Introduction to the Year of the Guinea Pig

We graduated in 1990 and registered as pharmacists in 1991.

The inspiration for this site came from Hazel Barton (nee Gillanders) after she initiated a virtual reunion for the year group on Facebook (April 2021). However, as not everyone is on Facebook, I set this up so everyone could see what's been happening and reminisce about the good old days (as we're legally obliged to call it now we're getting old). 

I've included some of the material from the yearbook but excluded the student entries as some of us have amazing careers that don't need the scrutiny of how we behaved at University to come back and bite us. Let's leave it in our memories. 

I've added the rejected Yearbook photos but some of them have suffered blemishes despite being stored in an album. I thought you'd still like to see them. Apologies if yours is of poor quality.

If there is anything else you like me to add - old photos, new photos, updates - let me know.   

Please feel to share.

In case you miss it, click on Older Posts to go see more or use the links on the right.  

Artwork by Raymond McFadden

As time passes, I'll post details of any recent updates here in this post to make it easier for everyone to see. In the meantime, enjoy browsing through the past and present.

Updates: 

13.04.21 - added Katherine John's story, Pantomime post, BBQ pics, Tribute to Prof Geoff Wood, more photos added to Egypt post; link post to Phil's Map.

14.04.21 - added Roy Finnigan's story.

17.04.21 - added photos to Grad Ball post.

20.04.21 - added Debra Robertson story, more photos from Egypt.

24.04.21 - added John McAnaw's story. 

03.05.21 - added Eunice Morley's story. 

11.05.21 - added link to Pantomime stream /download site at foot of Pantomime post

12.05.21 - added Alison Macdonald's story. 

18.07.21 - added Louise Melvin's story.

Student Roll : Nichola Allan & Susan Anderson

 

Nichola and Susan

Susan and Nichola

Susan Murdoch's story (from FB April '21):

Hi everyone. Been loving catching up with what you’ve all been up to these past 30 years! Thanks for setting this up Hazel. So started in community and stayed with it till 2013, working for Lloyd’s for 13 years, all in Glasgow. Left to work in clinical trials which has been very different. Did a wee stint back in community during the pandemic.

Was married for 15 years and have 2 amazing children, Ewan and Anna, who are both away at uni ( neither doing pharmacy!). Met and married another Geoff in 2018 (obviously have a thing for Geoff’s!). Have 2 cats and am trying very hard to master a half-decent golf swing. Good to see you all.

Susan Murdoch

Student Roll: Arlene Bennett, Graeme Bolton & Maureen Boyle

Arlene, Graeme and Maureen

Graeme, Arlene and Maureen

Arlene Osman's story (from FB April '21): 

Still got plenty to say: married 19 years to Nick (he’s a plumber), one daughter, Kloe - has had two offers to study medicine at university this year, she is 18. We have a smallholding in Rhymney in South Wales. I am type 1 diabetic, diagnosed age 29. Still in community pharmacy working for Well pharmacy.

Nick, Arlene and Kloe

Student Roll: Carole Brown, Helen Burns & Fiona Cameron

Carole, Helen and Fiona

Carole, Helen and Fiona

Carole Ramsay's Story (from FB, April 21):

"Well, I hadn't even twigged it was a milestone year - well done Hazel!

I did pre-reg half in Organon (thanks to

Arlene Osman

for her family giving me a home) and half in the old Edinburgh Royal, then to Dundee for 3 years, meanwhile getting married to Davy (coming up for 30th anniversary...) then back to Ayrshire and Arran for the next 7 or so working mainly in mental health. It was a good fit, funnily enough... Then we emigrated to Australia. It has been a great move, and gives us a great lifestyle, especially for our son Sean, who is now a carpenter. Our household also currently boasts two cats - Bob and Fanta.

I still work in mental health in the public hospital system, and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Great to see some of the old faces - those really were glorious days! Thanks for starting this up!"

Carole Ramsay

Helen Fiddes' story (from FB April '21):

"Helen Burns - Hello all, my turn now. Can’t believe how time has flown by. Thanks Hazel for setting this up. You have actually made me use Facebook, something that I don’t normally do and thanks to Janice for letting me know about it too. So my story... I did my pre-reg in Boots then headed back to Strathclyde Uni to do research. Quickly realised it wasn’t for me and then headed to London as my boyfriend had got a job at the MHRA. Spent a few years working as a community pharmacist, working in Moss and Tesco. Then decided after a few years that I quite fancied a job in the Pharmaceutical industry. Joined Bristol-Myers Squibb as a Medical Information pharmacist in 1998. I then moved into Pharmacovigilance and have stayed in PV for 20 years now, currently Head of Patient Safety for the UK and Ireland. BMS recently bought Celgene so also now responsible for the dreaded thalidomide- how did that happen! On the personal front, finally married the boyfriend, Shaun in 2000 and have a 19-year-old son, Rory ( 100% Scottish with red hair) but a true Londoner. We are currently living in Twickenham and Rory is at Uni studying Criminology and wants to join the Met.

