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Ballater & crathie
Community
magazine
no.64 xmas/hogmanay 2011/12
£1 where sold
56
The Ballater & Crathie Eagle is made possible by:
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Clean sweep of
appreciationsee page 36
Postie Pic by John Holley
Special visitor at
Crathie Schoolsee page 21
Private Preview see page 9
Alfresco book club meetsee page 20
The Eagle Team
wish you all a
Fabulous
Festive Season!
STUART ESSONPLUMBING &HEATINGENGINEER
TEL: 013397 56378MOBILE: 07786 543100
LOCAL EXPERIENCED AWARD WINNING KNOWLEDGEABLE INDUSTRIOUS EFFICIENT
54 3
Diary
The dates you need: 4-5
The Crathie Pages
Group news and School: 20 & 21
The Weddin
By Mary Munro: 53
Ballater School
They have been busy: 28 & 29
Eagle & Robin
Cartoon and more about Luke: 30
Pottering About
Weather, Willow and wandering: 48
Local History
Christmas greenery: 38
V&A Minutes
From the 20s:44
Ozymandias of the Arrigation
A new serialised story from wee Chis: 40
Local Groups:
Ballater Royal Horticultural Society: 8
BRHS Floral Art Group: 9
Ballater (Royal Deeside) Ltd: 15
BOVOF: 10
CLAN: 12
Community Council: 13
RD&C DMO: 17
Rotary: 33
SWRI: 14
Upper Deeside Art Society: 9
Upper Deeside Music: 24
V & A Halls: 23
Victoria Week: 19
Contact us:
All the ways YOU can contribute: 7
Donations:
Donations are gratefully received, and
acknowledged. You can also put
money into our tins at various
local establishments.
Advertising:
Full page: £60; Half page: £30;
Quarter page: £20; Eighth page: £10
Please contact Faye Swan atinfo@swandesign.uk.com or Tel.55345
Abody within a radius o’ ten
yairds started tae sniff roon
aboot, for it wis a smell like rot-
ten eggs that wid hae sunk a bat-
tleship! Jean just sat there, calm an
innocent as ye like, newsin awa aboot
naethin’ ava tae the meenister lad, fa hid
his hunkie tae his face – his verra e’en were
waterin!
Worse wis tae come! Willie hid gorged
himself on steak an ingins as weel, syne hid
a gweed feow drams wi his cronies. Fit wi
the maet, the whisky an the nerves in his
stamack at the thocht o’ speechifyin, fan he
got tae his feet his belly just did a flip o’er,
an afore he could say a wird, he spewed a
o’er the table afore him. There wis a deathly
hush for a twa, three seconds, syne there
wis a muckle stampede o’ fowk tae the doors,
ane or twa cowkin in tae their hauns.
“Fit an affront!” thocht Jean as she socht
tae cover up the table wi napkins an console
peer Flossie fa wis roarin an greetin. Fit a
thing tae happen, for Jean kent she’d niver
live it doon – Bella doon the road, wid craw
like a cock aboot this for wiks.
Come time, the tablecloth wis whippit
aff an air fresheners sprayed aroon. Willie
got some waater an Flossie dichted her reed
e’en an snottery nib. Fowk cam driftin back,
tryin tae forget the disaster at the table.
There wis aye the dancin an drinkin tae
come, an efter the gweed present they’d
gien, they winted their money’s worth.
“Weel, I winna forget my weddin day in
a hurry!” thocht Flossie as she heitered roon
the fleer wi her new man. As for Jean, she
wis in her element, as she oxtered the wee
sharger o’ a meenister roon the dance fleer.
She wis “The Mither o’ the Bride” an she
wis gaen tae mak the maist o’ it fitever hap-
pened!
Warm Winter Welcometo your festive Eagle
As the long cold dark nights are upon us, brighten up your life with what’s on,
what the local groups are doing, some fabulous fresh new writing, a wee surprise for one
nonegenerian and even a poem and a cartoon! Put your feet up and enjoy!
...Sumptuous Service
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4 53Eagle Eyes...
Jock and Jean were fair trickit fan Flossie,
their ae yowe lammie, cam in aboot ae day
wi the news that she wis tae be merried in
June. It didna maitter a docken that her chiel,
Willie, an her hid been bidin thegither for
near twa year – they were tae dee the dacent
thing noo, an sae Jean wis fair determined
that it wid be a fite weddin, wi a the fal-
derals – it wid be a “reed-letter” day in their
gey hum drum life. Wi a gweed deal o narkin
fae Jean, they sat doon tae mak a list o’ a the
things tae be deen.
“We’ll hae tae invite a the Aunties, even
Aggie, worse luck. She’s a richt affront that
ane, bit she’s faimily. She michtna come –
we can bit hope!” Jean wis real wun-up aboot
the hale thing, an Jock’s heid wis bizzin like
a bees’ byke or lang. It wis like that for wiks
– the kirk, the flooers, the cake, the cars.
Syne Jean rakit Aiberdeen lookin for a frock.
She wis a fair size o’ a deem – wi a gweed
grip o’ Scotland wi creashy lurks an faulds
roon her kite, an sae Jock goggled in horror
fan she paraded afore him ae nicht in a yalla
bell-tent o’ a frock wi navy blue flooers clarted
a o’er it. Jock said, “Aye, aye, that’ll dee
fine!”, for he wis a typical North-easter, a
man o’ feow wirds, an onythin for a quaet
life wis his motto.
Time flew by, an seen presents started
tae come in aboot. “Fit the hell div I need
fower kettles for?” Flossie girned tae her
mither, bit Jean soothed her doon. “They’ll
aye keep – ye’ll hae a kettle a yer days”.
The groom wis a postie an his pals catched
him ae nicht an gied him a richt blackenin,
syne ringin a haun-bell, they trailed him in a
hurlie roon the village – a richt target he wis,
clarted wi diesel ile an feathers. A “feet
washin” wis supposed tae bring gweed luck,
The Weddinby Mary Munro
bit Willie hid a plooky kine o’ skin,
an sae wi a the scrubbin an sweelin, his
physog broke oot in a sotter o’ prood flesh
an skelfs for days aifterhin. The nicht afore
the weddin, Jean hid them for their tea, an
they hid a great feed o’ steak, chips an fried
ingins. Jean wis tae live tae regret thae ingins!
The day o’ the weddin wis fine, an it a
went fine if ye ignored the fact that Aggie
hoasted an spluttered a the time in the kirk,
near droonin oot the meenister. Syne at the
“sit-doon”, thon ingins fae the nicht afore
started tae come back tae Jean – fae baith
ends! Sittin there like a flooery Queen of
Sheba, she wis haein tae let aff thon saft,
pluffery farts fae time tae time. The stink
wis something terrible. They were wirin awa
at the puddin fan Jean hid tae let aff a bosker.
DecemberSat 3 Christmas Fair, Ballater School, 11am-2pm
Bring a Party to a Party, Ballater Golf Club, £25pp
Sun 4 Christingle Service, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Upper Deeside Music, Darroch Learg Hotel, 4.30pm
Mon 5 Christmas Special Coffee, Crathie Kirk, 10am-12.30pm
BRHS: Eric Baird: “The Landscape of Glen Tanar”,
Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Tue 6, 13 & 20 Advent Holy Communion, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Wed 7 Ballater Business Association Meeting, 7.30pm, Glen Lui Hotel
Sat 10 Christmas Fair, Victoria Hall, 10.30-4pm
please contact Bell, on 55745 for a table
Sun 11 High-Level Winter Walk with Balmoral Rangers,
meet Glen Muick Visitor Centre, 9.30am
Ballater Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Mon 12 B & C Community Council Meeting, 7pm Mike Sheridan Room
Sun 18 Glenmuick Christingle service 11am
St Kentigerns “9 lessons & carols” 4pm
Tue 20 Last posting date for Christmas (first class)
Fri 23 Ballater School term ends
School service, Glenmuick, 11am
Sat 24 Ballater Post Office closes 12.30pm
Santa and his Reindeer, Kirk Green, 11.30am –12.30pm
Glenmuick: carols 11.15, watchnight 11.30pm
Midnight Communion Service, St Kentigern’s, 11.30pm
Christmas Mass, St Nathalan’s, 8pm
Sun 25 Holy Communion Service, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Family service Glenmuick, 10.30am - bring favourite toy!
Mon 26 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Surgery closed
Tue 27 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Library closed
Ballater Surgery open 9am-12 for emergencies only
Boules for the Golden Boules Trophy, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Sat 31 Hogmanay Party, Ballater Golf Club, £20pp
JanuarySun 1 Lunch and Karaoke, Ballater Golf Club, £12pp
Mon 2 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Surgery closed
Boules for the New Year Quaich, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Aboyne
Van Hire
Mobile
07808 568434
Moira Melrose
Kiltmaker
since 1992
Quality Hand Sewn Kilts
013398 80074
Email: kiltmaker@hotmail.co.uk
552 ...so you know What's Going On
Are Your Dates Here?
For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle,
please contact Cat Houston on 55243,
mob: 07968 941359 (texts welcome)
email: catrionahouston@yahoo.co.uk
Ballater Surgery: All emergencies outwith the normal times
please tel: 013397 55686 OR NHS 24: 08454 242424
and able to supply their own
stone independent of the local
laird and his quarry. The gran-
ite at Cambus o’May was also
much finer grained than the red stone
of the Pass and much easier to cut and dress.
The shift to the Cambus quarries did not
please the Farquharson lairds at Invercauld
House who had gained the Monaltrie es-
tate on William’s death.
After the railway reached Ballater in
1866, the Invercauld Estate was swamped
with requests to buy building land in Ballater.
The estate was quite happy to oblige, but
with conditions attached, one demanding that
the proposed house be built of granite won
and paid for from the old quarries on
Invercauld ground round the Pass of Ballater.
That monopoly on building stone meant
that the rough red Pass of Ballater granite
got a new lease of life, and explains how the
vast majority of the houses continued to be
built of that granite long after the Cambus
quarries came into operation. We have to wait
until the Edwardian days, with their final
boom of building, for the Cambus quarries
really to come into their own, quite briefly
as it happened, before the hard, white
Kemnay granite came steaming up the val-
ley on railway trucks to face the great villas
we see today on Braemar and Queen’s
Roads.
As we continue up the track from the
Pass road we find mature firs blocking the
path of what had been the horse-and-cart
track up to the quarries. Almost two hun-
dred years have passed and nature has been
reclaiming her hill for a long time. The track
is built as steep as a horse could climb, but
of one thing we can be sure, the return trip
with a loaded cart of granite would have re-
quired a second horse chained behind to hold
the load back till level ground was reached.
Once we reach the quarry level, there
are still traces of the rough shelter where the
masons lunched and doubtless sheltered from
the worst of the weather. The granite here
is very coarse with large crystals; indicating
that it had cooled very slowly, allowing the
constituent minerals, the micas, the feldspar
and indeed the quartz crystals, to form indi-
vidually.
Under such conditions, and in this local-
ity, are found the Cairngorms crystals.
Tue 3 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Library closed
Ballater Surgery open 9am-12 for emergencies only
Mon 9 Ballater School term starts
Tue 10 CLAN Walking Group, check with the CLAN Centre
Sun 15 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Wed 18 SWRI: Scottish Night, Entertainment & Sales Table, Albert Hall, 7.30pm
Mon 23 Church Guild Afternoon Tea, Glen Muick Church Hall, 2.30pm
Wed 25 Second Chancers, CLAN Support Group, Ballater Golf Club, 4pm
Sun 29 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
February
Mon 6 BRHS: Chris Wardle: “How Crathes Works, An insight behind
the scenes”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Sun 12 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Tue 14 CLAN Walking Group, check with the CLAN Centre
Wed 15 SWRI: Fire Service by Barry Florence, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Sun 26 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Upper Deeside Music, Darroch Learg Hotel, 4.30pm
Mon 27 Church Guild: Speaker Rev Ian Strachan, Glenmuick Church Hall, 2.30pm
Wed 29 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers, Ballater Golf Club, 4pm
MarchFri 2 World Day of Prayer, Glenmuick Church, 6.30pm
Mon 5 BRHS: Andy Beckingham: “Gardens in Glen Tanar, past, present
and future”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Wed 21 SWRI: Horseback UK by Jock Hutchison,
Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
La
Mangiatoia
Ristorante &
Pizzeria
Closed from Sunday 20 November for annual
holidays. Re-open Tuesday 27
December
Bridge Square
Ballater
Tel. 013397-55999
6 51Letter from our Editor
Dear Readers,As our front cover indicates, winter
is with us once more, but the Royal Mail still gets
through despite atrocious weather. The same is true of
the team of people who deliver the Eagle to your letter
box, and we must be grateful that they, posties,
community carers, our wonderful health centre staff,
council road workers and people working in local shops are
prepared to battle through whatever weather faces them, to get the job done.
On behalf of the Eagle Team, I must express our grateful thanks to the
Victoria Week committee for a very generous donation to Eagle funds from the
surplus made from this year’s event. As a result, things look somewhat healthier
for the Eagle on the financial front. It is this sort of co-operation which makes
Ballater a community, as opposed to just a gathering of dwellings.
Readers will no doubt notice the return of the cartoon “Eagle and Robin” in
this issue. A short series appeared initially some time ago, and Luke Strachan
has put together some others for us. We are extremely grateful to Luke, a Crathie
lad working in London, for giving his time and talent to enliven our community
magazine with his humorous cartoon. On the subject of local talent, we are also
happy to highlight the work of young Eilidh Gow in this issue, with her pencil
portrait of Betty Wilson. Other examples of her work may be seen in Gow’s
Deli. Perhaps more young people in the village with other talents, such as writ-
ing short stories or poetry might contact the Eagle, and help make our magazine
something to appeal across the generations. After all, we highlight items from
the primary schools, but nothing comes to us from secondary pupils. Let’s see
what you can do.
Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who supports the Eagle. On behalf of
the Eagle Team, I wish all our readers, advertisers and contributors of articles a
happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.
Ian Hay
By Popular Demand!Ballater Library opening Hours:
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30pm-8pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 2-4pm, 6.30pm-8pm
Friday: 2-5pm
Saturday: 10am-12noon
As youngsters, we often climbed about
in the Pass of Ballater. Usually we were try-
ing to reach the nests of the ravens, which
still lived there in the 1940s. When the
ravens defeated us, we would start looking
for strange rocks. There was, and still is, a
vertical mineral vein that runs up over the
top of the cliff giving up many different crys-
tals, lithium ores, green microcline, fluorite
and beryl.
On a compass setting, the vein travels
north to a hidden valley that had been an
early run-off channel for the impounded gla-
cial ice-melt waters trying to escape down-
valley, at a time before the Pass of Ballater
had been eroded out. The erosion there is
still active today, as was shown one day in
the spring of 2004 when a huge mass of
rock fell off the cliffs, the resultant shock
waves being recorded by the British Geo-
logical Survey’s instruments in Edinburgh.
The easiest way to reach this hidden
valley from the Pass is by starting at the gate
on the bridge at the Fog House. This was
Francis Farquharson’s work after he returned
from exile in England following his exploits
in the 1745 rising. The Fog House was a
folly built into the bank of the Loin burn
that flows through the Pass. It would have
been constructed at the same time as the
bridge that gave access to the granite quar-
ries on the hill above. Its name stems from
the roofing of heather and moss (fog).
Farquharson’s Monaltrie House was built
in 1782 from the red granite that he quar-
ried here. The early 1780s would have been
a busy time in the Pass of Ballater quarries,
as apart from Monaltrie House stone, the
first Ballater Bridge that opened to traffic in
Pass of Ballater Silver Mine
Part 1 by Ian Cameron
1783 was being built from granite won here.
You can still follow the track, traversing
the hill that accessed the various levels where
Francis Farquharson quarried the building
stone from large boulders on the steep scree
slope. Not only did Francis Farquarson use
those quarries for the stones of Monaltrie
House and Ballater’s first bridge, but his
successor, William Farquharson, built the
original Monaltrie Arms Hotel, the farm
buildings that went with the hotel, and most
of the early houses of Bridge Square of this
same rough red granite.
The shift to the Cambus o’May quar-
ries came later, with the local masons leasing
quarries there from the Marquis of Huntly,
so becoming contractors in their own right
Ballater
Post Office
Hours of Opening:
Mon: 9am - 5.30pm
Tues: 9am - 5.30pm
Weds: 9am - 5.30pm
Thurs: 9am - 12.30pm
Fri: 9am - 5.30pm
Sat: 9am - 12.30pm
Please note we are OPEN over lunchtime
Foreign Currency
We now stock Euros
& US Dollars
for immediate purchase.
Tel: 013397 55505
www.ballaterpo.net
Support your local Post Office,
you know it makes sense!
Seasons Greetings
from all of us at your Post Office
C.S.M. Aerial Satellite
Deeside and Donside sky
approved installers
Strathgirnoc Farmhouse
South Deeside Road
Ballater
Tel: 013397 56227
Mobile: 07506951506
Email:
C-S-M_Aerials@hotmail.co.uk
J.Lanigan
Engineer
750
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Simply provide the name and address to whom
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Eagle Who's Who & Where
If you would like a large print version of the Eagle,please contact Ballater Library, 55628
Editor: Ian Hay � 55941
Treasurer: Dr. Sheila Sedgwick � 55292
Secretary: Betty Wilson � 55791
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Distribution: Andy and Julie Bloor
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Design Team: Stella Potter, Ollie Ross, Cat Houston, Karen Major
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How to
contact our
Representatives:
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT:Dennis Robertson MSP
email:
dennis.robertson.msp@scottish parliament .uk
WESTMINSTER:Sir Robert Smith MP
� 01330 820330, Fax: 01330 820338,
e-mail: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk
ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL:Peter Argyle: � 013398 82973
email: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Rosemary Bruce � 013398 89318
email: cllr.r.bruce@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Marcus Humphrey : � 013398 85332
email: cllr.m.humphrey@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK:
Katrina Farquar � 013398 81006
email: info@katrinafarquar.co.uk
subway downtown to join the
Occupy Wall Street protesters.
Bit of a no-brainer really. Espe-
cially after talking to the family
who all agreed Zell would have been
proud of me to do so. To say nothing of my
eldest, who wouldn’t have forgiven me if I’d
not taken some camaraderie from Scotland.
So I went to Liberty Square, met some re-
ally interesting folk, listened to some of their
stories, had some excellent conversations and
was delighted to show my solidarity. It was a
life affirming experience doing what I felt
was right.
That feeling will help keep me warm this
winter. Whatever you do over the cold
months, I wish you all as much joy and en-
gagement in life…
“Don’t cry because it’s over.Smile because it happened”
Dr Seuss
Chanaich Lodge
Provost Craig Road
Ballater
Aberdeenshire
AB35 5NN
Tel. 01339 756336
Fax. 01339 755893
Mobiles: 07710 469563
07850 653160
Managing Director
Peter Henderson
Email: peter.hps@btconnect.com
H.P.S. (Aberdeen) Ltd
Integrated Building / Landscaping
Services and Supplies
498 Local Group News
Ballater Royal
Horticultural Society
by Jim Clark
By the time you read this, our new ses-
sion will be well underway with our AGM
having taken place on Monday 7 Novem-
ber, followed by a talk entitled Highland
Charm, by Eric Jensen, a most entertaining
speaker.
The Society has a number of committee
vacancies, which at the time of writing, hope-
fully will be filled at the AGM. Please sup-
port the Society by renewing your member-
ship. All new members will be made most
welcome. Refreshments are always avail-
able at the end of the meetings where one
has the opportunity to discuss any points with
the guest speaker, meet new people and catch
up with friends.
We have an exciting programme planned
with a meeting on 5 December with a talk
by Eric Baird on the Landscape of Glen
Tanar. Chris Wardle from Crathes will speak
at our February meeting about How Crathes
Works – An Insight Behind the Scenes.
Please look out for future events in the Ea-
gle diary and on the various posters located
throughout the village.
Congratulations to all the prize winners
at our annual Exhibition and Flower Show
held in August and in particular to Hazel
Bruce, winner of our best garden competi-
tion.
We look forward to seeing you at our
meetings.
was correct. All the time I was away, I never
wore the one cardi I took. My sandals, how-
ever, were all the footwear worn, with the
travelling addition of very uncool fluffy
socks. Comfort comes before any semblance
of fashion sense for me, as those who know
me could doubtless testify…
Bit of an aside. The biggest thing that
bugs me most about winter here is that I
can’t contemplate going out of the door
without a whole new layer of clothing -
boots, hat, gloves, coat, scarf, sometimes
snow shovel or ice grips on my boots too. In
the summer if I don’t mind being occasion-
ally damp, and remember never to wear
crocs when it’s wet –I’ve had the bruises to
prove that– I can just walk out of the door.
Back to New York. What a wonderful
weekend it was, despite the many hours
travelling. It was tremendous to meet up
with so many of the family again. Zell’s
eldest daughter and a delight-
ful couple who were gay retired
Episcopalian ministers led the
ceremony. I was so happy to be
able to speak on behalf of my daughters and
me. It was an uplifting, fitting and joyous
ceremony.
We finished by singing ‘The Battle
Hymn of the Republic’ which initially
seemed a very odd choice until we were told
that the lyrics were written by Zell’s great-
grandmother and singing it at the end of every
family funeral is a tradition she wished to
carry on. I was delighted to do so. Normally
I wouldn’t have sung such a song but I made
an exception, giving it laldy in memory of a
wonderful woman.
Returning south to New York city I had
a choice as to how to spend my three hours
before going to the airport- contribute to the
acquisition culture by shopping, or take the
Marie Chapman
Soft Furnishings, Tarland
Hand and machine work
available for curtains,
pelmets, tie backs, cushions
and Roman blinds.
Also curtain alterations and
home visits available.
Free estimates with a large
collection of fabric samples.
Complete job catered for from
measuring to fitting.
Tel. 077860 66940
marieandduncan@aol.com
Crannach Coffee
Shop & Bakery
at Cambus O’May
Open Thursday - Tuesday11am - 5pm
Bread Making Courseson Wednesdays
Gift Vouchers Available
Tel: 013397 55126 for details
948 Pottering About . . .by Stella Potter
Upper Deeside
Art Society
by Moira Mckenzie
HRH The Duchess of Rothesay at-
tended a private preview of the annual art
exhibition organised by the Upper Deeside
Art Society (UDAS) in Ballater, during
August. see pic on back page....
