!#mmer 2011 he o#ler...j. herschell has been in touch with the agents for the gordon and richmond...

Mountain Bike TrailPlanning application has been re-submitted.There was a consultation meeting at the CrownOffice on May 26th between 2pm and 7pmregarding the changes.

Scottish Water Donation:Mini-bus, Sound System, Memorial Hall.Both proposals were considered to beworthwhile for the community, but as nodecision could be made at the moment, it wasproposed that the £10,000 funds from the WaterBoard should be protected. A proposal was madeto use it to buy Premium Bonds for 6 months,initially, then, re-evaluate. This may possiblymake more money, and can be readilywithdrawn.Both Roy Hill and Tony Birchall were thankedfor their time and efforts.

Village SignsMike Drury and Barry Horning will investigatefurther re: planning permission and the finaldesign.

Tennis CourtThe renovations for the groundwork have been

started and will take 2-3 weeks. Funding is stillneeded for the fencing

HotelsJ. Herschell has been in touch with the agentsfor the Gordon and Richmond Hotels. J. Starkey,as leaseholder, is liable for both properties.

Scottish Ambulance ServiceJ. Herschell had a meeting with Milne Weir fromScottish Ambulance. He informed JH thatmeetings were ongoing to try to change thecurrent system of meal breaks.The Scottish Ambulance Service is willing totrain First Responders for the village. A Publicmeeting will be called to consult with TheCommunity.

Councillors’ ReportsMr A. Wright reported back from a regenerationmeeting, which was held with representativesfrom Moray Council, Cairngorm National Park,and the Crown Estate. Representation from theCrown did not think that the closure of thehotels in the village was a prime issue, whilstother representatives did. The meetingconcluded that small inputs of money would berequired. An outside agency will be employed todraw up a plan after a member of the MorayCouncil staff has carried out some initial work.The initial plan will be discussed with TheCommunity prior to going to the outside agency.A community member suggested that thereshould be sufficient expertise within the groupand Tomintoul residents to formulate the plan.AW explained that an outside agency would bemore objective.F. Murdoch reported back on the re-cyclingsituation. Some recycling facilities are beingremoved from outlying areas, as ‘boxes’ forkerbside collections are introduced. It is unclearwhen this will take place in Tomintoul. Plasticcollection continues to be considered ‘notviable’.

Other BusinessJ Herschell attended a Crown Liaison meeting. The old pylons are in the process of beingremoved on the Lecht road.Moray Way are holding a short Walking Festivalin June.It was agreed that the roads near the Post Officeand on Conglass Lane need re-surfacing, notmore patching.

The Touler is produced by a duly elected team of the Kirkmichael & Tomintoul Community Association

t h e t o u l e r @ y a h o o . c o mS u M M e r 2 0 11 T h e T o u l e r

2

Kirkmichael and Tomintoul Community Association

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T h e T o u l e r t h e t o u l e r @ y a h o o . c o m S u M M e r 2 0 11

Argyle House standsproudly on Main Streetin Tomintoul and startedits life as a veryinteresting place.Shown in thephotograph you willnotice that it was aTemperance Hotel init’s early life….

When Steven and Ifirst came to the villageto see the house when itwas for sale, one of the things that stood out in ourminds was the fact that the house had been aTemperance House, how could this have been in themiddle of the whisky district? Knowing the generalbackground to the Temperance movement wepondered how brave these people must have beentrying to convert a district that had survived on whiskysmuggling and through the distilleries had providedwork for many in the village – then and now.

Having poked about a bit in to the history of themovement we came up with a few interesting facts:

“In October, 1829, Mr. John Dunlop, J.P.,Greenock, formed a temperance society at Maryhill,near Glasgow which simply enjoined on its membersabstinence from ardent spirits, but allowed the use ofwine and beer. On 17th September, 1856, wasinstituted the Scottish Prohibition Society for theSuppression of the Sale of Intoxicating Liquor byLegal Enactment. Mr. J. P. Burns Mr. J. L. Lang, Mr.John McAllister, Mr. James L. Selkirk, Mr. William C.Coghill, and Mr. Ronald Wright, were among the firstoffice-bearers. The Society continued till the formationof the Scottish Permissive Bill Association, when itwas dissolved.

On 1st October, 1858, the Scottish Permissive BillAssociation was formed, to co-operate with the UnitedKingdom Alliance in securing the prohibition of theliquor traffic by the vote of the people. Mr. JamesTorrens was appointed president; Mr. James L.Selkirk, honorary secretary; Mr. Robert Simpson,treasurer; and Mr. James Mitchell, secretary. In afteryears its name was changed to the Scottish PermissiveBill and Temperance Association. The president is atpresent Mr. John Wilson, M.P.; the chairman ofexecutive is ex-Bailie Selkirk, J.P.; and the secretaryMr. Robert Mackay, who has held that position forupwards of thirty-two years. The Association hasrendered signal service in educating and organising

public opinion against theliquor traffic. The questionis not yet ripe forsettlement in Scotland.

The Independent Orderof Good Templars wasformed in the United Statesof America in 1852. TheSupreme Court of theOrder sent in 1869 aScotchman, Mr. ThomasRoberts, to institute theOrder in his native land. In

the city of Glasgow, on 13th August, 1869, "Scotland'sFirst" Lodge, No.1, was organised with forty-twomembers. On the 23rd the "Albion," No. 2, wasinstituted, and on 25th the "Thomas Roberts," No. 3 -both in Glasgow.

The various local temperance associations, most ofwhich are branches of the National Associations, holdmeetings every evening in the week in Glasgow, theSaturday evening meetings especially being verynumerous, and largely attended. Excellententertainment is provided, which is an effectivecounter attraction to the licensed public houses. Thusthe solitary and tiny spring opened at Maryhill allthose years ago has multiplied into "broad rivers andstreams," bringing blessings to many households oncedesolated by strong drink, purifying social customs,and shedding a beneficent influence throughout theland.”

While we have lived here we have found that thereare still people in the village that have either ownedArgyle House or worked here or have known peoplethat have done one or both. We readily drink up theinformation. The house seems to have been a medleyof private house owners, bed and breakfast proprietorsor tenants over the years. In terms of the outside of thebuilding there have been few changes in its 120 yearsexcept for the annex along the side which is now alarge family room. The inside has evolved as ownershave added their own pieces of history. The room thatwas once the dining room is now our private loungearea and what was the lounge is now the dining room.In here we have added a wood burning stove but keptthe original Victorian fireplace that had been hiddenbehind a make believe fire place.

We have done mostly cosmetic changes and have 4en-suite rooms and 2 rooms that share a bathroomwhich was originally the only bathroom in the house.

On our side we discovered a huge fireplace behind

ARGYLE HOUSE – Established 1891

CELEBRATES 120 YEARS

a façade and have installed a wood burning stove tokeep us and the house warm in the winter. Thefireplace is stone and is majestic so must have beenpart of the original building and we assume was partof the kitchen.

All in all Argyle House remains as it was in 1891– a proud building making up part of the importanthistory of Tomintoul.

How did we, South Africans end up in Tomintoulpeople often ask? There comes a time in life wherewe make changes due to personal circumstances ora drive to live the dream. Ours was a bit of bothreally. I had always dreamed of owning my ownguest house and Steven was ready for a change tohis career and we both loved the Scottish Highlands.We had looked for some time at various properties,and there had been a few that could have been - butnone that really struck home.

Argyle House was the first thing we saw as weturned the corner into the main street in Tomintoul.It was a proud building somehow, almost standingguard for the rest of the village. Before stopping wetook a drive up and down all the streets getting anidea of the “lie of the land”, and then made our wayback to the house. On entering it felt steeped inhistory and we both had a good feeling – about thevillage and the house. As we made our way around

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T h e T o u l e r S u M M e r 2 0 11 t h e t o u l e r @ y a h o o . c o m

Library TiMES

Monday 1.30pm to 3.30pm

and

6pm to 7.30pm

Tuesday 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Wednesday 10am to 12 noon

Thursday 6pm to 7.30pm

Friday 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Don’t forget you can always phone

during these hours to renew your books,

place a reservation on a book you fancy

reading or to book time on the People’s

Network Internet computers.

Our number is 01807 580755

the house we knew this was the one for us, and thisdecision was made easier the next day when walkingaround and talking to the locals. Everyone seemedfriendly and willing to give a hearty welcome.

One of the things when starting a new business isto know if there are any unique selling points thatwould make this house stand out amongst any otherin the area. That is where our intrigue of thephotograph and the Temperance movement madesense. Not from a member point of view but from ahistorical reference to attract customers. How amazingto have documented proof that this house is one ofthose that were established at the start of themovement and how ironic in its position.

Coupled with the facts that we are a stone’sthrow from some amazing distilleries, great castleruins and living castles and of course the amazingcountryside with it’s unique wild life. We hadfound our dream at last.

As you all know we arrived and began tradingon 20th June 2008.

We are very happy to be its owners and willcontinue to be sympathetic in any alterations thatwe do in the future. We would like to take thisopportunity to thank one and all in the village formaking us so welcome.

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Tomintoul Pensioners’ Association would like to thank everyone for their generous support.

A 10 mile sponsored walk from Tomintoul to Glenlivet Distillery raised the fantastic sum of

£1,598.00.

Thirteen committee members and friends left the village square at 10 am on Sunday 12th June. We

all enjoyed a perfect walking day, arriving at Glenlivet Distillery at 2.pm where we were all treated

to a delicious light lunch, courtesy of Chivas Brothers.

This successful fundraiser will ensure the continuation of another popular pensioners’ party.

Many thanks to everyone involved.

Tomintoul Pensioners’ Association

Sponsored Walk

This issue’s Picture from the Past dates from the early 1960s.


6

Firewood & Woodchip07778129477

Picture from the Past


Oh my! Oh my! I feel that my

“crabbit” crown is safe for a

wee while longer!

