No 226 SEPTEMBER 2011 No 226 SEPTEMBER 2011

CARRADALEGOLF CLUB

THE SECRETARY ISMARGARET RICHARDSON2 OLD SCHOOLHOUSE CARRADALEPA28 6QT. 01583 431788 News on P2

NETWORK ISSUES PAST & PRESENT: A 16 PAGE SPECIAL

THERE’S NO DUCKING OUT AT 1PMON SATURDAY

SEPTEMBERFOR THE WATERFOOT DUCK RACE

NETWORK CENTRE & TEA ROOMOpen 10 am to 5.30 pm

Closed Thursdays

What might have been if members of CHUG hadpursued their interest in getting Network directors to sell

the Centre site and move Network to the harbour.See page 2 for the facts, rumour and speculation.

IN THIS ISSUEP2: Network facts, rumour or speculation, AccountsP3: Setting up Network and financing it.P4: John Aiken’s Network archive: FarmingP5: John Aiken’s Network archive: WoodlandsP6: John Aiken’s Network archive: Boat-buildingP7: John Aiken’s Network archive: FishingP8: Kilberry Gridlock, Road issues, ABC news.P9: Cinema, Rainfall, Petrol & Moles, Sputnik, .P10: Community councils without support, Poppy.P11: Golf Club news, Red clover, RNLI winners.P12 Letters, Campbeltown Townscape.P13: Abbeyfield, Glen, Kintyre Express, Flowers.P14: Flying in the face of convention, Ensign EwartP15: Carradale Quiz and Lorne MacDougall.P16: Kintyre Way, Barga and the Food Train.

NETWORK ON THE MOVE?

‘Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?’One of eighteen displays at Saddell and Carradale

Church Flower Festival in August. Photo M.P.

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24FOR THOSE KNOT

IN THE KNOWNetwork Carradale Ltd: administersthe Network Centre and is ‘acompany limited by guarantee andnot having a share capital’ . CHUG:Carradale Harbour Users Group, anorganisation intent on developingCarradale Harbour. See relateditems on page 2 and historicalbackground on pages 3-8.

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FACT, RUMOUR ORSPECULATION?

NETWORK MOVING TO THE HARBOUR?Local residents and visiting walkers who enjoy theculinary delights of the Network Tearoom mighthave been surprised or shocked to hear that in midJuly there were rumours of a proposal to sell theNetwork site and move the Tearoom, with orwithout the museum and the old school room, tothe harbour. Fortunately at a meeting of CHUGmembers and the two Network Carradale Ltddirectors held at the Network Centre on Thursday21st July (statement in the righthand column), theproposal seemed to have been dropped. The logic surrounding the proposal seemed tobe that the popularity of the Network might havebeen a contributory cause of the failure of the GlenRestaurant and that by moving it to the harbour,and boosting moves to improve the harbourenvironment, it would pose no threat to any newGlen owner and might attract customers evenfurther off the wandering Kintyre Way to hostelriesin Carradale East and Port Righ. Residents involved in setting up Network underBill Middlemiss’s guidance in the early 1990s andsigning on as directors of the short-lived CarradaleCommunity Business will remember that even atthat time some entrepreneurs were concerned overits development and saw it as a threat to theirbusinesses, but those with an even longer memorywill remember that the owner of the Glen at thetime, Jerry Singal, did not envisage that Networkhours would have any effect of his trading patterns,nor did the then owner of Dunvalanree, John Pryor,who became chairman of the development groupat its first committee meeting in 1991. While Network supporters, under the leadershipof Stuart Irvine, have kept Network from getting inan administrative and financial ‘Network tangle’with a little help from the East Kintyre Wind-farmTrust, the present excellent lessee and most of herpredecessors have provided an essential andappreciated service for those on the Kintyre Way,as well as for visiting motorists and those whosimply enjoy its social atmosphere. Moving a successful business off the KintyreWay route, to a site in full view of a forest of metalfencing, rusting boats and fishing detritus, is notthe most enlightened move for any organisationseeking to improve the local environment. Had they known about the proposal regularNetwork customers might have wished to maketheir voices heard before Network Tearoom cupsbegan to foretell disaster ‘brewing’ for José and,incidentally, for those trade voices keen to‘(s)cuppa’ the opposition. Fortunately authoritative Network Carradalevoices turned the threat of a gale of opposition intoa ‘storm in a tea cup’.

NETWORK & CHUGA STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER A JOINTMEETING HELD AT THE NETWORK ON

THURSDAY 21 JULY.‘It was agreed that it would be beneficial tohave CHUG as part on Network since the latteris not only a local community business but alsoa registered charity. This may assist infundraising for any developments around theHarbour area’.

‘As the Board of Member Directors hasbeen virtually moribund for quite some time, itwas agreed to strengthen the Board by bringingon new faces. As a result Alan Milstead,Marcus Adams, Mike Hurst and Alan Walkerhave now joined Donald Macalister Hall andStuart Irvine on the Board’.

‘The Constitution of Network requires aminimum number of 8 Directors. Later this year,Network will be looking for not only newordinary Members holding a £1 share but fromthis group there will be at least 2 more MemberDirectors appointed’.

‘As a result, a much more pro-activeapproach will be taken to build on the currentsuccess of the Centre’.

‘The overall objective will be to makeCarradale a much more interesting place tovisit’.

‘It is hoped that there will be good interestshown later this year from those in thecommunity who can help build a strongerorganization for the future’. J.S.I. In a covering letter Stuart Irvine says that“once the summer season is over, when peoplehave a little more time, a drive for increasedsupport to strengthen Network will be made.The tearoom is secure and it is hoped we canrevert to a Tearoom Committee again to assistJose. We will be communicating much morethrough the Antler later in the year once all ourdiscussions are complete”.

NETWORKCARRADALE LIMITED

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‘CHUGING’ SILENTLYAWAY FROM THE PIER

Nothing the Antler gets up to can matchthe performance on television by RupertMurdoch. Although the Antler Editor andthe press overlord are equally ‘wrinkly’and speak no more in public than isnecessary, phone tapping is certainlybeyond the Editor’s capability. However the temptation to ‘listen in’to what Carradale Harbour Users Groupis up to, is certainly irresistible. AlthoughCHUG’s and Network’s rarely publishedutterances are more ‘Rupert’ than‘James’, and rarely as informative asthose of ‘Rebekah’, leaked rumours ofCHUG’s wish for a tearoom ‘take-away,’have all the Murdoch hallmarks of tryingto forget what has happened in the pastand seeking to act in an unsympatheticand authoritarian manner. Readers may judge from items on thisand the following pages that, far fromencouraging and supporting theNetwork’s value and physical position,some of today’s business men are just ascapable now as they were in 1991 ofcriticising new business ventures and ofpersuading residents that the proposalsare in the best interests of the village. Stuart Irvine’s statement on behalf ofthe Network may go some way toreassure those who enjoy the Networkcentre and the Tearoom on its presentsite, but, strangely, makes no mention ofthe CHUG proposal, Stuart has done a magnificent job inkeeping Network going with DonaldMacalister Hall’s help, but his undertakingto “communicate much more through theAntler later in the year once all ourdiscussions are complete” does not soundlike an open invitation to disclose anddiscuss what four ‘new face’ directorsthink are in the best interests of CHUGand residents. A charitable company limited byguarantee and receiving grants frompublic bodies should not operate in secret,or in seeking new members, ask them topay for the privilege of reading companyaccounts. Some existing Networkmembers have never been invited toattend annual general meetings or askedto approve annual accounts. While Stuartadmits that “the Board of MemberDirectors has been virtually moribund forquite some time” it is unfortunate, but notsurprising. G.P.

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PUBLIC MEETINGMINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING HELDIN THE VILLAGE HALL ON 18 JUNE 1993

PRESENT47 members o( the Carradale community withthree guest speakers - Bill Middlemiss,Manager of the Argyll & Bute CountrysideTrust. Rory Butler, Development Executive,Community Enterprise Strathclyde and DavidGardiner, Business Adviser Argyll and the IslesEnterprise.

APOLOGIESDan Hunt, Scottish Natural Heritage, JuliaFarrington, University of Stirling Institute ofAqua-culture. Gail Mclntosh, Valerie Conley,John Pryor, Una and William Semple.MARCUS ADAMS, Chairman introduced theguests and Invited Bill Middlemiss to explainthe developments since the meeting in 1992when The Propulsion Company and TheVisitors Centre Committee were formed. Mr.Middlemiss traced the progress of thetwo organisations and summarised the factorsleading to their amalgamation. He went on toexplain ttie advantages of setting up aCommunity Business with charitable statusand showed that subsidiary companies,although effectively trading companies andtherefore out-with the remit of charitablestatus,could benefit financially through theestablishment of a Holding Company inCarradale. After a lengthy progress report on theestablishment of the Network CarradaleVisitors Centre and references to a variety ofPropulsion Company projects and feasibility-studies Mr. Middlemiss sought general supportfor the establishment of a Community Businessand the projects It was likely to encourage.QUESTIONS: Among questions from thecommunity answered by Rory Butler and BillMiddlemiss were several addressed to theneed for redirected finance towards cemeteryand road Improvements. Although these were not within the scopeof the meeting, since the allocation of moneyfor these projects is primarily the concern ofArgyll and Bute District Council and StrathclydeRegional Council, the failure of CommunityEnterprise Strathclyde to include the east coastroad on their Wild Argyll tourist map illustrateda lack of cohesive policy towards developments in the area. Other questions elicited information on theelection and dismissal of Directors andintroduced the concept of Special Members,who represented the interests of the

contributing bodies,arid guaranteed the focusof the Holding Company and subsidiarycompanies on the Memorandum & Articles ofAssociation, which form the basis ofestablishment.

APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTORS:The Chairman then Introduced Geoffrey Page,who as Secretary to Network CarradaleVisitors Centre, had been charged witharranging the meeting and canvassingprospective directors. Mr. Page read the list of names suggestedby residents of the village and indicated thosewho were prepared to serve as Directors,subject to the approval of the meeting. HeInvited nominations from the floor of themeeting and encouraged locally born residentsto stand for appointment. As a result three names were added tothose who had been nominated during theprevious ten days. No further nominationsbeing received Mr. Page then read the list ofaccepted Director-Members and invitedeveryone present to become shareholders inthe Company at an annual cost of £3, for whichthe Network Carradale Visitor Centre wouldallow the shareholder unlimited entry to theCentre during the year of membership.The MEETING CLOSED at 8.40pm with anappreciative vote of thanks to villagers for theirsupport and to the guests for their involvementin the establishment of the CommunityBusiness.NOMINATED AND APPOINTED DIRECTORSDr. Robert Abernethy, Marcus S. Adams,Charles Charlwood, Brian Gee, JeanHenderson, Donald Macalister Hall, NeilMcDougall, Gail McIntosh, Allan McLay, AlenOman, Geoffrey Page, Edna Paterson, JohnPryor and Jerry Singal.APPROACHED: Willing but only if insufficientnominations received: Bill Dodd, George Lang,Jim McDougall and Evelyn Stewart.OTHER SUGGESTED DIRECTORS: Notproposed at the Public Meeting: JoyceBorthwick, Walter Campbell, Roger Clarke,Dan Ferguson, Michael Foreman, DannieGalbraith, Doreen Galbraith, ShelaghGalbraith, Stuart Irvine, Catherine McIlvride,Archie Bob McMillan, John Martin, SusieMaxwell, Angie Paterson, Angus Paterson,Tate Rennie and Alan Walker.APPROACHED, But preferred not to beproposed: Morag Allan, Keith Campbell,Valerie Conley, Trish Hurst, Mike Hurst, MaryMacalister Hall, Neil Rennie, Una and WilliamSemple.

BUSINESS CLOSURE 1994Following the financial re-adoption of theNetwork Centre building programme by Argylland Bute Countryside Trust, members wereasked to decide how their subscription to theCommunity Business should be used.26 SLIPS WERE RETURNED OUT OF 54 ofwhich 13 asked for their subscription to go toNetwork Carradale funds; 11 opted for futureCarradale projects,1 voted for village hall fundsand 1 decided to go with the majority view. After deducting postal and duplicatingexpenses £148.08 has been divided into twoamounts in the proportion 14/12 (since the Hallimprovements are the most urgent futureproject) and passed to the relevantorganisations; £79.74 to Network, when itopens and £68.34 to the Hall Committee. The Community Business Committeewould like to thank all those who took upmembership. The Committee also extend bestwishes to Bill Middlemiss and the Argyll andBute Countryside Trust in the hope that therewill be an early start on the conversion of theNetwork Centre.

COUNTRYSIDE NEWSARGYLL & BUTE COUNTRYSIDE TRUST

JANUARY 1996After five years of planning, work has startedon the renovation of the former ForestryCommission buildings to create the new visi-tors centre which will tell the story of life in theVillage and of its fishing fleet. The buildings, owned by the Trust, will befitted out with displays and handed over to anew community business. Network CarradaleLtd, (incorp. Jan 1996) to run on behalf of theTrust for the benefit of the local community. The Trust has now appointed John Aikenas Project Assistant to help co-ordinate thework involved in setting up the displays andprepare for opening. John already knowsCarradale, as he worked there for the Trust asCountryside Ranger during the summer of1993. Funding for the renovation work wasprovided by Argyll & the Islands Enterprisethrough the EC Leader Programme. The dis-plays will be funded by Scottish NaturalHeritage, the community and through aGlenfiddich Living Scotland Award. Argyll &Bute District Council has also made agenerous contribution to the works.

NETWORK OPENINGThe Official Opening of the Network Centre byRobin Malcolm, Her Majesty’s Vice Lieutenantfor Argyll & Bute, was on Friday 8th August 97.

CARRADALE NETWORK: VOICES FROM THE PAST: 1991-1997

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FARMINGTHE END OF RUN-RIG AGRICULTURE.

The map of Kintyre clearly shows that peoplewere all living up the glens in small settlementsrather than concentrated in the village astoday. These were joint-farms where severalfamilies farmed the land and divided the arableplots amongst themselves according to theRun-rig system. Each farmer had a share ofthe best and the poorest land. The number ofbeasts (mainly Highland black cattle), he wasentitled to depended on his share of the overallrent, as did his share of the produce of the farm. The run-rig farms began to disappearduring the later part of the Eighteenth Centuryto be replaced by enclosed farms run directlyby a single tenant of the Laird. There is littleevidence in Kintyre,of widespread Clearancesof the savage nature which were inflicted onsome parts of the Highlands (although somefamily traditions seem to indicate that at leastoccasionally there were excesses). Buthowever it was achieved this period saw ahuge change in the pattern of occupation of theland."My family on my mother's side wereMclntoshes staying in Upper Torrisdale.The Old Man had been away and when hecame back over the hill there was his houseburning! And that was it. The HighlandClearances."Donald MacMillan, Shore Road. The majority of the people were to becomeeither cottars,reliant on earning a living byworking for wages or else to become crofters.Crofts are small-holdings, only ever intendedto give part of a living to a family. AroundCarradale a new class appeared relyingincreasingly on the Herring fishing as well astheir crofts."The proprietors have of late divided fomelarge farms into fmall plots, and built houfeson them for the accomodation of fifhers andtradefmen; fo that if a few harbours wereonce made.....the herring fifery on this coaftwould flourifh." - Rev. George Macliesh, OldStatistical Account 1793."Of these (An 1841 population of 1,798) notmore than one fifth are engaged in purelyagricultural pursuits: 52 are supported byhandicraft, and the remenant live in thedouble capacity of crofters and fishermen"- Rev. John MacFarlane. New StatisticalAccount 1843. Huge areas of upland and hill land whichhad previously supported crops or were usedfor summer grazing for the cattle now wentunder sheep at vastly more profit to the Lairdsthan the people who had formerly stayed there.

"The occupiers of large tracts of landseldom cultivate many acres.....their fields,rescued from the wilderness by the labourof ages, are allowed to revert to theiroriginal state, and to become wildernessagain....That this system, by depopulatingthe country, is a manifest, perhapsirreparable loss to the public, is obvious tothe most shallow observer." - John Smith,The Agriculture of Argyll 1805.

SHEEP-FARMINGThe steep sides of the glens and the highmoorland beyond have been mainly undersheep for the last 150-200 years. The groundwould be divided into ‘hirsels’ with perhaps fiftyewes on each and ‘hefted’ to it. That is theirpatch and there they will stay unless fetchedfrom the hill by the shepherd and his dogs. There was a lot of work in it. The sheep hadto be gathered before the lambing for dippingand dosing against such ills as ‘pulpy kidney’.The male lambs were ‘marked’ or castrated inJune and after that the clipping started. Theclipping was done by hand shears untilmachine shearing replaced it some thirty yearsago."The first year I was here, I'd to clip thewhole flock mysel'. That would be about athousand sheep. Usually all the shepherdswould help each other at the clipping oneach farm. The old men would tell ofclipping the sheep on her back with her legstied. That was because there was once aman los' his eye when a yow (ewe) kickedhis shears out of his hand. I clipped themon a stool," Robert Baker, Retired Torrisdaleshepherd. The clipping was followed by a furtherdipping. In the back end, old sheep and thosehoggs (from the previous lambing) not beingkept to replace the cast ewes would be sortedfor market. The hoggs being kept would bewintered on low ground. Before motor transportwas available they had to be walked to thelow-lying farms around Southend or on theLaggan.."There was another time when the steamerwould be delayed. That was when flocks ofsheep had to be taken on board. A very oddtime, a sheep would be knocked over theedge of the pier into the sea. Luckily forthem they were all good swimmers. The oddone would sprakle ashore, with their woolsoaking wet under the pier, onto the skegs.If the tide was running hard they wouldswim to Eilean Carrach. The men had to rowto the wee island, land on it, and that was ahard job because it was covered with

growing seaweed...to capture the soaked,terror-stricken animal." - Duncan Ritchie.Shore road, Carradale"A century ago and more, there were thosewho looked - with bitterness or nostalgia -at land which had once grown crops andwas turned over to sheep. Now elderlyshepherds look at land which had, in theirtime, yielded crops of fine lambs, and seeonly the devastation of the forestry ploughsor a heartbreaking vista of alien trees." -Angus Martin, Kintyre Country Life 1987.

UISGE BEATHAThe Clearances carried out throughout theHighlands were excused by a racist portrayalof Highland Gaels as stupid,backward andlazy. This myth is exposed by the massivetrade in illicit whisky through this period.Kintyre, handy for the expanding market of theLowlands,was a major centre of whiskyproduction and Carradale was one of the mainports which the smugglers used to ferry theirbarrels across to the Ayrshire coast- speaking of bear (an early type of barley)grown in Kintyre. There was "often a sortof dearth, the inhabitants being madenough to convert their bread into poison,distilling annually 6000 bolls of grain intowhisky" - Thomas Pennant,1772. The whisky-making was highly organised.Communities would sometimes share the costof fines as well as pooling capital to beginoperating. The trade was actually encouragedby the tax structure of the time whichdisadvantaged licensed producers. The tax onmalted grain especially encouraged legaldistillers to substitute un-malted grain in partwhich lead to a reduction in quality. Illegaloperators, not having these problems weretherefore able to capture the quality end of themarket and to command a higher price for theirproduct than their legal rivals. During the1780's and 90's its possible that more than halfthe whisky consumed in Scotland was illicit."Smuggling, which at one time was thechief employment of the crofters andfishermen in winter, is now almost entirelysuppressed and abandoned. The fierce anddaring encounters of the Skipness men withthe officers of the excise, were longproverbial." - Rev. John MacFarlane. NewStatistical Account 1843.

HORSES TO TRACTORS."The muck would be brought to the field inthe cart and heaps left across the field.Then we'd to spread it all out with a graip(fork). When we got a muck spreader to be

EXCERPTS FROM THE NETWORK ARCHIVE COLLECTED BY JOHN AIKEN IN 1996

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pulled by a tractor it was just so mucheasier! We started with eight cows justusing the milk for ourselves or for anyonecoming to the farm to buy some. It washand-milking in those days. There was aknack in it, if you did it right the milk wouldcome flooding out and you'd soon fill yourbucket. "We had two horses for theploughing but in 1947 we got a greyFerguson tractor. They told me I'd getarthritis from bouncing around on that coldmetal seat so much - and so I did!"- Margaret McLean. Margaret farmed with herhusband at Brackley for 50 years.

WOODLANDS AND FORESTSAfter the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago,as the ice retreated, trees starred to colonisethe landscape. First were willows and birches,followed by Scots pine and rowan. Later oakcame to dominate the woodlands here with ashand hazel spreading with them, and aldercovering the wetter ground These trees formthe ancient native woods with an immenserichness of lichens, ferns, wildflowers andwildlife associated with them. However the ancient woods can barelyhave been established before people cameinto the area and began to affect the shape ofthe land. Neolithic people were clearing landfor agriculture around Carradale some 5000years ago and using wood for tools and fuel..By the time of the metal working period of theBronze Age, there was considerable demandfor wood to make charcoal for smelting, a needwhich was to increase down the years. By the time of the Gaelic culture ofDalriada, the woods were subject to the Brehonlaws which for example listed exactly what wasallowed to people from such woods as they hadaccess to.... By the late Eighteenth Century, iron-making was becoming a large industrialprocess and the demand for charcoal grew withit. With the establishment of commercial iron-works such as at Furnace on Loch Fyne localwoods became important centres of charcoalproduction, In many places on the wooded slopesaround Carradale can be found platforms builtinto the hillside. These were probably dwellingsites from a very early period (post-holes ofhuts have been discovered on many of them)and some were obviously used for smeltingsmall quantities of iron in bloomeries. Howeververy many were used to site charcoal clampsduring this later period of commercialexploitation.

