interests, but likes gardening and shopping and as he is also an adventurous cook, I wonder, is he the answer to most women’s dreams?
He is looking forward with enthusiasm to his time as Lord Cornet and he and his family are wished all the best for the forthcoming year.
The Lord Cornet’s
Right-Hand Man
David H. Strachan
The Lord Cornet’s
Left-Hand Man
David J. Hughes
LESLIE (TICH) DOWNIE has long been a Lanimer stalwart. Now aged 43 he first started when he was just a lad and has been building lorries for himself and other people and taking part in the procession ever since.
Leslie lives in Honeyman Crescent with his wife Janet and two daughters Vikki (13) and Ruth (10) and works for Rentokil in Kirkfieldbank.
Golf is one of his hobbies and he has been a member of the Carnwath Club for twenty years.
A past member of Lanark Panto Club, he performed, built scenery and was vice chair until having to give up the thespian part of his life due to work commitments.
Our Lord Cornet is looking forward to leading this year’s procession down Lanark High Street and enjoying those aspects of Lanimer Week which are new to him.
The Lord Cornet’s
Left-Hand Man
Gordon J. McGregor
DAVID STRACHAN (35) of 5 Armadale Road, is proud and honoured to be Lord Cornet for 2002.
A former pupil of Lanark Primary School and Lanark Grammar School, he took part in several Lanimer entries and played in the school orchestra at the Lanimer Queen’s Reception. He is a Business Systems Engineer with South Lanarkshire Council. His hobbies are many and varied; he plays rugby, golf and cricket and is currently Vice-chairman of Clydesdale Sports Council and Captain of Biggar Golf Club.
David has a strong involvement with St. Nicholas Church being an elder, Congregational Treasurer, singing in the choir and serving on several committees. He plays the clarinet and piano and is interested in genealogy and collecting stamps and coins. He will now add horse riding to his busy life. A very memorable year lies ahead for David. He will surely enjoy the challenge.
The Lord Cornet’s
Right-Hand Man
Gordon J. McGregor
The Lord Cornet’s
Left-Hand Man
J. Lindsay Craig
Lord Cornet DAVID HUGHES (41) of Bannatyne Street. Lanark born and bred, he is married to Martina and has four daughters, Catherine, Aileen, Edele and Niamh. For the first time since the Lanimer procession started in 1893, a father and daughter are Lord Cornet and Lanimer Queen in the same year. He is very much looking forward to escorting Aileen to the Lanimer Ball.
First took part in Lanimers as a page in the Lanimer Court of 1967, and in such pageants as NUTCRACKER and STAR TREK. He is involved in helping with St. Mary’s School Lanimer entries and has driven their vehicle for the past two years.
He is employed in the family business and also enjoys working on his uncle’s farm in Ireland in the summer. He used to play Rugby but is now an enthusiastic spectator. David is a committee member of the Lanark Business Group. We wish David and his family a very happy Lanimer week.
GORDON McGREGOR of Ladyacre Road, is at 32 one of the youngest Lord Cornets to be chosen. Gordon is an accident investigator with the Traffic Department of Strathclyde Police but he is Lanark born and bred, with a long history, since his teens, of community work in the town. He and his wife Gillian have a little daughter Amy. They met as small children on a Lanimer lorry called ‘Gay Paree’. From his days with The Venture Scouts he has been involved with the children of Stanmore House School, helping with their special Caledonian Award work. For the past eight years he has helped to take Stanmore House pupils on adventure holidays. He has helped to raise a substantial amount of money for charity and is a member of the Wigwam Group. His hobbies are walking and off-road driving. Now a member of the Lanimer Committee he was an Outrider in 1982 and Queen’s Champion in 1983. We wish Gordon and his family a very happy Lanimer week.