While I admire and

envy those amongst us who

have the determination to sustain

a hobby that involves physical

application, I do not admire the bad

manners that come with it. Why do

cyclists who come in packs on

weekends proceed round our narrow roads 4 and

sometimes 5 abreast? They “trap” motor

vehicles between groups and show no awareness

of other road users, either behind or oncoming.

I am also fighting embarrassment at being

overtaken by a two-wheeled apparatus!

And another thing: while we acknowledge

that cycling is more environmentally friendly

than driving, throwing bright pink plastic bags

into the undergrowth is not. Get a grip cyclists,

be aware of others around you and don’t be litter

louts.

I seem to be on a theme. Travelling along an

even narrower than normal road with many

bends, I nearly had a “boy racer” permanently

attached to my radiator grill. With much

sheepishness he reversed and of course I

glowered. I would have been upset if his speed

caused him any injury, but even more upset if he

had injured me. There are enough road accidents

without us courting trouble.

I understand that lights have been observed

again in the hotels. I really hope that whoever

was in there had a legitimate reason. I think that

we should all be concerned regarding the safety

of the buildings and anyone, whether legally

gaining entrance or not, who may be inside.

Many things can happen when mischief is

involved and, once again, if anyone in the

village sees anyone doing what they shouldn’t,

please contact the local police.

On a “not so Crabbit note” – thank you for the

sign erected at the bottom of the Lecht road. No

one can now say that they missed Tomintoul or

turned the wrong way. Mind you, THAT

APOSTROPHE!!!! When will we learn?

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LINDSAY JACK & SON

- FUnERAL DiRECTORS -

Serving the communities of

Badenoch and Strathspey with a

complete Funeral Service

Funerals ~ Memorials ~ Funeral Plans

24-hour personal service assured

Telephone

(01479) 872442

Coire Bhrochain, Rhuarden Court,

Grantown on Spey, PH26 3DA

www.jackfuneraldirectors.co.uk

2010 Hig Tues, 11 ramble at Lech

Crabbit Aul’ Wifie

1.What world or nationalevent has left the greatestimpression?

I think the terrorist attackon the tower blocks in NewYork. A terrible event morelike something from a filmthan from real life. It hadgreat implications for thefuture of the world.

2. Name three dinnerguests from any period oftime?

Tony Benn, I like hiscommon sense and ability toargue a case, I would like to talk to him abouthis life and politics in general.

Bob Dylan, not the greatest singer butpossibly the greatest lyricist of all time, Iwould like to talk to him about his songs

Julius Caesar, history is one of my maininterests and I would love to hear Caesar talkabout his life.

3.Favourite TV programme and film?Hard one, I like very few TV programmes, I

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do enjoy one calledMantracker, where a guytracks people down in theCanadian wilderness.Favourite film, The Searcherswith John Wayne, I loveWesterns and this is a classic.

4. Favourite drink?Is always a cup of tea, if

alcoholic a pint of bitter. Ilove a red wine called, TheBlack Stump.

5. Favourite music?I love pop music from all

decades and listen a greatdeal to a wide range. I like rock music butpunk bands in particular, the Clash, SexPistols, Bad Shepherds, etc.

6. Favourite Food/Meal?I am lucky that Pam is an outstanding cook

and my evening meals are excellent, I lovePam’s sweet and sour pork. If eating outquality is important, I like to try new tastes, Ilove steaks and all meats. I hate chefs who putpresentation above the quality of taste.

7. Favourite town or city?I like Keswick in the Lake District, it has

lovely buildings, great views and top classwalks, we also have good friends near there.

8.Locally favourite places?We live in a very scenic area and much of it

is beautiful. A special place would be amountain top on a clear day with spectacularviews.

9. Your pets?We now have one dog, Tarn, a blue merle

border collie. Now six years old.10.Most exciting event?Really hard one? Passing my 11+ exams, It

was not expected and I remember the joy of mymum and dad, my mum took me to my dad atwork to tell him the good news. Winning alarge tennis tournament when I was 35.Becoming a Head Teacher of a large school atthe age of 32. Presenting my first programmefor the BBC. There are so many things andmany connected with mountaineering.

11.Favourite Holiday place?In Britain it would be on the West Coast of

Scotland. I also love France and possibly one

The Touler QuestionnaireMike Fletcher

The Crafty Lot Exhibition

of Work

The Crafty Lot meetings

start on Tuesday August

30th with an Open Day. We

will be exhibiting some of

the work completed during the meetings

from September 2010 to May 2011, to

demonstrate some of the activities we do.

There are a variety of crafts, including

various art work, knitting, sewing,

patchwork, cross-stitch, card making etc.

Some people are expert at a craft, while

others are learning, and just enjoy

company whilst doing so. If you want to

learn a new craft, one of us may be able to

help.

The group meets every Tuesday afternoon

in The Richmond Memorial Hall. (2pm to

4pm) - come and join us. You can have a

laugh, a natter, enjoy a cup and biscuit, and

have 2 hours working on your projects.

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A warm welcome awaits everyone. Visitors Welcome!

Open from Easter to the end of October.

The Green is open every day from 9am to 9pm.

TominToul & GlenliveT

ouTdoor BowlinG CluB

Visitors: £3.00 per session; Bowls Hire: £1.00; Shoe Hire: £1.00

Membership (Season): £42.00 Affiliated Membership: £10.00

For enquiries telephone

Rob Abdy on 01807 580201 or Mike Budd on 01807 580459

Visitors can call at the Post Office

to obtain keys and pay fees.

* * * * * *

MASS TiMES FOR CATHOLiC

CHURCHES

Tomintoul, Tombae and

Chapeltown every third

Sunday in turns at 9.30am

Dufftown and Aberlour

at 5pm Saturday

Parish Priest: Rev. C.M. Stewart

Times of morning Masses

during the week vary.

These can be obtained by

telephoning 01807 580381

of the French Atlantic islands.12. Somewhere I would love to visit?It would be Canada, I love the land there.13. Desert island, what would I take?A spark striker to make a fire. A large, sharp

machete. A fishing line + hooks.14.The last book I read and my favourite

book?Last book, was about Hereward the Wake who

fought against William the Conqueror. Myfavourite book of all time is “ Bury My Heart atWounded Knee” about the American Indiantribes, simply a great read.

15.My hobbies? Mountaineering has been my main interest for

a long time. I also sculpt, read and write.16. If I could have lived in another period ,

when would it be?I think it would be in Roman times, it would

be a dangerous time but I am fascinated by theRomans .

SNIPPETSOrdinary red foxes are beginning to

displace Arctic foxes in northernRussia, apparently because the

climate there is becoming less cold.

Friday July 1stsaw the officialrelaunch of theT o m i n t o u lMuseum andLocal InformationPoint. A day thatthe village heartilywelcomed.

Towards theend of last year theMoray Councilsuggested thatboth TomintoulLibrary andT o m i n t o u lMuseum would beclosed as part ofits cost cutting exercise. This prompted a furiousresponse from the community, and that combined withother factors, has resulted in the threat over the Librarybeing removed and a revamp of the Museum.

Funding for the revamp came from CairngormNational Park Authority, VisitScotland, and MorayCouncil and together they have made the InformationPoint more visitor friendly. The layout of the frontoffice is much lighter and the museum part has also

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been opened upand altered to givean overall brighterand more spaciousaspect. Theimproved layoutwill help visitorsto make the mostof their visit toTomintoul whichis considered to bethe gateway to theC a i r n g o r m sNational Park.

Allan Wright,Park BoardMember and ViceConvenor of

Moray Council stated “Tomintoul is a key locationbeing on the main route which links both sides of theCairngorms National Park.” He also stated that he wasdelighted that together Visit Scotland, The CairngormsNational Park and Moray Council, working inpartnership, have delivered an upgraded andrebranded information point in Tomintoul. It is anexcellent example of partnership working which willbenefit the whole National Park area as well as theimmediate community.

Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland’s regional director,stated that he too was impressed with the new lookoffice and that it is a welcome addition to Tomintoul.The partnership has created a contemporary, upgradedfacility that will prove to be a real asset to the villageand area. He also said “It is important that visitors tothe Cairngorms National Park are kept informed of allthe fantastic things to see and do in this beautiful partof the world”

Councillor Jeff Hamilton, Chair of Children andYoung People’s Services Committee also spoke of theimportance of working together for the benefit of thecommunity and visitors.

At least 35 persons attended the launch, being amixture of locals and those from further afield withinthe Cairngorms National Park area and Moray. Allwere treated to an Ice cream provided by A’an SideStudios in Tomintoul. Following the official ceremonythe guests mingled and many commented on thechanges. All were in agreement that the changesgreatly improved the Museum and Local InformationPoint.

Hopefully, this upgrading is just a start of things tocome, and that the village is now on the up, as we havea lot to offer the visitors as well as the inhabitants.

We are now officially relaunched!

Extracts from a speech given by Mike Drury“We are here this evening to celebrate the service,

work and friendship that David and Mary Crowleyhave brought to the people of this village at anoccasion of mixed emotions.

There are those of you here who have been patientsever since David and Mary arrived in the village andhave spent many years trusting his knowledge andjudgement over their health and well being.

We can all be glad that David and Mary can kickback, enjoy retirement and be relieved of that veryspecial pressure that comes with the job of as a GP. 26years is a long, long time to spend in the same placeand the same job. In this day and age this is not usual.

In the early days of 1984 David and Mary must havefelt they had stepped into an actual movie and that theywere playing out a real life story of Doctor Findlay and hisCasebook. The casebook script was, however, written bythe daily lives of the people of Tomintoul, not penned bythe dream-makers of the BBC.

During David’s 26 years in practice in the villageyou have witnessed a massive transition from thathomely little surgery on the corner of Rattray’s Laneand Main Street, to the establishment of the supermodern Surgery we now enjoy. Much of this greatatmosphere is down to David, Mary and their lovelyyet slightly barmy staff. If fact going to the Docs inTomintoul is almost fun!