The woods were carefully managed at this timeto ensure future supplies of wood. This wasdone by coppicing the trees and allowing themto regenerate off the old stump or stool. Traditional management of native woodsdisappeared with agricultural improvementsand with the establishment of plantations ofconifers such as larch and spruce andespecially after the establishment of theForestry Commission after the First World War."Agricultural improvements, however andthe consequent exterpation of naturalcoppice-wood have driven (roe deer) fromtheir native haunts, so that only a fewstragglers are now to be seen among theplantations" - Rev. John MacFarlane, NewStatistical Account 1843. The Carradale Estate was bought by theMitchisons in 1938 but the bulk of the land wassold to the Forestry Commission for plantingconifers. During the war many women workedas part of the Women's Forestry Service atplanting up the valley sides and the hill land."There were six of us working digging thedrains with 'rutters’ by hand and then thedivots would be pulled out with a drag. Thatwas where the trees were planted." - ElsieMorrison, Ex-’lumber Jill’. There were now few jobs left on the Estateand the Thirties had been very poor times forthe fishing so the coming of the Commissionto Carradale was seen as a major economicbenefit at that time."I left the fishing in 1938 to join the Forestrybecause of the poverty that was in it at thattime." - Donald Morrison,Tosh's Park."We'd to cut back all the rhododendronswith bushman saws and billhooks to clearthe ground for the conifers. It caused a fewructions in the village because it was a bigattraction for the visitors in the Spring whenit was all in bloom." - Andrew Thompson,Tosh's Park.

There was a lot of work through the Fortiesand Fifties, with big trees from the plantationsestablished by the Estate in the 1880's to befelled with axes and the two-men crosscutsaws. There was the thinning of larchplantations with bushmen saws, new plantingand the 9 acre nursery that once suppliedyoung stock to as far away as Wales."In the Summer, there was bracken to becontrolled around the young trees. Therewas no chemicals then - we'd to work withgrasshooks" - Andrew Thompson.

This room (at Network) was once the Joiner'sshop where gates were made and repairs towindow frames etc. for the Commission housesin Tosh's Park carried out. The next room wasthe cold store where trees were kept ready forsuitable conditions for planting."After the nursery closed the stock wasn'tso good and there had to be aninvestigation here as so many of theplanted trees died" - Andrew Thompson. Over in the field is where the sawmill wassited which once supplied pit-props and railwaysleepers.

FISHING"The Carradale fleet have the generalreputation of being the most up-to-date;and from other places we heard the generalopinion that the Carradale fishermen are thecream of the West Coast seamen" - FromGeneral notes on morale in the Mull of Kintyrecompiled by ‘Mass-Observation"’1941. Ring-netting herring was developed duringthe 1830's by Tarbert fishermen. Originally driftnets were used to enclose a bay in which therewas a large shoal of herring allowing massivecatches to be made. Soon nets were beingpurpose-made and were known as trawls. The trawlers worked in pairs of boats. Onewould shoot their net in an arc on the seawardside of a located herring shoal the other crewwould hold a "sweep line" to the net on theshore. Once the net was shot the other sweepline would be brought to shore and thecombined crews would haul the net in. Thetrawlers would often be working up to theirnecks in the water as they brought their catchin. The herring fishing had previously been bymeans of drift nets. The drifters wereconcerned that the new methods might destroytheir livelihoods and also might ‘annihilate’ fishstocks. As a result of pressure from drifters,trawling for herring was made illegal in 1851.However there was widespread defiance of thelaw as trawling was continued."It was war then between the drifters andthe ringers" - John Galbraith The determination of the trawlers wasprobably fuelled at first by the failure of thepotato crops in the Great Hunger of the early1850's. There were sixteen years of near-riots,imprisonments, confiscation of nets and boatsand two shootings, one of them fatal, beforethe repeal of the legislation and the legalisationof trawling.

EXCERPTS FROM THE NETWORK ARCHIVE COLLECTED BY JOHN AIKEN IN 1996

BOATS AND BOAT- BUILDING"The parish funifhes about 30 smallwherries....and 60 row boats; thfe at 2 mento a wherry, and 4 men to a boat, employ300 men. The wherries are for carrying theherrings to market and the fmall boats forflfhing them." Old Statistical Account 1793. The boats used by the early trawlers weresmall open skiffs of 20 or more feet in length-Sails were mostly used to reach the fishinggrounds when possible but the boats wererowed during the actual fishing operation. Theircrew was of four oarsmen. Fishermen used tocamp along the shore to get their rest or duringrough weather. Towards the end of the last century theLochfyne Skiffs appeared. These were not onlylarger, 30 feet and later to 40 feet in length, butwere decked over forewards to form a smallforecastle. This was equipped with bunks anda stove enabling the crew to live aboard theboat. Around this time, fisherman,MathewMacDougall started to build skiffs at SouthDippen. Some two or three boats were builtthere before the family moved to Port Righ."There was a byre at Whitestone where theold man stored potatoes. He would takeherring and sail his wee skiff (there was noengines then), all the way to the Head ofKinsail in Ireland and bring the tatties backin her." - Neil MacDougall, Great grandson ofMathew. The MacDougall's built Lorn Cottage on thesite where Dunvalanree is now and built theirboats on the bank above the bay. All the planksfor the boat were sawn out by hand with apit-saw. The wood for the frames and kneeswere felled locally by the MacDougalls but theybought in pitch pine logs to make the strakesof the hulls. The boats were carvel not clinker-built (the planks butted against each otherrather than overlapping) as fishermen believedthat the sound of waves lapping on theexposed edges of clinker vessels would alertthe herring. The boats were built entirely withhand tools such as the ‘eitch’ or adze used toshape and smooth the frames. They wereassembled with iron bolts and nails."When the boats were ready they wouldlaunch them down into the Bay at Port Righ.Everyone would come round to help and towatch and they would take them sidewaysdown the steep bank." Neil MacDougall. In the years before the First World War,increasing numbers of fishermen installedengines into their skiffs. These first engineswere 7-9 horse-power and were ‘go-ahead’,having no reverse-gear calling for fine

judgement when approaching a quay or whentrying to pick up the ‘winky’ marking the end ofyour neighbours net during a shoot. The powerof the engines installed quickly increased ‘tilby 1919 a Kelvin engine of 26 hp. wasbecoming popular. The advent of morepowerful engines allowed the development ofthe modern form of ring-netting in open water.As early as 1914, the traditional trawling thenet inshore to anchored skiffs had beencompletely abandoned. The next development was of boatsspecifically designed for ring-netting. RobertRobertson, a Campbeltown skipper, placed anorder in 1921 for a pair of boats on a radicallydifferent design from the old skiffs. Theseboats, the Falcon and Frigate bird, were thefirst true ring-netters. Fully decked over with awheelhouse and wheel in place of a tiller, theywere over 50 feet long and powered by 18-22hp. engines. They were graceful boats with acanoe stem and were exceptionally seaworthy.They were built by Miller and Sons of Fife.By the end of the Twenties, the advantages ofthe new type of boats had become clear andsoon all the Loch Fyne fleet was composed ofthese vessels."No one can build heavy built boats like thecarpenters of the East Coast" A Carradaleskipper quoted in the 1941 "Notes on Moraleon the Mull of Kintyre" The other important development was ofwinches suitable for handling the ring-net. Itwas 1928 before a suitable model becameavailable but was very quickly standard on theboats as it eased dramatically the gruellingwork of hauling in the nets manually.

SELLING THE CATCH.The practice of selling the herring they hadcaught at sea was encouraged in the earlydays by the need to avoid detection whilst theyworked illegally. However this system also hadthe advantage of keeping the time betweencatching the fish and selling it to the consumerto a minimum. Herring served on the breakfasttable in Glasgow in the morning would havebeen swimming around the Sound only theevening before."Great facilities are afforded (the fishermen)by the smacks which move about and takethe herrings from them during the night andfill them into boxes, which are shipped onboard the steamers at sea, or in the bayswithout coming near harbours" - GeorgeReiach, Assistant Inspector of Fisheries. 1866. By the 1880's there were several ex-steamdrifters operating as herring steamers pickingup catches from the trawlers around theSound. They were known as ‘Screws’ to the

fishermen from their means of propulsion(sgriubhachan-sgadan in Gaelic)."They were stowed with empty fish boxesand during the night they bought herringdirect from the fishing boats and landedtheir catches at the nearest railhead whichwas Fairlie on the Ayrshire coast. I recallthe names of a few of them; the Norman,the Rob-Roy, the Maree, Titanic. Thosescrews were a blessing to the fishing boats,especially on calm nights when there wasno wind for their sails." - Duncan Ritchie.A long running grievance of the fishermen fromthe 1880's onwards was that there was nolegal measure used in the measuring of acatch of herring for sale. In 1882 a petitionsigned by 223 Campbeltown, Dalintober andCarradale fishermen called for the introductionof a ‘just measure’ such as the quarter-cranbasket. However this was unsuccessful. To counter what they saw as corruption bythe buyers, a Fishermen's Association wasformed which chartered steamers to carry theherring on behalf of the members.Unfortunately the Association failed a fewyears later and the fishermen had once againto rely on screws buying at sea for the Glasgowfish-merchants. The dispute rumbled on until1918 when a Ministry of Food order under theDefence of the Realm Act eventually forcedthe adoption of the quarter-cran on to thebuyers. Another problem faced by the fishermen inmarketing their catches was that if their was aglut on the market they might be unable to sellat all and would be forced to dump their catchoverboard."They talk about the 1937 quota whichlimited each boat to 50 baskets at a priceof 4 shillings. And even then there was nomarket. Yet 1937 saw the most wonderfulfishing season within memory. Thesefishermen, who have a real and instinctivesense for nature..clearly felt..that there wassomething terrible and blasphemous aboutthe wastage of those days. Some say thathad there been a plan and forward thinking,the fish they dumped overboard would havebeen bought at the low prices available,tinned and stored for war emergency." -Notes on Morale on the Mull of Kintyre 1941."1930, that was when I went to the fishing.Rothesay was the headquarters of wherethe herring was bought at that time and ailthe buyers was there. And they kept itlimited. They bought so many every dayand the rest had to be dumped. Which wasa big lot of herring." - David Campbell.

