FROM OUR FILES
TEN YEARS AGO Friday February 8, 2013 Eleven beds to go at Campbeltown Hospital
Eleven beds are to go at Campbeltown Hospital, leaving 21 in-patient beds to service South Kintyre’s 70,000-strong population.
NHS Highland this week confirmed beds would be cut, with two beds used as continual care beds for the elderly. Three beds will be on standby in case of an emergency.
The announcement comes after NHS Highland confirmed the highest number of beds occupied in the hospital was 23, on two separate occasions, in the last year.
Andrew Hemmings, chairman of Campbeltown Community Council, said: “I have real concerns about this. One thing I have been pursuing is the issue of care in the community, as they are not able to recruit enough community carers at the minute.
“They shouldn’t be closing beds when they are already struggling to care for people in the community.”
A spokesman for NHS Highland said Campbeltown Hospital redesign project group had reviewed the level of bed occupancy over the past three years, patient length of stay, their age and projected population increases before making the decision. Donny Cameron, clinical services manager for Kintyre, said: “This work is a further important step in ensuring we have the right balance of service provision in Kintyre to make sure that our hospital beds are available for those patients with acute illnesses.
“We have also increased community services in both health and social care which will help prevent people getting ill and letting them remain in their own home.”
Staff at the hospital will not be made redundant under the NHS Highland no redundancy policy.
Ardrossan ferry to be postponed
The Campbeltown to Ardrossan ferry service, due to commence in April, could be postponed for a year.
Councillors who fought for the service to be launched will submit an emergency paper calling for the ferry to be delayed at Argyll and Bute Council’s budget meeting next week.
The decision was taken at Tuesday’s Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area committee meeting in Lochgilphead.
Councillor John Semple said: “There is very little time for people to market the ferry.
“There are lots of issues with how the harbour is used which have not been taken into consideration.”
The ferry would only have three years to prove itself as a viable route, which he said was not a long time.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO Friday February 13, 1998 No defence for ferry contract
Scottish Office Minister Brian Wilson MP refused to defend the contract for the Irish ferry when he visited Kintyre this week.
At Kintyre Marketing Group’s fifth annual tourism conference, the Scottish education, industry and tourism minister said that the Labour government had inherited the contract for the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service.
For that reason, he said he felt no obligation to defend the contract which was struck up between the Scottish Office and Sea Containers before Labour came into power last May.
Although Mr Wilson would not defend the contract, he did reveal some of the details con
cerning the exact nature of the contract which governs the operation of the ferry for the first three years.
Speaking at the Putechan Lodge Hotel, Mr Wilson made his statements during a question and answer session during the tourism conference.
Stating that parts of the contract were obviously commercially confidential, Mr Wilson divulged some of its conditions in response to a query from local businessman Roy McMurchy.
“There is certainly no six-month obligation,” he said. “My understanding of the position is that there was an obligation to run 10 crossings a week for a three-month period. After the first year, it’s at the market discretion of Sea Containers.”
Although Mr Wilson said that he obviously had no criticism of either Argyll and the Islands Enterprise or Sea Containers, the Labour government had inherited the contract, but he was under no obligation to defend it.
He added that having now seen the terms and conditions of the contract, he was more critical of it than before. However, Mr Wilson did say he would certainly like to see a longer service.
More than 60 local businessmen and women attended the conference.
FIFTY YEARS AGO Thursday February 8, 1973 Show to move to August in 1974
The most controversial item on the agenda at the AGM of the Kintyre Agricultural Society was the proposed change of date for the annual livestock show, which for many, many years has always been held on the first Friday in June.
A proposal had come forward that the date be changed to the first week in August, either the first Friday or the first Saturday. After discussion, it was decided that the annual livestock show of 1974 be held in the first week in August of that year.
The principal argument for the change of date was that it will be easier for the sheep men to bring their sheep in August than it had been in June. Another argument was that the show in August would be attended by more holidaymakers than in June.
The main argument against the change of date was that it was a parting from the well-tried tradition and that Kintyre Agricultural Society would be competing with other societies who normally hold their shows around the new prospective date.
Opportune launched
An 80 foot seine/pair trawler was launched last Saturday at Campbeltown Shipyard for skipper George and his brother James Murray of Bucky.
She was named Opportune by skipper George Murray’s 18-year-old daughter Ethel.
This is the third vessel completed to the Campbeltown yard’s 80 design. The first two, Argosy and Ajax, operate with considerable success out of Peterhead with skippers Andrew and William Campbell.
Opportune is powered by a Caterpillar D34 6TA diesel engine. Her general arrangement is similar to that of the Argosy and Ajax with a net and gear store in the forepeak over a 500 gallon freshwater tank; an insulated fish room of 5,000 cubic feet capacity arranged to accommodate boxed fish; engine room housing the engine of 480 hp; accommodation for the crew of eight in the after part of the vessel.
The superstructure, which is arranged differently from that of the Argosy and Ajax, is located after and includes a galley, oilskin locker and toilet.
Campbeltown Shipyard’s order book now stands at seven vessels: five more Campbeltown 80s and two of the yard’s new 75 design.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Saturday February 10, 1923 Show success for poultry man
At Larkhall show a fortnight ago, Mr Archibald McSporran, Longrow, had several notable successes. He was awarded the first and special for a Minorca hen; first for Orpington cock, and first and special for an Orpington hen. Larkhall is reckoned to be Scotland’s premier poultry show so our local fancier has done excellently well.
▮ The Free Breakfast Committee intends holding a concert in the town hall on February 28, to raise funds to purchase a new organ.
▮ The programme at the Picture House on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week is of special interest, and there will be no doubt much eagerness to see Jackie Coogan in My Boy. To meet the anticipated demand for seats the management have arranged for continuous shows from 5pm on Thursday and Friday, while booking will be suspended on these days. On Saturday, the usual matinee and evening performances will be held.
▮ Editor’s note: Jackie Coogan was a first in cinema history; arguably the first child star, appearing in Charlie Chaplin’s film The Kid; the first to be merchandised and the first to have all his money squandered by a parent and his agent. The legal battle that followed saw the California Child Actor’s Bill brought into law, covering trust funds, education during filming and working conditions, all still referred to as the Coogan Act, Coogan Law and Coogan Accounts. This silent film would have been one of the most popular to be shown in Campbeltown in 1923.