Local Face: Ian MacMillan

Ian MacMillan married Christine at St Mary’s church, Weston Turville 25 years ago this June. However, work took them away from the village to begin with.

When the time came to return to the area, fourteen years ago, family connections brought them to look at Weston Turville again. They found a very friendly village with a new development, where they bought a new house and extended their second to accommodate an expanding family. This made them “Old Newcomers” or “New Oldcomers” with an outward looking but protective view of local life.

The four MacMillan children Kirsty, Thomas, William and Nicholas have all attended Weston Turville Combined School, two are still there. The parents see the school as a great focus to village life and the two recent Heads have both seen it as a valuable community facility.

Ian McMillan has been both treasurer and chairman of the PTA and after a break is back as treasurer again. Ian finds PTA work very enjoyable as a social way to make money for the school. Unfortunately, schools are coming to rely more and more on this additional funding. Near the end of 1992 they had Quizmas Carols (quiz as well as singing). The children usually have a Spellathon or Mathalon and altogether about £2,000 a year is usually given. It has been used to buy computers for all the classrooms and to re-equip the library.

Ian is also the treasurer of the 14th Aylesbury Vale Sea Scouts. This troop has been going strong for 22 years, and originally they met in the Union Chapel. Now they are organising the refurbishment of a hut which is rented from the County Council.

The weekly Scouting activities are easily recognisable but the cadets are the only scouts to wear a hat nowadays. The uniform is approved by the Navy so they wear a Naval hat.

The camps are mostly by rivers and give opportunities for sailing and canoeing. The canoes were stored and used at Langridge, near Marlow, then moved to nearby Watermead when the opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, one canoe was stolen then when Watermead Boat Club went into receivership the canoes were impounded and sold off. This means fund raising for new boats. Any sponsors for the canoes or hut building are welcome.

The 14th Aylesbury Vale Sea Scouts is well known in the area through the work of the Band. This is an extra activity and the participants, boys and girls, do not have to be in the troop. They are well known in Wendover from playing carols round the tree on the Manor Waste before Christmas. They used to be a Marching Band but nowadays do more Concert Band performances. They are always at the big Scouting St George’s Day event in Halton and in the Summer they are seen performing at village fetes around and about, including Weston Turville.

The family commitment to scouting is now complete since Mrs Christine MacMillan became Mrs Beaver for their own colony 2 years ago.

Ian’s greatest claim to fame is the Saturday morning Cycling Proficiency Scheme. He has been responsible for organising the Bucks County Council Course for the past 12 years. Half a dozen parents, mostly Dads, come along on Saturday mornings in Spring to help out in the school playground and along the village roads. Once parents have been involved, they see the merits of the course and find they do have time to assist. Please contact your local school to help.