Held in the Victoria Hall, the 19th an-
nual UDAS exhibition featured 299 works,
demonstrating the broad array of talent of
UDAS members. The Duchess, an Hon-
orary Lifetime Member of the Society, was
able to meet the 58 artists whose works were
on display and discussed their creative inspi-
ration.
The sublime landscapes of the Dee Val-
ley continue to inspire local artists, along with
botanical, animal and human subjects. The
mediums on display varied from watercolours
and oils to delicate sculptures in willow
branch, and finely turned bowls in yew and
elm wood.
UDAS was established in 1992 and now
boasts nearly 100 members. It is open to all
amateur artists living in the Upper Deeside
area and is a living demonstration that art
need not be a solitary pastime. Members
attend regular workshops, demonstrations of
creative techniques and talks by professional
artists. In the summer months, UDAS or-
ganises painting days at local landmarks, such
as Crathes Castle and Finzean House.
Floral Art Group
by Mildred Coull
The Floral Art Group had many success-
ful entries in the BRHS Annual Exhibition
which was held in the Victoria Hall on 21 and
22 August and were well represented, par-
ticularly in the novice category, with six ladies
testing their skills for the first time.
It was a most successful show with beau-
tiful flowers and vegetables and
the increased number of entries
in the children’s section was en-
couraging for the organisers.
Three ladies from the Floral Art Group,
Kathleen McCulloch, Jenny Houston and
Maria Franklin, were successful in the Vic-
toria Week Scarecrow competition winning a
first prize for their entry which they had
made, decorated and exhibited in the Sta-
tion Square Information Centre forecourt.
Congratulations to these talented and artis-
tic ladies.
BRHS Floral Art Group met on 15 Sep-
tember. Our chairwoman, Kathleen
McCulloch was absent as she and her hus-
band were celebrating their Golden Wed-
ding. We sent them our good wishes and
congratulations.
In the absence of Kathleen our meeting
went ahead with Rena Cross from Aber-
Ho hum, I note winter is back. I had to
rush out to bring in the washing because it
was snowing in early October. My heart sank.
Will the many harbingers of doom speculat-
ing on the severity of this winter be proved
right? Will we Home Carers yet again spend
weeks trudging through deep snow at even
sillier o’clock in the morning so we can reach
everyone? Will I wear through 2 pairs of
snowboots again this winter? Have I stacked
enough wood to keep the stove going? And,
of course, the killer question: just why is it
that I live here when I detest the white stuff
so much? I’ll perhaps try and answer some
of these in a later issue…
Just as the weather suddenly cooled,
Willow, our half wildcat, returned from his
summer jaunt to wherever it is he goes. He
seems pretty healthy and has wasted no time
whatsoever in getting the household running
after him again. Sleeping in his usual place
- the warmest room of the house - when he
wakes he starts meowing on the assump-
tion, I presume, that he needs to alert the
house that he’s awake and putting his serv-
ants on standby. As he saunters downstairs
the meowing gets louder, not ceasing until
he’s been thoroughly stroked and had
enough due attention paid with interest. We
know who rules the roost round here, and it
sure isn’t me!!
In September, after a long and well-lived
life, my brother’s mother-in-law, Zell, had
a peaceful, dignified and loving death. My
daughters and I liked her very much, having
spent some glorious weeks over the years at
her house in Thousand Islands. (yes, where
the salad dressing comes from, and they’re
islands in the St Lawrence at the USA/
Canada border). A memorial ceremony at
Thousand Islands was planned for early
October. I checked my diary. It was do-able
with a wee juggle. I could almost hear my
Mum’s voice in my head telling me these
things are important and of course I must
go. So go I did. All the way to New York
state and city for a long weekend.
The day before leaving I checked the
forecast online. I had been told to bring warm
clothes. I triple checked on other weather
websites before actually believing that it may
really be a ridiculously unseasonable 24-29C
and sunny. So, everything out of the ruck-
sack and a swift repack after a frantic delve
into the depths of my clothes to find sum-
mer varieties. I’m so glad I did. The forecast
Buying and Selling Property
Wills and Powers of Attorney
Trusts and Executries
Notarial Executions
Resident Solicitors
Your local
solicitor and
estate agent
FRASER & MULLIGAN
24 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP
Tel No. 013397 55633
Fax No. 013397 55564
ballater@fraser-mulligan.co.uk
10 deen kindly stepping into the
shoes of Helen Robb from
Montrose who had been taken
ill. We send her our good wishes
and our grateful thanks go to Rena
who, apart from producing stunning designs,
coped with the unexpected arrival of a bat
which swooped and dived over the heads of
a bemused audience. I wondered why
Kathleen had left me with full instructions
for the meeting but had omitted to include
bat catching equipment. A brave lady suc-
ceeded in catching the bat in the brightly lit
hallway after we had extinguished the lights
in the room. It was released unharmed.
Ivy Duncan’s tea and biscuits were very
welcome at the end of such an exciting evening.
Our October meeting was our AGM
with Sonia Wolfe-Murray demonstrating af-
ter the business had been completed.
Our fund-raising Christmas Charity
evening on 24 November will be reported in
the next Eagle issue when we hope to record
an evening of Christmas designs from Gill
Garrow and be able to make generous do-
nations to our two charities, The Sandpiper
Trust and the Community Bus.
Floral Art Meetings will resume in April
2012.
BOVOF
by Ron Drever
Many will have noticed the new sign at
the entrance to Monaltrie Park. This was a
project initiated by the Monaltrie Park Us-
ers Group (MPUG), a BOVOF Partner-
ship, intended to make the Park entrance
more welcoming.
Ballater Highland Games kindly agreed
to fund the manufacture of the sign, while
Aberdeenshire Council kindly provided the
labour necessary to remove the old sign and
erect the new. Our thanks to both – we trust
the community enjoys this latest BOVOF/
MPUG project.
With regard to the possible new Dental
Practice, BOVOF have been pushing NHS
Grampian for action, and will continue to
do so. In October, we were advised by NHS
Grampian that:-
“We are still in the process of looking at
all the options available to us in line with
funding allocations and if there is anything
to update you with, I will give you a call.”
We’ll keep trying!
47The Lost Watch by Betty Wilson
Glen Lui
Restaurant open all year round
Comfortable and Relaxing with Excellent Food and Wine
Family groups and companies welcome
Book for our Festive Menu available throughout December
Closed December 24, 25 and 26.
Lunch daily from 12 to 2 p.m. / Dinner daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Invercauld Road, Ballater, Royal Deeside AB35 5PP
Tel.013397 55402
www.glen-lui-hotel.co.uk Email: infos@glen-lui-hotel.co.uk
Private Function & Conference Facilities
* Licensed for Weddings *
H O T E L
RESTAURANT & bISTRO BAR
My watch is not as old as I, but getting on that way.It doesn’t have a battery, I wind it up each day.
The other day, I lost it- it could be anywhere,Lying on the bathroom shelf, or underneath a chair.
My mind went back to yesterday, but I could not recallWhere was I when I took it off? Maybe in the hall.
I searched beside the telephone, then each step of the stair,Up into the bedroom, but I couldn’t find it there.
It must be in the kitchen, maybe beside the sink.It wasn’t in the living room. Where else? I couldn’t think.
I wondered if I’d scooped it up with yesterday’s P&J.,So I emptied out the waste bin - no luck, I have to say.
After an hour, or two, or more, my house was looking neat,Perhaps the strap had given way, and I’d lost it in the street.
That must be what happened - search ended for today.I might as well give up, and buy another straight away.
I’d lost it, yes I’d lost it, it had well and truly gone -And then I rolled my sleeves up, and you’ve guessed it! I’d got it on!!
FFFFForbes Duguidorbes Duguidorbes Duguidorbes Duguidorbes Duguid
PPPPPainterainterainterainterainter
&&&&&
DecoratorDecoratorDecoratorDecoratorDecorator
TTTTTelelelelel.55816.55816.55816.55816.55816
1146 Committee Skills
Training
by Lindsay Lumsden
Sandy Mathers of Aberdeen Council for
Voluntary Service delivered an interesting
and informative training session on Commit-
tee Skills to members of the community in
Ballater on 19 September. They looked at
the roles of committee members and office
bearers, running meetings, minute-taking,
and financial and legal responsibilities.
The course was organised by a partner-
ship of BOVOF (Ballater One Voice Our
Future), Aberdeenshire Coun-
cil Community Learning &
Development and Aberdeen-
shire CVS Training Initiative.
One participant commented, ‘Many
thanks for a fab. course, I really enjoyed it
and got a lot out of it’.
proved. The Trustees decided
not to install radiators mean-
time but that they would board
up the ventilators in the roof. In
November 1924 they asked Mr Walter
Simpson to draw up a report on the prob-
able cost of heating the Albert Hall and also
one for heating the rest of the Halls sepa-
rately. No reply had been received by Au-
gust 1925 but on enquiry it appeared that
Mr Simpson had died so the Trustees now
had the task of recovering all the plans and
papers he had taken away with him. Mr
Bennet Mitchell was asked to recommend a
heating engineer in Aberdeen but he was
unable to do this so an engineering firm in
Glasgow was sought. The consultations went
on until June 1926 when the contract was
finally let to William Walsh of Ballater, his
tender being £409.16/6(£409.83pence).
After all this time the Trustees wanted the
work completed by the end of September
1926 but it was well into 1927 before the
new system was fully installed and the whole
building was then redecorated.
In June 1928 the Trustees agreed to have
the footpath in front of the Halls tar sprayed
by the contractor who was spraying Station
Square, so long as it cost about £2.
In December 1928 a letter was received
from the son-in-law of Mr and Mrs Charles
Paterson who had left £7,500 to Ballater for
the provision of cottage homes, asking if the
Trustees would accept portraits of Mr and
Mrs. Paterson for the “public hall”. The
Trustees replied that although the Halls were
not strictly public, they would be happy to
hang the portraits in the Victoria Halls pend-
ing possible removal to the Paterson Cot-
tage Homes once they were built. At the
same time the portraits of Mr and Mrs Al-
exander Gordon would be re-hung in the
Victoria Hall.
Towards the end of 1929 the minister,
Mr Waugh, asked if badminton could be
played in the Albert Hall on Thursdays in
the winter. Permission was granted on con-
dition that play be confined to young people
connected to the Church of Scotland. The
Albert Hall was found to be unsuitable for
the game so the Victoria Hall was offered
on condition that no permanent marks be
made on the floor. Later, the club was al-
lowed to mark out the court with Duresco,
the work to be done by a skilled tradesman
and the lines to be as narrow as possible.
This proved unsatisfactory and the club was
eventually allowed to use ordinary black paint
and black enamel.
In January 1930 the small mirror in
Room 2, which was often used as a ladies’
cloakroom, was replaced with a larger sec-
ond hand one. It was also agreed to provide
soap and towels for the adjoining lavatory. 4
x 2 yard roller towels and a quantity of
Lifebuoy soap were purchased.
“The mind that is anxiousabout future events ismiserable.” Seneca
Total Building
Services
For all your home improvement needs
All Property MaintenanceNo Job Too Small / Distance No Object
Telephone 013397 56221or 07728 480706
• Carpentry
• Electrics
• Roofing
• Plastering
• Plumbing
• Brickwork
• Tiling
• Driveways
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Extensions
• Landscapes
• Decorating
• Guttering
12 45
In March 2008 CLAN Can-
cer Support launched a campaign to raise
funds for a new cancer support centre in
Aberdeen. At the end of October this year,
we moved into our wonderful new home
adjacent to the city’s Westburn Park.
Of particular interest to readers in
Deeside is our accommodation facility -
CLAN Haven. Our Haven provides afford-
able B&B accommodation and so much,
more to anyone from outlying areas coming
to Aberdeen for treatment or appointments.
Family members and close friends are also
made very welcome. We have twenty-seven
en-suite rooms including two family rooms
and two disability adapted rooms.
The Haven is renowned for its warm,
welcoming atmosphere – many a long chat
CLAN News
by Joan Cowiegoes on round the kitchen table. Our Ha-
ven team offers practical and emotional sup-
port as well as providing a continental break-
fast. Our guests are also welcome to access
any of the services in the centre including a
wide range of complementary therapies.
To find out more about CLAN Haven,
or to make a booking, please call us on:
01224 647000.
Of course, when people return home to
Deeside they can continue to access sup-
port locally. At CLAN in the Community
based in Ballater you will find the same warm
welcome. There is always time to talk and
our kettle is always on. Our complementary
therapies can help with relaxation whilst our
support group, and walking group provide
friendship, peer support and gentle exercise.
However we simply could not provide
these services without a very special group
of people – our volunteers. Volunteers help
us in so many ways – providing support in
the centre, in the CLAN shop, fundraising
and organising events. We’d be delighted to
hear from anyone who would be interested
in helping us in any way. To find out more
please drop into the centre or call us on:
013397 56318.
And finally a huge thank you from our
bag-packers who were at the Co-op in
Aboyne on 8 October. Thanks to your gen-
erosity we raised £396 which will directly
benefit people in this area.
For more information about CLAN lo-
cally and in Aberdeen visit our website at
www.clanhouse.org
“Never fight aninanimate object.”
P. J. O’Rourke
until the next day as the trustees insisted on
play continuing until 10pm rather than
9.45pm as Mr Angus wanted. The Trus-
tees decided at this time to allow the playing
of Pool (common or snooker) on the billiard
tables.
On 23 May 1920, even though the day
was a Sunday and the Trustees were un-
happy about allowing commercial use of the
premises on a Sunday, they allowed the Vic-
toria Hall to be used for a luncheon venue
for 300 delegates from the National Union
of General Workers conference being held
in Aberdeen. The delegates were visiting
Balmoral Castle and no other building in
Ballater was large enough for the purpose.
In February 1923 a letter was received
from an Edinburgh solicitor’s office inform-
ing the Trustees that Miss Scott of Rothesay
Place, Edinburgh, who had died in Ballater
the previous September, had dictated an in-
formal memorandum two days before her
death leaving the books in her
house in Ballater to the library.
The residuary legatees had de-
cided to honour the bequest but
pointed out that as the house was let, most
of the more than 400 books would not be
available until October. It was agreed that
as the books were of general literature and
the works of Scott, Stevenson and Dickens
being in the best editions, the Trustees
would gratefully accept the bequest. This
bequest caused a lot of work for the Trus-
tees as they had to have new bookcases in-
stalled which necessitated moving a door in
the library, and having a catalogue of the
books drawn up and 400 copies printed.
In the summer of 1923 the streets were
being repaired and several loads of the re-
sulting refuse were obtained to resurface the
area in front of the Institute.
In February 1924 the Choral Union
asked for the Albert Hall heating to be im-
C.S.M.
Handyman
J.Lanigan
general maintenance inside and
out, gutter cleaning, garden
tidying, chimney sweep, etc.
Strathgirnoc Farmhouse
South Deeside Road
Ballater
Tel.
013397 56227
Mobile
07506951506
Email: C-S-M_Aerials@hotmail.co.uk
All the little jobs
you can’t get any1 to do
1344
Co-Op UpdateThings with the Co-op have moved for-
ward a bit since the last issue of the Eagle.
Following our letter to the CEO, and vari-
ous telephone conversations, we have been
informed that;
“Ballater Main St. has been reviewed
and several sections in-store are currently
being increased, which will increase our
range. Space in-store is limited but we are
committed to continually work with you to
improve the service that we offer to the
Ballater community.
The range changes that the company is
going through nationwide at present, is help-
ing to increase range in most stores. This should
further help increase the range. A gluten free
product range has been put forward to our
Space Planning Manager to look at ways to
incorporate this range into the store.
In regards to the split ranging across the
two stores, Michael McCarthy, Area Op-
erations, hopes to discuss this when he meets
with you in the near future.”
In the meantime, we may request the
local managers to ask customers for details
of specific items they require in the event
that some shelf space can be made free by
rationalising stock between the two stores.
Please let us know what you think would
make the Co-op better - we will try and put
your comments to them.
Bridge Street
CongestionThe communities’ survey that B&CCC
conducted last autumn showed a degree of
concern about traffic congestion, especially
on Bridge Street. We understand that opin-
ions on the significance of this may be di-
Community Councilby Graham Adams
vided. However, it seems that a fairly small
increase in traffic activity can turn Bridge
Street from a picture of calm serenity into a
source of considerable frustration. The part
between Bridge Square and Victoria Road /
Hawthorn Place junction seems to be par-
ticularly sensitive.
We don’t know if there are any smart
measures that can be taken to improve the
situation, but we intend to explore possibili-
ties, in consultation with personnel from Ab-
erdeenshire Council.
Youth ActivitiesThe communities’ survey also revealed
that there is a perceived lack of facilities and
activities for Ballater youth (people in the
age range 11-18 (approximately). The prob-
Charleston Buildings, Ballater RoadAboyne, AB34 5HN
(013398) 86874
The first task facing the Trustees of the
Halls after cessation of hostilities, was set-
tling the account with the Red Cross who
had used the Victoria Hall as a hospital
during the war. At first they asked for £20.00
for electric light, the replacement of five dozen
cups and saucers and one and a half tons of
coke, being the estimated amount used by
the hospital. After discussion with the Red
Cross, the Trustees agreed to waive the elec-
tricity charge but insisted on the crockery and
coke being replaced and also asked for £4.00
for a new sink and £5.00 for a new wash
hand basin. Once all this was agreed, Dr
Hendry, the hospital superintendent, pre-
sented the Trustees with a clock in apprecia-
tion. The War Office sent a letter express-
V&A Halls Minutes Extracts
the Roaring Twentiesby Janet Riddler
ing its “deep appreciation of the Trustees’
kind and patriotic action”.
The Trustees next decided to allow the
Town Council free use of the Halls for a
“Treat for Returning Soldiers” on 2 May,
1919. They also agreed to let the large base-
ment room to The Discharged Soldiers and
Sailors Association for two shillings (10
pence) a month payable quarterly. This was
on the strict understanding that if the Room
was found not to be being used for its pur-
pose of providing a place of meeting which
was morally and socially beneficial to young
men, its use would be discontinued. No in-
toxicating liquor could be consumed on the
premises and no intoxicated person would
be admitted. The members of the Associa-
tion were to discourage any loitering outside
the Room or in the vicinity of the Halls,
whether by men or women.
A new flagpole, rope and flag were or-
dered from Messrs Shirras Laing of Aber-
deen in time for the Peace Celebrations.
In October 1919 some local gentlemen
asked to rent the Victoria Hall for a cinemato-
graph entertainment twice a week. It was
agreed to offer the Hall for £60 a year to
include use of the piano. This was subse-
quently reduced to once a week for £30 a
year.
Mr Angus, the Hallkeeper, asked for an
assistant but the only applicant, Willie
Rattray, was found not to be eligible to leave
school until January so it was suggested that
because Mr Angus was on duty till 10pm a
woman might be engaged to clean the rooms
in the morning so that Mr Angus did not
need to arrive until 10am. He was also al-
lowed to leave brushing the billiard tables
ATHOLL COUNTRYWEAR
For Quality Ladies’
and Men’s Clothing
Accessories & Shoes
Fine Gifts
13 Bridge Street,
Ballater AB35 5QP
Tel: 013397 53810
Open:
Monday-Saturday 10am-5.30pm
14 43lem is obviously shortage of
funds to pay for facilities, what-
ever form they might take. Early
participation in discussions with
teenagers would be useful, to get some
credible definition of facilities that would be
most beneficial to Ballater youth.
But here’s the catch – you don’t get any-
thing for nothing. Ballater youth would have
to pay for it. We are suggesting that a scheme
could be devised whereby they get involved
in “community services” in exchange for cash,
sponsorship, or pledges of support. Activi-
ties such as washing cars, cleaning, garden-
ing, snow clearance, help with computers and
many more could be included. Possibly local
trades people could help train those inter-
ested to do more complex tasks. The pro-
ceeds would be paid into a fund to finance
the desired facilities. This can be co-ordinated
with opportunities to capture additional fund-
ing through sources like the Lottery.
This would need a lot of organising and
effort. More definition of a scheme like this
would be needed, and the goal should be
challenging but achievable, as the obvious
consequences of failure are worth avoiding.
However, as well as achieving the in-
tended outcome from a project like this, there
could be huge benefits to the community,
like improved relations across generations, and
making unexpected new friends.
If any readers are interested in taking up
a challenge like this, please let us know.
SWRI
by Aileen Barbour
On 21 September President Anne
Richardson welcomed members and visitors
to the meeting after the summer break.
After business, the President introduced
Aileen Asher, Glass Engraving Artist from
Tomintoul who gave a talk then demonstrated
the art of engraving. Mrs Asher brought a
selection of her beautiful work to let us see
and this was greatly admired. Members
were invited to participate, which some did
and were pleased with their efforts. The
competition was a “Decoration Candle”:
1) Joan Anderson, 2) Frances Johnstone,
3) Margaret Finnie, 4) Pat Fraser.
The meeting on 19 October was entitled
“Theatre Experiences” by Tommy Baxter.
It was fascinating to get an insight into the
West End theatre world in London and was
most enjoyable. The competition this
month was “Double Shortbread”:
1 ) Frances Johnstone, 2) Margaret
Cameron, 3) Margaret Finnie, 4) Thelma
Cooper.
On 16 November, Jenny Houston gave
a talk on the “History of Flower Arrang-
ing”. Dates for meetings through until March
are contained within the Eagle Diary.
way upstream to spawn, I was surprised to
feel several sharp tugs on my chain. Two fish-
ermen, rods in hand, were standing on the
riverbank, one of them complaining that his
hook was caught in something and that he
would have to wade out to retrieve it.
Soon the owner of a large pair of feet
encased in heavy rubber waders appeared
and an astonished red face peered down at
me. ‘Its an auld roosty bike’, he yelled, ‘I’d
better rug it oot afore it snags somebody else’s
hookie’ and a moment later, using his gaffe,
he pulled me to the water’s edge and after
unhooking his fly, threw me casually onto
the grassy bank.