6

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EXCERPTS FROM THE NETWORK ARCHIVE COLLECTED BY JOHN AIKEN IN 1996

7

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"We used to say that the buyers didn't buyherring, they bought faces. Meaning thatsome boats were giving a fairly hefty bribeto get their catch accepted. The rest had todump their fish as often as not." - ArchiePaterson.This was especially severe through thedepressed time of the Thirties which saw manyleave the Fishing altogether. The ClydeFishermen's Association (CFA) was formed atthis time as a response to some of thesepractices. It was highly successful. Fishermenagreed the rules that they were all to abide by,and if someone was caught bending them thenit was a committee of fishermen which decidedthe penalty. This might be to be tied up andkept from fishing for two days or even a week.The CFA gave fishermen some real controlover the marketing of their catches for the firsttime."When the Clyde Fishermen's Associationstarted that was the greatest thing ever tohave happened in my lifetime." - DavidCampbell.

THE QUEST FOR A HARBOUR."It is to be regretted that Government hasnot paid more attention to this branch oftrade (herring fishing), in which fo manyufeful hands are yearly employed, and fromwhich fo much advantage might be derived.The chief thing wanted for this purpofe is,to have harbours difpofed in proper placesand at convenient diftances along the coaft.- Rev. George MacLiesh, Old StatisticalAccount 1793."To get to the Burn, the fishermen had towalk through Carradale House Estate, theLaird's estate and to keep them clear of themain house there was a gate made in thewall and a special path that led toWaterfoot, the Burn. The wee path wasknown as the ‘fishermen's walk' and alongthe Estate road, near to Waterfoot, therewas the stepping stones, a way of fordingthe Burn at low tide” - Duncan Ritchie"The fishermen of Carradale feel stronglythat they have built up a good fishing-fleetfrom their own resources and madeCarradale quite a prosperous andproductive little place. In return they feelentitled to the social service of a pier. As itis, the Carradale boats have to take theircatch for long trips, using much fuel andtime and then from Campbeltown andTarbert they have to take a 'bus and spenda lot of money and waste a lot more timeagain after a tiring night's work. "Theherring are outside the door but whenyou've got them you can't go home".....Askipper worked out what his pair of boatsspend in bus fares getting home from the

place where they have to leave the boatsand it came to about £600 a year." -Notes on Morale on the Mull of Kintyre, 1941."The fleet took a levy of two pounds a weekfor the harbour fund for years - which wasa lot of money in those days. In 1957 theScottish Office turned down Carradale's bidfor a harbour. So a deputation went downto London to lobby the MPs. And it wasDouglas Hume who granted Carradale themoney for the harbour." - Archie Paterson.The harbour was completed in 1958 but eventhen it had suffered from cut-backs which leftit too small and too shallow. This was to causeproblems later.

THE END OF THE HERRING.By the mid Seventies, mid-water trawling hadbecome common in the Clyde Fisheries, Atrawl net like a large bag is towed at speedbetween two boats. It collects all the fish withinits sweep regardless of their species or size ortheir marketability, these are all gathered in thetail of the bag where they are compressedtogether until they either die or are fatallyinjured."They would tow it right the way up LochFyne and right the way down again and allthe fish in it would be hoovered up anddead in the bottom of the bag" - ArchiePaterson. Ring-netting allowed for the taking of asample of fish once the sole of the net hadbeen hauled up bringing the captured shoal ofherring to the surface. If the fish were to smallthey could be released with minima! losses.Carradale fishermen conducted a vigourouscampaign against the mid-water trawl on thegrounds of its likely effect on fish stocks butwere unsuccessful. History has proved themright as the Lochfyne herring has all butdisappeared."There's no such a thing as herring fishingnow, people went away from eating herring"- David Campbell"But there's no such thing as herring nowDavie, they were exterminated! Big Oswell?when he went to the prawns first of all, andwe were still trying to catch herring, and weasked him what did he think of the prawnfishing, "Its a soul-destroying job!" and it'sstill that!" " - Archie Paterson."Ah the more sophisticated fish-finders andtrawl nets were coming in. And of courseall these things, different technicalmeasures, they always increase the catch,they always put pressure on the stocks...and eventually it takes its toll, you know."- John Galbraith."The markets are a problem. We're justgetting the same money for our prawn tails

as we were getting in the late Seventieshere. And you don't need to be amathematician to work out that all the otherthings have went up; the nets, the boats...-its very difficult to make a profit." - JohnGalbraith."In oor day the Clyde Fishermen'sAssociation was all-powerful, ye had rules,Then the Restrictive Practices Act came inand all oor rules of course were restrictive- they had to be to control fishermen! Andfishermen knew fishermen. They knew whatthey were going to do and the rules thatthey would break. And when that happenedit more or less became a free for all. It thenwent to the Scottish Office and they madethe rules and now ...its gone to Brusselsand that's even more remote." - ArchiePaterson."We're tied hand and foot with regulationsnow . There's all sorts of restrictions now.And all these regulations made of courseby people who haven't a clue what theredoing... emanating from Brussels. Theyknow nothing about the Fishing Industry.Everybody's just a number -they're takingno thought whatever of the Communities."- John Galbraith.

THE SHARK FISHING.In the late Thirties, a young and unsettled mancalled Anthony Watkins was working in a‘soul-destroying’ job in a City office. One dayhe found himself processing the purchase ofJapanese shark oil to a Scottish customer andrecalled a news item about a yacht which hadapparently been sunk by a basking shark oft"the West of Scotland. After some furtherresearch Watkins headed off to Scotland andto the Kilbrannan Sound to experiment withharpooning sharks. The first basking shark they harpoonedtowed their dinghy for thirty hours fromLochranza to beyond Sanda until they wererescued by the Campbeltown lifeboat. On thestrength of this Watkins moved to Carradaleand built a factory on the shore some 400 yardsnorth of the last houses on Shore Road. It wasequipped with a boiler to render down the oiland a slipway to haul the sharks ashore. Basking sharks are huge creatures up tothirty feet long and covered in a black,evil-smelling and irritant slime and weighing asmuch as a couple of elephants. Fifty years agothey were commonly found in shoals of up tothirty in the Sound. They were regarded as amenace by the ring-netters as if they becameentangled in a net, they would roll in it, coveringit with slime and ruining it beyond repair. Todayit is unusual to see even two or three together.

EXCERPTS FROM THE NETWORK ARCHIVE COLLECTED BY JOHN AIKEN IN 1996

8

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SHARK FISHING Continued from P7Watkins had three Lochfyne skiffs, theDusky Maid, the Perseverence and theParagon mounted with harpoon gunson the foredeck and an ex-steam-drifter as a factory ship; the Gloamin'later replaced by the Recruit Heemployed four local fishermen. Hesuccessfully ran this business until theFifties when the price of oil droppedand he sold out. The old factoryburned down, but its remains can stillbe seen along the shore, includingparts of the boiler and tanks peepingout of the undergrowth.

ARGYLL AND BUTECOUNCIL NEWS

‘ONE STAR’ CUSTOMER SERVICES‘Just over 88% of enquirieswere dealt with at first pointof contact through theCustomer Service Centrein April. The percentage ofabandoned calls was15.9% which is the worst

set of figures we have ever experienced’.‘There were just 18 working days in April

compared to 24 in March. We answered 317calls per day, 20% more than in March whenthe abandon rate was only 5.2% - we simplycould not cope with the volumes on certaindays. This was affected, in part, by staffsickness. There are key learning points hereabout not approving holidays for staff in shortweeks, and the need to provide much bettercover when staff resource is taken away fortraining. We need to get smarter with matchingour resources to customer demand. We wentlive with Social Work general enquiries throughthe Customer Service Centre in the middle ofApril for one pilot area, with a plan for rollingout for all areas later. The CSC will handle afurther 130,000 telephone calls p.a. in additionto face to face callers once this transfer iscomplete’. ‘The national ‘Better Connected’ survey’ (asurvey of Local Authorities’ web-site usabilityand usefulness) was published in March. Argylland Bute Council still has a one star rating, asthis was based on the old web-site before itwas upgraded in December. The target is toimprove to a 3 star rating when this is nextsurveyed in October/November. The WebTeam have identified the key aspects toconcentrate on to achieve this. Over 50 peoplehave been trained as web authors, capable ofpreparing new items to go on the web-site.These are all reviewed by the Web Teambefore being uploaded’. ‘Our consultants, Webcurl, have carriedout a health check on the web-site and mostof their recommendations have beenimplemented with the exception of creation ofa full test environment which is scheduled forend of July, as it requires new servers to beinstalled’. ‘The Council commissioned penetrationtesting on the web-site in early April and weare pleased to report that the web-site stayedmostly up during this time, with only a verysmall amount of downtime. There were over23,000 unique visitors to the Council’s web-sitein February and this will provide a baseline forfuture monitoring’.

Following an accident on the A83 on Friday afternoon,29th July, the Kilberry Road witnessed absolutemayhem resulting from an unusually high volume oftraffic. The accident which occurred north of Tarbertresulted in cars, commercials, wood lorries, buses, aswell as large motor homes and caravans, travelling bothnorth and south being re-routed to avoid Tarbert. Thiswas exacerbated by a local farmer going about hisbusiness moving a large number of cattle to anotherfield not realising that hundreds of vehicles wereheading his way. All these elements subsequently metand brought about almost total gridlock on the singletrack road - London at its busiest would have beenproud of it.

Had it not been for the cool, calm, and collectedleadership of local man, Andy, and a number of othermen, no-one would have moved anywhere. Andy,acting as a human sheep-dog, ran up and down in theheat, guiding the traffic into fields, out of ditches,parking motor homes, cars and caravans in farmcourtyards, and all with a smile and an encouragingword to everyone. Andy and his team deserve a hugethank-you for all their selfless efforts and communityspirit, ensuring that everyone eventually got on themove.

Many drivers appeared to be heading for the Islayferry at Kennacraig which fortunately delayed itsdeparture for two hours to allow the majority of thevehicles to get aboard. However, six hours after theinitial road closure, traffic was still coming down thesingle track onto the A83.

One of the most worrying aspects for those caughtup in the aftermath of the accident, was the inability tocontact anyone as there was no mobile signal alongmost of the road until Kilberry itself. Had anyonerequired medical care in the heat of the day, it wouldhave been impossible to call out the emergencyservices as there was no emergency signal either. Ofcourse the other problem was that should the police orambulance have been needed, it would have beenimpossible for them to get anywhere due to the snarl-up.

For anyone not used to driving on a single trackroad, or those not confident with their reversing, it wasa worrying few hours. Perhaps a bit of practice beforesetting out should be recommended! The photographshows one group of cars and commercial vehicleswhich had to reverse into the field to allow the oncomingtraffic to pass whilst Andy runs along to help to clearthe way ahead. Margaret Richardson.

