Alumni newsletter here - Perth College

Connections
Summer 2013
HRH The Princess
Royal visits campus
as UHI Chancellor
Page 3
• The Princess Royal visits campus • Former student wins career development award •

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the Summer 2013
edition of Connections.
We have lots of exciting stories
to share this issue!
You can learn about recent
campus news, read up on
alumni successes and discover
exciting business ventures
from our former students.
Plus, your chance to receive
careers advice and nominate a
2013 Alumnus of the Year!
or if you are returning yourself
after your studies, we would
especially love to hear from
you.
As always, you can get in touch
by emailing:
alumni@perth.uhi.ac.uk
or calling: 01738 877275.
We are also looking to recruit
an Indian ambassador to link
to our international alumni
community.
If you know of any former
students who are living in India
Finla Chalmers,
Alumni Relations Officer
Finla Chalmers
Got a new job
Created your own business
Got married Had a baby
Been on a marvellous holiday
We want to hear all about it!
Unsubscribe
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your Perth College UHI Alumni
magazine, but if you wish to
unsubscribe at any time, please
email alumni@perth.uhi.ac.uk or
call 01738 877275.
Perth College UHI Development Trust, Crieff Road, Perth PH1 2NX, Scotland, UK
Perth College Development Trust is a registered Scottish charity, number SC036655.
2

HRH The Princess Royal
visits Perth College UHI
Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Her Royal Highness The
Princess Royal, made her first
visit to Perth College UHI on
20 February in her capacity as
Chancellor of the University
of the Highlands and Islands
(UHI) to meet students and
learn about the key role
the college plays within
Scotland’s newest university.
The Princess Royal is UHI’s
first ever Chancellor and the
role is both ceremonial and
ambassadorial, representing
the university in the UK and
overseas.
Dr Thomas Moore, Perth
College UHI Principal and
Chief Executive said: “Our
partnership in UHI allows us to
grow and widen our provision
to provide outstanding
education and training for the
benefit of our students. This
visit was a great opportunity
for The Princess Royal to see
how we help our students
reach their full potential and
the leading part we play
within UHI.
College UHI for over forty
years was thrilled to showcase
the work her students have
accomplished.”
The Princess Royal learned
about the new Dunne
Aeronautical Laboratory,
which is set to provide aircraft
engineering students with
state-of-the-art learning and
research facilities in the fields
of aerodynamics, propulsion
and flight.
The facility is named after a
pioneering aircraft designer,
John William Dunne, who in
1907 proved the stability of
a swept-wing tailless aircraft
through flight tests at Blair
Atholl. This configuration
is embodied today in the
Northrop Grumman B-2 Stealth
Bomber, more than a century
after Dunne’s original work.
The Princess Royal ended
her visit by unveiling a
commemorative plaque.
“The Princess Royal enjoyed
visiting a number of areas
across the college. She
met students and staff in
our performance theatre,
recording studios and the
social and vocational studies
area, where a member of staff
who has worked for Perth
3

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Careers Services for Alumni
If you are a graduate of Perth
College UHI, you can access
our Careers Guidance service.
We can offer help on your
next steps including CV or
application form feedback,
interview techniques and
mock interviews, information
about career paths, finding
a job, training options and
postgraduate study.
Our Guidance and Counselling
Adviser, Caroline Edwards
is based at the Crieff Road
campus and can be contacted
on caroline.edwards@perth.
uhi.ac.uk if you wish to make an
appointment.
If you aren’t able to travel to
Perth, you can still use our
UHI guidance service which
includes e-guidance and phone
guidance – please see
www.uhi.ac.uk/en/students/
career-centre/speak-to-anadviser.
You also have access to
graduate job vacancies and
self-help materials via the UHI
website www.uhi.ac.uk.
Other students and graduates
can access Skills Development
Scotland services and
information through www.
myworldofwork.co.uk or at your
local centre.
4
Nominate an Alumnus of the Year!
We are now accepting
nominations for Alumnus of
the Year 2013. Last year, the
award went to David Reid – you
can see him receiving his award
from HRH The Princess Royal on
pages 8 and 9.
Anybody can nominate a
former student. You can even
nominate yourself. Perhaps
you know of someone doing
exceptionally well in their
career or giving something
valuable to the community If
you know a Perth College UHI
alumnus who you feel deserves
the award, please email their
details to alumni@perth.uhi.
ac.uk by 30 July. Nominees will
be looked at by a selection
committee and will be invited
to receive their award at our
graduation ceremony on 4
October.

