From the Northern Times 25, 50 and 100 years ago
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25 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of March 12, 1999
Moves are afoot to try to save the Vehicle Inspectorate test station at Lairg, currently threatened with closure due to lack of usage. Sutherland roads officials along with Inspectorate chiefs are looking into the possibility of moving the station from its present restrictive premises at Laundry Road to the council depot at Ord Place.
Like a busy dragonfly, a commercial helicopter hoisted 40 tonnes of gravel for construction of the first phase of a firm footpath up the face of Ben Bhraggie at Golspie last Friday. It is part of a £37,000 conservation and tourism project initiated by Golspie Community Council, backed by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage.
One of Sutherland's most outstanding girl footballers of recent years, 15-year-old Laura Tebay from Scouriemore has been chosen for Scotland's under-16 pool of international players. A pupil at Kinlochbervie High School, Laura is the eldest of four girls.
50 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of March 15, 1974
Mr John Mackay, an 85-year-old retired shepherd, was burned to death when his caravan home at Skerray was destroyed by fire early on Wednesday morning. The caravan had "gone up like a box of matches", said Miss Catherine Mackay of Skerray Post Office. When the rescuers, including firefighting teams from Tongue and Thurso got inside the caravan, Mr Mackay was found to be dead.
No decision had yet been taken either to close or retain the cottage maternity hospital at Helmsdale, Col. Allan Gilmour, Creich West, last Monday told Sutherland Social Work Committee. The Highland Regional Hospital Board, who were now going out of existence, had handed over to the new Highland Health Board who would have to make the decision.
Sutherland County Council's new home for old folk in Golspie is to be sited at the east end of the village on ground owned by Mr Stuart Sutherland of Ford Park. The home will replace Rhives House in Golspie.
100 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of March 13, 1924
A LARGE number of drifters from the East Coast have been making Loch Laxford their rendezvous during the winter and spring fishing. These vessels landed heavy shots of fish at Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Wick, Stornoway and Kyle, but unfortunately lost their nets with the weight of fish last week. The herrings were caught in the vicinity of Handa Island and Loch Laxford. The construction of a light railway from Lairg to Loch Laxford is urgently required. Loch Laxford is par-excellence the best centre for a railway terminus on the west coast of Scotland and is in the vicinity of the best fishing banks in the United Kingdom.
In common with all other districts throughout Scotland, Strath Halladale has had its fair share of the recent snowstorm, the worst experienced since 30 years. Hand feeding of sheep had to be generally resorted to, even the monarchs of the forest felt the severity of the storm and flocked down to within a stone-throw of the crofters' houses.
