Ballater & crathie eagle, issue 79, autumn 2015

THE

eagle

ÂŁ1 Ballater & Crathie Community Magazine no. 79 autumn 2015

blink and you missed it... snapshots of summer

photos: Gillian Cassie, Ballater Farmers’ Market, Ballater Victoria Week

Brook Taverner Tailoring, ground floor

Fashion Outerwear Lingerie Gifts Homewares Accessories www.mcewensofperth.co.uk

McEwens, Station Square, Ballater AB35 5QB

Inside Your Autumn Eagle:

3

Summer began cool and damp but delivered glorious weather for some of the biggest events in the village calendar. Inside we reflect on a season of good fun and big achievements and look forward to an autumn packed with community spirit.

Diary

4-5

Local Groups

Ballater Ball

21

Ballater & Crathie CC: 16

Buttony Bear

22

Ballater Caravan Park (BCE): 12

CLAN

26

Ballater Indoor Bowling Club: 11

The Dee Valley

29

National Park Update

34

Balmoral Events

36

The Ring of Steel

38

Police Scotland

40

Old Royal Station Update 41

Ballater Farmers’ Market: 10 Ballater Films: 27 Ballater Probus : 18 Ballater (RD) Ltd: 11 Ballater RHS: 8 Ballater Songsters: 11 Churches News: 13

Oil Clubs

42

K&D Befriending

44

Pottering About

45

Library News: 14

A Walk in the Park

46

Rotary: 19

Whence Came Ballater

52

SWI: 8

Memories of V.J. Day

54

St Kentigern’s: 20

A Lost Station

55

Upper Deeside Music: 15

Aberdeenshire Council

57

V&A Halls Trust: 48

Ballater Highland Games 60

Victoria Week: 31

The King’s Bunnet

61

Crathie Opportunity Holidays: 28 Floral Art Group: 9

Handy to have Advertisers’ Index: 62

Advertising

Thank You

Full page: £100; Half page: £50; Quarter page: £25; Eighth page: £12

Our grateful thanks for generous donations from Helen M. Murray, and L. Cruickshank.

Discounts on 4 issue series copy can be changed each issue contact Karen Garioch at karen.garioch@btinternet.com or Tel 42344

Donations are gratefully received, and acknowledged. You can also put money into our tins in the Library or Yules Newsagents.

The Eagle Diary

...so you know What’s Going On Sun 13 Mon 14 Wed 16 Thu 17 Sat 19 Sat 19 Sun 20 Sun 20

Tue 22 Sat 26 Sun 27

Sat 3 Sun 11 Mon 12 Thu 15 Wed 21

September

FOCUS Craft Sale, Victoria Hall 10.30am – 4.30pm Ballater & Crathie Community Council, Mike Sheridan Room, 7-9 pm All Welcome!

Ballater SWI – 7.30pm, Mike Sheridan Room - Pip Will - Larks Gallery - Glass Jewellery Floral Art Demonstration by Connie Bartlett - “Every Picture Tells a Story”, 7.30pm in Mike Sheridan Room Cats Protection Coffee Morning, Mike Sheridan Room, 10am – 1pm Aberdeenshire Doors Open Days:Glenmuick Parish Church Open Day,10am – 4pm Deeside Inn Open Day, open all day!

Upper Deeside Music in St. Kentigern’s Church, 4.30 p.m. - High Heels and Horsehair – lively string players. All welcome!

Aberdeenshire Doors Open Days:Glenmuick Parish Church 10am – 4pm Ballater Fire Station Open Day, 11am – 3pm Deeside Inn Open Day, open all day!

Queen Mother’s Picnic Cottage, Threshing Mill & Cottage, 11am – 3pm Ballater Indoor Bowling – New Season commences every Tuesday and Wednesday – 2-4pm and 7-9pm in Victoria Hall Ballater Farmers’ Market, Church Green, 10am – 2pm Etape Royale Closed Road Cycle Event starting and finishing in Ballater

October

Halls Open Day in Victoria Hall 10.30am to 3.30pm.

FOCUS Craft Fair, Victoria Hall, 10.30am – 4.30pm Ballater & Crathie Community Council, Crathie Hall 7-9 pm. All Welcome!

Floral Art Demonstration by Annette McIntosh - “The Ballater Fall” followed by the AGM – 7.30pm in Mike Sheridan Room Ballater SWI - Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm, Jill Cooper, Beauty Therapist

Post Office Opening Hours The Post Office counter in the new Co-op is aiming to operate from 7pm to 10pm every day.

Are Your Dates Here?

For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle, please contact Faye Swan on 013397 55345 or info@swandesign.uk.com

Fri 23 Sat 24 Sun 25 Sun 25 Sat 31 Sun 1 Mon 2 Sun 8 Mon 9 Wed 18 Thu 19 Sun 22 Sat 28 Sun 29

Sun 6 Mon 7 Wed 9

Ballater Films presents: Fast and Furious 7, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Farmers’ Market, Church Green, 10am – 2pm Ballater Films presents: Cinderella (U), Mike Sheridan Room, 5.30pm Upper Deeside Music, Creag Meggan, 4.30pm - mini-bus from Church Square available 4.10pm. Ivan Ilić, Piano, from France. All welcome, but please book, T: 013397 56260, as space is limited.

Ballater Boules Challenge – Monaltrie Park 10.15am for 10.30am start Haunted Halls, V&A Halls (tbc)

November

Copy date for Winter Eagle BRHS AGM followed by Vicki Tough of Canopy International – “Gardens at Height” in Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge – Monaltrie Park 10.15 for 10.30am start.

Ballater and Crathie Community Council, Mike Sheridan Room, 7-9pm.

All Welcome Ballater SWI - Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm - Sandra Bain - Cake Decorating Floral Art “Christmas Surprise Demonstration”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge – Monaltrie Park 10.15 for 10.30am start Ballater Farmers’ Market, Victoria Hall, 10am – 2pm Upper Deeside Music, St Kentigern’s Church, 4.30 pm. Williams Duo, trumpets and organ. All welcome.

December

Ballater Boules Challenge – Monaltrie Park 10.15 for 10.30am start BRHS Open Night – Quiz, wine and mince pies – Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm Ballater SWI - Christmas Afternoon Tea - Deeside Inn

Ballater Library Opening Hours Sun, Mon & Wed: Closed

Tuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30-8pm

Thursday: 2-4pm, 6.30-8pm

Friday: 2-5pm

Saturday: 10am-12noon

Contact the Eagle

Hand in to the Library  Post to Ballater Eagle, c/o Ballater Library, Ballater, AB35 5QB

 email to: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

Contributions of any kind (ideally in Word format) always welcome.

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Avril, our Subscriptions secretary, will do the rest. Easy!

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Contact Your Representatives

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Dennis Robertson MSP email: dennis.robertson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

 0791 955 7152 (mobile)

WESTMINSTER Stuart Donaldson MP  07976 090894 email: stuart.donaldson.mp@parliament.uk

ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL Peter Argyle:  013398 82973 email: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Geva Blackett:  013397 41541 email: cllr.g.blackett@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Katrina Farquhar:  07876 475403 email: cllr.k.farquhar@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK Katrina Farquhar  07876 475403 email: katrina.farquhar@cnpaboard.co.uk Gordon Riddler  077116093513 email: gordon.riddler@cnpaboard.co.uk

Eagle Who’s Who & Where Editor: Ian Hay  55941 Treasurer: Elaine Adams  56149 Subscriptions Secretary: Avril Fyfe  56162 Advertising Manager: Karen Garioch 42344 Distribution: Andy and Julie Bloor Diary Secretary: Faye Swan  55345 Design: Cat Houston, Kirsten Knight, Stella Potter, Ollie Ross email us at: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com Eagle Online: http://www.ballatercommunity.com

If you would like a large print version of the Eagle, please contact Ballater Library on 55628.

Letter from the Editor

7

Autumn is here already, and Victoria Week, the Highland Games and holidays are now but distant memories. It is amazing how quickly these events creep up on us, and are then as swiftly gone.

Ballater appears to have been adversely affected by the loss of the iconic Old Royal Station as a tourist attraction, with visitor numbers considerably reduced, if the words of our local shopkeepers are to be believed. As one of our contributors says in this issue, the village has been here before, and must pick itself up once again and provide further incentives for people to make Ballater a “must� on their list of places to visit in Scotland. It is for everyone to contribute to making the village lively, and interesting, with as much going on as possible.

Certainly, Ade and Cat, plus a small group of stalwarts of Ballater Victoria Week, have worked very hard for some years now to make Ballater a focal point of fun and activity throughout the year. Similarly, Bell Macaulay and the trustees of the Victoria & Albert Halls strive to make the Halls available for community activities and to promote their use for all sorts of functions and activities. The group of people who organize our annual Highland Games too put considerable effort into ensuring the rest of us have things to look forward to every year. These hard working groups deserve all the support and encouragement we can give them. They cannot continually strive to put so much into the community, without some encouragement and help from more people. Too often, we all assume that these facilities such as Victoria Week, the Halls and the Games will always be there, but few think about the considerable voluntary work put into ensuring that these things continue to be available for our enjoyment. This means that others must listen to their appeals for help in their efforts to promote the village and its facilities, and act instead of leaving things to someone else. We all have talents which in some small way can assist those who work very hard for their community without payment or thought of personal gain. Let’s all think about this and do something by getting in touch with them and offering even some small amount of help. You will find that even making the offer does wonders for your own sense of well-being.

Your Village Needs You!

Ian Hay

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Local Group News

A round-up of news from our local groups

Ballater SWI

by Aileen Barbour On June 3 members and non-members of Ballater SWI went on their summer outing to JG Ross (Bakers) Ltd of Inverurie, which is a family-owned business. When we arrived we were welcomed by George Ross, then after a delicious tea we were all kitted out in our health and safety garments and shown into the bakery. Cameron Ross demonstrated how they make their scones and butteries. He also took us on a tour of the bakery, which was really interesting. We were all shown back into the main building and George Ross gave us a talk, with slides, about how he built up his business.

President Margaret Finnie gave the vote of thanks and we were all given a bag of butteries to take home with us. It was a most enjoyable outing, as the sun shone when we left Ballater and on the return journey home.

BRHS

by Elizabeth Wilson

Despite the wind and cold having an adverse effect on our gardens, our annual Plant Sale on June 6 raised a remarkable amount of just over

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£1000! Thanks to everyone who donated plants and home produce to make it the success it was.

The weather too had an effect on the plants that Aberdeenshire Council provide for the tubs throughout the village and the entrance to the Caravan Site. They arrived a couple of weeks later this year but Jim

Clark, Liz Nicholass-McKee and Colin Wilson did a splendid job of planting up these colourful annuals which enhance the village.

Caitlin Lanigan’s winning design from last year’s Flower Show was also planted up in the flower bed outside Emslie’s shop.

