Heart of Midlothian Foresters Football Club - including several players from Dumbiedykes

Heart of Midlothian Foresters

Football Club Dinner

This dinner, in June 1962, appears to have been held at the end of a successful season.

Thank you to John Ballantyne, Boswall, Edinburgh, formerly of Arthur Street, Dumbiedykes, Edinburgh, for allowing me to reproduce this photograph. John is on the extreme left in the front row.

Here is a photograph of the Heart of Midlothian Foresters FC team, taken in 1959:

Reply

Janice Brodie

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Thank you to Janice Brodie who wrote

The Team

"I think my father, Jim Oddie, is second from the right on the back row in this photo, and that Tam Mcdonald is on the right in the front row.

Does anybody know if this is correct?"

Foresters FC Dinner
June 1962

Janice Brodie, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: January 13, 2012

Reply

Joan Ballantyne

Boswall, Edinburgh

I asked Joan Ballantyne, who sent me the photo above to me, if she was able to confirm the two names given by Janice Brodie.

Joan replied:

Names

"I spoke to my Dad and he said that it was Jack Oddie at the back of the photo and Tam at the front of the photo."

Foresters FC Dinner
June 1962

"Other names that he mentioned in the photo, apart from himself, were:

- Wullie Lennon

- Jimmy Higgins

- Rab Kerr

- Billy Thompson

- Allan Ballantyne (my uncle)

Jimmy, Rab and Billy were my 'uncles' as they kept in touch with my Dad when we were growing up."

Joan Ballantyne, Boswall, Edinburgh: January 16, 2012

Reply

Maureen Hogg

Cape Town, South Africa

Thank you to Maureen Hogg for replying to Janice Brodie's question in Recollections 1 above.

Maureen wrote:

The Oddie Family

"Janice Brodie is asking if anyone recognises her father, Jack Oddie. Well, I was very pally with June Oddie who had a brother named Jack and he does look very like him, so I'm sure it's the same person.

Foresters FC Dinner
June 1962

June and I were friends in the 1950s. She lived in Lower/ Upper View Craig Row. She had another brother - I think his name was Bill - who was married and lived quite near me in the Pleasance, a few doors down from Tommy Romano's, the chippie.

I'd really like to find out what happened to the family. The last time I saw June was just before I moved to Burton on Trent in England after I got married.

By that time she was married and had 2 boys and was living somewhere in Leith, I think. I now live in Cape Town. I moved here in 1970 but still manage to get to UK once in a while.

I'd appreciate it if anyone can bring me up to date with the Oddie family

Maureen Hogg, Cape Town, South Africa: January 19, 2012