SINGLE ISSUE

With apologies, the Editor must advise that this Issue will be the only Corncrake to appear during the month of February.
Having overcome the technical difficulties of last Autumn, The Corncrake has raised it's head and uttered it's distinctive call on an increasingly regular fortnightly basis. Alas however, prior commitments on the part of the Editor dictate that he will be dragged, kicking and screaming, from Corncrake Towers and indeed from Colonsay itself, early in the month, only returning as March approaches.
A distressing time for your Editor then, and only the (poor) consolation of a little warm sunshine and the occasional pina colada or three...

THE WINDS OF CHANGE

On the subject of sunshine, it is pleasant to be able to report that the second part of January has brought with it some fine weather. Just when Nigel was showing Don MacLeod his plans for an ark, the rain spluttered to a halt and the wind died to a whisper. People were seen coming out of their houses and just standing there, tickled with the novelty of it all. And, wild and relentless as the weather has been of late, a few days of glorious sunshine, no rain, birds chirping and green shoots appearing, people are beginning to forget just what they have had to endure :

On the day when The Corncrake last went to press, 17th January, the weather was still wild and relentless however, resulting in the cancellation of the ferry, the fourth consecutive week that the island has had to suffer such a fate (would this be a record, does any Reader know?).
The following day, in similarly wild conditions, the island required an emergency helicopter, airlifting young Lewis Nisbet for urgent medical attention (this thankfully was successful and Lewis was able to return, with a relieved Mum, the following day). The down-draught from the helicopter did however achieve what severe gales and a hurricane could not, and give John Olivant's boat a list to starboard (at least, that's what John maintains caused it...) :

Not content with that, the island experienced a further helicopter landing the following day. No medical emergency on this occasion though, the chopper being commissioned by one of the shooting party then on the island, keen to avoid missing a previously booked flight to Miami.
And yes, the literary licence does require to be excused, we didn't "all fall down", only John's boat...

LAST CHANCE SALOON

Well, it's not long now to "The Colonsay Gathering" in Glasgow on the 19th of February, and the good news for you slowcoaches out there is that there are (at time of writing) a limited number of tickets still available. If you stll don't have tickets, you had best phone Christa (01951 200 320) forthwith and without further ado.

Inspired by the huge success of the similar Glasgow get-together in 1999 (wow, SIX years ago already!!), everyone is very much looking forward to meeting family and friends, old and new, on the night. It is believed that the consumption of alcohol will be permitted.

The plan is to assemble at 7.00pm and to eat (what promises to be a delicious four courses with coffee) at 7.30pm, taking the floor to the strains of "Haud Yer Lugs" at approximately 9.00 p.m. Thereafter the evening will undoubtedly take the form of a typical Colonsay ceilidh with all our favourite dances and, hopefully, the odd tune from Colonsay's own talented musicians.

The Colonsay Development Company has negotiated advantageous terms at The Grosvenor Hotel on the nights of Fri. 18th, Sat. 19th, and Sun. 20th so that those wishing to stay over after the party or indeed wishing to make a weekend of it may do so. To access these special rates of £80 single occupancy or £100 twin occupancy in a "superior" room, guests are required to telephone the hotel on 0141 227 4842 and ask for Reservations. They must then quote the reference BRO 180205. This deal ran out on January 25th, but you can always play the daft laddie/lassie. Alternatively, The Ambassador Hotel (2 Stars) at 7 Kelvin Drive (tel. 0141 946 1018) is also offering special rates of £55 single, £74 double and £92 triple.

Should anyone wish to make up their own party or table (seating 8, 10 or 12 persons), please contact Christa as soon as possible. Dress code for the evening will be as formal as you like eg "Kilts and Jerseys".

As well as having a thoroughly good time, it is hoped that the evening will also generate considerable funds. All monies raised will specifically contribute to enable a programme of bracken eradication to get under way in the Spring, allowing easier access to sites of special and historical interest on the island.
There is to be a Super Raffle with fabulous prizes and any contributions or pledges of same will be most gratefully received. Indeed CalMac has come up trumps with the donation of THREE prizes - a book of 6 tickets for a car and two further prizes of books of 6 tickets for passengers. As we are always saying, "Well done, CalMac"!!

