Looking Back – news from the John O'Groat Journal of yesteryear
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Wick man's worth as warden
From the Groat of March 16, 1923
William Hendry, who had been born at Barnyards, Wick, had been appointed warden of the state prison at Charleston, USA.
According to the report, "the new warden is a giant in physique, weighing 255 pounds and standing six feet one-and-a-half inches in height, and when he passes though an ordinary doorway his shoulders brush the jambs".
Mr Hendry (52) had gone to Boston at the age of 20 and had worked as a night watchman before joining the prison service. His promotion from deputy warden had come after he served as acting warden following the death of the previous incumbent.
An American journal reported that Mr Hendry was "a big man with a big heart". It told how Mr Hendry had allowed a prisoner to visit his elderly mother as she lay on her deathbed, so that she "died happy".
However, he also had "the heart of lion". A test of his courage had come when a prisoner had refused to come out of his cell and was flourishing a razor and threatening to kill anyone who came near him.
When Mr Hendry found he could not reason with the man, "he plunged into the narrow cell". He grappled with the "deranged prisoner" and eventually disarmed and subdued him, receiving an eight-inch cut to his leg in the process.
It was noted that, "with a loaded cane, Mr Hendry could have felled the insane prisoner without receiving a scratch, but he has never used such a weapon or carried a gun in all his years of prison work".
Housing lets 'out of hand'
From the Groat of March 16, 1973
Wick Town Council refused a temporary let of a council house to the manager of Woolworths after members expressed concern that not enough was being done to keep a check on these leases.
In order to encourage private house-building, the council had been allowing accommodation lets of 12 months to people who intended to build a house for themselves.
But at their latest meeting, councillors felt the situation was "getting out of hand" and, with the great demand for municipal housing, they could not continue granting temporary lets without being fully satisfied regarding the intentions of the applicants.
Dean of Guild James Miller said that this type of application was "beginning to snowball", adding "I think we should pull in our oars a bit."
John Paterson agreed and said there was nothing about the application that warranted approval and the applicant didn't have key worker status.
Elsewhere, the nuclear submarine HMS Churchill was to anchor off Scrabster for a few days at the end of the month for an operational visit between sea-going exercises.
During its stay, the submarine was to be visited by contingents of local Sea Scouts and employees of Rolls-Royce and Associates Ltd working on the Royal Navy submarine prototype HMS Vulcan.
Sports clubs count the cost
From the Groat of March 20, 1998
Sports and recreation clubs in Caithness were facing further hefty increases to their running costs as a result of the planned new pricing regime being proposed by area cultural and leisure services.
Hikes of up to 100 per cent and more featured in the new charges which were going before councillors for approval.
Local sports representatives had already protested about the scale of the rises, intended to come into force in just over a week's time. They were hoping that public pressure would force a review, as was being carried out following the outcry about planned swingeing jumps in schools and games hall lets.
The price of going for a swim was to increase, as was a game of tennis or table tennis, putting and crazy golf, along with the hire of the football pavilions in Wick and Thurso.
Ken Melhuish, chairman of Caithness Sports Council, described that new charges as "bad news for local sport".
While he appreciated the financial pressure the council was under, he said the increases could not be justified and he questioned whether the public would use the services to the same extent.
Cultural and leisure services manager Iain Robertson said: "If the income from the new charges is realised, this will enable us to provide the same level of service as 1997/98 with no reduction in budget."
