I came to Fettes in 1957 from Hartlepool, Co Durham. At that time there were three or four of us from Teeside, taking the train to Newcastle, where we were joined by a large number of Tynesiders for what seemed a long trip to Waverley.

After leaving my rural Prep School in Ripon, my first, and somewhat daunting, view of the school was when my parents took me to the Queensferry Road in Edinburgh, and pointed out Fettes from the top of the steps at South Learmonth Avenue. Twenty-seven years later I brought my two children, Rachel (CW1985) and James (G1985) over from Canada and showed them their new school from the same position. James remarked that it looked like a parliament! At the time, even the "Sloane Ranger’s Handbook’ referred to the school as a ‘Victorian Disneyland chateau with a Dickensian interior’ and they were probably right.

I was very home sick in my first term, which was spent in one of the two houses in Inverleith Place. Running about as we did at Prep School was not allowed as it was considered ‘rabbling’ and we were now supposed to be ‘men’. I do remember it was a lovely autumn, and we used to kick the leaves as we came in the East Gate for breakfast. Next term I went into College West and things much improved. Fagging was a chore. To this day I consider myself an expert at lighting fires after all those I lit in prefects’ studies and I remember the despair I felt when those rugby boots I had spent so much time polishing were dirty in seconds when the prefect wearing them ran onto Bigside.

I found Fettes to be a very fair school, tough but predictable and understandable. It taught me to be determined and to work at things until I could make them happen. I owe George Preston a lot because it was his structured way of teaching that got me through my Physics at O and A level. Joe Hills persevered with my Maths, although 27 years later he was heard to say to my son in exasperation, "God James, you are almost as thick as your father!"

Fettes did a lot for me. My worst moment was being overtaken in the last few yards to make me last in theschool steeplechase. My best was overcoming a bad stammer to read the lesson fluently in House Chapel. That was a defining moment in gaining confidence in speech.

I made some great friends at school, one of which was Hugh Chalmers who became the children’s guardian when my wife and I lived in Toronto. Hugh and I share a lifelong love of motorsport. I remember he and I were once caught by the Headman doing time trials with the REME Austin 7 on the track from the Pavilion to the San. Hamish McRae (now with the Independent) and Harry Boyle were two Irishmen with whom I shared a study. Hamish and I once ran to South Queensferry and back just for a bet!

I was always a scientist as Fettes, never comprehending the OFs of that time who kept quoting Latin! I went to King’s College, Newcastle and read Mechanical Engineering and I then came back to Edinburgh University to do a post-graduate Diploma in Management Studies. My first job in 1966 was as a machine shop graduate foreman at Perkins Engines, leaving them to become a Corporate VP at the parent company Massey Ferguson in Toronto. After time at Harvard Business School, I returned to the UK in 1986 to run the Construction Machinery Division, and in 1992 undertook a Management buyout. In 1998 I became Chairman of CCM Motorcycles Ltd. James, my son, is Manufacturing Director. CCM’s heritage is the BSA off road division, although until 1998, it was a very small company. Now we are one of only two companies producing motorcycles in the UK and our challenge is to become a serious international player in the exciting off road and supermoto sectors.

I have therefore had three totally different periods of involvement with Fettes. First as a pupil of a tough boys’ rugby school, second as a parent in a changed, co-ed, academic, musical, sporting and artistic school, and third as a committed Trustee of the Fettes Foundation, to which I give without hesitation.

Recently I have been invited to become a Governor, which I consider to be a great honour. I see the College on a definite upward trend. It is the best school in Scotland and in Northern Britain. I find that the Governors have a clear strategic vision with each step fitting into a plan. The new Sports Centre is a good example of what can be achieved, but the next planned phases are breathtaking. It will take time and will require considerable support from us all through the FettesFoundation, but Barrie Lloyd’s initiative has already born fruit and by backing his enthusiasm with our donations I know we will make it happen.

Check out the CCM website http://www.ccm-motorcycles.com/