Looking Back – news from the John O'Groat Journal of yesteryear
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Large exodus from Wick, 'Secret police' jibe at meeting and Support for hotel scheme.
Large exodus from Wick
From the Groat of June 9, 1922
Despite the poor weather in the north, Wick was "early astir and 'dead' by noon" as inhabitants made the most of the June holiday and "hied themselves to the country for a day".
The paper reported: "Weeks before every available vehicle was booked and from the town all morning there was an almost continual stream of traffic – the elegant automobile and the humble motor lorry, the comfortable cab and the merchant's van, the motor cycle and the less speedy bicycle being used as a means of conveyance.
"Motor charabancs which conveyed picnicking parties to Reiss Sands were readily filled by cheery travellers."
The railway station too was "a centre of activity", in part thanks to the special excursion train, restored for the first time since the announcement of the war. It left just after 6am, carrying well over 200 passengers, many of them sports enthusiast heading for competitions in Tain.
There were also day trips to Thurso and Lybster and the stations in between.
In all, 1716 train tickets were sold in Wick in the one day.
The staff of Fred Shearer Ltd spent the day at the Dunbeath Strath, while a large number of Wickers enjoyed a sports day in Sir George's Park, Thurso, organised by the local branch of the Comrades of the Great War.
'Secret police' jibe at meeting
From the Groat of June 9, 1972
There was some "straight talking" at a meeting of Caithness County Council's Administration and Finance Committee over the lack of information that flowed from the Northern Joint Police Committee, which was responsible for the Northern Constabulary.
County vice-convener John Young said he was "extremely dissatisfied" with the police committee, saying that the county council and the ratepayers had a right to know more about how the money allocated to the police from the county council was being spent.
He said money had gone on building properties, buying cars and the increasing of the establishment but "if the police committee ran true to form, the ratepayers would not be told more".
Provost W G Mowat of Wick, vice-chairman of the police committee, took exception to Mr Young's remarks, but in turn Mr Young replied that he did not care whether Mr Mowat took exception or not.
He declared that he had asked questions of the police committee but had got no satisfaction and "he held correspondence which was an unrivalled example of how to reply to questions without answering".
He continued: "The police committee do not admit the press to their meetings. Talk about a secret police! We are not living in Russia or China, but in Scotland, where, I thought, democratic government did exist."
Support for hotel scheme
From the Groat of June 13, 1997
A proposal to extend Mackays Hotel in Wick to provide conference facilities and 16 new bedrooms had been welcomed by the Wick Project as a scheme which would "preserve and restore a valuable building on the Wick river frontage".
A meeting of the Caithness area planning committee heard that the plan was to renovate a derelict stone building to the rear of the hotel.
The Wick Project particularly approved of the intention to provide a natural slate roof and cast-iron external rones and fittings but was keen to see even more natural materials used and suggested the use of Caithness flagstone in the renovation of a courtyard area.
Elsewhere, a glass sculpture created by Wick artist Denis Man had been presented to Ireland's president Mary Robinson to mark her visit to Scotland to commemorate the death of St Columba 1400 years previously.
Mr Mann had been awarded the commission by Highland Council, which had left the design up to the artist except for the inclusion of an inscription in Gaelic and English and and an extract from an elegy by the late poet Sorley MacLean.
The sculpture was presented to Mrs Robinson after she delivered a lecture at the Gaelic centre of Sabhal Mor Ostaig in Skye.
Mr Mann said that was the first time he had been asked to create a piece for a senior politician.
