Thissldhu
(Clare Simpson & Iain Matcham)

Iain:

As a baby Iain was found floating in a basket on the banks of the Loch Mayddup and was taken in and raised by the Fyd'lher clan in a quiet glen in the northern highlands of Scotland.  The Fyd'lher clan has a centuries old rivalry with the McCordian clan who inhabit the neighbouring glen and in centuries past both sides would mount raids on the other clan, stealing livestock and crops.  Over the years their rivalry has devolved from these warlike raids - each year both clans now meet over the new year and compete to create ever more complex ways to confuse beginner dancers and spend the long twilight hours debating whether Fyd'lher or McCordian music is better.

Even after moving to New Zealand, Iain has always been ready for a chance meeting with a McCordianist and can often be found creating confuddling dances and expounding the virtues of Fyd'lher music, or huddled in a dark corner with other Fyd'lhers playing tunes and generally eschewing McCordianists.

Clare:

Unlike the string-section of Thissldhu, Clare was a wanted child, safely born in the stable city of Dunedin, but sadly with only 13% Scottish roots (as far as we know)[1]. Thus her childhood did not involve any rivalries, clan-wise or other-wise, nor is there any record of raids or thefts. Given her Baptist upbringing she has been trained very nicely to cope with the vagaries of Scottish Country Dancing - meetings once or twice a week; a lesson by the teacher; a small collection taken up; and a nice cuppa before heading home to contemplate one’s next steps. In the background was the constant presence of a piano which lured her into playing at a young age. A passion for throwing herself around, which used up most of her joints, inevitably led to dancing.

[1] Ancestry.com DNA database 11.12.24