For those people who love Colonsay, this event is a must. So, if you can't make it, think of the joy on the face of someone you hold dear when you present them with a ticket (or two) for this unique occasion. Go on, make their year!!

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

The chance to run your own business on a remote Hebridean island such as Colonsay is something that doesn't occur every day of the week. However, at the moment, there are TWO such opportunities on Colonsay, and both of them involving established businesses.

Colonsay General Store is looking for a new managing partner to succeed Donald (Pedie) MacNeill who has run the shop since April 2002.
Whilst the shop has been run successfully as a partnership since Pedie took over from Keith, it is believed that any business proposal will be given appropriate consideration. There may even be assistance available to find housing, should a family wish to move to the island to take up the opportunity.

For information, contact Donald MacNeill on 01951 200 266 (day) or 01951 200 238 or e-mail: colonsay.shop@virgin.net.

The Corncrake is also of the understanding that the Colonsay Hotel will officially be put on the market during the early part of February. The estate agency arm of DM MacKinnon of Oban has been appointed as the Selling Agent and interested parties can obtain full particulars by calling 01631 563014.
It is believed that significant interest has aready been expressed and that a relatively quick sale can therefore be anticipated.

THE COLONSAY BURNS SUPPER 2005

The above photograph illustrates the amount of work, even before the big day itself, that goes in to stage an event such as the annual Burns Supper. The setting out of the tables and chairs and laying of tables comes of course before soup, haggis, tatties, neeps etc are prepared in homes all over the island. Then the fare has to be transported to the Hall, some of it to be heated, some of it to actually be cooked in the Hall kitchen. Then it all requires to be plated, and then it requires more bodies still, to serve the food to the gathered revellers. Then the tables need to be cleared (at least thrice, once after each course). Then the dishes need to be washed. Then the dishes (which of course did not appear magically from nowhere) need to be dried. And so it goes on...

One cannot begin to describe the level of community spirit that is involved, allowing events such as the Burns Supper to take place each year. And of course, everything from meat through to tatties, neeps, bread, soup ingredients and even chocolates are given freely to the cause. What more can one say? (how about THANKS? - Ed.)

The artistry involved in the layout of the Hall was complemented by that shown by those who "volunteered" to give the various addresses. John Clark kicked off proceedings by "piping in" the Haggis, ably carried by Donald MacAllister, allowing Diane to give the first recitation of the evening :

Ross (Mr Haggis) Moodie then delivered The Selkirk Grace, allowing people to make inroads in to the "warm-reekin',rich" feast laid before them. The meal over, John Currie re-commenced proceedings with a learned Immortal Memory, quoting widely from the works of the Bard. Eleanor was the next speaker, and her Toast to "This Land We Live In" included a delightful and insightful self-penned ode. Keith Johnston was next up and in his "Toast To The Lassies", delivered a tongue-in-cheek guide to a long and happy marriage. In her Reply however, Shirley gave a woman's view of things and firmly put him back in his box. The last speaker of the evening turned out to be a singer, Lucy having penned a perceptive song as her "Toast to Absent Friends".

The formal part of the proceedings over, the fun began and a grand time was had by all, as can perhaps be seen from a small selection of photographs from the evening :

       

HALL COMMITTEE NEWS

As a postscript to the Burns Supper, Georgina, in her capacity as Chairperson of the Hall Committee, has contributed the following :

More than £500 was raised for Hall Funds at the Burns Supper because everyone was incredibly generous with their time and with contributions in kind. Trying to list all the names of those who helped is always risky as inevitably someone important is forgotten, so suffice to say that special thanks are due to those who cooked – most notably Ross, but also Netta, Shirley, Christa and May.
Charlie, as ever, made his traditional contribution of the turnips and the Golden Wonder potatoes (nothing but Golden Wonders will do!) and almost all the other ingredients for the feast were also donated, as were the splendid Raffle prizes.
Most notable however was the huge enthusiasm from everyone and the large numbers who turned out both to help set up the Hall and then to tidy and clean afterwards.