My wheels were the first to go, some
scavenging bairns delighted at the prospect
of making themselves a cartie of sorts. My
handlebars soon followed to some auld wifie,
a knitter, living on her own, who, needing
an extra pair of hands when it came to turn-
ing skeins of wool into balls, was keen to
have them fixed to the back of her kitchen
chair. Sadly, the last to go was my fine leather
saddle, scuffed and cracked, but still in one
piece and serviceable.
So there I rested, a skeleton of my former
self, rusting quietly in the long grass, my
bonnie blue paint almost all gone and no
doubt there I would have remained, had not
some progressive and energetic new mem-
ber of the village council decided that there
should be a clean up of the river bank oppo-
site the Riverside Garage and some seats
installed, for the old folk to while away their
pensioner days. Soon the grey ash cart ar-
rived and I was once more on my travels,
this time to the Arrigation. The journey was
short, and without ceremony I was dumped
on this festering pile of rubbish, where I now
remain.
Next issue: Part Two - In which ‘Ozzy
finds Salvation after Salvage’...
Can you help
concerning
Colville Cottage?Joan from Dunfermline would
like to know if anyone has any information
about Colville Cottage (41 Victoria Road)
in the 1930s? Maybe a photograph of the
tenants who resided there at around that
time?
She would really appreciate any info you
can give her. Please talk to Sabine Muir,
who has Joan’s details. You can contact
Sabine through the library.
“There is only one wayto happiness, and that isto cease worrying things
which are beyond thepower of our will.”
Epictetus
1542
Ballater Caravan ParkThe major part of the site was bought
by Ballater Town Council in 1967. The sur-
pluses which accrued enabled the Town rates
to be reduced by a shilling in the pound –
not a bad return for the investment. There
were many other benefits to the community
in the form of increased trade for shops, res-
taurants, and the Golf Club. Later, owner-
ship passed to Kincardine and Deeside Dis-
trict Council and eventually to Aberdeen-
shire Council. A return to community man-
agement will complete the loop, bring ben-
efits to the community, and secure the fu-
ture of the Caravan Park.
At the end of 2007, Aberdeenshire
Council, in the light of the losses accruing
from their 11 Caravan Parks, invited inter-
Ballater (RD) Ltdby Paddy Wright
est from possible partners to be-
come involved in the management. BRD
expressed an interest in the Ballater Park
and formed a steering group to negotiate. It
has been a long hard slog with little progress
being made until recently, when the Coun-
cil resolved to cease operation of all its Cara-
van Parks by the end of the current season.
It resolved to transfer management to suit-
able community bodies, and only as a last
resort would commercial organisations be
considered. The recent Community Asset
Transfer legislation permits local authorities
to transfer assets, including leases, to com-
munity bodies at below market value.
BRD is now very optimistic that a lease
or transfer of ownership of the Park will be
agreed with the Council by the end of this
by Bob Thomson
Tel: 013397 41214
Kindrochit Drive, Braemar
AB35 5YW
Old Cine Film Reels
& Slides to DVD:
Excellent Results
Reasonable Cost and No VAT!
Do before they fade away!
Local Interest DVDs
(e.g. “Braemar”,
“Royal Deeside - Its Land
& People”) & More!
(Established 1969)
dented and scratched, properly
inflated tyres with a modicum
of tread and a battery operated
headlamp instead of the splutter-
ing feeble carbide one that hung from
my front bracket. Above all, I wanted to have
my paintwork and chrome looked after and
treated with respect. Very rarely in life do
one’s prayers get answered, but one memo-
rable day, the good fairy of all cycles must
have been listening, for at long last a chink
in the dark cloud of my despair opened briefly
and my wishes came true.
My owner was in his usual half coma-
tose state on the way home and barely man-
aging to make progress, we stopped at the
brow of the bridge as it crosses the Dee. In
the course of the evening he had somehow
managed to acquire a half bottle of some
spirit and reaching into his grimy coat he
pulled it forth and removing the stopper, took
a long swig. Burping loudly, he then went to
replace it, but somehow his fumbling hand
missed his pocket and the bottle fell, shat-
tering on the ground.
Roaring with frustration, he then climbed
back into my saddle and once there his pow-
erful legs forced me to move. Unfortunately,
the oaf had given me no alternative but to
travel through the sharp glass shards now
littering the road. The outcome was inevita-
ble and with heavy sighs both my poor old
bald tyres expired - sadly their patched pneu-
matic lives were finally over.
Unable to maintain his balance the man
then fell sideways and as he went down with
a heavy thump, my badly worn and jagged
left hand pedal cut through the cloth of his
trouser leg and for good measure, gave him
a nasty gash across his shin.
Now thoroughly enraged, in pain and
with the prospect of a long walk home fac-
ing him, he picked me up. Ye’ll nae get the
better o’ me, ye useless auld piece o’ scrap’,
he roared and with a curse hurled me over
the parapet of the bridge and down, down I
went, into the swollen waters of a river Dee
in full winter spate. Many feet below, with
scarcely a splash, the cold waters softly cush-
ioned my fall and gathering all around me,
welcomed me to their dark brown depths.
The fierce current then tumbled me wheel
over wheel for several hundred yards, until
finally one of my pedals became wedged be-
tween two boulders. I was held fast and there
I remained!
Hidden below the surface, this watery
resting place among the slimy eels, inquisi-
tive trout and migrating salmon could easily
have been my last resting place and for sev-
eral months I enjoyed the peace and quiet,
my only worry in this sea of tranquility aris-
ing from the corrosive effect the water seemed
to be having on my limbs. It came to pass
however, that one fine spring day as I was
watching the salmon moving past me on their
16 41year. As BRD has charitable
status, it cannot trade directly.
It is proposed to set up a sub-
sidiary trading company which will
be wholly owned by BRD. All sur-
pluses will be applied to the improvement of
facilities at the Park and to other community
projects. Directors for this new company will
be recruited from the community. Over the
past 15 years there has been little invest-
ment in the Park, other than the provision of
services to the static stances. It is hoped that,
under community management, the facilities
will be greatly enhanced, thus attracting an
increase in numbers of visitors.
Further information can be found in a
leaflet which is available on our website
www.royal-deeside.org.uk, or at our office.
SignageJack Coull reports that progress is being
made towards the achievement of our aim to
erect 3 pedestrian fingerpost directional signs
within the village and a granite “Welcome”
sign at the entrance to Ballater on the A93.
The Old SchoolIn the summer edition of the Eagle, we
reported that BRD and the North East of
Scotland Preservation Trust had combined
to undertake an Options Appraisal Study
on the future of the Old School. The con-
sultants used the community drop-in day in
July to get residents’ views on various pro-
posals. The consultants’ report is expected to
be published at the beginning of November
and for more details contact the BRD office.
Glenmuick Church
by Betty Wilson
Glenmuick and Glengairn are among the
few churches in Scotland that are able to
keep their doors open during the summer
months. Comments in the visitor’s books
show that this facility is much appreciated,
and in both churches, the beautiful flower
arrangements are often mentioned.
This year, a visitor to Glenmuick from
Essex picked up a Wordsearch puzzle, pro-
duced to raise money for the upgrading of
the Ballater Halls. When she sent in her
solution, she enclosed an unsolicited dona-
tion to the church flower fund. A draw took
place to select three winners and her name
was the first one out! She was sent a cheque
for £10 and she wrote back to say that she
was going to spend the money on a special
flower arrangement for her church.
Who would have thought that a
Wordsearch puzzle in Ballater would
bring about a floral display in an Essex
Church?!!
Graham Stuart
Plumbing & Heating Engineers
Tel: 013397 55627 / Fax: 56342Mobile: 07836 562946
Est. 1975
BathroomsBoiler ReplacementsPressurised Systems
Oil Fired, Solid Fuel orUnderfloor Central Heating
open doorway.
A sign had then been hung from my front
lamp bracket, which in large letters said, “For
Sale - Gents Raleigh - £12/10s”, but that
sign didn’t stay there long!
I waited eagerly to begin the transport-
ing duties for which I had been made, but
had to admit taking an immediate dislike to
the rough looking man who became my first
owner and whose actions soon justified my
worst fears. In the months that followed,
never a drop of oil did my poor chain and
other moving parts receive to ease away the
dryness and pain caused by metallic friction.
My groans and squeaks were ignored and
there was never any attempt to clean away
the dirt that soon accumulated on my wheels
and body.
The chrome on my beautiful shiny han-
dlebars soon started to rust, succumbing to
the blood and other liquids oozing from the
dozen or so rabbits that usually dangled from
their extremities. Occasionally, when threat-
ened with a beating and snarled at long
enough, one of his scruffy, nit infested and
half starved bairns would find my pump and
try their puny best to force some fresh air
into my poor worn tyres, but I was offered
no other kind of maintenance and starved of
any respect.
My owner, a poacher, lived up in one of
the glens and on most evenings my main
task was to convey him to the village, where
he would spend several hours at the
Invercauld Hotel, in a noisy place to one side,
known locally as ‘The Tink’. When he
emerged, most often barely able to stand,
the journey home would become a painful
experience. Once in the saddle and after
several false attempts to remain upright, his
tackety booted feet would at last find my
pedals and I would be forced to move in
whatever his drink-addled brain thought was
a straight line. Invariably however, a drunken
mist would overcome his senses
and unable to focus, we would
follow a meandering course that
took us from one kerbside in the
road, to the other. Many a time he would
end up on top of me in a hedge at the road-
side or in some foul ditch, cursing and swear-
ing and of course blaming me for his lack of
control. Occasionally he would fall asleep and
lie there for several hours before the cold and
wet half sobered him up and the journey
could continue. I suffered terribly and the
daily abuse, kicks and general neglect gradu-
ally reduced me to such a shabby state, that
if I had been given a head, I would have
hung it in shame every time I met another
roadster of my ilk
How I longed for some relief, to be able
to run free on well oiled hubs and bearings,
to have well adjusted brakes acting on well
polished wheel rims, to have pedals that were
not seized up, mudguards that were not
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see us happy.” Benjamin Franklin
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1740
Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms Des-
tination Management Organisation (DMO)
which is based in Ballater is seeking addi-
tional directors and a new chairman. For the
first time, the DMO will be recruiting direc-
tors from the general business community in
the area as well as from its own partnership
base. The DMO currently has 90 partner
businesses and is a company limited by guar-
antee. It is the official tourism organisation
for the Deeside, Donside and the Eastern
Cairngorms area and has carried out many
tourism projects.
Current Chair of the DMO Board,
Garry Marsden says, “This is an exciting
time for the DMO and its partners. We have
several years of hard work under our belt
and have delivered successful promotional
campaigns but now is the time to bring fresh,
enthusiastic talent to the table to help us
continue to deliver for our partners. We are
in talks with our key partners at Scottish
Enterprise, Aberdeenshire Council and
VisitScotland about the funding of our new
business strategy and three year marketing
plan and it’s now time to strengthen our
Board to give it a sustainable future.” The
organisation is seen as one of Scotland’s most
successful tourism bodies.
Garry continues, “There are no special
skills or experience required to become a
Board member. What we need are enthusi-
astic people who are committed to making
Royal Deeside and The Cairngorms a lead-
ing tourist destination, who can attend Board
meetings and give the benefit of their expe-
rience. Obviously, a link to tourism would
be preferable, but we are also seeking peo-
ple from other business sectors to bring fresh
thinking to the Board. Our recent partner
R D & C DMOby John Carnie
survey shows us that there is
goodwill towards the work and
significant achievements of the
DMO and that our partners want
the DMO to continue promoting the area and
at the same time improving communication with
partner businesses and other organisations.”
The DMO has delivered many projects
since its inception including the introduction
of the Venison Festival, and the Dine on
Deeside events; production of a food maga-
zine Deelicious; The Tanalonga gastro ram-
ble; the Deeside Music Sessions; attend-
ance at VisitScotland’s Expo and seasonal
marketing campaigns. The food and drink
projects under the brand of Royal Deeside
Larder has been nominated for nine PR and
marketing awards in 2011.
For more information about the role of
the board members and confidential discus-
sion about the position of Chairman, please
contact Garry Marsden on 013397 42555.
Royal Deeside & the Cairngorms DMO
is the official Destination Management Or-
ganisation for tourism businesses in the ar-
eas of Royal Deeside, Donside and the
Eastern Cairngorms. Find out more about
the DMO at www.discoverroyaldeeside.com
For three days and nights it hammered
non-stop. Steel-like rods of rain drove the
grey furry squeakies deep into their holes
and silenced the squawking crows and gulls
that cowered in the scanty shelter offered by
the oak trees that hugged the banks of the
nearby Dee. It was a miserable time for the
wild life and had it continued much longer,
it could have brought some of them close to
starvation. But for me - although I did not
know it at the time - this tropical style down-
pour was to be my salvation. The more it
lashed the earth, the more it chiselled away
the years of dirt and rubbish that had accu-
mulated on my limbs, exposing me once
more to a world I had never expected to see
again.
Ozymandias of the Arrigation
by Wee Chis
Part One - ‘Ozzy finds Peace after Purgatory’
Saturday dawned and with it came the
sun. The squeakies, pleased to be free of
their enforced confinement, were soon back
again, sniffling and snuffling and foraging
all around me as usual, one beady eye jeal-
ously guarding their spoils, the other forever
scanning the skies for their mortal enemies
the thieving crows, who, when hungry as
now, could easily kill an unwary young rat
with their long sharp wicked beaks and they
often did. The rats were just as bad how-
ever, as birds’ eggs and young chicks were a
welcome addition to their diet, as many a
sad, ground nesting avian family, often found
out.
Being inedible of course I was of no value
to any of them. I also detested these black
scavengers, but for a different reason. With
complete lack of respect for my limbs, they
would use me as a perch, their sharp talons
gripping me hard and scratching off what
remained of my poor royal blue skin. Preen-
ing, primping and calling to one another in
hoarse, croaking tones, they would, worst of
all, leave me covered in their foul, white,
acidic paint-removing deposits
I had long been resigned to my fate, but
I still dreamt of that day when I had first
arrived in Ballater in the luggage van of a
steam train. The journey from Nottingham,
the place where I had been born, had been
long and tedious and I had been glad, when
bandaged like an Egyptian mummy in pro-
tective wrapping paper to protect my shiny
new skin, I had been carried across the Sta-
tion Square and delivered to a nearby shop,
where the shopkeeper, an old soldier called
Jock, welcomed my arrival and soon had me
standing proud and polished, close to his
“Cross country skiing is greatif you live in a small country.”
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18 39Keys to the Door
by John Holley
It has been 2 years since AA
Box 472 at Cambus O’ May on
the A93 was ‘saved’ by residents of Ballater
from further decay and eventual extinction.
Its interest to locals and tourists alike has
been unbelievable and the number of com-
ments in the visitors’ book by people from
around the world clearly proves its impor-
tance as a piece of social history.
As we attempt to add to the ‘mini’ mu-
seum contained within the box, we would
like to ask for your help. Many people have,
hidden away somewhere in cupboards, draw-
ers and other secret places, old AA-issued
box keys. We have secured a few keys from
various sources, and these are proudly dis-
played as part of the ‘mini’ museum within
Box 472.
If you think you may have an AA key
hidden away somewhere, then please can
you search high and low and if successful
pass the key to Alistair Cassie at his empo-
rium in Bridge Street, Ballater, and he will
ensure that it becomes part of our ‘mini’
museum.
Happy searching! Play your part in add-
ing to our Box 472 museum. Thank You.
International
Mountain Day Walk
by Glyn Jones
On Sunday 11 December, the Balmoral
Rangers will be celebrating International
Mountain Day with a Winter ascent of a
local peak. This will be a high winter walk,
with the exact route being decided on the
morning of the walk, and will mainly de-
pend on the weather conditions. A good level
of fitness is required. The meeting point is
Spittal of Glen Muick Visitor Centre at
9.30am. Cost is £5 per person, and book-
ing is essential. Contact 013397 55059.
Wee Jim Landscapes
Bridgefoot,Glenmuick, Ballater
Aberdeenshire AB35 5SN
Firewood AvailableCall for details
Tel: 013397 55997Mobile: 07821 746756
Email:
weejim03@live.co.uk
James Anderson
lies but when the holly’s green.” As holly is
evergreen, the person concerned never tells
the truth.
IvyIvy is associated with the god Bacchus.
A cure for drunkeness as well as whooping
c o u g h
was to
drink from
a cup of ivy
wood. Drink-
ing ivy leaves and ber-
ries dissolved in vinegar followed by a drink
of water in which ivy leaves had been boiled,
protected against the effects of over-indul-
gence In medieval times an ivy garland hang-
ing on a door, indicated that wine was for
sale. Ivy leaves were used in divination. If a
leaf put into a bowl of water on Christmas
Eve was still fresh on Twelfth Night, New
Year prospects were good. It there were black
spots, illness would come to a member of
the family, the position of the marks on the
leaf – top, middle and bottom - correspond-
ing to parts of the body. Spots all over the
leaf were a sign of coming death. Ivy is still
used medically. A corn cure is to soak ivy
leaves in vinegar and styes and sore eyes are
bathed in water that ivy leaves have been
soaked in. Catarrh was also treated with an
inhalation of ivy leaf juice.
MistletoeMistletoe, the Golden Bough of legend,
was sacred to both Druids and Norsemen.
Known as the plant of peace,
it was considered to have
magical properties and
was dedicated to the
goddess of love. Called
All-Heal, it was believed
to promote fertility. It was
used as an antidote to poi-
son but it was also used to cure
snakebite, toothache and gen-
eral sores. Mistletoe tea was
regularly used to control epilepsy.
Apart from its medicinal prop-
erties, mistletoe protected the house from
thunder and lightning. To this day, many
churches refuse to bring mistletoe inside be-
cause of its Druidical associations. Years ago,
English people were inclined to kiss on greet-
ing each other - even strangers newly meet-
ing – but Scots were more reticent! In the
1720s the Kirk forbade kissing on the mouth
but hand-shaking was permitted! Customs
have changed but a girl today still hopes to
be kissed under the mistletoe!
Don’t forget to order your tree and the
mistletoe and go searching for ivy and holly
with berries!
“The superfluous, a verynecessary thing.”
Voltaire
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38 19
Over £6,000 was distributed among
Ballater’s local groups and charities as a re-
sult of this year’s very successful Victoria
Week. At the group’s AGM in November,
over a dozen organisations were given
cheques following presentations by commit-
tee members on how the week-long event
went and what plans are in store for 2012.
A slideshow of photos from this year’s Vic-
toria Week was shown during the evening
and wine and nibbles served afterwards. The
largest beneficiary was the Victoria and
Albert Halls, which received £1,500 towards
continued improvements in insulation. Glen
Muick Church’s steeple restoration project,
Ballater School Parent Council and the
upcoming Ballater Winter Festival each re-
ceived £500. BRD got £350 towards a
project to improve signage around the village
while the esteemed Eagle got £500 added
to its coffers to help with production costs.
The Ballater Songsters raised £1,000
through their VW event and have asked that
the money be split between CLAN and the
Forget Me Not charity. A further £150 was
raised for CLAN during a raffle at the com-
bined City of Roses Chorus/Quiz night and
the committee opted to match that with an-
other £150. Other groups to benefit included
the Ballater Pipe Band, Ballater Enhance-
ment Group, YES, the Royal Guard’s cho-
sen charity and the Castleton Dancers, all
receiving between £200 and £250.
Plans are already being made for next
year’s Ballater Victoria Week, which is a lit-
tle bit special as it’s a jubilee year for the
event, which started in 1987. It is hoped
that the Scarecrow Competition will attract
even more entries, that the weather will be
Bumper Victoria Week
Benefits Ballater Causesby Cat Houston
kind enough to allow a real duck
race to take place on the River Dee (!) and
perhaps that the number of sporting events
may be increased, as VW’s run (4-12 Aug)
coincides with the Olympics. Many of the
usual favourite events will also take their
place in the varied programme, which offers
something for all, be they resident or visitor.
The band of folk that make the event hap-
pen is blooming but more volunteers are al-
ways needed. If you would like to get in-
volved or have any fab ideas for an event you
would like to put on to make VW 2012 ex-
tra special, then get in touch with the com-
mittee via email at
info@ballatervictoriaweek.co.uk or by phone
on 55018 or 55243. You can also see
www.ballatervictoriaweek.co.uk or find us on
Facebook for information and updates.
Christmas will soon be here and most of
us will have a Christmas tree – real or artifi-
cial. Christmas Tree legends go back to the
fourth century but written evidence is only
from the seventeenth century. The setting
up and decoration of a tree was a German
custom, introduced to Britain by Hessian
soldiers of George III. There was a children’s
party at Windsor in 1821 and again in 1829
with a tree and candles and by 1841 Prince
Albert had a tree. Today we regard a tree as
essential for Christmas. The hanging of trin-
kets on the tree dates back to the Romans.
Candles have been Christianised and repre-
sent Christ as the Light of the World, but in
earlier times they were just essential house-
hold items.
Christmas Greeneryby Sheila Sedgwick
Three types of greenery are on the
Christmas scene – Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe.
HollyBecause holly is
evergreen and has red
berries, it was consid-
ered to be the symbol
of everlasting life. Prickly
holly is lucky for men and
the smooth type for women.
On Deeside in the past, a sprig was re-
tained after the festivities, said to be a pro-
tection against lightning. To burn holly when
green was considered to be very unlucky.
Nowadays, holly wreaths are placed on fam-
ily graves at Christmas and hung on front
doors. An old Deeside saying was “He never
Seasons Greetings from
Cindy Adams
PG Dip (Coun)
Person Centred Counsellor
1 Netherley Place
Tel: 07969 495399
Crathie, By Ballater
Log fires and a warm welcome
at The Inver
Open to non residents
Good food & fine wines
Lunches & Dinners
Reservations
Telephone 013397 42345
The
I N V E R
H O T E L
Closed 22
December 2011 - 3 January 2012
www.inverhotel.com
20 37
Hogmanay at the HallCrathie Hall is the place to be when the
bells ring in 2012! Celebrations start at 9pm
on New Year’s Eve and continue into the
early hours of New Year ’s Day. Eddie
Esson’s Scottish Dance Band will be there
to set your toes tapping. For tickets or more
information contact Jean Young 42415 or Bell
Macaulay 55745
Coffee at the KirkThe ladies who run The Monday Morn-
ing cafe in Crathie would like to say a HUGE
THANK YOUto all who have so gener-
ously supported them over the past seven
months. They are all looking forward to see-
ing you at their Christmas Special on Mon-
day 5 December 2011, weather permitting!
