Avid Readers may recall that your Editor was dragged, kicking and screaming, from his beloved isle early in the month of February. It must therefore be reported, that such was the good time enjoyed by him whilst he was away, that he had to be dragged back, kicking and screaming...
A few days rehabiliation however, and some long walks in gloriously bright, almost warm, Spring-like sunshine, and Colonsay's enchanting spell was upon him again.
His absence for the greater part of the month however means that this Issue of The Corncrake required to be assembled with virtually no knowledge of island goings-on during the month and a strong reliance on the "make-it-up-as-you-go-along" school of reporting. Nothing much new there then...
Your Editor therefore missed the Colonsay social event of the year, and is therefore indebted to Christa for her provision of the following account of events (make it up or borrow it, has this Editor no shame?) :
"The Colonsay Gathering 2005 was held in the Grosvenor Hotel in Glasgow on Saturday February 19th. Some 131 souls assembled and enjoyed a delicious meal and a wonderful night's dancing to "Haud yer Lugs", a popular Glasgow ceilidh band who played for all Colonsay's dances - Strip the Willow, Boston two-step, Palais Glide, Circassian Circle, Highland Scottische and many more.
Folk mingled and chatted, delighted to meet up with relatives and friends, and eager to make acquaintance of new faces who had come along to experience a real Colonsay party. Alasdair Scouller said the Grace, Niall Brown toasted the island and Duncan MacDougall replied. Angus MacPhee and Isobel kindly helped with the raffle, which generated huge excitement. Our sponsors were more than generous with their support - prizes ranged from a midge-eradication machine for the patio, courtesy of George Brolly, to a Cloutie Dumpling from Jessie Machrins. Bibendum Wines, Colonsay Estate, Colonsay Lodges, Caledonian MacBrayne, the Bookshop, Keith Rutherford, The Pantry, Andrew Abrahams, Bill Lawson, Eastfield Construction Co, Rhona Grant and many others contributed truly magnificent goodies and the assembled company dug deep into their pockets when Michaella Reid and her friend approached them with tickets. Overall, the raffle raised the staggering sum of £1,020.
Pede McNeill auctioned 1 dozen of Walter's fine eggs and, after frantic bidding, they went to Thomas Brolly for the sum of £33.00. Angus MacFadyen and Donald MacAllister supervised the "roll the coin at the bottle" slot for a bottle of Islay Malt courtesy of Charlie McKinnon, raising a total of £118.00.
All were delighted to be entertained on the guitar and fiddle by Pede and Jen MacNeill with Niall Brown, whilst Steven and Michaella Reid left the party gasping at their virtuosity on the dance floor!
The dancing was reluctantly wrapped-up just after 1.00 a.m. and it is rumoured that some of the "young" went off partying in and around the town. Others were still to be found carousing in the bar, enjoying the craic and singing along until well after 4.00 a.m.
Everybody says it was a terrific night - the Development Company are very grateful for everybody's support - those who travelled great distances to be there (e.g. Richard Friary, especially over from America), those who sent donations and good wishes, the donors of the raffle prizes, our entertainers and of course, the hotel and band, who did us proud.
Many people helped in the background - notably George Brolly, Michaella and her friend, and Kevin (who was very generous with his secretarial services). In total, the night raised more than £2,200 for Community funds. The Development Company's plans for a bracken eradication project are on hold at present, but the funds are firmly earmarked for environmentally based projects.
It has been decided that the event should be repeated in February 2007 - date to be firmed up shortly - so clear your diary!"
FOOTNOTE :
Many Readers have contacted The Corncrake to express through our pages a huge "thank-you" to Christa for the massive time and effort she has expended to ensure, not only the success of the venture, but also the fun and enjoyment it generated for all who attended. So, from all of them, "well done Christa!!"
Oh, and Kevin has also provided The Corncrake with some photographic evidence of the festivities :
FERRY UNION TO BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION
After a Winter characterised by a high number of cancelled ferries, comes news of further possible disruption to our lifeline ferry service.
