Looking Back – news from the John O'Groat Journal of yesteryear

Loitering in Wick

From the Groat of October 14, 1921

Provost McEwen, presiding at a sitting of the Burgh Police Court, had passed "severe comment" on the practice of some men of loitering on the main streets of Wick to the inconvenience of passers-by.

Four men had appeared on a charge of loitering and were dismissed with an admonition.

However, the provost stated that no more admonitions would be given in these cases.

"It was long past time, he said, that the streets were kept clear and he would deal severely with any future cases of the kind."

Elsewhere it was noted that the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, who had been in residence at Dunrobin Castle for a month, had left for the south.

The season at Dunrobin had been a most notable one by reason of a visit by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York.

The duchess had interested herself in the various benevolent associations in the county and, under the auspices of the Sutherland Needlework Guild, had distributed garments to the deserving poor of Golspie.

Meanwhile, a species of plant new to Caithness had been discovered growing as a weed in the Glebe Park allotments.

A specimen had been sent to a celebrated botanist in London who pronounced it to be the Meliot, a plant of the pea or bean tribe which was native to tropical or sub-tropical climates.

Caithness sea anglers' success

From the Groat of October 15, 1971

Local anglers took wins in the European Federation of Sea Angling championships, held at Scrabster.

Almost 200 competitors from around the world had gathered for the week-long event, with championship competitions occupying three days.

The individual championship was won for Scotland by Caithness representative Ted Simons, of Thurso, the Caithness tourist officer, while the ladies' championship was won by his wife.

The prize for the heaviest aggregate by a junior was taken by another local enthusiast, 14-year-old Dorcas Brunjes, of Halkirk.

The lure used by Mr Simons to catch much of his winning haul had been developed by Sutherland Fly Ltd at its base at Wick Industrial Estate, and it was now available for sale.

Named C-Flash, the new lure was described by Leolin McClean of Sutherland Fly as "a totally new concept in sea lures".

Mr Simons had helped develop the fly which had taken a full year to perfect. And the production version had been finalised the night before the European championships had begun.

Interest in the new product was being expressed from outlets as far away as the USA and South Africa.

Sutherland Fly had moved to Wick from Helmsdale four years previously and employed 25 people at its factory.

Dounreay's image suffers

From the Groat of October 18, 1996

Dounreay's image in the rest of Britain took another hammering as a television company and a daily newspaper claimed to have exposed serious flaws in waste management and safety at the plant.

Early in the week The Scotsman had highlighted a number of radiation incidents and errors at the plant which it claimed had not been made public, although several had been reported in the Groat and Courier.

The reports were enough for Michael Meacher, Labour's shadow environment spokesman, to ask the government for an inquiry into Dounreay's safety.

Then BBC Scotland had broadcast an unflattering documentary about the waste shaft with an edited version shown throughout the UK on Newsnight.

Nuclear Dustbin, screened as part of the Frontline Scotland series, focused on the legacy of the 1977 shaft explosion and also contained information that had been reported extensively by the Groat and Courier over the previous 18 months.

Elsewhere, Ackergill Tower had added another string to its bow when it played host to a recording session.

Already known as a prestigious venue for fine music, the Tower had been used by Norway's Rita Eriksen and Ireland's Delores Keane to record the album Tideland.

The robust walls, thick carpets and heavy drapes made for good acoustics, and public rooms and even bedrooms had been utilised. The performers had also taken the opportunity to record a video for the album on the nearby beach.

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