The Hall has had quite a busy few weeks since the Hotel closed and will consequentially be facing more substantial heating bills than usual, so the injection of funds is timely.
We have recently purchased a new CD/DVD player (amazon sale) that allows CDs to be played through the big stage speakers – which gives better quality of sound and considerably more volume! In addition, we will now be able to play DVDs through the big TV and are investigating setting up of a “Film Club”.

We have also managed to purchase, with an additional Millennium Commission grant, some gym equipment for use in the Hall by the schoolchildren.
We hope soon to be able to earmark some cash for the purchase of some folding tables and to add some “gentle” lighting to improve the ambience for future candle-lit suppers and would really welcome any other suggestions of improvements.
This seems a good moment to add that, over the holiday period, £560 was collected in the Hall for victims of the Tsunami.

Georgina

(Look out for more from Georgina in forthcoming issues - Ed.)

THE POSTMASTER GENERAL

The Editor feels it is encumbent upon him to report that there have been no sightings of Elvis on the island of late.

There have however been rumours circulating (rumours on Colonsay?? surely not!!), of strange sightings of famous personages of days gone by.
The first sighting reported to The Corncrake was one of Che Guevara, the long-dead South American guerrilla fighter. This was refuted a few days later by another correspondent who insisted that the mystery personage was in actual fact Che Guevara's father. Whoever it was, The Corncrake scented a scoop and determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

A special hide was constructed in the grounds of Corncrake Towers, but days of constant vigil yielded not a single sighting. Then it was reported to the Editor that the "mystery man" was neither Che Guevara nor his father but in fact the late-lamented British comedian, Benny Hill. Further reported sightings of Benny Hill followed, but still your Editor could not get his scoop.
A change of strategy was obviously required and so a visit to the Post Office was planned, Keith covering more miles on the island than most, and therefore (it was reasoned), more likely to have seen the mysterious stranger than most.
Within seconds of entering the Post Office however, the mystery was solved :

Many thanks for the photograph to Mrs A.N. Other, who for some inexplicable reason, wishes her true identity to be withheld.

CALMAC CAMPAIGN

The campaign to prevent the ferry services currently operated by CalMac from going out to open tender continues apace. The Scottish Executive is currently awaiting a reply from the European Commission following the latest requests from MSPs for clarification over whether tendering is in fact strictly necessary. In the meantime, a lobby of the Scottish Parliament has been organised by the STUC (Scottish Trade Union Congress) for 3rd February.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow has stated that "tendering would burden a good-value service with unnecessary expense and fragmentation, and would divert taxpayers' money into private operators' pockets. It threatens the jobs of CalMac workers, half of whom live in the very communities that CalMac serves - and that would undermine island economies. Rather than rushing to embrace this process, the Executive should be looking to find ways to protect CalMac from it, and if necessary, mounting a legal challenge to it."

As part of its campaign, the STUC has produced and distributed nationwide a postcard for people to send to their MSP, expressing their concerns. There does however seem to be something vaguely familiar about the postcard :

Yes, there does - is that not Scalasaig pier in the photograph, with the familiar blue and white of Charlie McKinnon's bus? Indeed it is!
Hold on, that's LOTI, which has so very recently been covering the Oban-Colonsay route for the pier-shaped MV Isle of Mull...
This photograph seems exceedingly familiar, and indeed, the eagle-eyed amongst you will by now have observed that this is in fact a Corncrake photograph, and one that appeared as recently as our last Issue!

