The Robert Burns Association of North America has a new mailing address:
RBANA
610 – 54th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
T2V-0C8
Canada
secretary@rbana.com
Your new 2022-2024 Board of Directors:
President – Paul Kennedy
Vice-President – Mark Ferguson
Past President – Henry Cairney
Secretary/Treasurer – Jamie Osborne
Canadian Directors – Brian Cumming, Charles H. Cameron, Ken Montgomery
USA Directors – Bill Fulton, George McClellan, Phyl Smith
Other RBANA positions:
Tattler Editor/Publisher – Colin Harris
Webmaster – Currently an open position
MEMBERSHIP
We are currently finalizing the new membership forms for the 2023 year. Please keep an eye in your emails for the form coming out in December. We will also have new payment options; more details to follow in December.
43RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE & AGM – CALGARY, CANADA
Our first in-person Conference & AGM since 2019 will be hosted by the Calgary Burns Club in Calgary Canada on May 5th – 7th, 2023. Details and registration forms will be available soon, stay tuned!
2020 Virtal RBANA AGM
Members of RBANA,
I am happy to reach out to you to inform you that registration for this year’s virtual AGM is now open!!!
The dates for the AGM are May 14th and 15th, 2022, and will begin each day at 12:00PM MST – Edmonton, Alberta – time.
The format for the AGM will be an Entertainment/Presentation Day on May 14th – a Virtual Ceilidh that Ronnie O’Byrne and Paul Kennedy are hard at work preparing.
2022 Virtual Ceilidh Poster
RBANA Virtual Concert
The following day on the May 15th will see the Nuts ‘n Bolts AGM, including financial and membership updates, as well as elections for new members of the Board of Directors, along with other important Agenda items, will be discussed, voted on, and finalized.
The format for the 2-day AGM is:
- In order to attend the Entertainment/Presentation Day on May 14th, those wishing to attend will need to register for the AGM. Only those who register will receive an email with the Zoom link and password for the Entertainment/Presentation Day and will be allowed to enter/participate by the event moderators.
- For attending the Nuts ‘n Bolts AGM to be held on May 15th, ALL RBANA members will receive the Zoom link, as well as accompanying documents (Agenda, Financial Documents, Minutes from the 2021 AGM, etx.), though only those members whose membership is in Good Standing will be allowed to vote.
- Early in May, ALL RBANA members will receive the Zoom link for the Nuts ‘n Bolts AGM on May 15th, along with all accompanying documentation – Agenda, Finances, 2021 Minutes, etx.
- Registering for this year’s AGM is simple and straightforward (KISS, if you will), and there are 2 ways for you to register.
- The first, and likely easiest way to register for the AGM, is to click this web-link (http://www.sjceltic.org/RBANA.php), which will take you to a page on the South Jersey Celtic Society (SJCS) website that has been created specifically for registering for the 2022 Virtual RBANA AGM. Additionally, this year, in lieu of a registration fee, RBANA is asking for those individuals and clubs attending to make a donation to RBANA. The donated funds will be used to help see RBANA into 2023 and the return to in-person meetings. There is a PayPal link on the SJCS Registration page designated for donations made to RBANA that is available to both US and Canadian members to make their donations.
- The second way to register is to email the RBANA Secretary (secretary@rbana.com) of your intention to attend and your name will be added to the list of attendees. If you would also like to make a donation to RBANA, Canadian members can do so either by e-transferring their donation to the Secretary (same email address above – Canadian members only), or for US and Canadian members to mail a physical cheque to RBANA Secretary/Treasurer at:
Mathew Hill
32 – 298 Somerset Way SE
Medicine Hat, AB – T1B 0E9
Canada
All those who register will be emailed back with confirmation of their name/club being added to the list of attendees, as well as the status of their membership, as only members in good standing and current for 2022 will be able to vote at the AGM.
The information required for registering for the AGM should include:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your local RBANA Club Membership
- Indication of whether you are attending as an Individual Member or if you are representing your RBANA Club
As to the election of new members to sit on the Board of Directors, the nominations stand thus:
President – Paul Kennedy
Vice-President – Mark Ferguson
Secretary/Treasurer – James “Jamie” Osborne
Canadian Directors:
- Ken Montgomery
- Brian Cumming
- Charles H. Cameron
USA Directors:
- Phyl Smith
- George McClellan
- OPEN NOMINATION
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate in reaching out to me with your questions and concerns, and I will respond as soon as I am able to.
Best,
Mathew Hill
RBNA Secretary/Treasurer
Donations to RBANA can be made either by physical cheque sent to the Secretary/Treasurer at:
Secretary/Treasurer Mathew Hill’s Address:
32 – 298 Somerset Way SE
Medicine Hat, AB
T1B 0E9
For Canadian members, you can donate to RBANA for the AGM by Interac/E-transfer:
Email Address for Interac e-Transfer:
For members in the USA, as well as those who would rather use a PayPal account, the South Jersey Celtic Society has again offered to make its PayPal link available to RBANA as a means for payments.
South Jersey Celtic Society Pay-Pal Website Link:
http://www.sjceltic.org/RBANA.php
Again, the monetary donation to RBANA is not required in order to attend the AGM. The event is open to all members who wish to attend. The donated money will be used to see RBANA past 2022 and into the following years where in-person events will, hopefully, be taking pace.
