IN THE BEGINNING...

Well, here we are again, with another bumper Issue.

And on time too, or at least we hope so... for the staff in Corncrake Towers are now aware that the timeousness (or otherwise!) of the appearance of each Issue is being closely monitored. After a couple of Issues making a slightly late appearance, the ink was barely dry on Issue 122 when Damian Samuels of Wolverhampton e.mailed us to offer his congratulations on the Issue being on time!
Yes, we will try harder...

On the weather front, the first week or so of September provided the island with the warmest and most sustained period of fine weather that we have enjoyed all Summer. But of course it couldn't last, and by the time Clan Macfie arrived on the 11th, there was more than just a touch of Autumn in the air. The Macfies, or at least most of them, have now gone, and at time of writing, the island awaits the arrival of a party of Finns and Swedes as part of the "Small Islands for Support and Understanding" (SISU) project.

No doubt our next Issue will reveal if the Swedes and Finns had the stamina for fun displayed by the Macfie Clan...

CLAN GATHERING

On the subject of the Macfies (another seamless link there...), some 90 or so of the Clan travelled from all over the world to participate in the Clan Gathering and Parliament in Inverness from the 6th to the 11th of the month. Thereafter, some 50 or so made the journey across the sea to the Clan's ancestral, and spiritual, homeland of Colonsay.

One would be forgiven for thinking that by the time that they arrived on Colonsay they would be all "ceilidh-ed out". Not a bit of it. These people know how to enjoy themselves!

Clan members were barely off the ferry when a ceilidh began in the bar of "The Colonsay", and a fearsome evening it was too (or so your Editor was told...) with music and song pervading the evening air until the wee sma' hours.

The following evening there was more of the same, the only change being the venue, as the Clan took over the island Hall :

 

Again there was music and song, but there was little evidence of dancing skills on display until our own Angus MacPhee decided to demonstrate just how the "Strip the Willow" can be done. This seemed to inculcate a Clan-wide feeling of "well if he can do it, so can I" and so the night drove on with much mirth and more dancing.

On top of the dancing, there was something for everybody as the Clan demonstrated their considerable musical talents with clarsach and flute playing as well as piping, singing and even some reading of poetry.

Then there was the next night, the last official night of the Clan visit, when the ceilidh-ing returned to the bar of "The Colonsay". And off this hardy breed went again. Our photograph shows Jacqui Duffy (whose mother and father honeymooned on Colonsay in 1958) playing a hauntingly beautiful clarsach, accompanied by her friend Sue on the flute. Next up was the Clan Piper, Bob McFie, who demonstrated great skill and delighted all present with the possible exception of the lady sitting nearby (Jacqui's mother, Sheila), whose eardrums will apparently never be quite the same again :

 

Meanwhile, Clan Commander Sandy McPhie kindly introduced the entire Corncrake staff to Clan members from all over the world, including Glasgow. There was Editorial disappointment though, as many of the Clan with whom The Corncrake has corresponded, including Rod "DNA" Macduff, Ian McHaffie, Sylvia McPhee and Judy (MacPhee) LeDrew, were not in attendance. Perhaps next time...

Oh, nearly forgot. As well as clarsachs, flutes, pipes and some great singing voices, some members of the Clan were also able to display their not-inconsiderable skill on the dance-floor (which the floor of the bar became on many occasions) :

And so, that is the Macfie Clan visit over for another four years.

And what are we left with? Well, there are memories of a great bunch of people who tried to out-ceilidh the residents of the island. Quite a target for such a relatively newly-reformed Clan to aspire to.

And of course there is our resident MacPhee, who now bears the title of "Island Protector", although there is the slight suspicion that the title may perhaps be self-bestowed :

The above photograph, a Corncrake world-exclusive, was taken on the Monday evening. By the following evening, the MacPhee beard was gone, as indeed was every hair on the Island Protector's body. Just who is in charge of the razor in the MacPhee household?

PRO REGE!

CALMAC ROUTES TO GO TO TENDER

Well, after months, if not years, of uncertainty concerning CalMac's ongoing provision of lifeline services to islands such as Colonsay, we at last know exactly where we are going - into months, if not years, of uncertainty.

For, on Wednesday last, the Scottish Parliament, increasingly following the flawed Westminster whip system rather than MSPs following their individual reasoning and conscience, voted to put the CalMac routes out to tender.

