The Ballater & Crathie Eagle, Winter 2014, Issue 76

Ballater & crathie Community magazine no. 76 winter 2014 ÂŁ1 Donation

Santa’s Coming! p7

Ballater Eagle

ROWAN JEWELLERY Large selection of fine & costume jewellery

Unique Christmas gift ideas Victoria Road Ballater, AB35 5QQ www.rowanjewellery.com rowanballater@gmail.com

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm 013397 55122/07725 222762

as as

Inside Your Winter Eagle:

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...something to warm the cockles as the colder nights draw in.

Catch up on what our villages have been up to. Tales of royalty, festive celebrations and more fun to come. Wrap up and tuck in. pg feature 4-5 Diary 7 Letter from the Ed 12 Scotch Derrick 13 Highland Games 26 Glen Ey 29 Crathie Parish 30 Crathie School 32 Ballater School 35 Keeping Council 36 BHG: 2nd 50 years 38 Our River Dee 41 New-Fangled Trock 42 Pottering About 45 Invasive Plants 48 Seasonal Poverty 51 Painting Postie 54 Tour De Ballater!

57 Calendar Lore 58 Tale of Three Churches cover photo by Amy Muir Advertising

local groups

Ballater Films 25 Ballater School Parent Council 11 BLHG 46 B(RD) 15 BRHS 16 Crathie Opportunity Holidays 34 Indoor Bowling 10 Library 61 Old People & Over-50s Assoc 13 Rotary 10 Songsters 10 St Kentigern’s Church 20 SWRI 10 Tax Help 53 Upper Deeside Music 11 V&A Halls 18 Victoria Week 21

handy to have

Advertisers’ Index: 62

Donations

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

Thanks to Chrissie Morrison and to Chrissie Meston for their generous donations to the Ballater Eagle

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

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

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Sun 7 Sun 7 Thu 11 Sat 13 Wed 17 Thu 18 Fri 19 Sun 21 Sun 21 Sun 21 Tue 23 Wed 24 Wed 24 Thu 25 Thu 25 Fri 26 Sun 28 Wed 31 Thu 1 Fri 2 Sun 4 Mon 5 Sun 11 Sat 17 Wed 21 Sun 25

The Eagle Diary

...so you know What’s Going On December Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Upper Deeside Music, Darroch Learg Hotel, 4.30pm Djorje Gajic on Accordion Advent Communion followed by coffee at St Kentigern’s, 10am Ballater Films presents Belle (12A), Victoria Hall, 7pm for 8pm, £10 Indoor Bowling Club Christmas Fun Night, Victoria Hall, 7pm Advent Communion followed by coffee at St Kentigern’s, 10am Christmas Quiz, Deeside Inn, 7.30pm Ballater School End of Term Carol Service, St Kentigern’s, 11am Ballater School term ends Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, Glenmuick Church, 4pm Christingles and Carols, St Kentigern’s – followed by mulled wine and mince-pies, 9.30am Ballater Combined Churches Carol Service, Glenmuick Church, 4pm Christmas Service at Craigard Care Home, Ballater, 2.30pm Watch Night Service & Carols, Glenmuick Church, 11.30pm Ballater Surgery – Normal opening hours Christmas Eve Midnight Eucharist, St Kentigern’s, 11.30pm Christmas Day, Christmas Communion, St Kentigern’s, 10am Short Family Service, Glenmuick Church, 10.30am Ballater Surgery Closed, NHS 24 tel 111 Ballater Surgery Closed, NHS 24 tel 111 Communion and Carols, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am Ballater Surgery – Normal opening hours January Ballater Surgery Closed, NHS 24 tel 111 Ballater Surgery Closed, NHS 24 tel 111 Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Joint service held at Crathie Church, with Communion, 11am Ballater School term starts Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Crathie Opportunities Holidays Open Day, 2-4pm SWRI: Cookery Demonstration by Aileen Lawrence, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am

Are Your Dates Here?

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

Mon 2 Sun 8 Wed 18 Sun 22

Mon 2 Sun 8 Sun 15 Wed 18 Sun 22 Sat 28

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February BHRS: Growing Meconopsis: Propagation & Maintenance: Ian Christie, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am SWRI: Talk by Fiona McCulloch “Ceramics”, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Upper Deeside Music, St Kentigern’s, 4.30pm Tom Wilkinson on Harpsichord March BRHS - Growing Vegetables: Frank Taylor, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Upper Deeside Music, Glenmuick Church, 4.30pm A total brass performance!

SWRI: Scottish Night, Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park Pavilion, 10.15am Ballater Golf Club Ladies Section – Coffee & Cake, 10am

Eagle copy and advertising deadlines 2015 Issue Spring Summer Autumn Winter

Deadline Feb 1 May 1 Aug 1 Nov 1

Post Office Opening Hours

Mon, Tues, Wed: 9am - 5.30pm Thursday - 9am - 12.30pm Friday - 9am - 5.30pm Saturday - 9am - 12.30pm

Publication (approx) early March early June mid September early December

Ballater Library Opening Hours Sun, Mon & Wed: Closed Tuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30-8pm Thursday: 2-4pm, 6.30-8pm Friday: 2-5pm Saturday: 10am-12noon

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Contact the Eagle

Hand in to the Library

 Post to Ballater Eagle, c/o Ballater Library, Ballater, AB35 5QB

 email to: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

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

Keep in Touch with an Eagle Subscription

A subscription can be a very welcome gift to farflung friends and relatives. Simply provide the name and address to whom the issues should be sent, with a cheque or postal order for ‘Ballater Eagle’ for the relevant amount and drop off your request to Ballater Library. Betty, our Subscriptions secretary, will do the rest. Easy!

For the rates below, four issues will be posted.

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Contact Your Representatives

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

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

 0791 955 7152 (mobile)

WESTMINSTER Sir Robert Smith MP  01330 826549 email: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL

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

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK Katrina Farquhar  07876 475403 email: katrina.farquhar@cnpaboard.co.uk Gordon Riddler  07711 609351 email: gordon.riddler@cnpaboard.co.uk

Eagle Who’s Who & Where Editor: Ian Hay  55941 Treasurer: Dr. Sheila Sedgwick  55292 Subscriptions Secretary: Betty Wilson  55791 Advertising Manager: Karen Garioch  42344 Distribution: Andy and Julie Bloor Diary Secretary: Faye Swan  55345 Design: Ollie Ross, Stella Potter, Cat Houston email us at: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com Eagle Online: http://www.ballatercommunity.com

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

Letter from the Editor

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Portrait: Eilidh Gow

Just prior to this edition of the Ballater Eagle going to print, we learned that Tom Potter had died following heart surgery in Aberdeen.

Tom was one of the enthusiastic group of people who laid the foundations of our present day community magazine. He was part of the original design team and subsequently took responsibility for putting the Eagle online. In later years, and certainly since my involvement as editor, Tom eagerly proof-read each issue, giving the benefit of his design experience, pointing out minor errors in the layout of advertisements or text before the final copy went to the printers. The present Team will miss his contribution to making each Eagle as near perfection as possible, and we extend our most sincere sympathy to his mother, brother, and to Stella and their two daughters.

On a happier note, I am pleased to report an infusion of young talent into the Eagle Team. Eilidh Gow and Amy Muir have both expressed interest in becoming designers of future Eagles, and Eilidh is already receiving tuition from Cat Houston in the use of the InDesign program we use. For some years now, the Eagle Team has tried to encourage participation by younger members of the community, but to no avail. Now our efforts have been rewarded and we look forward to their youthful views and ideas helping the Eagle to appeal to an even wider section of our community. I hope that they enjoy learning a new skill, while others in the Team can, I’m sure, learn much from them – everyone then benefits, not least our many readers.

On behalf of the extended Eagle Team, I wish all our readers a healthy and happy 2015.

Ian Hay The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd will be on Ballater’s Church Green on Christmas Eve, 11am-12noon, courtesy of Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Craigendarroch and the Ballater Business Association. Santa will have goody bags for all (good!) children...

D’Tangled unisex hairdressers

Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit

cutting, colouring and styling exclusive products walk-in appointments wedding service on location children welcome

Fresh Daily

Homemade in store: Quiches, Tarts, Salads, Soups, Sandwiches

Buffets catered for Fabulous Fresh Flowers Bunches to Bouquets 47 Bridge Street, Ballater 013397 55741 Open Monday - Saturday

open tues-sat 28 Bridge Street, Ballater

013397 55988

H.P.S. (Aberdeen) Ltd Integrated Building / Landscaping Services and Supplies 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

Ballater Churches’

Christmas Message

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Christmas is fast approaching, and the churches in Ballater would like to take this opportunity to wish all members of the community a merry Christmas. Whether you are a church member or not, this is one of those times of the year that seems to have many emotional connections. For many it is a time of fun and laughter, of celebrating with those around us. A time of presents and parties, carols and candles. For others, Christmas can be a lonely time, when everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves, and they become aware of their isolation. Ballater is a wonderful community, and we look forward to sharing this special time of year with you all.

For Christians, the time leading up to Christmas is not only about having fun and celebrating, but also about re-focusing our lives, preparing our hearts and minds for the birth of Jesus.

It’s a season when we celebrate hope, peace, love and joy. And Christmas day itself is the time when we celebrate the coming of Jesus as a baby to this earth, the ‘Christ’ in Christmas. One of the reasons we exchange gifts is as a sign of God’s greatest gift to us, his Son. We wish you hope, peace, love and joy this Christmas time.

It would be wonderful to see you, your family and friends, at one of our services over the Christmas period. Please come and share our celebrations.