Some might say that David has made a hellishadversary on occasions when a patient was not gettingthe service needed from outside the community.Who would want to be on the other end of thephone? Not I!

David and Mary rose to the challenge that workingin rural community brings. Love and professionalismhave gone hand in hand whilst you have been GP tothis people of this village. David and Mary, we thankyou in the best of possible ways – For there are manywho may not have been here today - if it had not beenfor you, your skills and the love of this place.”

Mhairi and Eilidh Ward presented David and Marywith magnificent bouquets and Jenny Herschell, thelongest serving member of staff at Tomintoul MedicalCentre, presented gifts on behalf of the village.

Note from Sally:Everyone was so generous when contributing towards

David and Mary’s presents that there was some cash left over.I spoke to both and they would like to donate the moneytowards the Tomintoul Tennis Court renovation. I am sure thatyou will join with me in thanking David and Mary for theirgenerosity.

Just in case you didn’t know, you gave David anenormous tool kit for his many bicycles and Maryreceived a painting by Jane Lannagan.

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David and Mary would like to thankeverybody for the wonderful send off onSaturday, 18 June. “The memory willalways stay with us. What a fantasticplace Tomintoul and its glens are. Suchwarmth and such a community spirit!”

Thanks for the presents, the song, thewine but most of all, thanks for theaffection.

See you when we return.

Tel: 01479 821793 Mob: 0773 496 8382

Email: [email protected]

Supply, Erection & Cladd ing of all types of Steel Framed

Agricultural, Industrial,

& Personal Properties.

All types of Roof Repairs & Snow Boards also undertaken

PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com

David and Mary Crowley’s Retirement

June is always a busy month for the ranger servicewith visiting schools and groups, and this year wasno exception. Six schools came to visit the estateand study topics such as minibeasts, woodlandsand pond dipping. In addition a group of armycadets from Glasgow & Strathclyde UniversitiesOTC (officer training corps) came to stay for aweek in Glenlivet hall for a small MACC task(Military Aid to the Civil Community). Work tookplace at the Carrachs pond and the Lecht mine andincluded; rebuilding bridges and boardwalks, pathrepairs, creating a shelter and building benches.Spring also brings about lots of grass cutting andwe are busy keeping on top of the regularmaintenance of the path network. If you noticeanything that needs attention don’t hesitate to giveus a call and let us know.

The Carrachs pond project is nearly complete,we started this last summer with the aim ofimproving the wetland habitat of the Carrachswoodland, near Chapeltown, to enhance the areafor wildlife. Two ponds and a series of ‘wetscrapes’ were created and native broadleaved trees(including Willow, Alder, Aspen and Birch) havebeen planted in the surrounding area, and a path,benches and shelter have now been completed.Final works to the new car park and track arenearing completion.

A new leaflet has been produced about DruminCastle. This details some of the history of theCastle through the centuries and includes an artist’simpression of the Castle in its hey-day. The leafletis available from the Glenlivet Information Centreand the Tomintoul Visitor Information Centre, and

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will soon be available on-site at the Castle. Wehave also installed a new viewpoint indicator ontop of Carn Daimh. The hill top viewpoint haspanoramic views in every direction, looking outacross the Braes to the Ladder hills, to theCromdale hills, the Cairngorm mountains, BenRinnes and on a clear day as far as Lochnagar tothe south and Morvern in Sutherland 100km to thenorth. If you haven’t been up for a while it is wellworth the walk!

Another phase of consultation has just beencompleted for the Mountain Bike trails and theinformation submitted to us will now be collatedand assessed before a planning application issubmitted for the mountain bike project.

Over the winter months (between the snow!) acairn has been constructed in the Bridge of Avonpicnic area, in memory of Sir Edward and LadyPeck. A plaque provided by the communitycommemorates the couple and the work they did inensuring the conservation of the old bridge. A smallgathering will be held at the cairn at the end of July(date tbc).

The forestry team has been busy trying to catchup with the tree planting, which started late thisyear due to the bad weather. This is now finallycomplete, with over 100,000 trees planted in total,at three main sites; Whitefolds (down the Tombaeroad), Inchnacape plantation and the Military road(Tomintoul). Tree felling is now taking place in theCarn Daimh plantation, below CarnDubh/Blairfindy hide. When these works arecompleted (estimated timescale – end July) the

felling will move to the CairnMuldonich (off the Tombae Road).

Ten years ago we submitted our20-year Long Term Forest Plan to theForestry Commission, which wasgiven approval for the first ten years(up to 2012) and outline approval forthe next 10 years. A consultation isnow underway for this second phaseof the plan (i.e. 2012 – 2022), theplans will be available to view in theGlenlivet Estate Office andInformation Centre shortly.

Vicky Hilton (CountrysideManager)

Andy Greathead (Senior Forester)

Glenlivet Estate Office,

01479 870070

[email protected]

Crown Estate Update

James and Kevin Williams after theblackening!

Eleanor Mackintosh,

CnPA Representative

Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote inthe recent Cairngorms National Park Elections, ofcourse, an extra big thank you to those of you whovoted for me!

Going round the doors canvassing is an exercisewell worth doing as while many folk do not feel theNational Park affects their daily lives many others doand some were very positive but others had genuineconcerns, which I have raised with the relevant people.It was said to me that I didn’t shout loud enough forthe area, well everyone has their own way of workingand I admit to not being the loudest most outspokenperson around but that does not mean I am not activelypromoting the area and fighting its corner at everyopportunity.

Currently the National Park has been instrumentalin bringing the local communities, Moray Council,Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The CrownEstate together to try to find some way forward for theregeneration of the Village and surrounding area. Noone has a magic wand but please all I am asking is thatyou keep an open mind try to put historical baggagewith some of these bodies to one side and let’s see ifwe can all work together to get a plan in place toimprove the area for the long term.

I know it was only a coat of paint but what adifference to the Visitor Information Centre on thesquare, the Park brand has certainly cheered thatcorner up.

Eleanor Mackintosh

Tel: 01807 590247

E-mail: [email protected]

13


James Riley thought he had got out of ablackening because he was getting married inGlasgow. However, Sarah Jane had differentideas. She got a very perplexed multi nationalgroup organised to have a ‘mini’ blackening.She mixed up a very odd concoction, Marmitewas included, and gave out quantities of thisfoul mixture.After we had been for a meal and a drink itstarted!As with any blackening James fought back, but tono avail. They covered him in this mixture.What amazed me was that no-one wasarrested. This took place at a Glasgow pub outon the pavement! No police sirens or even aconcerned citizen. I don’t know how I wouldhave explained to Helen why her bridegroomwas in jail and I had condoned it.

JR

A Mini Blackening

Snippets

The biggest tree inBritain is thoughtto be a 250-year-old Oriental plane64m wide, about

the size of afootball pitch.

Tomintoul School is always a busy place and thelast few weeks have been no exception to this.For most of the summer term P5-7 have hadKwik Cricket coaching from a coach providedby Moray Council’s Active School’sprogramme. The coach worked with MrsSinclair from our school to coach our team allthe way to the final of the All Moray KwikCricket Festival. Unfortunately we were justpipped at the post by the team from PortgordonPrimary.

Mrs Sinclair has also been coaching someP5/6 pupils through their Cycling ProficiencyCourse and they will soon be doing their test. Ihope they do really well and, more importantly,remember the safe cycling rules when they areout and about on their bicycles.

Much of what we do at Tomintoul Schoolcentres around encouraging the children to beenterprising in their learning. As part of theirwork on Enterprise our Nursery decided tobecome wedding planners for Kate and Williamand, to practice their own skills, help their ownRoyal Wedding. A huge amount of work wasdone ranging from making invitations, preparingvisitors books and food for the day all the wayup to creating stunning wedding hats andamazing wedding cakes. Everyone who came tothe wedding had a fabulous time and agreed thatthe children had done a tremendous job. Mitch,Dawn and Kim were very proud of all thechildren.

Our Eco Committee celebrated thecompletion of their project to improve theschool grounds by holding a Grand GroundsOpen Afternoon. We were very pleased towelcome past and present members of the EcoCommittee to the event and were really pleasedthat Richard Lochhead was able to come alongto do the official opening.

Every year the children enjoy going to thebowling club for lessons and to take part in theircompetition. It is very kind of Jessie and Miketo give up their time to work with the children.This year’s Nursery bowling champion wasKirstyn Munro.

We have a very supportive Parent Council atTomintoul School and this term they helped uswith our combined Sports and Strawberry Fayre.The weather was fairly good and all the hardwork paid off with Conglass turning out to bethe winning team at the sports and with theParent Council raising just over £400 for theschool fund.

It has long been the tradition in Tomintoulthat a Dux prize is awarded to the best academicstudent in the senior year of the school.However, this does not really fit with the ethosof Scotland’s new Curriculum for Excellencewhich strives towards fostering pupils who areConfident Individuals, Successful Learners,Responsible Citizens and EffectiveContributors. We have therefore decided that, inTomintoul School, the Dux prize will beawarded to the pupil who has demonstrated thefour capacities through out the year. This year’sDux Prize has been awarded jointly to AbbieMcGillivray and Rebecca Finnie.

Thank you for you continued support of theschool.

Nancy Fraser

Head Teacher

14


News from Tomintoul Primary School

Richard Lochhead (MSP) cuts the Green Ribbon

to officially open the new

outdoor learning facilities created by the

Eco Committee

15


ACTIVITIES DAYSJune saw the pupils enjoying two days ofactivities which took them out of the normalclassroom environment giving them theopportunity to mix with others from across theyear groups S1 to S3. As well as two trips, one toLondon and one to Amsterdam, pupils were ableto choose from a wide range of options. Theseincluded Dinghy Sailing, Paintball, GorgeScramble, Surfing and Street Art to name but afew. Our activities days are a valuable part of thecurriculum and offer pupils the opportunity todevelop new skills and to try out options theymight choose to continue with in the future.They also provide a useful time to work withpupils other than their usual classmates, formnew friendships and appreciate the skills ofothers they were previously unaware of. Having endured last week’s testing weatherconditions while on residential at Badaguish, thethird year pupils, in particular, were lookingforward to these activities days and were hopingto enjoy much improved weather, especiallysince most activities were outdoors.