In a lengthy Holyrood debate, Transport Minister Tavish Scott argued that tendering of the routes was the only way to satisfy European competition rules. Assurances were made that the pay, conditions and pension arrangements for the workforce would be guaranteed. These promises proved enough to persuade Labour backbenchers, who last December helped to defeat the move, to vote with the Executive.

Labour's Highlands and Islands MSP Maureen MacMillan, for example, who had previously voted against the move, said that she had hoped that CalMac could avoid the EU regulations but now insisted that this was not possible. She said "I agree with those who say tendering is not cost effective but the Commission does not care about cost effectiveness, it only cares about competition for the subsidy". But she added: "If we do not swiftly comply with the European directive, the tendering of the ferry service will be taken out of the Executive's hands and could well then be tendered route by route, which would be a catastrophe for the Highlands and Islands, for communities and the workforce."

Scary, if not indeed scaremongering words, from a former sceptic of tendering. Mark Ballard, of the Scottish Greens, told Ms MacMillan that if she and other MSPs did not want tendering they should fight against it. He said: "There are huge advantages in keeping these ferry services together under a publicly-owned and accountable company."

Our own local representative, Liberal Democrat MSP for Argyll and Bute George Lyon, spoke out about what he said Islanders in his constituency wanted. "They want a decision to be taken and an end to the uncertainty. The best protection for the workforce and the best protection for Caledonian MacBrayne and for the communities it serves is to bite the bullet and support the proposals." No hint of being in coalition government with Labour there then.

And, excuse me, an end to the uncertainty? At the risk of repeating ourselves, this decision can only lead to months, if not years, of uncertainty for remote communities such as Colonsay and Oransay.

AIR FAIR?

In our last issue of The Corncrake, we carried the story that work is about to commence on Colonsay's new airstrip without the people of the island having had a proper, democratic opportunity to vote for or against such major work taking place and whether or not they actually wish to have a daily air service.

One upshot of this article was a bumper mailbag for The Corncrake as Readers took the opportunity to pass on their opinions on this thorny subject. Many thanks to all who wrote, but space does not permit all letters to be printed; rather, a representative selection of Readers views are to be found in our Letters section, and it should be recorded that those who wrote were universally aghast at what is about to befall the island. For, notwithstanding Frank Nicholson lying down in front of the lorries, the project is to go ahead.

On a lighter note, we are indebted to Allan Wright of East Lothian who has pointed out that the new airstrip will necessitate new course cards to be printed for those wishing to enjoy a game of golf at Machrins, and has suggested the following wording for a new local rule :

"Players have priority over aircraft on the Machrins (through the green) at all times. In the event of striking a moving aircraft the shot will be retaken at no additional penalty to the player. Any ball landing on the airstrip shall be afforded relief at the nearest point at no additional penalty. Should the Atlantic Ocean come into play in this regard it should be considered as casual water. Rule 25.1 will apply "
Rules Official.

Aye, and the next competition could be the Pan Am Pro Am...

POWER LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPENED

As Issue 122 was going to press on September 1st, a seminar was under way on Colonsay with the somewhat less than snappy title of Islay-Jura-Colonsay Joint Working Initiative for Renewable Energy Projects. The weighty title did not encumber the participants however, and a very productive day ensued.

Whilst discussions are still at an early stage, a decision was made on the day that the three islands would work together on renewable energy, and a new Company is to be formed for the purpose.

All forms of renewable energy were discussed on the day and all carried forward for further investigation and discussion. These include Solar power, Woodfuel, Hydro, Hydrogen (building on the experiences of the successful PURE project on Unst), and finally both Wind and Tidal power. It was clear from the discussions that the group would require a full-time worker to push the agenda forward and to get some projects up and running, and this was agreed.

A further meeting of the new group is to be held on Islay in November.

CONGRATULATIONS!

The Corncrake would take this opportunity to pass on Editorial congratulations to a number of islanders and former islanders.

Firstly, congratulations are the order of the day for former Cobhlasach Glen Campbell and his wife Shirley, on the birth of their third child, Kyle. The baby was born on the 23rd of August in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and weighed in at a very healthy 6lb 10oz. What about a photograph of Kyle I hear you ask. Better than that, here is one of both baby and the very proud Dad :

Kyle is a wee brother for Ross and Poppy and brings the number of grandchildren for Glen's mother Irene to ten! Yes, quite incredible for one so fit and young and young-looking! And there's not that much room in that Post Office for those energetic Aerobics...
Just in case you think the The Corncrake cannot count, Irene's ten grandchildren are :Jasmin, Emma, Glen, Ryan, Katy, Tom, Neil, Poppy, Ross and of course, Kyle. (We hope the names are all spelled correctly; Ireen's very pernickety about that sort of thing...).

