LENTEN APPEAL
Please consider making a donation to the Church of Scotland HIV / AIDS Special Appeal. All funds raised will be directed to the very great needs of the Third World - hopefully, we are all aware of the great disparity between available resources and the desperate plight of families overseas. Use your credit card at www.churchofscotland.org.uk or put cash or cheques in an envelope at the Post Office for Margaret Walker, Treasurer.
GLASSARD GAPSITES
When the first modern houses were built at Glassard in the 1920's a lack of funding meant that the development had to be abandoned before it was fully completed. Fortunately, purchasers have now come forward to adopt the gapsites and this ugly duckiling is at last to be transformed into a swan.
Detailed plans for the work will be available in the Post Office, but the Planning Department has kindly furnished "The Corncrake" with a digital image, which is reproduced below. Some details may differ in the final result, but residents will be glad to see this early impression of the overall effect.
AN CRUISKEN - GORN!
The Northern Lighthouse helicopter spent two days ferrying men and materials ashore last week in perfect weather. The lighthouse has now been demolished and work has started on a replacement, which it is believed will be solar-powered. The original much-loved lighthouse, designed by Stevenson and known as An Cruisgen, has disappeared. It was a splendid example of the boiler-maker's craft but it seems that no special instructions were given to the contractors - Bill Lawson is looking into it and if possible will retrieve the remains. If he is successful, it will be offered to the Community Council for re-siting. The gas-mechanism of the redundant light has been removed by the Commissioners and will be exhibited in their mainland museum.
There is plenty of other building activity under way. Contractors building the new Mobile Telephone mast have been equipped with a huge all-terrain vehicle which was used for to transport equipment to the site, behind Beinn nan Gudairean. In just a few days, a most elegant tower has been constructed, to a finished height of 22.5 metres. It is perfectly in scale and, in its way, a rival for more famous ones elsewhere. The contractors have been lent the Editor's camera and some views appear below.
Work on the new houses at Scalasaig is almost complete. Second thoughts have led to the stoves being re-located to stand close to the walls, rather than in the middle of the rooms; new fluepipes have been fitted to suit this arrangement. The two workshop units are also nearing completion, but at least one local business has finally withdrawn its interest, having been unable to obtain any information at all about the terms and conditions which will be on offer. It is understood that allocation of the new houses will become public knowledge in the coming week.
MV "Highland Carrier" recently delivered almost 800 tonnes of freight, the bulk of which is material required for the creation of new filter beds at the Water Treatment Plant.
ROAD TRAFFIC AMENDMENT - SPECIAL ORDER 2003
During the period April - October, there will be enhanced ferry services to Colonsay. A substantial increase in road traffic is anticipated and it has been found necessary to introduce a Road Traffic Amendment Order with immediate effect, from today, Tuesday April 1st 2003. Motorists and intending visitors are asked to exercise particular care whilst everyone becomes familiar with the new provisions.
COLONSAY ONE - WAY SYSTEM
In order to accommodate a high volume of traffic on the existing single-track road, a One-Way system will operate throughout the summer months. In order to minimise inconvenience, the system will accommodate traffic flow in differing directions on alternate days as follows:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: CLOCKWISE CIRCULATION ONLY
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: ANTICLOCKWISE CIRCULATION ONLY
On SUNDAYS ONLY, traffic will be permitted to circulate in both directions but motorists must not engage a higher gear than SECOND GEAR.
To facilitate local traffic on short journeys, motorists are permitted to travel in REVERSE GEAR for a maximum of TWO KILOMETRES normally, or ONE KILOMETRE where equipped with a trailer.
An exemption exists for the two spur-roads, Black Gate to Road End and Kiloran Farmhouse to Uragaig.
"JACK AND THE BEANSTALK"
The pupils of Kilchattan Primary School excelled themselves with an outstanding performance on Friday 25 March in the Village Hall. The story followed traditional lines, but had been set to music - and what music!! It was very lively, and there were really splendid scenes reminiscent of Grand Opera crossed with the Mikado. In one glorious episode, Mother (Carol MacLeod) was out to chastise Jack (Angus Howard) and was only barely prevented from doing her worst by the menagerie of Cockerel, Chicken, Owl, Goat, Sheepdog, Donkey and Duck that seemed to be constantly under her feet.
Highlights included Daisy the cow (Morag Grant and Caitlin McNeill, alternating ends), who performed an extraordinarily intricate dance with great aplomb; a brilliant Giant (Jasmin Brown and Chris Robinson), whose crablike manouevres onto and off stage had us holding our breath; and the Bean Seller (Chris Robinson), who was a perfect natural - one found oneself wondering if one was running low on snake oil.