Crathie Newsby Marion MacIntyre
Book GroupThe group continues to thrive and enjoy
a varied selection of books to discuss. Dur-
ing our recent Indian Summer, which lasted
for at least 3 days (!), we even managed to
have an open air meeting (see photo on back
page) when we discussed “Oryx and Crake”
by Margaret Atwood.
The book provoked mixed reactions but
certainly gave us plenty to talk about and
was an interesting read if not universally
enjoyed! We are currently reading “The
Conjurer’s Bird” by Martin Davies for our
October meeting and then next on the
agenda will be “Penguins Stopped Play”
by Harry Thompson
Bowling ClubCome along to Crathie New Hall on a
Tuesday or Friday evening from 7pm to 9pm
if you would like to join with the Crathie
Bowlers this winter. Whether you are an
experienced bowler or a complete beginner
you will be made most welcome!
Christmas is ComingPatricia Fraser has been busy, with her
helpers, organising the Christmas Meal for
Crathie Senior Citizens and tries very hard
to include all those who are eligible to be
invited. If however you live in Crathie, if you
are a woman aged 60 years or over, or a man
aged 65 years or over, and you think that you
might not be on her list, please contact Patricia
on telephone number 42327 to be included –
she will be pleased to hear from you.
and Ballater Songsters, holding elected of-
fice in many and of course she has served as
an elder of Glenmuick Church. Betty was a
founder, along with David and Valerie
Kinghorn, of the Friday Fellowship, and ea-
gerly joined the Ecumenical Choir. Our pho-
tograph on the back page show her partici-
pating in the SWRI float during one Victo-
ria Week as the Lucky Sweep at Mhairi’s
Wedding. Many will remember her hilarious
responses to the Toast to the Lassies at
Burns Nights, with this rather short lady
having large, kilted Scotsmen rolling in the
aisles, tears of laughter running down their
faces. However interesting the Immortal
Memory may have been, it was always
Betty ’s responses that remained in my
memory! Betty has culinary expertise too,
being the first winner of the SWRI’s Mary
MacPherson Quaich for her lemon meringue
pie (recipe still a secret!). Her puzzles and
competitions have raised hundreds of pounds
for organisations within the village, includ-
ing recently, the refurbishment of the Victo-
ria & Albert Halls.
Betty has always been a caring person,
concerned and willing to help others around
her. Stella Potter, who has been involved with
the Eagle since its early days, remembers
how her elder daughter, before she went to
university, “…cleaned for Betty and some
other folk. She loved going to Betty’s best,
partly as her house was ‘never really dirty’
but mostly she hugely enjoyed the conversa-
tion and laughter they shared. Betty showed
a real interest in my daughter’s life, contrib-
uting to making her the strong young woman
she is today. This is one of Betty’s huge
strengths: she is genuinely interested in the
people she meets. As her personal interests
are wide-ranging too it is always good to see
her smiling face at a meeting, or in the street.
Her presence lightens our lives”.
Caring as she does about others, Betty
is always quick to acknowledge
the considerable assistance
given to her by her immediate
neighbours, particularly Paddy and
Ivy Duncan. Paddy, Betty says, is very handy
for reaching objects on high shelves!
The Ballater Eagle has for years been
happy to publish articles by Betty, whether
extolling the contribution of others to Ballater
life, giving reports of SWRI or church activi-
ties, or a humorous poem such as the one
included in this Eagle. Her talents are nu-
merous and greatly appreciated by all who
know her. She has been our very efficient
Subscription Secretary since the first Eagle
was produced, (Betty, Sheila and Tom are
the only remaining Eagle Team members
from the very first meeting) and keeps in
touch with the ever changing list of subscrib-
ers, currently standing at nearly 80. All of
this is done without the benefit (or draw-
backs) of a computer. She engages with our
subscribers too, sending notes in perfect hand
writing and, as we saw in our summer 2011
issue, exchanging humorous poetry with some
of them.
The Eagle is very proud to have such a
wonderful lady as an active member of our
Team, and trust that she will continue in
that role for some years yet.
We all hope you had a very Happy Birth-
day, Betty.
“I don’t need you to remindme of my age. I have a
bladder to do that for me.”Stephen Fry
36
When I heard on the Ballater Bush Tel-
egraph that our subscription secretary was
to celebrate a birthday milestone in late
November, I felt that some recognition of her
considerable contribution to Ballater commu-
nity life was called for.
I approached various
people who have en-
joyed Betty’s company
during meetings of the
numerous clubs and
organisations in the vil-
lage of which she is
such an enthusiastic
member, and all ex-
pressed their admira-
tion for the energy,
commitment, friendli-
ness and particularly
the humour of a very
popular lady.
Although she is not
a Ballater quine, Betty’s family has had links
with the village for over 100 years, her grand-
father having been a custodian at the Bar-
racks in Queen’s Road during the 19th cen-
tury. The daughter of a pharmacist, Betty
was brought up as a Scot in exile. The tale
of her time in the ATS towards the end of
World War II was contained within Eagle 38,
and her vivid description of dancing with Lord
Louis Mountbatten at a soiree in India gives
a clear indication of her humour. (Her nose,
she recalls, was pressed against his middle
waistcoat button!) Betty may be small
of stature but she is large in personality, and
with her ready smile and twinkling eyes is a
wonderful friend to many.
After WW2, Betty became a teacher of
Betty Wilson: Ever young at 90
by Ian HayPencil portrait by Eilidh Gow (see also Editor’s letter)
history, and ended up as deputy Head of a
school in Wokingham. Many of us who have
listened to her give talks on a variety of sub-
jects over the years, can only wish that our
own teachers could have been half so much
fun to listen to as
Betty is. I am sure
that there are
many former pu-
pils who have very
fond memories of
their caring, ap-
proachable teacher
who had a sense of
humour. I’m sure
that she had no
difficulty keeping
the attention of her
young charges.
As Sabine
Muir, the first edi-
tor of the Eagle
recalls: “Betty and I used to go to a German
Class years ago, run by Willma Sim. We
had a great time. Betty was always enter-
taining us with funny tales of her time as a
teacher. One was of a child writing a report
after a cooking class and how they had to
tidy up afterwards. She wrote something like:
“We washed up everything and then turned
our bowels upside down on the table and
put a tea towel on top.” Betty told this story
in such an engaging manner that we were
all in hoots of laughter. Betty also came to
the Writers group at the library”.
Betty has been, and indeed still is, a
very active and enthusiastic member of nu-
merous organisations in Ballater, including
SWRI, Ladies’ Probus, Women’s Guild,
21
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JOINER
76 Golf Road
Ballater
TELEPHONE:(013397) 55378
MOBILE: 07792 117963
22 35
Brian Smith
Funeral Services LtdThe only family run and owned funeral director
in Aboyne, Banchory and Peterculter
317 North Deeside Road, PeterculterTel: 01224 732530
Huntly Road, AboyneTel: 013398 86625
85A High Street, BanchoryTel: 01330 825400
Contact Brian or Angela Smith (24hrs)
Pre-Paid Funeral Plans Available
we are, what we do, and how we do it. Hope-
fully we can also then meet those of you who
may be interested in finding out a bit more
and, who knows, see Rotary as something you
too could be a big part of, and by means of
which you could serve our community.
Have a look at us on www.rotary-ribi.org,
where you simply type in “Aboyne” and press
“GO”.
The Club would like to take this oppor-
tunity to thank all those who have supported
us throughout the year in many different
ways. Without your generosity when we are
fundraising, we would not be able to sup-
port so many local good causes, or help peo-
ple in other countries.
If you would like to find out more about
Rotary, we would be delighted to hear from
you. Please contact Ron Drever at High
Trees, Morven Way, or telephone 013397
56224. We meet on the first and third Mon-
days (and usually any fifth
Monday) of each month at the
Boat Inn, Aboyne, 6 for
6.30pm, and on the second and
fourth Mondays at the Glen Lui Hotel,
Ballater, 6.30 for 7pm.
We have moved to:
2 Braemar Road, Ballater
013397 - 55566
www.cybernaut.org.uk
Royal Deeside’s Premier
Internet Venue!
Open Monday - Friday 9.30am-5pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Web Design & Hosting
Internet access at an hourly rate
DVDs for Sale / Rent
& Exchange
PC Spares, Repairs, & Upgrades
Cybernaut
Rotary is perhaps best known for
raising thousands of pounds for good causes
and helping local organisations with their own
projects. But there is another side to Rotary –
it also provides opportunities for business and
professional people who are not Rotarians to
experience another culture and learn about the
work of their counterparts abroad.
For three days at the beginning of Sep-
tember, a team of four such young people from
New South Wales, led by an Australian
Rotarian, were hosted by the Rotary Club of
Aboyne and Upper Deeside. The team, com-
prising a journalist, educational designer, con-
struction supervisor and communications of-
ficer, spent some of their time enjoying the
wonderful Deeside scenery but a day was set
aside for each of them to meet representatives
New South Wales Study Exchangeby David Allan
from local businesses and organisations.
The journalist, Stacey Miller, met up with
the Eagle Editor in Ballater to find out how
this popular community magazine is compiled
and published, and about its role in helping
to keep the community informed on local af-
fairs. Stacey currently works as a community
journalist for the Forbes Advocate newspaper
in her home town of Forbes, New South Wales
and she found many similarities between the
Eagle and her own publication. She was par-
ticularly interested in how the Eagle is funded
and offered suggestions as to how revenue
might be increased. Stacey was surprised to
learn of the existence near Ballater of the
Forbes family seat, and hoped to visit Donside
during her time here.
“A government that robs Peterto pay Paul can always depend
on the support of Paul.”George Bernard Shaw
EDWARD J. EMSLIE
House Furnishers &
Floor Covering Specialists
Serving Deeside & Donside
Carpets * Tiles * Blinds
Thousands of samples
to choose from!!
* Hand Made Soft Furnishings *
Thank you for choosing Emslie’s
We wish you all a very Happy
Christmas and New Year.
Station Square
Ballater
AB35 5DX
013397 55005
2334
The Victoria and Albert Memorial Halls
continue to provide a base for community
activities, with many groups meeting again
after the summer break.
The Halls Trustees and Development
Association are working together to keep the
buildings in a good state of repair in the short
term, whilst commencing a staged programme
of renovation. An asbestos survey has been
completed, and some small amounts of the
substance are to be removed from the base-
ment area. This will allow us to obtain the
relevant safety documents which are neces-
sary for further work on the building.
We have applied for funding to cover the
cost of professional assistance to manage the
first stage of the refurbishment which will
tackle insulation of the entire building. To
that end, the Cairngorms National Park
Authority has come up trumps once again,
pledging an award of up to £4,000 provid-
ing we can cover the rest of the cost from
other sources.
As reported previously, we are working
on the formation of a new management body
which can apply for funding to organisations
such as The Big Lottery Fund, as our exist-
ing arrangements do not meet their criteria,
and we have signed up to the Keystone
Awards Scheme which will validate our man-
agement practices – all of these things take
time when we want to get on with things!
We have done our best to ensure that
Halls users are warm and comfortable
throughout the cold weather. Trace heating
has been installed to minimise the risks of
frozen pipes, broken heating elements have
been replaced in the two large halls, and
some work is to be carried out on the roofs
and flashings to prevent further leaks.
V&A Hallsby Bell Macaulay
We are ver y grateful to
Ballater Library for taking halls
bookings for three weeks over
recent holiday times. Over the next
few weeks, a small team will be discussing
how best to manage bookings in the future,
as well as preparing for the appointment of
new hall-keepers when Billy and Annetta
retire at the end of February.
Looking to the future, we are exploring
the possibility of setting up a cinema club,
perhaps in partnership. If anyone is inter-
ested in helping us with this, we would be
delighted to hear from them.
We are fortunate that Cat Houston has
volunteered to do some groundwork towards
the provision of a Learning Centre for Up-
per Deeside, located in the Beaton Craigie
Room and she will be collating information
already available, and contacting groups to
update information over the coming months.
In the meantime, we are continuing with
Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pmSat 9am - 5pm
10 Bridge Street, BallaterTel: 013397 55409
Delivering Quality Healthcaresince 1897
PRESCRIPTIONSCOSMETICS
PHOTOGRAPHICOver-the-Counter MEDICINES
& ADVICE
DavidsonsChemists
Retail Pharmacyand
Veterinary Chemist Group
we shall also be assisting
CLAN and other charities by
selling raffle tickets for a Car in
the Bon Accord Centre in Aber-
deen in December. See you there?
Our Aboyne area contingent will again
be bag packing at Aboyne Coop, on Fridays
23 and 30 December, while, probably on
Saturday 17 December, weather permitting,
our Ballater worthies will be braving the ele-
ments to let you add to our Line of Silver in
front of the Ballater War Memorial. Please
come and have a chat!!
Community ServiceThe Club has agreed to purchase a mo-
bile wheelchair power unit which will be
available locally to help wheelchair users.
VocationalThe Aboyne Academy pupils sponsored
to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership
Awards (RYLA) summer event will be at-
tending a Club Meeting in November to tell
us how they enjoyed the experience and meet-
ing all the challenges of leadership training.
The Club hope to be organising another
fundraising Film Night at the Aboyne Thea-
tre in the near future, with at least some of
the proceeds helping to sponsor pupils for
RYLA next year. Depending on the suc-
cess of the evening, we may be able to spon-
sor even more pupils than before! Look out
for details and the ticket sales!
Following a very productive meeting at
Aboyne Academy to review present projects
and consider new ones, we are looking at a
closer contact with the Academy involving
photography and music. Hopefully we’ll be
able to report progress in the next Eagle.
We also had a very productive and enjoy-
able meeting with the Head Teachers of most
of the Primary Schools in our area, when we
again reviewed the present and considered the
future, discussing closer contacts and new
projects. We look forward once again to being
involved with the running of the successful Pri-
mary Schools Quiz early next year.
International ServiceAs ever, we continue to support Project
Mala, which is concerned with the educa-
tion of children in one of the poorest parts of
India. We are very pleased to be able mean-
time to sponsor three children in primary
school and one now in the middle school.
Engaging our
CommunityAs previously reported, we are keen this
year to engage with you to provide more in-
formation about Rotary in general, and our-
selves in particular, showing how we are all
about fun, fellowship, fundraising, and com-
munity service.
We are presently organising informal so-
cial gatherings locally for small groups to
spread the message a little better about who
STATION
Station Square, Ballater AB35 5PB
Telephone 013397 55050
Popular Informal Restaurant in the Old Royal Station
Open daily from 10am
24 33Upper Deeside Music
by Jane Angus
After a very happy meeting in Victoria
Week at St. Kentigern’s Church, with Grant
Golding playing three instruments and Matt
Edwards the organist at the Paisley Coats
Memorial Church, the society met in the
Darroch Learg for a charming evening with
the Trio Ecossaise. The members of this clari-
net, cello and piano trio having come as in-
dividuals and duos before, were willing also
to take workshops for all the children in the
schools on Upper Deeside. There was also
a further cello ensemble with those from
Tarland and Aboyne. This built on the pre-
vious years’ activity for the young people
studying with Jamie Barclay.
The meeting on 4 December will be a
violin/viola - piano duo, Michael Beeston and
Andrew Johnston.
our fund-raising -300+ Club
– October draw – winners -
£75 No.12 Brenda Searle, £50
No.251 Mr & Mrs Will, £40
No.278 Mrs Moira Wight, £30
No.199 Mrs Margaret Crawford. We will
be renewing the tickets for next year’s lot-
tery over the coming weeks, and will be of-
fering the same numbers to all those who
very kindly supported us this year.
Do you have any ideas for fundraisers?
We would love to hear from you. Why not
come along to one of our monthly Halls
meetings where you would be made most
welcome! Please contact me by telephone
on 013397 55745, or email
marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com
Christmas Fair!Please also contact Bell for tables atthe Halls Christmas Fair on Saturday10 December, in aid of Halls heatingand refurbishment...
the
ALEXANDRAHOTEL
12 Bridge Square, Ballater. Tel: 013397 55376
www.alexandrahotelballater.com
Lunch served 12 noon - 2pm
and
Supper / Dinner served 5.30pm - 8.30pm
Everybody Welcome!
We are very pleased to welcome a new
member to the Club, Dr. Ian Ritchie having
joined us in October. Ian is an Aberdeen-
shire lad whose career in medicine has var-
ied from healthcare work in Canada, consul-
tancy in England, forensic medicine, and
General Practice, before retiring to Ballogie.
Also at the time of writing, Ballater’s
Optician, John Dean-Perrin, has applied to
rejoin the Club. Previously, business com-
mitments and timetables meant that John
had to give up membership, but we are de-
lighted that business changes now enable
John to rejoin us.
The Club is now gearing up for Christ-
mas and the various activities and fundraising
we are always involved with at that time of
Rotary Update
by Ron Drever
year. We look forward to see-
ing many of you during our
travels.
FundraisingThe Club attended all the local High-
land Games as usual with our “Roll the Dice
for Whisky” Stall, including our famous bells
and horns! At Aboyne we again helped with
the car parking, and raised around £2300
gross on the day. We also raised gross just
under £800 at Ballater, around £800 at Brae-
mar, £400 at the Tarland Show, and around
£1600 at the Lonach Games. We had great
fun and our thanks go to everyone who sup-
ported us.
We also enjoyed running the Barbeque
at the Ballater School Race Day, raising
some £100 for our Charity Fund.
At the time of writing this, the Club is
getting ready to again provide and man the
Barbeque at the Aboyne Bonfire Night, and
* Cutting * Colouring
* Perming * Concessions
* Bridal/Special Occasions
* Gift Vouchers available
07824 338 767
Aboyne - Ballater - Crathie - Braemar
By Rae Stanford
Ballater Golf Shop
Ballater Golf Club
Victoria Road, Ballater AB35 5QX
Tel. 013397 55658
Email: shnyule@aol.com
Bill Yule
PGA Golf Professional
Tuition available
£20 per 1/2 hour - 5 Lessons for £80
Non Members Welcome!
*Gift Vouchers Available*
Stockist of:
Ping / Titliest / Nike / Glenmuir / Srixon
‘SNO DEVIL’Joseph Farquharson
The Joyless Winter Day
Ballater (off A939) AB35 5UB
Tel: 013397 55429
E:dot@mcewangallery.com
Please telephone to ensure we are open
during winter months.
The McEwan
Gallery
Balmoral Gift ShopChristmas Sale
Saturday 10th December10am until 4pm
20% off most lines
013397 42534www.balmoralcastle.com
Original Oil Paintings
Janice McIlwain (Rattray)
To view paintings please call Janice, 013397
55546 or email janicerattray@yahoo.co.uk
Commissions welcome for every occasion.
Paintings can be purchased at:
The Silver Thistle and Braemar Gallery
www.janicemcilwain.com
Opening Hours:
Monday 2pm - 6pmTuesday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pmThursday ClosedFriday 2pm - 5pm
Tel. 013397 - 55134
Morven Veterinary
Practice
24 Golf Rd
Ballater
Aberdeenshire
AB35 5RS
2730
Luke Strachan is a
London based artist
and illustrator who
grew up in Tornuaran,
a rustic croft in
Crathie, where his
family still live
today. Luke spent a
year living and working
with Tibetan refugee
communities in India
before university. He
later pursued this
interest by undertaking
an apprenticeship in
Tibetan Buddhist art for
his anthropological
fieldwork. After
graduating from the
University of St Andrews with a Master of
Arts degree in Social Anthropology and
English, Luke spent the next six months
teaching Art and English to high school
students on Wotje, a remote coral atoll in
the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Luke’s fine art has frequently focused
on his rural roots and draws inspiration from
landscape and wildlife, as well as the myths
and folklore of Britain. His paintings, whilst
traditional in scope, often have
dreamlike undercurrents and have been dis-
played in the McEwan Gallery as well as
online at www.artgallery.co.ukNow living in London, Luke’s art remains
focused on urban wildlife, viewing the city
as a natural environment teeming with life.
Inspired by the apiaries of his highland
home and the threat to bees across the world,
Luke is now making plans for his first solo
exhibition entitled “Honey”, which explores
the secret lives of bees.
His passion for graphic art, illustration
and fantasy has led to his cartoons being
published in The Eagle, Sidewalk, EastBound
and most recently Gosh Monsters Book for
children. In addition to this Luke has worked
as an illustrative cartographer, creating hand
drawn maps of London as well as providing
bespoke illustrations for various literary works.
In his spare time Luke is working to com-
plete his first graphic novel, The Orcologist,
which follows the exploits of a schizophrenic
anthropologist whose study of Orc-ish culture
reveals the hidden monsters in each of us.
Though Luke is now living in London
he is always interested in taking on commis-
sions. To see samples of his work and make
contact with him please visit his website
www.lukestrachan.co.uk
Grampian Police and other agencies
across the Grampian area have been ‘gear-
ing up for winter’ and urging residents to
make sure they are prepared too.
Despite the late summer that was en-
joyed by all, emergency services and local
authorities are keen to encourage everyone
to prepare for winter, which can arrive in our
area much earlier than other parts of Scot-
land and with little notice. The last two years
have seen particularly harsh winter weather
with heavy snow and very low temperatures.
A multi-agency response team, involving
Police, Fire and Rescue, NHS and the Lo-
cal Authority amongst others, prepares for
and supports the response in an emergency.
All these organisations have worked together
to develop guidance for people to use when
preparing for the winter. The guidance in-
cludes important steps everyone should take
to keep themselves safe and focuses on Your
Home, Your Travel and Your Community.
Your Home covers a range of is-
sues like making sure that medicine cabinets
are stocked, pipes are protected from freez-
ing temperatures, stocking up fuel supplies,
clearing paths around your home and mak-
ing sure someone knows where you are and
how to contact you.
Your Travel, which is of particular
interest to local Police Officers, encourages
people to plan ahead, checking the forecast
and making sure that transport services are
running to their normal schedules, changing
driving styles to suit the conditions and mak-
ing sure you can keep warm and comfort-
able if your journey is delayed. Make sure
your vehicle is prepared for the winter
weather and ensure all windows are fully
cleared of snow and frost prior to starting
Are You ready for winter?by PC Steve Lafferty
your journey (however short).
