Formally known as Kirkcaldy & District Aquarist Society‚ but since 1983 known as Kirkcaldy Aquarist Society‚ the club has its place in history dating back to 1927. Some of the past history is very sketchy. K.A.S has had various club rooms over the years. The first clubrooms that they could call their own were situated at the far end of Nicol street next to Bethelfield church. The “old timers” will always remember the upstairs wooden extension above the K.U.S.I club in St Brycedale road‚ opposite the Adam Smith centre.
This club was always smoke filled‚ due to poor ventilation‚ and crammed to the door at nearly every meeting. Even though you came out smelling of a Kipper‚ it had a fantastic atmosphere. Alas these great little club rooms had a fire in the late 80′s that destroyed them. Fortunately‚ the club downstairs belonging to the deaf society helped us out and we continued our weekly meetings in their club rooms.
This went on for approx a year‚ we then moved to the function room of the St Clair Tavern at the bottom of St Clair street. It was affectionately known as the “The Skittle Alley”. Although this was an excellent venue‚ for a club that was accustomed to having their certificates & information displayed for all to see‚ it wasn’t to be. The “Skittle Alley” was merely a very useful stop gap.
With a lot of searching and discussion with Fife Council our secretary at the time managed to secure a move to 19 Junction road where we stayed for about two years until the upstairs premises‚ known 21 junction road‚ became available for lease and proved to be a much more secure and comfortable abode.
The history of K.A.S has always stemmed around breeding & showing tropical & coldwater fish with lots of our members having fish houses holding many tanks. This has enabled the club to move with the times and adapt‚ collecting both breeding and showing expertise.
K.A.S feels it is important to listen to its members. This is why we hold 50 meetings a year enabling the members to meet frequently and so they are a family of friends and not strangers.
In the early 80′s K.A.S was affiliated to the only Scottish governing body at that time‚ known as the Scottish Federation‚ but due to conflicts within the hobby several clubs broke away & formed another governing body called‚ The Union of Scottish Aquarists. This has enabled K.A.S to continue being one of the leading clubs in Scotland & Britain.
KAS moved to the Gunners Club in September 2017.
KAS moved to Styx in July 2019 after the Gunner Club closed.
Now we are up to the present history.
K.A.S. is an independent club ‚ but has very strong links to Fair City Aquarist from Perth. Both have members that are affiliated to both clubs‚ with K.A.S. having members from Perth for at least 20+ years.
Within the K.A.S membership there are people from Perth‚ Edinburgh‚ Glasgow and all points in between‚ we also have exhibitors that travel from Aberdeen‚ Newcastle & hull.
KAS continues to host one of the largest Open Shows and Auctions in Britain each year.
K.A.S. meets every Monday night. Talks by club members or invited speakers‚
More detail on the events page.
The club also has trips to various large tropical outlets in northern England which members can see fish they find hard to obtain locally‚ plus it makes for a great day out.
Over many years K.A.S annually visit B.A.S in Bolton & Pier Aquatics in Wigan & prior to its closure dropping in at North lakes aquatics in Penrith. The 2013 bus trip also took in Rare Aquatics in Crewe.
K.A.S holds table shows every six weeks. These are small shows designed to introduce members to the show scene. Every show awards place cards & points for 1st‚ 2nd 3rd & 4th.
These points are collated by the table show manager and the exhibitor with the most points at the end of the year‚ in every class‚ receives a certificate at the Christmas night.
Within this show environment there is a breeding certificate that the junior breeders can attempt & three certificates that the seniors can strive to achieve. Every member who is successful at the certificates receives a beautiful framed award detailing the fish they have bred‚ & this is paid for by the club.
This means that every fish that a member breeds is a part of the club history for everybody to see.
The club has a good selection of videos and a vast library of slides covering countless groups of fish. This collection is always growing.
K.A.S. produce unique specialised breeding information sheets that are written by club members on fish they have bred. This is then passed on to the editor who produces a smart supplement that carries a photo of the fish that has been bred. These are currently on the webpage..
Hopefully this encourages more breeding and reduces the number of fish that need to be taken from the wild.
Any questions about the club please contact the
Club President by e-mail on the committee page. Committee
K.A.S. meet every Monday night at
Styx
28 Victoria Road
Kirkcaldy
Fife KY1 1DS
Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start
Please feel free to visit us and enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere.