After 10 years of fund-raising by Leith Rules Golf Society, amounting to an amazing £120,000 followed by motions to Parliament, Royal Consent and planning applications, the statue of John Rattray was cast by Powderhall Bronze and erected on its current position on the Links last September surrounded by a fence.
Finally, after a further year of negotiations with City of Edinburgh Council, the fencing came down yesterday.
Leith Links and Rattray have an important part in the history of golf. The original 13 rules of the game were written down by Rattray for a competition on Leith Links in 1744. Those 13 rules were the foundation of the rules of golf up to the present day.
The statue belongs to the people of Leith and we should all be proud of this additional part of our rich history.
I hope we can all respect the statue and protect it from vandalism and I encourage you all, like me, to keep an eye on it to protect it.
Since yesterday there’s been lots of interest in Rattray and we hope it will attract visitors from all over the world who, fingers crossed, will also spend their money in Leith.
Jim Scanlon