A83 CLOSURE AND KILBERRY GRID-LOCK

ROAD ISSUESRORY SUCCEEDS: TAR VERY MUCHOne of the pleasures of a once-weeklyshopping trip to the centre of Kintyrecivilisation, is the 16 mile drive downthe spectacular east coast side of thepeninsula. Over the past year this hasbecome a hazard rather than apleasure. Now, thanks in no small partto the efforts of Councillor Colville andthe Council’s contractors, the worstparts of the road are ‘passably’improved. There are still bits whichneed further attention but at leastKildonan is no longer a suspensionhazard. That just leaves...........

WELL ON THE ROADTO RECOVERY

Having broken down last year in thewilds of Ipswich, I joined the AA. Thisyear the renewal arrived with a figureof £115 (Roadside £58, Relay £56). I‘recovered’ sufficiently to ‘relay’ mycancellation. Told that “we always quote£115 regardless of being claim free, butwe will reduce your payment to £75”, Iwas sufficiently conscious to refuse AAcover, ‘flagged down’ Green Flag, butthey refused to cover the over 80s.RAC’s offer of ‘cover from £20’ seemedattractive but did that include NHS‘recovery’ and a ‘relay’ to Dr Elder afteranother financial heart attack.

9

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THE PICTURE HOUSEAN UPDATE

The development work for The CentenaryProject is proceeding slowly but meanwhile thewonderful summer of films at The PictureHouse continues. I hope you enjoyed Harry Potter and ournext feature will be 'Captain America - TheFirst Avenger', which will be showing fromSaturday, 27th August. Why not subscribe toan email alert from the web-site to keep up todate with What's On and you can even see amini preview on line to whet your appetite. The Picture House would not be survivingthough without the generosity of members andlocal businesses. This Community Businessis an amazing success story but continues toneed the community's help. The Directors areso grateful for the new support this year fromThe Old Smokehouse, Kintyre Cottages andMachrihanish Dunes for their Sponsorshipprogramme, but also to those businesseswhich have renewed their contributions foranother year. The population of Kintyre is justnot enough to sustain a commercial cinema,so these donations help with running costs. The Picture House also gets help from thelocal Wind-farm Trusts as they appreciate thatthis amenity provides the only form of familyentertainment that is available six nights aweek, 52 weeks of the year – the nearestcinema is over a hundred miles away! (Pleasedon't go there, WAIT and the film you want tosee WILL come to Campbeltown.) The Picture House will be open to thepublic for Doors Open Day on the 24th and25th September, why not come and have alook round, hear about our future plans andsign up to become a member". Jane Mayo.

JULY RAINFALLThe total rainfall for the month was 83mm. Thiswas below the July average which is 109mm.Although drier, it was not record breaking asour lowest July recording is a mere 18mm in2005. Other low totals have been 77mm in2006 and 76mm in 2007. But to put things inperspective the highest monthly rainfall was222mm recorded in July last year (2010). Thetotal rainfall so far in 2011 is 899mm (about 36inches) this is the ‘mean’ as there are fivestatistics above it and five below it- so this yearis on course for being normal and, whenconsidering the last decade, very much as onemight expect. The range at this stage in theyear varies between 714mm (2010) and1384mm (in 2002). The pattern of rainfall over the month wasnot ‘little and often’ but rather alternate quitelengthy spells of dry conditions punctuatedwith short sharp times of wet weather. Theperiods 5th-7th and 15th-17th were particularlywet at these times, respective accumulatedfigures of 28mm and 34mm were recorded. Overall temperatures have risen but wehave not yet experienced blisteringly hotsummery days as experienced further southin the UK but perhaps they are on the way?However, predictions in the near future, if tobe believed, predict more of the same. M.L.

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PETROL - MOLESFor those who have not visited Tarbert in thelast month or so there is more disturbing newsfor motorists and tourists – the Tarbertassisted-service station has closed leaving thepeninsula with three suppliers of petrol anddiesel - Clachan, Tayinloan and the CountyGarage in Campbeltown, although McNairsalso dispense diesel on Kinloch Road - butthere are no suppliers of LPG Autogas. This‘fuels’ speculation that until electric vehicleshave a much bigger range and shorterrecharging period, Kintyre has moved anotherstep towards holiday isolation. Although well-endowed users of multi-fuel vehicles andowners relying on more esoteric fuels may stillbe seen, they are likely to be as rare as Kintyremoles were in the early 20th century.

SPUTNIK REMEMBEREDWith celebrations to mark the safe landing ofthe last American Shuttle in the present series,leaving the Russians to return to the centrestage of space flight, it was interesting to notethat a Donald John Nicholoson has demolishedone of the two Rory Colville ‘Sputnik’ 30mphroad signs at Peninver, possibly as a mark ofrespect for the changes in space dominance.Note:  Космодром  Байконур,  (KosmodromBaykonur in English), in Kazakh is Sputnik’shome base. Rory Colville was instrumental inhaving the signs erected, and after theRevolution his efforts will be appropriatelyrewarded!

COMING CLEANShopping recently for an elderly clean-shavenfriend it seems that Tesco, Boots and the Coopno longer cater for all pensioner needs; a stickof shaving soap is unobtainable for theaverage 86 year old and ordinary palm-olivesoap is definitely non ‘de rigueur’. So if you arean ageing male (or female) with a hairyproblem and know where these essentials canbe found please tell the Antler; today its soapproducts, tomorrow it may be something thateven the bearded may require.

Космодром БайконурWELCOME TO

TWINNED WITH PENINVERPlease fly safely

Little Miss Muffet, hasn’t spied the spider

10

While community councils often seem to beconsidered as the poor relations of both the localCouncil and the Scottish Government, they aremore aware of local needs and the closest tosupporting the views of their communities.Although too often ‘bogged’ down with dogexcreta and local disputes, in general they striveto pursue a progressive agenda and do their bestto avoid taking partisan sides, but like many localgroups they often fail to be cognisant of thethreats they face from the higher echelons ofrepresentative democracy. Community councils rely for their financialclout on the ‘largesse’ of Council funding, upon‘conscience gifts’ from companies seeking to gaintheir support for industrial development and, as alast resort, upon fund-raising. Howeverprogressive community councils and, indeed, otherlocal groups, have always planned their initiativeswith great care and raised their own funding. Themajority of community councils, however, are atthe mercy of politicians who have risen from theranks and now treat their period in communitycouncils with a ‘shudder’ as if they are beingreminded by relatives of their earlier indiscretions. In the past the only safeguards for the healthywell-being of community councils has come eitherfrom the few members well-able to fight battles,or from two organisations set up to look after theirinterests – The Association of Argyll & ButeCommunity Councils and the Scottish Associationof Community Councils. Now at a time when thenational financial situation is serious, bothorganisations are under threat; the former fromlack of interest and the latter from a reduction infundings. Following the brief notification in the JulyAntler of these problems, here is a bit moreinformation on the issues involved.

ASCC IMPECUNITYTrustees of the Associationof Scottish CommunityCouncils have decided theycannot continue to operateafter savage cuts in fundingby the Scottish Government.According to the ASCC web-site - “this leaves 1200Community Councils in Scot-

land without a collective voice, and a nationalpresence. It seems the un-kept promises toCommunity Councils from the Government’s2007 Manifesto were only the beginning. MrSwinney has just given the best possible gift tothe bureaucrats and politicians who have resent-ed and marginalised Community Councils sincethey were established in 1973”. “The Trustees of the Association of ScottishCommunity Councils are gravely saddened toannounce that, as the result of a massive cut infunding by the Scottish Government, the ASCCwill be wound up”.

Explaining the Trustees decision thestatement adds – “The Scottish GovernmentFinance Secretary, Mr John Swinney, offered theASCC a grant of £30,000 for the current financialyear. That was subsequently increased to£40,000, but with strings attached so the moneycould only be spent on three specific areas. Thisrepresents a more than 40% drop in income forthe ASCC; the Association’s minimum operatingrequirements for one year are over £70,000. Ourfinancial and legal advisers were unanimous insaying that the ASCC could not operate withsuch a loss. The Association is unable to makeup the loss of Government income with grantsfrom other funders.

COMMUNITY COUNCILS WITHOUT SUPPORTGET THE STRENGTH OF A COMMUNITY COUNCIL ASSOCIATION AROUND YOU

AABCC INDIFFERENCEFortunately TheAssociation of Argyll andBute Community Councilsis not in the samefinancial situation as theASCC; it receives nomoney from the ScottishGovernment or directly

from Argyll & Bute Council, surviving on a £10annual subscription from mainland communitycouncils and £5 from island communitycouncils. In December 2009 the secretary retired,following successful negotiations betweenofficers of the Association and representativesof Argyll & Bute Council on a continuing reviewof the constitution and conditions of communitycouncil service. The new Secretary, Iain MacDonald, soonfound that AABCC matters made considerableinroads into the time available for his ownbusiness and, although remaining asChairman of Ardchattan, he apologised andresigned. This loss left the Association with aConvener involved in both the national andcounty associations and also of her owncommunity council in Cowal. Without theessential support of an active secretary andwith little interest by Argyll & Bute Council inpromoting community council affairs on itsweb-site, it became difficult to maintain contactwith 54 community councils in the Argyll &Bute administrative area. With no AGM in 2010 and, so far, none in2011, there are moves afoot to try and arrangea short meeting without invited speakers orattendance of the Council Convener, DickWalsh and Chief Executive, Sally Loudon, tosee if there is a will to revive an associationformed in 1993 to help community councils tocarry out their chosen tasks and to seek waysof improving relations with the local authority. If community councils are unwilling toattend or unable to support this initiative, thenthe organisation will be wound up. While Kintyre has active communitycouncils interested in improving theircommunities, generally they have shown littleinterest in being members of the Associationin the past 18 years, except when they areaffected by threats from other agencies.

Although East Kintyre, Southend andCampbeltown have been members for years,West Kintyre membership has been spas-modic, Laggan has not been a member andTarbert - always antagonistic and still refusingadvice and assistance, prefers to go it alone,but now is the time for Kintyre councils to lookoutside their territorial limits and safeguardrights and the financial support they enjoy;once again its ‘use it or lose it’ time. G.P.