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed that the RMT Union
has informed the Company of its intention to ballot its members for strike
action and other, lesser, industrial action.
Union leaders threatened strike action after accusing ministers of pressing ahead
with plans to tender the Gourock Dunoon ferry service without
consultation, despite MSPs voting against the process last year. The RMT is concerned
that there have been no assurances about what will happen to their
members if a new operator comes in on the route.
CalMac has already written to all of its staff assuring them that their
terms and conditions will not be diminished in any way as the Company
prepares to launch its bid for lifeline ferry services on the Clyde
and in the Hebrides.
Transport Minister, Nicol Stephen, has made assurances
that no other CalMac routes will be put out to tender until further
discussions with the European Commission have taken place. The question does remain however as to why plans were made to tender the Gourock - Dunoon service without consultation, leading to the current threat of possible disruption.
On the subject of trade unions, The Corncrake has received a letter from Bill Speirs, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). This follows the STUC's usage of a Corncrake photograph in their recent highly publicised campaign against the prospect of lifeline ferry services having to be put out to tender.
Readers may recall that Corncrake Towers was agog with excitement at the prospect of fat royalty cheques, for the usage of the photograph, dropping through the letterbox .
Alas, it is not to be. The following is an extract from Mr Speirs' letter ( see the Topical Letters section for the letter in its entirety) :
"Firstly, can I say that on my recent visit to Colonsay I was enchanted by the scenery and warmed by the generosity and welcome given to my wife and I.
Turning to the issue of royalties. Hands up, we did use your photograph. But we did not do so for commercial gain. In fact the production of the leaflet was quite expensive. We hope that the only beneficiaries of the campaign will be the people living in remote and fragile communities.
So, perhaps you would be willing to accept an inscribed STUC quaich and a little something to go into it by way of compensation. I look forward to presenting it to you on my next visit to your beautiful island."
Ach well, back to reality. At least there is the prospect of a little liquid refreshment to lift your Editor's spirits (just hope that that's a full 40 ouncer in that photograph).
And there is good news too - the Editor returned to the island to discover that the Corncrake vehicle fleet had been restored to operational condition in his absence. Well done Graham McWhirter ( I suppose I'll have to give him a bottle of whisky...).
As anticipated in our last Issue, Colonsay did in fact feature on national television for the third time in as many months when the island featured in a "Reporting Scotland" slot during the month of February. A number of islanders graced our screens, including one obviously seeking anonymity, using the nom-de-plume "De Byrne", but that beard was a bit of a give away.
Some of the footage was shot in the village Hall at an open forum held on the 1st of February :
It was at this very meeting that our very own inimitable Mr Davy Sutherland referred to the current closure of the island hostelry as feeling "like a death in the family". This heartfelt poetic gem did however not get broadcast to the nation, leaving one to wonder as to exactly what criteria these professional reporters use, that they can completely fail to recognise a natural star in their midst.
Dyke spotting seems to have become something of a pastime on the island of late.
Regular Readers may recall that Issue 104 carried a photograph of a drystone wall, newly constructed by Pat Gillespie, shielding our eyes from the newly installed diesel tank across from the island Stores.
Now Sid Bowman is reminding us of his own considerable dyking skills, the curved structure below appearing between Smiddy Cottage and the drive up to Maggie Thomson's :
That may be the end of the dyke in the above photograph, but Sid's dyking skills certainly don't end there. The owner of Smiddy Cottage, Gill Graham-Stewart, has given Sid the opportunity to show what else he can do. Gill has decided to dispense with the culvert which carried the burn under her driveway, but which got blocked and/or flooded on an annoyingly frequent basis. She has instead opened up the burn to daylight and our view, and Sid has had the task of building retaining walls to channel the flow of the burn across the driveway :
Much further work has been done since the above photographs were taken at the beginning of February, including the building of a small footbridge. Lucky Readers will have the opportunity of seeing the finished article in a future Issue.
