TEN YEARS AGO
Friday, April 11, 2014
The fascinating structure presently sitting on the New Quay of Campbeltown Harbour is an Evopod and could be the key to a large part of Scotland’s future energy production.
It is set to be located soon in the Sanda Sound between Sanda Island and Southend.
It is a test model, built to a quarter-scale (35kw) at approximately 13 metres long, for Oceanflow Energy, and its aim is to generate electricity from tidal streams.
If successful, such structures could be located individually or in large clusters around Scotland’s coastline, with the country’s fledgling wave and tidal sector expected to be worth £l billion to the economy by 2020.
Kintyre councillor Rory Colville hopes the Sanda Sound test will grow into something massive for the area, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.
“There is huge potential for renewable energy in the North Channel between Kintyre and North Ireland,” he said. “Campbeltown is well placed for support and maintenance work and because of its proximity to the central belt.
“It would make more sense for wave and tidal units to be around the Kintyre coast rather than Orkney and we have to promote this area.”
Graeme Mackie, managing director of Oceanflow, based in the Newcastle area, said: “Scotland, with its strong tidal stream resource, was the obvious place to test our semi-submerged Evopod turbine.
“We are looking forward to hooking up the word’s first grid-connected semi-submerged turbine in Scottish waters later this year.”
Oceanflow’s work is backed by a Scottish Enterprise grant. The Evopod, built in Renfrew, is expected to be placed in Sanda Sound within the next few months, once a small power sub station is established on nearby Pennyseorach Farm.
It will be towed from Campbeltown Harbour to its offshore location.
Part of its buoyant structure, attached to sea anchors, will be visible above the water. Warning lights will help flag up its location.
The quarter-scale demonstrator has been created following the successful trialling of a 1/10th scale project off the coast of Northern Ireland.
“These pods are going to need a lot of maintenance,” said Councillor Colville. “I’m jumping years ahead, but we could be doing that work in Campbeltown.
“There must be loads of locations around the west coast where they could be easily installed, providing energy on a large scale or supporting island communities.”
Two weeks ago, the Courier revealed that Argyll and Bute Council was considering an application for another demonstrator which would be placed off Mull of Kintyre.
The Crown Estate is giving its backing to such offshore enterprises, with the prospect of earning substantial income from leases.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO
Friday, April 9, 1999
Kintyre was in the headlines again last week, after an April Fools wind-up had people believing that the peninsula had been snapped up by American beer company Miller.
The Sun newspaper reported that free beer would be on offer each day in pubs across the peninsula, which was being renamed ‘Miller Kintyre’.
The article went on to say that as a result of the too-good-to-be-true sale, anyone living in the area could get dual US-British citizenship.
The April 1 edition also asked people to phone a special number if they wanted to move to the area.
Apparently, around 2,500 people called up the freephone number to get more information, hoping to speak to Miller spokesman Ralf Piolo – an anagram of April Fool.
The joke developed after a London PR company, which was looking for a Miller stockist somewhere near Campbeltown, came up with the original idea and contacted Bob Tait of the Beachcomber in Machrihanish.
Bob and a few of his locals borrowed hard hats and roadwork signs from a local contractor, and pretended to put the ‘Miller Kintyre’ sign up while The Sun photographer took some photos.
Bob commented: “It has been great since the story appeared in the paper; there has been a phenomenal response. By 1.30pm on the Thursday, 2,000 people had phoned up the Sun asking about the article, and there was even one call at 7.30 that morning from a man who was extremely angry that they were going to change the name!”
He added: “A lot of people have come in to the bar to have a look at the sign, which is now up in the bar.
“There must have been about 20 or so who have had their photo taken with it!”
A special group set up at Campbeltown Hospital to promote and encourage health issues has just won a prestigious national award.
The health promotion team has been awarded the bronze level of Scotland’s Health ‘At Work’ scheme, making it only the 12th Scottish NHS Trust establishment to achieve it.
Their first step was to carry out a survey among the staff, to allow them to develop an action plan.
Providing healthy food in the canteen, fitness classes, bike racks, and a regular staff newsletter with relevant health information were among the services made available to the hospital by the group.
The award scheme has been running for over two years and aims to reward organisations for their efforts to establish a healthy work-force and a healthy working environment; it demands enthusiasm and participation from all of those who enter it. The health group now plan to go for the silver level of the award.
Campbeltown Ladies’ Lifeboat Guild’s Easter coffee morning in Campbeltown Town Hall on Saturday was a roaring success and raised the staggering grand total of £1,430.10 for lifeboat funds.
The Town Hall was so packed there was standing room only at times as people waited for seats to become free.
Drawing the crowds were tasty baking, stalls and a raffle, but the main attraction was without doubt Miss Farmer’s Spring Hats show.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday, April 11, 1974
Harbour dues paid by Campbeltown’s fishermen may come down if a motion by an ex-Provost George McMillan is accepted by the council.
Ex-Provost McMillan said that each boat paid between £800 and £1,000 in dues every year.
“We are charging more than Ayr on dues; in fact, I think we are the highest on the Clyde,” said the councillor. “The levy on 1 ton of whisky unloaded at the pier is 50p.
“Fishermen pay £32 per ton per ton of prawns, 64 times that of whisky. The levy on a ton of coal is the princely sum of 4p. I think we have tipped the scales just a wee bit too far in raising the dues by double.”
“Let’s not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” said Mr McMillan.
The Harbour Committee are to discuss the matter at a special meeting in the near future.
At a ceremony held at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, Senior Aircraftman David Thomas Hubble was presented with the Royal Humane Society’s Testimonial on Parchment by Air Marshal Neil Cameron, CB, CBE, DSO, DFC, RAF, the Air Officer Commanding No. 46 Group, Strike Command, Royal Air Force.
SAC Hubble was on detached duty from RAF Lyneham to RAF Machrihanish near Campbeltown, at the time of the incident.
The Citation on the Testimonial reads: “On 11 September 1973 he rescued a mother and her baby girl who were in imminent danger of drowning in Campbeltown Harbour, Argyll, Scotland and whose lives he gallantly saved.”
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Saturday, April 12, 1924
The unhappy position of Scottish fishermen was brought out at a conference of Scottish fishermen in Aberdeen last week.
A resolution was adopted emphasising the impossibility of fishermen carrying on their industry for lack of suitable gear, occasioned by the prohibitive price, and owing to bad seasons, and calling upon the Government to come forward with a scheme of assistance.
During the conference it was stated that the fishermen were suffering dire poverty; that their credit was exhausted as a result of successive adverse seasons and that it was impossible with nets worn out and depleted in numbers to catch the quantity or quality of fish that was necessary were they to make a living.
It was pointed out that unless state aid was given there was a strong possibility of the Government failing to secure repayment of money meantime sunk in harbour and other public loans in coastal towns.
The annual Licensing Court for the Burgh of Campbeltown was held in the Court Room, County Buildings, on Tuesday, when the bench was occupied by Provost Campbell (chairman), Bailie Maceachran, and Bailie Oldfield.
All the applications before the Court were for the renewal of existing certificates, viz., 3 hotels, 4 grocers, and 13 public houses.
There were no complaints against any of the licencees, and all were granted renewal. Three brokers’ licenses were granted, and a number of ironmongers received licenses to sell cartridges and mixed explosives.
The quay porters also appeared in connection with their licences, and eight badges were renewed.
The Superintendent of Police, in reply to the Provost, stated that the porters seemed to be working harmoniously and he had received no complaints in the course of the year.
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