New Brunswick Scottish Cultural Association

The New Brunswick Scottish Cultural Association (NBSCA) is an organisation founded in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1980, to promote and protect the Scottish culture in the province. In 2010, it is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, and has active members across the province.
Scots in New Brunswick
There were Scots among the first non-French settlers to arrive in the region which is today New Brunswick following European Contact with the First Nations people. In fact, until the latter half of the eighteenth century, the region was not heavily settled. William Davidson, an immigrant from Scotland, was the first English speaking settler on the Miramichi River, for example, where he and his partner, John Cort, were given a grant of of Crown land with the proviso that they stimulate migration to the region. Although they did not fulfil their requirements, many Scots and other British subjects made their way to the Maritime Colonies of Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
Recall that New Brunswick did not exist as a separate colony until late in this century. The province of New Brunswick was established in 1784 following the arrival of thousands of Loyalists and veterans of the Revolutionary War, a great number of whom were from old Scottish families. Many of these Scottish Loyalists were leading citizens in their new homes in Fredericton, Saint John, and on the Miramichi, for example, where they were prominent business people and members of the Legislative Assembly.
During the Napoleonic Wars of the early nineteenth century, New Brunswick boomed with the burgeoning forest industry, as the colony was a leading supplier of ships masts to the Royal Navy. The expansion of this industry, coupled with the Highland Clearances, precipitated the settlement of thousands of Scots and other British immigrants in the new Colony. This immigration, though it had crests and troughs, continued throughout the century. There were even planned Scottish settlements in the province in the late nineteenth century, including the aptly-names Scotch Colony.Scots continued to migrate to the province (post-1867) in smaller numbers into the twentieth and twenty-first century.
Today, twenty percent of New Brunswickers claim Scottish ancestry, although the actual number is much higher given that so many New Brunswickers are of a mixed ancestry.
Governing Structure
The provincial body of the NBSCA is governed by a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. The local chapters (in Bathurst and Moncton) are in governed by executive committees, who in turn are responsible to the provincial body of the Association.
Eligibility for Membership
Membership in the NBSCA is open to anyone and everyone. Those interested in becoming members need not have Scottish blood, but just an interest in promoting and preserving the culture.
Activities
The NBSCA sponsors a variety of activities throughout the year. Most significant are those planned fro the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) (patron saint of Scotland), Robbie Burns day (Jan. 25), and Tartan Day (Aril 6th). Across the province, people of Scottish descent gather to celebrate these holidays and the love for Scottish culture (in the Old Country and in our own province) which binds all Scottish-Canadians. Traditions including the Address to a Haggis and the Kirking o' the Tartan are common at these gatherings, and a large number of members attend in traditional highland garb (kilt or tartan skirt, sporran, sgian dubh, etc.).
Publications
The NBSCA published a quarterly newsmagazine, The New Brunswick Scottish Journal, a popular periodical and the subscription to which is included in the membership fee. The January 2010 issue includes articles on: the 30th anniversary of the NBSCA, the upcoming celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Restigouche (1760), the participation of NB pipe bands in international competitions, Robert Burns' connections to Northern Ireland, news from the chapters, groundbreaking DNA research, a list of Scottish place names in NB, among others.
Associated Scottish Organisations
There are several Scottish organisations across New Brunswick which are affiliated with, though not governed by, the NBSCA. These include the Fredericton Society of St. Andrew, the St. Andrew's Society of Saint John, the Caledonian Society of Restigouche, and the New Brunswick Highland Society at Miramichi. Most members of the NBSCA who reside in these regions of the province are also members of these affiliated Scottish organisations. Membership with either, however, does not include membership in the other.
Online Presence
The NBSCA has a website which provides more details on the association, an online shop, and a calendar of upcoming events. It can be found at www.nbscots.com. The Association also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter, where members keep in touch and post details of upcoming events and interesting news to Scottish-New Brunswickers, etc.

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