The hand that sneaked up to turn the Giant's Head (Jasmin's?), the way in which Chicken 1 (Liam McNeill) never quite fell over the edge of the stage, the accomplished manner in which Donkey (Millie Howard) was so at home with her tail, the angelic expressions of Traders 3 & 4 (Glen Brown and Calum McNeill) - the whole performance was a perfect riot of nuances and vignettes. The choreography was ambitious and wonderfully accomplished, members of the cast gave great guns to all the singing and individuals overcame the difficult acoustics by clear and forceful enunciation.
The audience was privileged to have enjoyed such an outstanding evening's entertainment, and the highly talented cast received ringing applause. The parents will rightly be very proud of the children's performance and all of us congratulate Head Teacher Carol MacNeill and her indefatigable staff on achieving such a triumph.
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
One cannot pretend that it is not happening; conflict began about two weeks ago and in Colonsay - as elsewhere - people are very aware of the situation. Although we have the luxury of opportunity for introspection and navel-gazing, we know that others do not share that luxury. The civilians on the ground, the combatant personnel and the executive authorities of the belligerent nations must deal with the situation as it unfolds. We are deeply conscious that these are terrible times for all concerned and the lack of comment in these pages does not reflect any local lack of compassion.
LITHUANIAN SCHOLARSHIP
House of Lochar author John Millar is off to Lithuania for six weeks courtesy of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship. This award supports 'The Chance in a Lifetime' overseas travel, enabling men and women from all walks of life to acquire knowledge and experience abroad. He will be researching a new book about Lithuanians - this time a study of the people who kept the Lithuanian language alive while the country was occupied by foreign powers. The award is a tribute to his dedication and enthusiasm and to his already published books - "The Lithuanians In Scotland" was published by House of Lochar in 1998 and has been well received among the Lithuanian communities both in the UK and the USA.
Incidentally there may be Corncrake readers out there for whom a similar opportunity might exist -
have a look at the website
www.wcmt.org.uk
NATURE NOTES
Birds: Wheatear have arrived, Sheldrakes are engaged in courtship display, Redwings are leaving, Chough and Wagtails are collecting nesting materials.
Flowers: Celandine and Primroses are plentiful, there is Coltsfoot in floer at Walter's gate and Blackthorn is coming into flower, will probably peak quite soon.
Fish: The following report appears in "Sea River", an international Ezine:
"Scotland - A ministerial report estimates that salmon farming is damaging to wild salmon owing to the parasites (fleas) it spreads, from the pollution created from fish waste and from products used to treat fish. Moreover escaped fish reach rivers and crossbreed with wild salmon… In short quite the opposite of sustainable fish farming. "
HARBOUR PROBLEM
The equinoctial tides revealed that the foundations of the knuckle have started to collapse, threatening the viability of the harbour. The owners have been informed and it is hoped that remedial work of some sort might be undertaken before the situation deteriorates further. Local contractor Nigel Grant has been asked to inspect the site and to report back.
NOOKS & CRANNIES: A' Chleit
The picture shows the church at A' Chleit (perhaps in Kilskeery parish?) in Kintyre. It has a remarkable similarity to the Colonsay Church, and is about 10 years older. We know that the Colonsay church is attributed to Carmichael, who had done some work in Inveraray and it would be interesting to know if any reader can supply information about the larger and very attractive version illustrated.
WHAT'S ON IN COLONSAY
Quiz in the Hotel every THURSDAY at 9.30 pm.
Evening Meals: 6pm - 9pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
5pm - 9.30pm on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Lunches served daily 12 - 2.30pm
Bar open: 12 - 2.30 and 6pm till late (from 5pm on Friday and Sunday).
The Pantry - Winter hours
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am to 2pm
Saturdays 10am to 3pm
Takeaway meals Friday 5pm to 6pm
Evening meals provided but must be booked in advance Tel 01951 200235
Church Service
Please note that services in both the Baptist Church and the Church of Scotland are at the new time of 11.30hrs. Services are held regularly - see notices in the shop and hotel for details.
Advance notice:
May 1st: ELECTIONS: MSPs, democratically and also "first past the post", and Councillors.
The 14th International Gathering of Clan Macfie is to be held May 14-18, 2003 in Gatlinburg, TN, hosted by the Macfie Clan Society of America. For more information see http://www.macfiesocietyofamerica.com or contact:
Jim McAfee, Macfie Clan Society of America
420 Ash Dr.; Baxter, TN 38544 USA
jgmcafee@tnaccess.com
ACCOMMODATION
Weekends (only) s/c flat in Oban (linen provided) available to folk with Colonsay connections - contact Ishbell on 07979 947589
SNIPPETS
Only FIVE people have registered any interest in Broadband - please do it right away (see posters all over the ferry); mail deliveries to Oransay have been re-instated, although the PostBus service is still under review; George Lyons has been on our stump (Election May 1); the air service is still a live issue; the Rescue Helicopter service is confirmed as re-instated; Rena is home again after a recent fall; welcome to Mrs Graham-Stuart, new owner of Smiddy Cottage; Jen McFadyen is the new School Secretary; Mrs. Pocklington is the new Service Point Person; Lucy and Kevin have started the new Computer Training courses (3hrs a week for 10 weeks); Keith is home again after his steam-engine course:
TOPICAL LETTERS
For convenience of readers, letters now appear in two sections. Anything to do with current events appears here, and letters to do with the Magazine section or historical research etc. will appear at the end of the Magazine section.