This has brought great excitement to Corncrake Towers, and not just at the prospect of one of these Oscar-type national (or even international?) awards for photography in journalism. No,the topic which most exercises the exhilarated Editorial staff concerns how best to utilise the Royalties cheque(s) which should arrive any day now. The current favourite is a new fleet of staff reporter vehicles, the starter motor on the current fleet giving no end of problems. Nor can The Corncrake continue to rely on the generosity of Keith Rutherford for ever for provision of temporary replacements :

Ah yes, Life can indeed be a strange Mistress ; only the other day, prior to the Royalties windfall, a meeting in Corncrake Towers had taken the decision that a visit to Archie McConnell was needed, to acquire one of his trusty two-wheeled terror machines, an idea, funnily enough, first suggested by a local Painter and Decorator. And now? Mmmmm... smell those lovely Royalty cheques...

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

The island communities of Scotland recorded the country’s highest birthrates last year, easily exceeding those in inner-city areas, according to figures just released.
There were 251 babies born in Shetland - a general fertility rate (GFR) of 61.4 per 1,000 women of child-bearing age. In the Western Isles, 255 infants were born, giving a GFR of 57.3 per 1,000.
The big cities recorded particularly low GFRs, with Edinburgh (4,577 births) the lowest at 42.2 per 1,000; Aberdeen (2,003 births) at 43.1 and Glasgow (6,573 births) at 47. These compare with a GFR of 55 for the UK as a whole.

Meanwhile, the Western Isles took Shetland’s GFR of 61.4 as a target to which to aspire, a health board spokesman stating : "A few more dark evenings and a hard winter should mean we will beat Shetland next year."

That may be so, but if we take the two babies (Seamus and Eilidh) born last year to current Colonsay residents, the island would have a GFR of something in the region of 150!! Nor is this a one-off ; the island's GFR for the previous year was also c.150, with the birth of Emma and Ewan.

And as for another staggeringly high Colonsay GFR for 2005, we can only speculate as to how people have been passing their time sheltering from the recent wind and rain...

FLIGHT OF FANCY

The Scottish Executive is expected to make an announcement within the next few weeks concerning funding for the proposed new Argyll Air Service.
The plan, as currently outlined, would put together a scheduled air service from Glasgow to Oban, and then onwards to Coll, Tiree and Colonsay. Agreement from Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to take over the running of Oban Airport is also currently awaited.

It is believed that it will cost in the region of £1 million per annum to run the new hub airport at Oban. Capital funding of £4.8 million towards airstrip upgrades has already been secured from Argyll & Bute Council, Oban Common Good Fund, Argyll & the Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund through the Highlands and Islands Special Transition Programme.
It is anticipated, funding allowing, that the new service would commence during 2006. One of the plan's stated objectives is that of helping to prevent further depopulation of the islands.

LOOK BACK AGAIN

As regular Readers of these columns can testify, the "simple" idea of publishing a few old photographs has generated inordinate debate, whether it be about the identities of those pictured or the year in which the photograph was actually taken.
In Issue 108, we were at last able to move on (who said thankfully?) from Sandy Wilson's 1963 photograph of sheep being herded to the pier. Now, fresh information has come forward allowing us to tie up loose ends surrounding two other photographs which have appeared in our "Look Back in Album" feature.
Readers will recall the photograph of a few Issues back, one supplied by Angus McFadyen, of a Sunday School Prize-giving in the 1960s :

The Corncrake is in receipt of a letter from Isabel Summers who has been able to advise that the photograph was actually taken in 1966 and not 1967 as previously thought. More interestingly, Isabel is also able to identify the "mystery girl" on the left of the back row. The girl is in fact Caroline Howard, and Isabel should know, as she drove Caroline, Alex and her own daughter, Jacqui, to the prize-giving ceremony. So, at long last, a name has been put to every face in the photograph.

Incidently, Isabel's letter, which contains recollections of Colonsay days long past, and which makes fascinating reading, has been placed within the Magazine section of this Issue.

