THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

East Fife is going strong for the Red Cross. At Charleston, near Colinsburgh, the beautiful home of Col. Anstruther, DSO, MVO and Mrs Anstruther, a fete attracted a large gathering of Kilconquhar and Newburn and Largo parishioners and visitors from Elie and elsewhere. The drawings amounted to £180, of which £70 was obtained from a sale of antique furniture and ornaments run by Col. Anstruther. Schoolchildren from Colinsburgh performed some clever dancing.

50 years ago

For 28 months the electricity meter at the YMCA hostel in Portsmouth was under-read and arrears mounted to £2,228, the Southern Electricity Consultative Council was told. A report said that arrears were caused by underreading in units instead of tens of units. The Southern Electricity Board offered to reduce the debt to £2,000 with five years to pay, but the YMCA refused and the board then cut the bill to £1,570. The YMCA had agreed and the matter had been amicably settled.

25 years ago

Six months after the floods which devastated Perthshire, the human costs continue to mount. Predictions that the victims of the January floods would suffer stressrelated difficulties from their experiences are being borne out by aid agencies and a counselling service has been set up. It is impossible to quantify the longterm health problems but it remains a hidden cost. A more visible aspect is the continuing effort to restore the homes of hundreds in North Muirton.

One year ago

Public safety fears have led to calls for a cull of Kirkcaldy’s seagull population. There have been reports of seabirds swooping on the public, launching terrifying attacks in pursuit of food or in the belief that their young are being threatened. It comes just days after a pensioner suffered a heart attack moments after being attacked by a seagull in the town. David Henderson, of Kirkcaldy West Community Council, said that he would support changes in the law that would allow a cull.