Eastbank Academy; Your Light Shone Indeed.
The 17th of June was a beautiful sunny morning. Looking forward to the day GAU was off to Glasgow on the train. We had been invited by Eastbank Academy to give two presentations to the students of this impressive school.
Eastbank Academy.
Originally, the grand red sandstone building located on Eastmuir Street (now Shettleston Road) was thought to be “too grand” for the tiny village of Shettleston, which at the time was separate from Glasgow.
Past famous students included Junior Campbell, (William Campbell) – lead guitarist, singer and songwriter with the sixties band Marmalade, for those oldies amongst us who can remember those days.
Superb Assistance from Tourism Students.
I was met by three young ladies of the school who were using my visit to aid their Tourism and Hospitality Studies. They took my case and led the way to a lovely room with cake, biscuits and all the amenities I could want.
My assistant could not travel with me due to illness and I was a touch nervous when the teacher arranging my visit told me the three young ladies would look after my tech and everything. They took the case containing the pens, badges and challenge cards, the usb with the PowerPoint on and disappeared. By this time, I was more than a little nervous.
The teacher guided me down to the hall and there were the pens, badges and cards all neatly and artfully laid out on a table for me. The PowerPoint and film were all ready to go and everything had been made ready for me.
The students came in and sat down, extremely polite and well mannered. All through both presentations the students did not make a sound. At the end of both presentations there were loads of students wanting to chat with me and ask questions.
Once again, I was astounded at the determination, I saw in our youth to reject hate. That understanding that terrorism is about spreading hate, and if we give in to hate we are doing the terrorist job for them.
Last Thoughts.
Eastbank Academy I know are rightly very proud of your students. The three young ladies were superb and a real credit to themselves and the school. They never made a mistake even when I made one. Always ready to help in any way they could. They can have a job with GAU anytime. Thank you, you know who you are.
