James (Jimmy) Raeburn

Mother Club

Avondale Heather Curling Club

Business experience

Please detail your relevant business and corporate governance experience and skills that would make you a good vice president for the organisation:

Qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1972
Employed as an audit assistant 1973/4
Partner in a Chartered Accountant practice in Glasgow 1975/81 and in East Kilbride 1981/89
Client portfolio included around 100 farmers and a variety of SMEs engaged in a wide variety of sectors. I was involved at the incorporation of some of those and it pleases me that many of them still trade to this day.
I ceased to practice in 1989, due to the ill health of my father, and returned to the family businesses as Joint managing director/finance director. These businesses were involved in farming, opencast mining, brick making, drilling, site investigation, water wells, testing of materials and the training of race horses.
Involved for a number of years with Hamilton Enterprise Development both as a director and latterly chairman.

Volunteer experience

Please outline any volunteering experience you have gained within curling and/or elsewhere:

CURLING
On Bi-centenary Committee – Hamilton & Thornyhill – 1977
Founder secretary of Hamilton Young Curlers
Director of Lanarkshire Ice Rink plc since about 1982, Chairman since 1994 to date
President of Lanarkshire Province – 1983 and 1984
Minute secretary of Social Functions Committee – Silver Broom, Glasgow 1985
President of Strathaven Golf Curling Club – 1999/2000
President of Avondale Heather Curling Club – 2021/23

GOLF – Strathaven Golf Club
Finance Convenor – 1996/7/8
Vice Captain – 1989
Captain – 1990
Past Captain – 1991
Chairman of Management Council – 1997/8/9/2000 and again 2009/10/11/12

Personal statement

Please tell us about why you want to be vice president, detailing your motivations and what makes you the right person for the role:

As you will note from the above, over the years I have gained quite a bit of knowledge on curling and the management of an ice rink.
At the present time ice rinks are under pressure from rising costs (energy) and the reduction in footfall as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic coupled with the increase in the average age of the curling population.
In order for rinks to remain economically viable we must attract more people to participate in curling. The development officers attached to ice rinks do a sterling job but perhaps individual club curlers could be more proactive in encouraging friends and colleagues to take up the game. This has been made easier as a result of the media coverage of the Olympic games and the medals won by the men’s and women’s teams.
My motivation is that we must take all steps possible to encourage more people to play at ice rinks/clubs, thus securing the future of the ice rinks; all ice rinks actively encourage our youngsters, some of whom will be the Olympians of the future. Success at international level in any sport encourages people to take part in that sport.

Proposed by:

Andrew Stobo | Club Secretary
Strathaven Golf Curling Club