SCHOOL SPORTSFollowing two postponements caused by thechangeable weather, School Sports were heldon a pleasantly sunny afternoon last Friday.They were a very enjoyable and successfulevent. Ben Mitchell set a new school record of1.62 Metres for the High Jump. The individualstage champions were:-

Second Year: Antonia Glass and Marcus Charlesworth

Third Year: Christine Brum and Calvin DonaldFourth Year: Sasha Allcott and Ben MitchellSeniors: Hannah Kerridge and

Mafi Simmonds-Sharkey

The event was run on a House points basis andthis year’s winning house was Fiddich.

ORIENTEERING COMPETITIONThe recent school Orienteering Competition wasa great success and attracted almost a quarter ofthe school to take part. Pupils competed in pairsaround the school’s mapped course. The winningteams were:-

Second Year: Jointly: Zoey Gordon and Aileen CampbellandLeah Cumming andMolly Melville

Third Year: Jonathan Scott and Charlie Mitchell

Fourth Year: Edward Bodiamand Ryan Devine

Seniors: Angus Hargreaves and Rory Holland

The House winners were Fiddich House.

SIXTH YEAR DRESSThis year’s choice of colour by Sixth Year isroyal blue and there has been a high demand forskirts in the school’s tartan, worn by Sixth Yeargirls.

END OF SESSIONThe school year ends on Friday afternoon withan early closure at 2.30 PM.Course recommendations for returning Fifth andSixth year students will be posted out followingthe publication of Scottish QualificationsAuthority exam results on 4 August.The new term starts for pupils on Tuesday 16August.

We went off to Inshriach Garden Centre, not to

look at plants, but to eat cake! It is the only

place I know that serves tea in a china cup and

the menu consists of cakes. These are not

ordinary cakes, they are mouth-wateringly

gorgeous gateaux.

Once you have chosen, and it’s not easy, you

take them through to the sunroom. Out in the

wood they have a selection of feeding platforms

and containers for the birds. Not only do the

birds take advantage of the food, the red

squirrels also come for a snack. This

entertainment keeps all the customers busy

watching. Not only are they oohing and aahing

at the antics of the birds and squirrels, they are

also appreciating the cake.

When I was watching the woodpecker it made

me realise that my knowledge of it was very

scant. The same could be said of the red

16


High quality art scanning& printing to a1 size

Tea, Cake, Red Squirrels andGreat Spotted Woodpeckers!

squirrel. Time to find out more about them....

The Red Squirrel

The Red Squirrel is native to Britain, but its

future is increasingly uncertain as the

introduced American Grey Squirrel expands its

range over the mainland.

The Forestry Commission is working on

projects across Britain to develop a long term

conservation strategy to help the Red Squirrels

and deter the Greys.

Red Squirrels build large dreys often in the

forks of tree trunks. They are usually solitary,

only coming together to mate. They don’t mind

social interactions and related squirrels will

share dreys in the winter to keep warm.

Red Squirrels produce young, called kittens,

in the spring, and can produce a second litter in

the summer if the conditions are right. They

usually have 2 to 3 kittens which are brought up

by the females on their own. Only between 20%

to 50% of the kittens survive to adulthood. The

young are weaned off their mothers’ milk at

approximately 8 to 12 weeks when they have

developed a complete set of teeth.

We are very lucky to have Red Squirrels so

keep a lookout for them. They are all round us in

the woods.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is an all year

resident.

17


The upperparts are glossy black with white on

the sides of the face and neck. A black line

zigzags from the shoulder halfway across the

breast then back to the nape. A black stripe,

extending from the bill, runs below the eye to

the latter part of the zigzag line. On the shoulder

there is a large white patch and the flight

feathers are barred with black and white. Males

have a crimson spot on the nape but the top of

the head is crimson between the bill and the

centre of the crown in the females and the

young.

The Woodpecker is often hidden by the trees’

foliage and can only be identified by the

drumming sound they make. The call is a sharp

‘quet quet’.

It is an inhabitant of woodlands and parks,

depending for food and nesting sites on old

trees. Its actions are jerky, and it hops rather

than climbs.

The food mainly consists of insects and grubs

but also seeds, fruit, scraps, eggs, chicks and

small rodents.

The nesting hole, neat and round, is bored in

soft or decaying wood. It shows no marked

preference for one type of tree. Five to seven

creamy white eggs are laid in the second half of

May. The young cluster at the mouth of the hole

and chatter continuously chatter while the

parents feed them.

Tomintoul Gardening Club

We are once again into summer and the GardeningClub has met since March on the last Thursday of eachmonth discussing gardening topics, both specific andgeneral, and on some occasions, trading plants, or atleast promising to trade plants outwith the meetingwhich is generally the case.

We hope to make at least two trips this year the firstof which will be berry picking. However, this will bedependent on the weather because there is littlepleasure in pulling berries in the rain plus they do notkeep well and you have to do something with themthat day.

In the past we have travelled to various venues buta favourite remains The Floral Hall in Inverness. Theplants on sale are good quality and not expensive andthere is a very nice tea room there.

As the village now has to pay for the plants fromMoray Council used in the tubs it was decided at thelast meeting to make a donation towards the cost ofthe plants as we have some extra funds at this time.

If you are interested in joining us we meet in theResidents Lounge, Tomnabat Court on the lastThursday of each month from March to October at8 pm The club is not competitive and the range oftopics discussed is varied not always related tohorticulture.

Patricia GrantChairman

July 16th this year saw the 170thstaging of Tomintoul HighlandGames; and to help us celebrate thisevent we were visited by the LonachHighlanders and The Lonach PipeBand. We have in the past had theLonach Pipe Band playing at ourGames, but this is the first time in the

Society’s history that they have visited TomintoulHighland Games.

Some may think that this is an unusual anniversaryto celebrate but this year the nearest Highland Gameswill be at Lochcarron, if we have delayed until our175th we would have to compete with Inverness.

In the past Tomintoul Games were held in Augustand on a Friday. Lonach was held on the Thursday,Tomintoul the Friday and Nethy Bridge on theSaturday. This meant that the athletes and pipers couldcompete three days in a row. Quite a feat!!

The Lonach Highland and Friendly Society isunique being the last charitable organisation in theworld which annually celebrates Scotland’s bestattributes in a colourful display of military might andpageantry. .

In common with many highland games theLonach’s origin lie in a 21st on December 15th 1822to celebrate the coming of age of John Forbes, heir ofSir Charges Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe. The newSociety had three purposes - to preserve the kilt andthe Gaelic tongue; to promote "manly conduct"; and tocare for the poor "of the district". This early Lonachwas essentially a charity which annually paraded tochurch (its first march or "gathering"). Then Highland

18


sports (the "games") began in 1835. The story of theSociety is that of success since those early heady daysand Gaelic still persists in one of the Lonach toastsLonach gu broth (Lonach for ever) and the motto ofthe Society is Clann nan Gaidheal, annn am guaillibha cheile (Children of the Gael, shoulder to shoulder).

In the early years of the society any nation that itwould ever exist out with the confines of Strathdonwould have been difficult to comprehend and it is ameasure of its steadfastness that it has remained firmlyrooted in the area of its inception.

Tomintoul Games is run by a committee ofvolunteers who, with the support of the Patrons ofTomintoul Games along with the firms and individualswho sponsor the Games, stage one of the coothiestGames in Scotland. The friendly atmosphere of theevent encourages young and old to participate in thespirit of the Games and the Committee wish to extenda welcome to you to come and join in this historicevent in the highest village in the Highlands.

Tomintoul Highland Games is a member of theScottish Highland Games Association and theGrampian Games Association which encourages someof the best athletes to attend our Games. GrampianGames has leagues covering all the disciplines that arefound at a Highland Games; Piping, Dancing, LightEvents, Heavy Events and Tug-o-War. The Piping issponsored by John Milne Fine Arts, the Dancing byWalkers Shortbread, the Light Events by Williamsonand Dunn, the Heavies by William Grant and Son,Glenfiddich and Tug-o-War by Trinity International

For further information please contact P Grant,Secretary tel 01807 580407

Tomintoul Highland Games

The Peck Memorial CairnThe Peck Memorial, a cairn in honour of Sir Edward and Lady Alison

Peck, late of Torrans, near Bridge of Avon, was unveiled on August

1st at the beautiful old bridge. The cairn was the erected by the

Tomintoul community with the support of the Glenlivet Estate to

remember the international career of the Pecks and the contribution

they had made as pioneers of conservation in the Tomintoul area after

they moved to Torrans in the early 1970s. Several representatives of

the Avonside Conservation Group and the Cairngorms Campaign

were present at the gathering. Donald Peck spoke for the Pecks'

descendants to thank the Tomintoul community warmly for

honouring his parents and encouraged them to continue in the same

spirit to guard nature against the many threats it faces.

19


Clippings from the Library

The summer reading challenge is

now well under way with over

twenty children signed up to

read six books over the summer

collecting stickers, prizes and of

course points for their team along the way. If

your kids haven’t signed up yet it’s not too

late to join in some of the activities. New for

this year we are having special circus stars

activity time every Wednesday morning with

new activities, challenges and access to the

circus website.

If you are inspired by the kids why not set

yourself a reading challenge? Perhaps you

would like to make more time to read, try a

new genre or to attempt a classic novel you

have never quite got round to – for inspiration

start by coming to browse our shelves or

browse online via the library’s website

(www.moray.gov.uk/libraries). On a more

practical level there may be a skill you have

always wanted to improve or a subject you’d

like to know more about, in which case you’ll

be interested to know our adult non-fiction

stock has recently been refreshed with a range

of interesting and up to date titles.