Rod Macduff, Coordinator of the McDuffie DNA Project, has been in touch with The Corncrake to advise that their website has recently been updated.
There are now 15 project participants and representation
from
the different "home" areas of McPhees and McDuffies is beginning to be seen. The Genealogy
section of the website
has also been updated and includes Genealogies for those who have
declared
an interest in joining the project as well as those who have already joined.
The website makes for some very interesting reading and summarises the questions that the results to date can begin to provide answers to :
ARE McDUFFIES OF CELTIC OR NORSE ORIGIN?
The answer is quite clear, of the 7 separate bloodlines, 6 are R1b Haplotype, which in layman's terms means Celtic origin. They would originally have come over from Ireland to Scotland between 1000 and 1500 years ago and prior to the last Ice Age would have originated in the Basque area of Spain. The remaining McDuff or McDuffe is of R1a Haplotype which means Norse Origin. They would have come from Northern Scandinavia around 1200 years ago. As the glacial ice sheet receded, they moved up from what is now Turkey into Scandinavia.
HOW MANY SEPARATE BLOODLINES ARE THERE?
Seven so far.
DO McAFEES AND McPHEES SHOW A COMMON ANCESTOR?
The results to date now provide one example of a McAfee who has a common ancestor with a McPhee group more than 1000 years ago.
DO McPHEES FROM AROUND THE WORLD SHOW A COMMON ANCESTRY IN ARGYLL?
Yes, although there is of course very little data to date.
Full details of the Project, as well as of the results to date, can be found at : http://www.mcduffiedna.com - and an interesting read it makes too.
Staying on the McDuffie DNA Project theme for a moment, Issue 109 broke the news that our very own, and last remaining MacPhee, Angus of that ilk, had placed his head above the parapet and agreed to join the Project.
A cunning plan was then devised by the community to raise the requisite cash for his participation. The Corncrake can now reveal that, on the duly designated date, a clock (one of Netta's finest) was placed inside a receptacle and placed within the safe of the Piermaster's office. Having then allowed a suitable length of time for the clock to wind down, the receptacle was removed from the safe and transported under armed guard to the Island Stores
where Mr MacNeill, proprietor thereof and a citizen above reproach, performed the onerous ceremony of removing the wound-down clock from said receptacle.
Mr MacNeill then meticulously noted the time at which the clock had stopped and announced that the person closest to guessing the actual moment that the timepiece had ceased to operate, and therefore the winner of the grand sum of 64 Pounds Sterling, was none other than Mr Davie McConnell.
The Corncrake can further report that the DNA testing kit is in fact now on the island and will be administered on the aforementioned Mr MacPhee under strict laboratory conditions by our resident General Practitioner, Dr John Currie.
The Corncrake is proud to announce that, sparing no expense, it has secured exclusive rights to the results of the test and accordingly these will be reported in a forthcoming Issue. Readers are asked to exercise patience at this time.
GAELIC MEDIA SERVICE REJECTS TV PROPOSALS
The Gaelic Media Service (GMS) has rejected a plan by the Scottish Media Group (SMG) to establish an embryonic Gaelic television channel until the shape and funding of a dedicated Gaelic television service becomes clearer.
SMG had offered to transmit a weekly post-midnight two-hour block of Gaelic programmes that would initially be broadcast simultaneously on analogue and digital platforms but would cease to be transmitted on analogue once a fully-fledged digital channel is in operation. SMG had also asked Ofcom to relieve them of their obligation to broadcast programmes funded by the Gaelic Media Service during peak viewing periods.
GMS chairman Neil Fraser said: "We appreciate SMG's support for the establishment of a Gaelic channel. Their proposal adds emphasis to the need for one, but we are not prepared to abandon our current policy not to fund programmes that are broadcast after midnight. To do so would not be in the interest of the Gaelic audience. Our research shows that their greatest frustration with the current system is the transmission of Gaelic programmes at inconvenient viewing times."
