Preserving the past for future generations

Mar 20 2009 by Craig Robertson, Dumfries Standard Friday

IAN Black always has one eye on the past. But it’s with the other eye on the future he protects the history that has shaped the proud club in existence today.

As curator of the Queen of the South museum, club historian ‘Blacko’ was tasked to set it up in 1994 by then chairman Norman Blount.

“When I took over this was all that consisted of the club’s museum,” said Ian pointing to a picture of some former directors with a few trophies on a wooden table.

The 43-year-old Queens fan started building up the collection to the impressive state it is in today.

But it was a huge task which involved going through boxes of memorabilia held in cupboards and garages of directors, managers, players and fans.

He said: “It is great honour to be the club’s historian and I would say it’s like protecting it for future generations.

“When other clubs come to visit, they are surprised at what we have here and the history of the club.

“I could fill some of it four or five times over with the stuff we’ve got.”

One of the most striking pieces of silverware in the museum – which doubles up as the boardroom – is the Dumfriesshire Junior Football Challenge Shield which was first played for in 1900.

Ian explained: “I was having a conversation with a guy in the pub about it and he said he had it in his garage.

“I asked if he would donate it to the museum but he said no.

“But he died three of four years later and I got it from his family.

“It was in some state but we managed to get it cleaned up and restored.”

Ian’s favourite pieces include the Brazil top from 1982 donated by the family of former chairman Willie Harkness, the Southern Counties Challenge Cup which Queens won 11 times and kept the trophy, and the Algiers Invitational European Tournament that the club won in 1936. Everyone of the hundreds of items has a story to tell.

But Ian says a lot of people are now drawn to one corner of the room where a new cabinet stands holding the story of the Queens most recent achievement.

Inside sit the memories of last year’s Scottish Cup semi-final and final against Aberdeen and Rangers respectively.

It includes memories from fans, a special crystal vase and a pennant from Rangers which has its own individual story.

Ian, who in his other job as kitman proudly sat on the bench for both matches at Hampden, said: “Queens handed over their own pennant to Rangers but they had stopped giving them out and didn’t give us one.

“But a few weeks later we received a letter from Sandy Jardine (Rangers’ ex-player and marketing manager) thanking us and including a specially-made pennant of the game.”

Looking forward, the next big celebration will be 100 years of Queens in 2019 and Ian has already started thinking about it.

“That will be a big one,” he said.

“There will need to be something special for that.”

Hopefully, by the time 2019 comes along, the Queens museum will be filled with another round of proud memories and achievements worthy of inclusion next to those that already exist.