Anyone who has set themselves the

challenge of improving their computer skills

in the coming months should consider trip to

the library where we can arrange computer

taster sessions with a tutor, informal help

sessions with myself or look into some of the

training courses, such as the ECDL, run by the

library through various learning centres.

Whatever challenges you set yourself this

summer the library has something to offer

you.

Jennifer Fraser

Unfortunately there was no representative

from Kirkmichael and Tomintoul at the last

Forum meeting held in June however several

points were raised which were of relevance to

Tomintoul.

Policing matters: The Police reiterated that

perseverance was the key to getting speed

restrictions in villages; just one car speeding was

justification. There had been a clampdown on

drug dealers in the area; vandalism culprits had

been apprehended as had speedsters. Concern

was also raised concerning Red Squirrels and

appropriate signing was suggested.

Community Support Worker: It was advised

that the hours for this post have been cut but it

was again put forward that Rhona’s attendance at

the Forum Meetings was essential.

Council Plants: Concern was expressed about

the cost and discrepancies in the cost of plants

for communities. It was agreed that letters be

sent to Moray Area Forum and Joint Community

Council to ask for a Flower Forum to be set up to

discuss the needs of the communities in good

time for the 2012 season.

Markets: Please contact CSW Rhona if any

village wishes to hold a market – she needs a

contact person and a site proposal –

arrangements are on going but markets are

unlikely to take place before 2012

Moray Forum is to hold a seminar on transport

issues throughout Moray

Dufftown had expressed concern at the poor

state of the town since the loss of the village

officers. The flying squads are not as efficient,

there is a lack of machines to do the work

properly; drains are blocked; toilets have been

vandalised in Rothes and Aberlour, litter is a

growing problem, particularly around Speyside

High. A letter is to be written to Moray Council

convenor expressing concerns, particularly about

bad impression on tourists.

Speyside Area Forum

Recycling – particularlyof plastics – is an issuewhich comes uprepeatedly at TomintoulCommunity Associationmeetings so there’s goodnews for those who haverequested such a service –

it will be coming to Tomintoul later this year.Plastic bottles will be included in the Moray

Council kerbside collection service which isbeing rolled out into the rural areas from Julyonwards, probably coming to Tomintoularound September.

In addition to glass, cans, paper and nowplastic bottles, the new service will includefortnightly collections of food waste alongwith the garden waste collected in brown bins.

Green bins with normal household wastewill be collected on alternating weeks with thebrown bins, and there will be fortnightlycollections of orange boxes (for glass) and anew bin for dry recyclates, ie mixed paper andplastic bottles (colour yet to be determined,but this bin will probably be either yellow orpurple).

More detailed information will be coming toyou nearer the start of the new service – but inthe meantime you can start planning where youare going to store all these bins!

Sometimes Tomintoul’s remoteness works inits favour – as in the case of being able toretain the services of a cleaner for the publictoilets.

Other Speyside-Glenlivet communities arestruggling following the withdrawal of villageofficers as part of council cuts which meanthat public toilets are left open 24 hours andvisited once daily by a mobile squad ofcleaners – inevitably leading to vandalism ofthe facilities in Dufftown, Aberlour andRothes.

However, Tomintoul has been allowed tokeep its toilet arrangements because of thedistance involved in sending out the newcleaning squads.

Your views on these and any other councilmatters are always welcome – email me [email protected] or phone on01340 821219.

20


The tennis court was refurbished a few weeks

ago and now looks really good. Fencing is yet

to be added and the tennis net. Well done to

Raymond Asher in pulling everything together

to get the old court cleared and the new one in

place. We now have a great facility for multi-

sports use. A grant from Awards for All

underpinned the cost of the work and a number

of local groups contributed funding to make the

work possible.

Cllr Fiona Murdoch,Speyside-Glenlivet

The Tennis Court

21


The car was built in Crewe, England by Rolls Royce. It cost £4131 [including purchase tax of £721].

It was bought by the Chairman of Chubb locks in Wolverhampton and kept from 1950 to 1955. The car then

moved to Scotland and was owned by Major Ian Campbell of Oban until 1960. The Bentley was then bought by

Alexander Mackintosh of the Corran-Ardgour Ferry Co. From 1965 the car was owned in Inverness until about

1970. It then went down to the North East of England until purchased by Ron in 1998. Ron returned the car to

Tomintoul in 2004. He then managed to get a 1949 registration, JSL 533.

Ron Hughes and his 1949 Bentley Mk V1

4.25 litre Sports Saloon

Tomintoul MedicalCentre

‘Flu injection clinicswill be held on the following

Tuesdays, at the Surgery,

between 2 and 4 p.m.

4th, 11th, 18th and 25th

october 2011

No appointment required

Housebound patients will be visitedby the GP

Sally Reid’s Desert island Discs

No particular order, no particular favourite, only the

very tip of the iceberg

1. “Watching all the girls go by” – The Four Lads –

very first 45 rpm purchased

2. “Runaway” – Del Shannon – soundtrack to first

boyfriend

3. “The Flower Duet” (British Airways) – from Lakme

by Delibes – long embarrassing story that involved

many humming visits to record shops

4. “Imagine” – John Lennon

5. “One Fine Day” (Puccini) – sung by Muriel

Edwards Dunn

6. Any March played by any Pipe Band at any

Highland Games

7. Rachmaninoff variations on a theme by Paganini

8. “Some other Guy” – the Beatles

Jane Riley’s Desert island Discs.

It is so difficult to choose only eight pieces ofmusic!!

Scarlet Ribbons by Harry BellafonteGranny’s Heiland HameWhen I was young everyone had to ‘do theirturn’ at any family gathering. Scarlet Ribbonswas my mother’s song and Granny’s HeilandHame was my father’s.

She loves you by the Beatles.I spent every Saturday and Wednesday eveningat the Falkirk Ice Rink and Beatles songs wereplayed constantly.

Sailing by Rod Stewart.When I lived in Saline in Fife there was a largeNavy community and when this was playedthere were tears from the wives whose husbandswere away saving our shores.

Mull of Kintyre by Wings.I booked a holiday in Campbeltown then PaulMcCartney brought out this song. Everyone hadthe same idea!!

Where do you go to my lovely? by PeterSarstedt.I just loved this.

Away in a Manger by the Vienna Boys’ Choir.Anyone who doesn’t shed a tear when the boyssing this, or any song, has a heart of stone. Thesound is so sweet.

Trains and boats and planes.I love to travel. When I play this I always wantto get on a plane to … anywhere.

22


Desert island DiscsGetting sidetracked at a recent Touler meeting, as often seems to happen, we were talking about Radio

4’s recent invitation to listeners to send in their eight favourite tracks. We thought it might be

interesting to see what ours were and to encourage our readers to let us share theirs - with or without

the stories attached to each song or piece of music. Send them by email to [email protected] or by

hand to any of the Touler editorial team (details inside the back cover).

Patricia Grant’s Desert island Discs

1) Bo mhor na balach

2) Iseabail Nicaoidh Part of the Pibroch The

Prince’s Salute

3) The Four Seasons - Vivaldi

4) Jock o Braidislee

5) Brown Eyed Handsome Man – Chuck Berry

6) The Thrashin Mill - Scott Gardner

7) The Hauflin – Willie Clark

8) Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer

Sheila Thomson’s Desert island Discs

This was so difficult, so many songs and memories to choose from, these are a completely random selection!

Simon and Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence, The Eagles’ Desperado - two songs from the first tapes I owned.

Runrig’s Loch Lomond, you can’t beat it at the end of a dance in the Memorial Hall!

Eva Cassidy’s Fields of Gold, makes me want to cry, her voice is so beautiful.

Deacon Blue’s Dignity, sailing up the West Coast sounds like a darn good plan for retirement to me!

The Corries’ Wild Mountain Thyme, just love it!

Razorlight’s Girl with the Golden Touch, my introduction to Razorlight and still my favourite of their songs.

Amy MacDonald’s This is the Life, so catchy.

beloved dog Spike

in 2009 he decided

to apply to the

Royal Hospital in

Chelsea to become

an in-patient, his

application was

accepted and in

May 2010 he took

up residence as a

Chelsea Pensioner,

wearer of the

famous scarlet coat

and tri-corn hat. He

has had a very full

life in the past year, going to many functions,

meeting old comrades or other pensioners who

know the same people as he does and, as you can

see from the picture, meeting Royalty. The

picture was taken at the Hospital’s founders day

known as Oak Apple day, hence the pensioners

wearing a sprig of oak apple, and as usual John

was being a bit cheeky. So to all his friends in

Tomintoul, John wishes all the best and will

write again soon from his room at the best hotel

in town. No-one can doubt the care and devotion

of the staff at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea ,the

Chelsea pensioners are the best looked after

pensioners you can find, they don't want for

anything.

23


Known to his

friends and

relatives as John he

came to live in

Tomintoul with his

daughter and son-

in-law at the end of

2004. John had led

a varied life

starting as a boy

soldier in the army

at the age of

fourteen and

leaving in his

easrly thities as a

sergeant major in the Royal Military Police. he

was invalided out on medical grounds and

because of his length of service he qualified

for an army pension, this also qualified him as

an out-patient of the Royal Hospital

Chelsea. His working life included the fire

service and working for Stone Platt as a

manager and a security guard at the Royal

Courts of Justice in London, his leisure time

included scouting, cricket and the Royal British

Legion. Life was a lot quieter in Tomintoul but

he got out and about, enjoying going to church

and attending the B.A.L.L on a Wednesday (with

the ladies, he being the only male). Life had

taken it's toll on John so when he lost his

F J K BARBER M.B.E

The Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre is

open for tours daily between Monday 4th

April and Friday 28th October 2011.

