Wick memory lane photo exhibition raises over £2800
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RETIRED photographer Janet McDonald was thrilled with the response to her one-day exhibition of photographs of Wick life spanning more than half a century.
Around 700 people attended the show, entitled The McDonald Collection, in the St Fergus Church Hall last Wednesday during the town’s gala week. It raised more than £2800 which will go towards Church of Scotland Guild projects.
“It was absolutely fantastic that so many people bothered to come,” Janet said. “People who spoke to me thought it was great, going down memory lane and seeing people they knew. They all seemed to like it – they all went out on a high.”
On display were 498 prints from the archives of McDonald Photographers, the family business run for many years by Janet and her late husband Ian.
The hall was filled with a mix of black-and-white and colour photographs taken at community events, special occasions and other activities in Wick and district from around 1950 until the early 2000s.
People who spoke to me thought it was great, going down memory lane. They all seemed to like it – they all went out on a high.
There was a constant stream of visitors throughout the day, creating a buzz of conversation and reminiscence as people picked out familiar faces and shared memories of times gone by.
The exhibition was held under the auspices of Wick St Fergus Church Guild. Janet (80) is on the leadership team of the St Fergus guild as well as being project co-ordinator for Caithness.
She had hoped the event would raise between £500 and £600 so was surprised and delighted with the final sum of £2845. The money will be distributed later in the year.
“I was meeting people I hadn’t seen for ages,” Janet said. “A lot of folk came down from Thurso and in from Keiss and all around.
“Residents from local care homes were brought down especially, and it was lovely to see them.
“It turned into a much, much bigger event than I had ever anticipated.”
One Wicker now living in Inverness travelled up especially for the exhibition, picking up a friend in Tain on the way.
When asked why the exhibition struck such a chord with the public, Janet said: “I think it’s nostalgia – seeing people that are no longer here, seeing activities in the town, seeing their children when they were young, seeing their parents... There were four generations of one family in different photographs.
“We all worked together, guild members and friends. People were so generous and so helpful in giving baking and raffle prizes, even if they had nothing to do with the guild.
“It was very hard work. By seven o’clock at night I thought it was the longest day I had ever known. I was wilting!”
McDonald Photographers began in Wick’s Harbour Terrace and moved to Shore Lane in 1968.
Ian died in 2004 and Janet retired from photography around five years ago. The business is now run by their son Ian jnr and focuses mainly on framing.