Snapshot moment for Ruth
Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Award-winning alumnus Ruth
Trotter adds another accolade
to her collection.
Ruth, who studied at Perth
College UHI in 1993, has been
awarded a merit in the Society
of Wedding and Portrait
Photographers (SWPP) 20x16
competition, held in London
at the beginning of the year.
There were 60 entrants in the
category, and the winners
were chosen by a panel of
international judges.
Ruth achieved an NC in Media
Production at Perth College
UHI. Since leaving, she has set
up her own business and lives
in Bankfoot with her family.
She entered the picture of her
son Finlay in the competition
to promote her expanding
business and help raise her
profile.
Congratulations to Ruth (and
Finlay) for the stunning picture.
Five New Scholarships
Available to Students
Five new scholarships
have been secured by the
Development Trust. They
will be available for students
attending college in the
academic year 2013-2014.
One will allow a student to
participate in the part-time
online MSc Sustainable
Mountain Development
programme designed for those
with an interest in mountain
environments, their people
and their future. A further two
mean that two students each
year on the HNC Social Care
course will complete sixty days
of placement within Balhousie
Care Group, potentially leading
to employment and the
opportunity to gain further
industry qualifications.
Thanks to donors Copperfields
and Mi City, two more students
– from Hairdressing and
Information Technologies
courses respectively – will also
receive scholarships.
Fiona Leslie, Perth College UHI
Development Trust Manager
said: “These new opportunities
for our students are excellent
and we appreciate our donors’
commitment to enhancing our
student’s career prospects.”
5

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Successful Alumnus
making a noise
Michael Allan
graduated with
a BSc in Audio
Production in 2010.
Since then, he
has watched his
recording studio
expand and is
making a good name
for himself in the
business. Michael
writes:
Before I started at college I
knew that I wanted to work
in a recording studio. I loved
recording my own music at
home. I can remember being
happy with the results but I’ve
definitely come a long way
since then when I listen back
to those recordings!
I first decided to open my own
recording studio while in my
second year at college, when I
realised that there weren’t very
Michael Allan hard at work.
many recording studios in my
area and not many jobs in that
sector.
I started on a part-time basis
with a friend from college
while continuing my studies
and when I finished my degree
started to do it full-time. In
August last year, I moved on my
own to a much bigger premises
in Cowdenbeath, Fife, and
now have a fully operational
building with two studio rooms
and two practice rooms.
I have worked with many
bands, coming from all over the
UK and even Europe to work
with me. I’ve primarily made a
name for myself in the metal
community, but have lots of
experience recording many
other styles of music and even
film and voiceover projects.
My rates are extremely
competitive. I work on a per
track price system which is
tailored to suit the project. For
example a solo acoustic artist
will be charged much less than
a six-piece rock band.
6
Anyone who is interested in
working with me can get in
touch by:
Email: valvetoneproductions@
gmail.com
Phone: 01383 271481
or by messaging my page on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
valvetoneproductions

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Joanna Pozniak joins the
Development Trust for work
experience: in her own words
I am a full-time student at
Perth College UHI, studying
for a National Certificate in
Administration. As part of my
course, I was required to do a
week’s work experience which
I spent with the College’s
Development Trust.
With the help of Fiona Leslie
and Finla Chalmers, who
were very helpful and patient
sharing their knowledge with
me, I gained experience in how
a Development and Alumni
Students star in
new BBC series
office works. Part of their job
is editing this ‘Connections’
magazine, where you can find
out about current fundraising
events and keep in touch with
former students’ news.
Last year I took a part
in Halloween Bake Sale
fundraising event for CHAS,
which was mentioned in the
Winter issue. I have to say it is a
great feeling to be noticed and
appreciated.
Reading about former students’
careers makes me believe that
it is possible to achieve my
goals, even if the way seems
very long and difficult.
Also, seeing yourself in a
magazine motivates you to
take part in future events.
I think ‘Connections’ is an
inspiring magazine and I hope
you enjoy reading it.
Three of the UK’s most
renowned chefs, Tom Kitchin,
Theo Randall and Michel
Roux Jr. recently starred in
a BBC Two series called The
Chef’s Protégé set at Perth
College UHI, which showcased
talented Hospitality students.
Each of the chefs was looking
for a young student to take
under their wing, someone
they could mentor and inspire,
and who would eventually
become their protégé.
The first five episodes saw
Michelin-starred chef Tom
Kitchin return to Perth College
UHI where he himself trained.
After putting the aspiring
students through their
paces, he eventually
chose 17-year-old Jamie
MacKinnon to go through
to the next stage, where he
competed alongside students
from two other colleges to
impress top chefs.
Ian Gibb, Perth College UHI
Hospitality Subject Leader
said: “As Tom’s former tutor,
it’s fantastic to see his career
success translate back to Perth
College UHI. Hopefully this
inspires other students to see
the rewards of training and
working hard.”
The college held a showing of
the final episode on 7th July,
revealing Jamie as the overall
winner.
Jamie said: “This is definitely
the best day of my life. You
can’t really describe how
amazing it makes you feel.”
The Chef’s Protégé ran from
13 May – 7 June on BBC Two.
Select episodes are available
on BBC iPlayer.
7

