For the first time since we started our Ladies Highland Lunch in 2012 we had a male speaker. We were delighted to be joined by Jamie Stone MP and his wife Flora. Jamie regaled us with anecdotes of life in Westminster especially when he was a “new boy”. We would like to thank Forbes Jewellers (Tain), Jacqui Hairdressing (Alness), Kincraig Castle Hotel, Tain Pottery, Taylormade (Tain) and members of SI Easter Ross for donating prizes for our raffle which raised £475.00. Donations of £125.00 each were given to Dingwall and Tain Dementia Centres with the remainder being given to Women for Women International.

After a delicious lunch everyone sat in awe as we listened to our speaker Professor Dame Sue Black talk about her work as a forensic anthropologist Where her expertise has been crucial in such war torn places as Kosovo where she headed the British Forensic Team’s exhumation of mass graves, finding evidence to assist with the conviction of Scotland’s largest paedophile ring and more recently nearer to home in the investigation of a headless corpse in Wardlaw Mausoleum in Kirkhill which had erroneously been believed to be the corpse of Simon Fraser 11th Lord Lovat and which in fact turned out to be the corpse of a woman. Professor Sue also gave us an insight into new methods of human identification that are being developed. We would like to thank Dalmore Distillery, Glenmorangie Distillery, Kincraig Castle Hotel, Tain Pottery, Diane Priday and members of SI

(l to r) June Munro, Isabel Mackenzie (Club President), Shona Vance, Jean Campbell (SN President) After a delicious lunch we were fascinated to hear how local author Shona Vance (who writes historical crime fiction under the pen name S.G. Maclean) creates and develops characters and storylines for her books and the amount of research that goes into her work. We would like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated prizes for our raffle which raised £505.00 with £300.00 being donated to Maggies Highland the remainder to Women for Women International.

75 Ladies again enjoyed a delicious lunch at Kincraig Castle Hotel and then the talk given by our speaker Mary Scanlon MSP. Mary gave an inspiring account of her career in Parliament and explained how she attained her goals despite opposition in the early stages from family and friends. Mary also encourages women and girls  “to go for it” and believe in themselves, thereby enabling them to make things better for society. We would like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated prizes for our raffle which raised £616.00 with £225.00 being donated to Ross-shire MS Society and the remainder to Women for Women International.

We held our fourth annual Ladies Highland Lunch on Saturday 7th March in support of International Women’s Day. Once again the day was a great success.75 Soroptimists and friends dressed up and joined us at the Kincraig Castle Hotel, near Invergordon for a superb 3 Course lunch. This year our speaker was Tain GP, Dr Mary Fortune. Mary enthralled us with her life story and career which has involved GP Posts as far apart as the Falkland Islands and helping the Aboriginies in Australia. Our raffle raised £438.00 and this amount will go to two chariities – Women for Women International and the Purple Teardrop Campaign. We also sang Happy Birthday to Mrs Timmy Munro who celebrated her 90th birthday on 8th March 2015. Mrs Munro has attended all four of our lunches

We were delighted to welcome Lady Claire Macdonald OBE as our speaker this year. Lady Claire is a renowned cook, writer and co-founder of Kinloch Lodge Hotel on Skye which she and her husband Godfrey (High Chief of the Clan Donald) established in 1973. Lady Claire is also very involved with Marie Curie Cancer Care. We would like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated prizes for our raffle which raised £400.00, this was donated to Women for Women International

Our speaker this year was Reverend Susan Brown, Minister at Dornoch Cathedral, Chaplain to the Queen and former member of SI Easter Ross. Susan told the 75 attendees what led her to her vocation as a Church Minister and then had us laughing as she spoke of leading the press on a fruitless drive around Dornoch prior to “the wedding” of Madonna and Guy Ritchie and amusing incidents that occurred when she spent time at Balmoral Castle in her role as Chaplain to the Queen. We would like to thank the businesses and individuals who donated prizes for our raffle which  raised £456.00, this was donated to Target Ovarian Cancer.

On 10 March 2012, SI Easter Ross hosted a lunch at Kincraig Castle Hotel, Alness, to celebrate International Women’s Day. 75 ladies attended this event  dressed in their finery and most wore hats.  International best selling author, Anne Perry, entertained us with her thoughts on being an author.  Marion Gordon from Tain Academy delighted us by playing her harp. We held a raffle which was sponsored by local businesses and the profit from the day came to £612 which was donated to two charities, a local charity, Companas which is run by Support in Mind, Scotland and the 3E Project, a partnership between Soroptimist International and Maternal and Healthcare Advocacy International a fund-raising project which will save the lives of countless critically ill women, babies ad children in Gambia.