Lord-Lieutenant of Fife Robert Balfour

Wed, Aug 7th 2019 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Robert explained the "History of Lieutenancy" and the role of the Lord Lieutenant of Fife.

Club members please log in for more information.

Mr Robert Balfour, Lord-Lieutenant and Her Majesty the Queen’s representative in Fife, entertained members in describing the history and role of the office. Dating from about 1800, the first duty had been to find soldiers. If there were insufficient volunteers, lists of conscripts were created. This prompted rebellions and in due course the ‘duty’ was dropped. Now, the 32 Scottish Lord-Lieutenants have a substantial role with the Territorial Army, but in a purely ceremonial capacity. Robert is Vice-President of the Black Watch Association and greatly admires the volunteers who ensure cadets derive life-skills. Robert has wide discretion in upholding the dignity of the Crown in Fife. He had attended all the Fife Victoria Cross memorial ceremonies including David Finlay’s in Guardbridge. His office processes Honours, and arranges Citizenship ceremonies. Applications for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are of great interest to Robert; Fife won two of the 150 awarded nationally, which was excellent. Currently he is actively encouraging voluntary organisations to apply for a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service; successful application can deliver benefit for the organisation concerned. Members warmly thanked Robert and applauded the contribution of his office to society.