RUDYARD KIPLING’S ‘HIS APOLOGIES’In memory of ‘Poppy’ at the pier and all the beloved dogs who have passed through Carradale

Master, this is Thy Servant. He is rising eight weeks old.He is mainly Head and Tummy. His legs are uncontrolled.But Thou hast forgiven his ugliness, and settled him on Thy knee...Art Thou content with Thy Servant? He is very comfy with Thee.Master, behold a Sinner! He hath committed a wrong.He hath defiled Thy Premises through being kept in too long.Wherefore his nose has been rubbed in the dirt, and his self-respect has been bruised.Master, pardon Thy Sinner, and see he is properly loosed.Master-again Thy Sinner! This that was once Thy Shoe,He has found and taken and carried aside, as fitting matter to chew.Now there is neither blacking nor tongue, and the Housemaid has us in tow.Master, remember Thy Servant is young, and tell her to let him go!Master, extol Thy Servant, he has met a most Worthy Foe!There has been fighting all over the Shop – and into the Shop also!Till cruel umbrellas parted the strife (or I might have been choking him yet),But Thy Servant has had the Time of his Life – and now shall we call on the vet?Master, behold Thy Servant! Strange children came to play,And because they fought to caress him, Thy Servant wentedst away.But now that the Little Beasts have gone, he has returned to see(Brushed – with his Sunday collar on) what they left over from tea.

àMaster, pity Thy Servant! He is deaf and three parts blind.He cannot catch Thy Commandments. He cannot read Thy Mind.Oh, leave him not to his loneliness; nor make him that kitten's scorn.He hath had none other God than Thee since the year that he was born.Lord, look down on Thy Servant! Bad things have come to pass.There is no heat in the midday sun, nor health in the wayside grass.His bones are full of an old disease – his torments run and increase.Lord, make haste with Thy Lightnings and grant him a quick release! C.F.

THE ANTLER WELCOMESCONTRIBUTORS, SUBSCRIBERS

& ADVERTISERSPlease contact the Editor at Benbecula, Waterfoot,

Carradale, Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6QX.Tel: 01583 431281. e-mail: geoffreyf.page@homecall.co.uk

For all your Travel and Holiday Arrangements put your trust in your own Travel Adviser TOMMY MILLARTel 0845 058758 E-mail tommy.millar@travelcounsellors.com www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/tommy.millar

TOMMY MILLAR COUNSELLORTRAVEL

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CARRADALE GOLF CLUB Welcomes visitors

Juniors AdultRound £8.00 £17.00Daily £10.00 £20.00Weekly - £80.00Two weeks - £105.00Country m/s £40.00 £132.00

(May play in Club Competitions)Affiliated Club members £10.00

For further information contact The Secretary, Margaret Richardson2 Old Schoolhouse, Carradale PA28 6QJ Tel: 01583 43178821

LADIES SECTION: CAPTAIN’S DAYThis year’s prizewinners: left to right:

Margaret Robertson, Lindsay Ramsay,Marlene Walker, Gail McIntosh,

Margaret Campbell and Anne Borthwick.(Mary Paterson was not present when the

winners were photographed)On Thursday 21 July, Carradale Ladies Sectionheld their Captain’s Day. With the weather steadily improvingthroughout the day, they played a Stablefordwith some of the Ladies playing 9 holes andeleven others playing 18 holes, including twoladies from Machrihanish. At the Presentation of Prizes held in theClub, Ladies Captain, Janice Hanning thankedGreen-keeper, Robert Strang, for the excellentcondition of the course, and to all who helped,providing catering and Raffle Prizes.The following are the results:Captain’s Prize: 1st Prize Lindsay Ramsay (47 points)2nd Prize Gail McIntosh (39 points)3rd Prize Margaret Campbell (36 points)Scratch Prize Marlene WalkerVisitor’s Winner Margaret Robertson

(Machrihanish)Winner of 9 hole Competition Mary PatersonLongest Drive at 18th Marlene WalkerNearest the Pin in 2 at 8th Anne BorthwickOver the last few weeks a number of competi-tions have been played.The results are:Thurs 19 May SLGA Thistle Brooch Winner:

Margaret WalshThurs 16 June: Cancer Relief: Winner: Karen NeilsonThurs 23 June: Melfort Quaich/Stroke: Winner:

Margaret CampbellThurs 30 June: RNLI Shield Winner: Margaret CampbellThurs 14 July Medal/Clic Sargent: Winner:

Marlo LoganRunner Up: Pat Ritchie M.R.

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Carradale Golf Club has had a busy weekholding a Ladies Greensome competition onThursday 4 August and the Texas Scrambleon Saturday 6 August. 14 ladies took part withthe winners, Gail McIntosh and Jeannie Astill(Luffenham Heath) scoring 39-13.1=25.9 towin the Ladies Greensome Trophy. Runners–Up with 45-15.9=29.1 were Sue Harris andFiona Rattray.

RED CLOVERDuring the running battlebetween the roadsdepartment and theenvironmentalist’s intent onpreserving the complexity of

roadside verges, this year one plant seems tohave flourished on the very edge of thetar-mac - the red clover. Whether itsabundance in 2011 was influenced by thecomparative lack of winter salt or simplybecause it thrived on what salt and sand wasthrown at it, is difficult to determine. Red clover is a wild plant and an integralpart of the diet of grazing animals. Internetsources say that traditionally it has been usedfor treating cancer, whooping cough,respiratory problems and skin inflammations.Some tests suggest that it could be useful asa treatment for ‘hot flushes’ and osteoporosis.So if you see women of a certain agegathering it, apparently for its intrinsic beauty,warn them that isoflavones in the plant dohave side effects and no amount of cauldronsand traditional spells will be as efficient asvisiting Dr Elder and his locums in off-settingthe effects of getting older.

On Saturday 6th August 60 entrants went outin two shotgun starts. The winners of theCentenary Shield which is annually presentedby Roy McMurchy and family in memory of hislate father, Neil, were Stuart Cullen, Ian Robb,Rose Stevens and Stewart Neilson with anexcellent score of 26-3.4 = 22.4

CARRADALE GOLF CLUB: LADIES CAPTAIN’S DAY, GREENSOME & CENTENARY SHIELD

TWINKLE-TOESContrary to unfounded local reports, CharlieMcFadyen, (‘Twinkle-toes’) has not closed hishairdressing salon in Kirk St. Campbeltown;he continues to offer his customers the sameservice for which he is noted, (but he is notopen for cutting on Mondays)!

R.N.L.I. BONUS BALL4th June M. O.11th June M .O.18th June M. Hughes25th June R. Kennedy2nd July S. Irvine9th July No Winner16th July M. Hughes23rd July D. Glass M.O.

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LETTER TO THE EDITORTHE PONY SANCTUARY

Earlier this month I received a mailing from ThePony Sanctuary appealing for a donation andenclosing a fabric shopping bag with the PonySanctuary logo. I made a small donation bycredit card. Yesterday, July 27th, I had anotherletter from the same outfit asking me to confirmI'd received the bag and giving me theopportunity to make another donation in areplied-paid envelope. So I took a look at mycard account and saw the amount had beendeducted on the 18th. Plenty of time ago to havemade another letter un-necessary I thought.Then I noticed the address of this registeredcharity, No 1087579, is a PO Box in Ross-on-Wye, the same town from where I get all theletters telling me I have definitely won a majorprize and all I have to do is phone a number forsix minutes at something like £3 a minute to geta number to claim my prize. So my suspicionswere aroused and I did a little digging, courtesyof Google. This led me to a number of web-sites, amongthem one showing the Daily Mirror had done aninvestigation into begging letters coming from anumber of so-called charities, all with PO Boxesin Ross-on-Wye. The company behind the massmail-shots is CSDM Ltd and this stands forChristopher Stoddart Direct Marketing. TheMirror report said CSDM operated with a 'payfrom proceeds' system that allowed it to keep thedonations while passing on to the charities onlythe 'gift-aid tax break'.http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2010/08/chris-stoddard-and-those-chari.html Another site listed all the animalsanctuaries in Herefordshire and there was noPony Sanctuary among them. I thought it oddthey didn't have a website as all these charitieshave one and my original letter had shownphotos of some of the 27 ponies currently beingcared for 'for life'. http://www.yell.com/s/animal+sanctuary-ross+on+wye.html There is a genuine equine sanctuary inRoss-on-Wye at Gregory Farm Rescue Centreand they are part of the Horses and PoniesProtection Association. Another factor that aroused my suspicionswas on the sheet where I could fill in details ofmy credit card. High-lighted in the top rightcorner was a message telling me it was mostimportant for me to include the last three digitsof the security number on the back of my cardor they would be unable to process my donation.I didn't remember seeing this on the original letterand I certainly would not have included thenumber when I made a donation. So I wouldadvise anyone receiving a similar letter, askingfor a donation to help sick African children,unwanted ponies or to assist world health, to binthem. Brian Gee.

LETTER TO THE EDITORI would like to express my gratitude toGeoffrey Page for his superb effort inproducing the Antler every month for the past17 years......it is a massive task, requiringthousands of hours work over the years, alldone voluntarily. We are very fortunate tohave both a local paper and the CarradaleGoat web-site to keep us up to date with allthe happenings in and around the village. It is impossible to please everyone, as youmentioned in the July Antler your policy hasalways been to report events and includeminutes without comment - remarks byyourself are a different matter! and I mustadmit many a time after reading some of yourremarks I wonder. . . 'what's that all aboutthen?', but then it's all part of the fun! So WELL DONE Geoff, I hope you keeppublishing the Antler for many more years...unless you get a fabulous offer from RupertMurdoch! Yours sincerely, Michael Foreman

HAVE YOUR SAYWhile ‘Digusted of Tunbridge Wells’ doesn’twrite to the Antler nor does his Scottishcounterpart ‘Iansly MacAnnoyed’; why is this?Is it because Antler readers are too polite, justnot interested or find it difficult to commentwithout using a ‘nom de plume’?

Campbeltown’s Heritage Centre Schoolroomprepares for its new rôle as a bunk house.

CAMPBELTOWN’S T.H.I.‘It has been a busy few months for theCampbeltown Town-scape Heritage Initiativewith works being carried out on several towncentre buildings’.‘One of the main projects is the Old School inBig Kiln Street. This B-listed property isundergoing major repair and conservationworks to bring it back into use as a bunkhouseto provide visitor accommodation. The buildinghas been lying empty since the 1980’s and isin an advanced state of disrepair. Thebuilding’s owners, the Kintyre Amenity Trust(KAT) hope to open for business early 2012’. ‘Work is also continuing on Main Streetwith the flats at 27 to 31 getting a make-over.Custom made sash and case windows havebeen installed and the building is due to bepainted very soon’. ‘Further along at 60 Main Street the entirebuilding is being refurbished in partnership withArgyll and Bute Council’s private sectorhousing grant team. Works include; re-roofing,lead-work, replacement rainwater goods andwindow and door refurbishments. In addition,the entire Main Street elevation is being paintedwith high quality mineral paint’. ‘Another huge step forward for the THI isthe approval of £30,000 funding towards therefurbishment of the Royal Hotel. This projectwill deliver a four star hotel in the town centre.The overall cost of this renovation project is inexcess of £2.8 million and the developers hopeto have work completed before the New Year’. ‘Other works recently completed includea number of shop front restorations bringingthe total to 17. These include the Wine-houseand 1a, 1b and 3 Longrow. Some small grantworks have been carried out including therefurbishment and reinstatement of timber sashand case windows in five properties’. ‘The vast majority of the THI work hasbeen carried out by local contractors – awelcome boost to Campbeltown given thecurrent economic climate’. ABC statement.