Please obey ‘road closed’ signs and if your
journey is not vital, STAY AT HOME...
Your Community urges peo-
ple to think about their neighbours in poor
weather, particularly the elderly or those with
mobility issues. Can transport be shared with
others and can the community work together
to clear paths and drives? Regularly check
on neighbours to ensure all is well.
Further advice can be found on the
Grampian Police and Local Authority
websites.
As always, if you require further advice,
wish to report a crime or discuss any other
issue with us, call in at the Police office or
call Grampian Police on 0845 600 5 700.
Late News: The Schools fabulous 2012calendar, designed by the pupils, ia now
available st £5.50. Call Jo Croll on 55540.Also see Jo for your 2012 200Club tickets.
Late News: The Schools fabulous 2012calendar, designed by the pupils, ia now
available st £5.50. Call Jo Croll on 55540.Also see Jo for your 2012 200Club tickets.
Opening Hours:
Monday 2pm - 6pmTuesday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pmThursday ClosedFriday 2pm - 5pm
Tel. 013397 - 55134
Morven Veterinary
Practice
24 Golf Rd
Ballater
Aberdeenshire
AB35 5RS
2730
Luke Strachan is a
London based artist
and illustrator who
grew up in Tornuaran,
a rustic croft in
Crathie, where his
family still live
today. Luke spent a
year living and working
with Tibetan refugee
communities in India
before university. He
later pursued this
interest by undertaking
an apprenticeship in
Tibetan Buddhist art for
his anthropological
fieldwork. After
graduating from the
University of St Andrews with a Master of
Arts degree in Social Anthropology and
English, Luke spent the next six months
teaching Art and English to high school
students on Wotje, a remote coral atoll in
the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Luke’s fine art has frequently focused
on his rural roots and draws inspiration from
landscape and wildlife, as well as the myths
and folklore of Britain. His paintings, whilst
traditional in scope, often have
dreamlike undercurrents and have been dis-
played in the McEwan Gallery as well as
online at www.artgallery.co.ukNow living in London, Luke’s art remains
focused on urban wildlife, viewing the city
as a natural environment teeming with life.
Inspired by the apiaries of his highland
home and the threat to bees across the world,
Luke is now making plans for his first solo
exhibition entitled “Honey”, which explores
the secret lives of bees.
His passion for graphic art, illustration
and fantasy has led to his cartoons being
published in The Eagle, Sidewalk, EastBound
and most recently Gosh Monsters Book for
children. In addition to this Luke has worked
as an illustrative cartographer, creating hand
drawn maps of London as well as providing
bespoke illustrations for various literary works.
In his spare time Luke is working to com-
plete his first graphic novel, The Orcologist,
which follows the exploits of a schizophrenic
anthropologist whose study of Orc-ish culture
reveals the hidden monsters in each of us.
Though Luke is now living in London
he is always interested in taking on commis-
sions. To see samples of his work and make
contact with him please visit his website
www.lukestrachan.co.uk
Grampian Police and other agencies
across the Grampian area have been ‘gear-
ing up for winter’ and urging residents to
make sure they are prepared too.
Despite the late summer that was en-
joyed by all, emergency services and local
authorities are keen to encourage everyone
to prepare for winter, which can arrive in our
area much earlier than other parts of Scot-
land and with little notice. The last two years
have seen particularly harsh winter weather
with heavy snow and very low temperatures.
A multi-agency response team, involving
Police, Fire and Rescue, NHS and the Lo-
cal Authority amongst others, prepares for
and supports the response in an emergency.
All these organisations have worked together
to develop guidance for people to use when
preparing for the winter. The guidance in-
cludes important steps everyone should take
to keep themselves safe and focuses on Your
Home, Your Travel and Your Community.
Your Home covers a range of is-
sues like making sure that medicine cabinets
are stocked, pipes are protected from freez-
ing temperatures, stocking up fuel supplies,
clearing paths around your home and mak-
ing sure someone knows where you are and
how to contact you.
Your Travel, which is of particular
interest to local Police Officers, encourages
people to plan ahead, checking the forecast
and making sure that transport services are
running to their normal schedules, changing
driving styles to suit the conditions and mak-
ing sure you can keep warm and comfort-
able if your journey is delayed. Make sure
your vehicle is prepared for the winter
weather and ensure all windows are fully
cleared of snow and frost prior to starting
Are You ready for winter?by PC Steve Lafferty
your journey (however short).
Please obey ‘road closed’ signs and if your
journey is not vital, STAY AT HOME...
Your Community urges peo-
ple to think about their neighbours in poor
weather, particularly the elderly or those with
mobility issues. Can transport be shared with
others and can the community work together
to clear paths and drives? Regularly check
on neighbours to ensure all is well.
Further advice can be found on the
Grampian Police and Local Authority
websites.
As always, if you require further advice,
wish to report a crime or discuss any other
issue with us, call in at the Police office or
call Grampian Police on 0845 600 5 700.
* Cutting * Colouring
* Perming * Concessions
* Bridal/Special Occasions
* Gift Vouchers available
07824 338 767
Aboyne - Ballater - Crathie - Braemar
By Rae Stanford
Ballater Golf Shop
Ballater Golf Club
Victoria Road, Ballater AB35 5QX
Tel. 013397 55658
Email: shnyule@aol.com
Bill Yule
PGA Golf Professional
Tuition available
£20 per 1/2 hour - 5 Lessons for £80
Non Members Welcome!
*Gift Vouchers Available*
Stockist of:
Ping / Titliest / Nike / Glenmuir / Srixon
‘SNO DEVIL’Joseph Farquharson
The Joyless Winter Day
Ballater (off A939) AB35 5UB
Tel: 013397 55429
E:dot@mcewangallery.com
Please telephone to ensure we are open
during winter months.
The McEwan
Gallery
Balmoral Gift ShopChristmas Sale
Saturday 10th December10am until 4pm
20% off most lines
013397 42534www.balmoralcastle.com
Original Oil Paintings
Janice McIlwain (Rattray)
To view paintings please call Janice, 013397
55546 or email janicerattray@yahoo.co.uk
Commissions welcome for every occasion.
Paintings can be purchased at:
The Silver Thistle and Braemar Gallery
www.janicemcilwain.com
STATION
Station Square, Ballater AB35 5PB
Telephone 013397 55050
Popular Informal Restaurant in the Old Royal Station
Open daily from 10am
24 33Upper Deeside Music
by Jane Angus
After a very happy meeting in Victoria
Week at St. Kentigern’s Church, with Grant
Golding playing three instruments and Matt
Edwards the organist at the Paisley Coats
Memorial Church, the society met in the
Darroch Learg for a charming evening with
the Trio Ecossaise. The members of this clari-
net, cello and piano trio having come as in-
dividuals and duos before, were willing also
to take workshops for all the children in the
schools on Upper Deeside. There was also
a further cello ensemble with those from
Tarland and Aboyne. This built on the pre-
vious years’ activity for the young people
studying with Jamie Barclay.
The meeting on 4 December will be a
violin/viola - piano duo, Michael Beeston and
Andrew Johnston.
our fund-raising -300+ Club
– October draw – winners -
£75 No.12 Brenda Searle, £50
No.251 Mr & Mrs Will, £40
No.278 Mrs Moira Wight, £30
No.199 Mrs Margaret Crawford. We will
be renewing the tickets for next year’s lot-
tery over the coming weeks, and will be of-
fering the same numbers to all those who
very kindly supported us this year.
Do you have any ideas for fundraisers?
We would love to hear from you. Why not
come along to one of our monthly Halls
meetings where you would be made most
welcome! Please contact me by telephone
on 013397 55745, or email
marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com
Christmas Fair!Please also contact Bell for tables atthe Halls Christmas Fair on Saturday10 December, in aid of Halls heatingand refurbishment...
the
ALEXANDRAHOTEL
12 Bridge Square, Ballater. Tel: 013397 55376
www.alexandrahotelballater.com
Lunch served 12 noon - 2pm
and
Supper / Dinner served 5.30pm - 8.30pm
Everybody Welcome!
We are very pleased to welcome a new
member to the Club, Dr. Ian Ritchie having
joined us in October. Ian is an Aberdeen-
shire lad whose career in medicine has var-
ied from healthcare work in Canada, consul-
tancy in England, forensic medicine, and
General Practice, before retiring to Ballogie.
Also at the time of writing, Ballater’s
Optician, John Dean-Perrin, has applied to
rejoin the Club. Previously, business com-
mitments and timetables meant that John
had to give up membership, but we are de-
lighted that business changes now enable
John to rejoin us.
The Club is now gearing up for Christ-
mas and the various activities and fundraising
we are always involved with at that time of
Rotary Update
by Ron Drever
year. We look forward to see-
ing many of you during our
travels.
FundraisingThe Club attended all the local High-
land Games as usual with our “Roll the Dice
for Whisky” Stall, including our famous bells
and horns! At Aboyne we again helped with
the car parking, and raised around £2300
gross on the day. We also raised gross just
under £800 at Ballater, around £800 at Brae-
mar, £400 at the Tarland Show, and around
£1600 at the Lonach Games. We had great
fun and our thanks go to everyone who sup-
ported us.
We also enjoyed running the Barbeque
at the Ballater School Race Day, raising
some £100 for our Charity Fund.
At the time of writing this, the Club is
getting ready to again provide and man the
Barbeque at the Aboyne Bonfire Night, and
EDWARD J. EMSLIE
House Furnishers &
Floor Covering Specialists
Serving Deeside & Donside
Carpets * Tiles * Blinds
Thousands of samples
to choose from!!
* Hand Made Soft Furnishings *
Thank you for choosing Emslie’s
We wish you all a very Happy
Christmas and New Year.
Station Square
Ballater
AB35 5DX
013397 55005
2334
The Victoria and Albert Memorial Halls
continue to provide a base for community
activities, with many groups meeting again
after the summer break.
The Halls Trustees and Development
Association are working together to keep the
buildings in a good state of repair in the short
term, whilst commencing a staged programme
of renovation. An asbestos survey has been
completed, and some small amounts of the
substance are to be removed from the base-
ment area. This will allow us to obtain the
relevant safety documents which are neces-
sary for further work on the building.
We have applied for funding to cover the
cost of professional assistance to manage the
first stage of the refurbishment which will
tackle insulation of the entire building. To
that end, the Cairngorms National Park
Authority has come up trumps once again,
pledging an award of up to £4,000 provid-
ing we can cover the rest of the cost from
other sources.
As reported previously, we are working
on the formation of a new management body
which can apply for funding to organisations
such as The Big Lottery Fund, as our exist-
ing arrangements do not meet their criteria,
and we have signed up to the Keystone
Awards Scheme which will validate our man-
agement practices – all of these things take
time when we want to get on with things!
We have done our best to ensure that
Halls users are warm and comfortable
throughout the cold weather. Trace heating
has been installed to minimise the risks of
frozen pipes, broken heating elements have
been replaced in the two large halls, and
some work is to be carried out on the roofs
and flashings to prevent further leaks.
V&A Hallsby Bell Macaulay
We are ver y grateful to
Ballater Library for taking halls
bookings for three weeks over
recent holiday times. Over the next
few weeks, a small team will be discussing
how best to manage bookings in the future,
as well as preparing for the appointment of
new hall-keepers when Billy and Annetta
retire at the end of February.
Looking to the future, we are exploring
the possibility of setting up a cinema club,
perhaps in partnership. If anyone is inter-
ested in helping us with this, we would be
delighted to hear from them.
We are fortunate that Cat Houston has
volunteered to do some groundwork towards
the provision of a Learning Centre for Up-
per Deeside, located in the Beaton Craigie
Room and she will be collating information
already available, and contacting groups to
update information over the coming months.
In the meantime, we are continuing with
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we shall also be assisting
CLAN and other charities by
selling raffle tickets for a Car in
the Bon Accord Centre in Aber-
deen in December. See you there?
Our Aboyne area contingent will again
be bag packing at Aboyne Coop, on Fridays
23 and 30 December, while, probably on
Saturday 17 December, weather permitting,
our Ballater worthies will be braving the ele-
ments to let you add to our Line of Silver in
front of the Ballater War Memorial. Please
come and have a chat!!
Community ServiceThe Club has agreed to purchase a mo-
bile wheelchair power unit which will be
available locally to help wheelchair users.
VocationalThe Aboyne Academy pupils sponsored
to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership
Awards (RYLA) summer event will be at-
tending a Club Meeting in November to tell
us how they enjoyed the experience and meet-
ing all the challenges of leadership training.
The Club hope to be organising another
fundraising Film Night at the Aboyne Thea-
tre in the near future, with at least some of
the proceeds helping to sponsor pupils for
RYLA next year. Depending on the suc-
cess of the evening, we may be able to spon-
sor even more pupils than before! Look out
for details and the ticket sales!
Following a very productive meeting at
Aboyne Academy to review present projects
and consider new ones, we are looking at a
closer contact with the Academy involving
photography and music. Hopefully we’ll be
able to report progress in the next Eagle.
We also had a very productive and enjoy-
able meeting with the Head Teachers of most
of the Primary Schools in our area, when we
again reviewed the present and considered the
future, discussing closer contacts and new
projects. We look forward once again to being
involved with the running of the successful Pri-
mary Schools Quiz early next year.
International ServiceAs ever, we continue to support Project
Mala, which is concerned with the educa-
tion of children in one of the poorest parts of
India. We are very pleased to be able mean-
time to sponsor three children in primary
school and one now in the middle school.
Engaging our
CommunityAs previously reported, we are keen this
year to engage with you to provide more in-
formation about Rotary in general, and our-
selves in particular, showing how we are all
about fun, fellowship, fundraising, and com-
munity service.
We are presently organising informal so-
cial gatherings locally for small groups to
spread the message a little better about who
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we are, what we do, and how we do it. Hope-
fully we can also then meet those of you who
may be interested in finding out a bit more
and, who knows, see Rotary as something you
too could be a big part of, and by means of
which you could serve our community.
Have a look at us on www.rotary-ribi.org,
where you simply type in “Aboyne” and press
“GO”.
The Club would like to take this oppor-
tunity to thank all those who have supported
us throughout the year in many different
ways. Without your generosity when we are
fundraising, we would not be able to sup-
port so many local good causes, or help peo-
ple in other countries.
If you would like to find out more about
Rotary, we would be delighted to hear from
you. Please contact Ron Drever at High
Trees, Morven Way, or telephone 013397
56224. We meet on the first and third Mon-
days (and usually any fifth
Monday) of each month at the
Boat Inn, Aboyne, 6 for
6.30pm, and on the second and
fourth Mondays at the Glen Lui Hotel,
Ballater, 6.30 for 7pm.
We have moved to:
2 Braemar Road, Ballater
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Rotary is perhaps best known for
raising thousands of pounds for good causes
and helping local organisations with their own
projects. But there is another side to Rotary –
it also provides opportunities for business and
professional people who are not Rotarians to
experience another culture and learn about the
work of their counterparts abroad.
For three days at the beginning of Sep-
tember, a team of four such young people from
New South Wales, led by an Australian
Rotarian, were hosted by the Rotary Club of
Aboyne and Upper Deeside. The team, com-
prising a journalist, educational designer, con-
struction supervisor and communications of-
ficer, spent some of their time enjoying the
wonderful Deeside scenery but a day was set
aside for each of them to meet representatives
New South Wales Study Exchangeby David Allan
from local businesses and organisations.
The journalist, Stacey Miller, met up with
the Eagle Editor in Ballater to find out how
this popular community magazine is compiled
and published, and about its role in helping
to keep the community informed on local af-
fairs. Stacey currently works as a community
journalist for the Forbes Advocate newspaper
in her home town of Forbes, New South Wales
and she found many similarities between the
Eagle and her own publication. She was par-
ticularly interested in how the Eagle is funded
and offered suggestions as to how revenue
might be increased. Stacey was surprised to
learn of the existence near Ballater of the
Forbes family seat, and hoped to visit Donside
during her time here.
“A government that robs Peterto pay Paul can always depend
on the support of Paul.”George Bernard Shaw
36
When I heard on the Ballater Bush Tel-
egraph that our subscription secretary was
to celebrate a birthday milestone in late
November, I felt that some recognition of her
considerable contribution to Ballater commu-
nity life was called for.
I approached various
people who have en-
joyed Betty’s company
during meetings of the
numerous clubs and
organisations in the vil-
lage of which she is
such an enthusiastic
member, and all ex-
pressed their admira-
tion for the energy,
commitment, friendli-
ness and particularly
the humour of a very
popular lady.
Although she is not
a Ballater quine, Betty’s family has had links
with the village for over 100 years, her grand-
father having been a custodian at the Bar-
racks in Queen’s Road during the 19th cen-
tury. The daughter of a pharmacist, Betty
was brought up as a Scot in exile. The tale
of her time in the ATS towards the end of
World War II was contained within Eagle 38,
and her vivid description of dancing with Lord
Louis Mountbatten at a soiree in India gives
a clear indication of her humour. (Her nose,
she recalls, was pressed against his middle
waistcoat button!) Betty may be small
of stature but she is large in personality, and
with her ready smile and twinkling eyes is a
wonderful friend to many.
After WW2, Betty became a teacher of
Betty Wilson: Ever young at 90
by Ian HayPencil portrait by Eilidh Gow (see also Editor’s letter)
history, and ended up as deputy Head of a
school in Wokingham. Many of us who have
listened to her give talks on a variety of sub-
jects over the years, can only wish that our
own teachers could have been half so much
fun to listen to as
Betty is. I am sure
that there are
many former pu-
pils who have very
fond memories of
their caring, ap-
proachable teacher
who had a sense of
humour. I’m sure
that she had no
difficulty keeping
the attention of her
young charges.
As Sabine
Muir, the first edi-
tor of the Eagle
recalls: “Betty and I used to go to a German
Class years ago, run by Willma Sim. We
had a great time. Betty was always enter-
taining us with funny tales of her time as a
teacher. One was of a child writing a report
after a cooking class and how they had to
tidy up afterwards. She wrote something like:
“We washed up everything and then turned
our bowels upside down on the table and
put a tea towel on top.” Betty told this story
in such an engaging manner that we were
all in hoots of laughter. Betty also came to
the Writers group at the library”.
Betty has been, and indeed still is, a
very active and enthusiastic member of nu-
merous organisations in Ballater, including
SWRI, Ladies’ Probus, Women’s Guild,
21
Seasons Greetings from
Cindy Adams
PG Dip (Coun)
Person Centred Counsellor
1 Netherley Place
Tel: 07969 495399
Crathie, By Ballater
Log fires and a warm welcome
at The Inver
Open to non residents
Good food & fine wines
Lunches & Dinners
Reservations
Telephone 013397 42345
The
I N V E R
H O T E L
Closed 22
December 2011 - 3 January 2012
www.inverhotel.com
20 37
Hogmanay at the HallCrathie Hall is the place to be when the
bells ring in 2012! Celebrations start at 9pm
on New Year’s Eve and continue into the
early hours of New Year ’s Day. Eddie
Esson’s Scottish Dance Band will be there
to set your toes tapping. For tickets or more
information contact Jean Young 42415 or Bell
Macaulay 55745
Coffee at the KirkThe ladies who run The Monday Morn-
ing cafe in Crathie would like to say a HUGE
THANK YOUto all who have so gener-
ously supported them over the past seven
months. They are all looking forward to see-
ing you at their Christmas Special on Mon-
day 5 December 2011, weather permitting!
Crathie Newsby Marion MacIntyre
Book GroupThe group continues to thrive and enjoy
a varied selection of books to discuss. Dur-
ing our recent Indian Summer, which lasted
for at least 3 days (!), we even managed to
have an open air meeting (see photo on back
page) when we discussed “Oryx and Crake”
by Margaret Atwood.
The book provoked mixed reactions but
certainly gave us plenty to talk about and
was an interesting read if not universally
enjoyed! We are currently reading “The
Conjurer’s Bird” by Martin Davies for our
October meeting and then next on the
agenda will be “Penguins Stopped Play”
by Harry Thompson
Bowling ClubCome along to Crathie New Hall on a
Tuesday or Friday evening from 7pm to 9pm
if you would like to join with the Crathie
Bowlers this winter. Whether you are an
experienced bowler or a complete beginner
you will be made most welcome!
Christmas is ComingPatricia Fraser has been busy, with her
helpers, organising the Christmas Meal for
Crathie Senior Citizens and tries very hard
to include all those who are eligible to be
invited. If however you live in Crathie, if you
are a woman aged 60 years or over, or a man
aged 65 years or over, and you think that you
might not be on her list, please contact Patricia
on telephone number 42327 to be included –
she will be pleased to hear from you.
and Ballater Songsters, holding elected of-
fice in many and of course she has served as
an elder of Glenmuick Church. Betty was a
founder, along with David and Valerie
Kinghorn, of the Friday Fellowship, and ea-
gerly joined the Ecumenical Choir. Our pho-
tograph on the back page show her partici-
pating in the SWRI float during one Victo-
ria Week as the Lucky Sweep at Mhairi’s
Wedding. Many will remember her hilarious
responses to the Toast to the Lassies at
Burns Nights, with this rather short lady
having large, kilted Scotsmen rolling in the
aisles, tears of laughter running down their
faces. However interesting the Immortal
Memory may have been, it was always
Betty ’s responses that remained in my
memory! Betty has culinary expertise too,
being the first winner of the SWRI’s Mary
MacPherson Quaich for her lemon meringue
pie (recipe still a secret!). Her puzzles and
competitions have raised hundreds of pounds
for organisations within the village, includ-
ing recently, the refurbishment of the Victo-
ria & Albert Halls.
Betty has always been a caring person,
concerned and willing to help others around
her. Stella Potter, who has been involved with
the Eagle since its early days, remembers
how her elder daughter, before she went to
university, “…cleaned for Betty and some
other folk. She loved going to Betty’s best,
partly as her house was ‘never really dirty’
but mostly she hugely enjoyed the conversa-
tion and laughter they shared. Betty showed
a real interest in my daughter’s life, contrib-
uting to making her the strong young woman
she is today. This is one of Betty’s huge
strengths: she is genuinely interested in the
people she meets. As her personal interests
are wide-ranging too it is always good to see
her smiling face at a meeting, or in the street.