Our annual outing to Aberdeen took place on July 22. We started at Dr Tom Smith’s garden at 5 Rubislaw Den North. Tom has been a passionate gardener all his life and his one acre garden is breathtaking with its woodland garden, cloud-pruned trees, a restive shady grove planted with bamboos, a pool, a curved perennial border, a parterre, a ‘sky telescope’ circle of poplars and a border tracking the evolution of primitive plants from mare’s tail to flowers. We then adjourned to the Gordon Highlanders Museum for a delicious, excellently presented lunch as well as a meander around its beautiful, tranquil garden which Tom played an instrumental part in both

Got something to say about your group – get in touch

9

ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com its design and development. Then it was off to the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens, sometimes known as The Secret Garden of Old Aberdeen where Mark Paterson, the Curator, guided us around this beautiful and peaceful 11 acre Garden, which is a partnership between the University of Aberdeen and the Cruickshank Charitable Trust.

The garden comprises shrub borders, a rock and water garden, sunken garden, rose garden, herbaceous border and an arboretum. It also houses a nationally important collection of over 2500 labelled plants. Fortunately the weather was kind to us and a good day was had by all.

Raffle ticket sales at the Plant Sale and on the Green prior to the Show generated lots of interest – see photo by Malcolm Jar vis.

Nikki Grant of Rowan Jewellery kindly sold tickets on our behalf and displayed the main prize, a Prince of Wales check hamper, gifted by HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay. Local businesses and Garden Centres were most generous in their donations to the Raffle and Show. These were also much appreciated.

The 139th Annual Exhibition and Flower Show took place on August 15 & 16. This traditional event attracts both local residents and visitors to the village. Due to Victoria Week coinciding with our Show the scarecrows were unable to be moved for display at the Show. Details of the Show and prize-winners will be announced in the Winter edition of the Eagle.

Our upcoming season’s programme has a diverse range of speakers covering various subjects such as Landscaping Dos and Don’ts, Sowing

Seeds in the Greenhouse, the Duthie Park and Meconopsis along with the usual December Quiz Night. Remember details about forthcoming meetings can be found in the Eagle “Diary”, on posters displayed throughout the village prior to each meeting and of course our website http:// ballaterroyalhorticulturalsociety.weebly.com which gives comprehensive information about the Society.

Our AGM takes place on Monday, November 2 at 7.30pm in the Mike Sheridan Room in the Halls and will be followed by an illustrated presentation, “Gardens at Height” by Vicki Tough, Project Manager at Canopy International. Vicki graduated from the University of Glasgow with BSc in Zoology. Growing up in Ballater, she developed a love for ecology and exploration. Pursuit of these interests has resulted in her contributing to research and zoological expeditions in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Caribbean, Australia and most recently, Iceland. This promises to be a fascinating evening, so do come along.

Membership for the year costs £5 along with a £2 entry fee at each meeting. Should you wish to attend a single meeting, the cost is £3. All are welcome and refreshments are available afterwards.

Floral Art Group

by Jenny Houston

The Floral Art Group of the Ballater Royal Horticultural Society celebrated its 20th Anniversary in the Victoria Hall, Ballater on the afternoon of Saturday July 4.

The show opened with a welcome by Jenny Houston, current Chair of the Group, and was followed by the cutting of the locally-

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baked celebration cake by two founder members and past Chairs of the Group, Audrey Macrae and Kathleen McCulloch.

The packed audience was then treated to a colourful, skilful and artistic flower arranging demonstration by the internationally renowned SAFAS demonstrator Lilias Hoskins, entitled “Time for Tea”. The Floral Art Group was able to donate £500 to “Seagull Trust Cruises” which organises cruises on Scottish canals for those with special needs.

On September 17 there will be a demon-

stration by Connie Bartlett from Ellon and this will be entitled “Every Picture Tells a Story”.

After this, the next meeting will be a demonstration on October 15, entitled “The Ballater Fall”, and this will be followed by the Annual General Meeting. The demonstrator will be Annette McIntosh from Strathdon.

The last meeting of the year will be on November 19. The title is “Christmas Surprise Demonstration”.

Please come and join us for fun, friendship and flowers. More information from Jenny Houston, 013397 56015 or on the BRHS website.

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Ballater (RD) Ltd

Indoor Bowls

We had another successful Walking Festival in May of this year when we attracted 95 walkers from not just within the UK but abroad as well. The event concluded with the Friday ceilidh, at which many of the walkers took the opportunity to express their thanks for another wonderful week of walks and social activities.

This was due in no small measure to our convenor Sandy Mitchell, who after delivering excellent walking festivals for the past four years, has decided to stand down as the walking convenor, but will remain part of the organising committee.

We are delighted that John Burrows has agreed to become the new walking festival convenor for our 19th festival which will take place next year from the 21 – 27 May. John has been quick off the blocks and planning has already started.

BRD are grateful to our subsidiary company BCE, which runs the caravan park, for releasing funds to BRD in order for BRD to fund or partially fund the following projects: The V&A Halls were given money in order for essential roof repairs to be undertaken to the roof of the Albert Hall.

Money was allocated towards obtaining a toilet block for Monaltrie Park.

After having our summer break we now start the new season in the Victoria Halls on Tuesday 22nd September 2015. The times are 2-4pm and 7-9pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We look forward to the coming season and welcome any new members.

by David Horne

COAT (Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust) were allocated money towards creating a path on the South Deeside Road section of the Seven Bridges walk.

Money was put towards creating a carved nativity scene on the ground opposite the War Memorial.

The winter festival was also allocated money.

by Sheila Rumbles

Ballater Songsters

by Sheila Rumbles

As readers of the Eagle will know, our little singing group offers entertainment at various venues, mainly Care Homes and Day Centres, during the winter months. We have been working hard during the summer-time putting together a new selection of songs which we hope will be enjoyed.

Once again I take this opportunity to publicly thank my ‘girls’ for their loyalty and enthusiasm, which is greatly appreciated by me.

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BCE – Ballater Caravan Park

by Paddy Wright

Despite the poor weather, bookings for tourers and campers are well up on last year and the waiting list for static stances continues to increase. Much of the credit for this must go to the team of four wardens and administrator, who have created a happy atmosphere for holidaymakers. The feedback from customers is very positive.

The revamped children’s play-park is proving very popular and much used. Initial problems with the WiFi which was recently installed have been largely overcome. Contracts for the refurbishment of the toilet block have been awarded to local firms and work is due to start on November 1, with completion before the start of the 2016 season.

This is now the fourth season that the caravan park has been under community management, generating substantial surpluses.

Owing to lack of previous investment, most of the surpluses have been applied to muchneeded improvements. In spite of this, Ballater Community Enterprise (BCE) has been able to make substantial donations to our parent company, Ballater (RD) Ltd., which has used the money to award grants to various community projects.

Although some of the future trading surpluses will be applied to several improvements which are planned, it is hoped that further donations can be made to Ballater (RD) Ltd after the 2016 season.

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Churches’ Letter Dear Friends

“‘I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from...” is a quote from one of the oldest pieces of literature – the book of Psalms in the Bible. Despite the age, it still resonates with us, especially up here in the Cairngorms. The mountains rise around, visible in almost every direction. We live in a wonderful part of this country. But how often do we stop and appreciate it?

Although as we write this, it’s only the start of August, the summer so far has passed at speed. We’ve had sunshine, snow in June, rain and more rain, laughter and tears. Times of celebration and times of commemoration.

It’s time to pause and take stock of life. Early autumn is the time of new beginnings – the start of school, the start of autumn. But it is also a time of endings – the end of summertime.

Some of you will be at the beginning of exciting times. Moving onwards into joy. For others, the year so far may have been more difficult, with loss of jobs or loved ones. Some stages in life have mixed feelings. When children leave home for example. Where are you now in your life? What is important to you? We live in a world which is sometimes topsy-turvy in its values. Where what you possess, how much money you have, whether you have the new gadget, is seen as more important than time, or planet or people.

We want to encourage you to pause in your daily life. To watch the world go by a little. To stop and breathe in the air. To dance in the rain and bask in the sun. To appreciate the colours as the world turns its seasons. Not to rush along, always striving for the next things, but to recognise what you have now. Consider where you are going. What you want out of life. What you value. Remember the things of lasting value are not objects or possessions, but love, joy and hope. And of all these things, love

13 endures forever.

With every blessing, Rev’d Vittoria Hancock, St Kentigern’s Episcopal Church; Rev David Barr, Church of Scotland; Father Chris Brannan, St Nathalan’s Roman Catholic Church.

Library News

14

by Sabine Muir

Under Fives Activities

New! Baby Rhymetimes every Tuesday from 10.45am. If your baby is under one year old, please come along and join our happy group.

Our usual Bookbug Story Times for toddlers aged one upwards will now start at the slightly later time of 11.10am.

Summer Activities

Our Victoria Week scarecrow was Incey Wincey Spider, a popular character with the under fives.

After our Puppet Theatre summer shows for the under fives, we are planning to have more regular shows at the library. The puppet theatre was bought for the

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Ballater Children’s Puppet Theatre with a grant via Deeside Books, who also provided book prizes for our Big Bear Event.

The Junior Craft Club children will be making more finger and hand puppets for forthcoming events. The Junior Writing Group will be writing more scripts. Please contact us if you would like to join.

Summer Reading Challenge

Lots of children signed up for this summer’s reading challenge and have won lots of prizes. Our star reader is however yet to be announced.

Our Tiny Tot Star Reader is Caia Thompson, who also attends Baby Rhymetimes. Well done to parents Sarah and Andrew for bringing her along. We just love to see her smiley face.

Computer Lessons

ICT tutoring sessions will restart on Tuesday afternoons from September 1. If you are a complete beginner or just want to a bit of help, please contact us on 55628 for further information.

Upper Deeside Music

by Jane Angus

Once more the Annual General Meeting for Upper Deeside Music took place on one of the wettest days in a damp July at the Hall of Glen Muick Church with only a small number of members present. With a reduced number of concerts, even though attendances were larger than in 2013-14, the Treasurer had to report a decline in the bank balance. The Enterprise Music Scotland grant, like that of so many societies, has in our case been reduced to a third of the previous level and for some years we have not been able to enjoy schools’ workshops. However a full programme is planned for the 2015 -16 season, a mixture of concerts from previous and new friends - makers of “music of every country and era”, in varying venues.

There will be a mini-bus available from the Church Square to Creag Meggan on October 25 for the piano recital by Ivan Ilic from Paris.

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As parking and space is limited at Craig Megan, booking will be essential for this concert – see Eagle diary for details. Mr and Mrs Bergman are kindly hosting the piano which was formerly looked after in the Darroch Learg - and saved by the efforts of Nigel Franks. The society is hugely grateful to both Nigel and Fiona Franks for so many enjoyable and comfortable evenings at the Darroch Learg and we owe them deep thanks for their contribution to the ambience of so many concerts in Ballater.

