Otago Scottish Heritage Council secretary and administrator of the burns poetry competition Dene Mackenzie said the official party, which included Mayor Sophie Turner, Dunedin City councillor Steve Walker and British High Commission representative Siobhan Latham, was piped in by Qwenton McKenzie before Hugh Marshall delivered an energetic address to the Haggis. A video message from the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge emphasised the close ties between the two cities. Attendees also enjoyed readings of winning entries from the Robert Burns International Poetry Competition by Santiago Bonhomme, Lynne Wilkins and Elaine Li.
Dr Somerville’s address connected Burns’ values of social justice to Dunedin’s status as a Unesco City of Literature. The Dunedin Scottish Fiddle Orchestra received the City of Edinburgh Perpetual Challenge Trophy. The evening concluded with the singing of the Star o’ Rabbie Burns and a ceilidh. — Allied Media
