TEN YEARS AGO
Friday December 6, 2013
Campbeltown to Oban flights option fails to take off
Campbeltown will not benefit from a new flight route to Oban.
HiTrans, which covers regional transport and infrastructure in the Highlands and Islands, carried out a consultation into how two new Twin Otter aircraft could best be used.
One of the routes investigated was Campbeltown to Oban and the report found there could be up to 900 potential passengers – business travellers and tourists – using the service each year.
However, HiTrans found that this route was “almost impossible to fulfil with a Twin Otter under any foreseeable circumstances”.
It believes the flights would be costly to operate along with existing routes and while an Islander aircraft could be used instead, it would mean adding another aircraft to the network at a significant cost.
A HiTrans spokesman said: “The study concludes this service had the lowest anticipated demand of those routes.”
Kintyre councillor John Semple, former chairman of HiTrans, expressed surprise at the recommendation to not pursue the route.
He said: “It was at my suggestions that such a route be included in the study. The potential of 900 passengers requires further investigation, and while the study was into the use of the Twin Otter there is also a proposal for an Islander based at Oban.
“Further work needs to be done to raise the profile of this opportunity and I will be raising it with the Minister for Transport Keith Brown.”
Councillor Semple has also written to Councillor Duncan MacIntyre, the new chairman of Hi-Trans.
Other potential routes looked at included Oban to Barra, Oban to Glasgow, Glasgow to Skye and an extra Glasgow to Barra flight.
Grumoli’s game
Three ruthless touches by Gary Grumoli defined the much-anticipated Scottish Cup clash between Campbeltown Pupils and Carradale AFC in front of an estimated crowd of 550 at Kintyre Park.
Six weeks ago, the Pupils striker limped painfully off the pitch with a serious thigh injury.
Determined to be fit again to play in last Saturday’s historic fourth round match – the first meeting of the two sides in the Scottish Cup – he showed the enforced break had only served to bring his hunger to score to a peak.
He could not have been sharper on the ball as he killed the game with three extremely well-taken first-half goals.
Carradale will look back with frustration on the opening 15 minutes and two excellent chances to open the scoring.
Dale captain Ewan McIlroy was denied by a fine save from Craig Lamont before Mark Davis had a glorious chance in front of goal but hit the ball high over the bar.
Gradually the Pupils, the Scottish Amateur Football Premier League Division One leaders, took the game by the scruff of the neck.
A break down the right hand side by the speedy John McCallum saw him deliver a great low cross into the Carradale penalty box where it was met by Gary Grumoli who neatly slid the ball into the goal to make it 1-0.
Minutes later, a long kick out of goal by Lamont looked destined for Reid Anderson, his opposite number for Carradale, but the razor-sharp Gary Grumoli pounced on a moment’s hesitation in the Dale defence to nip in and flick the ball past Anderson for his second goal.
With Pupils captain Paul Grumoli dominating in the centre of midfield, the pressure paid off with eight minutes of the half remaining.
Gary Grumoli broke free on to a through ball to calmly slot the ball past the onrushing Anderson to make it 3-0.
Soon after, Paul Grumoli sent a thunderous shot off the underside of the bar but the ball rebounded into the arms of Anderson.
Carradale, to their credit, came out fighting in the second half.
Adam Graham, who had come on as a substitute, pulled one back with 30 minutes remaining when he found space in the Pupils penalty box to send a fine header past Lamont.
The visitors pushed for another and it was the same player Graham who was unlucky not to score with a volley which brought a first-class fingertip save from Lamont.
A Craig Morris header then beat the keeper but went just over.
The remainder of the match raced from end to end, but the next goal never arrived and the Pupils progressed to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on an afternoon whiere Kintyre can be proud of the efforts of both sides.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO
Friday December 11, 1998
Plea to help the Courier continue being taped
Kintyre Talking Newspapers is urgently calling on local people to donate some much-needed cash so that the group can continue to record the Campbeltown Courier for the blind and partially-sighted in the area.
Sadly, the group has been silenced recently by the complete breakdown of the equipment on which the tapes are recorded.