With every blessing, Rev David Barr, Church of Scotland Rev’d Vittoria Hancock, St Kentigern’s Episcopal Church

Christmas Church Services Sun 21 Wed 24 Wed 24 Thu 25 Thu 25

Ballater Combined Churches Carol Service, Glenmuick Church, 4pm Watch Night Service & Carols, Glenmuick Church, 11:30pm Christmas Eve Midnight Eucharist, St Kentigern’s, 11.30pm Christmas Day, Christmas Communion, St Kentigern’s, 9.30am Short Family Service, Glenmuick Church, 10:30am

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Local Group News

A round-up of news from our local groups Something to say about your group? Get in touch.

ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

Ballater Halls Indoor Bowling Club

by Sheila Rumbles

We got off to a good start this season and have been delighted to welcome a few new members who we trust will enjoy the game of bowls as well as the friendly companionship.

We have our Christmas Fun Night on Wednesday 17th December at 7pm.

I wish all our members a Happy Christmas and may the coming New Year 2015 be a pleasant one for all.

Rotary

by Mike Powell

Just a few words from your local Rotary Club – Aboyne and Upper Deeside – to thank residents of Ballater and visitors for the support you have given us again during the year. This has enabled us to continue to respond to those in need.

By the time you read this, we will, hopefully, have contributed to the Winter Festival and are looking forward to meeting many of you there.

New members are always welcome, so if you would like to know more about what we do, and how to join Rotary, or if you would just like to come along to one of our meetings as a guest, please contact me on 013398 86369 or mike. powell21@tiscali.co.uk Merry Christmas to everyone who contributes to, and reads the Eagle.

SWRI

by Aileen Barbour

Vice President Mary Munro welcomed members to our September meeting after the summer break. Robbie Middleton was our guest speaker and his talk was entitled “Andes of Peru”. Robbie showed us wonderful slides and his attention to detail left you with the feeling that you had been on the trip across the high plains.

The competition photo “Water” was judged by our guest speaker. 1) Mary Munro, 2) Sheena Fraser, 3) Jan Williams, 4) Margaret Cameron.

On the 15th October, President Margaret Finnie welcomed Mike Webber who gave us a very interesting talk about his voluntary work as a Street Pastor in Aberdeen. The Street Pastors organisation began in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2001. It started in London in 2003 and in Aberdeen 2007. Their object is to listen, care and help people. A pilot scheme for School Pastors has begun and there are Retail Pastors for shopping centres based on the same principles.

Mike was asked to judge the competition, which was “Favourite Teapot”. 1) Pat Fraser, 2) Ivy Duncan, 3) Margaret Cameron, 4) Diane Wright.

Dates for SWRI meetings over the next few months can be found in the Eagle Diary.

Songsters

by Sheila Rumbles

We have been out and about entertaining a number of our friends at various locations and hope to have our Christmas programme ready for the festive season. On behalf of the Songsters I wish you all a lovely Christmas, and may the New Year bring you good health and happiness.

Ballater School Calendar

by Jane Aiken

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Handy school calendars make great xmas gifts!

The Parent Council, with the help of the children, have put together another great calendar for 2015, including school dates and events and featuring artwork by the children of Ballater School. A great Christmas gift for family and friends!

The calendars are £5.50 each and an envelope can also be purchased for an additional 10p if you plan to post it or give it away as a gift. If you would like to purchase a calendar please either: e-mail: bspc.calendar@gmail.com or telephone: Jane Aiken on 55100.

Upper Deeside Music

by Maura Erskine

It was a great pleasure to welcome an old friend of UDM, Valentin Schiedermair, to the Darroch Learg Hotel on 5th October. Our Steinway piano had been refurbished and it was a privilege to hear it played with such sensitivity and insight.

A fascinating mixture of romantic classical and traditional Scottish music followed on 7 November, provided by the Scottish Traditional Music Players and we have the richly talented accordionist Dgorje Gajic – another old friend – to look forward to on 7th December. On 22nd February Tom Wilkinson will be bringing his harpsichord over from St Andrews and will play Bach’s Goldberg Variations – an occasion not to be missed.

The other news is that our secretary has moved away from Ballater and is now comfortably settled in Cupar, Fife. Thanks to the miracle of email and wi-fi it is possible to continue to make the arrangements from afar but it is not the same as being on the spot. So we are looking for a new secretary…

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Royal Visit to Scotch Derrick

by Alistair Cassie

On Sunday 28th September, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Duke of Rothesay, paid a low-key visit to Ballater Local History Group’s most recent project, the restoration of a Scotch Derrick formerly used in the quarries at Cambus O’ May. The Prince was very impressed by the quality of the restoration, and indicated that he was interested in being kept informed of any other potential projects. He is keen to engage youngsters to train for the old, traditional skills. During the visit, the Prince met the project team, and onlooking members of the public. Photo by John Holley.

Firewood

Tel: 013397 55997 Mobile: 07821 746756 email: weejim03@live.co.uk web: www.weejim.webs.com

Carnelian

“Feel Good Factor”

Lynn Park – Massage Therapist Swedish Remedial Massage Thermo Auricular Therapy 1 Netherley Place, Ballater Tel 07793 354249

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

Ballater Golf Shop

*Open 7 Days a Week* Ballater Golf Club

Victoria Road, Ballater AB35 5QX Tel. 013397 55658 Email: shnyule@aol.com

... and the Highland Games!

by Ron Drever

The Games of our 150th birthday year turned out to be a very special and memorable event.

In the middle of a spell of wet weather, during which the River Dee burst its banks and flooded parts of Ballater, Games Day on Thursday 14th August dawned dry and mild, and Monaltrie Park had quickly dried out as usual.

Not only would our Chieftain, in his 96th year, be presiding at his 66th Games, but, some weeks before, we had been given the news that the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay would like to pay an informal visit to Ballater Games, the first Royal visit in our 150-year history. The Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, Mr. James Ingleby, was also to attend. News of the Royal visit was released officially only a couple of days beforehand.

The Duke and Duchess, together with the Duchess’ daughter and grandchildren, arrived around noon for the formal opening of the Games, and strolled around the ground, meeting and talking to many, before enjoying a dram while watching the ongoing events. Before leaving, the Duke of Rothesay presented our well-known Games announcer, Robbie Shepherd, with an engraved Ballater Games Shield in recognition of 45 years commentating at Ballater Games.

The Duke was presented with a framed Games Day postal cover, a unique souvenir of our 150th birthday.

Our Chieftain arrived later in the afternoon, entering the arena with his colour party through the Honour Guard formed by members of the Queen’s Royal Guard, a unique Ballater tradition. The Chieftain was also presented with a framed postal cover.

The special day was enjoyed by a huge crowd, including many visitors from other countries, and many from the Press, Television, and Radio, all creating an atmosphere which perhaps contributed to the high standard of competition acknowledged by our judges. All in all, a birthday not to forget.

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Old People’s and Over-50s Association

by Ruth Burrows

In September, members and guests enjoyed an outing to the Gordon Highlanders’ Museum.

This was a first for many of us - isn’t it often the way that we ignore the treasures on our doorstep?

In the limited time available, the volunteers did an excellent job conducting the tour and we enjoyed the refreshments provided there.

On to Aberdeen, where some members chose to go to Union Square and the harbour, the rest enjoying a lovely sunny day at the beach. High Tea was taken at Fourmile House, Kingswells, where both the food and service were first class.

The Association’s AGM will be held in March 2015 and members are encouraged to attend and have their say on venues for 2015’s outings. The meeting date will appear in the press, the Hut on the Green and various locations around the village. New members are always welcome.

Golf Road, Ballater, is the latest in my series of ‘Roads in Ballater’ following on from my Albert Road, Ballater book.

In this book I examine the road, the houses, the people and the reasons why Golf Road is so called and where it leads.

Along the way, very topically, I write of ‘Strachan’s Garage’; I feel it is timely to recall the story of a local bus company that operated here for forty years.

In my day there were red buses and blue buses, then the blue buses became bright yellow and took over the red buses. Since then the yellow buses were themselves a victim of multi-coloured buses that have now sold ‘Strachan’s Garage’ for it to become a super store.

Other shops and characters are recalled along with the wartime soldiers and a visit from the RAF. Enjoy and a Merry Xmas, Ian Cameron

All available in local shops, or direct from Ian Cameron, Abergairn, 013397 56002; or www. fast-print.net/bookshop. Albert Road, Ballater and Minerals and Ancient Monuments, £9.99, and £6.99 for Golf Road, Ballater.

FRASER & MULLIGAN We provide a broad range of legal services ESTATE AGENCY RESIDENTIAL � COMMERCIAL CONVEYANCING LEASING WILLS � EXECUTRIES POWERS OF ATTORNEY SEPARATION � DIVORCE COURT WORK NOTARY PUBLIC WORK RESIDENT SOLICITORS: MARY-JAY MORTON & KATHRYN M REID 24 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP Tel: 013397 55633 Fax: 013397 55564 ballater@fraser-mulligan.co.uk www.fraser-mulligan.co.uk

East Meets West in Ballater...

Co-operation between the Ballater community and members of the Royal Guard during this year’s Victoria Week saw a member of the Guard, Private Obediah Fulgence of 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, help to make some money for the Victoria & Albert Halls.

Duncan Macrae is the owner of a genuine Chinese rickshaw, which he brought back to the UK many years ago from Hong Kong. As he wished to make a contribution to funds for Halls improvements, Duncan, courtesy of the commanding officer at Victoria Barracks in Queen’s Road, obtained the services of Private Fulgence, who is from the island of St. Lucia, to provide rickshaw rides around the Church Green. Our photograph shows some local youngsters enjoying the experience of a journey in a mode of transport which is now part of history.