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Alumnus of the Year 2012 meets
HRH The Princess Royal
David Reid, Perth
College UHI
Alumnus of the Year
2012 was presented
his award by Her
Royal Highness The
Princess Royal, as a
special honour.
The Royal visitor was at Perth
College UHI on 20 February in
her capacity as Chancellor of
the University of the Highlands
and Islands (UHI).
8
David originally came to study
at the college having been
signed off work due to stress.
He enrolled on an engineering
course, but soon realised he
was struggling and with the
college’s help, found out he
was dyslexic. With support, he
began excelling academically.
Now an award-winning luthier,
David is heralded as a true
‘hand-maker’ of bespoke,
contemporary and innovative
stringed instruments. He takes
up to 400 hours to craft and
sculpt each guitar and exhibits
all over the world.
“My ceremony was
overwhelming, and The
Princess Royal was absolutely
lovely. She showed great
interest and intrigue, asking
many questions about me and
the combolin I brought to the
ceremony.
“Upon meeting Molly Miller,
the special needs lecturer who
I credit a great deal in helping
me turn my life around, after
more than 13 years, I nearly
cried. It was a very emotional
moment for me.
I can’t emphasise how much it
meant to me that she gave the
time I needed to get me where
HRH The Princess Royal
presenting David with his
Alumnus of the year 2012 award.

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
“I was stunned to hear I had been awarded Alumnus Of The Year
2012 - then was absolutely gobsmacked to find out that my award
would be presented to me by no less than HRH The Princess Royal.”
I am today. Molly changed
my life entirely, as did many
other great lecturers at Perth
College UHI, but most of
the praise definitely has to
go to her. “I would like very
much to pass on my great
and heart-felt appreciation,
and give many thanks to all
present at the ceremony;
but most of all I would like
to give a very special thank
you to: HRH The Princess
Royal; Molly Miller; Fiona Leslie,
Development Trust Manager
and Dr Thomas Moore, Perth
College UHI Principal and Chief
Executive.”
Molly Miller added: “It was a
memorable day for me and
was wonderful to see David
receive his well-earned reward.
I was most impressed by the
instruments he can create.”
Former staff member Molly Miller reunited with David.
9

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
New Appointments for
Development Trust
The Lady Cornwallis, Chair of Campaign Board
Following the retiral
of Michael Bullough
at the end of 2012
from Perth College
UHI Development
Trust Campaign
Board and as
Trustee, two new
appointments have
been made.
Sheriff Ian Dunbar has been
appointed as the new chair of
the Trustees. He has already
been associated with the trust
in the capacity of trustee for
a number of years when the
Trust was first established.
Following his retirement as
Sheriff, he is keen to renew
his links with the College and
10
has accepted the voluntary
position of Chairman.
Prior to his retirement Ian was
for many years a solicitor in
Perth and was president of
the Law Society of Scotland
in the early nineties. He was
appointed Sheriff in 1998
sitting in both Dundee and
Dunfermline.
The Lady Cornwallis DL has
been appointed as the new
chair of the Campaign Board
of the Development Trust.
Lady Cornwallis brings with
her a wealth of fundraising
experience having raised funds
for a wide variety of Trusts,
organisations and individuals.
A member of the Campaign
Board for a year, Lady
Sheriff Ian Dunbar, Chair of Trustees.
Cornwallis was a member of
the working committee who
organised the highly successful
Virtual Diamond Dinner and
Auction which we held last year
in support of the Alzheimer’s
research project.
The Lady Cornwallis said: “I
am delighted to be appointed
as Chair of the Campaign
Board and look forward to the
challenges that lie ahead.”
To find out more about the
work which supports our
students, contact
Fiona Leslie, Development
Trust Manager.
Email:
fiona.leslie@perth.uhi.ac.uk
or call 01738 877215.