Our free tours run every 20 minutes from

9.30am to 4.00pm Monday to Saturday and

12.00pm to 4.00pm on Sundays.

Our Coffee Shop is also open daily, offering

a range of coffees, teas, homebaking,

homemade soup,

fresh filled rolls and baked potatoes.

Visitors and locals welcome.

For more information please phone Lesley

or Jenna on 01340 821720.

My parents had a small 405 linesset from 1954 to around 1960 or61. It only received BBC, withabout an hour for children’s TV,with Andy Pandy, Muffin theMule, Bill and Ben the flowerpot

men, and then an evening session.

The fact that we could not see ITV for 5 or 6years was a source of considerable annoyance, andwe kiddies used to go down the road to watch ITVas a treat. During this period, however, the BBCdid show Quatermass and the Pit. My youngerbrother and I stayed up after 8 p.m. to watch it. Wewere scared stiff, and had nightmares for about sixmonths. Fantastic! We discussed it recently, withfond memories. The film of the same name,released in mid 60s, is one of my favourites. I alsolike the other two Quatermass films.

When we finally got a set that could receiveITV, it changed things a lot. The Avengers was juststarting and was a major highlight of the week.However, after a while we did wish that AlanGanley would stop playing his drums whilst CathyGale was fighting some villain. There wereheadlines in the newspapers when she concussedthe TV wrestler Jackie Pallo. Sunday afternoonswere transformed, not for the better as far as Mumwas concerned, because she looked forward to thetraditional picnic. The rest of us just wanted to stayin after she had cooked a Sunday dinner and watchRobin Hood, Francis Drake, but most of all, theGerry Anderson puppet series. The first that wesaw was Supercar with Professor Popkiss, DrBeaker, and Mitch the monkey. Then there wasFireball XL5 with Robbie the robot. During thejourney home from our now occasional picnics, wewould irritate our parents by saying in a metallicrobot voice “On our way ‘ome, on our way ‘ome,(monkey screech)”.

Danger Man was very popular, initially in a30-minute format, and later for 60 minutes. Ourparents would often go out to play bridge, and mybrother and I would stay up TV watching, hopingthat we would hear the car and not get caught.Being the older, I bullied my brother to bed halfway through one episode of Danger Man, just topull rank and enjoy status. Terribly petty. I feltguilty for years.

Until somewhere in the 1970s, it was quitecommon for sets to be rented, because ofunreliability. We got a 625 lines colour set in mid

24


TV Memories1960s, although many programmes were still inblack and white. At this time, the first worldwideprogrammes became possible, and there was a livecelebration with contributions from many sources.There was a big fuss because the BBC contributionwas a new song by The Beatles, instead ofsomething about the royal family.

BBC2 started, after a blackout on the first night,and we used to stay up on Saturday night for therevolutionary Midnight Movie. That there werenow three channels made the disputes about whatto watch more acute, because there were norecorders.

In the second half of the 1960s ITV producedmy favourite programmes, the adventure seriessuch as The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk, etc. Therewere many great theme tunes. At that time, I wasalso keen on Dr Who. I missed the first story,which I believe started on the same weekend as theassassination of JFK, but saw nearly all up to thehibernation period. I also enjoyed the sitcom PleaseSir, which was repeated a couple of years ago andwhich I still found reasonably enjoyable. The filmof that sitcom is one of my most favourites, alongwith TV spin-offs Porridge and Callan.

In 1969, my sister and I joined millions of othersby staying up all night to watch the moon landing.Then at the end of the year, all three of us watchedone of those ‘end of the decade’ reviewprogrammes, at the end of which we looked at eachother in a rather stunned state.

In the mid 70s there was the final series of TheAvengers with Purdey and Gambit, my favouriteversion, but being a fan I can watch any of them.Porridge was an obvious sitcom winner from thefirst episode. One Christmas Eve four neighbourscame round and the celebrations had to beinterrupted in order to see the Porridge Christmasspecial. We laughed ourselves silly for 45 minutes.Then there was Sapphire and Steel, and in the mid80s Edge of Darkness. It was around this time thatthe channels started to put on proper programmesopposite the soaps, instead of being defeatist andunloading the rubbish.

I got my first recorder around that time. It isoften said that the alternative to the VHS wasthe Sony Betamax. My first recorder used thePhilips V2000 system. VHS was derided asbeing technically inferior to the other two, butit works well enough, and had the most

Gathering chickens

The farmer's son was returningfrom the market with the crate ofchickens his father had entrustedto him, when all of a sudden thebox fell and broke open. Chickensscurried off in differentdirections, but the determined boywalked all over the neighborhoodscooping up the wayward birds andreturning them to the repairedcrate. Hoping he had found themall, the boy reluctantly returnedhome, expecting the worst.

"Pa, the chickens got loose," theboy confessed sadly, "but I

managed to findall twelve ofthem."

"Well, you didreal good, son,"the farmerbeamed. "Youleft withseven."

25


programmes available. I still use VHS, as wellas DVD.

A visit by my niece Georgiana, in mid primaryschool, meant that we had to watch a smashingchildren’s film called The Amazing Mr Blunden,and I recorded it because we all know howrepetitive children can be. So we watched it twice.Then her younger sister Suzannah arrived with herparents, and next day we had to watch the filmagain, and again. By 9.00pm, I was left babysitting.Suzannah made cow’s eyes and pleaded that wewatch it again. She sat down, ready to watch. I said“How old are you? If we get caught we are in bigtrouble. You should know that we have to cheat. Goupstairs, brush your teeth, change into your nightie,and ruffle up the bed so that if we get caught youcan blame the hot weather and say that you couldnot sleep.” She was back downstairs in about 3minutes, having completed an operation that wouldnormally take at least half an hour. We only just gotaway with it.

A couple of years later my two nephews wantedto watch something whilst I did some foodshopping. My sister was in the kitchen. So I gavethem Village of the Damned and the sequelChildren of the Damned. But it has an unhappyending, are you sure about seeing these? Yes,please. I came back just as the second finished.Tears galore, “all the children died, boo hoo”. Theyhad obviously enjoyed the films.

And so to the 90s, and The Hitchhiker’s Guideto the Galaxy, the Vicar of Dibley and Father Ted,and later Absolute Power.

For: Coffee, Tea, Pancakes, Bacon rolls,

Home-baked Cakes & Scones and much more!

The Old Fire Station Tea Room,

37 Main Street, Tomintoul

OPEN9am to 5pm

E v E r y day

(except 25th & 26th December)

SNIPPETS

Ordinary redfoxes are

beginning todisplace Arctic

foxes in northernRussia, apparently

because theclimate there isbecoming less

cold.

SpeysideCommunity CarShare Scheme

held a strawberry tea on the 15th

June at Rothes Kirk hall.

We made £521 on the day plus £40

in donations - a total of £561.

i would like to thank all the

volunteers for their help on the day,

the home bakers and the

donations for the raffle which

made this a very successful day.

Many thanks for all your support.

Dorothy Macdonald

26


TOMINTOUL

MEDICAL CENTRE

01807 580219Consulting Hours

Mon: 8.30–10am & 4.30–6pm

Tues: 8.30–10am &

2–4pm (Clinic Appt. Only)

Wed: 8.30–10am &

2–4pm (Clinic Appt. Only)

Thur: 8.30–10am (Clinic Appt.Only)&

4.30–6pm

Fri: 8.30–10am & .

5-6pm (Clinic Appt Only)

In addition to consulting hours, Reception is openbetween 8am and noon Mon - Fri for the ordering ofrepeat prescriptions, booking appointments, etc.Please allow 2 working days when ordering repeatprescriptions as not all medications are kept in stockat all times.

There is a GP on call 8am to 6pm Monday to

Friday.

AFELiA(Greek Pork and Coriander Casserole)

Ingredients

1½ - 2 lbs (700-900g) Boneless Pork Shoulder, cut

into bite-sized pieces

¼ pt (150ml) Full-bodied Red Wine (A Bordeaux

type)

2 tbsp/30ml Crushed Coriander Seeds

4tbsp/60ml Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Fresh Coriander sprigs to garnish

Method

Put the pork in an earthenware dish, pour over the

wine and sprinkle with the coriander. Stir well; cover

and leave to marinade in a cool place overnight.

Next day, remove the pork from the marinade using a

slotted spoon. Reserve the marinade. Heat oil in a

flameproof casserole, add the pork and fry until

browned. Add the marinade and seasoning bringing to

the boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until tender;

stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust seasoning before serving

Serve with rice and/or salad.

This serves 4-6 people and can be frozen without the

sprigs of coriander. Not expensive.

27


Baked Chilli CheeseSandwiches

Ingredients12og/350 Grated Cheese such asCheddar (You can use what you likebest)40z/115g Butter – softened plusextra to finish4 Fresh Green Chillies deseeded andchopped½ tsp Ground Cumin8 Thick Slices of Bread

MethodPreheat the oven to 190C/375F/GasMark5. Mix the cheese and thebutter together in a bowl untilcreamy then add the chillies andcumin.Spread the mixture over 4 slices ofbread and top with the remainingslicesSpread the outside of the sandwicheswith the extra butter and bake for8-10 minutes until crisp. Serve.If you think that chillies may be toospicy for your taste use spring inions. Also you can try a mixture ofcheeses for added taste.

On March 3rd a group of ladies set off for Elgin tosee the Musical Society’s production of ‘Beauty andthe Beast’. We had watched the weather anxiouslyduring the day but by departure time it seemed setto be fair so we set off. We thoroughly enjoyed theperformance but when we reached the door at theend, we saw, with consternation, that the snow was

falling thick and fast. There was nothing for it but to buckle upand start the engine. It wasn't the most pleasant of journeysespecially as visibility was further reduced by patchy, thick fog.But we got home and as the lights of the village came into a veryhazy view one of the members, with a sigh of relief, said “That'sa welcome sight!” How right she was.