We hope that the next season of chamber music will be a further contribution to the entertainment of our community in allowing both younger and older people the opportunity to extend their experience of varied world-class music, without electronics or having to travel, and to enjoy this life-long interest and pleasure.

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Ballater & Crathie C.C.

B&CCC members are still wrestling with personal problems and lives and calling in help for several ‘projects’. John Bolton is enjoying being a grandfather and is building up the making of a Resilience Committee and its needs for emergency responses, while Tony Cox is to be involved in the considerations of another Action Plan called for in the regions of Aberdeenshire.

Marr Area officials are now based in the Albert Hall behind the emergency Tourist Board desks, and are more than willing to be of assistance, so for the first time in years, Ballater has an actual Local Authority official presence.

Even with the wonderful response to the loss of the Old Station Buildings, businesses have been hit and it is hoped the Farmers’ Market on each fourth Saturday of the month will keep increasing foot-fall and show visitors that our communities are still providing an unique experience and the warmest of welcomes to anyone who manages to

find their way through the newly surfaced roads.

For practically the first time, news from Perthshire has been provided giving some indication of roads under repair and closures across the Mounth other than in very small print in the P&J or the Piper.

Both the Tourist Board office and the Library have copies of material but there is not room on the big Notice Board in the space we have available.

Arguments continue on the viability of the present situation of the ‘bus stop in Golf Road by the new Co-operative store, though there is now at least one space reserved opposite it for a disabled driver’s car. It seems that ‘Planning’ and questions of what happens outside buildings have not resolved practicalities any more than inside them, but correspondence continues. Please keep the members of the CC up to date on these and all the other problems.

Police Scotland are conducting educational activity for accident prevention and sensible

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by Jane Angus driving, especially for young people, and we are informed about these projects at our meetings. It is a great pity that there are so many losses from speed and distraction on our smaller roads as well as in commuting traffic.

The ‘Leader’ money from the EU, via the Cairngorms National Park Authority, has reached the stage of shortly being open for applications so any interested Group should be starting to look at their plans and be ready for October. £3million or thereby looks a lot of seed-money at this point but there are many people with splendid ideas and so allocations within the Park over 5 years will be very carefully examined, as well as any additional support for them.

The newly appointed head of the Cairngorms Business Partnership, Mike Tait, hopes to visit Ballater shortly, and the Visit Royal Deeside activity in Geocaching is beginning to be seen in some of our shops and restaurants. This is a mixture of treasure hunting and exploration for those with modern mobile phones (far beyond my capacity!), which has been highly successful in Perthshire and other areas. This gets people out of their cars and looking close up – initially for ‘treasure’, but perhaps at the reality around them.

One of the interesting things in Ballater and Crathie is the number and variety of ‘Groups’ in our area. At one point there were 48, but as the secretaries did not keep the file in the Library up-to-date, it became less useful to new residents or our changing interests. If there is any desire for such a list to be revised and available, perhaps you would like to send me, janeangus33@ hotmail.co.uk, Darroch Den, Hawthorn Place, a note of names and activities, so that we could try this again?

It often seems to me that our big local problem is not apathy but choosing which activity to enjoy next, so our thanks should go to every one of the organisers.

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18 Ballater & District Probus Club

by John Taylor

Twenty members of the Ballater and D i s t r i c t Pr o b u s Club were recently invited to visit RAF – Lossiemouth. This was a privilege not to be missed, especially as a sizeable number of our members had the aviation industry or ser vice in the RAF as part of their past experience.

After the journey using the community minibus to Lossiemouth, we were welcomed by Project Officer - Flight Lieutenant Myers, and then served coffee. A comprehensive tour followed

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allowing us to witness close up the take-off of a couple of Typhoon aircraft, as well as obtain an appreciation of the overall size and infrastructure of this famous RAF Station. Survival equipment and techniques were comprehensively demonstrated and it was generally agreed that if bail out was experienced the only thing missing to ensure survival would be an ironed copy of ‘The Times’ newspaper.

Lunch was enjoyed in the Officers’ Mess as guests of the Station and thereafter the main event of the day; a guided tour of the hangered Typhoon aircraft. Our guide around the Typhoon was a pilot seconded from the Royal Navy. When one considers that the aircraft has the benefit of 40,000lbs of thrust, then it must be some ride.

To round things off, the Station Photographer took the group photograph which is shown above, so that we could evidence our visit to friends and especially grandchildren.

We often see the distinctive delta with canard foreplanes shape of a Typhoon in the sky over Ballater, but having made this visit we shall see them with increased appreciation.

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Rotary Club

by Mike Powell

By the time you read this, we will have completed our annual round of Highland Shows and Games, including Ballater, raising money with our notorious Whisky Stall. It is always a pleasure to meet all the local folk who support us in our fundraising efforts throughout the year. People are so generous and we really do appreciate every penny we collect which enables us to support worthy causes both locally and abroad.

Internationally, this year has seen us support the humanitarian aid efforts in both Nepal and Syria, by supplying ShelterBox tents for people made homeless by the catastrophic events in these countries. We support the “End Polio Now Campaign” growing the symbolic purple crocuses with local primary school children every year. Locally, we ran events such as the Charity Golf Day at Aboyne and provided marshals for the sponsored walks of both The British Heart Foundation and The Stroke Association Deeside groups. We have been working with young folk, running the Young Musician and Young Photographer Competitions with Aboyne Academy. We supported Aboyne Primary School with their Fun Run, presented Dictionaries 4Life in feeder Primary Schools in the area and assisted senior pupils to attend the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards residential outward-bound week at Nethy Bridge.

As you can see, our work is varied and very rewarding.

People often ask “Why join Rotary?” Well, it’s not all hard work! We have a lot of fun while helping others and being a Rotarian combines service with opportunities for leadership, inspiration, teamwork, mentoring, community involvement and challenges. New members are always welcome, so

if you would like to know more about what we do, and how to join, or if you would just like to come along to one of our meetings as a guest, please contact Mike Powell on 013398 86369 or mike. powell21@ tiscali.co.uk The Club meets twice a month at the Glen Lui Hotel and twice a month at the Loch Kinord Hotel, Dinnet.

The photograph shows Rotar y Club members running a Race Night in aid of the V&A Halls in Ballater.

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20

St Kentigern’s News

by Rev. Vittoria Hancock

The last few months has been a combination of highs and lows for us at St Kentigern’s.

We had the joy of a wedding, the excitement of the church fayre, and the funeral of one of our members.

It’s always a delight to celebrate significant events in the family of the church, and Andy and

Joanne’s wedding was no exception. We had a wonderful service to celebrate with them and topped it off with wine and cake in the church hall afterwards, thanks to their generosity. It was such a delight to be there to share the day. We particularly enjoyed the jigsaw sermon!

Soon after that was the St Kentigern’s Summer Fayre. Thank you so much to all the community who came and supported the event, and to all those who donated raffle prizes.

We couldn’t do it without you. We hope you enjoyed the tea and cake, took home some baking, a book or two to read and perhaps something for the garden. It’s one of the highlights of our year, so we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

At the end of July we said a final goodbye to Ken Salthouse. Ken was a faithful and much loved member of St Kentigern’s, and of the community in Ballater for many years. His smile and steadfast faith contributed so much to our life together, and he will be very much missed.

His funeral was a wonderful celebration of his life. Please remember Ruth and the family at this time.

We’re looking forward now to August and to Ballater Victoria Week in particular. Joseph and his technicolour dream coat will be on display.

Then it’s onwards to our harvest festival on October 11 – do join us if you can. We’d love to see you.

The Ballater Ball

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by Jenny Gow

The Ballater Ball was held on May 23 in the Victoria Hall. This year, the funds raised were donated to The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

A little about the cause - since 1923, SAMH, a national mental health charity, has worked to promote mental health and help people in their recovery. It is Scotland’s largest mental health charity, providing services across Scotland and campaigning on mental health issues.

Every day staff and volunteers work to prevent suicide, challenge stigma and promote good mental health and well-being.

SAMH supports over 2,500 people each week with mental health problems, with over 80 community based services across Scotland, such as housing support, helping people into employment, and by providing information and advice through public facing campaigns. The charity is highly active in campaigning for positive change and aims to influence mental health policy and legislation, all the while raising funds to continue this vital work.

The total raised on the night was a fantastic £4221.00. I would like to thank everyone for their support and hope to see you all again in 2017. For further updates on the Ballater Ball please contact Jenny Gow on 013397 55828

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Buttony Bear - A Ballater Project

by Jenny Gow

A small group of friends in Ballater have launched a project to support children with stomas. The idea came from a bear given to a child in Great Ormond Street fifteen years ago. The child had a gastrostomy button in their stomach and the bear had a similar button. This gave the child a friend like them and provided comfort and support.

The Buttony Project supplies teddy bears which have been adapted with a button and Velcro so that a pouch can be worn such as a child with an ileostomy or colostomy would wear.

These bears are sent to children direct through a Facebook page (buttony bears) and also to stoma nurses to pass onto patients.

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further afield. Some of the bears have been used for educational purposes prior to surgery and also in nurseries or schools to explain a child’s illness to their friends.

We hope the bears will in some small way help tackle the stigma of bowel disease.

Demand has been much higher than predicted with just over 100 bears being dispatched in the first 3 months. Follow us on Facebook to see our regular updates.

Recently Linda Ewen at the Deeside Deli did a five hour sponsored silence for Buttony, and anyone who knows Linda will appreciate this was a huge challenge! She raised ÂŁ1799 which was a fantastic effort and will ensure lots more bears are dispatched.

If you would like to know more about the Project please contact Jenny Gow on 013397 55828 or Lynn Park on 07793 354249

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Success for Young Film-maker Exciting news and greater things beckon for Ballater Film-maker Eilidh Gow after her short film “Contrast” was shortlisted in the Edinburgh International Film Festival Shorts Challenge, and picked up a prize.

The shortlist of ten were screened on August 15 at The Filmhouse in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival.

The theme of the film was light, and Eilidh was ably assisted by Georgina Croll who played the main role in the piece. Eilidh was awarded one of the three prizes, “Most innovative use of the theme”. She wasn’t able to attend the screening, as she is currently working on a film in Glasgow as part of a British Film Industry Internship opportunity.

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The star of “Contrast”, Georgina Croll (left), collected the prize on behalf of Eilidh. Photo: Edinburgh International Film Festival.

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CLAN’s Ballater Shop calls for Volunteers

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CLAN Cancer Support is appealing for individuals of all ages to help volunteer in its Ballater shop.

Many readers will be familiar with the CLAN Cancer Support’s charity shop in Ballater. Open Monday – Saturday, the shop provides much needed income that helps to ensure that CLAN can continue to provide services locally. Renowned for the quality of goods on sale, including an extensive range of men and women’s clothing, household items, books and DVDs, the success of the shop owes a lot to the time and dedication of its volunteers.