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Miles Clocked up for Charity
Students and staff
at Perth College UHI
raised money for
Red Nose Day on 15
March 2013 through
Tour de UHI, a
virtual cycle journey
across the Highlands
and Islands.
The Tour de UHI challenge was
to do 1416 miles on exercise
bikes — the distance between
all of the UHI colleges and
research institutions – in just
six hours.
cycled was 1015 miles, with
£1927 raised for Red Nose Day.
Dr Thomas Moore, Principal
and Chief Executive at Perth
College UHI, said: “I’m delighted
our students got behind this
charity effort and it shows
commitment across many of the
UHI academic partners to pull
this event together.”
Students and staff took turns
to clock up 82 miles in Perth on
machines specially donated by
Fit4Less Perth. And across the
partnership, the total distance
Susan Bald, Director of Human Resources and
Communications, Perth College UHI, starting the journey
with the support of College students.
Alumni Association Benefits
When you graduate from
Perth College UHI you
automatically become a
member of our Alumni
Network.
Membership is free and the
growing range of benefits
makes it really worthwhile.
It’s also a great way to
keep in touch with fellow
classmates and friends from
your time at college.
As a member of our Alumni Association you can enjoy:
• Networking with other
alumni for business or
pleasure
• A newsletter with details
of former students and
what’s happening at college
• Career support
• Discounts for a variety of
retail outlets and services
• Invitations to events, master
classes, exhibitions, open
days and alumni receptions
• Discounts on selected
courses and postgraduate
programmes
• Volunteering opportunities,
including providing
placements, career profiles,
alumni talks and mentoring.
11

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Students’ Success at
Hospitality Awards
12
Hospitality and chef
students collected a
number of coveted
prizes at ScotHot
2013, the definitive
event for the
Scottish hospitality,
tourism and catering
industry.
Thirteen students travelled to
the glitzy awards ceremony
held at the Crown Plaza,
Glasgow on Monday 25 March
and received medals and
certificates for the high quality
of their work.
The evening was the
culmination of two days
of exhibitions and live
demonstrations showcasing
the best in the hospitality
world.
The Hospitality students work
in the college’s Food Court
in a unique partnership with
Sodexo, allowing them to get
the hands-on skills they need
and experience what it’s like
to work in a busy kitchen and
restaurant environment.
Perth College Development
Trust was delighted to support
the students by matching
their fundraising efforts with
a donation from the Annual
Fund.

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Perthshire-based
Former Jockey Wins
Career Development Award
David Da Silva, from
Aberfeldy, a former Perth
College UHI plumbing student
and now an apprentice
technical engineer for Scottish
Gas, has won a prestigious
career development award
made by the Jockeys
Employment and Training
Scheme (JETS) designed
to reward jockeys for their
efforts in developing a career
after race riding.
David won The Injured Jockeys
Fund Progress Award, worth
£2,000 which goes to the
jockey (or former jockey)
judged to have made the
most progress in developing
a second career over the past
year. His win was announced
on Sunday 18 November,
when he was presented with
his award at Cheltenham
Racecourse by Injured Jockeys
Fund President and Channel
4 Racing commentator, John
Francome.
John Francome, Injured Jockeys Fund President, presenting
David Da Silva with his Career Development Award.
course at Perth College UHI and
is now mid-way through his
training as a gas engineer with
Scottish Gas. He has continued
with his study, in what has
been a difficult year, losing
his mother to cancer in April
around 6 weeks before his own
wedding.
George Brown, Perth College
UHI Senior Plumbing lecturer
said: “David was an excellent,
attentive student. We are
delighted to help him on his
way towards learning new
skills in a second career and
offer congratulations on his
career development award.”
David adds: “I was genuinely
shocked when I was told I had
won. It is a massive privilege
and a huge achievement
after such an emotionally and
mentally hard year.”
31 year old David rode as a
conditional jockey over 2005-9
for the late Peter Monteith,
after an earlier start as an
amateur. He had over 200 rides
and rode 10 winners before
retiring from race riding in the
face of fewer opportunities.
With the help of JETS grants,
David enrolled in a plumbing
13