Mr Fraser conceded that commercial pressures in a multi-channel environment make it more difficult nowadays for SMG to maintain the Gaelic presence, but added : "The prime objective of GMS is the early establishment of a Gaelic television channel with daily programming. Until we have greater assurance of the funding, structure and stakeholder commitment that will make such a channel sustainable, we are not in a position to pre-empt the ultimate solution that we are seeking, namely an adequately resourced service that will bring a new and welcome dimension to Gaelic broadcasting."
And yes, it is unfortunate that the initials of the two organisations concerned are so similar. It has however been found that biting one's tongue and re-reading the article several times can achieve the desired result.
Your Editor has been under intense pressure for some time from the Gaelic lobby on the island (her first name might be Seonaid, but she has also been known to answer to Jessie), for regular Corncrake articles written in the language of The Garden of Eden. The thought of no more of the world's most delicious panscones and clootie dumpling is quite a sobering thought, and so, with the assistance of an anonymous benefactor,
here follows a wee story (completely true of course) set on the Isle of Colonsay.
For those Readers not familiar with God's own native tongue, the story of course concerns the island's native species of Kangaroo, so it's worth digging out that Gaelic dictionary and trying to follow the story :
"O chionn ghoirid, bha mi ann an Colbhasa agus bha mi a'coiseachd ri taobh Tràigh An Tobar Fhuair nuair a chunnaic mi plean a'laighe air an raon-laighe. Ann an greiseag, faisg air Rubha Aird Alanais, chunnaic mi dà dhuine a'tighinn, aon duine le camara thelebhisean. Thuirt a'chiad duine :
ESAN - Gabh mo leisgeul, am faca tu cangaruaichean air Colbhasa an t-seachdain sa chaidh?
MISE - Chunnaic.
ESAN - Cuine a chunnaic thu iad?
MISE - Tha mi a'smaoineachadh gun robh e oidhche-shathairne.
ESAN - Innis dhomh tuilleadh.
MISE - 'Se oidhche bhrèagha a bh'ann, bha na reultan a-mach agus bha a'ghealach a'deàrrsadh. Cha robh e sgòthach idir. Bha e uabhasach ciùin agus bha mi a'faireachdainn sgoinneil.
ESAN - Dè an uair a bha e?
MISE - Tha mi a'smaoineachadh gun robh e gu bhith dà uair dheug.
ESAN - Co mheud changaruaichean am faca tu?
MISE - Chunnaic me aon, an toiseach. Ach a dh'aithghearr, chunnaic mi fear eile. An dèidh sin, chunnaic mi tòrr......'s dòcha gun robh còrr is fichead.
ESAN - Caìte an robh thu nuair a chunnaic thu iad?
MISE - Bha mi anns a'bhàr. Chan òl mi uisge beatha agus Fosters le chèile a-rithist!"
If you would like to see regular Corncrake articles in the Gaelic, write today to "Banais am Beurla" (sounds OK??), Corncrake Towers, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll.
With a whole month between issues, Readers may recall that The Corncrake published not one, but two, photographs last Issue, to help occupy Readers as they whittled away their time, waiting patiently for Issue 110.
The first photograph, courtesy of Netta, was a school photo of 1960 :
Interestingly, The Corncrake has received a letter (see Topical Letters section) from the very person who took the photograph, Ivor Jones. Ivor also made a very good stab at identifying those present, and the current consensus of opinion as to their identities is as follows :
Back row : Morag Titterton (who was of course a McAllister, being Calum Coll's sister), Chrissie Darroch, Jean McGilvray, Flora Anne MacDonald, Mary McAllister (Keith's wife-to-be), Kate (Garvard) MacNeill, Elsa Jones (the teacher).
Next row : Hughie MacConnell, Davie MacConnell, Henry and Calum Galbraith (the twins), Donald (Pedie) MacNeill (currently starring in the role of island shopkeeper).
Next row : Niall Brown and Margaret MacDonald.
Front row : Unsure, Lily MacArthur, Mary Galbraith, Dondie McFadyen, Iain Kelly.