And now the charity is looking to increase its pool of shop volunteers to enable it to continue to be a success in the coming months.

Alison Hodgetts, shop manager and client support assistant at CLAN’s Ballater shop,

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said: “We simply couldn’t run our shop without the support of a dedicated team of volunteers. Each of our volunteers usually offers around three hours per week to help with various jobs in the shop, often serving customers and keeping the shop stocked up with donations.

We have a great team here in Ballater and most importantly we have a lot of fun. However, as our shop donations have increased in the last few years, so has our need for volunteers and we’re asking anyone with time to spare to consider volunteering with the charity.”

Joss, a current shop volunteer in the Ballater shop, said: “What I enjoy most about volunteering with CLAN is the feeling that I’m putting something back into the community. It’s also a great opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. It’s always a good laugh too!”

Anne, who has been volunteering regularly with CLAN in Ballater for more than eight years, added: “I really enjoy the social aspect, meeting locals, tourists and visitors and knowing you are helping a local charity.”

For further information about volunteering with CLAN’s Ballater shop, please call 01339 756318 or drop in past the shop to pick up an application form. Further details can also be found at www.clanhouse.org CLAN Cancer Support is an independent charity which provides comfort, support, and information, free of charge, for anyone, of any age, affected by any type of cancer. CLAN aims to support people to reduce anxiety, stress and to increase their ability to cope with the effects of a serious illness.

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Ballater Films

by Ade Scripps

After a busy summer with the Minions and The 100ft Journey during BVW, Ballater Films is back in the autumn with Cinderalla (U) on Saturday October 24th at 5.30pm, a fundraiser for St Kentigern’s Church and a good all-round family film to entertain the kids at the end of the half term.

There are also plans to show Fast and Furious 7 (12A) on the evening of Friday October 23 and as the Eagle goes to print plans are also in the offiing for a “Haunted Halls” event. This would be a spooky fundraiser, for and within the Victoria and Albert Halls, on the night of Halloween, Saturday October 31.

We hope to include a disco for the youngsters, a spooky experience akin to the BVW Ghost Tours within the halls, and a film to top it off.

Ambitious? Come help us out. Get in touch using the contacts below.

www.ballaterfilms.co.uk find us on Facebook

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28

Crathie Opportunity Holidays

by Allan Harrison

Solid Book Sales

Our book, “Essays on Life” by Thomas Mitchell, Farmer, has sold very well and has now been reprinted. Contact has been made with several Caledonian Societies in the United States and we are hopeful that this will lead to some more sales. There are still some first edition copies available from COH. Please contact Maggie MacAlpine on 013397 42100.

Project wins Award

Aboyne Academy students Fergus Wood, Jordan Napier, Harry Morrison and Clint Hutchinson got in touch with us in February to ask us to participate in their project for the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative.

YPI is designed to encourage young people to become involved in issues that relate to their local community. Each group must select a local charity and become involved in its mission, ultimately presenting to a judging panel, their findings and reasons why the charity should benefit from the £3000 awarded to the winners. Only one group can win, therefore the more they know about the charity and how it would benefit from the money, the better they can represent it.

Maggie visited the school in February and gave a presentation about COH and answered questions about our charity. The boys continued with their own research and some of them visited

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The Manse Courtyard to have a look around and see all the equipment available and how it works. During the Easter Holidays they came back and filmed and interviewed some of our holiday visitors.

After spending a good six weeks gathering information the boys used this and their IT skills to produce a short film for the final presentation.

On June 3rd Maggie was invited to Aboyne Academy to see the presentations of the nine groups shortlisted for the Final. What an entertaining morning she had being educated about so many local charities and the good work they do.

Fergus, Jordan, Harry and Clint gave a very assured presentation about the work of COH. It included their short film and a pipe tune specially composed for The Manse Courtyard. Despite their nerves they also answered the judges’ questions with confidence.

After their deliberations the judges announced the winners and a cheque for £3,000 was presented to the boys for COH. As part of their prize they also enjoyed a visit to Perth Concert Hall where winning groups from schools across Scotland were treated to a fantastic fun day which included an appearance by Matt Cardle from the X Factor!

As always, thank you to all our local friends and supporters.

The Dee Valley

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by Ken Glennie

In the 2014 Winter edition of the Ballater Eagle, Ian Cameron described the flooding by the River Dee since 1799. This included the Muckle Spate of 1829 which destroyed Ballater’s second bridge over the Dee. Cameron states that the Dee formed our valley over many thousands of years, and between 1799 and 2014 there were 15 occasions when the water levels reached up to over 10 feet above the normal summer level.

I suggest the addition of earlier glacial conditions. The vertical cliffs of Craigendarroch, especially those on the south-east side overlooking Ballater, must have been cut (sheared and striated) by glacial ice at least 200 feet thick, that was slowly moving towards Aberdeen.

On the other hand, the Pass of Ballater has a V-shaped cross section showing that it follows a “faulted” line of weakness that was cut by a much younger stream flowing down-slope from West to East.

I suggest looking back 10 thousand years and more, to when the Earth’s Polar regions were covered by ice for thousands of years at a time, such that, so far as the northern hemisphere is concerned, solid ice extended from the North Pole to as far south as about the modern Thames valley through London.

Similar conditions have been repeated every 50 to 100 thousand years or so, back to at least 500,000 years ago. During these glacial periods, the land remained essentially dry as it was too cold for non-frozen water to exist, except for some shorter “interglacial” periods between “glacials”.

Conditions were such that over the modern Lochs Kinord and Davan, the ice is thought to have exceeded a kilometre in thickness so that the small (~950m) mountain Morven to the North-west of these modern lochs could have been covered by another 900m or so of ice. In

that respect, the Pot o’ Vat is a giant pothole, whose base is over 50 feet across with its upper limit open to the skies, and which was formed mostly during the latest glaciation. During interglacials however, the temperature, like now, was essentially above freezing for most of the time so that the climate was much wetter.

Some small islands in Loch Kinord probably got their present glaciated cover only very late during the ice age, whereas the Cairngorms and other mountainous areas of Scotland would have spent long periods being ground down by glacial ice.

The above history was worked out from a global point of view by geologists studying marine fossils while working in other parts of Britain, and indeed, other parts of the world.

These results have also been confirmed locally by technical staff based beside the Burn o’ Vat.

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Ballater Victoria Week 2015

by Cat Houston

In a year when Yoda met his match in a midgie, our tartan ruled supreme and a £1.2m Porsche rolled into town, a few showers were never going to dampen spirits...

Organisers of this year ’s BVW could not be more pleased with how the village’s annual fundraising fiesta panned out.

A bumper crop of scarecrows saw Elvis, Mary Poppins and Del Boy take up residence, while the Parade, Pet Show and Ghost Tours proved as popular as ever.

The Pantomime Horse Trials were again a hoot and various musical, sporting and outdoor adventures were sampled and enjoyed.

HUGE thanks to everyone who helped out. More help is needed if BVW is to continue. Which groups get a share of the profits will be decided on September 17 with the dosh dished out at the AGM on Thursday October 1.

More pics on the following pages.

Be Amused.

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BVW

Be Amus

Amused.

2015

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Cairngorms National Park

Personal exercise regimes are never far from the news, there is always a new fitness idea being lauded by the latest celebrity. 2015 has already seen a dizzying array of fitness trends including Boutique Classes (which have nothing to do with shopping) HIIT classes which stands for High Intensity Interval Training, aerial yoga, where you hang from the ceiling and surfset, where you balance on a surfboard... inside a gym!

Just reading about it is tiring, thankfully you don’t need to spend money on the latest fads when you live in such a beautiful place as the Cairngorms National Park, you just need to walk outside your front door.

Active Cairngorms is a new campaign, which aims to inspire people to get outside and do something active every day. It’s medically proven that people who do regular physical

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by Grant Moir

activity have a 30% lower risk of early death and a huge reduction in the probability of getting many other diseases such as breast cancer and type 2 diabetes, so clearly it makes sense to increase our fitness levels.

The CNPA works hard with partners such as COAT to ensure that the Cairngorms National Park is easily accessible to everyone whatever their ability. There are 60 miles of National Cycle Network Routes and 666 miles of core paths (a devilishly long walk!).

So whether you walk to the shops, cycle, run or just take a leisurely stroll to enjoy the beauty of this place there are plenty of new routes and landscapes to explore.

Long distance routes are very popular and The Speyside Way is one of Scotland’s original walking challenges. It was first opened in 1981, to run from Spey Bay to Ballindalloch, with a spur to Tomintoul being added in 1990.

Further extensions followed and the route now links the Moray coast with the edge of the Cairngorms, generally following the valley of the River Spey. A brand new 6 mile extension will open in September and forms part of a £1m improvement plan. The new multi use path links the communities of Aviemore and Kincraig. In the next few years we aim to extend the route further to Newtonmore, which will create an amazing cycle path up the Strath.

In Deeside we have recently completed a feasibility study on extending the Deeside Way to multi-use standard from Ballater to Braemar.

There are many challenging issues, such as route choice, land manager negotiation and fundraising to resolve before we can progress.

This partnership project is included as a priority

within Active Cairngorms and we hope to complete works by 2020.

With over 1.5 million visitors per year in addition to 18,000 residents, the Cairngorms National Park can help prompt changes in behaviour for people across Scotland. We can set an example and inspire other people to start integrating physical activity into their everyday lives.

For updates on Active Cairngorms and the Speyside Way extension you can follow us on Twitter @CNPactive or facebook.com/ activecairngorms

Cairngorms Nature Young Presenter Competition The competition - Have you ever fancied being a nature presenter, going on location to be filmed talking about amazing wildlife?

Well here’s your chance! Cairngorms Nature is looking for a Young Nature Presenter for 2016, someone with a passion for nature who can inspire other young people to get involved with caring about nature too.

The prize - The winner and their family will spend 5 nights at a fabulous private steading in Glen Feshie, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, courtesy of Speyside Wildlife, who have been running all-inclusive wildlife watching holidays in this special place for 25 years. The winner will spend one of the days with none other than BBC nature presenter Iolo Williams, picking up tips and making a short film about Cairngorms Nature! The other three days will be jam packed, going out and about with one of Speyside Wildlife’s expert guides, looking for rare and elusive species like pine marten. The prize includes full board accommodation for four people at Speyside Wildlife’s converted steading in Glen Feshie

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from Saturday 13 February to Thursday 18 February 2016, and the company of one of Speyside Wildlife’s guides to take you out exploring the area in the comfort of an 8-seater minibus.

How to enter - All we need is a short film of you as a nature presenter. It can be anything, from a ladybird on a window box to a deer in the wild – the important thing is that you are enthusiastic and know your stuff! As part of the film you must also include the statement, “I would love to present Cairngorms Nature because...” then tell us the answer on camera.

The judges will be looking for people who are passionate and can inspire others.

