1997 – left to right Sandy, Raymond, Jim, Josh, David, Ian Nicol.

Jim – The 4 original members and Ian Nicol until his death in 2011, kept in touch and as the decades passed any animosity from the split long gone.

As the years passed I think we started to grow closer again and began to meet once a year, normally around Xmas, for a burger, a few pints and a catch up. We all shared the same birth year 1947. Sandy invited us with our wives and partners to share his 50th Birthday in 1997 and we all enjoyed a beautiful meal together. I think this inspired, me not normally given to big birthday bashes, to do the same thing.

In 2009 on the 9th October we decided to meet at The Cambridge Bar in Young Street and after some chat and some wine David suggested that it might be great fun to gather at his Heartbeat Studio in Middleton, Midlothian and attempt to privately play together again as a band and although Sandy, Raymond and I were pretty nervous David encouraged us on.

So Friday 30th October 2009 we gathered at Heartbeat and ran through a couple of old Hipple favourites such as “Treat Her Right”, “Time Is On My Side” and “Route 66”, rough as it was we all enjoyed the exercise.