Saturday 31 August, 1996

School’s 50th birthday

Walter Marshall of Lamlash was the janitor of Arran High School through the 1950s and 1960s and can remember when the school was brand new. Now that the school is celebrating its 50th birthday on Monday September 2, the school is having a variety of activities on the day involving pupils, former pupils, teachers and former teachers as well as visiting councillors.

Walter, who recalled when he first started working at the school after serving in the Royal Navy, said: ‘Requisition was a word in common use in wartime and the powers-that-were deemed that the school should now become the responsibility of the Royal Navy – hence the building name which became known as the navy barracks. Various temporary alterations were made where the gymnasium became the canteen which was voluntarily staffed by the ladies of the WRI.

‘Two navy captains moved in, one taking over what was later to become the headmaster’s office and the other chaplain’s confessional room became the dental room. At the end of the war, when the navy handed the school back to the local authority, it seemed only appropriate that the first janitor position went to an exnavy man.’

Road safety concerns

Concerns over road safety were aired at the meeting of the community council on Tuesday. Speeding cars were identified as a danger to pedestrians in Hillview Place, Brodick and entering Lochranza from the Ballarie bridge.

The new rumble strips which cost £1,500 each had been successful in slowing down traffic in Pirnmill and it was felt that provision for a couple of new strips should be built into the roads budget every year.

Another topic of discussion at the meeting was reported by secretary Terry Crawley, who said there was a certain amount of opposition to the proposed new fire station in Lamlash and suggested a public meeting with assistant firemaster Kennedy in attendance.

Rotary inauguration

The Rotary Club, gradually trying to form a group on Arran since last January, is to hold its inaugural dinner next Friday, Now with 27 potential Rotarians, the dinner will mark the club’s entry into the Rotary movement in a process which will be completed at a charter dinner held in October and attended by Rotarians from all over Britain and Ireland.

B34twe01 Above: At an open day marking a year since the distillery was opened at Lochranza, the principal Hal Currie was pictured with distiller Gordon Mitchell and tourism officer Charles Currie.

B34twe05 Voted joint footballers of the year in a ballot by all league players were, left, Jamie Macpherson and Adi (Donald) Adamson, while sharing the young footballer of the year trophy are Gregor Small and Ian Cook.

B34twe02 Right: Jamie Stewart won the Arran Golfers’ Association Champion of Champions tournament held at Brodick golf course last Friday where he was pictured with runner up Nicol Auld.

B34twe04 Mark Padfield of Glencloy Farm shows off his unusual crop of peaches which have grown in his Brodick garden after nine years of carefully nurturing the tree.

B34twe03 Well-known Shiskine golfer Willie Kelso was celebrating last Saturday when he broke the Shiskine course record at the club which was founded in 1896.