Moving on, congratulations are also due to island residents Donald and Steven MacAllister who recently celebrated their 21st and 18th birthdays respectively :

Their birthdays falling only a few days apart, parents Donald and Kirsty decided to hold a joint celebratory party, and this was held in "The Colonsay" on Saturday 3rd September. There was an open invitation to all islanders and a famous night ensued; with no shortage of musicians, singers, songs, food, drink and craic, everyone enjoying themselves immensely :

 

A big thanks to Donald and Kirsty for a truly great evening.

HEBRIDEAN GO AND MEET FUND

Regular Readers may recall, dementia of course permitting, that there was to be a "Creative Islanders’ Gathering" on Easdale Island, on 19 & 20 August 2005. Although a full report on the meeting is not yet to hand, it is believed that the event has been deemed a great success.

One outcome of the gathering which can be reported however is the creation of a "Hebridean Go and Meet Fund", to enable island-based arts practitioners, arts groups, and community groups with an interest in the arts, to undertake visits to other Hebridean islands, with the aim of encouraging better dialogue, and the hope of stimulating joint projects and activities. Funding is to be made available by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The underlying aim is to stimulate cultural links. The following is therefore only an indicative list of the kind of visits which may be eligible for funding :

· To develop inter-island support structures
· To explore possible collaborations
· To visit venues, or meet island groups, to compare how they operate and are managed
· To participate in an island-based event (eg a festival, local, mod, feis, etc)

Grants of up to £500 are available to support the costs involved in inter-Hebridean visits. These costs may include:

· Actual transport costs: car mileage, ferry and other public transport costs
· Accommodation
· Subsistence
· Other directly relevant costs (eg child care)

This however is not an exclusive list, and full details of the Fund can be obtained from HI~Arts, Fourth Floor, Ballantyne House, 84 Academy Street, Inverness, IV1 1LU.
Tel: 01463 717091 ; Fax: 01463 720895 ; e-mail: Maggie@hi-arts.co.uk ; Website: www.hi-arts.co.uk

MY COLONSAY PHOTOGRAPH

In Issue 121, we invited Readers, both islanders and visitors alike, to send us their favourite Colonsay snap, so that it may be enjoyed by readers of The Corncrake throughout the world (all photographs not sent electronically will be scanned and returned by the next post).

Well, all we can say is that Keith Rutherford didn't have to work overtime to cope with the flood of mail. In these straitened circumstances, an Editorial decision has been taken to show all photographs received in this one Issue. And here it is :

A stunningly good photograph, and we must thank the Wise family from West Yorkshire for sharing it with us. The Wise family were also taken with Maurice Rogers' piece on the Geology of Colonsay (see Issue 121), and their response can be found in the Letters section of this very Issue.

NATURE NOTES

Alan Davis, of "Colonsay's Fallen" fame, has proved to be more than a good researcher and author, judging by the quality of his photographs which he has previously shared with Corncrake readers.

In this Issue, Alan keeps our Nature Notes feature alive with two photographs taken during his visit in July. The first is a picture of a small, red-coloured plant which, as Alan says, is not particulary showy but is in fact quite rare :

The plant is called Thyme Broomrape or Orobranche Alba and is a parasitic plant which grows, as perhaps can be seen from the photograph, on the roots of the Thyme plant. Alan took the photograph at Kiloran.

And just to brighten things up, Alan also sent us this snap of a plant which is relatively common throughout the island, the Northern Marsh Orchid :

Thanks again Alan. Any other Readers with flora or fauna photographs or tales?

POETRY CORNER

Regular readers may recall that we used our Poetry Corner in Issue 122 to reproduce the lyrics of that fine song "Colonsay Isle". And so, in the interests of continuity, in this Issue we reproduce the lyrics of that fine song "Colonsay Isle".

No, this is not an error, nor has your Editor finally lost the plot. The difference is that this time, courtesy of Alastair Scouller, the lyrics are in the Gaelic.

