William Waterston (Malleny Grove)
Croupier 1886, 1887, 1890
Proposer of the Toast "Architecture" 1883
Proposer of the Toast "The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns" 1884
Proposer of the Toast "The Lasses" 1885
Reply to the Toast "Commercial Interests of the District" 1886, 1888, 1890
Proposer of the Toast "Our Hosts" or "The Landlord - Landlady" 1887
Proposer of the Toast "Educational Interests" 1887, 1890
Proposer of the Toast "Let it Blaw - the Balerno Burns Club" 1891, 1896
Proposer of the Toast "Commercial Interests of the District" 1892
Proposer of the Toast "Kindred Clubs" 1894
Served on the Club Committee
1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1892, 1896
Became a member of 'Let it Blaw' c.1881
First mentioned in Toast List/Programme 1883
Although a relatively young man (28) in 1881, William Waterston was a General Merchant & Grocer in Balerno Village and would, thereby, be a well known individual in the community. As he was trusted with proposing one of the main Toasts at the 1883 Supper, it seems reasonable to assume that he attended 'Let it Blaw' in the two years beforehand for which records weren't kept. It goes without saying therefore that he is probably one of the 23 Gentlemen who attended the first 'Let it Blaw' in 1881 .
Perhaps an example of the significance of William's role in Club affairs in the first ten years of Let it Blaw is that when George Y. Robertson, in his role of Club Bard, presented a collection of rhymes at the 1891 annual Supper and mentioned many prominent members of the Club, William Waterston was one of those incuded. The presentation was printed by Club Member A. G. Moir (at his own expense) and a copy of the printed version is included in the Club Minute Book of the period. The layout has been adapted for our website and can be viewed at Ragged Rhymes .