TEN YEARS AGO
Friday, May 2, 2014
It started with the beach – now it is about a pier, a whole shorefront and promoting the strong heritage of Dalintober as a village in its own right.
Ambitious plans could eventually transform the entire shorefront between Dalintober Pier and Campbeltown Sailing Club.
And all because group of caring Campbeltown mothers wanted to see the beach returned to its former glory as a safe and clean place for their kids to play.
Last summer, they cleared five and a half tons of rubbish from the beach in a single day.
The mothers, led by Catriona McSporran, then formed the Dalintober Beach Restoration Group. It will continue to clean the beach regularly, but it has also set its sights on seeing the rundown listed pier fully restored and safe again.
Councillor Donald Kelly has been behind them all the way.
He told the Courier this week: “There is so much that could be done to rejuvenate this area, and it would be a natural extension of the recent improvements to the Esplanade.
“Dalintober was very much a self-sufficient community linked to the herring fishing. It even had its own dialect referred to as Dalintober Gaelic.
“Before part of the loch was reclaimed, the villagers would go across in a boat to get to Campbeltown and that was a bit of an outing.
“If the beach restoration group can secure funding to restore the pier, then we can attract other funding to restore the whole shorefront.
“Information boards could highlight the strong history of the area for tourists and see Dalintober included in Campbeltown’s heritage trail.
“This project would not happen overnight but it is very possible if the right people become involved.
“We need local folk with drive and enthusiasm and some business acumen.
“I can’t lead this because it would clash with my role as a councillor, but I can support it all the way.”
Councillor Kelly has already met with Argyll and Bute Council’s manager for piers and harbours Martin Gorringe who has been asked to come up with a cost to restore the pier.
The next step would be to secure council funding before seeking additional funds elsewhere to support the whole shorefront project.
Also at the meeting with Mr Gorringe was Jamie MacLean, chairman of Dalintober Beach Restoration Group.
“It is really exciting the way this is going,” he said. “It started with well-intentioned locals keen to see a neglected beach become an attractive place again and now we are looking at transforming the whole shorefront.
“It is the least Dalintober deserves with its tremendous heritage. If we can bring that back to people it would be really worthwhile. All we need now is a bit more of the right kind of support.”
Carradale Golf Club ladies held a successful annual interclub day on Sunday.
Throughout the day, players from Machrihanish, Dunaverty and Tarbert enjoyed their round of golf in beautiful sunshine.
Thanks to greenkeeper Robert Strang’s hard work over the winter, the course was in an excellent condition.
The host club put on a buffet prior to the competition and afterwards everyone enjoyed a delicious meal at Carradale Hotel.
Thanks were made to all who contributed in any way to ensuring the day was a success.
Prize winners: Scratch: 1 Linda Arkell (Dunaverty) Margaret Robertson (Machrihanish), 2= Lesley Armour (Machrihanish), Mary McKinnon (Dunaverty), 3= Margaret Walsh (Carradale), Ann Gallacher (Machrihanish). Handicap: 1= Eilidh Neilson (Carradale), Ailie MacBrayne, 2= Sally McDougall, Isobel White, 3= Hazel Scally, Linda Brannigan.
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO
Friday, April 30, 1999
Hopes that Campbeltown Shipyard could be reopened were high this week.
As the Courier was going to press on Wednesday, the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Area Committee was meeting to decide the fate of the two wind farms proposed for mid-Kintyre.
And a report by planning officials put before the councillors recommended that they be ‘minded to approve’ the application which could reopen the yard.
CRE Energy Ltd (Scottish-Power) has applied to create a 46-turbine wind-farm at Beinn an Tuirc.
And for several months, ScottishPower has been negotiating with Les Howarth, former managing director of the shipyard, along with Danish manufacturers of wind turbines, regarding a contract to construct the turbine towers in Campbeltown.
Planning officials had, however, recommended that the local councillors refuse the other application from Powergen Renewables Ltd for a 15-turbine wind farm at Cruach nan Gabhar.
The recommendation to approve ScottishPower’s project was subject to certain conditions including the refusal of the Powergen project. This followed a report by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) which agreed with one of the two wind farms being allowed to go ahead, but not both.
SNH had declared no preference to either wind farm.
Other conditions included final approval by the Secretary of State, which is automatically required for any project involving more than 10 wind generators.
If approved by the area committee and subsequently by the Secretary of State, the ScottishPower wind farm is expected to provide 60 construction jobs, two long-term maintenance jobs, a ranger’s job, as well as 30-50 jobs manufacturing towers at the shipyard.
Reopening of the shipyard for this contract, which should provide employment for one year, is expected to lead to further contracts for many years to come in the rapidly expanding renewable energy sector.
The South Kintyre Riding For The Disabled group got a nice surprise on their first day back – not only was it a gloriously sunny day for their meeting, but they also found themselves the lucky winners of a massive chocolate egg!
The charity won their tasty prize after group helper Elizabeth MacDougall of Tayinloan nominated it for a Woolworths competition, which gave entrants the chance to win an Easter egg for themselves and the children’s charity of their choice.
There are six children in the riding group at the moment, a number which organisers would like to expand. However, the group is short of both helpers and horses, and numbers will sadly be going down even more after summer.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday, May 2, 1974
This year, the British Junior Red Cross celebrates its 50th anniversary. And in Scotland, a varied programme of special events and projects have been arranged to mark the occasion.
One of the major events is an International Friendship Camp to be held at Broomlee Camp, West Linton, near Edinburgh, from August 3rd to 10th, 1974.
There will be about 250 young Red Cross people present, aged 13-16 including about five each from Spain, West Germany, Norway and Sweden.
There are over 11,000 Junior Red Cross Members in Scotland out of a total United Kingdom membership of about 60,000.
The Juniors are organised in three ways: –
A Link, ages 5 to 10 – a group formed in a primary school, youth club or other youth organisation, or as an independent group attached to a Cadet Unit.
A Cadet Unit, ages 11 to 16 – attached to an adult Red Cross group called a Voluntary Aid Detachment.
A Junior Red Cross Member Group, ages 11 to 16 – usually formed in a school, but may also be formed within a youth club or other youth organisation.
The Juniors have three basic aims which are, in fact, the same as those of the Junior Red Cross all over the world, and they are: the protection of life and health, service to the sick and suffering, and international friendship and understanding.
Argyll is holding a rally and each Cadet Unit is arranging a special project to carry out in its own division e.g.: The Lochgilphead Unit plans to donate a cot to the local hospital and to purchase colours.
Link members in each division hope to produce a booklet containing stories of local interest to be sold for Junior Red Cross funds.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Saturday, May 3, 1924
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