With regard to the boy to the left of the front row, there have been a number of suggestions as to his identity. Could it in fact be Calum Satchell, a cousin of Ivor Brown?
Talking of Ivor Brown, it was that very man himself who provided us with the second photograph in Issue 109, another school photo, this time the year being 1949 :
This time, although an older photograph, there has been no difficulty in putting names to all the faces. Read on, and put yourself out of your misery! :
Back row : Eleanor Ogilvie, Alasdair Darroch, Etta Brown, Cathy MacConnell, Angus Clark, Margaret MacIntyre, Isbeal McGilvray, John Brown (liked your ships!) and last, but by no means least, Jessie (Machrins) McNeill.
Next Row : Helen MacDonald (half hidden), John MacIntyre, Annie McDougall, Kenneth McAllister, Peggy Brown, Bobby Sandford, Archie MacConnell, Duncan Darroch, Fanny MacArthur, Bobby Meehan, Netta Ogilvie, Johnny Darroch, Dorothy MacArthur.
Sitting : Roberta Brown, Roddy MacLeod, Mary McNeill, Alasdair "Annie", Fiona MacArthur, Donald MacArthur, Chrissie Darroch.
Kneeling : Sheila MacArthur, Mary McDougall, Ivor Brown, Margaret Findlay, Flora-Ann MacDonald, Andrina Sandford.
So there you have it. All accounted for and time to move on to our next new old photograph.
Again, we are indebted to Netta for raiding her considerable photographic archive to provide us with the following :
Who can identify those needing a wee rest from their labours? And what perchance might be the name of the dog? And finally, where on Colonsay is the photograph taken? Don't be fooled by the lush greenery in the background...
And as a wee bonus this Issue, can anyone identify this cute wee lassie and her location? Have fun!! :
The Colonsay Hotel is now officially on the market and there appears to be considerable solid interest. At time of writing, a number of people heve viewed the property and further prospective purchasers are expected off the next ferry, raising everyone's hopes of a relatively swift sale and the prospect of the Hotel being open for business for the coming season. Contingency plans are however being formulated to ensure that visitors are able to relax with a glass or two in convivial circumstances. The plans currently being discussed will also ensure that visitors have a bit of fun in the process! Watch this space...
Talking of plans, it is beginning to look like the idea of a bicentennial sail to Prince Edward Island, re-enacting the 1806 crossing to PEI of The Spencer, will come to nought. It would appear that the vessel previously earmarked for the journey is no longer available and there is great difficulty in sourcing a suitable replacement. So, if any Reader has any bright ideas, please get in touch ASAP.
Congratulations are the order of the day for young Donald MacAllister who has sailed through his exams and is now a fully qualified electrician. From the recent photographs of Donald in the Corncrake, it was obvious that he was someone capable of scaling great heights. With the local hostelry closed, it is believed that Donald celebrated his success in Glasgow, with asssistance from a number of people with Colonsay connections.
After a number of years as Colonsay's Church of Scotland minister, Freda Marshall has announced her early retirement on health grounds. A soiree is planned for the manse this very evening (Tuesday March 1st) to give islanders the opportunity to thank Freda personally for her much appreciated contribution to life on the island over many years.
And finally, Liz McNicholl has returned from her month-long visit to her sister in Australia. Her main souvenir of the trip is however a broken foot, sustained during only the second week of her trip. It is reported that husband Mike looks as pretty as a picture in his Nurse's uniform...
The month of February was a quiet one in terms of entries, so get cracking for March!!
Don't let the possible introduction of a sponsored prize of the amber nectar be your only motivation - do it for the honour!
Fewer entries or not, we have a worthy winner this month in Calum Scouller, who submitted the following to accompany a photograph of that high-flier, young Donald MacAllister (our most popular choice to date as a sucker, sorry, subject, for the caption competition) :
Unfortunately, there was insufficient time between the return of your Editor to these shores and this Issue's publication date for Calum to submit a photograph of his own to be the centrepiece of our next competition. A raid of the Corncrake photographic archive yielded nothing suitable and we are therefore grateful to Caitlin Johnston for providing the following photograph at the last possible moment. Make of it what you will, but get your entry in early! :
Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : A.N.Other, The Corncrake Caption Competition (Issue 110), c/o The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Isle of Colonsay PA61 7YW.