Her presence lightens our lives”.
Caring as she does about others, Betty
is always quick to acknowledge
the considerable assistance
given to her by her immediate
neighbours, particularly Paddy and
Ivy Duncan. Paddy, Betty says, is very handy
for reaching objects on high shelves!
The Ballater Eagle has for years been
happy to publish articles by Betty, whether
extolling the contribution of others to Ballater
life, giving reports of SWRI or church activi-
ties, or a humorous poem such as the one
included in this Eagle. Her talents are nu-
merous and greatly appreciated by all who
know her. She has been our very efficient
Subscription Secretary since the first Eagle
was produced, (Betty, Sheila and Tom are
the only remaining Eagle Team members
from the very first meeting) and keeps in
touch with the ever changing list of subscrib-
ers, currently standing at nearly 80. All of
this is done without the benefit (or draw-
backs) of a computer. She engages with our
subscribers too, sending notes in perfect hand
writing and, as we saw in our summer 2011
issue, exchanging humorous poetry with some
of them.
The Eagle is very proud to have such a
wonderful lady as an active member of our
Team, and trust that she will continue in
that role for some years yet.
We all hope you had a very Happy Birth-
day, Betty.
“I don’t need you to remindme of my age. I have a
bladder to do that for me.”Stephen Fry
���
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38 19
Over £6,000 was distributed among
Ballater’s local groups and charities as a re-
sult of this year’s very successful Victoria
Week. At the group’s AGM in November,
over a dozen organisations were given
cheques following presentations by commit-
tee members on how the week-long event
went and what plans are in store for 2012.
A slideshow of photos from this year’s Vic-
toria Week was shown during the evening
and wine and nibbles served afterwards. The
largest beneficiary was the Victoria and
Albert Halls, which received £1,500 towards
continued improvements in insulation. Glen
Muick Church’s steeple restoration project,
Ballater School Parent Council and the
upcoming Ballater Winter Festival each re-
ceived £500. BRD got £350 towards a
project to improve signage around the village
while the esteemed Eagle got £500 added
to its coffers to help with production costs.
The Ballater Songsters raised £1,000
through their VW event and have asked that
the money be split between CLAN and the
Forget Me Not charity. A further £150 was
raised for CLAN during a raffle at the com-
bined City of Roses Chorus/Quiz night and
the committee opted to match that with an-
other £150. Other groups to benefit included
the Ballater Pipe Band, Ballater Enhance-
ment Group, YES, the Royal Guard’s cho-
sen charity and the Castleton Dancers, all
receiving between £200 and £250.
Plans are already being made for next
year’s Ballater Victoria Week, which is a lit-
tle bit special as it’s a jubilee year for the
event, which started in 1987. It is hoped
that the Scarecrow Competition will attract
even more entries, that the weather will be
Bumper Victoria Week
Benefits Ballater Causesby Cat Houston
kind enough to allow a real duck
race to take place on the River Dee (!) and
perhaps that the number of sporting events
may be increased, as VW’s run (4-12 Aug)
coincides with the Olympics. Many of the
usual favourite events will also take their
place in the varied programme, which offers
something for all, be they resident or visitor.
The band of folk that make the event hap-
pen is blooming but more volunteers are al-
ways needed. If you would like to get in-
volved or have any fab ideas for an event you
would like to put on to make VW 2012 ex-
tra special, then get in touch with the com-
mittee via email at
info@ballatervictoriaweek.co.uk or by phone
on 55018 or 55243. You can also see
www.ballatervictoriaweek.co.uk or find us on
Facebook for information and updates.
Christmas will soon be here and most of
us will have a Christmas tree – real or artifi-
cial. Christmas Tree legends go back to the
fourth century but written evidence is only
from the seventeenth century. The setting
up and decoration of a tree was a German
custom, introduced to Britain by Hessian
soldiers of George III. There was a children’s
party at Windsor in 1821 and again in 1829
with a tree and candles and by 1841 Prince
Albert had a tree. Today we regard a tree as
essential for Christmas. The hanging of trin-
kets on the tree dates back to the Romans.
Candles have been Christianised and repre-
sent Christ as the Light of the World, but in
earlier times they were just essential house-
hold items.
Christmas Greeneryby Sheila Sedgwick
Three types of greenery are on the
Christmas scene – Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe.
HollyBecause holly is
evergreen and has red
berries, it was consid-
ered to be the symbol
of everlasting life. Prickly
holly is lucky for men and
the smooth type for women.
On Deeside in the past, a sprig was re-
tained after the festivities, said to be a pro-
tection against lightning. To burn holly when
green was considered to be very unlucky.
Nowadays, holly wreaths are placed on fam-
ily graves at Christmas and hung on front
doors. An old Deeside saying was “He never
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18 39Keys to the Door
by John Holley
It has been 2 years since AA
Box 472 at Cambus O’ May on
the A93 was ‘saved’ by residents of Ballater
from further decay and eventual extinction.
Its interest to locals and tourists alike has
been unbelievable and the number of com-
ments in the visitors’ book by people from
around the world clearly proves its impor-
tance as a piece of social history.
As we attempt to add to the ‘mini’ mu-
seum contained within the box, we would
like to ask for your help. Many people have,
hidden away somewhere in cupboards, draw-
ers and other secret places, old AA-issued
box keys. We have secured a few keys from
various sources, and these are proudly dis-
played as part of the ‘mini’ museum within
Box 472.
If you think you may have an AA key
hidden away somewhere, then please can
you search high and low and if successful
pass the key to Alistair Cassie at his empo-
rium in Bridge Street, Ballater, and he will
ensure that it becomes part of our ‘mini’
museum.
Happy searching! Play your part in add-
ing to our Box 472 museum. Thank You.
International
Mountain Day Walk
by Glyn Jones
On Sunday 11 December, the Balmoral
Rangers will be celebrating International
Mountain Day with a Winter ascent of a
local peak. This will be a high winter walk,
with the exact route being decided on the
morning of the walk, and will mainly de-
pend on the weather conditions. A good level
of fitness is required. The meeting point is
Spittal of Glen Muick Visitor Centre at
9.30am. Cost is £5 per person, and book-
ing is essential. Contact 013397 55059.
Wee Jim Landscapes
Bridgefoot,Glenmuick, Ballater
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James Anderson
lies but when the holly’s green.” As holly is
evergreen, the person concerned never tells
the truth.
IvyIvy is associated with the god Bacchus.
A cure for drunkeness as well as whooping
c o u g h
was to
drink from
a cup of ivy
wood. Drink-
ing ivy leaves and ber-
ries dissolved in vinegar followed by a drink
of water in which ivy leaves had been boiled,
protected against the effects of over-indul-
gence In medieval times an ivy garland hang-
ing on a door, indicated that wine was for
sale. Ivy leaves were used in divination. If a
leaf put into a bowl of water on Christmas
Eve was still fresh on Twelfth Night, New
Year prospects were good. It there were black
spots, illness would come to a member of
the family, the position of the marks on the
leaf – top, middle and bottom - correspond-
ing to parts of the body. Spots all over the
leaf were a sign of coming death. Ivy is still
used medically. A corn cure is to soak ivy
leaves in vinegar and styes and sore eyes are
bathed in water that ivy leaves have been
soaked in. Catarrh was also treated with an
inhalation of ivy leaf juice.
MistletoeMistletoe, the Golden Bough of legend,
was sacred to both Druids and Norsemen.
Known as the plant of peace,
it was considered to have
magical properties and
was dedicated to the
goddess of love. Called
All-Heal, it was believed
to promote fertility. It was
used as an antidote to poi-
son but it was also used to cure
snakebite, toothache and gen-
eral sores. Mistletoe tea was
regularly used to control epilepsy.
Apart from its medicinal prop-
erties, mistletoe protected the house from
thunder and lightning. To this day, many
churches refuse to bring mistletoe inside be-
cause of its Druidical associations. Years ago,
English people were inclined to kiss on greet-
ing each other - even strangers newly meet-
ing – but Scots were more reticent! In the
1720s the Kirk forbade kissing on the mouth
but hand-shaking was permitted! Customs
have changed but a girl today still hopes to
be kissed under the mistletoe!
Don’t forget to order your tree and the
mistletoe and go searching for ivy and holly
with berries!
“The superfluous, a verynecessary thing.”
Voltaire
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1740
Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms Des-
tination Management Organisation (DMO)
which is based in Ballater is seeking addi-
tional directors and a new chairman. For the
first time, the DMO will be recruiting direc-
tors from the general business community in
the area as well as from its own partnership
base. The DMO currently has 90 partner
businesses and is a company limited by guar-
antee. It is the official tourism organisation
for the Deeside, Donside and the Eastern
Cairngorms area and has carried out many
tourism projects.
Current Chair of the DMO Board,
Garry Marsden says, “This is an exciting
time for the DMO and its partners. We have
several years of hard work under our belt
and have delivered successful promotional
campaigns but now is the time to bring fresh,
enthusiastic talent to the table to help us
continue to deliver for our partners. We are
in talks with our key partners at Scottish
Enterprise, Aberdeenshire Council and
VisitScotland about the funding of our new
business strategy and three year marketing
plan and it’s now time to strengthen our
Board to give it a sustainable future.” The
organisation is seen as one of Scotland’s most
successful tourism bodies.
Garry continues, “There are no special
skills or experience required to become a
Board member. What we need are enthusi-
astic people who are committed to making
Royal Deeside and The Cairngorms a lead-
ing tourist destination, who can attend Board
meetings and give the benefit of their expe-
rience. Obviously, a link to tourism would
be preferable, but we are also seeking peo-
ple from other business sectors to bring fresh
thinking to the Board. Our recent partner
R D & C DMOby John Carnie
survey shows us that there is
goodwill towards the work and
significant achievements of the
DMO and that our partners want
the DMO to continue promoting the area and
at the same time improving communication with
partner businesses and other organisations.”
The DMO has delivered many projects
since its inception including the introduction
of the Venison Festival, and the Dine on
Deeside events; production of a food maga-
zine Deelicious; The Tanalonga gastro ram-
ble; the Deeside Music Sessions; attend-
ance at VisitScotland’s Expo and seasonal
marketing campaigns. The food and drink
projects under the brand of Royal Deeside
Larder has been nominated for nine PR and
marketing awards in 2011.
For more information about the role of
the board members and confidential discus-
sion about the position of Chairman, please
contact Garry Marsden on 013397 42555.
Royal Deeside & the Cairngorms DMO
is the official Destination Management Or-
ganisation for tourism businesses in the ar-
eas of Royal Deeside, Donside and the
Eastern Cairngorms. Find out more about
the DMO at www.discoverroyaldeeside.com
For three days and nights it hammered
non-stop. Steel-like rods of rain drove the
grey furry squeakies deep into their holes
and silenced the squawking crows and gulls
that cowered in the scanty shelter offered by
the oak trees that hugged the banks of the
nearby Dee. It was a miserable time for the
wild life and had it continued much longer,
it could have brought some of them close to
starvation. But for me - although I did not
know it at the time - this tropical style down-
pour was to be my salvation. The more it
lashed the earth, the more it chiselled away
the years of dirt and rubbish that had accu-
mulated on my limbs, exposing me once
more to a world I had never expected to see
again.
Ozymandias of the Arrigation
by Wee Chis
Part One - ‘Ozzy finds Peace after Purgatory’
Saturday dawned and with it came the
sun. The squeakies, pleased to be free of
their enforced confinement, were soon back
again, sniffling and snuffling and foraging
all around me as usual, one beady eye jeal-
ously guarding their spoils, the other forever
scanning the skies for their mortal enemies
the thieving crows, who, when hungry as
now, could easily kill an unwary young rat
with their long sharp wicked beaks and they
often did. The rats were just as bad how-
ever, as birds’ eggs and young chicks were a
welcome addition to their diet, as many a
sad, ground nesting avian family, often found
out.
Being inedible of course I was of no value
to any of them. I also detested these black
scavengers, but for a different reason. With
complete lack of respect for my limbs, they
would use me as a perch, their sharp talons
gripping me hard and scratching off what
remained of my poor royal blue skin. Preen-
ing, primping and calling to one another in
hoarse, croaking tones, they would, worst of
all, leave me covered in their foul, white,
acidic paint-removing deposits
I had long been resigned to my fate, but
I still dreamt of that day when I had first
arrived in Ballater in the luggage van of a
steam train. The journey from Nottingham,
the place where I had been born, had been
long and tedious and I had been glad, when
bandaged like an Egyptian mummy in pro-
tective wrapping paper to protect my shiny
new skin, I had been carried across the Sta-
tion Square and delivered to a nearby shop,
where the shopkeeper, an old soldier called
Jock, welcomed my arrival and soon had me
standing proud and polished, close to his
“Cross country skiing is greatif you live in a small country.”
Steven Wright
16 41year. As BRD has charitable
status, it cannot trade directly.
It is proposed to set up a sub-
sidiary trading company which will
be wholly owned by BRD. All sur-
pluses will be applied to the improvement of
facilities at the Park and to other community
projects. Directors for this new company will
be recruited from the community. Over the
past 15 years there has been little invest-
ment in the Park, other than the provision of
services to the static stances. It is hoped that,
under community management, the facilities
will be greatly enhanced, thus attracting an
increase in numbers of visitors.
Further information can be found in a
leaflet which is available on our website
www.royal-deeside.org.uk, or at our office.
SignageJack Coull reports that progress is being
made towards the achievement of our aim to
erect 3 pedestrian fingerpost directional signs
within the village and a granite “Welcome”
sign at the entrance to Ballater on the A93.
The Old SchoolIn the summer edition of the Eagle, we
reported that BRD and the North East of
Scotland Preservation Trust had combined
to undertake an Options Appraisal Study
on the future of the Old School. The con-
sultants used the community drop-in day in
July to get residents’ views on various pro-
posals. The consultants’ report is expected to
be published at the beginning of November
and for more details contact the BRD office.
Glenmuick Church
by Betty Wilson
Glenmuick and Glengairn are among the
few churches in Scotland that are able to
keep their doors open during the summer
months. Comments in the visitor’s books
show that this facility is much appreciated,
and in both churches, the beautiful flower
arrangements are often mentioned.
This year, a visitor to Glenmuick from
Essex picked up a Wordsearch puzzle, pro-
duced to raise money for the upgrading of
the Ballater Halls. When she sent in her
solution, she enclosed an unsolicited dona-
tion to the church flower fund. A draw took
place to select three winners and her name
was the first one out! She was sent a cheque
for £10 and she wrote back to say that she
was going to spend the money on a special
flower arrangement for her church.
Who would have thought that a
Wordsearch puzzle in Ballater would
bring about a floral display in an Essex
Church?!!
Graham Stuart
Plumbing & Heating Engineers
Tel: 013397 55627 / Fax: 56342Mobile: 07836 562946
Est. 1975
BathroomsBoiler ReplacementsPressurised Systems
Oil Fired, Solid Fuel orUnderfloor Central Heating
open doorway.
A sign had then been hung from my front
lamp bracket, which in large letters said, “For
Sale - Gents Raleigh - £12/10s”, but that
sign didn’t stay there long!
I waited eagerly to begin the transport-
ing duties for which I had been made, but
had to admit taking an immediate dislike to
the rough looking man who became my first
owner and whose actions soon justified my
worst fears. In the months that followed,
never a drop of oil did my poor chain and
other moving parts receive to ease away the
dryness and pain caused by metallic friction.
My groans and squeaks were ignored and
there was never any attempt to clean away
the dirt that soon accumulated on my wheels
and body.
The chrome on my beautiful shiny han-
dlebars soon started to rust, succumbing to
the blood and other liquids oozing from the
dozen or so rabbits that usually dangled from
their extremities. Occasionally, when threat-
ened with a beating and snarled at long
enough, one of his scruffy, nit infested and
half starved bairns would find my pump and
try their puny best to force some fresh air
into my poor worn tyres, but I was offered
no other kind of maintenance and starved of
any respect.
My owner, a poacher, lived up in one of
the glens and on most evenings my main
task was to convey him to the village, where
he would spend several hours at the
Invercauld Hotel, in a noisy place to one side,
known locally as ‘The Tink’. When he
emerged, most often barely able to stand,
the journey home would become a painful
experience. Once in the saddle and after
several false attempts to remain upright, his
tackety booted feet would at last find my
pedals and I would be forced to move in
whatever his drink-addled brain thought was
a straight line. Invariably however, a drunken
mist would overcome his senses
and unable to focus, we would
follow a meandering course that
took us from one kerbside in the
road, to the other. Many a time he would
end up on top of me in a hedge at the road-
side or in some foul ditch, cursing and swear-
ing and of course blaming me for his lack of
control. Occasionally he would fall asleep and
lie there for several hours before the cold and
wet half sobered him up and the journey
could continue. I suffered terribly and the
daily abuse, kicks and general neglect gradu-
ally reduced me to such a shabby state, that
if I had been given a head, I would have
hung it in shame every time I met another
roadster of my ilk
How I longed for some relief, to be able
to run free on well oiled hubs and bearings,
to have well adjusted brakes acting on well
polished wheel rims, to have pedals that were
not seized up, mudguards that were not
“Wine is constant proof thatGod loves us and loves to
see us happy.” Benjamin Franklin
1542
Ballater Caravan ParkThe major part of the site was bought
by Ballater Town Council in 1967. The sur-
pluses which accrued enabled the Town rates
to be reduced by a shilling in the pound –
not a bad return for the investment. There
were many other benefits to the community
in the form of increased trade for shops, res-
taurants, and the Golf Club. Later, owner-
ship passed to Kincardine and Deeside Dis-
trict Council and eventually to Aberdeen-
shire Council. A return to community man-
agement will complete the loop, bring ben-
efits to the community, and secure the fu-
ture of the Caravan Park.
At the end of 2007, Aberdeenshire
Council, in the light of the losses accruing
from their 11 Caravan Parks, invited inter-
Ballater (RD) Ltdby Paddy Wright
est from possible partners to be-
come involved in the management. BRD
expressed an interest in the Ballater Park
and formed a steering group to negotiate. It
has been a long hard slog with little progress
being made until recently, when the Coun-
cil resolved to cease operation of all its Cara-
van Parks by the end of the current season.
It resolved to transfer management to suit-
able community bodies, and only as a last
resort would commercial organisations be
considered. The recent Community Asset
Transfer legislation permits local authorities
to transfer assets, including leases, to com-
munity bodies at below market value.
BRD is now very optimistic that a lease
or transfer of ownership of the Park will be
agreed with the Council by the end of this
by Bob Thomson
Tel: 013397 41214
Kindrochit Drive, Braemar
AB35 5YW
Old Cine Film Reels
& Slides to DVD:
Excellent Results
Reasonable Cost and No VAT!
Do before they fade away!
Local Interest DVDs
(e.g. “Braemar”,
“Royal Deeside - Its Land
& People”) & More!
(Established 1969)
dented and scratched, properly
inflated tyres with a modicum
of tread and a battery operated
headlamp instead of the splutter-
ing feeble carbide one that hung from
my front bracket. Above all, I wanted to have
my paintwork and chrome looked after and
treated with respect. Very rarely in life do
one’s prayers get answered, but one memo-
rable day, the good fairy of all cycles must
have been listening, for at long last a chink
in the dark cloud of my despair opened briefly
and my wishes came true.
My owner was in his usual half coma-
tose state on the way home and barely man-
aging to make progress, we stopped at the
brow of the bridge as it crosses the Dee. In
the course of the evening he had somehow
managed to acquire a half bottle of some
spirit and reaching into his grimy coat he
pulled it forth and removing the stopper, took
a long swig. Burping loudly, he then went to
replace it, but somehow his fumbling hand
missed his pocket and the bottle fell, shat-
tering on the ground.
Roaring with frustration, he then climbed
back into my saddle and once there his pow-
erful legs forced me to move. Unfortunately,
the oaf had given me no alternative but to
travel through the sharp glass shards now
littering the road. The outcome was inevita-
ble and with heavy sighs both my poor old
bald tyres expired - sadly their patched pneu-
matic lives were finally over.
Unable to maintain his balance the man
then fell sideways and as he went down with
a heavy thump, my badly worn and jagged
left hand pedal cut through the cloth of his
trouser leg and for good measure, gave him
a nasty gash across his shin.
Now thoroughly enraged, in pain and
with the prospect of a long walk home fac-
ing him, he picked me up. Ye’ll nae get the
better o’ me, ye useless auld piece o’ scrap’,
he roared and with a curse hurled me over
the parapet of the bridge and down, down I
went, into the swollen waters of a river Dee
in full winter spate. Many feet below, with
scarcely a splash, the cold waters softly cush-
ioned my fall and gathering all around me,
welcomed me to their dark brown depths.
The fierce current then tumbled me wheel
over wheel for several hundred yards, until
finally one of my pedals became wedged be-
tween two boulders. I was held fast and there
I remained!
Hidden below the surface, this watery
resting place among the slimy eels, inquisi-
tive trout and migrating salmon could easily
have been my last resting place and for sev-
eral months I enjoyed the peace and quiet,
my only worry in this sea of tranquility aris-
ing from the corrosive effect the water seemed
to be having on my limbs. It came to pass
however, that one fine spring day as I was
watching the salmon moving past me on their
ATHOLL COUNTRYWEAR
For Quality Ladies’
and Men’s Clothing
Accessories & Shoes
Fine Gifts
13 Bridge Street,
Ballater AB35 5QP
Tel: 013397 53810
Open:
Monday-Saturday 10am-5.30pm
14 43lem is obviously shortage of
funds to pay for facilities, what-
ever form they might take. Early
participation in discussions with
teenagers would be useful, to get some
credible definition of facilities that would be
most beneficial to Ballater youth.
But here’s the catch – you don’t get any-
thing for nothing. Ballater youth would have
to pay for it. We are suggesting that a scheme
could be devised whereby they get involved
in “community services” in exchange for cash,
sponsorship, or pledges of support. Activi-
ties such as washing cars, cleaning, garden-
ing, snow clearance, help with computers and
many more could be included. Possibly local
trades people could help train those inter-
ested to do more complex tasks. The pro-
ceeds would be paid into a fund to finance
the desired facilities. This can be co-ordinated
with opportunities to capture additional fund-
ing through sources like the Lottery.
