Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the ‘planes hit the Twin Towers? What about the London bombings of 2005? Or when Covid lockdown was first announced? Or when the Berlin wall came down? Every generation has its big news event that imprints a lasting image not only of the breaking news story being broadcast, but also of the time and place you found yourself and of the very activity in which you were engaged. Many generations have many such moments.

I remember precisely where I was on March 13, 1996. I was 10, in Primary 6 and in a creative writing class with our enthusiastic class teacher, and head teacher of our small school in rural Scotland. We were working on castle books – stories inspired from the Middle Ages and written up painstakingly carefully on pages that would fold to form a 3D immersive experience where the book also resembled a fortress.  Under the creative guidance of our headteacher, we were not only inspired to hone our narration skills, but also learn calligraphy in our Stirlingshire school.

The office phone rang. It could be heard loud and clearly in our room as an extension bell would sound in the classroom after only one ring of the main phone. I laid down my felt-tip pen and hastily marched out of the classroom. I had an important remit that day: I was on phone duty. Mrs Adair, the name has been changed, also instilled a sense of business acumen in the school ethos she had built. On a rolling roster, Primary 6 and 7 pupils took turns at answering the phone. The task was to greet the – sometimes somewhat bemused – caller, take a message, or redirect the call to the appropriate person.

A candle alongside tributes placed in the Garden of Remembrance in Dunblane Cemetery. Photo credit: Jane Barlow/PA (Image: PA)

Despite a light dusting of snow still lying outside, in grey shorts and the purple school jumper, I smartly – and probably quite proudly – entered the school office and picked up the receiver.

“Good Morning. Fintry Primary School, Jamie speaking. How can I help you?”

“Hello Jamie. It’s Mrs Pirie ( the name has been changed). Is Mrs Adair there?” Mrs Pirie was a retired helping hand in the school

“I’m sorry but Mrs Adair is teaching right now. Can I take a message?”

“It is quite urgent – can you please get her take the call?”

“OK, I’ll see. What is it regarding?”

“Well, emm… There’s been a shooting. At Dunblane Primary.”

The script then goes blank in my mind. I knew we ended the call. I knew she’d asked me to........

© Herald Scotland