A.O.S.A. 2009 ANNUAL REPORT - NEWS OF OLD SCHOLARS

ARTHUR SIBSON
(scholar 1882-86, and
President 1897-98)

In mid December 08, DICK DENNIS (1944-52) received the following email from a Jeremy Sibson in Tasmania...."Dear Dick, I noticed on your website for the Ayton Old Scholars’ Association that in the "Past Presidents" section there was no photo of (Dr.) ARTHUR SIBSON (scholar 1882-86, President 1897-98) my great grandfather. To this end I am attaching a photo with this email of him. If you would like any more information about him I would be happy to send it. I also see from your website that quite a few of my relatives attended and helped out at Ayton. The Sibsons are also related by marriage to the McDermids. - Jeremy.” Dick was delighted and replied immediately ….. “Dear Jeremy, Your great-grandfather’s portrait is now online. In comparison with others though, the image file is rather small; if you could scan the original once more and send it to me as a much larger file, I’ll reduce to it the size I want and give Arthur Sibson equal prominence with the other Presidents. There are very few Presidents now not pictured. When setting up the website ten years ago, I scoured all archive sources for photos and found all but a few. Hopefully, descendants, such as you, will be in contact and the Gallery will be complete. Dick”…., Jeremy has yet to send the improved photo, but he did send me (GJ) some further interesting family details… “(Dr) Arthur Bertram Sibson was born in Rochdale, Lancashire on 30th January 1871 to Daniel and Elizabeth.

John H. McDermid (1863-1948)
(Ayton scholar 1875-76,
AOSA President 1913-14)

He had two brothers, Ernest O D (1867-1933) and PERCIVAL R (1870-1939) - (Ayton scholar 1884-84) and one sister, Lillian M C (1884-?). Arthur was educated at Ayton School between 1882 and 1886 before furthering his studies in London to become a doctor specialising in Dentistry like his father, brother Percival, and nephews Maurice and Reginald. He officially became a doctor on 13th November 1896 when he was also admitted to MRCS England, and LRCP London. About this time he married Henrietta Louise Pollard and had four children, Francis Henry (1899-1972 my grandpa), Alan Tweedale (1902-1964), Arthur Robert (1906-1984), and Kathleen Pollard (1908-1996). They emigrated to South Africa in 1920 to live in Cape Province and then The Transvaal. He continued as a dentist until his death in 1960. An interesting sideline is the Pollard family, they were a large and well respected Quaker family from the London area. Henrietta's great great uncle, Theophillus Pollard sailed to Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania, where I live) in 1825 with his daughter Ann. She eventually married into the Mather family who were instrumental in founding The Friends’ School in Hobart which I believe is the largest Quaker School in the world. I have taught there as a specialist music teacher. I discovered last year that both Theophillus and Ann are buried in the Friends’ Cemetery 100 metres from where I lived as a child and 300 metres from where I now reside. We always thought that we were the first to be born in Tasmania.”

The Sibson-McDermid connection.

Ernest Oswald D Sibson's daughter, Eva Mary (1895-?) married Harry Raymond McDermid, son of JOHN H. McDERMID (1863-1948) (Ayton scholar 1875-76, AOSA President 1913-14) and Frances Annie McDermid (1865-?). They had one son, Alastair (1924-?)”….. In Chris Scaife’s Ayton Register, we also have listed as pupils around the same time as John, two other McDermids, EDWIN J. (1876-78) and JOSEPH J (1972-73) no doubt his brothers . The only other McDERMID listed is MARGARET, later LECKIE (1937-42), it would be interesting to know if she was related to the Sibson/Pollard/ McDermid Dynasty. As Jeremy taught music at the Friends' School in Hobart, it is just possible he might have met our 1950s' Geography Master, RODERICK GROSVENOR, who was the school's Head from 1974-81.

MARJORIE RIDER (1919-22) who died in November 2008, was one of our oldest old scholars, she lived long enough to receive her telegram from the Queen on her hundredth birthday which she celebrated on 2ndJuly. She also received a card and good wishes from the Association.

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