Youth Chapter Director

My journey into kilt wearing and Scottish Culture started at 13 years old in 2013. When joining Cadets, I noticed they had just started a Pipe Band. 742 Air Cadets is situated at the old Uplands military base next to the airport and because of this we were using the same hanger that the Air Force Pipe Band was using for its practice nights. Just before I joined the Cadets, they did not have a Pipe Band. It was the initiative of the Air Force to recruit more youth for its Pipe Band and as a result, it branched off and became the Air Cadet Pipe Band and Highland Dancers at 742 Air Cadets.

In 2017, after many activities with the Air Cadet Pipe Band, including Amy Run Cheer Stations and Robbie Burns dinners, I started further researching the culture and my family heritage. My grandparents on my dad’s Kuno side owned a 450-acres dairy farm in the Township of New Carlow just outside Bancroft Ontario. The property next to the farm was a two acre Township Cemetery, which was later bought by my grandparents, second aunts and uncles, second cousins and any family members that were living in the community since it wasn't being maintained by the Township. Every year on the first Saturday of May, the community comes together to restore and maintain the cemetery. After chatting with older relatives, I had not met prior, like second aunts and uncle, I found out that we are a family descended from the Logan Clan. 80-90% of the cemetery was Logan family members. My great-grandmother Mary is the one that connects us to Clan Logan though her maiden name.

In 2018 I've decided to visit the Glengarry Highland Games. As I was browsing past the clan tents, I met Steven Logan, Clan Commissionaire for Canada (a branch of the Clan Logan Society International formed in the USA). He told me he was looking for a representative for Ontario, someone that can go around to Scottish related events and blog about it. So, on top of being the new Youth Director, I'm also the Clan Logan Representative of Ontario. Eventually our goal is to have a representative in every province of Canada. So far, it’s me and Steven. Since Clan Logan is an Armigerous Clan (a clan with no chief), these blogs are going to be used to show our future chief all the accomplishments, we as a clan, have done (including the OttScots).

I'm glad I get to be the new Youth Chapter Director that will further develop relationships with youth and get them active in events they will love!

Patrick can be reached at YouthDirector@ottscot.ca.