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Peak Performance
for Mountain Student
A graduate from the
Centre for Mountain
Studies has won a
prestigious award
for her thesis.
33 year old Elena
Ferrario was
awarded the Alpine
Convention’s Young
Scientist Award for
her research into
population trends
in the Alps.
She was presented with the
award and a prize of €1,000
at the Convention’s Spring
Festival in Italy in March.
Elena, who grew up in a small
village in the Italian Alps, says
“mountains have always been
her passion.” She decided to
return to study after ten years
of work so she could expand
her knowledge of mountain
areas.
She took up a Master’s degree
in sustainable mountain
development with the Centre
for Mountain Studies so she
could study online on a parttime
basis and retain her job
in France where she works on
an EU-funded territorial cooperation
programme.
Elmar Pichler Rolle, a councillor of the Italian province of South
Tyrol, presents the Centre for Mountain Studies graduate
Elena Ferrario with her award.
Elena’s thesis, entitled
“Comelico staying or leaving
- reasons to return to an
Alpine valley”, investigated the
factors which influence young
mountain people to return
to their valleys of origin after
they left to complete higher
education studies. It is hoped
the results will help to inform
policy in the Alpine region and
could be relevant to similar
regions across Europe.
Director of the Centre for
Mountain Studies, Professor
Martin Price, said: “I am very
proud that one of our students
has gained this prestigious
award. There is already great
interest in Elena’s research
among the people living in the
area she studied and I believe
that the results of her research
will be very valuable across
the Alps. This is an excellent
example of the value of
studying part-time and online
for someone who is working
full-time and could not
undertake a Master’s degree in
any other way.”
14

Alumni Spotlight –
Dr Maggie Robertson
EN; RMN; MA (Hons); PhD
Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Maggie Robertson grew up
in Muirton, Perth and was a
student at Perth College UHI
from 1976-1978 when she
undertook a two year prenursing
course. From here she
went on to do her enrolled
nurse training at Perth
Nursing College.
After completing her training
she worked at Murray Royal
Hospital before taking a break
to have her children. When
she returned to work, she
completed the enrolled nurse
conversion course and then
worked as a staff nurse for
several more years. When she
was 34, Maggie left Murray
Royal Hospital and worked as
a care manager for the social
work department for a brief
spell before going to study
psychology for four years at the
University of Dundee. Although
Maggie returned to work at
Murray Royal and worked as
a nurse for more than twenty
years, she missed studying
so much that she decided
to study full time for a PhD
when she was 40. This exciting
research involved examining
how doctors and patients
reached decisions about
treatments and health care.
After completing her doctorate
three and a half years later,
she took up post as a lecturer
in Mental Health in the
Department of Nursing at
the University of Stirling. She
worked at Stirling for more
than five years.
Now working as a Research
Fellow here at Perth College
UHI, Maggie took up the
post in July last year and is
delighted to have returned
to us at this stage in her life.
She is carrying out research in
families living with Alzheimer’s
disease and other dementias.
The incidence of dementia is
set to increase significantly
and most people with this
disease stay at home and are
supported or cared for by
family members. It is therefore
extremely important that
these family members are
also supported and cared for.
The Perth College UHI family
study sets out to find out
what families will need from
the various services to help
them care for the person with
dementia at home.
“I have such wonderful memories
of Perth College UHI as a teenager
and my experiences here set me
up very well, not only for life but
also as a very enthusiastic life-long
learner. When I left school I don’t
think many people saw me as a
candidate for higher education. I
was (and remain) inspired by the
wonderful teachers who taught
me during my time at Perth
College UHI. I have such a lot to
thank them for.”
15

Alumni Association News • Summer 2013
Where are they now
Sandra Bacon
graduated from Perth College
UHI’s Access to Science course
in 2003. As her children
had left school, she decided
on a career change from
nursing and enrolled at the
college. She went on to study
neurosciences at the University
of Dundee and graduated
with honours in 2008. Sandra
then began research and was
awarded her PhD in February
this year.
She took some time out
for birthday celebrations in
Paris and is returning to her
career for a year in industry
to compliment her research
experience. Incidentally, her
son was also awarded with
his PhD less than six months
before! Congratulations to
the newly-appointed doctors,
we wish you the best in your
future careers and hope you
will keep in touch!
Iñaki Otxoa de Retana
took an ESOL (English for
Speakers of Other Languages)
course alongside an HN in
music. He graduated with an
HNC in 2012 and moved back
to Basque Country in Spain.
Here, he works as a teacher
and continues to study music.
Iñaki has fond memories of
Perth College UHI, where he
made lifelong friends. He has
just visited some fellow band
members from our college
band, Rhythm Wave. We look
forward to keeping in touch
with you too Iñaki – do come
and visit if you’re back in
Scotland!
Kerry Hannigan
graduated from her BA Social
Sciences course with First Class
honours in 2008. She also
received the Principal’s prize for
that year. She is now in the final
year of her PhD and working
part-time as lecturer here at Perth
College UHI. Good luck with your
PhD Kerry and be sure to let us
know when you receive it!
Find us on Facebook
To keep in touch with old classmates and find out what is going
on at Perth College UHI, visit www.facebook.com/PerthUHIAlumni.