When she won the very first Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year award on June 11, 1963, Bessie Johnston captured the warmth and spirit of the event in a few, simple words.

The unassuming Red Cross volunteer and dedicated charity worker said she would fill her presentation rosebowl with roses, symbolic of her life and work – “the red rose for the Red Cross, the peace rose, the friendship rose” and forget-me-nots, as a reminder of the “never-ceasing work necessary on behalf of everyone in the community who needs our help.”

It was a ‘sparkling occasion’, that very first event – back then, it was a luncheon, held in the Gay Gordon’s restaurant, attended by 100 women from all walks of life.

The late, great Scots actor Jimmy Logan was the guest of honour, and Alexander Gibson, then musical director of the Scottish National Orchestra, presented the rosebowl.

The photographs and captions on our own story of the luncheon say a lot about the social conventions of the time – women are named for their husbands (“Mrs Michael Noble, Mrs Thomas Murdoch and even our winner, Bessie, was described throughout as Mrs Douglas Johnston) and oh, the hats. Everyone wore a hat. And many wore corsages too.

Last night we announced the winner of the 54th SWOTY.

The rosebowl has become a bronze trophy, the lunch is now a gala dinner hosted by our long-time supporters Glasgow City Council at Glasgow City Chambers, and the numbers have more than doubled.

The hats have gone too, replaced with cocktail dresses and heels.

But the talent and courage and determination and vision of the women accepting the award has remained the same.

After the success of the first event, then editor Mr S L McKinlay announced it would happen again, on June 9, 1964, setting in motion one of the longest-running female achievement awards in the UK.

This time, it was held in the Palm Court of the Ca’doro Restaurant and Lord Provost Peter Meldrum presented the silver rosebowl to Dr Nora Wattie, principal medical officer for maternity and child welfare in Glasgow.

In the years to follow, the event moved around various city centre restaurants until in recent years, it found an elegant and fitting home in the banqueting hall of the City Chambers.

Over the years, audiences of women have been entertained, informed and moved by the achievements of the winners.

A trawl through the press clippings over the decades reveals many hidden gems.

The 1975 winner Captain Mary Campbell, for example, who inspired our readers to raise more than £4000 for a leprosy hospital in India, recorded a single with 70s band Middle of the Road in aid of the cause.

The 1970 winner Margaret, or Peggy, Herbison - the first woman to serve as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland didn’t attend the event because she was lunching with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, giving Her Majesty a report on workings of the Assembly.

“Nothing but a Royal Command could have kept me away,” she said.

In those days, the name of the winner was announced in the newspaper a few days beforehand - now, we keep everyone in suspense until the night.

At the 1966 event, won by Grangemouth Provost Helen Troup, the catering manager complained afterwards: “I have masses of Duchesse potatoes left over – Scotswomen certainly watch their figures!”

A delicious assortment of guest speakers have supported the event – from ‘international cabaret star Miss Eve Boswell’ in 1967 to husband and wife acting team Dulcie Gray and Michael Denison, who took time out of rehearsals for their play The Clandestine Marriage at the King’s Theatre to attend the event in 1971.

Politicians as diverse as future Prime Minister Gordon Brown, then the shadow treasury spokesman, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have been guests of honour, as well as former Scottish secretary Malcolm Rifkind and the late Liberal Democrats leader Charles Kennedy.

Hollywood actress Kate O’Mara and heartthrob newsreader Reginald Bosanquet turned heads at the 1980 event, while HRH the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, proved charming company at our silver anniversary in 1987.

“You may not need or want recognition, but you set a wonderful example,” she told winner Susan Wighton who was, until our golden jubilee winner Erin McNeill, the youngest holder of the title at the age of 22.

In recent years, some of Scotland’s finest singers, musicians, actresses and comedians have spoken, performed or been guests at SWOTY.

From our delightful host, TV and radio presenter Cathy MacDonald, to comedians and actresses Elaine C Smith, Barbara Rafferty, Karen Dunbar and Libby McArthur; from singers Darius, Eddi Reader and Amy MacDonald to world-leading violinist Nicola Benedetti, all have made their mark on an event that prides itself on showcasing new talent as well as celebrating old favourites.

But the real stars of the show, of course, are the women who lift the trophy.

Whether it’s the first woman to become Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (Peggy Herbison, our 1970 winner) or the battling grannies who forced the Home Office to stop dawn raids on asylum seekers (Jean Donnachie and Noreen Real, our 2008 winners), they are all nothing short of remarkable.

Thank goodness, then for the women who make us all proud to be Scottish.

Thank goodness for Bessie, and all who have followed in her footsteps, and their “never-ceasing work” on behalf of all of us.

To discover more about previous winners of SWOTY, visit the St Enoch Centre’s exhibition dedicated to the last 54 years of the event, or read more online at www.eveningtimes.co.uk and www.newsquestscotlandevents.com