Turning then to another featured photograph, the one also taken by Sandy Wilson of the old Colonsay ferry, further information has also come to hand. In this instance the information comes from Sandy himself, who has just returned from Tunisia visiting his daughter.
Firstly, Sandy has been able to confirm that the photograph was definitely taken in 1963 or 1964 and not 1961 as speculated in Issue 108. This in turn raises the question of who, if it is not Nanny Ruth with three young members of the Howard family, is actually standing on the slip :

Sandy himself provides us with the answer, or at least part of it, as the lady in white on the slip is none other than Sandy's wife, Margaret, holding their youngest daughter, Carole. The little girl in blue standing nearby is Sandy and Margaret's other daughter, Barbara, who actually began her schooling on the island.
The Corncrake has also heard from Frank Nicholson's youngest daughter Karen (see Letters section), who has been able to identify the man in the ferry in the pale blue as being her grandfather, Sandy McAllister.
Thanks to all who have helped to put names to all these faces from the past.
And so we move forward to new old photographs...

LOOK BACK IN ALBUM

Thanks are also the order of the day to all who came forward to assist in naming those pictured outside Bath Abbey in 1954 :

The photograph, passed to The Corncrake by Netta, is of a group of islanders who travelled for the Laird's wedding in Bath in 1954. Netta has also been able to provide a definitive list of names of all those pictured, so relief from your memory misery is at hand :

Left to Right : Bus driver (face in background), Charlie Titterton, Morag Titterton, Mary Campbell, Sandy MacAllister, Peter MacAllister, Jasper Brown, Hessie MacAllister(half hidden), Effie Clark, Calum Coll MacAllister, Mary Ogilvie, Neillie McNeill, Calvert Clark(half hidden), Jimmy Ogilvie(standing behind AS, only his ear is visible), AS McNeill, Flora McNeill, Davy Clark, Hugh Brown, Louise Mitchell, Duncan Mitchell, Jenny Findlay, Tommy Findlay.


For the next photograph in our series, The Corncrake is indebted to a Mrs Titterton, a veritable fund of suitable material for getting the old memory banks going ten to the dozen :

All the Corncrake needs to know is the names of all participants, the year and where the photograph was taken. Easy isn't it?


To make things a little harder, and to keep you, our dear Reader, busy during the Editor's enforced absence, a second "Look Back in Album" photograph is included in this bumper February Issue.

On this occasion, we are indebted to Ivor Brown for this little number, which may, or may not, include parents of children featured in the above photograph. Certainly, a young Ivor is in there. Can you spot him? :

This is a photograph of the 42 pupils (yes, 42!) of Kilchattan Primary School and your only clue is that the year is 1949. Enjoy!

Further old photographs are needed if we are to keep this feature going, so if you can help, please e.mail or post at an early date. Or why not call in with them to Corncrake Towers - the editorial staff are very handy with a pot of tea, and indeed with other liquid refreshments. All original photographs will be returned almost immediately, and in pristine condition.

SNIPPETS

As many Readers are only too well aware, the island has been without a resident Nurse for almost 15 months. As the Health authorities dragged their heels on the issue, a Colonsay Action Group was formed (many Readers may have signed the petition) and The Corncrake is delighted to be able to report that at last an appointment has been made. Linda Butcher, who moved to the island last year, has been offered, and has accepted, the position. Indeed, Linda's first day in post was yesterday, 31st January. She will however not be immediately active in her new role, as she had to take the ferry to the mainland on her first day to begin a one month course to prepare her for her future work on the island. Congratulations Linda, and good luck!

Having featured in the recent BBC2 documentary "A Wild Day in Spring" and in the Eorpa programme of a few weeks ago on the "Arandora Star" tragedy, Colonsay may appear on our television screens yet again in the near future. Peter Watt, a reporter with the BBC "Reporting Scotland" news programme, is on the island at the moment. He is seeking to meet with islanders in the village Hall tonight, 1st February, to conduct "interviews" on the subject of the concerns of island living. So, if you are an island resident, get yourself along to the Hall so that we can all see you "on the telly". Perhaps Andy Warhol was right...

The competition on the island to raise the funds to enter Angus MacPhee in the McDuffie DNA Surname Project has raised a bit of a laugh as well as the necessary cash. All that remains now is for the clock to be locked in the CalMac safe at the pier and when it is removed 24 hours later, the identity of the winner will be known. Readers not resident on the island should log on to The Corncrake for our next Issue on 1st March to discover the name of the lucky winner, See excitement? See The Corncrake!