Kintyre Ladies’ Circle, which runs the Talking Newspaper, was disappointed to have to write to all of the recipients to advise them that there will be no more Courier news until the equipment has been replaced.
A Circle member advised: “The existing recording equipment is old and has been breaking down on a fairly regular basis, although up until now it had been repairable.
“We have been fund-raising for some time, hoping to replace the old equipment before its complete breakdown, but we still have to raise money before we can afford the new recording deck.
“The blind and partially-sighted members of the community who receive the tapes very much appreciated and enjoyed hearing the Courier news each week and we are desperately sorry to disappoint them.
“We won’t be able to send out any more tapes until we have the new equipment.”
Any reader who wishes to make a contribution can do so through any member of the Ladies’ Circle.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday December 13, 1973
First of the 75s to launch
On Saturday, December 15th, 1973, Campbeltown Shipyard Ltd., will launch the first of their new Campbeltown 75s.
The vessel, for Skipper George Sutherland of Hopeman, will be launched by his nine-year-old daughter, Elaine.
The Campbeltown 75 is a scaled down version of the now well-known Campbeltown 80, and incorporates the majority of the features of its bigger sister ship.
The new vessel will be powered by a Caterpillar D346 of 480 h.p.
The skipper’s new charge, which replaces the wooden vessel ‘Falcon’ is a combined seine net and pair trawler.
The lay-out of the vessel is similar to the last vessel launched from the yard, ‘Xmas Rose’.
Accommodation in the after quarter is for eight men, the engine room accommodating the Caterpillar main engine and a Lister auxiliary engine.
The fish room, which is Solarfoam insulated, has a capacity of approximately 3,000 cubic feet.
The Sutherland trawl and seine winch is situated forward of the rope bins and under the whale back.
The electronic fishing aids in the wheelhouse are predominately Kelvin Hughes manufacture.
Unlike launchings at the Campbeltown yard, wherein the vessel has moved over to the quay, on this occasion the vessel will be immediately re-slipped at the yard to enable fitting out work and completion work to continue within the yard.
The vessel is scheduled for completion by the middle of January and the arrival of the new Campbeltown vessel is awaited in the North East with considerable interest.
The launch is due to take place at 3 p.m. from the Campbeltown yard and spectators are welcome, but are requested to follow instructions regarding areas from where they may view the launch.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Saturday December 8, 1923
Rowdiest election
Whatever place in political history is taken by the election of 1923, it will long be remembered by those taking part in it as one of the rowdiest in the past 20 years.
There is, fortunately, no parallel to the disgraceful assault on a woman candidate at Glasgow.
Drastic methods of securing order ought to be adopted; speakers have a right to be heard, and audiences to hear them.
The majority of people take the grave issues of the election seriously.
Oil nuisance
The oil nuisance on the Firth still continues, and likewise takes toll on bird life, especially seagulls.
The nuisance is keenly felt round the Gareloch, and several birds were recently seen in a pitiful state: they were coated with oil, and in this clogged condition, could only fly very short distances, and then with great difficulty.
The nuisance is not contained to that area, but goes down to Ailsa Craig, and guillemots have been observed at North Uist, with their breast feathers caked with oil, and unable to fly or enter the water.
CAPTIONS:
2013: More than 200 visitors in the space of four hours enjoyed the unique delights of Glenbarr Abbey’s Christmas fair. The event helps raise money for the Mairi Semple Fund for Cancer Relief and Research. Jeanne Macalister is seen with part of her remarkable Christmas collection which is part of the display. NO_C49fromourfiles01_23_glenbarr-abbey
1998: A warm glow shone over Campbeltown last Thursday when the town’s new Christmas lights were switched on by BBC sports commentator Rob McLean. Our picture shows part of the crowd watching Campbeltown Brass Band playing outside the Argyll Arms Hotel. NO_C49fromourfiles02_23_christmas-lights
1973: Pictured are the triumphant Royal Bar Darts Club after winning the Tennent’s Caledonian Cup, and a Championship Cup played for by Campbeltown’s league teams. The Royal won their latest cup in five straight games against the Burnside. NO_C49fromourfiles03_23_royal-bar-darts