Past Times

Gallery: St Machar Academy memories through the decades

We've gone through our archives for photographs of teachers and pupils at St Machar Academy all throughout the decades.

1988: Pupils from the old Powis and Hilton academies celebrate their first day as St Machar Academy pupils.

By Kieran Beattie

July 30 2023, 6:00 am

July 30 2023, 6:00 am

Thousands of people all across Aberdeen have many happy memories of attending St Machar Academy as pupils.

And plenty might even have fond recollections of teaching or otherwise working there.

We’ve gone through our archives to see what photographs we could find at the school from decades gone by.

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane at St Machar, looking at photographs of jazz competition winners, first day of school celebrators, and more.

Read on to see these photographs and more from our archives.

And if you recognise any familiar faces in this gallery, let us know by emailing us at nostalgia@pressandjournal.co.uk

Pictures: St Machar Academy through the years

A group of St Machar Academy students and their teacher gathered around a word processor. — 1993: Samuel Frimpong, operating a word processor, is helped by teacher Gillian Rae, as other pupils look on.

Members of the group False Alarm surrounding a keyboard with some of their instruments — 1990: Members of the St Machar Academy group, False Alarm, practice for the regional finals of the Fuji Rock Schools Competition in Glasgow.

Two pupils standing in front of a black board with their arms folded — 1993: Georgina Carroll and Michael Hossack, both 14, scooped gold in the UK Schools Mathematics Challenge.

A group of St Machar Academy students posing for a photograph — 1988: A disco-dancing demonstration by Lesley Ferguson and Harry Butler, front, meets with approval from their classmates at the first senior pupil disco held in the new academy.

A member of the Gordon Highlanders and a schoolboy on a net obstacle in an assault course — 1992: Pte Graeme Farquhar of the Gordon Highlanders puts Steven Leiper through his paces on the Army’s mobile assault course.

A pupil jazz band with their instruments gathered around a drum kit — 1992: St Machar Academy pupils who won the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz 92 competition.

Pupils on a staircase saluting to the camera, one of them is holding a toy sword and wearing a headband and eye patch — 1992: Youngsters get kitted out to go to sea in June 1992.

Members of St Machar Academy group False Alarm posing outside the school — 1991: False Alarm members, from left, back: James Craig, Mairi Gillanders, Simon McBain and Fionnuala O’Boyle; front: Richard Will and Aimi MacKay.

Three students dancing — 1992: Brian Elrick, David Colbert, and Colin Gorman, practise for the region’s first major school dance performance.

A group of students behind a drum kit, a girl sits at the drum kit with sticks — 1989: Drummer Mairi Gillanders and schoolmates have enjoyed the school’s week-long arts festival.

Students behind a keyboard with a microphone — 1988: All set for their appearance at the Scottish final of the TSB Rock School competition in Glasgow are St Machar Academy group Free the Spirit.

St Machar Academy pupils jumping on the stone steps outside the school — 1988: Pupils from the old Powis and Hilton academies celebrate their first day as St Machar Academy pupils.

Three pupils with an older man playing a trumpet during a reunion — 1989: Former Powis Academy pupil Jim Smith met up with St Machar Concert Band members, from left, James Craig, Moray Barber and Dale Leslie during a reunion at the academy.

St Machar Academy students with a car. The student at the front is wearing a head boy badge and holding a small model of the car — 1991: St Machar Academy head boy Derek Priest shows off the model car he won in a fundraising raffle. He also won a run in the real thing… an E type Jaguar belonging to Aberdeen car dealer Alistair Stewart, left.

School duxes with first dux of the school Irvine Rae and Grampian Regional Council convener Robert Middleton — 1990: School duxes Suzanne Shinnie and Stephen Coutts with first dux of the school Irvine Rae, left, and Grampian Regional Council convener Robert Middleton.