CHIEFTAIN’S CHATTER Feb 2024 - April 2025

Dear Members,

I am honoured and privileged to become your re-elected Chieftain of the Selangor St. Andrew’s Society (SSAS) for 2025/26. Firstly, I would like to give special thanks to our Past Chieftain, David Barron, for an amazing year. Well done to you and all the Committee who work incredibly hard in the planning, organising and execution of our events. Congratulations also to you and Angel with Baby Barron on the way. Exciting times ahead.

One of my first tasks in 2025 is to reintroduce the Chieftain’s Chatter, as I believe it is important to recap our activities and successes.  I share with you below details of our 2024 event highlights, 2024 charities, membership and also some highlights from 2025, to bring us up to date for the 1st quarter of this year.

EVENTS

Burns Supper 2024 – on Saturday 3rd February 2024 we celebrated the life and works of Scotland’s favourite poet and songwriter, Rabbie Burns. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel, our 150 guests enjoyed fabulous food and service.  They were entertained by traditional speeches from H.E. Ailsa Terry and her husband Adam Terry; a medley of Scottish songs performed by Vox Suara Choir; some stirring bagpipe & drum tunes from St. John’s Alumni Pipe Band; and everyone had fun having a go at the ceilidh dances, with the moves being called by Past Chieftain, Richard Thompson.

AGM/Whisky Tasting 2024 – on Saturday 9th March 2024 we had a superb evening at the Lion’s Den in Bunglow37, a new venue for our Society. The evening started with the AGM, where I officially passed over the Chieftain’s ceremonial Medal of Honour to newly elected Chieftain for 2024/25, David Barron.  Guests were then invited to join us for the Whisky Tasting of 5 mystery whiskies, to guess the type of whisky and its origin, with the lucky winner receiving a special bottle of malt.  Other entertainment included a general knowledge quiz, with the winning team scooping another bottle of whisky, along with a well-supported raffle that provided many generous prizes. 

Inter-Society Golf Tournament – on Saturday 6th April 2024 SSAS hosted this event at Tasik Puteri Golf & Country Club. It was a very enjoyable day out for everyone, with team T-shirts, lunch & buffet supper provided, plus ample opportunity to enjoy more food & beverages at stops spaced around the course.  There were plenty of prizes and the day raised a total of RM20,000 for charity. RM2,000 was donated directly by the golfers to Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Malaysia; SSAS had pre-selected Lighthouse Children’s Welfare Home Association and Pads & Paws KL to receive donations of RM4,000 each; and the recipient of the remaining RM10,000 was the Malaysian Association of Paediatric Palliative Care, a hospice proposed by the winners of the golf, The Royal Society of St. George Malaysia, who will be the organisers of the next annual tournament. 

Batu Gajah Remembrance Ceremony, God’s Little Acre – on Saturday 22nd June 2024 Chieftain, David Barron and his wife, Angel attended to lay a wreath on behalf of SSAS, dedicated to the memory of those who fought and died in the two World Wars, the Japanese Occupation and the Malayan Emergency.  

Kuala Lumpur Highland Games (KLHG) – on Saturday 28th September 2024 we celebrated our 9th anniversary of the Games at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort. This is the largest event held by any of the Loyal Societies in KL and attracted a record crowd of more than 6,000 people, showcasing the best of Scottish traditional sports and entertainment.  It also demonstrated our ongoing commitment to community and charity, raising around RM90,000 for donation among 11 deserving local charities.  

Armistice Remembrance Service, Tugu Negara – on Sunday 10th November 2024 Chieftain, David Barron and his wife, Angel attended to lay a wreath on behalf of SSAS, alongside those of many veterans, diplomats and other Loyal Society representatives.

The St. Andrew’s Celebration – on Saturday 30th November 2024  we enjoyed our annual celebration dinner dance at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Guests enjoyed a delicious menu that included a taste of haggis, neeps & tatties; many super raffle prizes were won; and there was lots of enthusiastic dancing to the fantastic live music of Scotland’s finest returning ceilidh band, Clappy Doo.

Burns Supper 2025 – on Saturday 1st February 2025 we were at the Four Seasons Hotel to celebrate Burns Night and appreciate the accomplishments of Scotland’s famous Bard, Rabbie Burns. Another fantastic event where guests enjoyed the Address to the Haggis and then traditional speeches, performed by H.E. David Wallace and his wife Ulrike Wolf. The food was stunning at this great venue. Alistair Sim called the ceilidh dance moves, to round off an excellent evening of entertainment. 

AGM/Whisky Tasting 2025 – on Saturday 29th March 2025 we had the pleasure of again holding these events at Bunglow37. Such an amazing venue where we can showcase all of our regalia and turn the fabulous room into a Scottish baronial hall. In the early evening we held the SSAS AGM, where the Chieftain’s ceremonial Medal of Honour and staff was passed to me, as the newly re-elected Chieftain for 2025/26 by Past Chieftain, David Barron.  The Whisky Tasting then commenced, with guests eagerly sampling and debating the attributes of  5 new mystery whiskies, to assess their style and origin, with the lucky winner receiving a very nice bottle of malt whisky.  A tasty buffet supper was served, while further entertainment included a general knowledge quiz, with the winning team sharing a generous booze basket. Bluestar AMG presented a bottle of their finest whisky to the lucky winner of their prize draw and plenty of other generous raffle prizes were also won. Guests could enjoy a wee boogie on the dance floor to tracks from great Scottish artists. And if that wasn’t enough, the die-hards could continue dancing and singing in one of the karaoke rooms.  In summary, a great night was had by all!

MEMBERSHIP

Our membership continues to grow, currently standing at a total of 394 members. This comprises 180 Life Members, 161 Term Members, and 53 Friends of Scotland. We are continuing our efforts to engage and expand our community.

CHARITIES

During 2024 we donated an amazing RM110,000 to a selection of deserving local charities. A big “Thank You” to all of our generous sponsors, supporters, guests and volunteers for making this possible. Below is a list of the 9 charities who each received RM9,000 from the proceeds of KLHG 2024. 

Hospis Malaysia

Lighthouse Children’s Welfare Home Association

Special Children Society of Ampang (SCSOA)

Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) Malaysia

Grace Education Centre

Persatuan Mobiliti Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur

Tasputra Centre

Batu Grace Children’s Home

Diveheart

In addition, we made donations of RM4,500 each to Pads & Paws and Greater Action, bringing the KLHG 2024 total to RM90,000.  As mentioned earlier,  RM20,000 was also disbursed after the Inter-Society Golf Tournament, and the profits from our other events were retained for future charitable disbursement.

IN SUMMARY

As your newly re-elected Chieftain, I will continue to carry out my duties with passion, commitment and dedication, building on the successes from previous years to ensure the very best for our members. I would like to thank you personally for your continued support for the Society. Let’s continue making 2025 a superb year.

Cheers,

Carol Wallace

133rd Chieftain,  Selangor St. Andrew’s Society