The film must be no more than 90 seconds long and you must be 10-16 years old to enter.

For details on how to enter and full terms and conditions please visit www.rspb.org.uk/ cairngormsnature By appointment to HM the Queen Purveyor of Meat and Poultry

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Balmoral Events

by Glynn Jones

Please note that Booking is essential for both the following events Phone 013397 55059 Cost - FREE

November 1 Balmoral Cairns Walk Experience the autumn splendour of the Balmoral Woods. A walk linking some of the historical cairns on the Estate, with spectacular views of Deeside.

Time: 10am - 4pm Meeting point: Crathie Visitor Information Centre.

Distance: 10kms (6 miles), ascent 250m

December 12 Make your own Christmas Decorations Come and join the rangers to build and make your very own Christmas decorations out of natural materials.

Time: 10am - 12 noon Meeting point: Spittal of Glen Muick Visitor centre

Uncanny Coincidence A Letter to the Editor

Being born and bred in Dunedin, New Zealand, I have browsed through many issues of the Ballater Eagle, online, over many years in the hope there may be a reference to family connections at Loinahaun or Lary in Glengairn. These two areas are where my Great Grandparents were both born. William Coutts at Loinahaun in 1826 and Mary Gillanders at Lary in 1841.

Lo and behold, in issue 78, Katrina Farquhar had written in an article that “her mother was living at Lary as a child”. Immediately I emailed Katrina stating my interests and promptly received a reply that she had forwarded my query on to her mother, Margaret Finnie.

Margaret then emailed back with the astonishing news that she was raised at Lary and her husband and son farm at Loinahaun. She was also interested in genealogy and local history. She recently found another fact, that William Coutts was a shepherd at Wester Morven in the 1851 census and married a lass from Lary. Margaret’s husband also was a shepherd at Wester Morven and married a lass from Lary, many years later. Many emails have passed back and forth with very interesting results.

Thank you Katrina, Margaret and the Ballater Eagle for the amazing coincidences, more than an old genealogist from the other side of the world could hope for.

Ian Coutts

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The Ring of Steel

In the 1980s, the phrase ‘ring of steel’ was used on a regular basis by the media when referring to a complete shut-down of a sensitive location by the police service. During this period whilst a member of the Metropolitan Police Royalty Protection Department, I was part of the annual ‘ring of steel’ performing a 10 week tour of duty at Balmoral Castle when the Royal Court was in residence.

One summer’s evening I was on duty in the police control room, which could only be described as ‘small’, being approximately 10 metres x 8 metres and filled wall to wall with expensive technical equipment. As a consequence, there was very little room for me and a colleague.

The ‘ring of steel’ was in place, we were like coiled springs, and all was well in our ‘secure’ environment, - or so we thought!

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the locked reinforced steel door to the control room.

Who can that be? I slid back the cover of the spy hole in the steel door and quizzically took

by John Holley

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a look outside. The cause of the gentle knock on the door was the diminutive, pipe smoking, always neatly dressed, ‘Monty’ Monteith, the long serving Balmoral Herdsman to H.M. the Queen.

Monty, who was very well known to all of us both on and off duty, indicated that he had something to show us but needed the door to be opened. We duly obliged and wondered what he had to show us.

Well, were we taken aback!! As the door opened wider, it was quickly filled by the biggest bull you could imagine.

Monty encouraged this massive animal into the control room tethered by a piece of rope attached to the ring through its nose.

The bull, wild eyes searching, was snorting, dribbling, breaking wind, urinating, heaving left and right, and the two coiled springs, members of the world famous Metropolitan Police were now rammed, bolt upright, against the expensive, delicate technical equipment in a vain effort to protect their dignity and secondly, the equipment.

The two members of the ‘ring of steel’ were now members of the ‘ring of tissue paper’ as

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far as the control room area was concerned. Fortunately no damage was caused and eventually all concerned had a good laugh and the beast was enticed backwards out of the control room.

This close up with nature will live with me forever. It is very rare that you see a bull on the streets of London, let alone almost one sitting on your lap.

Just one of the many great memories I have of my days spent with the Metropolitan Police Royalty Protection Department especially at Balmoral and the village of Ballater.

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Police Scotland

by P.C. Donald Mcleod

It is good to see that the poor summer we are having is not putting off visitors to the village.

A result however is that there has been a marked increase in the number of calls we are receiving due to parking issues in the village especially on Golf Road at the new Co-op.

Parking there is now well marked out and there should be no excuses for poor parking. We are aware of the issues and if required officers will take suitable action as they see fit.

We have also received reports of persons parking on Bridge St for prolonged periods.

Please be advised that between Monday and Saturday it is a 45 minute zone with no return within 15 minutes, as marked up by signage and again this will be enforced if required.

Etape Royale

Sunday 27 September 2015 Brand new for 2015 the Etape Royale is a closed-road cycle sportive set in the regal surroundings of Scotland’s majestic North-East.

The 100-mile circular route, starting in Ballater and the 65-mile linear route, starting in Rhynie, takes you on a traffic-free journey via Dufftown, the Lecht and back to Ballater on the banks of the River Dee. The route has a real mix of scenic rolling roads, challenging ascents and alpine-esque descents through a wild landscape scattered with iconic whisky distilleries.

The King of the Mountain Climb over the mighty Lecht will see riders test themselves against the clock as they grind steeply upwards over a 1.5 mile stretch in the most testing climb of the day.

The Etape Royale experience will leave a lasting impression on all the senses!

Go to http://www.etaperoyale.com/eventinfo for more information.

Local officers are also running a summer driving campaign which will look at the issues of speeding, use of handheld mobile devices whilst driving etc. This is being led by the number of complaints we receive in the Upper Deeside area regarding poor standards of driving.

As ever, if you require to contact us with a query, please use the 101 (non-emergency line) or pop into the office, which is manned Monday to Friday (excluding staff holidays) between 0900 and 1700 hours.

Old Royal Station Update A progress report by Janelle Clark, Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr Area Manager

The B-listed building, which is owned by the council, was historically used by the Royal Family travelling to nearby Balmoral Castle and was all but destroyed by a fire that broke out in the early hours of Tuesday, May 12. The building had been leased to VisitScotland for the last 15 years and housed a Visitor Information Centre, restaurant, museum, clothes shop and photography business.

Although much of the building was severely damaged by the fire, a replica Royal carriage, which continues to be protected onsite, survived, as well as various undamaged display cases.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) very kindly opened its doors across the road to create a temporary VisitScotland Information Centre to house displaced staff and continue the provision of information services for visitors.

Aberdeenshire Council has a reinstatement policy for the building and is commited to restoring it, retaining original features wherever possible. Ms Clark is leading a group of officers from services across both the council, including Property, Economic Development and Planning, and colleagues in partner organisations such as CNPA, VisitScotland, and Historic Scotland, who are taking the project forward.

Conditional and structural surveys of the building have been carried out and the site has been made safe and a lot of the fire debris has been cleared. The Council is also taking down the parts of the platform canopy over the display area that were constructed as part of the 2001 extension. This will result in the retention of that part of the building containing the royal waiting room and Visitor Information Centre - the original station building which dates back to its construction in the 1860s.

The removal of the platform canopy will allow the erection of a temporary enclosure over this remaining historic section of the building to protect it.

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Any plans for a rebuild of the Old Royal Station will require Listed Building Consent to ensure the new building remains appropriate and sympathetic to its original character and we are working with colleagues in Planning, CNPA and Historic Scotland to establish the next steps. Once the way forward has been agreed, it is likely to take between 18-24 months to reconstruct, depending on the scope of the works.

We understand the local community is keen to see this wonderful building restored but this is the start of what will be a long process and I ask for their patience as we work to create the most appropriate plan of action going forward.

Security fencing around the site has been replaced by hoarding and the local community will be involved in creating artwork to enhance the site while work continues.

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Oil Clubs – did you know?

Pannanich Group Fuel Oil has been in existence since December 2013, when Evelyn Rattray suggested that residents on Pannanich Road could come together to place orders with a named Oil Company. At that time the group numbered 15 residents. Our first order was for 3,800 Litres and we were pleased at the outcome as those who ordered could see an immediate saving. Following the initial order, we investigated the concept further, and Sir Robert Smith was helpful in getting us links to other clubs. He also met up with us, as this tied in with his fight for better deals for communities on fuel costs. Throughout 2014 the membership grew through word of mouth.

Ordering was managed by email.

Then we heard that Aberdeenshire Council Marr Area Office and other partners were investigating the concept of Oil Clubs and we had the opportunity to meet up with Lizzy Shepherd who was driving this idea through a pilot concept with Rhynie, Clatt & Lumsden Oil Club. The

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by Lizzy was that they were looking beyond the simple grouping of individuals to include those in fuel poverty, who could struggle to find affordable finance - their solution being the use of credit unions. The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is aware of both the Club and use of Credit Unions and because the Oil Club is never aware of an individuals’ financial funding, CAB can offer these savings to those in greatest need.

Our involvement with this project has been nothing but positive. It enabled us to join in on the Marr Community Ward Forums last autumn when we took the Oil Club idea around the area to discuss the differing ways communities can help themselves either through the creation of their own Oil Club or joining in on an Oil Company driven solution. The group here in Ballater had pleasure in acting as a support to Braemar Oil Club while they organised.

So how do the two concepts work? Both have at their centre the strength of bulk procurement.

So long as the Club order reaches the minimum 500 litres, you all share equally in the saving regardless of the size of your individual order. The strength of our “own” Oil Club is that the group lays down the frequency of delivery and can be supportive of the members as they get to know one another and their individual needs. One weakness however can arise when the driving force retires or leaves the area. The Oil Company driven process sees as a strength that it has continuity.

However it will lay down the frequency of delivery to maximise its scale of economy and needless to say it cannot know the community as well as the resident who is domiciled there. Having said this, both will process the order in a similar manner – profile the requirements of the individual, highlight difficulties to be overcome by the driver on delivery, creation of an account, and a payment process tailored to each individual’s needs.

Both offer up savings based on bulk procurement and savings in the cost of delivery of around 3p a

litre for parties ordering over 1000 litres and 6p a litre for those ordering between 500 to 999L (the single rate for all, means that the penalty for orders of less than 1000L brings greatest saving).

Ballater’s club trades under the name of Pannanich Group Fuel Oil to reflect its origin and now boasts a membership of 116 with orders during the past winter months of around 20,000 Litres a month. An assessment undertaken after our June order indicates that the members ordering since February achieved a saving of £4,221 when compared with the average price offered by seven other oil companies over the same period.

Our provider, Johnston Oil, has now commenced a Community payback programme in addition to the savings we make and we have agreed that this will be paid back into Ballater and Crathie through Ballater (RD) Ltd, as the group has an established record and process for vetting the needs of the area. Initially the monies coming back will be small as the start period ties in with the summer low deliveries, but we anticipate

43

the annual amount to be well in excess of £1700 based on past transactions.

