25 YEARS AGO
(January, 2nd, 1987)
Using empty beer kegs as a platform, early morning milkman and volunteer fireman Alistair Sutherland rescued a two-year-old boy from the roof of the Bayview Hotel in Brora on Tuesday morning.
Grant Thomson, his father hotelier Ian Thomson and mother Linda, who were the only occupants of the hotel, were awakened by choking smoke at 6am from a fire in the hotel stairway.
Mr Thomson jumped out of a first floor window to raise the alarm after getting his wife and young son to the safety of a flat roof over the hotel's disco.
Golspie part-time fireman Alistair Sutherland, Ross Street, was delivering his morning round of milk with his wife Dinah. He sent her to call out firemen from Golspie and Dornoch while he set to rescuing the frightened mother and son.
Mrs Thomson was brought down by firemen's ladder once the units arrived. The hotel lobby was extensively damaged by fire and smoke.
Sutherland's oldest native, Mrs Annie Thomson, has died just a few weeks before her 107th birthday. Mrs Thomson, a native of Assynt, who ran the present Caberfeidh Hotel in Golspie as a boarding house for school girls from the north and west years ago, died at Gosnells in Western Australia.
On her 100th birthday she received telegrams from the Queen, the Australian Prime Minister and the State Governor. She is survived by her five daughters.
Scotland's first woman in charge of a coastguard auxiliary team is Mrs Catherine Whitehead of Helmsdale. She succeeded Mr Donald Mackay. Three of Catherine's team are family members - husband Billy; father-in-law William; and brother-in-law, Skipper Ian Whitehead. All three are members of the crew of the Ocean Hunter of Helmsdale.
A community services scheme has been established to refurbish the run-down Dunrobin Castle museum for public display again.
Museums officer Andrew McCann is leading a team of hitherto unemployed people on a year's project to catalogue, clean and brighten up the mass of exhibits in one of the county's largest private collections of sporting and historical relics.
"There are very few of these private museums around and this is one of the finest left," said Mr McCann. "It has not been open to the public for several years because it required repair and our aim is to refurbish it and re-open it to the public."
50 YEARS AGO
(January 5th, 1962)
Brora brickworks, which went out of production last March, are to be re-started next Wednesday (January 10). They will be operated by a new company to be known as Sutherland Bricks Ltd. There are only two directors, Mr W. R. Sutherland, of Golspie and Mr W. Stuart Sutherland of Brora and Golspie. It is hoped that the first bricks will be on sale in March.
Mr W. R. Sutherland is a director of Alexander Sutherland Ltd., building contractors and Mr Stuart Sutherland has hotel interests in Brora and is a stockbroker in Edinburgh.
The Highland Fund, as in the case of Brora coal pit, which was reopened last October, has provided a loan to help the new company.
This is great employment news for Brora and the county as whole, coming as it does after the re-opening of the coal pit.
Mr T. M. Hunter, managing director of Brora Wool Mills, whose company operated both the brickworks and coal pit for many years, said he was delighted to learn that the brickworks were again to be in production. He wished the new company every success. This was most welcome news for the parish of Clyne.
Sutherland County Council is proposing to build a £20,000 sea defence wall from Golspie pier down past the gas works to the golf course. There is also a lesser sea defence scheme for Brora. The Scottish Home Department have accepted both, with technical reservations.
Sutherland Education Committee, at Lairg recently, agreed to delay a decision concerning the possible downgrading of Lochinver Junior Secondary School to primary, and they also delayed implementing their intention to close down Blarich one-teacher school in Rogart.
The committee was considering a school building programme for the next three years and Mr J. McLellan, director of education, said they should submit it to the county council with an estimate of the cost. Once the council had decided about capital expenditure then the committee could formulate exactly the sort of order in which they could do their various projects.
Miss Robina Mackay, who recently retired after being head mistress of Durness Primary School for 20 years, received a presentation from the people of the district. It was a striking tribute to all her work for the children of her native parish and to the profession she had served so well.