Finally, snippets-wise, Lucy has announced that she is to begin running Drawing Classes in the Hall. All are welcome to attend, and classes begin on the evening of Friday 4th February.

CAPTION COMPETITION

The caption photograph from Issue 108, of two likely lads, acted like a magnet to those Readers with a witty (or should that be wicked?) mind, and drew a record number of entries. The standard was chortlingly high, and one of the entries could have won the competition but unfortunately, was unprintable in this august journal.
Honorable mentions on this occasion must go to Netta, Keir Johnston, David Johnston and Fiona and Elaine Graham, but the winner, with a touch of topicality, is Angus McFadyen with the following :

In turn, Angus duly forwarded a photograph for this Issue's competition. It would appear to be of young Donald MacAllister (who can forget Dèabhadh Donnie?), up to even more high jinks :

Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : A.N.Other, The Corncrake Caption Competition (Issue 109), c/o The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Isle of Colonsay PA61 7YW.

WHAT'S ON IN COLONSAY

Please note that there is also a Notice Board on the Homepage; anyone wishing to publicise any event or attraction is invited to send details to the Editor.

TOPICAL LETTERS

Instructions are supplied, but two hints may help:
1. When using phrases, enclose them in quotation marks. For example, [lifting stone] will get you every instance of [lifting] or [stone] but ["lifting stone"] will get you what you want.
2. When you see the results, they may seem unlikely. This is because many documents (e.g. each issue of The Corncrake) are in reality just one single "page", covering many unrelated topics. No problem! Open the page, then go to the "Find (on this page)" option at the top of your screen, on a drop-down menu presented by the second button from the left. Type in the word you seek and hey-presto, it is highlighted for you. Note that you must give the page time to load (an issue of The Corncrake takes up to a minute), also that there may be more than one example on the page, so use the "Find (on this page)" function again to check that you have not missed anything.

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE 1960s

The following letter received by The Corncrake from Isabel Summers provides an interesting reminder, amongst other things, of days before CalMac RO/RO ferries :

I have just come "on line" and logged on to the Colonsay website.. ... what a surprise to see my own name there as the possible "unknown girl" in the photograph of the Colonsay Sunday School presentation of prizes, 1966!
I am Isabel Summers and, with husband Ian and daughter, Jacqui (in the photo) we arrived on Colonsay in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms the islands have ever known in February 1963. We came from Neist Point Lighthouse on the westmost point of Skye, to take up the positions of Cook/Housekeeper and Handyman Driver/Boatman, and the journey from Skye to Colonsay took four long, arduous days.
First was the journey to Gourock, via taxi, bus, ferry and train, then next morning on to the ferry bound for Tarbert. Because of the severe weather, the ferry terminated at Rothesay, where we stayed for two nights, then back on board bound for Tarbert. At Tarbert, the snow was so deep that neither cars nor buses were running, but we confirmed that the Locheil was waiting for passengers at West Loch Tarbert and set off walking, carrying 14 month old Jacqui, two suitcases and accompanied by our spaniel who we had to help through the snow.

We arrived on the Locheil as the only passengers and were very grateful for the ministrations of the stewardess who dried our clothes and made us comfortable. But then, out in the Minch, the weather worsened again and the Locheil had to stop at Port Askaig. We stayed with the Harbourmaster and his wife and the next afternoon again boarded the Locheil, hopefully to complete our journey to Colonsay. Boarding the wee ferry-boat in the middle of a west coast gale was an experience not to be forgotten, but we landed safely on Colonsay, with 'gentleman' Jimmy Ogilvy (whose job Ian was to take over) in the Landrover and the factor, David Porteous to welcome us and what seemed the whole of the Colonsay population to have a look at the new arrivals!

