Review of the Year, July to December 2009

Jan 8 2010 by Caroline Boxer, Strathearn Herald

OCTOBER 2 -CRIEFF Hydro Tennis Club join the top echelon of sporting groups to be awarded Tennis Clubmark accreditation. Commenting on the plaudit, Ian Conway of Tennis Scotland (North) stated: “Crieff Hydro Tennis Club certainly deserves this award. They now join an elite band of tennis clubs in Scotland and deservedly so.”

APPEALS are made for the recovery of a specially commissioned bench which had been stolen by opportune thieves from MacRosty Park. The seat, which was installed near the pavilion in 2008, was selected to resemble furniture from MacRosty Park’s past.

OCTOBER 9 - BRACO and Greenloaning Community Council implode under allegations of improper conduct. The resignation en masse of the community councillors takes place at a heated public meeting, during which a member of the public questioned whether a vote of no confidence from members of the public would lead to the community council stepping down.

AUCHTERARDER Primrose ease through to the second round of the Perthshire Cup with a convincing win over Burrelton Rovers.

OCTOBER 16 -FOLLOWING reports in previous editions of the Herald regarding ‘big cat’ sightings in the area - reporter Lynn Duke publishes two new theories as to what the mysterious creature with the long tail is. The first suggestion is that it is a binturong or bearcat, normally found in the Asian forest but perhaps loose in the Strath countryside. The second is a more native beast - a large dog otter, described as “a big bruiser” that spends a lot of time on open ground and in the Ruchill.

COMRIE gives a warm welcome to former POW Heinrich Steinmeyer, who has bequeathed his house to benefit the elderly of Comrie.The 84 year-old was visiting the village courtesy of German newspaper Bild. Mr Steinmeyer took a tour round Cultybraggan Camp and met up with old friends.

OCTOBER 23 -VANDALS strike at Comrie Primary School over the October break leaving a trail of destruction and debris in their playground. One of the items targeted is the new centenary cairn which had bottles smashed against it leaving it surrounded by broken glass.

LONG-SERVING Crieff Ambulance Technician and latterly Patient Transport driver Charles Scott retires after 42 years service with the Scottish Ambulance Service. Charles started in 1967 at a time when the Beatles released Sergeant Pepper and the breathalyser was introduced.

OCTOBER 30 -CRIEFF Drama Group toast their 10th anniversary by inviting St Fillans Players and Comrie Drama Group to join them in two celebratory Supper Theatre evenings in Academy Hall. The event is a great success with audiences getting their fill with a tasty meal courtesy of Henderson’s Class Catering and some excellent entertainment.

THE newly formed Strathearn Mountain Biking Club has its inaugural ride from Comrie to Crieff via Turret Dam. The club is established to develop mountain biking in the area for everyone.

NOVEMBER 6 -SEVEN householders at Park Village in Turretbank Road are advised to move out by the emergency services after a weekend of torrential rain causes parts of the 12 foot wall lining the embankment between their properties and the Turret Burn begin to break away.

PHASE one of Comrie Parish Church’s metamorphosis into a modern place of worship is completed thanks to a generous donation from the congregation and Perth & Kinross Council’s Quality of Life Trust. The work includes the redevelopment of the entrance and the installation of a new rest room. Phase two of the project will see the interior of the church building transformed to bring it into the 21st century.

NOVEMBER 13 -HISTORY is made with the opening of the mind-blowing Strathearn Community Campus. To acknowledge the passing from one era of learning to the next, Crieff High School Pipe Band lead a procession of staff and pupils on their final journey from the old school to their new base.

FOLLOWING public consultation in the summer, plans are unveiled detailing improvements to playparks in Auchterarder, Braco, Greenloaning and Crieff. PKC state that work is set to take place between January and March 2010.

NOVEMBER 20 - CRIEFF Primary School Nursery achieves I Can: Early Talk accreditation with a grading of 100%. The qualification focuses on the training of staff to support children’s language and communication.

COMRIE’S Zero Waste Fortnight is launched with a get together of those involved, including the Primary School’s Eco-Committee, representatives from Comrie in Colour, Comrie Development Trust members and other local groups and council officials. The event is organised to encourage householders to divert waste from landfill by reducing, reusing and recycling as much of their household rubbish as possible.

NOVEMBER 27 -STRATHEARN is battered by relentless rain causing flooding and misery throughout the area. Peter Randlo, the Herald’s weather correspondent, reports that 64mm of rainfall was recorded in one day. The bends at Gilmerton prove particularly dangerous and the Braidhaugh ends up under water yet again!

ACCLAIMED Scottish artist and Turner nominee Nathan Coley travels to Ardvreck to open the school’s new Expressive Arts Centre.

DECEMBER 4 -THE Co-operative announce that Independent retailer Haldane’s are to take over Crieff’s Penny Lane in March. Launched in November, Haldanes is the first mid-sized supermarket chain to open in the UK for 27 years and the company hopes to fill the gap left by William Low in the mid-90s. The Co-operative store will cease trading on February 27, 2010 and the branch’s 22 employees will automatically transfer to Haldanes.

LOCAL MSP Liz Smith and Strathallan Councillor Murray Lyle call for a review of road safety measures following a spate of accidents on the A9. The pair write to SNP Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson and Transport Scotland asking for the junctions at both Auchterarder and Blackford to be reassessed.

DECEMBER 11 - TAYSIDE Police appeal for information after a red kite is found shot on the outskirts of Braco. A dog walker discovered the distressed bird and it was rescued but subsequent x-rays revealed that there were five sot-gun pellets lodged in its body and one of its wings was broken. The bird was taken to the Inglis Veterinary Centre in Dunfermline.

OVER 70 revellers dance the night away at the Christmas Lights Ball in the Royal British Legion Scotland Clubrooms in Crieff. As well as having a jolly good party, the event organised by Crieff Community Initiative raised well over £4,500 towards the running costs of the lights.

DECEMBER 18 -OVER 2,500 people visit the new Strathearn Community Campus to take part in the broad spectrum of events put on the celebrate the opening of the facility. One of the highlights is the Wild Rovers Stampede, organised by PKC and the National Galleries of Scotland.

COMRIE Development Trust welcome local catering business, Wilde Thyme, as their latest tenant to Cultybraggan. Alan Caldwell, board member of the Trust and chair of the Cultybraggan Working Group states: “This is fantastic news for Cultybraggan. Wilde Thyme is exactly the sort of business the Trust is looking to attract to the camp. They are high quality, employ local people and are keen to do even more to improve the ‘green’ side of their business.”

DECEMBER 25 -AN 87 year-old BLESMA resident earns himself the reputation as a dare-devil. Inspirational Eddi Ingram had been trying his hand at a variety of dangerous sports including whitewater rafting and gliding. His exploits have earned him a suitable nickname - the Ancaster Action Man.

ANGRY objectors to the controversial Standingfauld windfarm state that the development would have a “totally devastating long-term effect” on local residents. The protesters form the Standingfauld Environmental Action Group (SEAG) to fight the proposals.