B(RD) Ltd

by Jack Coull

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It has been a quiet period for BRD and will remain so until the LEADER funding is reinstated early in 2015.

On the other hand, our subsidiary company, BCE, has been busy with a successful camping season combined with continued efforts to acquire the landlord’s interest for the lease.

Sadly, I have to report continued delays in the Dalmochie project due to interminable legal matters which cause great frustration for both the Historic Forestry Group and BRD. We still await decisions by Aberdeenshire Council regarding the electricity supply for The Green, now quite urgent in view of the Christmas Tree illumination.

A business plan is being drawn up for the proposed Heritage Centre but, again, progress is slow as ownership of the site is the subject of some doubt. The matter is further complicated as the Station building is listed, as well as being in a conservation area, and within the National Park.

BRD continues to share interest with the Business Association and the Local History Group and retains a position on the Steering Committee for the Old School project.

We are currently preparing for our AGM which, this time, will be held in our splendid new office which will give members attending an opportunity to admire it.

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Best Exhibit: William Moir

Ballater Royal Horticultural Society

by Elizabeth Wilson

Shanghai Takeaway Finest Chinese, Peking, Thai & Cantonese Cuisine

10 Golf Road, Ballater AB35 5RE

013397 55666 Telephone Orders Welcome Opening Hours: Open 7 days a week Sunday to Thursday : 4pm – 11pm Friday & Saturday : 4pm – 11.30pm We only accept cash

The myriad of glorious autumn colours is now fading, the days are shortening and there’s a nip in the air heralding the onset of winter; time to put the garden to bed and plan for next year.

Our 138th Exhibition and Flower Show which took place in August seems such a long time ago. The society continues to thrive and has had an extremely successful year thanks to the hard work put in by the Committee and support from members.

The show was a great triumph, attracting a total number of 747 entries, again up on last year, amazing considering the terrible flooding, wind and rain just before it. The Children’s Challenge attracted an all-time high of 162 wonderful entries.

Thanks must go to the Rainbows and Brownies, Library Craft Group and keen children from near and as far away as New Zealand and Paris!

Their talent and enthusiasm is our future.

A special mention must go to local lad, William Moir, whose outstanding entr y of cabbages won Best Exhibit in Show. The judges’ decision was instant and unanimous. William works at the Seed Box, an amazing social enterprise based in the walled garden at Ballogie. (www.theseedbox.org.uk).

HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay kindly donated the first prize for our raffle, a Highgrove Summer Flowers Afternoon Tea Set which was won by Evelyn Gray, a Ballater local.

Thanks to all who participated in making the show such a success, including members of the Royal Guard who helped to set up and dismantle the exhibit stands.

Major Jason French of the Royal Guard

and his wife Kate kindly presented the prizes to the talented prize winners listed opposite. Our AGM on Monday 3rd November was extremely well attended. The Office Bearers remain unchanged: President – Alex Copland, Chairman – Jim Clark, Vice Chairman – Michael Rattray, Secretary – Elizabeth Wilson, Treasurer – John Burrows, Committee Members – Ruth Burrows, Morag Hood, Julie Jarvis, Malcolm Jarvis, Jane Oliver and Helene Thom.

The society business was followed by an aptly illustrated talk by Clare Trinder, an Ecologist, on Red Poppies – Opportunist Lifestyles Of Plants And The WW1 Battlefields. WW1 affected the Society in that one prominent member, Robert Gibson, Head Gardener at Braichlie House, enlisted in 1915 and died in1916. The minutes of the society’s meeting on18th August, 1914 stated: “It was unanimously resolved to suspend the show this year out of respect for our countrymen in the field of battle, and those who have relatives there.” In fact the next meeting was not held until 10th March, 1920.

Membership of the society is still only £4 with an entrance fee of £2. Visitors are welcome to attend a meeting for £3. The annual Quiz Night with festive nibbles and wine takes place on Monday 1st December. This is a fun, informal evening and all are welcome. We have an exciting programme for the following season, so do look out for posters in the village as well as the Eagle Diary for information about future meetings.

Hopefully the winter will be kind to us and meetings will not have to be cancelled. We do endeavour to contact as many members as possible should this happen and thanks to email, this makes the task easier but, rest assured, we will do our best to contact those members without access to email by phone.

Winners of the 138th Exhibition and Flower Show August 2014

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Alex Copland Rose Bowl For The Best Garden In The Village – Helen Murray; Patron’s Quaich For The Best Exhibit In The Show – William Moir; Claire Bruce Cup For The Best Exhibit In The Children’s Section - Poppy Fraser; Margaret Anderson Memorial Cup – Charlie Birse; Sandy Anderson Memorial Cup – Sandy Inkster; Cook Cup - Murray Reid; Copland Trophy - Ivy Duncan; Dee Valley Cup - Paige Middleton; Deeside Hotel Cup – Elise Percival; Allan Forbes Trophy - Jane Oliver; Captain Frai Trophy - Marcus Humphrey; Floral Art Quaich – Aileen Barbour; Glenmuick Cup – Sabrina Humphrey; Green Inn Trophy – Margaret Cumming; Jock Gray Memorial Trophy - George Baikie; James Hay Memorial Trophy - Murray Reid; Murdoch Cup - Sandy Inkster; Paget Memorial Trophy - Sandy Inkster; Webster Cup - Sandy Inkster; Anderson Cup - Ivy Duncan; Ballater Amenities Cup - Murray Reid; Butcher’s Cup – Margaret Finnie; Cassie Trophy – Arthur Menzies; Donald Coutts Cup - Jane Oliver; Manse Cup – Jane Oliver; Monaltrie Trophy – Sandy Inkster and Val Rae; Society’s Trophy Jane Oliver; TSB Cup – Senga Clark; Ann Mortimer Cup – Pip Mackie; Peter Appleyard Trophy - Hannah Thom; Abergairn Trophy – Elise Percival; Banksian Medal RHS Award - Murray Reid; Garden Gift Vouchers – Sabrina Humphrey, Malcolm Jarvis and Jane Oliver.

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Victoria and Albert Halls

Moving with the times! The new trust held its first Annual General Meeting on 28th October. Eight Trustees have been confirmed, with scope for four more. Office-bearers are – Bell Macaulay – Chair, Douglas Glass – ViceChair, Willie Meston – Treasurer, Faye Swan – Bookings Secretary, Janet Riddler – Membership Secretary. We are still looking for a Minutes Secretary, and if you have some time to spare we would be delighted to hear from you! We are now working to set up a healthy membership base, which will help us demonstrate community support. Janet Riddler is setting up a system for us, and she would be delighted to sign up new members – it costs nothing.

Bookings – The Victoria & Albert Halls have been very busy over the summer months, with the new Function Suite proving a hit for community celebrations, and enquiries for weddings gradually coming in. The annual community events – Victoria Week, Ballater Royal Horticultural Society’s Show, and the Upper Deeside Art Society’s exhibition – all drew community and visitors to the Victoria Hall. Added to a very healthy programme of community use, the entire complex is improving its overall footfall, though there is scope for improvement and new bookings are always welcome!

If you wish to check your bookings online, go to www.victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk Keeping the Halls in good order – We now have two excellent ladies to look after the halls and our users. These ladies can be contacted as below, and there is the possibility that they can be employed separately to assist if you require further help.

Julie Tapp – 0759 0545669 Karen Forsyth – 07921 460368 Information for Halls Users – we hope the information sheet which has been distributed to all halls users, and also to community groups covers all your questions. If you feel we have left

by Bell Macaulay

anything out, please do let us know and we can add it to the next edition.

Refurbishment – Ian Hay and his team have been working hard on the next stage of the refurbishment and funding. Arrangements are in hand to double glaze and draught-proof the windows in the Albert Hall, and we are seeking sponsorship for this work – see the separate article opposite. If any businesses, organisations or individuals are interested in sponsoring a window, then please contact Gordon Riddler on 013397 55308.

Ongoing maintenance – It is equally important that we keep on top of ongoing repairs and maintenance. This of course is paid for from the Halls general account, a fund built up from rents and any fundraising which is dedicated to this purpose. We are putting in place a regular professional check of the fabric of the building to try to avoid any unpleasant shocks in the future – money well spent. At the moment we are trying to identify the source of dampness on the east wall of the Albert Hall, and this will need to be dealt with before any further works, such as insulation of the roof area, can take place. There is also a problem with flooding of the Youth Cellar due to the slope of the back lane from both directions meeting directly at the door!

Mike Sheridan Room heating – We have installed a large storage heater, and put timers on the smaller heaters to give some constant background heat, whilst ensuring they can’t be left on overnight by mistake!

The finishing touches – Whilst our Albert Hall Community Function Suite is very smart, it does lack some finishing touches to bring it into the super league! The dark evenings have highlighted the fact that there are no blinds or dressings on the windows in the toilets, stairs and foyer area.

We consulted with Ted Emslie and his staff, and they came up with some stunning suggestions which will create attractive backgrounds for

celebratory photographs and also provide some extra insulation. The cost will be in the region of £2,000 and we are looking for some funding to cover this – some donations would be very welcome indeed!

Finally – Please come along to our monthly meetings in the Beaton Craigie Room – we would be delighted to welcome you, and any input and offers of assistance would be invaluable!

We wish all our users a very Merry Christmas, and we will be delighted to welcome you all back in the New Year!

