TEN YEARS AGO
Thursday December 12, 2013
Parcel push by pupils will spread Christmas joy across Lochaber
Hundreds of Christmas presents are being wrapped and delivered to senior citizens by Lochaber High School pupils in an annual project supported by the Rotary Club of
Lochaber and the Highland Hotel, Fort William.
The festive gifts have been prepared by first year pupils and will be delivered by sixth
years to older residents living in the school’s catchment area in the lead-up to Christmas.
The parcels are funded by money raised in the school, the Rotary Club and a £1,000
donation from the hotel.
Storms create havoc in Lochaber
High winds and heavy rain caused travel disruption, power cuts and school closures in
Lochaber last Thursday.
Gusts of up to 140mph were recorded at the ski mountain Aonach Mor, near Fort William, while 60 to 80mph winds battered the region and led to ferry and train service
disruption and cancellations, road closures and flood alerts at Caol and Fort William.
The A82 between Fort William and Invergarry, the A830 ‘Road to the Isles’, A86
Spean Bridge-Laggan and the A828 south of Ballachulish were shut throughout the
morning while workers removed fallen trees and debris from carriageways.
CalMac sailings from Mallaig, Ardnmurchan and Morvern were disrupted.
Ardnamurchan and Mallaig high schools and Acharacle, Duror, Invergarry and
Mallaig primary schools were closed for the day because of a lack of power or loss of water supply.
Upper Achintore Primary School in Fort William was also shut.
The Co-operative store at Corpach was closed after the roof was damaged by the high
winds.
In expectation of predicted high tides and possible storm surges, Highland Council
staff kept a ‘watching brief’ at Caol foreshore for possible flood risk.
Power cuts affected homes and businesses in Mallaig, Morar, Arisaig, Glenfinnan and
the Small Isles.
At the weekend, Highland Council convener Jimmy Gray praised the ‘dedication and
commitment’ of council staff across a range of services who had dealt with the impact
of the extreme weather.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO
Saturday December 12, 1998
Busy weekend brings in £5,500 boost for STIRK
Two fund-raising efforts at the weekend raised more than £5,500 towards STIRK’s proposed Lochaber Rural Complex at Torlundy.
A further £37,000 must still be found to achieve the required £150,000 which must be subscribed to the project via the private purse.
A raffle, which raised £1,000 for the fund, was drawn at the Lochaber Agricultural
Society’s annual dinner dance in the West End Hotel on Friday night.
The first prize of £500 was won by Blarmafoldach crofter Grace Kennedy, with the
second prize of £200 going to Arisaig crofter Cathy MacDonald and the third award
of £100 to Kilchoan crofter Annie MacDonald.
The other prizes were won by Sandy Taylor, Killin, two bottles of wine; Jenny Veitch, North Kessock, necklace; John Kerr, Fort William, bottle of wine; and C Warnock, Caol, bottle of whisky.
On Saturday evening, at Ben Nevis Distillery, an auction sale staged by STIRK, which featured almost 100 items and services, gathered in more than £4,500.
A new auction mart, the first stage of the Rural Complex project, is scheduled to open in October 1999 and its proposed visitor centre by the millennium.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Saturday December 11, 1948
Lady Hermione Cameron switches on road lighting at Corpach
Lady Hermione Cameron of Locheil, by pressing a switch on an electric standard opposite the Corpach Hotel, recently turned on the light of a number of lamps erected
along the main road between the Hotel and the GSC Hall.
This is the first highway lighting in Corpach. County councillor the Reverend J Campbell, who presided, spoke of the advent of the Hydro Electric Board and congratulated the employees on the manner and the record time in which the work had been carried out.
Lighting would shortly be extended to the village’s side roads and to Banavie. He assured his audience that Kilmallie would not become industrialised, but from industry on its borders would reap employment and prosperity now and in future.
Before switching on the lights, Lady Hermione expressed the hope that all Highland homes would have the benefits of electricity soon.
Mr McLeod, depute clerk to Lochaber District Council, proposed a vote of thanks and led three hearty cheers for her Ladyship.
The first electric lighting in the district was in the hotel at Banavie, brought there in the early years of the century from Fort William, which was the first town in the United Kingdom to be lit by electricity.
Since then the system has gradually extended to Corpach where electricity has now been in use for many years.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Saturday December 8, 1923
Grave situation in Skye – The Case of Kilmuir Estate
The following letter has been sent for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture, the proprietors of the Kilmuir Estate:
Kilmuir, Isle of Skye, November 17, 1923
Dear Sir,
As the representative of the Board of Agriculture, I wish to call your attention to the state of matters existing on the Kilmuir Estate.
Through an excessively and abnormally wet season, the people are threatened with
acute suffering and distress.
Peats cast in Jane, on which they depend for fuel, are still on the hill. The harvest has been a failure and hay cut in the early part of October can be seen ungathered and bleaching in the field.
The potato crop, on which people depend so much for sustenance, is also a failure and unemployment is rife.
The people cannot afford to buy coal at 50s (£2.50) per ton, nor can they provide food to keep their cattle alive at current prices in the south and high freights charged for importing them.
The help of the board is therefore a matter of urgent necessity to their tenants in procuring cheaper coals and ease for buying food.
While emphasising the gravity of the situation on this estate from first-hand knowledge, I am aware the same combination of adverse circumstances prevails in all the ether parishes in Skye.
I am,
D Alex Macdonald,
Minister and JP.