JOHNNY DURNANGIVE ME A CALL ON 431365CARRADALE’S ODD JOB MAN

Servicing Motor & Commercial vehicles, Repairing & ServicingGarden machinery & Outboards

Garden maintenance, Grass cutting Hedge trimming & Fencing,Paths and drives pressure washed.

Small building work undertaken.

Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub. Eency Weency Spider (photo J.D.) Humpty Dumpty, sat on a wall.THREE MORE ARRANGEMENTS FROM THE CHURCH’S FLOWER FESTIVAL IN AUGUST

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Fiona McDiarmid and Jeanette McKinnon ofCarradale Abbeyfield Residential Home.Fiona, deputy housekeeper and Janette,housekeeper with 40 years between them atCarradale Abbeyfield. Certificates presentedat the recent AGM by the Abbeyfield ExecutiveCommittee Chairman, Donald MacAlister Hall.Photo and report by Johnny Durnan from the

The Carradale Goat web-site.

ABBEYFIELD AWARDS

KINTYRE EXPRESSWest Coast Motors new ferry to Ballycastlecould be your opportunity to visit NorthernIreland without the three hour drive toGlasgow, the extra distance involved to a westcoast port and on to Ireland by ferry. Similarlya day in Glasgow is again a possibility - justlike the old days. Journey times are 1.5 hoursto Ballycastle and 1.25 hours to Troon. Thereare three ferries a day to Ballycastle on Friday,Saturday, Sunday and Monday and two ferriesa day to Troon on Wednesday, Friday andSunday. Costs are £30 single and £55 returnto Ballycastle and £50 single and £80 returnto Troon. (01586 555895)

With four holiday-makers on the shore at Port-na-Cúile, and four afloat, it must be Summer!

SUMMER TIME

THE GLEN ‘HEY DAYS’

‘The hey days (1975/76) when the Glen waspacked with locals and tourists, doingsomething like 200 meals in the restaurantnightly when you could buy a T-Bone steak,chips and all the trimmings for £2.50. A fineselection of staff were at your disposal dayand night then, now sadly days gone by nowwith the place now closed’.

Photo by Eila, and commentary by JohnnyDurnan from the Carradale Goat web-site.

Caught in the act by Martin Mears.

THANKSCatherine Dunlop and family would like tothank most sincerely all relatives, friends andneighbours for gifts, flowers and cardsreceived in the recent sad loss of Duncan. Allwere very much appreciated.

FLOWER FESTIVAL“And though for church we do not seem to

care, We see, thank God, it’s there.”Good news about the interest seen in thebeautiful and amusing church flower show. Don’t you think this quotation reflects theCarradale feeling? I’m pretty sure it is by SirJohn Betjeman, but in spite of diligent trackingin computer and poetry anthologies, I can’t findanything. Do you know of it? Or perhaps anAntler reader might. Martin Mears.

Nicola Holt D.Pod.M., M.Ch.S.Podiartrist (Chiropodist)

From Tuesday 6th September 2011my Podiatry practice will move to:

The Hazelburn Business CentreMillknowe Campbeltown Telephone: 01586 551293 Mobile: 07977 509985

Business hours: Tuesday 9.30am - 5.00pm Wednesday 9.30am - 5.00pm Thursday 9.30am - 6.00pm And the first Saturday of every month

There is ample parking and my Practice is onthe ground floor, with level access from the

side door at the entrance to the car park

For an appointment please 'phone anytime

The Owl and the Pussycat

FLYING - IN THE FACEOF CONVENTION

It is not given to all men tolead lives of adventureand note, but some of usare sufficiently fortunateto meet and to record theactivities of those whohave lived through

exciting times. Because of an insatiable thirstfor historical anecdotes and for excitingincidents in the lives of others, ! have perhapsbeen more fortunate than most in finding mylife touched by the experiences and activitiesof notables. Thus, on reading the article "Lifecontinues to sparkle at 90," on page 4 of theAugust edition of the Antler, the anecdote onthe 90 year old aviator brought related topicsto my mind.

Before coming to Carradale seven yearsago, I was resident in Kirkcaldy, where I hadsettled on retiring from Naval Service in 1970,after serving as an Instructor Officer since1947. Of my 23 years service, 6 had beenspent with the Fleet Air Arm, and afterretirement I accepted with alacrity an invitationto become a member of the Fleet Air ArmOfficers' Association, although I was not anaviator. I attended meetings of the AssociationMembers once each month in Edinburgh, andit was there that I met a remarkable flyer, JohnMoffat, whose home was in the north ofScotland. John was 91 years old in 2004, andwas the oldest pilot still licensed to fly inScotland. Students of wartime history mightfind his name familiar, for as a Sub LieutenantPilot it was he who crippled the battleshipBismarck by firing the torpedo that mangledher steering gear, causing her to be unable tomake steam for any French or German refugeby forcing her to steam in unchanging circlesat the mercy of the British ships who wereanxious to avenge the loss of HMS Hood. Bythe way, how many people are aware of howvery close we came to losing the Bismarck?An error in transcribing the details of a sightingreport found that the British ships werepursuing a reciprocal course, which meantthey were steaming 180 degrees away fromthe German vessel, an error which wasrectified when spotted by a vigilant PlotOfficer. John Moffat appeared in a BBCtelevision programme on the Bismarckepisode about three years ago.

Campbeltown had its own personalconnection with the Fleet Air Arm in the personof Lieutenant Commander Howard Ward, withwhom I served at the Royal Naval Air Stationat Eglinton, Northern Ireland, for about threeyears during the 1950's. For some reason, allpersonnel named Ward in the Royal Navy areknown as ‘Sharkey’, Howard and I parted

company in 1958 or 59,when he retired fromthe Navy and I was appointed to another post.He invited me to call on him if ever I came toCampbeltown and on my first visit, in 2003, Iset out to find him, only to discover that he hadpassed away some years earlier. It was onlyon meeting his daughter, Mrs Lilian Campbellof Waterfoot, that I discovered that Sharkeywas possessed of the more refined name‘Howard’.

Like him, I retired with the rank ofLieutenant Commander but Sharkey hadentered the Royal Navy through HMS Ganges,a Boys Training Establishment at Shotley nearIpswich, whereas I had joined as a SubLieutenant. After completing his Training as aBoy Seaman he went off to sea and set hisfoot on the promotion ladder when he becamea Leading Seaman, and soon afterwardsbecame a Petty Officer. It was then that hebecame a member of a very rare breed, arating pilot. It was general practice in the Navyand the Air Force that all pilots should holdOfficer rank, but for some time there existeda small number of non-commissioned flyers.With the end of hostilities they either left theServices or were commissioned and Howardeventually became an Air Traffic ControlOfficer. At Eglinton, he was SATCO (i.e.Senior Air Traffic Control Officer) where hecommanded the respect of all who knew him.

We really cannot leave he subject of FlyingScotsmen without referring to the first memberof the race who was known as a flyer. On theEsplanade of Edinburgh Castle there exists amemorial to Ensign Ewart, who distinguishedhimself by his bravery at the Battle of Waterlooin 1815. I recall reading, some 50 years ago,that a descendant of Ensign Ewart becamethe first Scotsman to fly an aircraft. This wasstated to be Major William Ewart, who,according to the reference, was taught by theFrench pilot, Louis Bleriot, recognised to bethe first pilot to fly across the English Channel.

Alas, I have lost the notes I made at thetime, including my own correspondence withdescendants of the Ensign. In searching forany remaining scraps of information I have notachieved success, and I have to consider thatone of my sources had confused the name ofMajor William Ewart with that of Major WilliamEwen. Major Ewen was one of the firstScottish aviation pioneers, and he flew in amachine designed by Bleriot. I have a verygood idea of where I obtained my originalinformation, but regret that I no longer haveeasy access to the source.

Unfortunately, the original report onGeorge, our 90-year old visitor, did not divulgehis surname, but perhaps that omission willbe rectified in the near future.

David Currie. White Gables.

E: staff@krispprint.co.uk www.krispprint.co.ukT: 01586 554975 F: 01586 554903krisp

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NOTES ON ENSIGN EWARTCharles Ewart was born in 1769 in Kilmarnock,and in 1789 he enlisted in the Cavalry of the NorthBritish Dragoons, fighting in the FrenchRevolutionary Wars, from which he emerged withthe rank of Sergeant, serving for the next twentyyears as a well respected member of his regiment.In 1815 he served at Waterloo in the Duke ofWellington's Union Brigade. As a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion of the 45thRegiment of cavalry he was involved in severalinstances of hand to hand fighting, and it was inone of these that he took the Eagle of Napoleon'sFrench Infantry Regiment. The French Infantrywas feared throughout Europe, having gainedvictory on victory, often against superior odds. It is not surprising that in those circum-stancesCharles Ewart's fame spread quickly. He washailed a hero, and was awarded a Commission asEnsign in the 5lh Veteran Battalion. In 1821 hisunit disbanded and he retired from the Army,retiring on full pay as an Ensign. He died in 1846and his grave lay covered and forgotten until, in1938, his remains were transferred to a place ofhonour on the Esplanade ofEdinburgh Castle. His capture ofthe Imperial Eagle lives on, the birdhaving been incorporated Into theCrest of the Royal Scots Dragoonguards.

BEAVERING ONWith CHUG affiliates now outnumbering theremaining Network directors, it would still bepossible for CHUG to resurrect the idea of movingNetwork to the Harbour, but they may have otherequally inappropriate ideas. On Wednesday the 27th of July, for instance,two Network/ CHUG members were spotteddelving into the burn below the Network. With thedam behind the Centre still unused, were theyplanning to offer the Loch Coille-Bhar beavercolony an undisturbed holiday lodge, only openfor public viewing and refreshment during thehours of darkness? Or perhaps delving into the Network burnwas a move towards dredging and widening theCarra, installing a Falkirk ‘Wheel’ at Waterfoot, aDevil’s Staircase of locks at the Harbour and apleasant mile and a half of inland waterwaythrough the centre of the village.

