From the Northern Times 25, 50 and 100 years ago
25 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of July 16, 1999
The handsome mace presented to the Queen to the Scottish Parliament to symbolise the transfer of power from Westminster to Holyrood contains a precious part of Sutherland. Gold from the Strath of Kildonan and other sources was used to create a simple gold band on the staff of the silver mace to signify the "marriage" between the people, the land, and their new parliament.
The public's stake in the future of local textile firm Hunters of Brora has been raised by £375,000, it was revealed this week, with the decision of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise to increase its shareholding in the company. The troubled woollen mill, hit by a downturn in the textile business worldwide, had asked CASE for more backing some time ago.
Plans to open a youth club in Kinlochbervie's former doctors' surgery have been abandoned after they failed to gain support from the local community council. Council members decided at a special meeting last Wednesday not to back the youth cafe proposal from the North-West Youth Initiative (NWYI), a group recently formed by local youngsters.
50 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of July 19, 1975
To celebrate the centenary of the Helmsdale-Wick-Thurso railway a train is to leave Inverness on Sunday, July 28, lifting passengers on the way. The first stop in Sutherland will be at Lairg and the second at Dunrobin Halt (Golspe) when the 300 passengers will spend an hour seeing through the castle there. The highlight will be at Helmsdale when Mr D J Corbett, general manager of British Rail (Scotland) will cut the ribbon to allow the train to pass on its way to Caithness. At the Caithness border it will be met by Lord Thurso.
After another fruitless search of North-West Sutherland on Wednesday, there was still no trace of the Edinburgh postman who disappeared on July 6-7 last from the area where he had been on holiday with his wife. They had been staying at her parents' home at Talmine, Melness.
A 56-ton mobile crane, which left the A9 trunk road a mile or two south of Golspie last Saturday and toppled on its side into a field at Kirkton Farm posed a major recovery problem for the owners. Incidentally, the two occupants of the cabin had a very fortunate escape from injury. The grass verge at the accident point had collapsed causing the crane, travelling south, to plunge down into the field.
100 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of July 17, 1924
A most serious outbreak of fire occurred in Brora, on Saturday morning, when the handsome building known as the Station Hotel was completely destroyed. The first person to observe the outbreak was Mr John Sutherland, porter at the railway station, who was preparing for the arrival of the early morning train which leaves Helmsdale for the south, when he saw smoke coming from the roof of the hotel on the south side just behind the turret.
This was between five and half past five in the morning, and on the arrival of Messrs H. Morrison, permanent way inspector; D Mackay, postman; and H Ross motor hirer, they at once proceeded to inform the occupants of their danger. It was with great difficulty that they were able to get the residents, the proprietor with his wife and family, the boots, and the female servants, who all occupied bedrooms on the second floor, awakened.
The Dunrobin Fire Brigade, which had been telegraphed for at 6.30am, were on the scene in about 20 minutes after they had received the call. With a plentiful supply of water they almost succeeded in checking it, but somehow or other the fire seemed to have got the better of them. Once the turret and the roof had fallen, it was sesen that the handsome pile was doomed to destruction. The second floor now caught and it was not long before the bar at the back of the hotel was completely destroyed, and by noon it can be said that the whole building was burned to the ground.