Plumbing arguments, an application turn Castletown quarry into refuse tip and swimming safety leaving kids in tears
LOOKING BACK: Stories from 25, 50 and 100 years ago from the archives of the Caithness Courier and the John O’Groat Journal.
Police protection for plumber
From the Groat of October 9, 1925
A plumber had been granted police protection to undertake work at Canisbay to repair the reservoir which supplied water to the doctor’s house and the school and schoolhouse.
This was the tradesman’s third attempt to carry out the repairs on the reservoir which had been “interfered with by the parties who have organised the boycott of the medical officer”.
Mr Roderick Mackay and the two police officers were met by “a number of men who included two of the ringleaders of the party who favour ‘direct action’ in their dealing with the doctor”, and an “argument of considerable length ensued”.
The plumber was asked if he had a warrant to effect the repairs. He replied that this wasn’t necessary and that was then confirmed by the Chief Constable via a telephone call.
In the meantime, the men had taken advice by phone from their legal advisor and Mr Mackay was allowed to go to the reservoir and to carry out work “at his own risk”.
It transpired that a plug had been jammed firmly into the outlet pipe, making it impossible to repair that day as all the water could not be baled out.
Mr Mackay intended to return to the site with a pump and two labourers.
Honour for long-serving gardener
From the Groat of October 10, 1975
A 92-year-old gardener at the Portland Estate at Berriedale was one of nine men to be honoured for their long service by the Duke and Duchess of Portland.
Mr John Murray had no thought of retiring from his job as head gardener at the estate, where he led a small team.
He explained that he worked sometimes from 8am until 10pm in the summer months, saying that “my life has really kept me healthy”.
A widower who lived with his sister on the estate, Mr Murray rose every morning at 5.30am. And it was a profession that obviously ran in the blood – Mr Murray’s five brothers were also gardeners.
Mr Murray had worked for 59 years at Berriedale and in total all the men honoured had notched up an impressive 368 years’ continuous service.
The awards were handed over at a ceremony in the Langwell Recreation Hall, and the Duke and Duchess themselves were given a long-service award of another kind – a gift to mark their diamond wedding anniversary.
Elsewhere, Caithness District Council had applied for planning permission to use the disused Birkhill Quarry at Castletown as a refuse tip.
The estimated cost of the project, including an access road, was £3000.
Children in tears over swimming safety rules
From the Groat of October 13, 2000
Families with young children had been turned away from the county’s two swimming pools following the stricter enforcement of safety guidelines covering the supervision of youngsters.
The area cultural and leisure department had been instructed to impose the regulations which required toddlers aged three or under to be supervised on a one-to-one basis by an adult, with one adult required for two children aged between four and eight.
The imposition of the national guidelines followed the death of a child at the Aquadome in Inverness.
However, local parents, unaware of the changes, had arrived at the pools with their families only to be confronted by notices on the doors setting out the rules and barring them from entering without the required number of adults.
A Wick mother was one of a number to complain about the “nonsensical changes” and in a letter to the Caithness area manager Brian Whitelaw pointed out that she would no longer be able to take her two children swimming without the attendance of a second adult.
She said that it was not just her children who were upset to be turned away, and “many parents were left with tearful children who could not understand why they could not go swimming”.
The council apologised for the lack of notice about the changes but said that safety had to take priority even if it meant a drop in the number of people using the pools.