RE: "Lowering the Tone"
Kevin - is it more than a rumour that The Corncrake is about to join the Rupert Murdoch stable? On this showing it will no doubt be an ornament to that constellation of infamous journalism ...
Seriously - I am not one to take Chirac's motivation at face value - but I've been listening to whole speeches and press conferences (not just the distorted reporting of these) by de Villepin, Blix and others at the UN and have come to value their maturity, good sense and civilised tolerance of complexities. It really shows up the monomanic stuff we keep getting from some diplomatic and cultural illiterates at the Pentagon, and the naive B-movie language of their principal front man .. and our own politicians should be ashamed of themselves for demonstrating the insecurity of their own position by parroting ill-informed jibes at the French ... So there ...
Please publish this in the next Corncrake, if only to show that your readers would be sad to see it turn into the Colonsay Sun .. ...
Angela.
And another...
I bought a computer. Joined the age of communication. Sharing information, knowledge, ideas, maybe even moving on a tide towards human wisdom to justify our claim to 'sapiens'. My home page was the Corncrake, as Colonsay had always been home for my heart and spirit. I enjoyed the waterfall of communication - the wild goats, the friendly waves from the children of those whom history had swept away from our friendly shores, the Gaelic classes, the local gossip.
And then - crash - the juvenile/kindergarten/First World War style of comments on the French stance on the Iraq engagement. Fun's fun, my beknighted mother used to say, but to Hell with nonsense.....prejudice......and the stuff more World Wars are made of. Discussion, debate, disagreement.....but surely not downright stone-throwing. The tone was lowered. Tha mi sad.
May B.
Dear Mr. Byrne:
Shortly after reading your piece on the Arandora Star, I came across a list
of the Italian civilian dead, who perished when the vessel was torpedoed and
sunk on July 2, 1940.
The list contains the two men you mention in your article, Edmondo
Sottocarnolo (number 403) and Vilfrido? Sagramati (number 384).
My father is number 17 on the list. He was in his early forties, and
couldn't swim.
Use search engine Google, and make a search request for "Arandora Star".
Look for "La Storia" - the last item on page five. Click on "translation"
for the English version of the information from Quotidiano Nazionale. The
first screen is a story on the sixtieth anniversary of the tragedy. At the
bottom of the page click on "directory of Italian civilians who died in the
sinking of the Arandora Star". As I was unable to access the site by using
its URL, I thought it best to offer you the longer, but perhaps more
reliable, route to the information.
Regards,
Emidio Aniballi
European Campaign for Jury Rights
Dear Sir/Madam
I am the Co-ordinator of a new Campaign to broaden the use of juries in Europe. The European Union is organizing the writing of a Constitution (A Convention) under which enforcement of laws, including punishments, will become increasingly controlled by the European courts; these courts do not make use of juries. Progressively, in the UK, there has been a slow erosion in the use of juries.
We wish to reverse this assault on the freedom of communities to bring their community conscience to bear on legal decisions of local importance through juries or, where these are not used, to provide the option.
Amongst those most threatened by this erosion in juries are small communities. Typical small communities are island communities.
I would like to therefore ask if there are members of your community who might be interested in joining us in preparing statements and advocating the expansion of the use of juries to protect the interests of minorities.
We will have two Internet media supporting this Campaign. European Options and Real News. European Options already carries a statement at:
http://www.europeanoptions.org/art028.htm editor: Heather Fox
Real News will go live in about 5 days time. This is a UK-based News Review in which there is a specific section dedicated to providing infromation on juries as well as this Campaign. The url of Real News will be:
http://www.realnews-online.com/ editor: Izabelle McNeill
Lastly, we have placed an image under Islands (on the European Options site) where it is stated "That we may survive" ... "Islanders for Jury Rights". I was not aware where this image came from but now realise that it is a stretched version of the nice image you have on your main website. So I have to ask you whether we can carry on using this image or should stop using it and find another one. This image has been up for literally a couple of hours so if you want us to take it down please tell me. On the other hand it seems to be fitting that an image from Colonsay might represent the Islanders around the United Kingdom. Could you please advise me on this issue?
I hope that people on Colonsay feel that this is a valuable Campaign and in their direct interests and that some of their members might wish to support the Campaign.
Yours truly,
Hector McNeill
The Magazine Section