Window dressing? The area needing some cosy curtains

Sponsor a Window! says Ian Hay

19

The Victoria & Albert Halls complex was built in the latter part of the 19th century and has for many years been a community hub. Recently the original trust of 1879 and the Victoria & Albert Halls Development Association which ran the Halls, have been incorporated into one body, a SCIO (Scottish Incorporated Charitable Organisation) called the Victoria & Albert Halls (Ballater) Trust – SCO43209 - which combines ownership and accountable management. New legislation and the expectations of modern users have made it imperative that further and much more extensive refurbishment be carried out.

Over £200,000 was raised for the provision of better kitchen and toilet facilities for the Albert Hall, and we are now at the stage of improving the insulation and heating system. The work will be done in stages and we are about to tackle insulation of the windows for the Albert Hall, then of the roof before upgrading the heating system. Funding for this programme is being sought at various stages from agencies, charities, private and public entities, local organisations and individuals, starting with an opportunity to sponsor the insulation of a window or windows in the Albert Hall.

The cost for each of the nine large windows will be £1200, and for the 2 smaller windows £600, totalling in all £12,000. Updates on progress and an appropriate acknowledgement will be made on our website www.victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk and in the Albert Hall for all sponsors.

Donations can be made by cheque payable to V&A Halls Refurb. Account, and sent to The Treasurer, Board of Trustees, Victoria and Albert (Ballater) Trust, Victoria and Albert Halls, Station Square, Ballater AB35 5QB. Alternatively, payment can be made by BACS transfer. For further information and enquiries, please call/leave message at 013397 55308.

St Kentigern’s Church

by Rev. Vittoria Hancock

Opening Hours: Monday 2pm - 6pm Tuesday 10am - 2pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday Closed Friday 12 noon - 5pm

Tel. 013397 - 55134 24 Golf Rd Ballater AB35 5RS

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The autumn seems to have rushed past this year. At St Kentigern’s, we celebrated Harvest early, on the 14th September. We had a wonderful service, followed by a bring and share harvest lunch in the church hall. We’d like to say thank you to all those from the commuity who supported our harvest collection. The dry food collected was donated to the Aberdeenshire South Foodbank (based in Banchory, but covering Ballater) and the fresh fruit and vegetables went to the Aberdeen Cyrenians. The Aberdeenshire South foodbank provides a fantastic emergency service for the people of this area at times of personal crisis. The Aberdeen Cyrenians run a soup kitchen, and work with those in need.

We’re heading into winter now, preparing for Advent and Christmas. Advent is the countdown period for Christmas, a time to pause and reflect.

In the church we light a different candle for each Sunday in Advent. It reminds us to slow down, not to wish our time away on the future, but to live in the present and to think about our journey through life so far.

As part of that reflection we will be sharing our giving with those less fortunate. The Aberdeen Cyrenians are looking for winter donations of hats, scarves, gloves, warm socks, torches, sleeping bags and other such items. If anyone would like to donate items to this cause, there will be collection boxes in St Kentigern’s Episcopal Church from the last week on November.

Victoria Week

21

by Cat Houston

Around 16 local groups and organisations are set to benefit from a cash handout from this year’s Ballater Victoria Week spoils.

At a meeting in early October the organising group got together to decide how to spend over £4,500 raised during the nine-day festival of fun in the Deeside village, which saw scarecrows, ducks and floods come to the fore.

The largest beneficiary is the Victoria and Albert Halls, which receives £1,000 towards one of nine new double-glazed windows set to be installed. The Ballater crew of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service receives £500, £200 of which they are donating to the The Firefighters’ Charity and the rest to local causes in due course. The Old People’s and Over-50s Association gets £450 towards a new bench to sit outside its base and Amy Muir’s Victorian Photo Studio the BVW annual box office, the hut on the green.

Other beneficiaries include Ballater Pipe www.ballatervictoriaweek.co.uk Band, Ballater School Parent Council, Ballater Toddler Group, Ballater Winter Festival, Ballater Films, Ballater Local History Group, the Glenmuick and St Kentigern’s Churches, Deeside Youth Musical Theatre, Upper Deeside Music, Bonty Court Whist Group and Deeside Cats ProTake-away tection. £250 was also allotted towards funding a new initiative to bring farmers’ markets to the Renowned for our excellent food village on a regular basis from March next year. and friendly family atmosphere Cheques were handed over at the BVW Extensive menu available at AGM on Thursday 20th November when there affordable prices was a short slideshow highlighting BVW 2014’s events and refreshments.

Open every day More details on Ballater Victoria Week can 4.30-10pm til end Oct be found on Facebook or on our website.

Winter hours Tues-Sun 4.30-9pm

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La Mangiatoia Ristorante & Pizzeria

Closing for for annual annual holidays holidays Closing November 15th. Re-open December 27th 18th November.

27th December Bridge Square Ballater Tel. 013397-55999

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Another Fine Mess

by Janet Bailey

On Saturday 4 October 2014 the latest of many fundraising events held this year to benefit the Deeside Branch of Cats Protection was hosted by the Co-op, Netherley Place, Ballater. There were lots of cakes for sale as well as a lucky dip and tombola. Face painting and glitter tattoos were also on offer.

The undoubted stars of the occasion were Kirsty Mutch and Sophie Robinson who bravely allowed themselves to be incarcerated into a goods transport trolley to be “gunged” by anyone willing to make a donation. Their valiant efforts helped to bring in a total of around £200.

In the best tradition of community spirit, Lesley McCracken and her team at the Co-op, Netherley Place have supported the Deeside Branch of Cats Protection for well over a year by involving themselves in various fundraising events.

By the time this article goes to print they should also have a collection bin in the store to accept donations of much needed cat food for the branch.

The two biggest expenses for the branch in any given year are vet bills and the cost of keeping the Cats Protection van on the road. The vehicle is vital to transport abandoned and unwanted cats and kittens to places of safety, to take trapped feral cats to the vet for neutering before they are returned to the wild and to help Deeside Cats to assist with the Highland Tiger project.

Liz Robinson the co-ordinator of Deeside Cats Protection and her team of volunteers are extremely appreciative to Lesley and everyone at the Co-op who have helped us in so many ways during the last twelve months. Their assistance is very much appreciated and we could not do what we do without their support.

For further information see: www.deeside.cats.org.uk/ www.highlandtiger.com/ or find us on Facebook

23

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Ballater Films

by Ade Scripps

It seems like yesterday when I first hesitantly approached the Halls committee with an idea of how we could “Bring movies back to Ballater”, but it’s coming up to three years now and remarkably we seem to be still going and getting bigger and better.

We are gaining support too; our recent screening of Guardians of the Galaxy was funded by Cinema for All and Film Hub Scotland as part of The BFI Sci-Fi Season “Days of Fear and Wonder”. Loads of new faces turned up and from the questionnaires handed out we got mostly five stars. We are hoping to work with NEAT Flicks over the coming year to help form a network of Aberdeenshire-based community cinemas, giving us all sorts of exciting potential opportunities In between writing this and you reading it, we will have shown Frozen Sing-Along, which is shaping up to be the event of the year – we have never sold so many tickets in advance... folk are coming from all over Aberdeenshire!

The Halls are in the process of purchasing a new sound system, which we hope to have in place for Frozen and fully up and running for Belle on the December 13, which will allow us to use the Victoria Hall on a regular basis and hold bigger events. Film and Disco Nights are something to look forward to!

Many of our most successful events have been raising money for local groups so if you are a part of an organisation that wishes to raise money for something, contact us and we can work together to make an event. Crathie Opportunity Holidays have raised nearly £2,000 from their events, so it’s well worth the effort. We will be running Belle in conjunction with The V&A Halls to raise money for the new sound system so come along to that and join in. Tickets priced £10 include a glass of wine and canapes.

25

As with all the organisations around the village we really could do with some more help, so if you fancy joining in we would welcome your input, especially if you can tell a red wire from a black one... make a poster... or know the dark arts of getting funding... or think you and friends would like a film or genre shown in the village.

We’ll be announcing future films soon but the Paddington movie is on the shortlist along with Billy Connolly’s What We Did On Our Holiday and there’s growing interest in Fifty Shades of Grey ... When it’s released we need to show Sunset Song, as many folk from the the village are in it.... plus we haven’t got round to showing Ken Loach’s Cannes award-winning Jimmy’s Hall....about an “intruder” who goes to a village and causes all sorts of chaos by holding events at the local hall... oh...

Seasons greetings to all film lovers.

You can now buy your movie tickets online via our website www.ballaterfilms.co.uk as well as from Yules

In the autumn issue of the Eagle 26I mentioned that I was participating

in Petal Power’s “Ride Like a Girl” event at Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore. This took place on the 27th September and 100 “girls” set off from Glenmore Lodge up to Ryvoan for the first cake stop! On to Abernethy Forest, down through Tulloch, another cake station at West Croftmore – then a really, really steep climb up An Sluggan down to Badaguish Outdoor centre and back up to Glenmore Lodge. This was in total approximately 19 miles.

The Deeside Devils, Sheena Fraser, Mandy Crighton, Gillian Sinclair, Lisa McMahon and I had a great time! The organisation of the whole event was tremendous. The CNPA supported the event and encourage safe and courteous mountain biking in the Cairngorms National Park. We met lots of other “bikers” and have lots of ideas for future events! A donation from each entry went to Cairngorm Outdoor Access Trust for maintenance of paths throughout the park.

Prior to the event, we were all in training and

one day I had a couple of hours free in Braemar prior to a meeting so decided to take the bike. I went up to Inverey, parked in the small car park on the left before you come to the small bridge, then I set off up Glen Ey. At first there are a couple of roads branching off but you just keep going straight and then you come to a gate. Please ensure you keep it closed as there are sheep in the area. The road here is relatively flat, then you come to the Ey Burn and another gate.