This would need a lot of organising and
effort. More definition of a scheme like this
would be needed, and the goal should be
challenging but achievable, as the obvious
consequences of failure are worth avoiding.
However, as well as achieving the in-
tended outcome from a project like this, there
could be huge benefits to the community,
like improved relations across generations, and
making unexpected new friends.
If any readers are interested in taking up
a challenge like this, please let us know.
SWRI
by Aileen Barbour
On 21 September President Anne
Richardson welcomed members and visitors
to the meeting after the summer break.
After business, the President introduced
Aileen Asher, Glass Engraving Artist from
Tomintoul who gave a talk then demonstrated
the art of engraving. Mrs Asher brought a
selection of her beautiful work to let us see
and this was greatly admired. Members
were invited to participate, which some did
and were pleased with their efforts. The
competition was a “Decoration Candle”:
1) Joan Anderson, 2) Frances Johnstone,
3) Margaret Finnie, 4) Pat Fraser.
The meeting on 19 October was entitled
“Theatre Experiences” by Tommy Baxter.
It was fascinating to get an insight into the
West End theatre world in London and was
most enjoyable. The competition this
month was “Double Shortbread”:
1 ) Frances Johnstone, 2) Margaret
Cameron, 3) Margaret Finnie, 4) Thelma
Cooper.
On 16 November, Jenny Houston gave
a talk on the “History of Flower Arrang-
ing”. Dates for meetings through until March
are contained within the Eagle Diary.
way upstream to spawn, I was surprised to
feel several sharp tugs on my chain. Two fish-
ermen, rods in hand, were standing on the
riverbank, one of them complaining that his
hook was caught in something and that he
would have to wade out to retrieve it.
Soon the owner of a large pair of feet
encased in heavy rubber waders appeared
and an astonished red face peered down at
me. ‘Its an auld roosty bike’, he yelled, ‘I’d
better rug it oot afore it snags somebody else’s
hookie’ and a moment later, using his gaffe,
he pulled me to the water’s edge and after
unhooking his fly, threw me casually onto
the grassy bank.
My wheels were the first to go, some
scavenging bairns delighted at the prospect
of making themselves a cartie of sorts. My
handlebars soon followed to some auld wifie,
a knitter, living on her own, who, needing
an extra pair of hands when it came to turn-
ing skeins of wool into balls, was keen to
have them fixed to the back of her kitchen
chair. Sadly, the last to go was my fine leather
saddle, scuffed and cracked, but still in one
piece and serviceable.
So there I rested, a skeleton of my former
self, rusting quietly in the long grass, my
bonnie blue paint almost all gone and no
doubt there I would have remained, had not
some progressive and energetic new mem-
ber of the village council decided that there
should be a clean up of the river bank oppo-
site the Riverside Garage and some seats
installed, for the old folk to while away their
pensioner days. Soon the grey ash cart ar-
rived and I was once more on my travels,
this time to the Arrigation. The journey was
short, and without ceremony I was dumped
on this festering pile of rubbish, where I now
remain.
Next issue: Part Two - In which ‘Ozzy
finds Salvation after Salvage’...
Can you help
concerning
Colville Cottage?Joan from Dunfermline would
like to know if anyone has any information
about Colville Cottage (41 Victoria Road)
in the 1930s? Maybe a photograph of the
tenants who resided there at around that
time?
She would really appreciate any info you
can give her. Please talk to Sabine Muir,
who has Joan’s details. You can contact
Sabine through the library.
“There is only one wayto happiness, and that isto cease worrying things
which are beyond thepower of our will.”
Epictetus
C.S.M.
Handyman
J.Lanigan
general maintenance inside and
out, gutter cleaning, garden
tidying, chimney sweep, etc.
Strathgirnoc Farmhouse
South Deeside Road
Ballater
Tel.
013397 56227
Mobile
07506951506
Email: C-S-M_Aerials@hotmail.co.uk
All the little jobs
you can’t get any1 to do
1344
Co-Op UpdateThings with the Co-op have moved for-
ward a bit since the last issue of the Eagle.
Following our letter to the CEO, and vari-
ous telephone conversations, we have been
informed that;
“Ballater Main St. has been reviewed
and several sections in-store are currently
being increased, which will increase our
range. Space in-store is limited but we are
committed to continually work with you to
improve the service that we offer to the
Ballater community.
The range changes that the company is
going through nationwide at present, is help-
ing to increase range in most stores. This should
further help increase the range. A gluten free
product range has been put forward to our
Space Planning Manager to look at ways to
incorporate this range into the store.
In regards to the split ranging across the
two stores, Michael McCarthy, Area Op-
erations, hopes to discuss this when he meets
with you in the near future.”
In the meantime, we may request the
local managers to ask customers for details
of specific items they require in the event
that some shelf space can be made free by
rationalising stock between the two stores.
Please let us know what you think would
make the Co-op better - we will try and put
your comments to them.
Bridge Street
CongestionThe communities’ survey that B&CCC
conducted last autumn showed a degree of
concern about traffic congestion, especially
on Bridge Street. We understand that opin-
ions on the significance of this may be di-
Community Councilby Graham Adams
vided. However, it seems that a fairly small
increase in traffic activity can turn Bridge
Street from a picture of calm serenity into a
source of considerable frustration. The part
between Bridge Square and Victoria Road /
Hawthorn Place junction seems to be par-
ticularly sensitive.
We don’t know if there are any smart
measures that can be taken to improve the
situation, but we intend to explore possibili-
ties, in consultation with personnel from Ab-
erdeenshire Council.
Youth ActivitiesThe communities’ survey also revealed
that there is a perceived lack of facilities and
activities for Ballater youth (people in the
age range 11-18 (approximately). The prob-
Charleston Buildings, Ballater RoadAboyne, AB34 5HN
(013398) 86874
The first task facing the Trustees of the
Halls after cessation of hostilities, was set-
tling the account with the Red Cross who
had used the Victoria Hall as a hospital
during the war. At first they asked for £20.00
for electric light, the replacement of five dozen
cups and saucers and one and a half tons of
coke, being the estimated amount used by
the hospital. After discussion with the Red
Cross, the Trustees agreed to waive the elec-
tricity charge but insisted on the crockery and
coke being replaced and also asked for £4.00
for a new sink and £5.00 for a new wash
hand basin. Once all this was agreed, Dr
Hendry, the hospital superintendent, pre-
sented the Trustees with a clock in apprecia-
tion. The War Office sent a letter express-
V&A Halls Minutes Extracts
the Roaring Twentiesby Janet Riddler
ing its “deep appreciation of the Trustees’
kind and patriotic action”.
The Trustees next decided to allow the
Town Council free use of the Halls for a
“Treat for Returning Soldiers” on 2 May,
1919. They also agreed to let the large base-
ment room to The Discharged Soldiers and
Sailors Association for two shillings (10
pence) a month payable quarterly. This was
on the strict understanding that if the Room
was found not to be being used for its pur-
pose of providing a place of meeting which
was morally and socially beneficial to young
men, its use would be discontinued. No in-
toxicating liquor could be consumed on the
premises and no intoxicated person would
be admitted. The members of the Associa-
tion were to discourage any loitering outside
the Room or in the vicinity of the Halls,
whether by men or women.
A new flagpole, rope and flag were or-
dered from Messrs Shirras Laing of Aber-
deen in time for the Peace Celebrations.
In October 1919 some local gentlemen
asked to rent the Victoria Hall for a cinemato-
graph entertainment twice a week. It was
agreed to offer the Hall for £60 a year to
include use of the piano. This was subse-
quently reduced to once a week for £30 a
year.
Mr Angus, the Hallkeeper, asked for an
assistant but the only applicant, Willie
Rattray, was found not to be eligible to leave
school until January so it was suggested that
because Mr Angus was on duty till 10pm a
woman might be engaged to clean the rooms
in the morning so that Mr Angus did not
need to arrive until 10am. He was also al-
lowed to leave brushing the billiard tables
Total Building
Services
For all your home improvement needs
All Property MaintenanceNo Job Too Small / Distance No Object
Telephone 013397 56221or 07728 480706
• Carpentry
• Electrics
• Roofing
• Plastering
• Plumbing
• Brickwork
• Tiling
• Driveways
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Extensions
• Landscapes
• Decorating
• Guttering
12 45
In March 2008 CLAN Can-
cer Support launched a campaign to raise
funds for a new cancer support centre in
Aberdeen. At the end of October this year,
we moved into our wonderful new home
adjacent to the city’s Westburn Park.
Of particular interest to readers in
Deeside is our accommodation facility -
CLAN Haven. Our Haven provides afford-
able B&B accommodation and so much,
more to anyone from outlying areas coming
to Aberdeen for treatment or appointments.
Family members and close friends are also
made very welcome. We have twenty-seven
en-suite rooms including two family rooms
and two disability adapted rooms.
The Haven is renowned for its warm,
welcoming atmosphere – many a long chat
CLAN News
by Joan Cowiegoes on round the kitchen table. Our Ha-
ven team offers practical and emotional sup-
port as well as providing a continental break-
fast. Our guests are also welcome to access
any of the services in the centre including a
wide range of complementary therapies.
To find out more about CLAN Haven,
or to make a booking, please call us on:
01224 647000.
Of course, when people return home to
Deeside they can continue to access sup-
port locally. At CLAN in the Community
based in Ballater you will find the same warm
welcome. There is always time to talk and
our kettle is always on. Our complementary
therapies can help with relaxation whilst our
support group, and walking group provide
friendship, peer support and gentle exercise.
However we simply could not provide
these services without a very special group
of people – our volunteers. Volunteers help
us in so many ways – providing support in
the centre, in the CLAN shop, fundraising
and organising events. We’d be delighted to
hear from anyone who would be interested
in helping us in any way. To find out more
please drop into the centre or call us on:
013397 56318.
And finally a huge thank you from our
bag-packers who were at the Co-op in
Aboyne on 8 October. Thanks to your gen-
erosity we raised £396 which will directly
benefit people in this area.
For more information about CLAN lo-
cally and in Aberdeen visit our website at
www.clanhouse.org
“Never fight aninanimate object.”
P. J. O’Rourke
until the next day as the trustees insisted on
play continuing until 10pm rather than
9.45pm as Mr Angus wanted. The Trus-
tees decided at this time to allow the playing
of Pool (common or snooker) on the billiard
tables.
On 23 May 1920, even though the day
was a Sunday and the Trustees were un-
happy about allowing commercial use of the
premises on a Sunday, they allowed the Vic-
toria Hall to be used for a luncheon venue
for 300 delegates from the National Union
of General Workers conference being held
in Aberdeen. The delegates were visiting
Balmoral Castle and no other building in
Ballater was large enough for the purpose.
In February 1923 a letter was received
from an Edinburgh solicitor’s office inform-
ing the Trustees that Miss Scott of Rothesay
Place, Edinburgh, who had died in Ballater
the previous September, had dictated an in-
formal memorandum two days before her
death leaving the books in her
house in Ballater to the library.
The residuary legatees had de-
cided to honour the bequest but
pointed out that as the house was let, most
of the more than 400 books would not be
available until October. It was agreed that
as the books were of general literature and
the works of Scott, Stevenson and Dickens
being in the best editions, the Trustees
would gratefully accept the bequest. This
bequest caused a lot of work for the Trus-
tees as they had to have new bookcases in-
stalled which necessitated moving a door in
the library, and having a catalogue of the
books drawn up and 400 copies printed.
In the summer of 1923 the streets were
being repaired and several loads of the re-
sulting refuse were obtained to resurface the
area in front of the Institute.
In February 1924 the Choral Union
asked for the Albert Hall heating to be im-
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TTTTTelelelelel.55816.55816.55816.55816.55816
1146 Committee Skills
Training
by Lindsay Lumsden
Sandy Mathers of Aberdeen Council for
Voluntary Service delivered an interesting
and informative training session on Commit-
tee Skills to members of the community in
Ballater on 19 September. They looked at
the roles of committee members and office
bearers, running meetings, minute-taking,
and financial and legal responsibilities.
The course was organised by a partner-
ship of BOVOF (Ballater One Voice Our
Future), Aberdeenshire Coun-
cil Community Learning &
Development and Aberdeen-
shire CVS Training Initiative.
One participant commented, ‘Many
thanks for a fab. course, I really enjoyed it
and got a lot out of it’.
proved. The Trustees decided
not to install radiators mean-
time but that they would board
up the ventilators in the roof. In
November 1924 they asked Mr Walter
Simpson to draw up a report on the prob-
able cost of heating the Albert Hall and also
one for heating the rest of the Halls sepa-
rately. No reply had been received by Au-
gust 1925 but on enquiry it appeared that
Mr Simpson had died so the Trustees now
had the task of recovering all the plans and
papers he had taken away with him. Mr
Bennet Mitchell was asked to recommend a
heating engineer in Aberdeen but he was
unable to do this so an engineering firm in
Glasgow was sought. The consultations went
on until June 1926 when the contract was
finally let to William Walsh of Ballater, his
tender being £409.16/6(£409.83pence).
After all this time the Trustees wanted the
work completed by the end of September
1926 but it was well into 1927 before the
new system was fully installed and the whole
building was then redecorated.
In June 1928 the Trustees agreed to have
the footpath in front of the Halls tar sprayed
by the contractor who was spraying Station
Square, so long as it cost about £2.
In December 1928 a letter was received
from the son-in-law of Mr and Mrs Charles
Paterson who had left £7,500 to Ballater for
the provision of cottage homes, asking if the
Trustees would accept portraits of Mr and
Mrs. Paterson for the “public hall”. The
Trustees replied that although the Halls were
not strictly public, they would be happy to
hang the portraits in the Victoria Halls pend-
ing possible removal to the Paterson Cot-
tage Homes once they were built. At the
same time the portraits of Mr and Mrs Al-
exander Gordon would be re-hung in the
Victoria Hall.
Towards the end of 1929 the minister,
Mr Waugh, asked if badminton could be
played in the Albert Hall on Thursdays in
the winter. Permission was granted on con-
dition that play be confined to young people
connected to the Church of Scotland. The
Albert Hall was found to be unsuitable for
the game so the Victoria Hall was offered
on condition that no permanent marks be
made on the floor. Later, the club was al-
lowed to mark out the court with Duresco,
the work to be done by a skilled tradesman
and the lines to be as narrow as possible.
This proved unsatisfactory and the club was
eventually allowed to use ordinary black paint
and black enamel.
In January 1930 the small mirror in
Room 2, which was often used as a ladies’
cloakroom, was replaced with a larger sec-
ond hand one. It was also agreed to provide
soap and towels for the adjoining lavatory. 4
x 2 yard roller towels and a quantity of
Lifebuoy soap were purchased.
“The mind that is anxiousabout future events ismiserable.” Seneca
Buying and Selling Property
Wills and Powers of Attorney
Trusts and Executries
Notarial Executions
Resident Solicitors
Your local
solicitor and
estate agent
FRASER & MULLIGAN
24 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP
Tel No. 013397 55633
Fax No. 013397 55564
ballater@fraser-mulligan.co.uk
10 deen kindly stepping into the
shoes of Helen Robb from
Montrose who had been taken
ill. We send her our good wishes
and our grateful thanks go to Rena
who, apart from producing stunning designs,
coped with the unexpected arrival of a bat
which swooped and dived over the heads of
a bemused audience. I wondered why
Kathleen had left me with full instructions
for the meeting but had omitted to include
bat catching equipment. A brave lady suc-
ceeded in catching the bat in the brightly lit
hallway after we had extinguished the lights
in the room. It was released unharmed.
Ivy Duncan’s tea and biscuits were very
welcome at the end of such an exciting evening.
Our October meeting was our AGM
with Sonia Wolfe-Murray demonstrating af-
ter the business had been completed.
Our fund-raising Christmas Charity
evening on 24 November will be reported in
the next Eagle issue when we hope to record
an evening of Christmas designs from Gill
Garrow and be able to make generous do-
nations to our two charities, The Sandpiper
Trust and the Community Bus.
Floral Art Meetings will resume in April
2012.
BOVOF
by Ron Drever
Many will have noticed the new sign at
the entrance to Monaltrie Park. This was a
project initiated by the Monaltrie Park Us-
ers Group (MPUG), a BOVOF Partner-
ship, intended to make the Park entrance
more welcoming.
Ballater Highland Games kindly agreed
to fund the manufacture of the sign, while
Aberdeenshire Council kindly provided the
labour necessary to remove the old sign and
erect the new. Our thanks to both – we trust
the community enjoys this latest BOVOF/
MPUG project.
With regard to the possible new Dental
Practice, BOVOF have been pushing NHS
Grampian for action, and will continue to
do so. In October, we were advised by NHS
Grampian that:-
“We are still in the process of looking at
all the options available to us in line with
funding allocations and if there is anything
to update you with, I will give you a call.”
We’ll keep trying!
47The Lost Watch by Betty Wilson
Glen Lui
Restaurant open all year round
Comfortable and Relaxing with Excellent Food and Wine
Family groups and companies welcome
Book for our Festive Menu available throughout December
Closed December 24, 25 and 26.
Lunch daily from 12 to 2 p.m. / Dinner daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Invercauld Road, Ballater, Royal Deeside AB35 5PP
Tel.013397 55402
www.glen-lui-hotel.co.uk Email: infos@glen-lui-hotel.co.uk
Private Function & Conference Facilities
* Licensed for Weddings *
H O T E L
RESTAURANT & bISTRO BAR
My watch is not as old as I, but getting on that way.It doesn’t have a battery, I wind it up each day.
The other day, I lost it- it could be anywhere,Lying on the bathroom shelf, or underneath a chair.
My mind went back to yesterday, but I could not recallWhere was I when I took it off? Maybe in the hall.
I searched beside the telephone, then each step of the stair,Up into the bedroom, but I couldn’t find it there.
It must be in the kitchen, maybe beside the sink.It wasn’t in the living room. Where else? I couldn’t think.
I wondered if I’d scooped it up with yesterday’s P&J.,So I emptied out the waste bin - no luck, I have to say.
After an hour, or two, or more, my house was looking neat,Perhaps the strap had given way, and I’d lost it in the street.
That must be what happened - search ended for today.I might as well give up, and buy another straight away.
I’d lost it, yes I’d lost it, it had well and truly gone -And then I rolled my sleeves up, and you’ve guessed it! I’d got it on!!
Marie Chapman
Soft Furnishings, Tarland
Hand and machine work
available for curtains,
pelmets, tie backs, cushions
and Roman blinds.
Also curtain alterations and
home visits available.
Free estimates with a large
collection of fabric samples.
Complete job catered for from
measuring to fitting.
Tel. 077860 66940
marieandduncan@aol.com
Crannach Coffee
Shop & Bakery
at Cambus O’May
Open Thursday - Tuesday11am - 5pm
Bread Making Courseson Wednesdays
Gift Vouchers Available
Tel: 013397 55126 for details
948 Pottering About . . .by Stella Potter
Upper Deeside
Art Society
by Moira Mckenzie
HRH The Duchess of Rothesay at-
tended a private preview of the annual art
exhibition organised by the Upper Deeside
Art Society (UDAS) in Ballater, during
August. see pic on back page....
Held in the Victoria Hall, the 19th an-
nual UDAS exhibition featured 299 works,
demonstrating the broad array of talent of
UDAS members. The Duchess, an Hon-
orary Lifetime Member of the Society, was
able to meet the 58 artists whose works were
on display and discussed their creative inspi-
ration.
The sublime landscapes of the Dee Val-
ley continue to inspire local artists, along with
botanical, animal and human subjects. The
mediums on display varied from watercolours
and oils to delicate sculptures in willow
branch, and finely turned bowls in yew and
elm wood.
UDAS was established in 1992 and now
boasts nearly 100 members. It is open to all
amateur artists living in the Upper Deeside
area and is a living demonstration that art
need not be a solitary pastime. Members
attend regular workshops, demonstrations of
creative techniques and talks by professional
artists. In the summer months, UDAS or-
ganises painting days at local landmarks, such
as Crathes Castle and Finzean House.
Floral Art Group
by Mildred Coull
The Floral Art Group had many success-
ful entries in the BRHS Annual Exhibition
which was held in the Victoria Hall on 21 and
22 August and were well represented, par-
ticularly in the novice category, with six ladies
testing their skills for the first time.
It was a most successful show with beau-
tiful flowers and vegetables and
the increased number of entries
in the children’s section was en-
couraging for the organisers.
Three ladies from the Floral Art Group,
Kathleen McCulloch, Jenny Houston and
Maria Franklin, were successful in the Vic-
toria Week Scarecrow competition winning a
first prize for their entry which they had
made, decorated and exhibited in the Sta-
tion Square Information Centre forecourt.
Congratulations to these talented and artis-
tic ladies.
BRHS Floral Art Group met on 15 Sep-
tember. Our chairwoman, Kathleen
McCulloch was absent as she and her hus-
band were celebrating their Golden Wed-
ding. We sent them our good wishes and
congratulations.
In the absence of Kathleen our meeting
went ahead with Rena Cross from Aber-
Ho hum, I note winter is back. I had to
rush out to bring in the washing because it
was snowing in early October. My heart sank.
Will the many harbingers of doom speculat-
ing on the severity of this winter be proved
right? Will we Home Carers yet again spend
weeks trudging through deep snow at even
sillier o’clock in the morning so we can reach
everyone? Will I wear through 2 pairs of
snowboots again this winter? Have I stacked
enough wood to keep the stove going? And,
of course, the killer question: just why is it
that I live here when I detest the white stuff
so much? I’ll perhaps try and answer some
of these in a later issue…
Just as the weather suddenly cooled,
Willow, our half wildcat, returned from his
summer jaunt to wherever it is he goes. He
seems pretty healthy and has wasted no time
whatsoever in getting the household running
after him again. Sleeping in his usual place
- the warmest room of the house - when he
wakes he starts meowing on the assump-
tion, I presume, that he needs to alert the
house that he’s awake and putting his serv-
ants on standby. As he saunters downstairs
the meowing gets louder, not ceasing until
he’s been thoroughly stroked and had
enough due attention paid with interest. We
know who rules the roost round here, and it
sure isn’t me!!