Alastair advises that, although the song was composed in English by Edith Clark, the wife of the then Minister on the island, it was subsequently translated into Gaelic by Duncan Johnston, the celebrated Islay bard and author of such perennial favourites as Sine Bhan. Alastair has kindly forwarded the Gaelic translation, and indeed, here it is :

Now you can go and sing that in the bath!

NOW WHERE COULD THAT BE?

So! The location of the rocks in the photographs provided by regular visitor Louise Hemsley in Issue 122 proved somewhat difficult for our Readers :

 

There were several guesses which were a wee bit wide of the mark, and just when it looked as if we would have to hold the photographs over for another Issue, up popped our own Irene (or is that Ireen?) Campbell with the correct answer of the tiny cove below Dùn Uragaig. The rocks are at the southern end of the Uragaig seabird cliffs and Louise advises that the GR is approx. NR381982.

Irene advises that she was about to have a picnic there only a few weeks ago (no doubt with a wheen grandchildren) but was invaded by an army of red spiders.
So well done Irene and thanks again Louise.

This brings us to our "Where?" photograph for this Issue, and our grateful thanks go to Sheena Pelling for provision of same :

So, just where on Colonsay or Oransay would you be if you saw the above a year or three back? And just who is it meant to be?

Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Scalasaig, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YW, Scotland. Timewasters welcome.

LOOK BACK IN ALBUM

And so we reach that part of The Corncrake where we reach back to the days of yore and try to identify the actors strutting the stage at that time. Except in this instance, our actors and actresses are not strutting, but obviously posing for a publicity photograph :

So, did you get them all? Here is the cast list :
Behind the front three : Donald McFadyen, Andrew Kelly, Hughie "The Toorie" McNeill, Finlay McFadyen, Catrina MacAllister, Kirsty McFadyen, Flora Cursiter, Effie and Flora McNeill, Seumas McNeill.

Front three : Ishbell McFadyen, Morag Clark and Sheena MacAllister.

It is believed that the photograph, which was taken in the school, was of a Christmas play or panto in or around 1970, although Kirsty insists that she was still in the pram in 1970...

And so we move forward to our new old photograph for this Issue, and we must again proffer our thanks to Mary Ann for provision of this little gem :

So hopefully we can name all nine people in, or partly in, the picture. Nor should the location be a problem, but what was the occasion? And for a bonus point, just what is in Ross's piece?

SNIPPETS

There is to be a special "Information Meeting" at 8.15pm on Monday 26th September in the Hall.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed resolution to alter the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Colonsay Community Development Company, so that they comply with Section 34 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003: Part 2, Community Right to Buy. Information is currently available to view at the Service Point or on the web at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Rural/Land/17063/8276
http://www.scotland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2003/ 20030002.htm

In attendance at the meeting to help explain the issues surrounding the Land Reform Act will be Andy Wightman, author of the seminal "Who Owns Scotland" and an expert in community based legislation, and Neil Ross from the Scottish Land Fund.

Once people have had a chance to give consideration to what this legislation will mean for Colonsay, a vote will be taken on the proposed resolution to alter the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company at the AGM of CCDC in October.

Haud me back!!

Many Readers may recall the song "These Boots Were Made For Walking" which some mature friends advise was a hit for someone called Nancy Sinatra. Well, on Colonsay we currently have the rather strange case of boots that were made for walking but which have remained legless and motionless for a good few weeks now :

It was when the guests had left after the opening night of Zoe Fagg's exhibition in Georgina's "Poolside Gallery" in August that it was noticed that one of the guests had left behind their footwear. And there the boots have remained, unclaimed and apparently unwanted. Who could have left them, and just how did they get home without them?

A "Cinderella" style island-wide fitting tour is planned, unless of course some Reader knows something and can get in touch. As proof of ownership however, we need the claimant to properly identify the size of the boots, and of course to fill us in on just how come they got left in the first place...

Following on from our recent talk of Sammy the seal, we are indebted to Sheena Pelling (that's Sheena the elder, to avoid any confusion...), for a nostalgic snap taken at the height of Sammy's infatuation with Duncan Sandy :

Personally, we believe it was the yellow overalls which first made her swoon. And as if proof was needed, here we see young Finlay McFadyen taking a video for Sammy of the very overalls. Ah, young love!

Many Readers may recall a party of 28 Canadians and Americans who arrived on Colonsay in August last year for a brief but poignant visit. Although not all bearing the surname Macdonald, it is believed that the party were all descended from one single Macdonald who emigrated from Colonsay in 1806. It was speculated at the time that this was perhaps one of the passengers on board the "Spencer", which left Scalasaig harbour in June 1806 carrying over 100 Colonsay souls to a new life on Prince Edward Island.