After the horrendous journey, what a pleasure and relief to arrive at Colonsay House! There was a welcoming party of Maggie McAllister, who I was replacing, Dorothy McArthur, Sheila McArthur and Mary McAllister. The girls fussed over Jacqui and we were only too pleased to hand her over to them, exhausted as we were after our eventful journey. Colonsay House kitchen was the most wonderfully warm and welcoming place ever, thanks to those mentioned above - and the AGA!

Our little flat above the back entrance to the courtyard was not quite ready for occupation and we were given Balnahard and Pigs Paradise (the dressing room) temporarily. The linen sheets were freezing, we remember.. ... but it was so good to know that we had reached our destination. Next morning dawned; the sun shone and looking from the window of Balnahard, over the pink-tinged snow- covered lawn to the greenery of the azaleas and rhododendrons, it seemed to both of us, after the barrenness of Skye, that we had landed in heaven!

So began our sojourn on Colonsay. Paul, our son, was born in our flat at Colonsay House on the 2nd of July 1965, delivered with the help of the ever- patient and good old Dr. MacKinnon. Paul says he intends to celebrate his 40th on Kiloran Bay this year. He and his wife, Morven, were married on Colonsay - and now have three sons and the highlight of every year is a holiday on the island. The boys spend most of their time on Kiloran Bay, which was also where their Dad took his first steps at 11 months old.

We reluctantly left Colonsay at the end of June 1967, bound for Aberdeen where Ian had a job awaiting him. The job as Cook/Housekeeper had become too much for me, with two young children; added to which neither of us wanted to part with them to Oban High School. For the islanders, children going off to secondary school at 11 or 12 years old was just the norm, but for us it was something we could not contemplate.

After a few years with an oil-related company, Ian was asked to go to Brunei, Borneo, and we spent a very interesting - and culturally educational - few years there; and now, in our retirement years, we took the plunge and left Aberdeen to come to Blairgowrie in Perthshire, where we have a small guest house and have settled well into the country lifestyle. I have also fulfilled a long-held ambition, which is to own my own AGA - traditionally cream coloured, as in Colonsay House, but this one thankfully runs on mains gas instead of needing to be fed morning and night with anthracite, the hods of which kept my arm muscles well toned!
We have many happy memories of our years on Colonsay, some of the best and most carefree of our lives. Ian and I have returned a number of times, once staying in Seal Cottage on Oronsay, and last year with Paul and Morven and the boys, and our younger daughter, husband and two children. Forty years have seen many changes.

The "unknown girl" in the photograph is, in fact, Caroline Howard. Standing in front of her is our daughter, Jacqui, with Alexander Howard further along in the front row. The photograph was taken in 1966, the year before we left Colonsay, and I remember it well as I drove the 3 children in the landrover (without the benefit of a driving licence, I might add!) to the prizegiving at the church.

I enclose another photograph, taken in 1964 on the lawn in front of the kitchen window of Colonsay House :

It's difficult to believe that more than 40 years have passed and hope that it will arouse some happy memories of happy days, before the advent of television in all the island homes, when wonderful ceilidhs were held in the old Hall.

Back row: Ena Williams, Nanny Ruth, Lee McKenzie, Mary McAllister.
Front row: Anne Hockham, Sheila McArthur; and myself.

(Lee McKenzie worked as a Housemaid; she came from Drumnadrochit and was the daughter of a friend of the factor, Mr. Porteous. Anne Hockham came from London with one of the visiting families to help with their children).
We have (somewhere) another photograph of this era portraying the annual Darts Match in the Hotel bar - with Barry and Audrey Davidson, owners of the Hotel at that time, Jean and Bill Alexander, Ivor Brown, Dougie McGillvray and some others - will look it out for your "Days gone by" spot. By coincidence, Jean and Bill Alexander (Bill was the Gamekeeper) now have a hotel here on the outskirts of Blairgowrie.

ISABEL SUMMERS
Avon Villa
114 Perth Road
Blairgowrie.

(Should any Reader be seeking accommodation in Blairgowrie, please note that the e.mail address for Isabel's guest house is : www.avonvilla.co.uk - Ed.)

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