As ever, a number of staff will be leaving us at the end of term.
Rosemary Gillon joined the School in September 1981 as a part-time teacher of Latin and Ancient History; subsequently, she also taught Religious Education from 1988, and assisted with the teaching of English as a Foreign Language, English and Maths. Moreover, she helped to run Saturday evening ‘film shows’ in her early years at the School. Rosemary retired formally in 2000, but she continued to help out on occasion with the teaching of Religious Studies, and then returned to teach Latin part-time in 2002. Following the retirement of Allan Macpherson as Chaplain in 2003, Rosemary was appointed Leader of the Chaplaincy Team, in which role she flourished and contributed so much to so many in the Merchiston community, pupils, staff and parents. Rosemary is at last going to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
 Robin Macpherson attended Merchiston as a pupil from 1991 to 1997, and his School career was outstanding. I first came across Robin in December 1998/January 1999 when our Head of History was off work due to illness, at which point Robin stepped in and taught History for four weeks. He was then appointed a full-time member of the History & Politics Department in September 2002 and has taught a variety of age groups, from the Second Form up to the Upper Sixth. He has also helped to organise History Department trips to the WW1 Battlefields, to Eastern Europe (including Berlin, Krakow, Auschwitz and Prague), and to Washington DC and New York. Moreover, Robin has been a Residential House Tutor and he was a Residential Assistant Housemaster in the academic year 2004/05; indeed, he was appointed Acting Housemaster of Rogerson West for the Autumn Term 2005, due to the ill health of the then Housemaster. This term, Robin has been Acting Housemaster of Rogerson West and has also taught History. In addition to his teaching and pastoral work, Robin has been a real all-rounder at Merchiston: Master i/c Football, Master i/c Golf, and Editor of the School magazine, The Merchistonian, for four years. His tremendous enthusiasm for football helped us to develop this sport at this rugby-playing school. He is a very good golfer himself and he has nurtured this sport here also. Robin is leaving us to take up a post at Repton, Dubai. Prior to that, Robin and Hossa will be celebrating their marriage at Merchiston in early August!
Fiona Trotter (née MacMillan) joined Merchiston in September 2001 to teach our then new J4/J5 year groups in the Pringle Centre, which had just opened. Fiona has been absolutely central to the introduction of these year groups and the successful development of this concept over the years. This is now very much a ‘diamond’ part of the School, delivering an outstanding standard of teaching and pastoral care, and Fiona must take full credit for her contribution to this success story. She is leaving Merchiston to join her husband, Alan, in London and will be teaching at the City of London School for Girls.
Sue Collis has been a part-time Assistant Matron in the Medical Centre and she will retire at the end of this term after 3½ years of dealing with numerous bumps, scrapes and viruses. Philip Shaw will be leaving us after a year of teaching Physics to cover Sharon Twyford’s maternity leave. He was a Head of Department at Stewart’s Melville before retiring in 2005. Philip is an excellent practitioner and we have very much appreciated his obliging approach and his contribution to Merchiston.
 Last, but not least, Kirstine Hogg, the Merchistonian Club Secretary, too is retiring. She first joined Merchiston in 1994 to help with the Music & Technology Appeal for what is now the Robertson Building. After a brief period with George Heriot’s Fundraising Team, Kirstine was tempted back to Merchiston in 1999 to help Frank Hadden who was looking after the Merchistonian Club, and in 2000 she began to take on more work for the Club, becoming Club Secretary in 2002. Working alongside Barry McCorkell, she set up the Annual Fund, the Legacy Fund and she has played a vital role in the Sixth Form House Appeal. Over the years, Kirstine has presented a kind, obliging, patient and hospitable public face for the Merchistonian Club and there is no doubt that she will be sorely missed. I know you will join me in wishing all these members of staff all the very best as they move on from Merchiston to pastures new. As is customary, I will be writing to parents at the beginning of the Autumn Term, and will give you details of all the new staffing appointments at that point.
On another note, we congratulate Director of Marketing Gayle Cordiner on her engagement to David Veitch. We wish them all the best as they plan for their wedding later this year. Unfortunately for us, this will mean that Gayle will be moving up to Aberdeen to join her husband, and will take up the post of Marketing Manager at Robert Gordon’s College in January 2009. Gayle first joined Merchiston in 1999 as a teacher of IT. Following a short spell at Dulwich College, London, she returned to us in 2002 to take up the post of Director of IT Services and Head of IT. Gayle’s talents are many and varied, and she subsequently took on the new challenge of Director of Marketing in 2006, in which role she has flourished and contributed hugely to the marketing of the School.
Finally, we will also be saying goodbye to Alastair Brown at the end of the Autumn Term. Alastair first came to Merchiston as a graduate teaching assistant from Australia in January 2006; he subsequently joined the permanent staff to teach History in April 2007, becoming Assistant Housemaster in Rogerson West, in addition to coaching cricket, football and rugby, and assisting in the CCF. Alastair will be returning to Australia to embark upon a degree in film making.
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