Please find the most recent Winter 2021 Edition – The Tattler
The 2020 Robert Burns Association of North America annual AGM to be held in Atlanta, GA, has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus-19 pandemic.
Please access the link above to access the most recent publication of the Tattler to read more about the conference cancellation and the points/issues that were intended to be brought up, discussed and voted on.
New Publications to be found for club and individual members:
Halifax Club Executives
Message from the RBANA President
Calgary, AB, 2020 Burns Dinner
2020 Jack Hume Poetry Contest Rules
Winning Poem 2019 Jack Hume Poetry Contest
2019 – Congratulations to Ronnie O’Byrne and his Burns-like prose!!!
Friars Carse Hotel – Auldgirth
Thomas Daffurn of Scotland recently connected with RBANA to let us know that Friars Carse Hotel, an establishment closely to connected to Robert Burns, is currently up for sale in Scotland.
HISTORY OF FRIARS CARSE
Friars Carse has close associations with Burns, too, as it was here, in the Whistle Restaurant, where the famous drinking competition was held with Fergusson of Craigdarroch, the outright winner, and put into verse by Burns. And it was in this property where Burns would often take his comfort, sleeping at the Burns Hermitage, located in the grounds of Friars Carse. He even wrote his inscription to then owner of the estate, Robert Riddell, “To the Memory of Robert Riddell”, on the hermitage window with his diamond stencil.
The stencil is now on display at Ellisland Farm Museum, which is just a short walk from the hermitage along the River Nith. It is here that Burns wrote many of his most famous poems and songs including Auld Lang Syne and Tam o’Shanter. Ellisland Farm now provides a wonderful insight into Robert Burn’s life on a farm two hundred years ago. Guided tours of the farmhouse and museum are available. You can see Rabbie’s original writings, his possessions and stroll along the paths Burns walked beside the river.
The property passed through many hands before becoming home to Dr James Crichton (better known as the Admirable Crichton) in 1809. Remodelled in 1873, the house was renamed ‘Friars Carse’ in 1895 and established as a hotel in 1938.
Jack Hume Poetry Writing Competition
RBANA is proud to announce the winner and runner-up contributions to the 2021 Jack Hume Poetry Writing Competition. The winning poem goes to Jack Fletcher and his poem entitled, “Twenty-Twenty”.
All the poems can be found on the Jack Hume Poetry Contest Page, as well as by following this link to view all of this year’s submissions.
Who We Are
The purpose of the RBANA website is to provide information exchange between affiliated Clubs and individual members of RBANA and provides an access point in North America for those interested in Robert Burns and his works. RBANA does not have the expertise to assess the value of Burns Books or artifacts. Those with such enquiries should seek professional advice. RBANA will not make available membership lists or contact details. RBANA does not review new publications; song albums; etc. or promote these to member Clubs. RBANA does not promote commercial enterprises, highland dress suppliers, etc.
About RBANA
RBANA is an association dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the life, works and philosophy of Scotland’s National Bard – Robert Burns, and to promote Scottish culture and heritage in North America.
The genesis for the Association came from a meeting in 1981 of representatives from six Burns Clubs, in Annapolis, Maryland. A committee was formed to further explore their ideas. In 1982 at a meeting in Hamilton, Ontario a constitution was drawn up. The name “The North American Association of Federated Burnsians” was adopted.
At the 2000 Annual General Meeting in London, Ontario the name ” The Robert Burns Association of North America ” (RBANA) was adopted. RBANA is affiliated with the Robert Burns World Federation Limited, in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
Usually taking place in April or May, RBANA Annual Conference and General Meeting is held every year, alternating between Canada and the United States.
Recent Conferences have been held in:-
Halifax, NS (2006), Winnipeg, MB (2007 & 2011), Houston, TX, on a cruise ship (2008), Mississauga, ON (2009), Detroit, MI (2010), Williamsburg, VA (2012), Niagara Falls, ON (2013), Columbia, SC, in conjunction with the University of South Carolina (2014), Calgary AB (2015), Dallas – Ft Worth, TX (2016), Medicine Hat, AB (2017), Philadelphia, PA (2018) and Niagara Falls, ON (2019).
The 2020 Annual Conference and General Meeting is being held in Atlanta, GA. Please look under Conferences for information about registering for the conference and reservations at the conference hotel.
The business of the Association is conducted by an Executive Committee, which is elected at the Annual General Meeting for a two year term. The Executive consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Immediate Past President, three Directors from the United States, and three Canadian Directors.
At the 2018 Annual General Meeting in Philadelphia, Ken Montgomery of the Medicine Hat AB Club was acclaimed President, and Henry Cairney of the Calgary AB Burns Club was acclaimed Vice President.
A complete listing of the Executive with their club affiliations is here:
The 2020 – 2022 RBANA Executive Committee
Currently under construction – T.B.A.
About our Website
This Website is set up to inform our members and visitors about what is taking place in the world of Burns lovers, both in North America and internationally.
We report on Association and Club activities and also on interesting news items.
The site also provides links to international websites providing access to information about Robert Burns Life, access to his works on-line and resource material for research.
The member clubs are identified and anyone interested in connecting with these can request information.
Individuals are also welcome as members of RBANA, and a membership application form is available on the membership page.
The Association Newsletter “The Tattler” is also available for download.