Helen Fiddes

 

Student Roll: Victoria Cathcart, Andrew Cassells & Derna Campbell

Victoria, Andrew and Derna

Andrew and Victoria

Andrew Cassells' Story (from FB Apr  '21): 

So what has Pharmacy given me, apart from two nervous breakdowns and high blood pressure?

It gave me greater confidence to face the public (though not in my real life).

It gave me a wife, Karen, whom I met while she was working over the summer in the corner shop in Ralston (she was a supply teacher and they didn’t get paid over the holidays back then). We’ve been together since Lady Di bought the farm in that French underpass in ’97 (Karen’s my official alibi) and got married in 2012 on St Patrick’s Day (so I can’t forget our anniversary).

It bought me a lovely house in Paisley (such things do exist), which we share with our fifteen-year-old brindle Lurcher called Coco. We've had her since she was rescued as a pup and she is my world. She was the inspiration for a dog blog I used to write about a fictional dog called Figbane. I’ve turned this body of work into a manuscript called “Harley Unleashed” which I’m hoping someone will publish one day.

After my pre-reg, I worked as a locum for three years, before joining Moss Chemist as a relief. Five days later, I was manager at Ralston, where I stayed for six years, before stints at Renfrew, Neilston Road Paisley, Kilmacolm and then back to Ralston. During this time, Moss became Alliance which in turn became Boots. I stepped down from management in 2016 and moved onto relief, cutting down to a four day week. This lasted six months until I was offered a base position (in every sense) in Boots Piazza Paisley. My boss is a girl I originally employed for a lunch cover position in Neilston Road. We still get on.

It didn’t buy me the cabin outside Aberfoyle (that was a deceased rich aunt). I can’t wait to get back there after lockdown for the fresh country air, amazing wildlife, lovely walks and splendid views.

I’m not so much into roleplaying or Doctor Who any more but I do still write. I gave up for a while but got back into it around 2010. I’m a failed novelist and mediocre short story writer who has managed to get a few things published (I can actually be found on Amazon, though it’s probably not worth your time searching). If I was to describe my ability I’d say remember when I thought I was a good badminton player and then played against Lesley MacCalman in the gym at Strathclyde, not knowing she was a former Scotland trialist. The rejections I take from editors and publishers are similar to the beating I took that day but I keep going because it’s fun to write and with practice I know I can get better. I did give up playing badminton though.

I thank you all for the nice comments you’ve written about the YOTGP blog.

You have no idea how uncomfortable I felt getting my current picture taken - oh wait, the evidence is before you.

Andrew Cassells

Vicki Hunt's story (from FB April '21):

Great to see what everyone has been up to in the past 30 years.

I did my pre-reg at the Western, then switched to community, and moved south in stages. First to Buxton for a year, then Surrey. Nabbed an English husband & brought him back over the border!

We've been back in Glasgow since 1995, bounced around the Sou side, now settled in Crossmyloof. I worked for Safeway pharmacy, then as a locum before getting into primary care fairly early on (2000) The job has changed around me several times but in its latest guise, I'm a GP practice pharmacist in East Renfrewshire.

We have 2 grown-up kids, Ethan (25) & Georgia (20). Georgia is still at home, Ethan lives nearby with his girlfriend.

Outside of work I've taken up running in the last couple of years & was involved in my local parkrun before Covid put the kybosh on that.

Vicki Hunt

Student Roll: Fiona Cook, Richard Crampton & Jacqueline Comrie

Fiona, Richard and Jacqueline

Fiona, Richard and Jacqueline

Jacqueline Terry's story (from FB Apr '21):

I did my Pre-reg year in Manchester with Lloyds .... I’m still here, but live in leafy Cheshire. I moved around jobs in retail a little, eventually starting work at Terry’s chemist, married the boss, we built up a small group of 6 shops in Cheshire. We sold shops at various stages, eventually selling out and retiring in Nov 2018. We have 3 sons Mackenzie, age 23 (final year at Manchester Uni Business School), Cameron age 20 a PT and semi-pro GK in football and Alfie age 17 in lower sixth!

I have three dogs ...

so glad to be out of pharmacy , spend my time on the golf course or keeping fit!

Mr Terry and Jacqueline

Richard Crampton's story (from FB April '21):

Hey, all you cool cats and k... cats,

Well, isn’t this a scream... I’d almost forgotten I did a pharmacy degree once. Thanks for the reminder!