Again, please ensure this one is also closed after going through. The next part is actually quite a steep climb up followed by a nice run down, past a wee sign for the Colonel’s Bed. I cycled on for some time.It felt like just a gradual climb and wasn’t too arduous. You cross over the Ey Burn a couple of times and after about six miles through the most idyllic of glens, you come to the ruins of Altanour Lodge, at one time a fine shooting lodge surrounded by pine and larch trees. The lodge name comes from the nearby stream Alltan Odhar. Glen Ey was deserted by crofters in 1838, anecdotally a clampdown on

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illicit whisky distilling depopulated the Glen as the crofters without that extra income could no longer pay their rents.

At this point the road disappears and there are only narrow paths which you can continue to walk on, as do some climbers who will head for Loch nan Eun then down to the Spittal of Glenshee.

However I turned and headed back down the Glen then realised I had climbed more than I had first thought. You descend about 180 metres from here to the car park. I stopped at the sign post for The Colonel’s Bed, leaving my bike at the side of the road as the path towards the Bed is a little rough. The burn flows through a vertically sided rocky gorge and you have to be extremely careful as the ground is slippery and there are loose rocks. I last visited here when we still stayed in Braemar and one of Dad’s sheep had actually fallen down onto a ledge in the “Bed”. The Braemar Mountain Rescue managed to go down and rescue the lamb to everyone’s relief.

In the 17th century The Black Colonel John Farquharson of Inverey was forced to hide in this gorge to escape the government troops after the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. Most of the overhang has collapsed over recent years but it is still an amazing sight.

I enjoyed my visit, remembering the Bed just as it had been the last time I visited a long time ago! I then walked back up to the bike and cycled back to the car park at Inverey, loaded the bike up and off to Braemar.

This walk can be done as mentioned for a whole day travelling right up the Glen or just a short stroll to the Colonel’s Bed. All in all a great part of our Cairngorms National Park.

Glen Ey

by Katrina A Farquhar

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Crathie Parish

by Karen Garioch

Balmoral Bridge As most of us are aware, works on the “Balmoral Bridge” have begun and are planned for about 20 weeks – but what do we really know about our local bridge?

This somewhat plain looking bridge linking the south Deeside road with the north Deeside road and said to be much disliked by Queen Victoria, was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, thought by many to be the greatest-ever British engineer.

This is probably the earliest bridge of its type in Scotland. The two riveted girders are almost unique in Brunel’s work. Mounted on two large piers of local granite, with a span of 39.8m supporting a 4.1m wide deck of pine planking and tarmac. The iron founder was R Brotherhood of Chippenham, Wiltshire and the work was supervised by Dr Andrew Robertson, the doctor and factor of Balmoral.

Today, the bridge carries not only vehicles but is crossed on foot by the many thousands of visitors on their way to visit Balmoral. Few realise that they are crossing a bridge designed by the greatest engineer of the 19th Century!

Crathie Kirk The church is now closed to visitors for the winter and will reopen on 1st April 2015, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. In 2014 we had over 20,000 visitors whom we would like to thank for their support and look forward to seeing more visitors next year.

We normally hold a service every Sunday at 11.30am and one in Braemar at 09.45am.

In December, January and February we will be holding joint services as follows: 7 December – Crathie 14 December – Braemar 21 December – Crathie 24 December – Crathie & Braemar

29 11.30pm Midnight Service 25 December – Braemar 11am Christmas Day Service 4 January 2015 – Crathie 11 January 2015 – Braemar & Crathie 18 January 2015 – Braemar & Crathie 25 January 2015 – Braemar & Crathie 1 February 2015 – Crathie 8 February 2015 – Braemar 15 February 2015 – Crathie 22 February 2015 - Braemar More information on our churches of Crathie and Braemar can be found on our website braemarandcrathieparish.org.uk The Guild will be holding their Christmas lunch at The Bothy in Braemar 12 noon for 12.30pm on December 3rd; all are welcome.

On Wednesday 28 January 2015 at 2.00pm in Crathie Kirk Hall, there will be a get together with a talk from Charlie Denny of Braemar on the Charity Ambulances.

New members of the Guild are always welcome – including men! For more information please contact Pat Thomson on 013397 41214.

Monday Coffee Morning What a huge success our Monday coffee mornings have been this year raising over £3,500, which would not have been possible without our hard working, dedicated volunteers to whom we are eternally grateful.

This year we have had visitors from as far away as Australia and as close as next door!

Elaine and her trusty band of volunteers would like to thank all who have supported them in so many ways and hope to meet you all again next year.

We will be holding our Christmas coffee morning on Monday 8 December from 10am to 12.30 and in the meantime we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and happy new year.

C

PG is pa ca ag ca I an go ca qu By

Ic O H A Ih S H U be B

C O br we Ba

Crathie School PGL Fun PGL is in Dalguise, Perthshire, and it is a kids’ activity weekend away from parents. The activities we did were the cat walk, giant swing, the zip wire, the agility cores, raft building, orienteering, canoeing and abseiling.

I enjoyed the meals. I felt really tired and happy. Next time I would like to go higher on the cat walk, do abseiling, canoeing, zip wire, agility cores and quad bikes.

By Morgan, P7 Animal Poem

I came across a Cheetah On the way to school.

His teeth were very furry And his head was like a bull I hid him in my bag So teacher would not see.

He stayed there very quietly Until frightened by wasp and a bee.

By Josh P2

31

Camera Trap Project We have been observing nature out and about around the school. Glyn, the Balmoral Ranger, helped us to put camera traps out in our school grounds and around the area to capture pictures of animals.

The first time we put the traps out we kept seeing “Billy the cat” and lots of other cats from around the area. We also found loads of rabbits and Rowan the dog We found some signs of otters under the bridge, otter spraint and footprints by the river bank, so we set a camera up there. Did we find any otters on the pictures…? No we saw a heron, squirrels, field mice, pigeons, woodcocks and pheasants. On our second camera we thought we had a picture of a real Wildcat! Glyn sent the picture off to be examined... Was it a Wildcat? No! We set the cameras up again in another spot and this time we put down some sardines and hoped to catch sight of an otter. YES, we did. We also filmed red deer, roe deer, pine martin and a supersonic sausage!

We used the photos to make a video and put it to music and added some fun captions. We entered our film in a competition sponsored by the North East Scotland Biodiversity Group and we won a camera trap. Now we plan to take more photos of nature and animals.

Charity Week On Thursday 25th September we had a coffee and cake day and we sold clothes, bric-abrac, toys that we had collected from family and friends. It was fun and the charities we were raising money for were the National Autistic Society, the British Red Cross and Barnardo’s. We had fun and we hope we can help more people.

32

Ballater School

Every pupil has designed Christmas cards. Here is a selection.

P1 th “I l how fav “I f get tim “I l “I l to c “I f wa “I f we “I c lea you “I h thin “I e 2D flat “I like out “I c spe “I h

ol

as

33 P1s’ impression of their first term: “I learned French words. I learned how to make words with letters. My favourite thing was lunch.”

“I found writing tricky. I want to get better at words. I enjoyed playtime the best.”

“I learned about Ballater” “I learned to count to 20. I learned to count backwards.”

“I found writing tricky. I want to get better at it.”

“I found maths a bit tricky because we had to use a ruler.”

“I can draw people better. I found learning how to make words when you put letters together tricky.”

“I have to get better at spacing things out.”

“I enjoyed maths. I learned about 2D shapes. They are completely flat.” “ I learned to tidy up everything. I like doing maths. I found cutting out tricky.”

“I can make some patterns. I can spell some words.”

“I have to read better.”

P7 danced with P1/2 “The first term we were dancing with the P1/2s. We were dancing to Grease Lightning and I Gotta Feeling, it was really fun. We were dancing in groups of 4 and 5 . We hope we can do it again. We showed them what dance moves to do. Some of us enjoyed it and some of us not so much. by Kerryn Language with P5/6 “During term 1 p5/6 2014 we have learned many things e.g. handwriting, maths, and lots more but today I am writing about language. In language we have done handwriting, using our every week spelling words. Also we have done spelling activity cards and reading but my favourite activity was when we wrote a section or chapter from a book called the Twits.

I myself enjoy language and I think that language is a fun and exciting lesson because you never know what exciting activity you are going to learn.

In language we have been put into reading groups based on sweets. e.g. Happy Haribos and Marvellous Malteasers.” by Aidan

34

Crathie Opportunity Holidays

by Allan Harrison

The cottages at Crathie Opportunity Holidays have had a busy and successful 2014 with almost full occupancy from April to October. The Wednesday Coffee Mornings give the guests a chance to meet and chat with local volunteers in a relaxed social setting. This new venture has been well received and will continue in 2015.

As part of Ballater Victoria Week, we had a film evening showing of “Saving Mr Banks”. The splendour of the food provided is now an integral part of the success of the evening. The Deeside Inn kindly provided facilities for a Quiz Evening in August. Our Golf Day at Balmoral in October was our major fundraising event. The sun shone and the autumn colours were glorious, giving the golfers a great opportunity to appreciate the scenery while enjoying their golf. Special thanks to all our sponsors and helpers who made the day so successful.

As part of Disabled Access Day on 17 January 2015, Crathie Opportunity Holidays are holding an open afternoon from 2 to 4pm.

Teas, coffees and bakes will be available. This day is all about getting out and visiting a venue that you have never been to in the past. More information on the day can be found at www. disabledaccessday.com.

Friends of Crathie Opportunity Holidays are the backbone of all the above events as well as keeping the gardens tidy throughout the year.