Unfortunately the growing of bulbs which were usually judgedat the March meeting had been somewhat unsuccessful so westuck in an extra meeting and had a party which was thoroughlyenjoyable.

The guest at the April meeting was introduced as ‘Pat fromFordyce’ who had come to give a demonstration of makingbeaded jewellery. We were not surprised that she needed a stronglamp directed at her work area when we saw the size (or lack of!)of the beads with which she was working. Also, the speed anddexterity with which she produced different examples of braceletsand necklaces left us spellbound. Pat had prepared little packs sowe could try for ourselves but most of us who tried needed helpto complete the task. As the saying goes ‘It's easy when you knowhow’ - sometimes.

In May we held the AGM. The minutes of last year's AGMwere read, adopted and seconded. The new committee was elected- it changed by only one member - and after a short discussion oftopics for next year's syllabus - yes! We had another party.

The committee tries to arrange the programme with topics ofinterest to all tastes and all ages. It is not, as seems to beperceived, a club for ladies of senior years only. It is a meetingfor ladies of all ages, so make a note in your diaries and comealong on September 7th and see for yourselves.

J S Cameron

Tomintoul SWRi

there were already two landowners included inthe forum that they would not be included. Pityfor this area as the Crown is a huge player here.

Cairngorms Leader Action Group Funding forthis phase of Leader has mainly been allocatedto projects; and Communities are now concernedabout the gap between this Phase and the nextwith the associated difficulty with funding anyproject

CNPA Planning Service Improvement TheRole of the Park Board is to bring partiestogether to make things better, but they are notresponsible for doing things – except inPlanning and Outdoor Access, where the Park isthe lead. Planning is considered so importantthat the whole of the CNP Board form thePlanning Committee It was felt that must be onconsultation rather that what had happened inthe past. Individual Community Councils andAssociations should promote the mostappropriate way of consulting for their owncommunity. Strong emphasis on the importanceof Community Councils and Associations inputinto the Development Plans, with a warning thatcannot complain afterwards if they do notengage.

The Association of Cairngorms Communitiesis open to various organisations within thecommunities of the CNPA area and possiblyother organisations within the community mayconsider sending a representative to themeetings. It may be to your benefit.

At the recent meeting of the ACC there was a

discussion of transport in and around the talk

given by Maggie Lawson who is in charge of the

Badenoch and Strathspey Community Transport

Company. This operates in the Aviemore area

and covers an area from Advie to Dalwhinnie

and as far out as Tomatin, unfortunately it does

not come anywhere near Tomintoul. The

company provides a community car scheme

which includes transport from outlying villages

to Aviemore for shopping and to Inverness for

hospital appointments when necessary. The

volunteers are trained in first aid and in various

moving and handling especially involved with

persons who are suffering from physical and

mental disabilities. The vast percentages of

those who use the scheme are elderly and the

service can be used for social outings as well as

essential requirements. This scheme started

from the same rough basis as the car share

scheme and with a lot of fund raising and

outside financial assistance the current system

is up and running.

Sustainable Tourism was also raised. It was

suggested that the Crown Estate be included as

a member as they actively promote greentourismbut it was felt that as

28


Association of Cairngorms Communities

SNIPPETSHedgehog numbers have

decreased by ¼ in a decade,because gardens have become

less suitable for them. A rescuecentre recently received one

with no prickles, which rendersit too vulnerable to survive in

the wild.

29


With Sun Fyre Sweeney

The Richmond Memorial Hall,Tomintoul,

Wednesdays 7p.m-8p.mwww.soulfulexpressions.co.uk

www.zumba.com [email protected]

Telephone 01340 871094

You probably have heard of Zumba bynow, but you still may not know what it’sall about or tried it yet! It’s the mosthappening fitness craze to hit the nation, infact the world! And now you can access itright on your own doorstep! Don’t miss such a great opportunity!Masterminded by Columbian dancer andfitness instructor Beto Perez, Zumbacombines fitness with dance tointernational music under the banner of“...........ditch the work out and join theparty.”

The lively beats with a Latin Americanflavour and other upbeat world rhythmsand fun routines incorporating dance stylesfrom across the globe certainly distractsfrom how much exercise your body isactually doing and so it can be said thatwhilst doing Zumba, you are likely notonly to break out into a sweat, but you willsoon get toned and fit and burn through asignificant number of calories andtherefore potentially also lose weight! The variety of tunes and routines which arefun to learn keeps you on your toes anddistracted from the fact you are actuallyalso exercising and they are repeated overa number of weeks, so you really get achance to learn the moves and gain a senseof satisfaction and a familiarity with theset, thus allowing you to get the most outof the sessions. Every instructor isencouraged to bring their own personalflavour to the classes as are the students,so Zumba classes will always vary as weall do it with our own style. Sun Fyre has also included in her set PokerFace by Lady Gaga (all music of the worldis included!) as well as many great Zumbatunes that incorporate international dancesteps including salsa, merengue andregaaeton. Sun Fyre is also qualified and

Introducing Zumba

known locally as a belly dancer andteacher which she has been doing for thelast eight years and has been doingworkshops regularly with the TomintoulBALL project for the last 3-4 years.What students from Sun Fyre’s Zumbaclasses say!"Anything that keeps me away from thebiscuit tin and burns off calories has got

to be a good thing." Ronni

"Being a diabetic I need to exercise and this isa fun way to do it." Margaret

“I find the classes very inspirational and livelyand makes exercise fun!”-Pat

Le Trec, the newest equestrian sport, came toTomintoul in May. First developed in France, LeTrec consists of three phases, Orienteering, Controlof Paces and a series of 16 obstacles. The obstaclesare meant to represent challenges you might meetwhile trail riding. They include crossing water,opening gates, riding underlow branches, jumpinglogs etc. There are fourcompetitor levels in thesport, Level One isintroductory, up to LevelFour which is the mostadvanced. At Levels Threeand Four the routes willinclude sections where youhave to take compassbearings and make yourway to grid references aswell as the marked route.

In May an orienteeringcompetition was held bythe local Trec club, NorthEast Scotland Trec (NEST).Three Levels of competition were held, a Level Oneroute over 10 km, a Level Two route over 17 km anda Level Two A route which added a bearings section.Riders may compete as individuals or pairs.

Riders are given 10 minutes to copy a map of theroute and given a set speed to ride at, between 6 kmhand 12kmh. They must then ride at that speed untilthey come upon a checkpoint, where they will beheld for five minutes and given another speed to ridethe next section. As they are not told where thecheckpoints will be it is quite a challenge to ride atthe correct speed. Clever gadgets such as GPS are

not allowed to be used and competitors caught usingsuch equipment will be eliminated from thecompetition. To check riders are taking the correctroute there may be “tickets” to find, as well as thecheckpoints, these may take the form of traditionalorienteering “clickers” or brightly coloured markers

with letters or words.These have to be noted ona form each rider carries.Any ticket or checkpointmissed incurs a penalty of50 points and any minuteover or under the correcttime between checkpointsis penalised at one pointper minute. Riders startwith a score of 240 pointsand the aim is to finish asclose to this score aspossible.

In May, two Level Onepairs competed, three

Level Two pairs and oneLevel Two A pair. The Level

One route took riders up to the top of Cnoc Lochy.Level Two saw riders heading out by Croughly andhome via Tomachlaggan, Ruthven and Cnoc Lochy.Sadly the weather was pretty squally so not everyonewas able to enjoy the views but all the riders agreedthey were good, challenging routes.

Winners of the Level Two competition wereSheena Thomson and Laura Herschell, despitemanaging to miss one of the checkpoints! Theyknew where they were so didn’t look at their mapscarefully enough, missing the little tweak that wouldhave taken them into a hidden checkpoint, proving

that local knowledge doesn’t alwayswork in your favour in this sport!

A huge thank you to the CrownEstate, George Mitchell and JimSimmons for all their help andallowing the club to ride and set upcheckpoints and ticket points on theirground.

Since May, Rosie Still and SheilaThomson have ridden at the Le TrecScottish Championships held atArdrishaig in Argyll on the 2nd and3rd of July. Rosie competed at LevelThree and, despite recovering from abroken bone in her hand, camesecond. Sheila came fourth in LevelTwo. Both have qualified to competeat the British Championships whichwill be held on Dartmoor inSeptember.

Laura Herschell and Sheena Thomson checking

their route home from Cnoc Lochy.

30


Le Trec Comes to Tomintoul

Mark and Ruth with friends and family!

31


Looking for a Special Wedding Gift, why not

purchase your choice of Glassware & get Aileen

to personalize your Gift with her Hand

Engraving.

Aileen may have Glass suitable for your

occasion in stock or she can order from her

catalogue

Contact: Aileen Asher,

Glass Engraver,

31 Main Street, Tomintoul,

Ballindalloch. AB37 9EX

Tel: 01807 580483

Email: [email protected]

Member of www.creativecairngorms.co.uk

Craft Member of the Guild of Glass Engravers

www.gge.org.uk

Another Blackening!

There were ups anddowns for most of theteams in this season’sTomintoul andGlenlivet Darts League.All apart from theRichmond whodominated from start tofinish. The League

started with seven teams but sadly the Glenavonhad to pull out reducing it to six. One welcome newaddition was the Delnashaugh Hotel which hosteddarts for the first time in thirty years. It was goodto have another venue as the Croft decided they didnot want to have darts this year.

The League was won by The, all conquering,Richmond who went through the whole Leagueseason unbeaten. Their nearest rivals wereLivetside who could not quite match up to theLeague Champions. It was closer in the Gallon cupwhere both the Richmond and Livetside had woneight Gallons, but in the playoff it was again theRichmond who took the prize.

The Pole Cup saw The Richmond play TheBraes in the final. It was The Braes’ first majorteam final for many years and they tried hard toupset the favourites but although most games wentdown to the double it was the Richmond whoproved the better finishers winning 7-4. In the SidStuart Second Chance cup, for the teams eliminatedin the first round of the Pole Cup, A’anside playedthe Poachers. It was a very tense match but it wasA’anside who held their nerve and won 9-2.