THE CARRADALE QUIZThis annual event was held in the Village Hall on Saturday 6th August.Several visitors helped to swell the numbers of local quizzers, and in total16 teams took part. Crisps and nibbles were provided on the tables, andthroughout the evening the Hall Committee ran a bar, which togetherwith a well stocked raffle providing all the ingredients for an enjoyableand light- hearted evening. The usual format was used with writtenanswers to ten rounds of 10 questions. The discretionary use of a joker card again added a touch ofuncertainty with teams able to double the points on their chosen round,and this time most teams made a judicious choice and were able toenhance their overall scores. Well done to all who took part as a highstandard was achieved. Particular mention should be made of the sportyeffort made by a team of three female youngsters. Perhaps they willencourage other young people to come along in the future. The quiz was once again keenly contested, with some high finalscores. On 20 occasions perfect scores were achieved on a round andon several occasions teams were just one answer short of a fullcomplement. The Carradale Jubilee Quiz requires a ‘Carradale’ round and thisyear it was answered particularly well - even by teams of visitors - asmost people could correctly identify photographs of doorways around thevillage. The category of Music was liked best of all, with ‘Romans’displaying good historical knowledge, also proving popular. Thecategories of ‘China’ ‘–ologies’ and ‘General Knowledge’ proved moredemanding but in some cases the answers to these caused moments ofhilarity and murmurs of retrospective “oh yes of course!” Congratulations go to the overall winning team of ‘Rovers Return’(David and Lindsey Mercer, Donald Macalister Hall and MichaelForeman) they not only scored 97 to win the Cup but they also all workedhard all evening serving drinks behind the bar. A three person strongteam from Glen Head in Torrisdale were second with 95 points and ateam of visitors ‘Fab 4’ were 3rd with 92. Local team Mike’s Morons(headed by Mike Richardson) were just pipped at the post so with 91points they gained 4th place. Besides the cup for the winning team, all team members in the firstthree placed teams, received certificates as a memento of their quizzingprowess. Thanks go to the Hall Committee (and their spouses) for their helpin providing an enjoyable social evening. Coming soon - the winter Quizzle (Nov/Jan) and the Christmas Quiz(Dec) which are already under construction and should provide hours ofwinter evening entertainment and all for a good cause - Village Hallfunds! M.L.

AN INDEPENDENT APPRECIATIVE QUIZ COMMENTThere was a splendid turn-out of support both from villagers and visitors. As usual, Margaret and Tony Leighton had done their homework,and had produced an excellent quiz with ten categories, including ‘Paper’;‘General Knowledge’; ‘Music’; ‘Romans’; and ‘Carradale’ where everyonehad to identify pictures of 10 doors from the village. The evening ended with a Raffle and the presentation of the cup tothe winners. It was a closely fought contest with the team ’Rovers Return’ comingout on top with 97 points. The photograph shows the winning team withfrom left to right, Michael Foreman, Lynsday Mercer (Hall Chairperson),Donald McAllister Hall and Dave Mercer. M.R.

‘Three time BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of theyear finalist, Lorne MacDougall is one of Scotland’s leading youngpipers. Born and brought up in Carradale, in the piping stronghold ofKintyre. Lorne was awarded a BA in Scottish Music at the RoyalScottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2005 and has performed atmany local and international festivals and has been involved in anumber of recordings including UK Top 40 hits and albums achievingplatinum disc status’. ‘On leaving school, Lorne studied for his music degree at the RoyalScottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, graduating withhonours in 2005, one of the first graduates on the RSAMD’s pipingcourse. He has played in Grade 1 pipe bands at world championshiplevel from an early age including such leading bands as Scottish Power’. ‘He has toured Scotland and Europe with his principal folk bandCanterach, Brian McNeill’s “Baltic tae Byzantium”, The Muckle Loonsand Bodega. He has performed at many significant festivals includingLorient, Aviles, Celtic Connections, Mull of Kintyre, Jura, and OrkneyFolk Festival and the CoOperative Cambridge Folk Festival’.

‘A versatile musician who plays Highland bagpipes, smallpipes,Border pipes, whistles, piano and keyboards, Lorne has made frequentradio appearances, including live sessions on BBC Radio Scotland’sTravelling Folk, A Bit of a Blow and Pipeline, and as a session musicianhas appeared on many albums including the new Red Hot Chilli Pipers’“Music for the Kilted Generation”, Alabama’s Jil Chambles’ new albumand the 2008 BBC Scotland Children in Need single “We Have a Dream”.’ ‘As a composer his tunes have featured on albums from suchbands as Skerryvore, Deoch ‘n’ Dorus, Stuart Cassells, the House ofEdgar Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band and the Red HotChilli Pipers. They have also been used in various media events suchas the theme music for Sky Sport’s SPL coverage’. ‘Lorne’s band consists of some of the most respected musiciansin Scotland who originally got together for the recording of his debutsolo album, “Hello World”. When not playing music he is the presenterand producer of the highly popular internet radio show PlanetPipe withBees Nees Media in Glasgow. Working with Bees Nees means he alsoenjoys occasionally working on other productions including RadioScotland’s Iain Anderson Show and various productions for BBC Alba.He also teaches with various organisations throughout Scotland suchas Tarbert Academy Music Centre and the Glasgow Fiddle Workshop’.

Internet source.

LORNEMACDOUGALL

The photo on the right isof Carradale’s muchtravelled & internationallyproclaimed piper, LorneMacDougall, performing atthe closing ceremony ofthe Tall Ships Race atStavanger in Norway onJuly 30th. Following the event hewas invited to pipe alament at the NationalTribute for those who losttheir lives in Norway'sruling party youth camp onUtoya Island.

The Church’s Summer Fayre on July 14th. Photo by Johnny Durnan.

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To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Kintyre Way,and to celebrate Robb Reid’s 66th birthday, a small group of runnerswill attempt to run the whole 89 mile length of the route from Southendto Tarbert in one day - it has never been been done before. Among those joining the Kintyre Ranger, Robb Reid, will be JohnKennedy and Lucy Colquhoun. Lucy is the all-time ladies' record-holder for the annual West Highland Way race, who has now alsosmashed the all-time ladies record in the ‘Devil o’ the Highlands’ raceby over an hour. (on 6/8/11) Although uninformed local spectators willbe unlikely to cheer them on at the following places, because theSeptember Antler will not be published until the following weekend,the timetable will be a useful aid for anyone else planning to do the‘one-er’ or taking the gentler staged approach.

Information provided to Johnny Durnan by Robb Reid.

CATERING THE ‘BARGA’ WAYIt is 100 years since Leo Grumoli first arrived in Campbeltown from Bargain Italy when he and many other Italians took their families to Scotland fora better life. Most people in Campbeltown over 40 will remember the ‘topmiddle and bottom’ cafes with great affection as they provided a greatmeeting place for all us over the years and served the best food in town.The story of Leo and his family over the generations will be exhibited on9 colourful banners in a joint project with Alba Heritage Trust and Argylland Bute Library Service. This is a follow up to the ‘Back to the Future Day’ last August whenover 400 people came to celebrate the cafes and dance halls inCampbeltown and the public wanted to see more! A family tree and a map showing where all the Italians settled on thewest coast of Scotland will be on display drawn by local artist RosslynOman and posters and story boards will be designed by designer DawnneMcGeachy who now lives in Glasgow but visits home regularly. The 9panels were researched and organised by Information and Local StudiesLibrarian, Eleanor McKay from Dunoon who has worked closely with theGrumoli /Togneri family to tell the story of the wider family over the century.

Article supplied to J.D.

Robb Reid John Kennedy Lucy Colquhoun

RACING THE ‘KINTYRE WAY’

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Barga

MORE ON THE FOOD TRAINFood Train began in Dumfries in 1995 following a community survey ofolder people that found many of them struggling with their weekly groceryshopping; an idea was developed to ease this burden on older people.A partnership of local shops and volunteers formed and Food Train beganmaking deliveries of fresh groceries to older people in need with the helpof local volunteers and shops. It operated very successfully in Dumfriestown area between 1995 and 2002 but the founder members knew therewas potential to expand the service across the region. A four year funding package from the Scottish Executive ‘BetterNeighbourhood Services Fund' awarded in 2002 allowed staff to berecruited to develop Food Train and deliver grocery support across allDumfries & Galloway. By 2006 the grocery delivery service was fully operational across theregion and the board focused on the evidenced needs of the membersand developed Food Train 'EXTRA' - an additional household/handymansupport service. More recently a third service has been added in Dumfries& Galloway, again responding to the needs of our elderly members witha befriending service. In 2008 we began researching, planning and preparing to expandFood Train into other parts of Scotland. The Scottish Government,Community Food & Health (Scotland) and West Lothian Council havesupported us and our new West Lothian Food Train is up and running,clearly demonstrating our ability to transfer our successful modelgeographically. From its early days of a few deliveries every week to a handful ofcustomers, Food Train is now a thriving multi award winning charitycovering Dumfries & Galloway and West Lothian with a view to developingfar and wide across Scotland.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUESThe Food Train is a grocery shopping, befriending and household supportservice for older people assisting and enabling them to live at homeindependently for as long as they are able.Mission: Our aim is to support older people to live independently at home.Our preventative services address the difficulty older people face gettingtheir weekly grocery shopping, doing jobs around the house and thegrowing isolation that comes with failing health. We also aim to providea wide range of supported volunteering opportunities for people of all ageand ability.Vision: We envisage our organisation as a ‘one stop shop' for older people- by providing services or helping them access services to help them liveindependently at home for as long as they wish and are able.

THE FOOD TRAINA NEW OVER 60s SHOPPING INITIATIVE

Susan Paterson, whose ‘responsibility hats’ extend beyond localneeds in Southend to a wide variety of voluntary and paidresponsibilities in Kintyre and Argyll & Bute, was shown an earliercopy of the Antler and stopped the Editor while in Tesco one Thursdayand expressed her interest in the article about shopping problems ofolder people. She mentioned a scheme she had in mind to help extendthe options available to Kintyre pensioners since no localsupermarkets offer a delivery service. Initially the scheme she had in mind will concentrate on shoppingbut this will be extended to a befriending and household help-servicein time. It is based on the Food Train in Dumfries and Gallowaywww.thefoodtrain .co.uk. Shopper-Aide, Scottish Charity No. SC042272. She asks - ‘Do you find shopping difficult and are over 60?Perhaps you can’t carry a lot, have no transport, are too far from abus stop or would like to get messages from different shops but can’twalk too far. Shopper-Aide will be starting soon in Kintyre and we willbe making arrangements with businesses and clients to provide thisservice. There will be a delivery charge of £2.50 and an annualmembership fee of £1. We are also looking for volunteers to do theshopping and being part of the delivery team’. If you are interested in getting help with shopping or would like tovolunteer to help please contact Susan Paterson (01586 830335 orsusan.paterson1986@btinternet.com) for further information.