Newest Member Gives Her 'Job' Talk

Job Talk by new member of the Rotary Club of Duns Lida Hatrick

It is the custom in the Rotary Club for new members to give a 'job talk', telling the other members about their career prior to joining the club and last Thursday it was the turn of Lida Hatrick, the latest person to join the Rotary Club of Duns.

Lida was born in Czechoslovakia, the Czech part, known historically as Bohemia. She was a first year student in Charles University in Prague when, in 1968, she was given the chance to come and study in Scotland. In August that year Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia to bring down the emergence of the new liberal political system. Fortunately, Lida was able to transfer to Edinburgh University and continue her studies. While in Scotland, she met and later married Dr Hugh Hatrick, one of the three GPs then practicing in Duns. She's been here ever since.

During her 45 years in Duns she has had three careers, first as the wife of a busy GP, raising three children. Then in 1980, after training at Moray House, she became a teacher of English at the Berwickshire High School. Some years later she was offered the post of head of the language department at the all-girl Oxenfoord Castle School near Pathhead. Sadly for Lida, in 1994 the school was closed when the castle's owner, the Earl of Stair, decided that he needed the building for other uses. But she soon moved on, joining the teaching staff at the Edinburgh Academy, at that time an all boys' school. In her last year there, girls were admitted for the first time, which she said had a noticeable effect on the boys' behaviour.

She retired from teaching early to study art at the Leith School of Art and now she paints full time. She still finds time for traveling and being with her six grandchildren.

In the questions after her fascinating talk, Rotarians asked Lida about the split up of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. She told us that in her view, it had diminished both countries.

It has been a great pleasure for the Rotary Club of Duns to welcome its first female member. All the members are wondering if we'll change as much as the boys of Edinburgh Academy did when the first girls arrived there!