There is no cost to join and no long term commitment to those joining. On a monthly basis everyone is contacted to see if they have a need for oil and individuals only reply if they have a need.

A reminder and closing date are then circulated, after which, communication is only with those requiring oil, initially with a check to confirm the order profile is correct, followed by notification of date of delivery and rate per litre. The Oil Company makes contact and discusses payment direct with the member. New members agree their payment terms direct with the Oil Provider, only feeding back to the club the account number.

Ideally the group prefers to work through email communication but if you are interested and have no email, try to see others in your area who could assist. If that fails, please call me, John Burrows, the group co-ordinator, on 013397 53244. We don’t want anyone to miss out. Email johnburrows1@btinternet.com.

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Older People Need Befriending

by Lisa Wass

Kincardine & Deeside Befriending say there is a growing demand for befrienders from older people who are lonely or isolated.

The Organisation matches older people with volunteer befrienders for companionship and emotional support.

Feeling lonely can impact on physical health as well as mental wellbeing and they are in no doubt about the benefits of befriending. Lisa Wass, Deeside Co-ordinator said “I’ve seen first -hand the difference that befrienders have on elderly people who use the service. A simple home visit to an older person in their own home for company and a chat or a trip out can make a huge difference to their life”.

Kincardine & Deeside Befriending are calling on caring people with time to give, a

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Pottering About...

by Stella Potter

As a 1950s child I know I have had privileges no longer available to young folk now.

I had - although didn’t particularly enjoy - free school milk; a mature student grant when I studied for my degree; prompt benefits when I needed them; an affordable mortgage and inexpensive public transport.

But now it’s catching up with me. When my parents were my age they were retired. That seemed right, they had both worked hard all their lives - my Mum particularly in that she had, unusually for the time, continued teaching whilst my brother and I were babies. She never understood why I was so proud of her for doing that, as in her view, she’d trained to teach when there was a great shortage of teachers and she had an important job to do.

But now my baby boomer benefits are truly over. I will have to work for another 9 years before I can retire. My Dad never even lived as long as my now projected retirement age. I know we’re all living longer and are generally fitter, but I really can’t see myself successfully doing physical work right up to my 67th birthday. If we baby boomers have to keep working for another 7 years, where are the jobs for our young folk? And why should retirement be an overnight thing? Couldn’t we cruise to it gently, working gradually fewer hours and sharing our experience with folk just starting out?

I was never organised enough to start a pension so being able to cash some in to fund an “early” retirement isn’t an option.

Admittedly, I’m very fortunate in that I enjoy a variety of part-time work rather than a 9-5 job. Additionally I can do some of that work however physically frail I may become provided I keep my marbles - though some folk attest I lost them decades ago! So I particularly feel for women of my age who have planned better than me but are faced with 7 more years of full-time

45

work they hadn’t bargained for.

Yes, I am very grateful for the advantages I have enjoyed. I am however very sad that things I took for granted, like student grants, affordable mortgages and retirement at 60, seem now consigned to the dusty annals of 20th century history. My children have had none of those advantages, except for the wonderful lack of tuition fees here in Scotland. Job opportunities, housing, proper support for the disadvantaged are no longer the given.

So now I have had my wee rant I will try and cruise the remaining seemingly endless years towards retirement with a little more mindfulness of the far harder challenges the new generation face. They need our love, our support and our respect.

46 I had been hoping to write about my next walk while basking in summer sunshine but we haven’t found it yet! After a morning of heavy rain, it did clear so we decided to have a Donside walk for a change and drove over to Corgarff parking on the left at what looks like a forestry road just past Rowan Tree Cottage before you come to Cock Bridge. This walk is six miles or you can park a car on the Glas Choille thus making it only three miles.

It is only a short walk but has so much history, it is fascinating. Off we set and it is a good track starting off pretty even and into a plantation, soon arriving at a crossroads. We go straight on, to the left of the keeper’s cottage at Ordgarff, and to the right, another hill track for another day. You begin to descend into the glen and the Don is winding its way down Corgarff on the left. We arrive at our first bridge of the walk which crosses the Allt Damh burn.

It’s only about four foot wide and quite an arch, a pretty amazing sight to come across.

This path is in fact part of the Old Military Road and known as The Kings Road. In 1740 after building about 300 miles of military roads, General Wade left Scotland and was succeeded by Major Caulfield who actually went on to build over 800 miles of military roads. This small section is part of the road from Coupar Angus to Fort George through Braemar, Corgarff and Grantown on Spey. It took nine years to build between 1748 and 1757. It is thought around 700 men worked on the section from Braemar

The King’s Road to Corgarff. Major Caulfield died in 1767 and this ended the road building. Corgarff was a major centre for illicit distilling of whisky and the new roads provided ideal quick transportation for the illegal trade.

Continuing on our walk, we go past the croft of Delachuper which has a wee bothy often used by walkers in the past and known as Jenny’s Bothy. We are now onto the open moors and the views are quite stunning. We then see the second bridge of our walk and it crosses the Delavine Burn.

Delavine Farm sits to the left and is very tidy looking but uninhabited with sheep grazing around the house.

There is a track leading down to the farm but we continue right following the road. We then come to a fork in the road and we go left.

If you go right it takes you up to the top of Cairn Leac Saighaeir (The Cairn of the Soldier). The story is that a Redcoat soldier was attacked and murdered by a McHardy

47

A Walk in ‘the Park’

by Katrina A Farquhar while carrying the payroll for Corgarff Castle through the hills from Braemar. He was killed at the back of Cairn Leac Saighaeir. As he lay dying he cursed the individual who had slain him so that his breed would die out. The last of this line was alleged to be Miss Janet McHardy who ran Corgarff Shop and Post Office at Greenbank.

We c o n tinue down a brae to the final bridge which crosses the Burn of Tornahaish. It is then a relatively steep climb up to the Glas Choille road - but worth it for the view.

I have mentioned the crossing of three bridges on this walk. These were carefully restored in 2000 and will hopefully be here for another 250 years. They are all masonry arch bridges and lay neglected for many years.

The Allt Damh Bridge had collapsed over three quarters of its width and it is only a small bridge now. The Delavine Bridge had lost three quarters of one abutment and had partially collapsed. The last one, Tornahaish Bridge, was in fact in reasonable condition and still being used by land rovers. Work commenced in 1997 and was completed in 2000. It was funded by Historic Scotland, HLF, ERDF, Leader II, Aberdeenshire Council, Gordon Enterprise Trust and Landfill funds donated by McIntosh (Aberdeen) Ltd. The repairs cost £250,000.

A trust was formed and has the bridges in care, having leased them from Candacraig estate for 99 years. There is a commerative plaque on the Delavine Bridge.

After the restoration took place, a new shooting tenant took over the moorland and “improved” the road to allow more vehicular access and unfortunately some of the old features on the road have been lost. A lesson has to be learnt here. Unless we value our history and what it conveys to us, and we fail to manage our land more sensitively, our history will be lost.

After our last ascent, we had our fly cup then turned around and descended, retracing our steps to the car at Corgarff. The walk will take 2.5 to 3 hours.

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V&A Halls Trust

“Learning, Working, Playing Celebrating” The horrendous fire at the Ballater Old Station across the road shocked us all, and our hearts go out to all those directly affected – businesses at the heart of the community destroyed overnight, along with an iconic building which many of us remember as a working Station.

Such events are a wake-up call. Old buildings such as our Halls need particular care, especially when constantly in use. To this end, we are in the process of checking all the wiring, and getting advice on our alarm systems to ensure we have the best possible coverage throughout. Once groups are back from the summer break, we will be initiating training alongside the First Aid courses to ensure everyone knows how to keep safe.

Weddings & Celebrations

Despite the non- appearance of the sun so far on Deeside, we have had a busy summer, with some beautiful weddings and celebrations. Jonah and Shona Hart got married in July – a particularly

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moving occasion, since it was Jonah’s father Brian who designed our beautiful stained glass window in the Albert Hall. Take a look at our website, and there you will see Brian’s own description of the Millennium Window. The words bring the image to life, now and for future generations.

Website, Info & Bookings

Our online calendar reflects the fact that the Halls are busier than ever – with bookings stretching some years ahead. We are attracting some very high profile sporting events such as cycling and orienteering, both of which will bring considerable business to the village and to Deeside.

If you wish to check your bookings online, go to www.victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk and let us know if anything is wrong. Of course local community groups get preferential rates, and there are occasions when we have to ask them to move to another location within the Halls so that we can maximise income to pay the bills and keep charges reasonable – all part of a community working together.

Keeping the Halls in good order – our halls are spic, span and sweet-smelling thanks to the care and management of Karen our hall-keeper.

Trustee Dr Doug Glass has responsibility for maintenance, and if you wish to report any defects, please record in the diary which is kept on the windowsill in the Mike Sheridan Room store.

You can also email Doug on douglas.glass@nhs. net. The heavy rain over the summer has caused problems with water ingress, especially annoying

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Development

by Bell Macaulay

when it affects work already completed, but we hope this will be dealt with before long.

Fundraising

All the windows in the Albert Hall have been double glazed thanks to the generosity of many people with a love and interest in our Halls.

Trustee Gordon Riddler did a sterling job in drumming up support, and this will be recognised on a donations board which will be made by Allan Milne, and sited at the foot of the Albert Hall stairs – watch this space! You will also have noticed that the curtains have been cleaned and refurbished by Marie Chapman, the lady who originally made them.

We held two Sunday afternoon concerts in July, and these were very well attended. This could be something for repeating at regular intervals throughout the year. Do you have any suggestions for music or entertainment – for the young and also the more sedate of us? All suggestions

T: 013397 454001

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and help gratefully received! Many communityowned halls nearby face the same funding issues, and we are hoping to work in partnership with some of them, learning from each other and sharing events if possible.

Refurbishment

In June, the Trustees were delighted to be informed that B(RD) had decided to make a substantial donation to the Halls from the surplus which had arisen from the caravan park. We are extremely grateful to B(RD) and to Ballater Community Enterprise for this generous gesture, which will allow much needed roof repairs to be carried out on the Albert Hall, hopefully before the coming winter. Once this work is completed we shall be looking to obtain funding to insulate the roof and walls and to install a more efficient form of heating there.

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Membership

Soon we will be applying for major funding to keep our Halls in good order, and to move to the next stage of refurbishment. It is particularly important that we can demonstrate the support of our community, and how the Halls can continue to improve the quality of life for everyone.

Please consider completing an application to join.

It is free, and I promise we won’t chase you to do anything unless you offer! We will be sending out a seasonal newsletter to all members so you can keep abreast of what is happening. Contact Janet Riddler for more information on 013397 55308.

Finally – PLEASE, PLEASE send a representative of your group to our monthly meetings to find out what is happening! You might even consider holding one annual event on behalf of Halls funds yourself as a reward for getting reduced rates!