They are all volunteers willing to help if and when they can. If you would like to join the “Friends” please call Maggie McAlpine on 013397 42100 for information. You will be most welcome and your talents will be put to good use.

We are so grateful for the support and goodwill from folk both locally and beyond. Thank you all.

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35 Keeping Council

by Katrina A Farquhar

Onesies for Pudsey!

Staff at the Netherley Place Co-op in Ballater joined forces with their neighbours at the Netherley Guest House to raise ÂŁ745 for Children In Need. They donned their onesies and hosted a tombola, guess the name of the teddy and guess the number of sweets in the jar, as well as serving refreshments.

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The main event happening as I write this will be the roll out of the new recycling and waste service. Hopefully everyone by the time you read this, will be used to it, but if you do have any problems, please contact Waste Services on 0845 600 3 900.

I attended the Design Awards at Haddo House recently and was delighted to receive an award on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council for the work carried out on Kindrochit Castle at Braemar. Other awards for the area included: Craftsmanship: St Kentigern’s, Ballater Conservation: Kindrochit Castle, Braemar Housing: Mill of Newe, Strathdon Sustainability: Rekkitlane, Coull Housing: Stack Yard, Braemar Housing: Little Enochie Mill, Finzean Craftsmanship: Coille Na Feorag, Tarland This is a fantastic achievement, so many awards in such a small area.

Aberdeenshire Council has achieved a Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark for serving fresh and healthy meals in its 154 primary and special schools. The mark brings together a range of topics including health, climate change and animal welfare.

36

BHG the second 50 years

Extracted from the Minute Books of Ballater Highland Games Committee 1915 to 1964 In 1919 the committee felt it would be “impudent” to approach patrons for money in the current difficult economic conditions. A request to the recruiting section of the RAF for a plane to fly over the games was refused. Braemar Highland Games asked for the loan of Ballater’s record board which was granted with the suggestion that Braemar buy their own. In 1921 four terraces for seating were formed at a cost of £8. In 1921 the Cricket Club asked £2 rent which was considered exorbitant as the Games committee had paid for the terraces. The charge was reduced back to £1 but the committee agreed to consider a “liberal donation” to the Cricket Club if the games were successful. Banchory Games Committee lent red screen draping to surround the patrons’ enclosure in 1923. More tree planting was undertaken in 1929.

Throughout the 1930s the Games continued along the same lines with much discussion about the day on which they should be held, usually the 3rd Thursday in August was favoured. Over the next twenty years or so royal patronage of the Games was continually sought but there never seems to have been a day when a member of the royal family could attend.

The Hospital Road leading to the field was mended and improvements to the terracing were carried out. The games were held in 1939 but then suspended for the duration of the war, resuming in 1946 when Colonel MacKenzie of Glenmuick was appointed Chieftain. This year the hill

by Janet Riddler

race was introduced. In 1947 loudspeaker equipment was introduced. In 1948 Captain A. A. Compton, who changed his name to A. A. C. Farquharson shortly thereafter, became Chieftain.

Six ladies’ and two gentlemen’s lavatories were provided. In 1949 six clowns’ outfits were purchased for the obstacle race and in 1952 twelve yards of pennants were bought to decorate the field. In 1953 a Coronation Games Day was held under the auspices of the Ballater Highland Games committee. In 1954 Ian Powrie’s band played at the Games dance. The county council and the burgh council argued over who should cut the grass on the field. In 1955 the Queen gave a tea service for a raffle prize. The Bucksburn Pipe Band led the Chieftain on to the field to the tune of the Invercauld March and the following year the Ballater Air Cadet Force band did the same.

In 1964 the first 100 years was marked by a centenary postmark cancellation. Envelopes and post cards were sold on the field and raised approximately £45. “On advice from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals it was not considered prudent to go ahead with the Greased Pig event.” An 8mm film of the games was made.

38

Our River Dee

by Ian Cameron

15 dates of note since 1799...

1799: spate conditions destroyed the first elegant 5 arch Ballater bridge.

1829: The Muckle Spate destroyed Telford’s second Ballater bridge.

Of these two floods, I could find no record of the actual flood levels.

1872: There were two floods, one in the spring, and again in December, that so weakened the third, wooden Ballater bridge that plans were put in place to replace it, this being the present bridge of 1885.

1893: another storm of wind and rain destroyed the two arch bridge at Dalfad, Glengairn, and flooded Ballater. This bridge was replaced by the pedestrian, ‘Black Bridge.’

1911: Another flood after exceptional rainfall on the Cairngorms.

1914: Heavy flooding after a very wet March.

1920: A new phenomenon, severe flooding due to run-off from bare hills after clear felling trees during WW1.

1927: flooding after a storm destroyed the bridge at Inver Hotel.

1928: Dee bursts its bank at Sluievannachie and results in the worst recorded flooding in Ballater.

1937: a wall of water came down the Dee resulting in the highest recorded river levels since the Muckle Spate.

1946: flooding again after WW2 clear felling hillside forests.

1951: still suffering from bare hills run-off, Aberdeen floods.

1959: toddler swept away in floods at the bottom of Dee Street.

1990: widespread flooding—golf course under water, and turnips from a Braemar field.

2014: this year’s flooding, 9.167 feet above normal! 4th highest behind the Muckle Spate of 1829,1928 and 1937.

The River Dee formed our valley over many thousands of years. We find it difficult to understand the raw forces of nature that forced a river channel through granite rock to the sea, but from time to time we get a glimpse of the power of nature that we can never control. Monday 11th of August 2014 was one of those times.

As I stood on Ballater bridge watching the rising waters, and seriously considering if on the bridge was a sensible place to be, I heard around me talk of a “once in a 200 years’ event”.

True enough, the fledgling SEPA organisation, established in 1996, has taken as a baseline the Muckle Spate of 1829. This spate devastated the Dee and Spey valleys, destroying many bridges and water-driven mills, and caused great loss of livestock and, like 2014, this storm came in August. However this “once in a 200 years’ event” is an unsafe concept. My research of years between 1799 and 11th August 2014 reveal 15 occasions of high water levels up to over 10 feet above the normal summer level of the river!

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Again, the hand of man can be seen exacerbating the flooding.

Historically, the maintenance of the river banks was controlled by piling. Those of you who have lived all your life in Ballater will remember the larch piles supporting the banks of the ‘Lang Peel’ over the Golf Course. However the appearance of the hydraulic excavators in the 1970s led fishing interests to use these machines for dredging, a task that left the banks undermined. We have moved on now, but unstable banks and river beds are their legacy.

I am old enough to remember the width of low riverbank west of Garranmhor and Ford House, and can remember the tipping of builders’ waste that went on there from the end of the war and how the reclaiming increased after we lost our Town Council. Today we wonder why the Caravan site gets flooded, but having deprived the river of so much of its natural bed, we must now accept more flooding as climate change really kicks in.

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New-Fangled Trock

by Mary Munro

Machines an me hiv aye hid a mutual lovehate relationship, maistly hate! Computerised shoppin, faxes, e-mails an sic-like, an thon Internet fears me files for I see mair an mair fowk haein tae lippen on thon God-like machine wi nae sowl.

I widna like tae dee withoot some machines though, that is till they brak doon, an syne I myne on fit Granda said aboot tractors. They were gran machines, bit a horse didna need ile or diesel an the horse wisna apt tae brak doon in the middle o’ the hairst park, garin him sweir an plochter wi rage!

Maybe that’s ane o the reasons fowk like Granny werena aye rinnin tae the doctor wi nerves or thon new word “stress”, for in her hoose, there wisna muckle tae blaud an she aye seemed contentit wi the haun that life hid dealt her. It didna maitter about poo’er cuts for there wis aye the big, open fire wi the swey an a Tilly-lamp hissin awa on its heuk fae the reef. Thae mantles for the Tilly-lamp were gey finicky though, an we files heard her lettin oot an oath, “Aliss, ye divil!” as she pit her thoom throwe the cobwebby mantle, paper-thin, like a bees’ bike. Nae sic a thing as a fridge either – jist the ootside larder on legs at the scullery door, the wire mesh roon aboot tae keep oot the horny gollachs an flechs.

Granda did like the wireless. He wis fair tricket at the voices comin oot o’ the box on the dresser. Fan the News wis on, we bairns niver uttered a myowt, for fear o’ a clout fae Granda.

He wid sit there in his ingle cheer, wi a fog o Bogy-Roll yoamin roon his heid, takin it a in an noddin a ceevil “Gweed nicht tae ye” fan the wire-

41

less mannie signed aff. The wireless gied them a life-line tae the ootside warld, stuck as they were on tap o’ a breemy hill near Tarland! We bairns sat an keckled ahin oor hauns at his comments aboot the News. “Coorse buggers” or “Fool breets nooadays!” Ye didna daur tak the lift o’ him, for he wis the auld style patriarch an ye wid hae been banished het-fit tae the wid-shed, gin he thocht ye were makin a feel o’ him. He niver saw television, bit I bet he wid hae hid a richt argy-bargy wi a feow o’ the fowk on the screen.

We didna hae a television for a lang time bit wi the wireless, ye hid tae listen an imagine the picters in yer mind. I likit “Orson Welles from the Black Museum”. His deep, coorse-like voice gied ye a shiver up an doon yer back-been as he described some peer deem bein strangled in the wids, or ither tales o’ murder an dark deeds. It wis waur jist hearin the squallochs, for yer imagination ran riot files. It wis a in yer heid, an I dinna myne haein ony nichtmares! I maun hae a blood-thirsty streak!