In September, after a long and well-lived
life, my brother’s mother-in-law, Zell, had
a peaceful, dignified and loving death. My
daughters and I liked her very much, having
spent some glorious weeks over the years at
her house in Thousand Islands. (yes, where
the salad dressing comes from, and they’re
islands in the St Lawrence at the USA/
Canada border). A memorial ceremony at
Thousand Islands was planned for early
October. I checked my diary. It was do-able
with a wee juggle. I could almost hear my
Mum’s voice in my head telling me these
things are important and of course I must
go. So go I did. All the way to New York
state and city for a long weekend.
The day before leaving I checked the
forecast online. I had been told to bring warm
clothes. I triple checked on other weather
websites before actually believing that it may
really be a ridiculously unseasonable 24-29C
and sunny. So, everything out of the ruck-
sack and a swift repack after a frantic delve
into the depths of my clothes to find sum-
mer varieties. I’m so glad I did. The forecast
Chanaich Lodge
Provost Craig Road
Ballater
Aberdeenshire
AB35 5NN
Tel. 01339 756336
Fax. 01339 755893
Mobiles: 07710 469563
07850 653160
Managing Director
Peter Henderson
Email: peter.hps@btconnect.com
H.P.S. (Aberdeen) Ltd
Integrated Building / Landscaping
Services and Supplies
498 Local Group News
Ballater Royal
Horticultural Society
by Jim Clark
By the time you read this, our new ses-
sion will be well underway with our AGM
having taken place on Monday 7 Novem-
ber, followed by a talk entitled Highland
Charm, by Eric Jensen, a most entertaining
speaker.
The Society has a number of committee
vacancies, which at the time of writing, hope-
fully will be filled at the AGM. Please sup-
port the Society by renewing your member-
ship. All new members will be made most
welcome. Refreshments are always avail-
able at the end of the meetings where one
has the opportunity to discuss any points with
the guest speaker, meet new people and catch
up with friends.
We have an exciting programme planned
with a meeting on 5 December with a talk
by Eric Baird on the Landscape of Glen
Tanar. Chris Wardle from Crathes will speak
at our February meeting about How Crathes
Works – An Insight Behind the Scenes.
Please look out for future events in the Ea-
gle diary and on the various posters located
throughout the village.
Congratulations to all the prize winners
at our annual Exhibition and Flower Show
held in August and in particular to Hazel
Bruce, winner of our best garden competi-
tion.
We look forward to seeing you at our
meetings.
was correct. All the time I was away, I never
wore the one cardi I took. My sandals, how-
ever, were all the footwear worn, with the
travelling addition of very uncool fluffy
socks. Comfort comes before any semblance
of fashion sense for me, as those who know
me could doubtless testify…
Bit of an aside. The biggest thing that
bugs me most about winter here is that I
can’t contemplate going out of the door
without a whole new layer of clothing -
boots, hat, gloves, coat, scarf, sometimes
snow shovel or ice grips on my boots too. In
the summer if I don’t mind being occasion-
ally damp, and remember never to wear
crocs when it’s wet –I’ve had the bruises to
prove that– I can just walk out of the door.
Back to New York. What a wonderful
weekend it was, despite the many hours
travelling. It was tremendous to meet up
with so many of the family again. Zell’s
eldest daughter and a delight-
ful couple who were gay retired
Episcopalian ministers led the
ceremony. I was so happy to be
able to speak on behalf of my daughters and
me. It was an uplifting, fitting and joyous
ceremony.
We finished by singing ‘The Battle
Hymn of the Republic’ which initially
seemed a very odd choice until we were told
that the lyrics were written by Zell’s great-
grandmother and singing it at the end of every
family funeral is a tradition she wished to
carry on. I was delighted to do so. Normally
I wouldn’t have sung such a song but I made
an exception, giving it laldy in memory of a
wonderful woman.
Returning south to New York city I had
a choice as to how to spend my three hours
before going to the airport- contribute to the
acquisition culture by shopping, or take the
Ballater
Post Office
Hours of Opening:
Mon: 9am - 5.30pm
Tues: 9am - 5.30pm
Weds: 9am - 5.30pm
Thurs: 9am - 12.30pm
Fri: 9am - 5.30pm
Sat: 9am - 12.30pm
Please note we are OPEN over lunchtime
Foreign Currency
We now stock Euros
& US Dollars
for immediate purchase.
Tel: 013397 55505
www.ballaterpo.net
Support your local Post Office,
you know it makes sense!
Seasons Greetings
from all of us at your Post Office
C.S.M. Aerial Satellite
Deeside and Donside sky
approved installers
Strathgirnoc Farmhouse
South Deeside Road
Ballater
Tel: 013397 56227
Mobile: 07506951506
Email:
C-S-M_Aerials@hotmail.co.uk
J.Lanigan
Engineer
750
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Editor: Ian Hay � 55941
Treasurer: Dr. Sheila Sedgwick � 55292
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Email us at: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com
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How to
contact our
Representatives:
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT:Dennis Robertson MSP
email:
dennis.robertson.msp@scottish parliament .uk
WESTMINSTER:Sir Robert Smith MP
� 01330 820330, Fax: 01330 820338,
e-mail: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk
ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL:Peter Argyle: � 013398 82973
email: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Rosemary Bruce � 013398 89318
email: cllr.r.bruce@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Marcus Humphrey : � 013398 85332
email: cllr.m.humphrey@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK:
Katrina Farquar � 013398 81006
email: info@katrinafarquar.co.uk
subway downtown to join the
Occupy Wall Street protesters.
Bit of a no-brainer really. Espe-
cially after talking to the family
who all agreed Zell would have been
proud of me to do so. To say nothing of my
eldest, who wouldn’t have forgiven me if I’d
not taken some camaraderie from Scotland.
So I went to Liberty Square, met some re-
ally interesting folk, listened to some of their
stories, had some excellent conversations and
was delighted to show my solidarity. It was a
life affirming experience doing what I felt
was right.
That feeling will help keep me warm this
winter. Whatever you do over the cold
months, I wish you all as much joy and en-
gagement in life…
“Don’t cry because it’s over.Smile because it happened”
Dr Seuss
La
Mangiatoia
Ristorante &
Pizzeria
Closed from Sunday 20 November for annual
holidays. Re-open Tuesday 27
December
Bridge Square
Ballater
Tel. 013397-55999
6 51Letter from our Editor
Dear Readers,As our front cover indicates, winter
is with us once more, but the Royal Mail still gets
through despite atrocious weather. The same is true of
the team of people who deliver the Eagle to your letter
box, and we must be grateful that they, posties,
community carers, our wonderful health centre staff,
council road workers and people working in local shops are
prepared to battle through whatever weather faces them, to get the job done.
On behalf of the Eagle Team, I must express our grateful thanks to the
Victoria Week committee for a very generous donation to Eagle funds from the
surplus made from this year’s event. As a result, things look somewhat healthier
for the Eagle on the financial front. It is this sort of co-operation which makes
Ballater a community, as opposed to just a gathering of dwellings.
Readers will no doubt notice the return of the cartoon “Eagle and Robin” in
this issue. A short series appeared initially some time ago, and Luke Strachan
has put together some others for us. We are extremely grateful to Luke, a Crathie
lad working in London, for giving his time and talent to enliven our community
magazine with his humorous cartoon. On the subject of local talent, we are also
happy to highlight the work of young Eilidh Gow in this issue, with her pencil
portrait of Betty Wilson. Other examples of her work may be seen in Gow’s
Deli. Perhaps more young people in the village with other talents, such as writ-
ing short stories or poetry might contact the Eagle, and help make our magazine
something to appeal across the generations. After all, we highlight items from
the primary schools, but nothing comes to us from secondary pupils. Let’s see
what you can do.
Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who supports the Eagle. On behalf of
the Eagle Team, I wish all our readers, advertisers and contributors of articles a
happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.
Ian Hay
By Popular Demand!Ballater Library opening Hours:
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30pm-8pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 2-4pm, 6.30pm-8pm
Friday: 2-5pm
Saturday: 10am-12noon
As youngsters, we often climbed about
in the Pass of Ballater. Usually we were try-
ing to reach the nests of the ravens, which
still lived there in the 1940s. When the
ravens defeated us, we would start looking
for strange rocks. There was, and still is, a
vertical mineral vein that runs up over the
top of the cliff giving up many different crys-
tals, lithium ores, green microcline, fluorite
and beryl.
On a compass setting, the vein travels
north to a hidden valley that had been an
early run-off channel for the impounded gla-
cial ice-melt waters trying to escape down-
valley, at a time before the Pass of Ballater
had been eroded out. The erosion there is
still active today, as was shown one day in
the spring of 2004 when a huge mass of
rock fell off the cliffs, the resultant shock
waves being recorded by the British Geo-
logical Survey’s instruments in Edinburgh.
The easiest way to reach this hidden
valley from the Pass is by starting at the gate
on the bridge at the Fog House. This was
Francis Farquharson’s work after he returned
from exile in England following his exploits
in the 1745 rising. The Fog House was a
folly built into the bank of the Loin burn
that flows through the Pass. It would have
been constructed at the same time as the
bridge that gave access to the granite quar-
ries on the hill above. Its name stems from
the roofing of heather and moss (fog).
Farquharson’s Monaltrie House was built
in 1782 from the red granite that he quar-
ried here. The early 1780s would have been
a busy time in the Pass of Ballater quarries,
as apart from Monaltrie House stone, the
first Ballater Bridge that opened to traffic in
Pass of Ballater Silver Mine
Part 1 by Ian Cameron
1783 was being built from granite won here.
You can still follow the track, traversing
the hill that accessed the various levels where
Francis Farquharson quarried the building
stone from large boulders on the steep scree
slope. Not only did Francis Farquarson use
those quarries for the stones of Monaltrie
House and Ballater’s first bridge, but his
successor, William Farquharson, built the
original Monaltrie Arms Hotel, the farm
buildings that went with the hotel, and most
of the early houses of Bridge Square of this
same rough red granite.
The shift to the Cambus o’May quar-
ries came later, with the local masons leasing
quarries there from the Marquis of Huntly,
so becoming contractors in their own right
Aboyne
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552 ...so you know What's Going On
Are Your Dates Here?
For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle,
please contact Cat Houston on 55243,
mob: 07968 941359 (texts welcome)
email: catrionahouston@yahoo.co.uk
Ballater Surgery: All emergencies outwith the normal times
please tel: 013397 55686 OR NHS 24: 08454 242424
and able to supply their own
stone independent of the local
laird and his quarry. The gran-
ite at Cambus o’May was also
much finer grained than the red stone
of the Pass and much easier to cut and dress.
The shift to the Cambus quarries did not
please the Farquharson lairds at Invercauld
House who had gained the Monaltrie es-
tate on William’s death.
After the railway reached Ballater in
1866, the Invercauld Estate was swamped
with requests to buy building land in Ballater.
The estate was quite happy to oblige, but
with conditions attached, one demanding that
the proposed house be built of granite won
and paid for from the old quarries on
Invercauld ground round the Pass of Ballater.
That monopoly on building stone meant
that the rough red Pass of Ballater granite
got a new lease of life, and explains how the
vast majority of the houses continued to be
built of that granite long after the Cambus
quarries came into operation. We have to wait
until the Edwardian days, with their final
boom of building, for the Cambus quarries
really to come into their own, quite briefly
as it happened, before the hard, white
Kemnay granite came steaming up the val-
ley on railway trucks to face the great villas
we see today on Braemar and Queen’s
Roads.
As we continue up the track from the
Pass road we find mature firs blocking the
path of what had been the horse-and-cart
track up to the quarries. Almost two hun-
dred years have passed and nature has been
reclaiming her hill for a long time. The track
is built as steep as a horse could climb, but
of one thing we can be sure, the return trip
with a loaded cart of granite would have re-
quired a second horse chained behind to hold
the load back till level ground was reached.
Once we reach the quarry level, there
are still traces of the rough shelter where the
masons lunched and doubtless sheltered from
the worst of the weather. The granite here
is very coarse with large crystals; indicating
that it had cooled very slowly, allowing the
constituent minerals, the micas, the feldspar
and indeed the quartz crystals, to form indi-
vidually.
Under such conditions, and in this local-
ity, are found the Cairngorms crystals.
Tue 3 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Library closed
Ballater Surgery open 9am-12 for emergencies only
Mon 9 Ballater School term starts
Tue 10 CLAN Walking Group, check with the CLAN Centre
Sun 15 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Wed 18 SWRI: Scottish Night, Entertainment & Sales Table, Albert Hall, 7.30pm
Mon 23 Church Guild Afternoon Tea, Glen Muick Church Hall, 2.30pm
Wed 25 Second Chancers, CLAN Support Group, Ballater Golf Club, 4pm
Sun 29 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
February
Mon 6 BRHS: Chris Wardle: “How Crathes Works, An insight behind
the scenes”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Sun 12 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Tue 14 CLAN Walking Group, check with the CLAN Centre
Wed 15 SWRI: Fire Service by Barry Florence, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Sun 26 Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Upper Deeside Music, Darroch Learg Hotel, 4.30pm
Mon 27 Church Guild: Speaker Rev Ian Strachan, Glenmuick Church Hall, 2.30pm
Wed 29 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers, Ballater Golf Club, 4pm
MarchFri 2 World Day of Prayer, Glenmuick Church, 6.30pm
Mon 5 BRHS: Andy Beckingham: “Gardens in Glen Tanar, past, present
and future”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Wed 21 SWRI: Horseback UK by Jock Hutchison,
Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
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4 53Eagle Eyes...
Jock and Jean were fair trickit fan Flossie,
their ae yowe lammie, cam in aboot ae day
wi the news that she wis tae be merried in
June. It didna maitter a docken that her chiel,
Willie, an her hid been bidin thegither for
near twa year – they were tae dee the dacent
thing noo, an sae Jean wis fair determined
that it wid be a fite weddin, wi a the fal-
derals – it wid be a “reed-letter” day in their
gey hum drum life. Wi a gweed deal o narkin
fae Jean, they sat doon tae mak a list o’ a the
things tae be deen.
“We’ll hae tae invite a the Aunties, even
Aggie, worse luck. She’s a richt affront that
ane, bit she’s faimily. She michtna come –
we can bit hope!” Jean wis real wun-up aboot
the hale thing, an Jock’s heid wis bizzin like
a bees’ byke or lang. It wis like that for wiks
– the kirk, the flooers, the cake, the cars.
Syne Jean rakit Aiberdeen lookin for a frock.
She wis a fair size o’ a deem – wi a gweed
grip o’ Scotland wi creashy lurks an faulds
roon her kite, an sae Jock goggled in horror
fan she paraded afore him ae nicht in a yalla
bell-tent o’ a frock wi navy blue flooers clarted
a o’er it. Jock said, “Aye, aye, that’ll dee
fine!”, for he wis a typical North-easter, a
man o’ feow wirds, an onythin for a quaet
life wis his motto.
Time flew by, an seen presents started
tae come in aboot. “Fit the hell div I need
fower kettles for?” Flossie girned tae her
mither, bit Jean soothed her doon. “They’ll
aye keep – ye’ll hae a kettle a yer days”.
The groom wis a postie an his pals catched
him ae nicht an gied him a richt blackenin,
syne ringin a haun-bell, they trailed him in a
hurlie roon the village – a richt target he wis,
clarted wi diesel ile an feathers. A “feet
washin” wis supposed tae bring gweed luck,
The Weddinby Mary Munro
bit Willie hid a plooky kine o’ skin,
an sae wi a the scrubbin an sweelin, his
physog broke oot in a sotter o’ prood flesh
an skelfs for days aifterhin. The nicht afore
the weddin, Jean hid them for their tea, an
they hid a great feed o’ steak, chips an fried
ingins. Jean wis tae live tae regret thae ingins!
The day o’ the weddin wis fine, an it a
went fine if ye ignored the fact that Aggie
hoasted an spluttered a the time in the kirk,
near droonin oot the meenister. Syne at the
“sit-doon”, thon ingins fae the nicht afore
started tae come back tae Jean – fae baith
ends! Sittin there like a flooery Queen of
Sheba, she wis haein tae let aff thon saft,
pluffery farts fae time tae time. The stink
wis something terrible. They were wirin awa
at the puddin fan Jean hid tae let aff a bosker.
DecemberSat 3 Christmas Fair, Ballater School, 11am-2pm
Bring a Party to a Party, Ballater Golf Club, £25pp
Sun 4 Christingle Service, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Upper Deeside Music, Darroch Learg Hotel, 4.30pm
Mon 5 Christmas Special Coffee, Crathie Kirk, 10am-12.30pm
BRHS: Eric Baird: “The Landscape of Glen Tanar”,
Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm
Tue 6, 13 & 20 Advent Holy Communion, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Wed 7 Ballater Business Association Meeting, 7.30pm, Glen Lui Hotel
Sat 10 Christmas Fair, Victoria Hall, 10.30-4pm
please contact Bell, on 55745 for a table
Sun 11 High-Level Winter Walk with Balmoral Rangers,
meet Glen Muick Visitor Centre, 9.30am
Ballater Boules, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Mon 12 B & C Community Council Meeting, 7pm Mike Sheridan Room
Sun 18 Glenmuick Christingle service 11am
St Kentigerns “9 lessons & carols” 4pm
Tue 20 Last posting date for Christmas (first class)
Fri 23 Ballater School term ends
School service, Glenmuick, 11am
Sat 24 Ballater Post Office closes 12.30pm
Santa and his Reindeer, Kirk Green, 11.30am –12.30pm
Glenmuick: carols 11.15, watchnight 11.30pm
Midnight Communion Service, St Kentigern’s, 11.30pm
Christmas Mass, St Nathalan’s, 8pm
Sun 25 Holy Communion Service, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am
Family service Glenmuick, 10.30am - bring favourite toy!
Mon 26 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Surgery closed
Tue 27 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Library closed
Ballater Surgery open 9am-12 for emergencies only
Boules for the Golden Boules Trophy, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
Sat 31 Hogmanay Party, Ballater Golf Club, £20pp
JanuarySun 1 Lunch and Karaoke, Ballater Golf Club, £12pp
Mon 2 Ballater Post Office, Chemist and Surgery closed
Boules for the New Year Quaich, Monaltrie Park, 10.30am
STUART ESSONPLUMBING &HEATINGENGINEER
TEL: 013397 56378MOBILE: 07786 543100
LOCAL EXPERIENCED AWARD WINNING KNOWLEDGEABLE INDUSTRIOUS EFFICIENT
54 3
Diary
The dates you need: 4-5
The Crathie Pages
Group news and School: 20 & 21
The Weddin
By Mary Munro: 53
Ballater School
They have been busy: 28 & 29
Eagle & Robin
Cartoon and more about Luke: 30
Pottering About
Weather, Willow and wandering: 48
Local History
Christmas greenery: 38
V&A Minutes
From the 20s:44
Ozymandias of the Arrigation
A new serialised story from wee Chis: 40
Local Groups:
Ballater Royal Horticultural Society: 8
BRHS Floral Art Group: 9
Ballater (Royal Deeside) Ltd: 15
BOVOF: 10
CLAN: 12
Community Council: 13
RD&C DMO: 17
Rotary: 33
SWRI: 14
Upper Deeside Art Society: 9
Upper Deeside Music: 24
V & A Halls: 23
Victoria Week: 19
Contact us:
All the ways YOU can contribute: 7
Donations:
Donations are gratefully received, and
acknowledged. You can also put
money into our tins at various
local establishments.
Advertising:
Full page: £60; Half page: £30;
Quarter page: £20; Eighth page: £10
Please contact Faye Swan atinfo@swandesign.uk.com or Tel.55345
Abody within a radius o’ ten
yairds started tae sniff roon
aboot, for it wis a smell like rot-
ten eggs that wid hae sunk a bat-
tleship! Jean just sat there, calm an
innocent as ye like, newsin awa aboot
naethin’ ava tae the meenister lad, fa hid
his hunkie tae his face – his verra e’en were
waterin!
Worse wis tae come! Willie hid gorged
himself on steak an ingins as weel, syne hid
a gweed feow drams wi his cronies. Fit wi
the maet, the whisky an the nerves in his
stamack at the thocht o’ speechifyin, fan he
got tae his feet his belly just did a flip o’er,
an afore he could say a wird, he spewed a
o’er the table afore him. There wis a deathly
hush for a twa, three seconds, syne there
wis a muckle stampede o’ fowk tae the doors,
ane or twa cowkin in tae their hauns.
“Fit an affront!” thocht Jean as she socht
tae cover up the table wi napkins an console
peer Flossie fa wis roarin an greetin. Fit a
thing tae happen, for Jean kent she’d niver
live it doon – Bella doon the road, wid craw
like a cock aboot this for wiks.
Come time, the tablecloth wis whippit
aff an air fresheners sprayed aroon. Willie
got some waater an Flossie dichted her reed
e’en an snottery nib. Fowk cam driftin back,
tryin tae forget the disaster at the table.
There wis aye the dancin an drinkin tae
come, an efter the gweed present they’d
gien, they winted their money’s worth.
“Weel, I winna forget my weddin day in
a hurry!” thocht Flossie as she heitered roon
the fleer wi her new man. As for Jean, she
wis in her element, as she oxtered the wee
sharger o’ a meenister roon the dance fleer.
She wis “The Mither o’ the Bride” an she
wis gaen tae mak the maist o’ it fitever hap-
pened!
Warm Winter Welcometo your festive Eagle
As the long cold dark nights are upon us, brighten up your life with what’s on,
what the local groups are doing, some fabulous fresh new writing, a wee surprise for one
nonegenerian and even a poem and a cartoon! Put your feet up and enjoy!
Ballater & crathie
Community
magazine
no.64 xmas/hogmanay 2011/12
£1 where sold
56
The Ballater & Crathie Eagle is made possible by:
Advertising, Donations, Sponsorship, Fundraising, "Awards for All"
Lottery and Cairngorms Leader+ European funding. Thank You.
We deliver FREE from Crathie to Cambus O’May.
Thanks to Friends of the Eagle for delivering to some outlying areas.
Clean sweep of
appreciationsee page 36
Postie Pic by John Holley
Special visitor at
Crathie Schoolsee page 21
Private Preview see page 9
Alfresco book club meetsee page 20
The Eagle Team
wish you all a
Fabulous
Festive Season!