Attitudes: Birthdays
“Birthdays weren’t celebrated in Merchiston. In my later years it has become a bone of contention between my wife and me. I have never really celebrated my birthdays due to being in boarding school.”—Mark (CCY), pupil from 1981–1987, SCAI Witness Statement (11 September 2018)
“I remember in literally my first few days in the school, that a present pupil did not return from the previous year, as it appeared that one of the traditions of a birthday was a boy being tied naked around a tree, presumably by members of his peer group. Clearly, this was totally wrong. I remember my second Captain of School in 1999/2000, quite intentionally chosen by me because he was an out-and-out academic, not a rugby player, yet in his own way a real leader and builder of teams, coming to see me to say he was worried on his birthday, precisely because of this. He joined my wife and I for dinner at home on his birthday evening. Real care and attention was taken to try and break down such inappropriate behaviour. In time, I am confident that we broke this one down and replaced it with birthday cakes in houses, pizza parties in houses and in my latter years, if the pupil agreed and his birthday fell on a Tuesday, the day of Headman’s Assembly, I shook the pupil, by the hand and the whole school sang Happy Birthday to him.”—Andrew Hunter, SCAI Witness Statement (17 November 2020)