I should ging wi the times, I ken, bit I’ve managed awa fine a this time withoot mony o’ the gadgets fowk canna live withoot. I maun be aboot the only body on the planet wi nae mobile phone, bit I jist dinna wint tae lippen on it. I think the worst I heard wis a mither that eesed tae text her dother upstairs tae come doon for her tea!

Athin changes an moves on – that’s jist the wey o’ it, bit I winna move wi it, for I wint a simple life. I prefer fowk tae machines ony day!

(Editor’s Note – Mary’s latest book, “A Village for All Seasons” is now available from herself, Yule’s Book Shop and Deeside Books.)

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Pottering About... by Stella Potter

Well, since the last issue I have become an empty nester. The eldest flew the nest seven years ago and a few months ago it was the youngest one’s turn. Although very much out of my comfort zone I did the van hire and driving, on the understanding that I wouldn’t do any heavy lifting as I have to take care of my back for Caring work. Many thanks to the mightily helpful and reasonable Vans2U at Drumoak who advertise in the Eagle. Despite the van seeming monster-like and quite a climb to get into the driving seat, in the end we were grateful for the huge beast we could stand up in. There was so much stuff!

So van collected and a very nervous gentle drive to Aboyne to collect the first load of said stuff. By the time we reached Ballater for the second and third loadings I was a little more confident. Luckily I know the Glenshee road really well so managed the next hurdle smoothly, with no heart-in-mouth moments or swearing. Indeed, my confidence grew

as the miles passed. It was lovely that the youngest and her new flatmate enjoy Radio 4 almost as much as I do, so on the motorway to Edinburgh the cab was full of laughter at the 6.30pm comedy. I did spare them “The Archers” though.

The flat is on a cul-de-sac with a very narrow entry. There was no space to park the van in the cul-de-sac so I managed to get it parked as tightly as possible at the entrance. The young folk – three of them by now and another en route – started unloading. One wee Smart car managed to get past but the gap was too small for another resident.

“No worries, I’ll move the van,” I cheerfully told him, fervently hoping the fear in my eyes didn’t show. I’m pretty poor at reversing my car, having passed my driving test so many years ago parking was not even taught or, to my shame I know, ever been learnt. Windows down, reverse found, metaphorical sleeves purposefully rolled up, knees shaking with nerves and guided by the youngest

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doing the “left hand down a bit” and “whoa” job I crept backwards and round the corner. Gave a hearty wave to their neighbour and gently reparked.

No damage to vehicles or folk. Phew! The things we do for our offspring.

The next day I sensibly left before 7am to miss busy city traffic. Edinburgh was still mobbed by vehicles. Where on earth does it all come from so early in the morning? However, the van and I survived and it was a pleasant drive once out of the city. It felt very strange sitting in my car again as it seemed so low, small and insignificant, but I returned home safe, proud and hugely relieved I’d done it.

The youngest is settling in nicely. Indeed, she’s enjoying grasping the opportunities of city life. After a few days of no word from her I texted asking if she was OK. She called back, from somewhere exceedingly noisy, reassuring me she’s fine, and couldn’t chat as she was at a fabulous Poetry Slam event and her flatmate was up next. Clearly I have nothing to worry about with her settling in.

So now I’m empty nested, how does it feel?

Well, I really miss the conversations, the hugs, the shared meals and support around the house, particularly with bringing in the wood to feed the beast that is my woodburner and sole source of heat. On the plus side, I can eat what I want when I want, there’s far less laundry and the mess is solely mine. And the internet doesn’t grind to a near halt, which is a huge plus!

It is, however, delightful to have grown-up daughters who still seem to enjoy spending time with me. Recently the eldest and I took a trip to Amsterdam, via Edinburgh to spend a little time with the youngest too. We left the car at hers and she came on the bus and new tram with us to the airport as she hadn’t taken the tram that far. What a sweetheart, she even carried our hold bag. We learnt a lot on our trip – like book online for museums as the Van Gogh had a three-block queue! So we went and took the mickey out of the contemporary art one instead as we have similar

43

tastes. Great fun. I introduced her to Indonesian food, she coped with my snoring with earplugs and carried her rucksack and our hold bag for kilometres on the last day. My Mum was always the family packhorse. Seems it’s now my eldest. As we saw llamas on the drive home she’s now been dubbed the family packllama.

I must say how wonderfully gratifying it is to have adult children who are eagerly grasping life with both wholehearted hands, to their own tastes – one in an exciting bustling city and the other on a remote Hebridean cliff. They still seem to enjoy spending time with me as much as I do them. Long may it continue.

As the festive season approaches I look forward to the pressie and feast fest which, being the unconventional family we are, will not be on December 25. However you and yours enjoy the longest nights, I hope they are filled with as much laughter, love and teamwork as I know ours will be. Cheers!

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Invasive Non-Native Plants on the River Dee

by Joanna Dick

This year the River Dee Trust and Dee District Salmon Fishery Board have been tackling invasive non-native plant species on the banks of the River Dee between Ballater and Drumoak. The plants targeted are Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed, which are highly invasive and quickly establish and then take over the riverbank, out-competing native plants. The problem is that they don’t support the native wildlife that the native plants do and they also die back in the winter, leaving exposed riverbank which is vulnerable to erosion. Giant hogweed is also highly toxic if accidentally touched.

In previous years the trust has treated these non-native plants on the Rivers Cowie and Carron in Stonehaven. The treatment proved so successful that this year the battleground was extended to the Dee. Patches of Japanese knotweed were treated from just upstream of Ballater on the River Muick, which is the upstream limit of this invasive plant on the Dee. This top-to-bottom approach is to stop further downstream re-infestations.

Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed are abundant on the lower River, from Park Bridge downstream to Aberdeen, along with another highly invasive plant – Himalayan balsam. All of this area will be treated as part of a programme funded by the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route Mitigation Fund. The three-year programme with £165,000 of investment will be delivered by the River Dee Trust in conjunction with the Dee Catchment Partnership.

If you spot any invasive non-native plants around Ballater please contact the River Office by emailing Jamie@riverdee.org or telephoning 01339 880 411.

For further information, contact Joanna Dick, Dee Catchment Outreach Officer with the River Dee Trust and Dee Catchment Partnership.

45

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As we read the Eagle in 2014, let us try to put our mind back 100 years and then read on and imagine if we can, the carnage of modern warfare 1914 style. The village will have heard of the massive retreat from Mons, the race to the sea and the terrible loss of life during the First Battle of Ypres when the German army threw everything in to make the all-important breakthrough and to realise the Kaiser’s promise of victory before the leaves had fallen from the trees. The casualty figures in 45 days were greater than we can imagine: 21,562 Belgian, 58,155 British, 86,237 French and 134,315 German, over a quarter of a million in total. It is little wonder that Erich von Falkenhayn doubted that Germany would ever have another opportunity to win the war and on 18th November he recommended a diplomatic solution be attempted.

Here in Ballater we recorded the loss of Driver John K. K. Robertson on the 27th August during the battle of Le Cateau and Private George Naughton on the 17th November during the First Battle of Ypres. We know very little of either of these men other than both died from their wounds. We have no details of their ages, we only know that George lived in Inverurie and was born in Aberdeen. John lived in Tomintoul and Ballater, so any information from readers would be most welcome as the outcome of this research will be a legacy for the future.

When we talk of “Driver”, we are talking about the lead horseman pulling the artillery and it would have been his role to hitch the gun and drive it out during the retreat under enemy fire, which was far from the cannonballs of old, as in 1914 they were using shrapnel shells and the photograph opposite gives some idea of what was involved: The last remaining rite of 1914 fell to the common soldiers who created the ‘Christmas Truce’ and after so much bitterness and killing, both sides put down their arms and fraternised with the enemy in no-man’s-land, that is the area between both sides’ trenches. Souvenirs, cap badges and luxuries such as cigars and whisky were exchanged as men celebrated their Saviour’s birth. The War Diary of 1st Scots Guards records

47 Ballater History Group World War I – Further Research

by John Burrows

that one of their men “...had met a German on patrol who was given a glass of whisky and some cigars, and a message was sent back saying that if we didn’t fire at them they would not fire at us”. Impromptu games of football were played, one of which took place in Frelinghein-Houpline sector and involved the Seaforth Highlanders playing against the 113th Royal Saxon Regiment. Yes, you guessed right – the Germans won 3-2 and Lieutenant Johannes Niemann recorded the following: “The Scots marked their goal with their strange caps and we did the same with ours. It was far from easy to play on the frozen ground, but we continued, keeping rigorously to the rules despite the fact it lasted an hour and we had no referee. A great many of the passes went wide, but all the amateur footballers, although they must have been very tired, played with huge enthusiasm. Us Germans really roared when a gust of wind revealed that the Scots wore no drawers under their kilt – and hooted and whistled every time they caught an impudent glimpse of one posterior belonging to ‘yesterday’s enemies’.”

The truce lasted for a week and far from this being seen by HQ as man’s humanity shining out in the darkest of hours, Field Marshal Sir John French sent out orders that commanders would be punished if such behaviour was repeated and from now on there was to be an “offensive spirit” and not fraternisation.

Looking back on 1914, the BEF could now count the cost: 89,969 casualties, killed, wounded or missing since the start of hostilities. This was half the original number of professional Regular soldiers and time-expired volunteers meaning that 1915 would be the turn of Kitchener’s New Armies.

I would like to thank readers of the Eagle for making contact and giving valued information about relatives. Please continue to do so, especially if anyone has details about L/Cpl John ROSS, Pte James A. ROSS, Pte William CAMERON and Pte Allen Mackenzie COPLAND.

