Susie supports
Trees of Life
S
USIE GALE WAS keen to create a lasting
memorial of her time at QMU. After a
family breakup she and her daughters
moved from the Highlands to Musselburgh
so Susie could retrain as a podiatrist. Susie
said: “I marked my graduation by having a
tree planted in the campus grounds. Firstly,
I wanted my girls to know we had left
something behind to say ‘We were here’.
Secondly, I’m keen to encourage other
people like myself, to realise they can change
direction and begin again in a new career.”
Orkney ice cream director
reconnects with his alma mater
D
URING A REUNION visit to the
Orkney Islands Professor Joe
Goldblatt , QMU’s international
events guru and development
officer, was delighted to make the
acquaintance of Graham Bichan. To
the Professor’s delight, Graham not
only turned out to be a graduate of
Applied Food Science and Marketing
in 2000, but also holds a senior
position within the Orkney Ice Cream
company which his family own.
Graham is Production Director at the
Orkney Creamery, which is the family
business that produces the renowned
Orkney ice cream and the main producer
of milk on the islands. Run by the Bichan
family from its farm near Kirkwall, the
Orkney Creamery has evolved over the
past 60 years to become one of the most
innovative and respected businesses in
the Scottish dairy sector.
The firm first created its ice cream in
1995, as growing consumer demand for
low fat milk created a surplus of cream at
its dairy. The high quality luxury ice cream
produced has gone on to become one
of the most popular brands in Scotland
and has won a string of awards including
‘Best Artisan Ice Cream in the UK’.
Professor Goldblatt couldn’t believe
his luck. As he says himself, being an
American, ice cream is one of his all-time
favourite treats. Passionate about
Scotland and in the middle of a love affair
with the Orkney Islands, he was quick
to strike up a relationship with Graham’s
company.
With little persuasion necessary, Graham
kindly agreed to supply Orkney ice cream
for some of QMU major invents including
the up and coming undergraduate open
day on Saturday 4th October and the
Freshers’ Fair. So, our new students and
visitors to open day will be able to indulge
themselves in Orkney’s luscious ice cream
and sample a number of exciting flavours.
Professor Joe Goldblatt said: “It is my
privilege to meet QMU graduates and to
see how their careers have progressed
since studying at QMU. Since graduating,
Graham has assisted his family business
in diversifying and helping it grow to
become a significant player in the artisan
dairy food market. With our history in food
and nutrition, and our current commercial
research interests in food and drink, we
are delighted to reconnect with Graham
and collaborate with his company on
future projects.”
If you remember Graham from your
students days at QMU and wish to
reconnect or you want to know more
about the Orkney Creamery and its ice
cream, contact: E: info@orkneyicecream.
com or visit: www.orkneyfoodanddrink.
com/orkney-creamery ❒
If you’d like to celebrate your time at QMU or
honour someone close to you, please consider
sponsoring a tree as part of QMU’s Trees of Life
fund. www.qmu.ac.uk/treeoflife ❒
Orkney Reunion in April
T
HIRTEEN QMU ALUMNI, who are
residents of Orkney, gathered at the
St Magnus Centre (next to St Magnus
Cathedral) for a reception hosted by
Professor Joe Goldblatt, Development Officer
at QMU.
The alumni ranged from a graduate of Atholl
Crescent, whose mother preceded her at QMU, to
a recent media studies graduate who left in 2009.
The alumni group raised funds to sponsor a tree in
QMU’s ‘Trees of Life’ project. The Orcadian alumni
sponsored Rowan tree will be the fiftieth tree in the
grove at QMU and the first one sponsored by a
regional alumni group.
Professor Goldblatt said: "The gratitude for QMU
and enthusiasm for our future plans demonstrated
by many of our most northern alumni in Orkney
was truly inspiring."
The event was organised by QMU alums Alison
Campbell and Caroline Robertson. One alum,
Graham Bichan, whose family owns Orkney Ice
Cream company, stated that he had too many
positive memories of QMU to name only one.
According to QMU’s records we have about 70
graduates from Orkney. If you’re an Orcadian
graduate and you haven’t been in touch with us
for a while, please do reconnect with the University
via our alumni team. We’d love to hear your news.
E: [email protected] ❒
Graham Bichan
Reunions: Call for Classmates
Judy Moss is looking to
contact graduates from
Institutional Management
1965- 1968 to join the
50th anniversary reunion
in late September 2015.
In June, Susie’s Rowan tree was planted in the
grounds of QMU, next to the pond.
Marjorie Tait (nee
Andrew) wishes to
contact graduates of the
Diploma of Life Sciences,
Nursing who started at
QMC in August 1975.
Fiona Davies wishes
to contact graduates of
the Diploma in Home
Economics, who started
in 1965, to join the
reunion in September
2015.
Tina Chapman (nee
MacFayden) wants to
organise a 40th reunion.
She is hoping to contact
graduates of OTTC who
started in Astley Ainslie
Hospital and graduated
in 1975 from QMC.
Doreen Tait (nee Croal)
is hoping to organise a
reunion in September
this year. She is trying
to make contact with
graduates of the Diploma
in Home Economics, who
graduated in 1978.
QMYOU / Development News
29