The presentation consisted of a tea trolley, a fitted dressing case and manicure set and a sum of money.
75 YEARS AGO
(January 7th, 1937)
Arrangements are being made by the Home Office to enable everyone who desires it to have individual instruction in the fitting and use of gas masks.
An official from the Air Raid Precautions Department said: "A scheme of distribution is being worked out and will include some arrangements for individual adjustments and demonstrations."
It is estimated that about 30,000,000 respirators will become available for the public and it is claimed that these will be proof against any type of poison gas.
The factory at Blackburn, which will be opened by Mr Geoffrey Lloyd, Parliament Secretary at the Home Office next Tuesday, will shortly work up to a production of 500,000 gas masks a week, and these will be sent to about a dozen main depots in various suitable places and in turn distributed to hundreds of sub-depots to serve large aggregations of population. Masks will not be distributed to individual citizens but will be stored at depots and sub-depots.
Lord Rothermere of Birichen and Burghfield has, with his customary generosity, given a reduction of 50 per cent in rent to his tenants. This was intimated at the recent rent collection for Birichen Estate. On this occasion it was intimated that the reduction was made on account of this being Coronation Year. Those who have benefited through his lordship's kind action highly appreciate his thoughtfulness.
The New Year was brought in very quietly at Loth. The first indication that 1936 had passed out and 1937 was with us was the ringing of the Old Church Bell and the sound of the whistle at Brora Wool Mills. Later in the day a number of young men kept up the old custom of first-footing. This custom is fast dying out in Loth as in other districts.
On the occasion of their marriages, two employees of Messrs T. M. Hunter, Ltd, Brora Wool Mills, were met by deputations and made the recipients of useful presents. Miss Bunty Miller, 1 Park Terrace, received three pairs of the Sutherland Wool Mill blankets, dinner set and timepiece; Mr Archie Stewart received two pairs of blankets, dinner set and standard lamp.
The Matron, Lawson Memorial Hospital, Golspie, begs to acknowledge with thanks, receipt of the following gifts for the hospital: - venison from Mr A. S. Garton, Loch Merkland; apples from Mrs Mackay, Embo; silver paper from Miss Jessie Elphinstone, Inveroykel, Culrain; cakes and jam from Spinningdale SWRI per Mrs W. D. Munro, Overskibo.
100 YEARS AGO
(January 4th, 2012)
Mr Donald Gunn, shoemaker, Gower Street, Brora, was run over on the railway near Muir of Ord on Monday and killed instantaneously. Deceased, who was a native of Badnellan district, recently started business as a shoemaker in Brora. He was about 35 years of age and was unmarried. He left Brora by the 11.18am, train on Monday, intending to go to Dingwall. Being carried past his destination, he started to walk back from Muir of Ord to Dingwall when he was overtaken by the north going train, run over and killed.
His body was removed to Brora on Tuesday evening for interment there. Much sympathy is felt for his relatives in their trying bereavement.
At Kansas City, USA, on Wednesday the 27th December, Alec Munro, a native of Lairg, Sutherland, was defeated by Frank A. Gotch in a wrestling match for the world's championship, catch-as-catch-can. Gotch secured two straight falls in 20 minutes 5 secs, thus retaining his title as champion of the world. Munro is ex-champion of Great Britain.
Football is all the rage in Lairg at present and on New Year's Day there were no less than four elevens, all formed from local residents taking part in this pastime. The Senior Eleven motored to Gruids, two miles distant from the village and then, after a very enjoyable game, returned winners by six goals to nil.
The Junior Eleven travelled to Balnadelson and inflicted a defeat on the worthies of that district by three goals to nil. Thereafter the Senior and Junior Elevens played for the championship of the parish, when the former ran out winners by two goals to nil.
Football talent is not lacking in the district and if ground was available, a very good team could be formed, capable of holding its own with any other in the county. The Junior Eleven travel to Golspie on Saturday first to play the Higher Grade School. A rousing game is expected.
