TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO Saturday April 4, 1998
Three youngsters from Eigg Primary School, accompanied by their head teacher, jetted off to the Caribbean island of Mustique at the weekend.
The trip has been made possible thanks to the interest and generosity of Felix Dennis, chairman of Dennis Publishing.
Mr Dennis has a home in Mustique and Eilidh Kirk, aged 11, Francis Carr, nine, and Jodi Robertson, nine, along with head teacher Morag McKinnon, are spending a fortnight with their counterparts at Mustique Primary School.
A highlight will be a meeting with Sir James Mitchell, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, whose daughter is a pupil at the primary school.
In August, pupils from Mustique will Eigg to learn about the Inner Hebrides.
Felix Dennis first became involved with Eigg visit
Primary School last year when the residents were campaigning for a community buyout of the island.
He is a friend of Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow and he noticed in a broadcast about Eigg that the island school had little in the way of computer equipment. This prompted a donation of £10,000 of high-tech computer gear to the 10-pupil primary.
Since then, Mr Dennis has maintained his interest in the school and developed the idea of a cultural exchange between Eigg and Mustique. The three girls were chosen because they are the oldest.
Mrs McKinnon said: “Everyone on the island is so pleased for the three youngsters. It is a marvellous opportunity for them to travel and see a completely different culture. We cannot thank Mr Dennis enough. The Eigg party flew out on Saturday for Barbados and then onto Mustique on Monday.” over the Union Jack from Calcutta, to the burgh.
This was intimated at the fortnightly meeting of the Fort William Town Council on Monday, presided over by Provost Cameron, when a letter was read from General Sir AFP Christensen, Bt.
It is hoped, however, that Field Marshal Auchinleck will be able to attend but as the Field Marshal does not return to this country until June, the council decided to put forward the date of July 10 as suitable to hold the ceremony.
Fort
William,
A letter was read to the meeting from Mr R MacDonald, Kinlochleven, suggesting the town council might co-operate with him in running his piggery at Kinlochleven.
He reckoned sufficient swill to feed 100 pigs was going to waste in the burgh in private houses. He will be prepared to make a regular collection of such swill.
It was agreed the surveyor should meet Mr MacDonald and go further into the matter.
The local committee of the Scottish Six Days motorcycle trial is busy planning out its campaign for the trials which take place from May 3 to May 17, with Fort William again the event’s headquarters. 1998: Alex Piper, left, of Lochaber Small Boat Owners Club, receives a £5,000 cheque from Councillor Neil Clark on behalf of Highland Council. With them are Councillor Euan Harper and Hugh Allison.