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.
THE ISLAND HALL:
Whilst the Hotel and bar remain closed, the following activities have been organised for the Hall:
BADMINTON - every Tuesday and Thursday c.5pm.
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES - Thursday evenings c.7.30pm.
QUIZ NIGHT - Thursday evenings c.9pm.
DRAWING CLASSES - Friday evenings c7.30pm.
SATURDAY NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA! - 8pm to Midnight : Craic, Darts, Dominoes, Cribbage, Scrabble - You name it, it's all here!
THE ISLAND HALL is also available for rent: Ceilidhean, dances etc. £50; private parties £75; weddings £100.
THE PANTRY:
The following times apply currently:
Monday,Wednesday and Friday - 10am to 2.30pm
Saturdays only - 10am to 3.30pm
Friday night is carry-out night - 5pm to 6pm
THE ISLAND STORES:
Opening hours currently :
Monday,Wednesday and Friday 9am - 12.45pm; 2pm - 5.30pm
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9am - 1pm
Sunday - Housebuilding, hopefully.
LOBSTER and CRAB: Freshly caught, telephone Bill Lawson 01951 200315.
CHURCH SERVICES: The Church of Scotland and the Baptist Church on the island work closely together and frequently hold joint services - please see notice at the Shop for details of venue and times. All are welcome and our visitors are cordially invited to join the island congregation.
For the convenience of our Readers, letters addressed to The Corncrake appear in two sections. Anything to do with current events appears here, and any letters concerned with historical research etc. appear under "Genealogical Letters" at the start of the REGULARS section of The Corncrake.
Dear Editor,
Corncrake Issue No 109 - CALMAC CAMPAIGN
Firstly, can I say that on my recent visit to Colonsay I was enchanted by the scenery and warmed by the generosity and welcome given to my wife and I.
I would like to thank you for bringing the campaign to the attention of your readers. The lobby of the Scottish parliament on the 3rd of February was very successful, attracting 25 MSPs, dozens of supporters and extensive media coverage. There were also many people who rely on CalMac services, including regular visitors to Colonsay, in attendance.
The CalMac unions and the STUC firmly believe that key lifeline ferry services must be based on the needs of local communities and not driven by profit or pointless EU bureaucracy. We believe that the proposed tendering of CalMac ferry services is unnecessary and will lead to less efficient services, which will cost the taxpayer more rather than less. This is not about anti-privatisation dogma, our position is about quality lifeline services, run efficiently by well-trained, fairly employed workers.
Turning to the issue of royalties. Hands up, we did use your photograph. But we did not do so for commercial gain. In fact the production of the leaflet was quite expensive. We hope that the only beneficiaries of the campaign will be the people living in remote and fragile communities. So, perhaps you would be willing to accept an inscribed STUC quaich and a little something to go into it by way of compensation. I look forward to presenting it to you on my next visit to your beautiful island.
Yours sincerely
Bill Speirs
General Secretary
STUC
Dear Editor,
In June 1957 I camped for a week on Seal Island while mapping the rocks
of Oronsay and Colonsay for my PhD.
I noted the name of the Italian
buried there as Edmondo Armando Sottocarnola, and I see from the
Corncrake that his tomb has not been forgotten. However, the surname is
wrong. Sottocarnola does not exist in Italy, but Sottocornola does! It
is a Milanese name. Mr Sottocornola was born at Gargallo in Novara
Province (near Milan) on 2 April 1897.
These data come from the book by
Mario Serena, entitled Arandora Star, una tragedia dimenticata
published in 2002. Details of all the unfortunate Italians who were
drowned when this ship went down are given in the book.
