School in Glen Prosen

Ishbel Wardrop (nee Hardie) of Perth emails to say: “It was with great interest that I read Gayle Ritchie’s article about the hostel at Glen Prosen in a recent Courier Weekend.

“I went to school there, in what is now the hostel, in the late 40s and early 50s.

“There were 12 pupils, all at various stages of learning. Our teacher was Miss Jessie Neill and there was a coal fire in the classroom.

“I recall we had slates to write on to begin with and we took sandwiches for lunch, washed down with cocoa which the teacher made. By 1950 school dinners came up from Kirriemuir – almost always mince and tatties!

“The toilets were outside

(a cold undertaking in the winter!). My best friend was Silver Beedie whose father was the gamekeeper.

“My father was the gardener to Captain McLean on the Balnaboth estate. The Captain was a lovely man who wore the kilt.

“It is great to know that my old school is now a comfortable hostel. As a keen hosteller in the past and having been to the Braemar hostel Gayle mentioned when Marie was in charge as warden, I cannot wait to try the Prosen one.

“Glen Prosen itself used to be a great little community with dances in the hall. Stuart Beedie and Stewart Smith provided the music with Eva Neill at the piano.

“I used to go bird nesting with Douglas Wilson. That would be frowned upon now!

“A temporary sawmill from Aberdeenshire was there around the late 1940s. There was also a Post Office and shop run by the Howe family.

“Maybe other Courier readers were at this school? If so, I would like to hear from them.”

If you would like to get in touch with Ishbel, please contact Craigie in the first instance and we will pass any letters on to her.