I didn’t last very long as a pharmacist. Not because I got struck off for telling a pregnant woman that yes, paraquat IS perfectly safe for the treatment of morning sickness, or anything like that, but more because I realised that I just didn’t like standing up all day, or being berated by people who I was pretty confident I would beat in a spelling bee. So I got a job that paid me to sit down and have nice cups of tea all day and write (see below).

I did my pre-reg in Edinburgh and shared a flat with Mo Boyle and Roy Finnigan. That was a fun year. Then in 1991, I left Scotland. After a couple of years working as a resident pharmacist in Nottingham, which at one point involved calling a taxi for some leeches, I got a job as a medical writer. I’ve worked in med comms (publishing, medical education, conferences, advertising and promotion, etc) pretty much continuously since then.

As a result, I’ve bounced around the world a few times now, with stints in Sydney, London and Switzerland. New Zealand is home at the moment. Seems there ain’t no Lamisil strong enough to cure these perennially itchy feet, though, so I’ll probably be off again whenever it’s time for a change.

No breeding, marrying or even dog ownership to report.

My most vivid memory of uni is doing the panto, followed closely by Sandy Florence being really upset at us for slagging off his book. And then there was that bloke who manually inflated a pair of sheep’s lungs in a lab one afternoon by blowing into them. And last but not least, Gill Ecclestone opining that rectal was a “superb” route of administration.

Thanks Hazel & Andy for setting up the group and creating the blog.

Richard Crampton

Fiona Bardsley's story (from FB April '21):

(Formerly Fiona Cook )

Have finally found some time to post my update!

I've travelled up and down the country so much over the years that it's hard to track and harder to keep in touch.

So I went down to Sheffield straight after graduation to start my Pre-Reg with Lloyds but instead of coming back after the year as planned ended up staying down in Yorkshire for 12 years.

Met my Hubby John, a fellow pharmacist, in the process and we got married in 1998.

We moved back to Scotland in 2003 but a bit further north this time choosing the Highlands where I had both kids.

My greatest achievement during this time was probably delivering my youngest myself in the car on route to the hospital .

Luckily I never was the squeamish one (hey Richard Crampton?)

Shortly after this John was offered an MD job down in Oxfordshire so we ended up going down there for 5 years but managed to come back up in 2013.

I worked for various retail chains and independents over the years and in varied roles. Manager, District Manager, Area Manager and then back to locum.

I finally left Community Pharmacy in 2010 with a heavy heart and major burn out and entered the world of Pharmaceutical Wholesaling.

John and I formed 'Thistle Pharma' in 2014 which we manage to operate from our home here in Evanton, North of Inverness which we share with our children Spencer (18), Imogen (16), a mad Cockapoo and even more mad Ginger Tom who decided to move in with us several years back.

I've had a great time reminiscing this week and have realised how good I was at avoiding anyone with a camera! Was I even at that BBQ??

I haven't changed from that respect and still hate having my photo taken.

I was gutted when I lost my Year Book a few years ago so a big thanks to Andy for sending me a pic of my page and his work with the blog. Thanks also to Hazel for setting this all up, Philip for the brilliant Playlist and Fiona Thompson (Cameron) for letting me know about it. You always were the dependable one!

Fiona Bardsley

Student Roll: Janice Currie, Lesley Dunbar & Bridget Crowley

Janice, Lesley and Bridget

Lesley, Janice and Bridget

Janice Watt's story (From FB April 21):
"My turn, I have been married to Tom for 20 years and have 2 daughters, age 16 and 19 this month. I have been Lead Pharmacist for the Hospital Services in NHSGGC for the last 6 years which I really enjoy (most of the time). Still enjoy socialising and keeping fit although it more hit and miss now! Laughing as I now know where my daughters get their enthusiasm for sleeping!"

Janice Watt

Lesley Dunbar's story (from FB April '21):

Thank you Hazel for starting this...so lovely to see everyone's updates!

I went to Bristol for pre-reg in community then to Cardiff for a further 6 years in community before moving to a district general hospital post in Bridgend. Many boozy nights with

Arlene Osman

over those years!

Came back to Glasgow after 10 years away to a paeds post in Yorkhill. After a brief detour into teaching (primary school....parents loved having a pharmacist teaching maths and science to their kids, language not so much...) I moved into a post in pharmacy education and training in NHSGGC where I still find myself today. Working with students, pre-reg and foundation pharmacists, can't quite believe I'm 30 years down the line...

Have not acquired husband, wife or children but have 5 godchildren (thankfully religion not a pre-requisite for the post) so one of them can take responsibility for me when required.

Not quite sure why swimming is listed as one of my interests but to be fair I did like badminton. Now love walking and travelling when allowed, am also quite obsessed with my garden. I must be nearly grown up!

Lesley Dunbar