From the Northern Times 25, 50 and 100 years ago
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25 YEARS AGO
From the edition of July 3, 1998
Last week Durness residents experienced an invasion of Roman soldiers when a French film company came north to shoot scenes for the blockbuster movie Asterix the Gaul. Sutherland riders Ricky Campbell and Arthur Duncan from Bonar Bridge, and Gemma Mackenzie from Dornoch, were part of a group of 13 horses and riders who were transformed into Caesar's elite personal army, the Praetorian Guard, for two days of filming. The scenes on Balnakeil beach and the cliff top at Faraid Head, shot using a helicopter, will form the title sequence of the film.
Wallace Ross and Partners, consulting civil engineers from Inverness, are proposing three sites for a new pier at Loch Eriboll. The crofters, fishermen and people with a local interest have been asked to comment on the draft proposals. A new pier is needed because at present there is no suitable, safe and permanently useable facility. Loch Eriboll has an increasing number of aquacultural operations, and traffic by visiting vessels is increasing.
50 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of June 20, 1973
Tragedy struck Brora this week with the closure of Britain's oldest active mine. It is a shattering blow to the economy of the village. The closure, last Monday, met with an angry reaction from the 15 miners who have lost their jobs.
They claimed that £10,000 would keep this walk-down mine in production during the summer months, enabling them to build up coal stocks for the winter. They felt that the Government should intervene, especially as the seam at Brora still had eight million tons of coal. Now their shares were worthless.
Surface manager Mr Peter Polson, of Golspie, said he hoped the miners and groups throughout the county would launch a campaign to get the mine reopened.
The directors of the Highland Colliery Ltd., issued a statement which said that, despite a great deal of hard work by everyone concerned, they had been forced to place the company's affairs in the hands of a liquidator because they considered it uneconomic to continue at a time when cash reserves were dwindling rapidly.
100 YEARS AGO
From the newspaper of
A REPRESENTATIVE gathering of all classes of the community assembled in the YMCA Hall, Golspie, on the evening of Friday last, and met Mr A. M. Dixon, their late postmaster when he was publicly presented with an illuminated address and a wallet of Treasury notes and a handsome silver salver, suitably inscribed, for Mrs Dixon, on the occasion of his retirement after 40 years faithful service as postmaster of the parish of Golspie. On the call of Mr Hugh Grant, Mr James Mennie was unanimously appointed chairman.
Captain Egerton has presented a small pleasure boat to the Boy Scouts (at Helmsdale) and it is intended to hold rowing competitions between the sea and land scouts. The boat will be launched on Thursday.
The Rogart Highland Games (under the auspices of the local branch of the British Legion) have been fixed to be held in a field at Davochbeg (adjoining the railway station) on Wednesday, July 25th.