I should explain that I have lived in Italy for many years, and pursue
Italian family history as a pastime. That name Sottocarnola foxed me
for years, until I plugged it into Google and got the comment do you
mean sottocornola.
Sincerely,
Dr Alexander Stewart
stewart@nettuno.it
Dear Editor,
Following on from the strange sightings featured in Issue 109 of someone looking suspiciously like Keith Rutherford in a beret, I have another sighting to report. I was reading the Holyrood Journal and turned to an article on local government (it was a slow day!); imagine my surprise when confronted by a picture of Keith standing on The Strand carrying a large box! Apparently with the Royal Mail its personal certainly distracted me enough that I forgot to read the article (which was probably just as well).
Iain.
Iain MacAllister
Senior Research Officer
Local Government & Public Bodies Research
Scottish Executive
Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
Dear Editor,
I enclose a few BMD's I looked up when I was in Edinburgh a while back. I did send them to Kevin, but I don't think they got put into the Corncrake.
Pat Maule.
(The list sent by Pat is to be found in the Genealogical Letters section - Ed.)
Dear Editor,
Just another homesick Scot who regulary goes to your great webpage.
I lived in Colonsay from 1949 to 51. My parents were managing Balnahard for Paul and Lady Hobhouse. I had to board from Monday to Thursday as it was too far and difficult to travel everday. [as I recall we only had a tractor and horses]. I stayed with the Browns, but being only seven the only names I can remember are May and Roberta.
My uncle married Joan MacArthur - can't remember the name of the croft, but it was just above Kiloran bay. I will be very interested if anyone can put the names to the school photo of 49 as I hope I am in it. My maiden name was Ferris.
Regards,
May Ambrose
Tanunda
South Australia 5352
ambrosemay@ozemail.com.au
(The Corncrake's Senior Advisor on Matters Historical, Mrs Titterton, has been able to confirm that the photograph was taken in June 1949 and that May did not start school on Colonsay until the 31st of October 1949, and thus does not feature in this particular photograph. - Ed.)
Dear Editor,
It is only recently I took early retirement and acquired a second hand laptop to try and teach myself P.C.skills, so I apologise in advance if this letter is not up to the high standards of your other correspondents.
I soon found out how to log on to the Colonsay website and to your interesting and informative newsletter.
When you started the Look Back in Album feature I enjoyed the debate on who was who, and thought I might look out and send you a photograph I took, at my mothers request (she was the teacher at the time) of the primary school pupils. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to discover that you already had a copy and had used it in your latest issue. I know that others will be better qualified to pinpoint the year and identify the kids, but Ill have a stab at it anyway, so here goes: -
Morag Titterton, Chrissie Darroch, Jean McGilvray, not sure but was this a MacDonald girl?, Mary MacAllister, Kate McNeill, Elsa Jones (my mother).
The McConnell twins, The Galbraith twins, Pedie McNeill,
Neill Brown, Margaret MacDonald.
Am not sure of the front row but think Mary Kelly, Lillian MacArthur, Iain Kelly and Dondie McFadyen are there.
I would not bet my shirt on it but I think it was probably taken in 1960, however it could be a year either side of that. It was taken just outside the school.
I have some more prints (not taken by me) of some of the pupils taken about five years earlier, which as I do not have the know-how to send electronically will send to you by snail mail.
I look forward to reading your future Newsletters and keeping in touch with what is happening on the Island where I spent some of my happiest years. Keep up the good work.
With best wishes from
IVOR JONES.
ivor@ivorjones5.wanadoo.co.uk
(As previously indicated, The Corncrake would be grateful to receive any Colonsay-related photographs. All originals would be returned by next post in pristine condition. - Ed.)
Hi everyone,
I HOPE YOU ARE ALL FINE AND WELL AND HAD A GREAT XMAS AND NEW YEAR . I SEE YOU ALL HAD A GUID SHIN DIG AT BURNS NIGHT KEEP ON PARTYING COLONSAY PEOPLE I SURE DO MISS THEY PARTIES .
FROM KATHLEEN WILSON
ARBROATH.