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SunsetSong
19-Nov-08, 22:37
Hi All,

Hoping that some of you .Orgers might be able to help with this.

I'm currently studying Culture of the Highlands and Islands with UHI and I'm looking to do a project on the Impact of Dounreay to Caithness. To give some detail to the project what I am ideally looking at is the impact it had to the culture of the county, e.g. Were our Caithness accents toned down, did Caithness as a very unique county loose anything by the migration of people from the South to work and live in Caithness? Or did we benefit as a county and have a richer culture as a result. Have been looking at the various clubs and societies and (no offence to anyone) see that the ones currently in existence, e.g. Caithness Field Club, Live Music Association were started through incomers to the county.

So to cut a long story short lol....I'm wondering if there is anyone that might be prepared to be interviewed for the project (you can remain anonymous if wished). I know there are people who have written books on the subject and are considered experts but not necessarily looking for that as these texts will probably be referenced within the project.

Ideally looking for locals who were around at the time of the mass influx of people to the area, possibly someone who was a teenager or a little younger and going through school at the time??

If you are able to help I would be one extremely grateful student and of course you would have the opportunity to read through the project and be happy with it before I would be submitting it....Could you please PM me....likewise if anyone has some interesting comments to make regarding the issue I am looking at would be interested in that too!!

Thanks
SS

rjmi23
19-Nov-08, 23:31
Hi, I was a primary school pupil in the 50's and have some memories that I'd be willing to share with you, though I don't know how relevant you'll find them!

SunsetSong
21-Nov-08, 00:27
Yes, you are exactly the type of person I would be looking for!! Thank you! Will send PM now!

SunsetSong
21-Nov-08, 00:53
I don't know if this will interest anyone but thought I would share :D!!

This is a copy of a Caithness dialect poem that got me started off on considering this topic for a project. Its from a book called 'Tatties and Herreen' by Castlegreen. I think it may have been used in a documentary the BBC ran on Dounreay a few years ago.

Boom Town - 1954
'E sleepy North is wak'nan', there's stirran' times aheid!
We're merchan' till prosperity wi' Thirsa in 'e leid!
'E pleice is fairly humman'
Ower 'e company 'at's comman',
Fan ivry man an' wuman 'll hev butter on thur bried.

Fan exiles fae 's Sooth come hom' 'e pleice they'll hardly ken
Wi' watter an' electic licht in ivry but an' ben
For there's chiels now washan' daily,
Splashan' gaily in a pailie,
Fa used till gie thur feice a weel chist ivry now an' then.

There's no a cheil in Kaitness bit kens far London is,
Bit there's fowk doon 'ere in London fa niver heared o' hiz!
Bit gey soon they'll be speiran'
If there's trowth in fit they're hearan'
O' a far off rival steeran' far they little thocht wan wis.

An' oot 'e wey o' Doureay there's stirran' times in store
Fan aal' at scientists arrive, twa thoosan' men an' more;
They'll be rappan', they'll be tappan',
Wi' thur peedie hammers chappan',
Aal spleetan' Kaitness atomies by Dounreay's lon'ly shore.

There's some fowk smilan' at ' e thocht o' 'at invadan' throng;
'E pubs ill aal be busy an' 'e nicht-clubs goan' strong;
An' 'e merchants 'll be winkan'
Fan they're thinkan o' 'e clinkan'
O' aal 'at soothern siller 'at'll come thur wey 'fore long.

We'll get aal kin's o' shither wi' thur weekid English weys
Till teich wur loon till smok' an' drink an' squander aal thur peys,
Bit if 'at's thur kin' o' hobbies
We'll hev chobbies for e' bobbies,
For we canna hev them ruinan' wur deicant sober b'ys.

