THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

The very serious position in Dundee on the subject of unemployment drew forth a “wholesale condemnation” of the city yesterday by Mr J.M. Cramond, the Divisional Controller for Scotland. He put Dundee down as the “black spot” in Scotland at a meeting of representative citizens in the Town House, but Provost Sir William Don protested against this assertion and put the pertinent question as to the number of women employed in the local offices of the Ministry of Labour.

50 years ago

The Ministry of Defence last night torpedoed the £3 million scrap hopes of a diving team who claim they have found the 22,000-ton wreck of the sunken British aircraft carrier Ark Royal. The Ministry said they had the wrong ship. The team claim to have found the wreck in waters off Malaga, southern Spain, and want to recover the now rusting hulk for its scrap value of £3 million. The Ark Royal was sunk by a submarine in 1941. A Ministry spokesman said that the wreck was Navy property.

25 years ago

A seven-year-old Baywatch fan used tips he had seen on the hit TV show to save his baby sister from drowning. Wee William Don raced to the rescue when he saw someone plunge into the water. It was his 21-month -old sister Julie who had toppled into a swimming pool. The brave youngster dived into the pool, swam to her side within seconds and wasted no time in hauling the terrifed tot out of the water. His father Thomas arrived just as William lifted his sister out of the pool. The family were on holiday in Tenerife.

One year ago

Perth College UHI has been accused of keeping “staff and students in the dark” after announcing plans to shut their Perthshire learning centres this summer. The college told The Courier yesterday evening that the satellite centres in Crieff, Kinross and Blairgowrie will close in June with the college citing “significant financial challenges”. The decision has been greeted with shock and anger, with politicians worried about the effect the closures will have on local communities.