The Development team was delighted to receive a visit from Bill Gardner (1974) with his wife Barbara, from Seattle and Neil Collier (1966) and his partner, Susanna, from Berkeley Califronia, who arrived at Lauriston Place on the same day!

Bill originally came to Heriot's on the number 42 bus from Portobello and joined Senior School class 1X along with Cameron Wyllie, Colin Affleck and David Small. A keen rugby player, Bill discovered rowing in his final three years and was in the first crew to win the Scottish Championships, the G Crew, both in 1973 and 1974! Bill has fond memories of Bob Neill, as well as Gavin Collinson and Robin Beesley with whom he rowed. 

Bill remembers one June Day when an enterprising pupil managed to lodge a can of beer in the plaster hands of George Heriot's statue in the Quad, luckily discoered just before the June Day ceremony began. 

Bill has worked in 28 countries across the world for Boeing, having trained with Marconi and specialising in flight simulation design, development and production. He is keen to connect with Herioters in the US.

Also from the west coast was Neil Collier, who was visiting from Berkeley, California. Having grown up in the East Gate Lodge at The Botanics, he moved away from Edinburgh to University of East Anglia before relocating to the US to pursue a career in landscape architecture. For many years Neil ran his own landscaping business and is now happily retired with his partner Susanna. Neil recalled fond memories of June Day in the Quad, hymns in the School Hall and the lunch time rush in the refectory (now the school staff room). 

This was Bill's first time back at Heriot's since 1974, and Neil's first time back since 2015, proving that no matter how many years pass and how far you roam, you will always be a Herioter and will always be welcomed back.  

For anyone inspired by this to make a return visit to Heriot's, please get in touch!