From The Northern Times 25, 50 And 100 Years Ago

25 YEARS AGO

From the newspaper of January 24, 1997

Kinlochbervie could become the venue for a prestigious community arts project involving Scottish Opera – to be staged in the local fish market. Plans for the £10,000 project were outlined by Kinlochbervie High School teacher Michael Thornton to a meeting of interested people in the school on Monday night. Mr Thornton told them the idea arose when he met Scottish Opera director Peter Quillam Caine some time ago. He said: “Scottish Opera will provide the expertise, scenery, costume material and technical equipment. All we have to provide is the talent.”

Two busy west coast harbours have been labelled “rubbish tips” by a Sutherland councillor. Durness councillor Francis Keith called the state of the ports at Kinlochbervie and Lochinver a “disgrace” and said the council should be ashamed of them. He compared the harbours unfavourably with Scrabster and particularly singled out for criticism the hundreds of empty cable reels lying around at Lochinver. He said: “That is no way to attract customers.”

50 YEARS AGO

From the newspaper of January 21, 1972

The central committee of the Scottish Ambulance Service are planning to build a new ambulance depot at Golspie “as a control point for Caithness and Sutherland ambulances”. It will be big enough to accommodate the number of ambulances “which experience indicates is appropriate and to provide for reasonable expansion”. Sutherland Health Committee were told about the plan at Dornoch, last Monday, in a letter from Mr D. J. Buckley, secretary to the central committee. The Health Committee welcomed the news and is to ask the county council to help find a suitable site.

It was time they were asking the Government to “push on” with the construction of a new road to Cape Wrath, Mr C. C. Campbell, Durness, last week told Sutherland Roads Committee. He said: “Our unemployment is terrible and work is very badly needed in the Kinlochbervie, Durness and Scourie districts. This road would be 100 per cent grant-earning.” He suggested that the roads surveyor should be asked to look into a new road.

100 YEARS AGO

From the newspaper of January 19, 1922

A HEAVY fall of snow commenced in East Sutherland at 11am on Sunday and fell unceasingly for more than 12 hours, and by midnight snow lay to a depth of six to 12 inches, all over the district. On Monday morning a thaw set in, accompanied by a drizzle of rain. The Burgh Surveyor was early on the scene on Monday morning and had the snow plough out and roads cleared, but the rapid thaw left the footpaths slushy and uncomfortable to walk on.

A PRETTY wedding was solemnised at Embo on Friday, the contracting parties being Miss Johan Cumming, Embo, and Mr Donald Sutherland, Golspie, the popular left back of the Sutherland Football Club. Mr William Sutherland, brother of the groom was best man and Miss Bella Cumming, sister of the bride, was best maid. Amidst a shower of confetti and with many congratulatory remarks from their friends, the bridal pair left for Golspie in the evening where a dance took place for the enjoyment of their friends.

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