From our October 7 edition

25 YEARS AGO

(October 4, 1991)

THE action group campaigning for the future of the Lawson Memorial Hospital gathered for a full-scale picket of the hospital yesterday.

Members of the public joined the placard wielding campaigners as Highland Health Board toured the Golspie hospital to see for themselves the facilities there.

The board, which met with Caithness and Sutherland Local Health Council in Wick on Wednesday, is due to make a decision on October 18 about the hospital’s future.

GOLSPIE Free Church congregation welcomed its new minister last Friday.

The service to induct Rev Eric Paterson was attended by more than 250 people from all over the north who were later catered for in the community centre.

Mr Paterson (31) was born in Edinburgh and brought up in East Kilbride and Brora, where his father, the Rev David Paterson, was the Free Church minister.

He was a police officer for three years and then from 1971 was involved in various types of voluntary and Christian work, including some time in London with a Baptist Church.

He studied for the ministry at the Free Church College.

THE historic Farr Stone at Clachan Cemetery, Bettyhill, is to be cleaned and moved into the shelter of a nearby church building.

Regional archeologist Bob Gourlay will supervise the work and funding totalling £2300 has been sourced from Historic Scotland.

The carved Pictish stone, which stands 1.5 metres from the ground and dates back to the 9th century, is regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind in the country.

At present lichen growth is obscuring the inscriptions on the stone.

Mr Gourlay said the task to clean it up was highly specialised

He said: "This is not a wire brush job. We can’t use diluted acid which would destroy what we are trying to preserve."

It is intended to re-erect it under the forestair on the end of Clachan Church in order to allow it to remain in public view all year round but sheltered from the elements.

There would also be an interpretive display to explain the significance of the monument.

50 YEARS AGO

(October 7, 1966)

THE new masonic lodge at Brora is to be dedicated and consecrated by the Grand Master Mason of Scotland, Major Sir Ronald Orr Ewing, at a ceremony on Saturday, October 15.

The new lodge is the former old school gymnasium at Academy Place and the property, acquired from Sutherland County Council by Lodge Clyne, has been reconstructed and redecorated.

The Lodge previously held their meetings in Clyne Church Hall, across the road.

THERE is evidence of disquiet among the public about the education committee’s proposal to absorb Sutherland Technical School into Golspie High School.

The reason is a lack of understanding of all that is involved. We would like to be sure that the cost would not be exorbitant but we would like far more to be sure that this project will not be the death knell for the hopes of secondary education in the north and west.

Let it be clear that we do appreciate the experts’ plans to keep Sutherland "in the swim" educationally, as it were, but besides being wary on the financial side, we should not jump every time St. Andrew’s House cracks the whip.

We have our own special position to safeguard and we do not want to do anything which will threaten development hopes for the north and west. We cannot see the need for rushing this amalgamation plan. A little more talking would not do any harm.

MISS Patricia Mackay, a 24-year-old journalist from New Jersey, spent an exciting weekend in East Sutherland recently tracing her father’s relatives.

She gave up her job to make the trip and not long after she arrived, she met a far-off relative, Mr Hugh Mackay, of Dutch Cottage, Backies, gamekeeper with Sutherland Estate.

Mr Mackay was quick to trace the relationship after Pat mentioned that her late grandfather was Gabriel Mackay who had emigrated from Sutherland to British Columbia.

Soon other relatives were traced and now Pat is on her way back to the States with many photographs to show her father, Frank, an orchid grower.

75 YEARS AGO

(October 9, 1941)

WHEN the necessity arises Sutherland A.R.P. services are ready to turn out at a moment’s notice, even though that may occur on a Sunday.

This assurance was given by a member of the Emergency Committee when the committee was asked for an explanation at a meeting of Sutherland County Council, held in the British Legion Club, Golspie, on Friday, as to why A.R.P. personnel did not turn out to a recent Sunday exercise.

In the course of discussion it was pointed out that the exercise referred to was held on a Sunday as a matter of convenience and not as a necessity. If a two days’ exercise was to be held, why, it was asked, was this not arranged for week days.

If these men were wanted and they were at a loss financially through turning out on week days, let them be paid for these services.

Should the necessity arise and the service had to be out on Sunday, the men would be there and they would not let the county down.

BEGINNING on 17th November, the sugar ration will be increased to 12 ounces instead of eight and fats will be increased from eight to ten ounces. Three of these ounces must be cooking fats and not more than seven ounces margarine. The butter ration remains the same.

THE Ardgay W.V.S. National Savings Group, inaugurated on April 1st of this year, has made splendid progress. There are now 45 members, men, women and children including infants. The enrolment steadily goes on and contributions already total £300. It is hoped that the £400 mark may be reached before the end of the year.

The honorary secretaries, Miss Heap, Ardgay, and Miss Anderson, South Bonar, welcome enquiries from intending subscribers. All business is strictly private and confidential.

Ardgay W.V.S. is congratulated on its choice of secretaries for this splendid scheme.

100 YEARS AGO

(October 5, 1916)

SECOND Lieutenant George Alexander Bentinck, Royal Scots, who has been awarded the Military Cross, is a son of the Rev. Charles Bentinck, parish minister of Dornoch.

He has seen a good deal of service during the war. He went to France as a corporal in the Royal Scots and afterwards received a commission in the regiment.

The deeds for which he has been awarded the Military Cross were particularly gallant, one of them being the bringing in of about 24 wounded officers and men under a heavy fire.

The official records states: "Next day he again distinguished himself and was wounded".

Mr Bentinck’s brother is a second-lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlands.

The Hon. Mrs Bingham, who spent part of the summer and autumn in Golspie, visited the Mill House the other day and presented each of the bridge guards with a beautiful edition of "The Happy Warrior".

In the course of an appropriate address Mrs Bingham encouraged the men to be temperate and remarked that she herself was a life-long abstainer.

The books she presented had a foreword by that gallant soldier, the late Field-Marshal Earl Roberts, K.G.

On several occasions Mrs Bingham presented a parcel of books to the men on guard.

On behalf of the men, Sergeant William Ross thanked Mrs Bingham for her kind gifts. From his personal experience of the men, he knew they were of the stamp who would read her books and feel grateful for the kindness show.

Sir – Can you tell me, Mr Editor, how it is that Jamie Ross and Tommy Mackay, Culdrain, were exempted at the last Tribunal?

They were both passed for Home Service and it is awful bad justice to let them off and take the only member of a family. Take the case of Alex. Mackay, Achork. He is the only one in the house to work the croft and he gets no exemption.

Again take John Ross, merchant and crofter. He has himself and wife, his sons, Hugh and Jamie and two grandsons and a granddaughter in the house. Jamie, who is put down as a butcher, gets off. We don’t need a butcher. If he had a spark of a man about him he would never apply to get off from home service.

And what is Tommy Mackay doing in the parish of importance to the nation! We can spare him fine.

If the Recruiting Officer does not run them in at once I will write to the War Office about them. – Yours truly. Tommy at the Front.

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