Halkirk institute birthday ball was a 'cracker'
OVER 100 people attended the centenary ball held at the Ross Institute in Halkirk at the weekend to mark its 100th anniversary.
"It was a brilliant night," said Billy Manson, the chairman of the Halkirk Village Council which staged the event.
"Just over 100 people were there. They came from Halkirk, Thurso, Wick, John O’Groats and even as far away as the Borders. Everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a cracker of a night."
Local MP John Thurso unveiled a special stone plaque which was commissioned by the village council to commemorate the event. The work, which shows a picture of the Ross Institute, was undertaken by the Caithness Stone Company.
"We thought of one or two different things to mark the occasion but the stone was the most popular," said Mr Manson, who added that coasters featuring the same image have also been produced.
John Thurso’s mother, Margaret, Viscountess Thurso, also attended and cut a cake which had been made to commemorate the centenary.
The ball, which was held on Saturday night, was the culmination of a year-long programme of events to celebrate the centenary. A function was held in the hall each month in the year leading up to the anniversary.
As was reported in last Friday’s John O’Groat Journal, the hall was gifted to the parish of Halkirk by John Ross, who was born in Gerston in 1834.
He worked as a tailor for a number of years in Caithness and elsewhere before emigrating to Otago in New Zealand in 1861. There he met fellow Scot Robert Glendining and together they set up a business manufacturing hosiery and woollen goods during the country’s gold rush. The firm prospered and both men became very wealthy.
John Ross was knighted in 1922 – five years before he died – and made donations to many good causes. The Ross Institute which was officially opened on March 6, 1912.