HANDY NUMBERS Karen Forsyth – 07921 460368 Bell Macaulay – 013397 55745 Gordon Riddler – 013397 55308

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Aberdeenshire Doors Open Days Deeside

Sat 19 & Sun 20 September 2015 Doors Open Days give you free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland. Every weekend in September you can explore places that are normally closed to the public. Some open up once a year, some just once in a lifetime. Discover the architecture, places and spaces right on your doorstep or explore a new part of the country.

This year’s event focuses on the Deeside area from Crathes to Braemar. Please check details for locations in the Ballater area and elsewhere at www.doorsopendays.org.uk.

There is also a copy of the PDF on www. ballatercommunity.com/events.

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Whence Came Ballater

As you walk along Bridge Street or go into Station Square, do you ever think of how Ballater came into being?

The land that was Tullich and the land that became Ballater had originally belonged to Farquharson of Inverey, but James, the last laird, wanted land on Donside so he exchanged his Deeside property with the Farquharsons of Bruxie, later of Monaltrie. The whole area by the Dee was covered with heather and broom and was a resting place for droves of cattle on their way to southern markets.

Just before 1745, old Elspet Michie, suffering from scrofula or tuberculosis of the lymph nodes, was said to have had a miracle cure as a result of bathing in and drinking water from the Pannanich wells. The laird, Francis Farquharson, the Baron Ban, developed the Spa when he returned from imprisonment in England following his

by Sheila Sedgwick

involvement in the Jacobite cause. Jacobites were interested in Spas – perhaps as gathering places for those of similar political convictions! So began the fashion for the rich to take the waters.

Visitors flocked to the Spa. The original Pannanich Lodge was on the low ground west of the present building. There was no bridge over the Dee and soon, the ferry just could not cope with the great amount of traffic. Visitors taking the waters at Pannanich required more accommodation. Ballater would not have come into being but for Pannanich Wells.

Once the bridge over the Dee was built in 1783 and the “Centrical Church” erected on the bare moor, feus were granted for the land in “Ballater” by Francis of Monaltrie, then by his successor William. The focal point of the new village was the church, with roads going off north, south, east and west. William planned to

hold various markets, chiefly for cattle, in the developing village.

Settlers took up the offer of feus, but there was not really a great demand in the early days, for by 1848 there were only 36 feuars in all, the duty amounting to £40 per annum.

The first organised building plan involved the erection of a few thatched houses along the north side of what is now Golf Road. A few preVictorian cottages still remain in Dee Street and Deebank Road. Most of the houses were fairly basic, with two rooms and a thatched roof.

Development was slow until Queen Victoria came to Balmoral and the Railway arrived in 1866. Then there was a boom. Retired farmers feued land and built houses, chiefly in the centre – in the vicinity of Church Green and Station Square. Ballater had developed very slowly at first, but by 1900 the valuation was almost £6,000. The 1861 census recorded 362 adults over 16 years of age resident in Ballater while in 1901 the figure was 1256.

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By the middle of the Victorian era, the tree-lined Braemar Road was the “exclusive” area. This was the period of “Balmorality”. The former St. Andrew’s Nursing Home, Oakhall and Glenbardie are good examples.

The early regulations allowed for one Established Church and one pub. The first public house in Ballater was kept by George Clark, actually in a room of a private house. When a proper hotel - the Monaltrie Arms, named after the feudal superior, Farquharson of Monaltrie - was erected in the 1830s, and later upgraded in the 1860s, the estate leased the building. The first tenant was a man called Middleton. Over the years, there were numerous extensions and refurbishments.

The Square near the hotel was a busy place and was the centre of the village. Stage coaches stopped there and the whole area was bustling, with stabling etc. where the modern Mangiatoia Restaurant (formerly Hayloft) now stands.

Old Ballater is still recognisable!

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Memories of V. J. Day

When the European War ended in May 1945, I was a member of the A.T.S. and volunteered for overseas service with the expressed intention of improving my German language skills. In its wisdom, the British Army posted me, along with 30 other A.T.S girls, to India. We were billeted in a hospital, one of a number which had been built in readiness for expected casualties from Burma which never materialized. Then in August 1945, the Japanese surrendered.

My earliest memory of that first V.J. Day, is seeing some of the newly released prisoners of war, Gordon Highlanders among them, maybe some who today read this magazine.

They were like skeletons, pale and thin, and suffering from various tropical diseases and sheer exhaustion. I am ashamed to admit that our reaction to them was more horror than sympathy. These were men who had not seen a female person in many years. All they wanted to do was give us a hug – but we were not too amenable to that!

Maybe one of these men had been the late Robbie Anderson who survived one of the Japanese prisoner of war camps and ran a farm at Woodstock for many years. I wonder whether he

by Betty Wilson

entertained his fellow prisoners with his bothy ballads and couthie Doric stories? He was a man who was a good friend to everyone, even his Japanese captors, who he said “—weren’t all bad.” His widow, Kate, and his family all seem to display his characteristic peace and goodwill to everyone.

The above image, originally entitled ‘F&H Forces Return from Thailand to Singapore, 1945’, is one of a series of a series of illustrations made by J.A.S Wright, of Edinburgh, who was imprisoned in Changi Jail during the war. The pictures are now in the possession of Ollie Ross, of Crathie, his grand-daughter.

A Lost Station

by Ian Cameron

Everyone was shocked when we woke up one morning this May to a fire-ravished Ballater Railway Station. As time moves on, we start to reflect on the disaster and then realise that we have been here before!

After Dr Beeching did his simple arithmetic and deemed that the Deeside Railway Line was doomed, there was great outcry and British Rail offered the line to the old Aberdeen County Council. That Council, many of whose members were land owners, refused the offer. From then on it was downhill all the way. The railway lines were lifted for scrap iron, the landowners gained a bonanza of thousands of tons of rock ballast that the sleepers were laid on, the miles of signal cable disappeared over night and the weeds started to grow.

The railway sawmill was forced to close, along with the station, leading to more loss of local employment.

Ballater station’s long decline into dilapida-

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tion was only aggravated when the adjacent motor garage went up in smoke, taking with it Jimmy Reid’s photography studio and his priceless collection of glass negative plates. The garage was rebuilt as the modest building you see today, but the rotting, paint peeling station remained.

Through the 1970s, this was the state of our Station Square and new council houses were built in the station yard. The old Aberdeen County Council disappeared under ‘re-organisation’ to become Kincardine and Deeside Council, a move that saw the end of Ballater Town Council and our Provosts, leaving local affairs to what has continued to be remote control.

This downward spiral of events was reflected in empty shops, or shops acting as furniture and carpet stores. Falling population numbers also meant that we lost our secondary school status to a new primary school hidden in the Monaltrie woods. Ballater had been a railway company town but nobody realised this until the last train had steamed away.

What brought an end to this dismal downward graph was the vision of one man, Ron Alison, a civil engineer with an Aberdeen development company. Ron had seen the rising popularity of time-share in holiday accommodation and his company bought the Craigendarroch Hotel and grounds to create the Craigendarroch time-share complex. This work was started in the 1980s, and by the 1990s over ninety time-share units, ranging from large lodges to studio flats, were built on the hill. The venture was a success and since those early heady days the business has changed hands, first to Canon Street Investments, then to the Rio Stakis empire and finally to the American Hilton International Hotels.

When all the accommodation at Craigendarroch is occupied, there can be one thousand visitors living on the hill. The spin off for Ballater was immediate - restaurants, butchers, garages, golf courses, organised trips for pony trekking and distilleries all boomed.

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to Sunday school has to switch on the lights in daytime as a Stagecoach bus is parked across the windows most of the time!

For ten years, much debate and expensive consultations raged around the future of the old Ballater School that had been redundant to Aberdeenshire’s needs. Much of this talk is conducted by people that never attended the school, nor remembered the cold, wet floor in the cloakroom as we changed for PT in mid January, nor smelt the disinfectant that the nurse rubbed on our arms after inoculations in the cookery room, or indeed felt the stinging pain of J.P.Craig’s strap.

Consultation is all very well, but in the Station’s case, all we want is it restored.

Following so soon after the loss of the Darroch Learg Hotel, the destruction of the Railway Station is a monumental blow. To rebuild it will take time and a lot of money. With a fair wind and the best will in the world I doubt if it can be restored before the 2017 tourist season.

We are back in 1975.

There was a secondary and later benefit. As the original time-share purchasers had been coming to Craigendarroch for more than fifteen years, many retired to the Ballater that they had come to know and love.

Meanwhile the village had thrived, many new houses were built under Craigendarroch and as part of the general improvements, the railway station was totally rebuilt. On the suggestion of Prince Charles, a replica of Queen Victoria’s original railway carriage was painstakingly constructed to form the centre point of a Victorian exhibition on the platform.

Since a high point in the early 2000s, the village has slipped back, then the 2008 bank crashes really brought changes. First we were left with only one bank, and now it only opens three days a week. Unacceptably high rates have curtailed development on the high street but now we are graced with a supermarket in the bus garage that was granted planning permission despite having no car park, which causes unbelievable traffic chaos. The Church vestry where we went

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                       

Keeping Council 57 with Geva Blackett Following the new leadership taking over the Administration at Aberdeenshire Council, I was quick to invite the co-leaders, Cllr Richard Thomson and Cllr Martin Kitts-Hayes to the Ward to have a look round and get a feel for what I believe to be the unique part of Aberdeenshire.

Housing, I am assured, will be one of our priorities and during the day we discussed various different ideas which will contribute to new policy.

O u r day together started off with local architect Ben Addy at Gairnshiel Bridge, which has once again been bashed (see photo).

After three years in opposition, it is refreshing to at last be able to have some influence and a report is being brought forward to look at the concept of slightly changing the road layout to allow a new (unobtrusive) bridge to carry the ever increasing traffic while the beautiful Grade A listed bridge can be properly protected.

With this, the most direct route between Highland/Speyside and Upper Deeside being considered for National Scenic Route status, and thus attracting even higher volumes of traffic, something needs to be done to protect this iconic structure. After all you wouldn’t allow a Chippendale Chair to be constantly sat on and broken by the public, - a functional piece of furniture would be provided for that purpose.

Every time major works are carried out, the bridge is closed, causing havoc to visitors and locals alike, to say nothing of the impact on businesses from the 40 mile detour. A new bridge won’t appear overnight – it could take ten years, - but I am hopeful we are moving in the right direction and the public will of course be consulted before decisions are made.

We also met with members of Ballater Royal Deeside to discuss the Caravan site and of course paid a visit to the Old Station so the impact of the fire could be seen first-hand.

I would like to use a little of my allocated space to pay tribute to Amy Muir who, having been seriously impacted by the fire, picked herself up, is back in business AND set up the Ballater Farmers Market – which was such a success that they are to become regular events.