The Corncrake is now in receipt of a letter from Paul Goudreau, one of last year's visiting party, complete with a photograph (see Letters section). Paul also kindly supplied a passenger list from the "Spencer", and for Readers who may not have seen it before, the male passenger list is to be found in the Magazine section of this Issue, with the female passenger list appearing in our next Issue.

The passenger list of the "Spencer" does not however show a single MacDonald. Can any of the visiting party throw any light on their ancestor's departure from these shores?

Finally, on the question of passenger lists, almost one year on since The Corncrake's last plea on the subject, no information has yet come to light on the 138 Colbhasachs who boarded the ship "General Washington" in 1791 and sailed from these shores to start a new life in the "New World", their destination believed to be Wilmington, North Carolina. Can any Reader help?

Quite suddenly, the island has begun to feel emptier and quieter. And, to be sure, the visitor season is now coming slowly to an end.

But it was more than that, and your Editor puzzled over this feeling of emptiness for a day or three before he heard the root cause of his malaise - Hamish Grant had left the island.

Hamish, who left school in the summer, has been working for his father for the last few months but has now enrolled in an agricultural college in Edinburgh. Already a trip to the pier or the piershed is just not the experience it was and the CalMac staff seem a little lost without his guidance.

Ach, no doubt we will see him as often as when he was at Oban High and our best wishes go to him for a successful student career.

And finally, a reminder that this year's Colonsay Root and Grain Show takes place on Saturday 1st October. If you haven't planted those vegetables yet, our advice is to rush out into the garden this very instant, or perhaps even more pragmatic would be a wee trip to Tesco in Oban (Pedie's veg all gets "marked" at this time of year...).

The Show Dinner follows that very evening in "The Colonsay". Tickets (£15, we believe, and not £13 as previously reported), are of course limited and going fast, so with only two weeks to go, secure a ticket today!! This can be achieved through the kindness of Keith and his delightful assistant Irene in the Post Office, who, if you ring 01951 200 323, will endeavour to ensure that your name appears on the list of those wishing to attend. But remember - procrastination will be the thief of tickets!

CAPTION COMPETITION

The standard of entry for our Caption competition just seems to get higher and higher by the Issue. This of course makes judging all the more difficult and it always seems a pity that some great entries don't receive the opportunity of amusing our Readership. Can anyone suggest a way that this situation could be avoided?

Just as an example, a random entry for our competition from Issue 122, one featuring our own Ross Moodie, was simply : "Yon wiz SSTTTUNNING!"

However, the winning entry this time round came from the pen of Giles Cooper :

Giles, by the way, has booked the two Kiloran Cottages for a fortnight from 28th July next year to house his family, including grandchildren, to celebrate his and his wife's Golden Wedding anniversary - a visit which many islanders will look forward to.

Having won the competition, Giles, who has a quite stunning Colonsay photograph collection taken over many years, then proferred the following snap which he took at the Colonsay Regatta in 1984 :

Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : A.N.Other, The Corncrake Caption Competition (Issue 123), c/o The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Scalasaig, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YW, Scotland. Calls will of course be charged at premium rates.

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

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,

14 45 hours 1 September 2005.

Just checking up whether you are on time this month! Well done.

I like the photograph but have no idea where it is.

Regards

Damian Samuels
Penn,
Wolverhampton

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Dear Editor,

I have visited Colonsay many times over the past thirty years and marvel each time I step ashore at the measure of your fellow islanders achievements and improvements to island infrastructure. From RORO pier terminal facilities, mains power to all households, surgery, village hall, water treatment plant, new housing, workshop units, electronic access to the world via the www, innovations of modern Iife which we now all enjoy and take for granted, even here on the mainland. However , an airstrip !!!

At what cost to the island and its inhabitants, not just financially or environmentally .......progress ? I think not, more like killing the goose that laid the golden egg. I would like to hear the considered benefits this proposal would bring to the community and I would agree wholeheartedly with the comments previously made by Mr Nicholson on behalf of the resident Islanders.

