Remembering the grand old days as Burns Club gears up for its 100th birthday

It might be on the other side of the world, but keeping the old Scottish traditions alive in Canberra is what it’s all about for Athol Chalmers.

Coming into his 10th year as president, Athol is at the helm of what is the oldest such institution in Canberra, the Burns Club – which celebrates its 100th birthday in the national capital next year.

Keeping the doors open these days is a challenge for many clubs. But to stay open for a century is a truly remarkable feat. Athol attributes the success to the Burns Club’s ability to keep “reinventing itself”.

Back in 1924, Canberra’s population was around 3000 – about half that number were involved in the construction of the city, and many of them were Scots. Their plan was to establish a place where they could not only bring a slice of the old country into their newly adopted home, Canberra, but also be a place to relax, down a beverage or two and tell even more yarns.

Members funded and built the first permanent club in Forrest which opened on 1 January 1957.

Reinventing itself over the years, Athol said, has kept the club going through a world war and the Depression, but it would never neglect the reason it was established in the first place, to foster the culture and heritage of Scotland.

In its earliest days, the club hosted Burns Evenings where the works of the famous Scottish poet were read out loud by members. It was also the place to go for a special night out. It was honoured by leaders, many of whom became its keenest supporters, like Prime Minister James Scullin, who was special guest of honour at the 1931 Burns Night and Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who was made patron in 1939.

Moving to Kambah in the Tuggeranong Valley in 1991, the club grew in unison with its community. But it also contributed to that community in its early days, providing local employment opportunities.

Over the years, it has also supported groups like the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul, Tuggeranong Community Festival, Community Work Program and Canberra Children’s Choir, which it does to this day.

“When we reopened after moving to Kambah, we jumped from a membership of 300 in Forrest in 1989 to 15,000 in Kambah by mid-1995.”

By 1995, the Burns Club was supporting more than 50 community groups in the Valley, with donations exceeding $90,000.

“It will always be a Scottish club,” Athol said.

“Keeping the Scottish traditions alive is very important, but you also have to move with the times.”

The club is enjoying a growth spurt on the eve of its 100th birthday, following the purchase of the Belconnen golf club, which backs on to Ginninderry, Canberra’s fastest-growing area.

“For a Scottish club to have a golf club is like icing on the cake,” Athol said.

Athol believes another reason the club has lasted so long is because it has a true community spirit – combining that spirit with philanthropy.

As a not-for-profit, money from its operations goes to “helping to keep Scottish culture alive” – including to community and sports groups – and its pride and joy, the Burns Club Pipe Band, which has been going since 1937.

Athol became involved in the club after moving to Canberra in the 1980s – first with the club’s pipe band which he ran for 26 years. It also supports the region’s Highland Gathering, where the Burns Club band is always a crowd favourite.

Although born in Australia, his parents came from Scotland and he started learning the bagpipes at age nine. Connection with the band, he says, means the club “never loses sight of why we are here”.

“First is to honour Scottish traditions, but it’s also important to support the local community where we live,” he said.

“The challenge for ethnic-based clubs like ours is that once you could survive on the Scottish background, but now is not the case.

“Yes, you still need to have a strong Scottish connection, but you have to have others involved too so that when new people come in, they can learn something about our culture and we learn from them too. It’s like a cultural cross-pollination.

“It’s also important to attract people of a younger age; if you don’t, you’ll have problems down the track. So we do that with live music, good food – a range of services that appeal to everyone.

“The Star Buffet has proved a real hit with people – people who might not have come to the club before are coming in for that. It’s great to see.

“To survive, you always have to look to the future.”

The Burns Club is located at 28 Kett Street, Kambah.