For four years – up until May 2007, I had the great privilege to sit as the chairperson on the Heart of Hawick Project Board, the main body which oversaw progress and development, and was party to several discussions on the statue. These certainly did not involve the idea of general begging bowls to all and sundry and never would have in my time.

The funding of the plinth with public monies took time for the decision alone. Further discussion also ranged around the positioning of the edifice and initially there was a suggestion that it should sit in the middle of the civic space – a notion which I and the then Board very quickly abandoned. We certainly were not looking to revive Border warfare again! I may say that there were difficulties over where to position the statue at all given that the Turnbull name is only one – albeit a main one – within the large raft of Border families (or Clans) and also in terms of what it would really achieve in overall visitor interest.

There were only one or two thoughts on refusing the offer of the statue and it may be that the suggestion – later arrived at 'tae pit it in the corner' beside the Heritage Hub sorted out the siting but not the costs, or perhaps the situation which could arise when the 'chiefs' of other Border families want to have their escutcheons overtly displayed too.

As Hawick seems to have changed its name and ethos from a 'textile' town to that of 'heritage', perhaps it would be a good idea to develop a permanent clan or family room where the heraldic shields and other (relevant) memorabilia would attract wider pilgrimages from those near and far, and perhaps would also attract subscriptions from the individual 'clans', as has happened in the past (eg Armstrong Mangerton Cross, Harkness Memorial).

Mr Kerr mentioned more 'deserving causes', so with this suggestion taken forward – Hawick itself would be that 'cause.' The next good cause for Heart of Hawick which could get local begging bowls clinking would be to get the mill wheel working – this would indeed be a real 'attraction' as it has been in other towns. It may be of course that I am behind the times and all of this has already been thought of for Homecoming Year – so apologies to any involved 'innovator' or active group of which I am unaware

Mr Kerr asked who agreed the Turnbull gift – it was long discussed by the Project Board which consisted of council staff, three councillors, professional people involved in Heart of Hawick (tourism adviser, architects etc) and also the separate Working Group comprised a wide range of community representatives (including members of the community council).

As an aside to this – a main criterion of the external funding for the Heart of Hawick Project was that it would eventually be managed by the 'community' through a community trust or similar body. When I asked at a recent area committee how this was being progressed or developed – no-one could answer the question and when I looked at the minutes of this meeting – there was no mention of my question at all. If such a group had evolved from what was already a sensible working group 'think-tank' – perhaps the subject of begging-bowls would not have come up to annoy Mr Kerr and many other people.