The Glasgow Academical Club is pleased to confirm that the 141st Annual Club Dinner, supported by headline sponsor Westbourne Wealth Management, with Club partners Park’s Motor Group, One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel Du Vin, Suited & Booted and ROX will feature broadcaster and former Scotland rugby international Rory Lawson as guest speaker. This year’s dinner will take place on Friday the 14th of November at iconic West End Entertainment and Arts venue Òran Mór and will also be raising funds on the night for the Alzheimer’s Research UK and Beatson charities.
Lawson enjoyed an outstanding rugby career, representing Scotland on 31 occasions, including as national team captain, playing in two Rugby World Cups, numerous tests and multiple Six Nations campaigns. He is famously the grandson of the renowned “Voice of Rugby,” the late, great Bill McLaren.
At club level he spent six successful seasons with Gloucester Rugby, with stints at Edinburgh Rugby and Newcastle Falcons. Lawson’s talents were also recognised with selection for Barbarian FC, where he still holds a significant role on the historic club’s management board.
Since retiring from professional rugby, he has built a career as a high-performance leadership consultant, working with senior leaders and teams across industries to unlock potential and drive performance. He is also as a familiar voice in the game as a television and radio broadcaster, bringing insight and passion to audiences, following on in the footsteps of his famous grandfather.
“We are delighted to welcome Rory to our Annual Dinner,” commented Robin Duff, Academical Club President. “He is an accomplished speaker and will bring insight from the worlds of broadcasting and sport with some humorous anecdotes along the way to keep our Accies audience entertained.”
The 141st Annual Dinner takes place at a new location this year due to work being carried out at the Kelvinbridge campus. Òran Mór has historic links with both the Academical Club and the Glasgow Academy from its time as Kelvinside Parish Church before it was transformed into the local social hub it is today.
Specifcally, the church was given a gift of 8 bells which were gifted by Nicol Paton Brown, a Glasgow Academical, whose only son, another Academical who features in our Roll of Honour, Captain Kenneth Ashby Brown lost his life in battle shortly after the bells were installed.
The bells were cast in Whitechapel Foundry, London and are tuned to the notes of the Diatonic Scale, in order to minimise the strain on the building. They are hung so that they ring without swinging. The peal forms a memorial to not only our own Academicals lost in the Great War, but also Church Parishioners and those killed amongst our Kelvinside counterparts.
The Bells were rung for the first time on Christmas Day 1917 and were inaugurated for their purpose the following February 1918. In December of the same year, the bells were formally dedicated in a special service at which The Glasgow Academy was represented. To this day, the bells can still be heard ringing from Òran Mór at 1100HRS each year on the 11th of November.
Tickets for the 141st Academical Dinner, sponsored by Westbourne Wealth Management, and supported by Parks Motor Group and One Devonshire by Hotel du Vin are now on sale on the Events page of Academy Made. If you wish to support the event, programme sponsorship opportunities are still available. Kindly email chair@thegac.org.uk for information. Please note that the dress code for the night is black tie/ national dress.