Far fae 'e city's busy streets fit'll 'e craiters do
Till fill thur 'oors o' leesure fan thur chob o' wurk is through?
If they hevna televishan
They'll be swishan' at 'e fishan'
For radio-active cuddeens on e' rocks ablow Buldoo

Wur loogs 'll soon be tortur'd wi' accents strainge an' queer,
Bit we're beeldan' a new schoolie an' fan thur bairns appear
We'll get crackan' on thur squakan'
An' try till get them talkan'
In 'e pure melodious accents 'at we've aye been used till here.

Far aa 'iss skutch is goan' till eind is anybuddy's guess
Bit we'll see 'e day fan Thirsa 'll be a popular address!
'Iss quent lan' by 'e Pentlan'
'Ll soon be a weel-kent lan'
An' we'll mebbe cheinge Loch Calder an' call id Lake Success!

sandyr
21-Nov-08, 04:09
Hi,
Was at School in Lybster when they started Dounreay and worked in a shop in Wick starting in 1960/ I don't remember specific influences/ yes... influx of people and introduction of 'work' for the people. My vivid memories were in the 60's of seeing men who worked there coming into the shop with their faces burned....was it radioactivity? Seems that way/ several of the customers had severe burns to face and hands!
For me the situation that seemed to change things, was the introduction of the Americans Listening post in the Reay area. Brought in people from the US with big cars and TV accents!!!!!!!
Just FYI.....Am in Canada now and have been for many years....
Regards..sandyr

davie
21-Nov-08, 18:19
Methinks your correspondent in Ontario was either in Hiroshima or maybe Chernobyl in the 1960's.
Radiation burns in Week my arris - more likely tinker's tartan wi sittan too close till e fire.

sandyr
22-Nov-08, 20:23
Methinks your correspondent in Ontario was either in Hiroshima or maybe Chernobyl in the 1960's.
Radiation burns in Week my arris - more likely tinker's tartan wi sittan too close till e fire.

Without Prejudice....

A follow up.....
Wondered about this 'Non Intelligent'? reply or supposedly 'Funny' comment, and thought..What did I say that deserved these prose? Then I went and checked the Member's list and now fully understand. I should point out that I replied with honesty and knowledge from that point in time, and suppose that this contributer did the best he can. So sad!.

Errogie
22-Nov-08, 20:55
I started at the West Public School in 1953 and the Atomics began to arrive around 1955 and they began to build the new houses at Castlegreen Road and Granville Crescent. That was the beginning of the Thurso population explosion from 5 to 15,000 over the nexr 20 years.

Living opposite the Station Hotel Bar on Princes Street there was often quite a hooley going on there from the Irish and other workers who were involved in construction. But my main memories as a schoolboy were of "gang" rivalries in Thurso with all the juvenile threat and aura of violence which rarely if ever happened.

There were the Springparkers, Shore Street and the dreaded Glebe. Being resident in neither of these areas I ended up being aligned with newly arrived "Atomicers" who were just up the road. Within days I could do a broad Geordie accent but found some of the new surnames a little bizarre
like Batty, Luny, and Totty and others quite different from the familiar Mackay, Sutherland, Sinclair more usually in circulation.

Living so close to these cultural changes at an early formative age it's a little difficult to establish a landmark on what went before but so far as assimilations of cultures went I think Caithness and its people demonstrated an acceptance and tolerance which it would be hard to better in any other location.

Oh, and I have to mention the dreaded Viewfirth Sports and Social Club with which I had a permanent feud regarding admission because none of my family worked at Dounreay. That place was the biggest attraction but the largest blight on the landscape of my young social and sporting life, and of course is now no more, RIP!

hell raizer
22-Nov-08, 21:19
i lived opposite the miller academy and remember all the parties in my mam and my grannies house every weekend, but i never classed myself as an atomicer. if you had any sense you wouldn't get on the wrong side o the glebe gang they were a course lot :eek:

nellie
22-Nov-08, 22:54
I worked in a cafe in wick in1958-60-61-62,many dounreay workers passed through especially on saturday nights,I never once saw any-one with burn marks-many a good laugh we had---that was the good old days.:lol: