Not all of the Clans in attendance at the Gathering 2009 in Edinburgh were of the traditional Scottish variety. Representing the Clan Broun, Sir Wayne had travelled all the way from Australia to represent his ancient bloodline among the great and the good of Scotland.
Now the chief of the Brouns says he intends to target Australian youngsters with American cash to help increase the popularity of the Scottish family system.
“The clan system works extraordinarily well in the United States,” says Broun, “and they come over to Scotland and spend lots of money. They also raise money for Scottish charities.
“The way I look at that is that we’re a charity. We need the money from America to keep it all going.
"We're going to do a lot more work with Broons and Browns than has been done before."
The history of the Brouns in Scotland stretches back some 900 years. A royal family of that name arrived from France in the wake of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
By the 14th century rolled around the family had married into the family of the marquises of Tweeddale, setting up farming estates in Colstoun in East Lothian.
The Coulston estate remains in the family, although the Baronetcy went into a branch of the family who settled in New South Wales in Australia.
