Caithness Courier review: October 5, 2011

THE paper gives its account of the much publicised discovery of grenades in an area on the outside perimeter of Wick Assembly Rooms, on Monday. The 144 bottle of white phosphorus, better known as glass bottle grenades, relics from the Second World War, were discovered by retired James Duncan who was carrying out preparatory work to install a new radio transmitter for Caithness Amateur Radio Society of which he is a member. Emergency services were called out and the civic centre was closed. An expert team from the royal Navy Northern Diving Group dealt with the grenades, yesterday.

THE prevention of one disaster, justifies the retention of a vital emergency service. That is the view of councillors in Caithness who applauded the eleventh-hour decision by the UK Government to offer a three-month reprieve for the emergency towing vessels based in Stornoway and Shetland. The tugs, which are owned by JP Knight and are contracted to the Maritime Coastguard Service, were due to have been withdrawn from service on Friday. The UK Government had proposed ending the contract, saying the safety of vessels and salvage operations were the responsibility of the commercial shipping industry.

INSIDE...parent in Halkirk are up in arms over the impending replacement of an infant class teacher at the village’s primary school. They have accused Highland Council of putting cost-cutting before educational needs, in the filling of the post. The parents are unhappy that the 24 primary one pupils are going to have their third teacher starting after the October holidays. The local authority insists it is complying with policy and does not believe the children will lose out. However, parent Tracy Taylor, said the changes are very unsettling for the youngsters. She believes the decision to end the temporary contract of the current teacher Vallene Waddell and replace her with a redeployed former nursery teacher, is deeply flawed.

IT was the end of an era in Wick, at the weekend, as one of the oldest businesses in the town centre
shut its doors for the final time. Cormack Jewellers on Bridge Street closed on Saturday, after trading for over 160 years. The jeweller had become one of the first ports of call for those who wished to mark a special occasion. Proprietor Elaine Henderson owned the shop for 21 years and worked there with two part-time employees. She said that after many happy memories running the business, she is now ready to enjoy her retirement. She also said that while the business was still profitable, the effect of the recession was a factor in her decision and she felt it was the right time to retire. Mrs Henderson is currently looking for a buyer to take on the premises.

A TIME capsule published online, has stirred fond memories of childhood for a Thurso businessman. The BBC recently made available an internet version of its Domesday project- an initiative where people recorded daily life in their community so future generations would be able to get an insight into life around the UK in 1986. The social experiment separated the UK into “Domesday Squares” or “D-Blocks”-“domesday” after William the Conqueror’s original survey of landowners completed in 1086. Graeme Reid, of Reids of Caithness, wrote for his “D-block” about his love of riding his BMX.

AN album of previously unpublished photos of royal visits to Dounreay is to go on show at two popular tourist haunts in Caithness. They feature shots taken during separate tours of the site by Prince Philip and the late Queen Mother. The album also includes the signature of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands after he visited the then fledgling fast rector base in 1958. The album has been compiled by site operators DSRL to mark the 50th anniversary of the Queen Mother’s second trip. The idea came from Anne Dunnett, the Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness, after she saw the royal portfolio published for the first time on DSRL’s online archive.

NORTH Highland College bosses are to fight any move to dilute the current powers they have to run their own affairs. They are concerned that further education students and employers in their area would suffer were the new University of the Highlands and Islands to pursue a centralised agenda. NHC, which operates campuses at Thurso, Wick, Dornoch and Alness, has aligned itself with college counterparts who are campaigning for a devolved management regime.

WICK Academy boss, Davie Kirkwood said that poor decisions from the referee were to blame for his side’s agonising 2-1 defeat against Huntly. He focused on the sending off of Craig Shearer and said that both bookings were harsh. Despite ending the game with 10 men, Kirkwood was pleased with the way his side played and he is looking forward to meeting Fraserburgh at Harmsworth Park on Saturday.