Haggis Troubles Over

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32359, 27 July 1970, Page 14

Haggis Troubles Over

Heralded in traditional style, a haggis with a background as colourful as that of the Scottish clans was piped and addressed with all the flair *hat history demands at the Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery on Saturday evening.

The ceremony opened a display of work by art groups from Otago and Southland. The society ordered the haggis from a Dunedin woman and started a search for a genuine Scottish thistle to de-

1 corate the dish—a mixture of I sheep's heart, liver, oatmeal, i flour, spices and herbs. 1 But before the haggis was J three-quarters completed the 1 woman fell ill, and it looked 8 as though there would have to . be a ceremony without a haggis The society was also having i difficulty in finding a suitable thistle. An appeal was made to the public but only “false” *■ Scottish thistles appeared—s more than a dozen on an antique plate. The first indication of a 1 change of luck came when 1 the society obtained the ser- * vices of Mr C. Brown, a veteran of more than 60 years of 1 addressing the haggis, to perform the ceremony. However, this was not until about 10.30 p.m. on Friday. The haggis was found next. Weighing 51b. it was provided by a Sydenham butchery that .' opened on Saturday morning b especially for the society. B The thistles came late on . Saturday afternoon, given by r the assistant director of the B botany division of the Depart-

ment of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln College (Mr A. J. Healy). Mr Healy was cultivating some thistles for a display but these were too small, and he had to search farms in the Lincoln district before finding a suitable plant The "chieftain” for the! evening was Mr J. O’Neill, president of the Otago Arts Society. Mr O’Neill is of Irish lineage. The thistles used on the haggis were not the true Scottish variety, although very similar in appearance. Their common name is cotton thistle and, after the ceremony, they were placed in an incinerator and burnt. Carried into the gallery by Mr O’Neill, the haggis was escorted by pipers from St Andrew’s College, and cut in one sweep by Mr Brown with the traditional Scottish dirk. One of the organisers of the ceremony, Mr G. Kane, said last evening he wished to thank Mr J. Aberthney, of the Canterbury Scottish Society, for locating the haggis.