Thurso High schoolmates from 1955 meet up at Live Jive

SIX former schoolmates from Thurso High met up at the latest Live Jive at the weekend. Organiser, Ian Sinclair, David Farquhar, Moira Mackay, Catherine Nicolson, Marigold Ronaldson and Isobell Beattie went to the school in 1955 and all are 80 this year.

Ian, who plays in The Barracuda Boogie Band, thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the occasion at Sunday's event at the Park Hotel.

He said: "It was just great to catch up with them again after all these years. It was none of our birthdays on the day but we thought it would be a good to have a joint celebration. We grew up with rock 'n' roll and are still rockin' at 80."

David and Moira were the farthest travelled as they live in Texas in the USA and the Scottish Borders respectively.

The afternoon also marked the 70th birthday of Barracuda Boogie Band drummer, Jimmy Riddell.

Three of his sons, Danny, Jamie and Ryan along with Ian Crawford – previously known as The Manglers – got together and played as guests to mark Jimmy's special day. They had not been on stage since well before the coronavirus pandemic but put on a polished, tight performance with songs by artistes such as The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash. They went down well with the audience as did singer Dawn Mackay who was accompanied by guitarist Brian Spence.

Ian was very pleased with how the afternoon went and pointed out that around £450 was raised for the Dunnet Forestry Trust.

He said: "I am delighted. It was the best crowd we have had for a while. There was a good atmosphere and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I thought the Riddell band was very good especially as they had not played for a few years. They were excellent as was Dawn and Brian."

Ian added: "It was a really good afternoon and we are looking forward to the next event which is scheduled for August."

Live Jive started in 2010 and over the years has raised several thousands of pounds for local charities.

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