How many balloons can you fit in a Standard 10 classic car? Halkirk's vintage vehicle event has the answer
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Classics took to the field in Halkirk on Sunday at a special event in memory of the vintage car enthusiast Edward Sutherland.
Edward passed away in 2019 and is fondly remembered as the past chairman and secretary, as well as one of the founder members, of the Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club (CSVCVC). A procession of vintage vehicles went from the garage forecourt of J and G Sutherland towards the Ulbster Arms Hotel recreation area where members of the public were welcome to come along and view the vehicles.
James Green, is vice chair of the CSVCVC and said: "Edward was a great man and did a lot for the club over the years." James added that his grandfather, the late David Green who was club treasurer and secretary for many years, had a passion for vintage cars that rubbed off on him and he is now the proud owner of a Triumph 1300 that had been his father's car. "When my father passed away my grandfather kept a hold of it until I took it over."
Iain Sutherland, Edward's cousin, had come up from Inverness for the event and led the convoy of classics through the village in Edward's old 1950 Austin Sheerline. He said: "Edward would be over the moon that this was happening today.
"He had two loves in life – Jessie, his wife, and cars...that was it!" Iain said that after Edward and Jessie passed away he inherited his vintage car collection and then donated them all to the Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Centre.
"He wanted these kept in Halkirk and that's why he bought the old school and put the extension on it. Unfortunately, he passed away before it was finished."
Along with his brother Alasdair, Iain worked to complete the task and the centre was officially opened in April last year at the former village school in Sinclair Street. It is run by volunteers and open to the public two afternoons a week. "The cars will all belong to the village of Halkirk – that was Edward and Jessie's last wish." Iain added that the couple also left money as "a legacy" towards the upkeep of the centre that will provide solid foundations for it to stay open for over many years.
The event included a grand tour of the village, tunes played by piper Alan Plowman, lunch at the Ulbster Arms Hotel and a puzzle piece in which the public was invited to guess the number of balloons in the Standard 10 car known as Bluebell. Tony Hagon was acting as compere and said: "The event has been well organised and attended and shows the affection everybody had for Edward.
"It's not just locally but people have travelled from far and wide to be here."
Early Learning Centre practitioner Emma Manson who works with the Halkirk Playgroup/Nursery and Toddler Group received a cheque for £250 from the club at the event. "We'll probably put the money towards our outside area to get it developed a bit more," she said. "We're really happy and it's very kind of them to think of us."
The Halkirk Heritage and Vintage Motor Centre was open throughout the event and many took the opportunity to view the collection of Edward's cars.
More info on the club can be found on its Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CSVCVC
And if you wondered how many balloons were in Bluebell the answer is 301. The nearest guess was just one out at 300 and the entrant won a bottle of vodka. The money raised went to the local playgroup.
