THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

At a meeting in Forfar of the County Agricultural Committee a letter from Mr Henry Patullo, clerk to the Dundee District subcommittee, was read, stating that Mr C.B. Ovenstone of Duntrune, whom the committee considered ought to break up at least 60 acres of his land at present in grass, had offered to break up 30 acres. The sub-committee considered this inadequate and asked an assurance that between 50 and 60 acres would be broken up. This assurance had not been given.

50 years ago

The grimy green-jerseyed figure of an eight-year-old boy was eased out of a foot-wide hole in a ruined building in Kirkcaldy at 3.45pm on Saturday after 90 minutes of suspense. Nigel Robertson had been trapped for that time in the chimney of a partially demolished house at Hill Place, on the west side of High Street. Firemen toiled to remove five feet of the stone wall of the chimney to get to him. They shouted words of encouragement as his parents waited. He was freed and taken to hospital.

25 years ago

Three masked men held up staff of a bank in Lochgelly at gunpoint yesterday at tea-time and got away with what is thought to be a fivefigure sum of money. At about 5pm the men burst into the TSB at 142 Main Street where a man and three women were working. A woman customer and her child were pushed aside as two of the men ran towards the counter, threatening the staff with what appeared to be hand-guns and demanding that they hand over money. They made their getaway in a K-registered car.

One year ago

Hundreds of residents have been mobilised to fight controversial plans for new housing at Perthshire’s biggest village. It was standing room only at a meeting in Scone, as residents were urged to mount a letter-writing campaign against the bid for 700 new homes. Many had to be turned away from the talks, prompting organisers to call a second meeting next week. MSP John Swinney, who attended, said the council needs to think seriously about the development’s impact on local schools.