Colonsay's remoteness and tranquility (save for the odd RAF fly by), the changing seascapes and landcapes are stunning, winter or summer, rain or shine, the clarity of air and light, natural unspoilt beauty which I and many others love about your island, returning year after year for repeat business and a fix of sanity, you only need check the visitors log book comments in any cottage (and we've been in quite a few) to confirm. So its a 2-3 hour ferry crossing, is a faster alternative to the mainland really required unless in case of serious medical emergency when the air ambulance / RAF helicopter can hopefully be called in.

I have been very fortunate to have visited most Islands in the Hebridean chain from St. Kilda to Gigha, I proposed to my wife on the beach at Kiloran, so Colonsay is a very special place for us both . I would say that the short boat passage across the narrow strip of water from Oban makes the journey and anticipation of arrival all the more exciting and magical, witness the beaming smiles on the faces of passengers on the outward journey as proof and the tears as the boat pulls away from Scalasaig pier on the return passage.

I would even go so far as to question the push for daily sailings from the mainland as loss of potential earnings to the island. When visitors are on the island even for a short stay they will visit the the hotel, pantry, book shop, post office and take overnight accommodation in some form, whereas the day trip usually consists of a walk out to the Strand or Kiloran bay, back to the Hotel for a quick pint and off back to the mainland, Colonsay done.

I am unaware of facts and statistics and I might be completely misinformed here as an outsider though I would guess the Island revenue now depends in no small part on tourism, I'm aware that the residents and community council etc are attempting to control, contain and develop this, building wealth and homegrown livelyhoods in an ecologically and environmentally sustainable way, long may this ethos prevail but stop short of this airstrip folly.

The world is becoming smaller year by year as it is , by example, I spotted Frank Nicholson many years ago by complete chance in a very busy Guildford High Street outside London one Christmas eve and I can remember thinking "I know where I'd rather be" I hope to see him again for a wee chat in the bar when we visit in October.

Why would the authorities consider that we either need nor wanted to get to Colonsay quicker by air, making the world even smaller and more polluted than it is at present or could this just be government civil engineering project speak under the guise of development grant funding for 'Letscreate-a-job.com' which would be funded by you and me in any case whether you or I wanted it or not.

In my opinion the authorites must be made to reconsider this proposal as a white elephant's step too far. I'm sure there must be some other more needy causes requiring a boost ? how about our local fishing policy, or have our leaders given up on that altogether now. If visitors/tourists get to vote here, count me in, "I hereby grant you my authority to append my name to any petition you wish to raise".

Allan Wright
Ewingston Mill Steading
By Humbie
East Lothian

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Dear Editor,

I have been visiting Colonsay regularly since 1989 and the island holds a very special place in my heart.

As a visitor I probably hold different views to changes on the island to those of the islanders themselves. There have been many positive developments, the new village hall, doctors surgery, to name a couple, but does Colonsay really need an airstrip?

As a visitor coming to the island for relaxation, even the introduction of a daily ferry has spoilt it for me, part of the attraction was having to stay for 2/3 days.

I agree with Frank that there are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding the airstrip, if only they were allowed to be asked, and I find it incredible that the islanders have not been consulted on a project that will cause major upheaval to island life and the environment without knowing the benefits.

I doubt very much if the cost of a return journey will be affordable for the majority of islanders and visitors alike, so who will use this service? Will the airstrip be a blot on the landscape and a waste of money a year down the line when nobody is using this service?

Ann Wright.

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Dear Editor,

On our return from Colonsay 10 days ago, we were fascinated to read the August 17th edition of Corncrake with the contributions from Maurice Rogers on the Geology of Colonsay.

Our 16 yr old has just got Geology GCSE (indeed got his results whilst on Colonsay) and had fun trying to teach his (geologically) innocent parents and sister about the dykes (not the ditch or wall sort) he kept spotting on Colonsay. We even have a virtually identical photo to the one featured, of the dyke on Kiloran. The first one he spotted wasn't mentioned by Maurice Rogers - this is on the steep slope leading up to the monument from Queens Bay.

He was delighted to prove to us that he wasn't talking gobbledegook!

On a different note, this year was our third visit to Colonsay and as the weather wasn't wonderful, we did more walking and spent less time on the beach than before. We were disappointed, although not surprised, to find so little remaining of several of the paths marked on the older OS maps (and now left off the recent 1;25,000 map).

Living in the Pennines, we are spoilt with well used and well maintained footpaths. There is an obligation on the landowner to maintain stiles and bridges etc to 'rights of way' I suspect that the situation is different in Scotland.

