SPEAKERS 2026

Joe Fitzpatrick gave 36 members of Glenrothes Probus club an update on the excavation of the royal Pictish site in Falkland. He held our attention for an hour of a well informed detailed briefing which made you feel as if you were there unravelling well hidden local history. His audience was riveted and judging by their questions appreciated the eclectic skill base required of archaeology. This superb talk enhanced that appreciation of local history, geomorphology, ancient social structure, and the interplay between Roman invader and indigenous Pict population. The well established ancient local and European trade routes and the cultural melting pot of history, in the unique setting of what is now Fife where the Romans’ treatment of the population stood in contrast to their response to the population further north of what is now Scotland. As my history teacher in upper school used to say ‘ the past is the present flowing into the future.’ Archaeology certainly brings the term ‘ rock on’ into a different dimension.
https://falklandsociety.org.uk/.../JoeFitzPatrick11Dec201...

Club member Alistair McCabe delivered a well received talk on the process of de commissioning a North Sea oilfield.This is an intricate technical and lengthy process which his presentation explored in detail supplemented with photographs of key installations, diagrams of critical exploratory events including oil rig and well construction.He concluded the talk by explaining the equally complex multi organisation termination procedures reflecting on the contrast in the wider environmental factors taken in to account in the 2020’s compared to the 1970’s rush to explore and exploit.

Thanks Alistair.