Not only do residents (and visitors) get to sample different foods, small businesses have an outlet which allows them to flourish – a win-win situation brought about by Amy’s vision and determination! (I can’t wait!)

A number of residents have approached me about the lack of privacy afforded by the new Post Office lay out in the Co-op. I am disappointed that the initial concerns I raised with the Co-op have not been acted upon as I was assured in the very early days that the till

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WOULD be moved. I completely understand people’s nervousness and will again be speaking to the manager and if necessary to the Post Office too!

Games day is a great opportunity to catch up with many of you – but if you need to speak to me, I am always available and as ever I promise to do my best for you.

...and Katrina A Farquhar Since the last issue of the Eagle I have received various queries about the role of Aberdeenshire Councillors in our area. From May 2007 our local areas are known as multi member wards. We live in Ward 15 – Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside. You have three elected councillors each representing the whole ward. Your councillors are Argyle, Blackett and Farquhar. Any queries you have you can choose which councillor you contact or contact all of them! The contact details are always in the first few pages of the Eagle.

A community group on Deeside dedicated to recycling and reuse is offering a new, free service collecting unwanted technology from

homes and businesses in the area. Recycle (Deeside Services) has been working in the local community for ten years, collecting, sorting and recycling plastic bottles. More recently it has opened a small shop called Kraftwork in Aboyne, where refurbished furniture and repurposed and recycled wooden pallets are sold. They also sell kindling, decorate horseshoes for weddings and other special occasions and produce handmade soaps. It is a project run by Aberdeenshire Council’s social work department for people who may require training and support to access employment.

Funding was recently secured to run the collection service for unwanted IT equipment for a

trial period. Currently items that are complete, in working order and in reasonably good condition, having been purchased within the last few years, can be accepted. These include: PCs, laptops, flat screen TVs and monitors, smartphones, tablets and printer ink cartridges. For more information, or to arrange a collection, call (01339) 887114 or email:recycledeeside@ aberdeenshire.gov.uk For details of the technology accepted and how devices are securely wiped of any existing data, as well as how they are used, please see the Recycle Aberdeenshire website.

Aberdeenshire Care and Repair provide a service to owner-occupiers and tenants of private landlords who live within Aberdeenshire.

They offer advice and assistance with repairs, improvements and adaptations to homes where the occupier is over 60 and/or has a disability.

Aberdeenshire Care and Repair is available on 01467 628186 or 01467 628187 The council is working in partnership with the University of Aberdeen to offer a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education starting in August this year, with a guaranteed year-long

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induction post in August 2016.

If you have a degree in English, mathematics, physics, home economics or geography, then you could be eligible to enroll on the teacher training course. The diploma is flexible and offers a mixture of on-campus and distance learning.

For 18 weeks, students will need to commit two days a week to study on-campus, with the remainder of studies completed in their own time. In addition, students will have 18 weeks of school experience, spread throughout the year in four school-based placements.

Maria Walker, Director of Education and Children’s Services, said: “If you have ever thought about going in to teaching, but perhaps lacked the support or relevant information, I would strongly urge you to get in touch. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in working as a secondary school teacher, and not one to be missed.” Prospective students can book a personal one-to-one discussion ‘Get into Teaching’ - please email margaret.khan@ aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Food & Fiddle Fortnight

Food and Music lovers are in for a treat this Autumn as Food and Fiddle Fortnight returns for a third year. The event helps to showcase some of the areas fine food and wonderful music scene all set within the magnificent scenery of Royal Deeside.

From Friday 2nd to Sunday 18th October various venues are hosting a wide range of events. Fancy taking afternoon tea in a castle, a Landrover Safari BBQ, or perhaps join a traditional music session, or even experience a day on a working farm learning about breeds to butcher cuts. These are just a few of the things on offer.

Head over to www.visitroyaldeeside.com for the most up to-date information, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

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Ballater Highland Games

We wondered how we could match the great Games Day we had last year with our first Royal visit, particularly bearing in mind the mixed weather we had been having throughout this socalled summer. However, the day before proved promising, and then Games Day dawned, quite simply the most glorious summer day this year!

Everything was ready, and spectators simply flowed through the gates early on to give us a great start, and kept flowing in! A record crowd of undoubtedly 5000 plus, enjoyed six Pipe Bands, including that of the Royal Guard, and great competitions with various records broken.

The crowd stayed to the end to enjoy Ballater’s unique Tilt the Bucket competition. The competitors probably enjoyed it even more, with a soaking being appreciated in the high temperatures.

Many then made their way to the Church Green to attend the Beating Retreat by the

by Ron Drever

10 Golf Road, Ballater AB35 5RE

Ballater and District Pipe Band with some special performances.

The trophy winners and the records broken will soon be on our website, www.ballaterhighlandgames.com, as will be photos from the Games, so have a look to remind you of a glorious day in glorious Ballater – it doesn’t get much better! But it could, so put the date in your calendar now, Thursday 11th August 2016. If you didn’t make it this year, have a look at the website anyway, to see what you missed! You can of course also keep up to date with Games matters on Facebook.

Our thanks go to all our volunteers who helped make the day go so well (I doubt if many, or indeed any, of the spectators were aware of one mishap which nearly caused a real problem – it shall remain a committee secret!).

Our thanks also to our own sponsors of various competitions:- Hilton Grand Vacations; Laurie & Company; Cyclehighlands; The Silver Thistle; Braemar Mountain Sports; The Glenmuick Estate; George Strachan Ltd; Axis Well Technology; McEwens of Perth Ltd; Deeside Deli & Garden Shop; and H.M.Sheridan Ltd. Anyone interested in becoming a Sponsor of Ballater Highland Games, or indeed, a Patron of the Games, can contact us by email at: info@ ballaterhighlandgames.com

013397 55666

Forbes Duguid

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The King’s Bunnet

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by Karen Garioch

The following story was told to me one Sunday by a local person whom wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution!

On Sundays, there was a Sunday School in Church. It started at 10.30 and finished at 11am, after which we had to attend the ‘grown up’ service. Before the Sunday School, the fifteen boys and twenty five girls played ferociously, climbing the trees, wrestling and other active games.

The Kirk Beadle, ‘Postie Paulin’, would arrive before the Minister, Mr Lamb, start the generator and check the boiler. Mr Lamb would arrive by car and entered through the back door.

At 10.30am the main door was opened and the girls went in first. As the boys entered the main door, ‘Postie Paulin’s’ bonnet was seen lying on the pew just inside the door, on the Beadle’s seat. Immediately, it was seized and the boys all proceeded to take turns trying it on. Wearing ‘Postie Paulin’s’ bunnet became the demand of all the naughty ones, but as we headed up the aisle, it was proposed we put the bunnet on the bust of King George V. Three or four of us scrambled up to the statue and within seconds the King was looking like ‘Postie Paulin’.

Sunday School occupied the Abergeldie and Invercauld pews, the girls on the Abergeldie side and the boys on Invercauld side, thus keeping them separate. We thought Mr Lamb would see the addition to the King as he came in from the vestry, but his thoughts were in heaven and he missed it. The service that Sunday was the best I can remember. We all felt as if the King was keeping an eye on us. Poor Mr Lamb could not understand why everyone was smiling and laughing, our excitement rippling through the kirk.

Unfortunately, at the end of the service, one of the quines let the cat out of the bag and pointed to the King. Mr Lamb turned, saw

the bunnet on the King’s head and was first overcome with shock and then exploded with fury. Why, I do not know, but he summoned me out in front of everyone and accused me of carrying out the despicable act. I immediately offered to remove the offending article but my kind offer was declined.

Postie Paulin was summoned to bring a ladder. A prayer of the forgiveness of sins was made before Postie climbed the ladder, removed the bunnet and placed it back in it’s rightful place, on his own head. Another prayer was said for King George V and I was then released with the promise that a suitable punishment would follow.

I will never forget the ‘King’s Bunnet’!

50 shades of Autumn

…which will you choose for your new look?

We have new frames arriving all the time in every shade of Autumn – please call in and see for yourself! dp opticians care how you look!

45 BRIDGE STREET, BALLATER 013397 56222

Advertisers’ Index Alexandra Hotel

41 Allan Milne Joiner 44 Alpine Tree Care 12 Atholl Countrywear 18 B.W. Book Keeping 53 Ballater Farmers’ Market 36 Bill Yule 11 Brakeley Gift Room 56 Brian Smith Funeral Services Ltd 23 Carnelian 48 Celicall Crafts 42 Classic Abode Garden Services 15 C.S.M. Aerials 48 C.S.M. Handyman 25 Cordiners 16 D P Opticians 61 D’Tangled 29 Davidsons Chemists 14 Deeside Inn 63 Deeside Tree Care 10 Drummond Enterprises 49 Edward J Emslie 58 Flame Boiler Services 13 Forbes Duguid 60 Fraser & Mulligan 44 Glenalmond Beauty Box 28 Glen Lui Hotel 52

H M Sheridan Ltd H.P.S. India On The Green Keiller Brasserie La Mangiatoia Laurie & Company Marie Chapman McEwen’s of Perth McKay & Innes Morven Veterinary Centre Phoenix Chip Shop Riverside Cottage Cafe Rowan Antiques Roy Mitchell Shanghai Takeaway Slimming World Speedwell Framing Spencer’s of Crathie Stephen Clark (SRC) Techbox The Hair Loft The McEwan Gallery The Oven Valet The Silver Thistle Vans2U Wee Jim Firewood/Landscapes Wild Thistle Gifts

35 22 21 51 39 47 55 2 43 39 26 20 24 8 60 38 53 19 30 34 25 37 27 50 50 17 45

Front cover central photo - Braemar to Aberdeen by Stage Coach On August 21, the Royal Highlander horse-drawn Coach departed from Braemar on a 60 mile staged journey over two days to Aberdeen, following the path taken by the Mail Coaches of the 1800s along the A93. Organised by Maryculter Carriage Driving Centre, proceeds went to RSABI.

Autumn Dining OUR FAMOUS

W IF E" "S KI PP ERFIS& H NIG HT FRI DAY

TRADITIONAL FISH SUPPER

AFTERNOON £9.50 TEA PER PERSON

HADDOCK

I N B E E R B AT T E R

CHIPS MINTED

M U S H Y PE A S HOMEMADE

every friday from

TA RTA R S AU C E .95 .95

£712 years £12 and under

5.30pm per person

BIG STEAK NIGHT

Served daily from 2.30pm to 4.30pm A selection of finger-sized sandwiches, freshly baked scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream and an assortment of afternoon tea pastries and cakes with your choice of loose leaf tea.

Please let us know you’re coming…

Book just a day prior and we’ll ensure everything is available and freshly baked!

EVERY WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY from 6.30pm Includes half a bottle of specially selected wine per person

from

£15.95

TO KEEP UP WITH WHAT’S ON AT THE DEESIDE INN “LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK

One is p a an aftern rtial to oon tea

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