The other team knockout competition was theRAM Cup which was played after the end of theLeague and this time it was the top two teams thatreached the final. Again, as throughout the season,

32


the Richmond were dominant beating Livetside6-3.

The first singles competition of the season wasthe Donald Stuart Memorial Trophy. There was anexcellent turnout with Peem Milne and JayWilliamson from Grantown in the semi finals alongwith Mark Rowe of the Richmond and, dark horseof the competition, Alan Forbes of A’anside. Alanhad to play well to reach the final where he met theholder Mark Rowe. Mark had been on form allnight and kept it up in the final proving too strongfor Alan and going on to retain the trophy.

The League Singles were played as a roundrobin with the top four progressing to the semifinals. The semis saw Digby of the Richmond playAlec Collie of the Poachers while the Livetsidepair of Mike Durno and Stephen Duncan playedeach other. Mike and Digby made it through andalthough Mike put in a good performance,including a 180, the Richmond man again provedtoo good and retained the cup.

The Doubles again saw the Richmond dominate.The Richmond duo of Stephen Herschell andRichard Ellor met Ian Mitchell and Alan Forbes ofA’anside, who won it last year, in the final. Bothpairs were on form, Ian and Richard hitting 180sand Richard finishing 147, but again the Richmondcame out on top.

The Richmond also reached the final of theTrebles. The trio of Roy Hill, Mark Rowe andMichael Robertson fought it out with AliMackintosh, John McCready and Ian McCann ofThe Braes. It was a hard fought final which sawRoy hit a 118 finish and it could have gone eitherway but, almost inevitably it was the Richmondwho claimed the prize.

The Mothy Cup (for under 24s) and the VeteransTrophy (for over 50s) were played onthe same night in the Delnashaugh. Inthe Mothy final Ali Mackintosh waspitted against team mate Ian McCann.Ali had reached the final last year butalthough he went 3-0 in front hefailed to find that killer touch and lost4-3. This year he turned it completelyround going 3-0 down but this timesnatching the victory 4-3! TheVeterans trophy saw a repeat of lastyears final where Michael Durno ofLivetside had beaten John Shewannow of A’anside. Any hopes John hadof emulating Ali were short lived andMike claimed the title for the thirdyear running.

A new competition this year wasthe Betwix Cup presented by theGlenlivet Public Hall for players noteligible for either the Mothy Cup orthe Veterans Trophy. This being the

Tomintoul and Glenlivet Darts League

33


first year there was a lot of interest and a lot ofgood darts thrown. In the final Mike Cran of thePoachers met, player of the season, Mark Rowe.Mark had not dropped a leg all the way to the finaland it was no different against Mike. He won 5-0 toclaim another trophy.

Because of the reduction in teams in the secondhalf there were two “spare” Tuesdays. One of thesewas dedicated to Singles League matches and theother to another new competition – The BlindDoubles. This was a doubles completion where allthe winners go back into the hat after every round.This proved a great success and like the Betwix cupwill now be an annual feature. The final sawStephen Durno of Livetside paired with MarkRowe of arch rivals the Richmond. They playedElaine Herschell of the Tomintoul Ladies and MikeCran of the Poachers. Both teams started well butit was Stephen and Mark who kept it going to win.

The Scottish & Newcastle Shield hadcompetitors from as far afield as Grantown andDufftown. There was a number of young playerswho performed well and hopefully this bodes wellfor the future of the league. Again Mark Rowereached the final this time against Jay Williamsonfrom Grantown. Mark had a 15 and a 16 dart leg inthe final but Jay’s finishing was clinical and he ranout 4-2 winner.

The Glenavon Shield for ladies only was playedas a round robin. Elaine Herschell of the TomintoulLadies has been dominant in this competitionhaving won it five times previously but had beenknocked off the top last year by Louise Taylor ofthe Poachers. This year she bounced back andreclaimed her crown.

21 players entered the Singles LeagueCompetition which is played throughout the seasonand again it was a very close foughtbattle. In the end Mike Durno ofLivetside and Mark Rowe could notbe separated. They only lost onegame each and will share the title.

The Jock Sheed Trophy, a mixeddoubles competition where at leastone of the pair has to have played inthe League saw a good turnout asusual. It is played at the end of theseason and is always a fun night. Thefinal saw Lisa MacGregor of theTomintoul Ladies and partner –surprise surprise - Mark Rowe, playteam mate Digby and his wifePauline. Lisa and Mark were tryingto make it three in a row (or shouldthat be Rowe). The first games werevery close, but Lisa and Mark justhad the edge to bag their muchdesired treble.

The last competition was the Croft

180 for everyone who has scored at least one 180 inthe season. There were some fantastic darts played,and probably for the first time all season a finalwithout Mark Rowe. In a brilliant quarter finalmatch Mark hit two 180s but Mike Durno held hisnerve and kept going one better to win 3-2. Mikemade it all the way to the final where he metanother Richmond player, Digby. Although theyboth played some really good darts it was Digbywho proved to be stronger winning 5-2. The most180s in the season trophy was won by Mark Rowewith six and the Highest Checkout was 147 byRichard Ellor of the Richmond.

Finally a special mention must be made aboutmy player of the season, Mark Rowe. Herepresented Tomintoul & Glenlivet Darts Leaguesat an exhibition which featured World ChampionAdrian Lewis and World no. 7 Terry Jenkins. Markplayed Jenkins and comprehensively beat himchecking out on 158. No mean feat while on a stagein front of hundreds of spectators. Well done Mark!

We held our annualOpen Pairs Competitionwhich was played over oneweekend, the 7th and 8thof May 2011 in theRichmond Memorial Hall.

52 bowlers took partand all the matches wereplayed to a very high

standard. The bowlers came from all parts of theNorth East, they love coming to Tomintoul IndoorBowling Club as they get well treated and madewelcome.

The Final was played over 12 ends and was wonby Lee from Cromdale and Neil from Tomintoul,they played a pair from Gorlogie.

The club would like to thank our sponsorsAngus Dundee Distillers, Tomintoul for all thesupport they have given us, David Brown, Butcherof Aberlour, for the nice bacon and pies we getfrom him, not forgetting Mr Martin Cole of Tesco,Elgin for the bread and bread rolls. We thankAndrew Sim from the distillery for presenting thetrophy and cup to the bowlers. Thank you all.

Our next tournament will be our Open RoundRobin Triples Competition which we hold on thefirst weekend in October, 2011. Bowling is a goodsport and it is a pity that there are not more peopleplaying the game. So why don't you come to theclub night bowling every Tuesday starting inSeptember. Come and join us and have a goodnight of playing bowls.

Secretary

Eric Brown

34


Advertising Rates

for the Touler

The following charges will be payable

for advertisements in the Touler

1/6th. page (60mm x 120mm)

: £5 per insertion.

1/4. page (120mm x 90mm)

: £10 per insertion.

Clubs : Free of Charge.

Please send all articles as doc. files,

and all adverts as jpg files.

07735422739

Tomintoul indoor Bowling Club

Kylnadrochit.

A lady from Australia, Joanna Barnes, recently

visited the village. Her grandfather, George

Stuart Smith, who died in approximately 1916,

was the gentleman who built Kylnadrochit. He

was married to a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen

Victoria., a Grant Sutherland (I think).

If you have any information please contact

Joanna at

[email protected]

SNIPPETS

Scotland has anepidemic of field voles,

possibly up to 600million. The long winter

recently protectedthem from predators,as they lived under the

snow. The predatorsare now enjoying a

feast.

35


how to contact ‘The Touler’

by eMAIl: [email protected]

or by PoST: The Touler, c/o Corrievaich,

Cults Drive, Tomintoul AB37 9HA

or In person to any of the editorial team, who are:

Pam Fletcher, Mike Fletcher,

Patricia Grant, Jenny Herschell,

Sally Reid, Jane Riley,

Sheila Thomson and Nigel Varey.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THE TOULER AUTUMn EDITION

will be published in October 2011.

DEADLINE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

is 30 September 2011.

Please submit contributions via email to:

t h e t o u l e r @ y a h o o . c o m

or by hand to one of the editorial committee.

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SPOnSORSHiP OF THE TOULER

If you or your business would be willing to sponsor an edition

of ‘The Touler’, then we would like to hear from you.

Sponsorship ensures at least front page acknowledgment, an

advertisement and editorial (if supplied), plus unlimited

satisfaction in knowing that you are providing continuing

support to a premier local newsletter.

Please Contact: Jenny Herschell

on 01807 580 287

Childline: 0800 1111

Grampian Police:

Tomintoul Police Station: 01807 580222

Service Centre: 0845 600 5 700

(non-emergency calls)

Hospitals

Dr Gray’s, elgin: 01343 543131

raigmore, Inverness: 01463 704000

Aberdeen royal Infirmary: 08454 566000

Medical Centres

Tomintoul: 01807 580219

Glenlivet: 01807 590273

Moray Council: 08457 565656

(emergency out of hours contact)

Moray Women’s Aid: 01343 548549

NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24

Road Gritting Info:

Tomintoul Depot: 01807 580231

A939 lecht: 01975 651440

(Corgarff-Tomintoul)

The Samaritans: 08457 90 90 90

Tomintoul Primary School:

01807 580271 - head Teacher: Mrs N Fraser

Scottish Hydro-electric: 0800 300 999

Scottish Water:

0845 600 601 (customer services)

0845 600 8855 (emergency information)

To all our readers we welcome

your input. Become part of your

local community paper. It is so

important that you make

contributions.

Comment or Complaint?

Let us know!

Please come along to our ‘IDeAS’

meeting on the12 September at 8pm

in the Glenavon hotel. EMErGENCiES 999

USEFUL NUMbErS

!#mmer 2011 he o#ler...j. herschell has been in touch with the agents for the gordon and richmond...

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