I understand that these paths will only be used by a handful of people and would not be regarded as essential routes, but it is sad that so little trace remains of routes that have such social and historical interest. In particular the paths between Glassard and Colonsay House via Riasg Buidhe and Kilchattan to Scalasaig had sections that were difficult to find. We do appreciate how time consuming it would be to maintain the paths, but feel it is a pity that these historically important routes will soon be lost.

The Wise Family
West Yorkshire

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Dear Editor,

I was part of the MacDonald group that visited your wonderful island in August 2004 - most of our group that travelled did say that the trip was "the trip of a lifetime" since we were such a large group of family travelling to Scotland.

I appreciate your mention of our visit in your paper. (See Issue 101 - Ed.). I am the husband of Mary Jean MacDonald from Nine Mile Creek, PEI. Though my name is French and my father is from the Isle de Re (5th generation), my mother is Daisy Jamieson (lineage from Torrillin, Scotland, 6th generation Jamieson), another wonderful Scottish lady.

Why I write is to take up the offer of Prof.Sheets research as carried in issue 61.

Many thanks,

Paul Goudreau.
pagoudr@shaw.ca

PS I have attached a copy of our group :

(Paul also kindly forwarded the passenger list of the "Spencer" which appears in the Magazine section - Ed.).

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Dear Editor,

I recently came across an article in the Scottish Daily Mail (28.06.05) about the wonderful tribute paid by the people of Colonsay to the memory of the victims of the Arandora Star. A search for Colonsay on the internet found the Corncrake Newsletter and in the archives we were able to view the ceremony of dedication of the memorial.

I felt that I had to write to you to tell you how very touched we were on seeing this and how much it means to my family, to know that Colonsay have been commemorating those who died every year and have now unveiled a plaque to their memory. Such a mark of respect is so deeply appreciated.

My family originates from the small town of Bardi in the Northern Appennines of Italy. Forty-eight men from Bardi, who had emigrated to England in the 1920’s and 1930’s, died on the Arandora Star. Such a loss was a terrible tragedy, particularly for a small community. There is a chapel in the cemetery in there which is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Arandora Star and where a commemorative service is held every year on 2nd July. The inscription on the chapel reads: “Questo luogo sia di monito ai posteri per un futuro di pace, armonia e di fratellanza.” (“May this place serve as a caution to future generations, for a future of peace, harmony and brotherhood”).

My father was born in Italy and had lived in England since he was 12 and his father had a business in England since 1929. They were both very well-known and highly-respected in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, where they lived and worked and it was a great shock to them to be arrested and imprisoned. Like so many others, they were ordinary, hard-working civilians who were held without offence and without a trial. Their imprisonment was to last for several years.

My father was sent to Canada on board the S.S. Ettrick which followed behind the Arandora Star. Conditions on board the Ettrick were terrible (the Captain recorded that there were far too many prisoners on board), my father spent most of the journey locked in a hold with many others, the deprivation was indescribable. On arrival in Canada they were initially treated very harshly, although conditions improved with time. My father told us that as he was young at the time, he could cope, and saw it as something he had to endure, but what he found very hard to bear was the suffering of the older people.

Even at the time, there was much opposition to the policy of internment and its consequences: “No ordinary excuse, such as that there is a war on and that officials are overworked, is sufficient to explain what has happened … Horrible tragedies, unnecessary and undeserved, lie at the door of somebody … Frankly, I shall not feel happy, either as an Englishman or as a supporter of this Government, until this bespattered page of our history has been cleaned up and rewritten.” - Major Cazalet, in the House of Commons, 22nd August, 1940.

However, there has never been an official apology from Britain or recognition of the appalling treatment of the internees. The great tribute from the people of Colonsay is thus all the more poignant.

To the people of Colonsay, I would like to express our most heartfelt thanks and appreciation.

Yours most sincerely,

(Dr.) Clementina Sidoli O’Connor

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Dear Editor,

Thanks for getting all the archives back on the net.

We are glad to see that Eleanor is home and looking quite well.

My hard drive crashed, and I lost all my email addresses (and a lot of other stuff I hadn't backed up), so we wonder if you could send us Eleanor's email address, or if not, let Eleanor know we are asking after her, and perhaps could send us an email.

Thanks

Pat and S'ine Maule,
St.Thomas,
Ontario, Canada.

(Eleanor's e.mail address duly passed on - Ed.).

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