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Seasonal Poverty

by Geva Blackett

With the clocks going back, the nights drawing in and the roar of the stags over for another year, we know winter is approaching fast. It’s unbelievable that yet another year has almost passed in what seems like seconds! I hardly dare say it but… it will soon be Christmas and what we call ‘The Season of Goodwill’. One of the highlights of the year for me has been to see an abundance of red squirrels in the garden – they seem to be flourishing and are raiding the bird nuts in alarming quantities – do they know something about the weather to come…?

People think of Royal Deeside as being affluent – well in parts it is but in every community in this Ward there is serious poverty too. As a distributor for the Banchory Food Bank, I have helped a number of people in the area – some just needed help for a couple of weeks. One was a ‘middle class’ single parent whose earnings dropped because she had to be with a desperately ill child in hospital and found it hard to cope.

It’s a frightening thought that 13m people in the UK live below the poverty line and almost a million people received emergency food parcels from a food bank in 2013/14. That of course means that 12m didn’t, and I wonder how many of them were elderly people worrying how to heat their homes and eat. How many were parents who fed their children and went without themselves? Poverty is indiscriminate. With a freeze on tax credits looming, I dread to think how many people, already struggling to keep their heads above water in this cold part of Scotland and perhaps earning no more than the minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, will manage in the year ahead. If you know anyone who needs short term help – or indeed you do yourself – please let me know; every case is treated in confidence and no one’s situation is judged. Christmas is a time for giving and sharing. If you feel able to donate food or even a small luxury such as pantomime tickets or a meal voucher to help make Christmas special for a local family, please let me know and I will

be happy to arrange collection.

I have been keeping a close eye on the repairs to the Balmoral Bridge. The weather has certainly been on our side and it looks as though good progress is being made. One of our residents contacted me and told me about a close encounter she had had with a huge articulated lorry on the South Deeside road and brought the potentially dangerous drop in one of the laybys to my attention. I alerted the community council and together we have been working with the council to ensure safety during what is a difficult time for all those who live at Balmoral and on the south side of the river at Crathie. I have been assured that the road will be treated as priority for the road gritters and of course because it is effectively a dead end, that section of the road (from Ballater to Crathie) will get a double ‘dose’ as the gritter goes up and then down again.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need help and of course I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hogmanay!”

Poetry:Cornered

49

The computer swallowed Grandma, Yes, honestly it’s true.

She pressed “Control” and “Enter”, And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely, The thought just makes me squirm.

She must have caught a virus, Or been eaten by a worm.

I’ve searched through the recycle bin, And files of every kind; I’ve even used the internet, But nothing could I find.

In desperation, I asked Mr. Google My searches to refine.

The reply from him was negative, Not a thing was found “online”.

So, if inside your “Inbox” My Grandma you should see, Please “copy”, “scan” and “paste” her, And send her back to me.

(From “The Pensioner” magazine)

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24

Ballater’s Painting Postie: Linden Hopwood

51

Not many people know that one of our local postmen, Linden Hopwood, is also a part-time portrait artist. You’ll probably recognise him from the picture, which is actually a self-portrait in oils that was an entry in last year’s Sky TV Portrait Artist of the Year competition.

Although Linden lives in Aboyne, he’s been a postman in Ballater for the past six years, and covers for each of his colleagues’ weekly day-off – so you’ll normally see him once a week in your area.

“I’ve always painted or drawn or sketched, ever since I can remember,” said Linden, “I used to be a keen golfer, playing off a 9 handicap at Aboyne, so my art was limited to the winter months, saving the summer for golf – but the last couple of years, the demand for my artwork has been a year-round “I’ve painted quite a few dogs, but the oddest request I’ve had was Jelly Babies.” commitment and I haven’t swung a golf club for over 18months!”

During the summer, Linden was asked by the European Golf Tour to paint a portrait of Justin Rose at an Aberdeen art gallery event, held for the wives and girlfriends of the tour players during the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen.

“Painting live in the presence of strangers was quite daunting,” said Linden, “but I was working from a photograph, not Justin himself, so I had a good start before I turned-up at the event and just put the finishing touches to it when I was there – cheating a bit really, but I also ran a time-lapse video of the painting process on a loop, so they could see that it was all the real thing. Justin went on to win the competition, but I don’t think I’d anything to do with it!”

Linden is a supporter of the Motor Neurone Disease Charity and donates a portrait each year to the Charitable Chiels annual fund-raiser at Ballater Golf Club. “I’ve done this for a couple

of years now. It raises some extra cash for a worthwhile cause and the highest bidder gets their portrait painted, - win, win really.” said Linden.

Although Linden’s speciality is portraiture/ figurative work, he’s regularly asked to paint animals, particularly pets. “I’ve painted quite a few dogs, but the oddest request I’ve had,” remarked Linden, “was Jelly Babies. I’d painted one just as a study in red for a competition, and somebody on Facebook asked me to paint one of each of the six colours. A commission is a commission, so I obviously said yes. They turned out so well, - I actually sell prints of them through my website.”

Linden’s website is lindenhopwood.com but you can easily give him a nudge on Facebook or Twitter or when he’s round and about in Ballater delivering your mail.

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Tax Help for Older People

Don’t let your retirement be too taxing

53

Tax Help for Older People is a service provided by the charity Tax Volunteers, offering free, independent and expert help and advice on personal tax matters to older people (approaching 60 or over) on lower incomes (less than £20,000 per year). The service operates across the UK, with a national helpline and a network of over 450 professionally trained tax volunteers. In 2013/14, Tax Help for Older People delivered over 20,000 individual tax advice sessions to over 10,000 older people. For further information visit www.taxvol.org.uk HMRC independent research estimates that in any one year there will be in excess of over one million taxpayers who need some additional help or support to deal with their tax affairs, over and above that which can be offered by HMRC’s own telephone contact centres. 20% of all taxpayers are pensioners; Tax Volunteers estimate that there are potentially 50,000 older people in the UK in need of additional help and assistance with personal tax, tax credit or pension credit problems Tax Help for Older People is urging the over sixties to make timely checks that they are not contributing too much….in income tax.

Chief Executive Graham Sherburn said “Tax can become more, not less complicated after retirement or semi-retirement. Over the last few months many people will have been notified by HMRC of new tax codes or overpayments or underpayments of income tax. These can be very confusing, especially as many of us rely on our employer to deal with our tax payments while we are employed.

This can be a whole new world to some over-sixties and comes at a time when other challenges such as illness, disability and bereavement can also hit. We urge anyone over the age of sixty, and on a lower income, to seek clarification on any aspect of their income tax liability they do not understand.

A simple tax health check can set your mind at rest and more complex problems can be sorted out.

This service is completely free, independent and confidential”.

As well as its national helpline and network of volunteer tax advisers, the charity is also working with local organisations to help people. Graham Sherburn confirmed “We are delighted to be working with local Age UK centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux and local authorities to reach and help local people with their income tax problems. Our working partnerships mean that we can see people face to face when that is the best way to help, bringing the expertise of our specialist area of advice right to where it is most needed, in local towns and cities and in people’s homes. Older people give a great deal to our society. We are working hard to ensure that we are giving them something back and supporting older people when they need advice and support at this time and all year round.”

If you are an older person on a lower income, or someone acting on their behalf then you can contact Tax Help for Older People on its lo-call helpline 0845 601 3321 or 01308 488066 Tax Volunteers publishes its ‘Tax health check for older people’ annually and distributes over 10,000 copies. See www.taxvol.org.uk/our-services/publications/ For further information on Tax Help for Older People tax services contact Carol Pavely Operations Director: carol.pavely@taxvol.org.uk

£

20th September saw the return of the two-day, three-stage Falling Leaves cycle race, or Tour de Ballater as it is known amongst us local cycling afficionados, comprising a three-mile Time Trial in the morning, Riverside Garage to the Pass o’ Ballater, followed by a 38-mile race in the afternoon, Dalmochie to Dinnet times three with the finish well up the Pann. Brae.

Sunday would see the peleton toeing the line for stage 3, a 58-miler starting at Dalmochie, crossing the Dee at Aboyne to make for Dinnet, then the commencement of the teuch stuff. The Dinnet to Strathdon Tillypronie climb was a muscle loosener for things to come. The next section, Corgarff to Gairnshiel ower the Glas Choille brought the climbers to the fore with the plunge down the Shenval allowing no time to tarry by the ringing stone.

And now the coup de grace, the climber’s paradise, a simple matter of journeying to Crathie without breaking the mind up the Strone or the bike and body at the sharp left-hander where the road crosses Crathie burn at the Bush and the

shuggle doon past Crathienaird to the Braemar road junction.

Note of interest here: climbers are generally timid descenders, this being the domain of the Mark Cavendishes of the peleton as they attempt to recoup their time loss to the climbing fraternity.

The Tour de Ballater is not any different from THE Tour where the eventual yellow jersey wearer is the best all-round rider of the entry.

The gentle undulations of the final few miles of the South Deeside road will have come as a welcome relief to all but the hard core Robert Millars whose balletic dance up the steepest of inclines beggars belief.

Finally, the finish. The momentum gained down Knocksie Brae saw the breakaway seven battle in a bunch sprint to the line by Dalliefour, with the laurels going to Jonathan Davey of Edinburgh Racing Club. A remarkable time of 2:21:07 was clocked by the winner, giving an average of 24.7mph for the 58-mile stage. Hills?

Fit na Hills?

A very creditable 7th, just three seconds ahin,

The Tour De Ballater!

55

by Francie Duguid Deeside Thistle CC came the event sponsor, Danny Whitehead of the Ballater Bike Station.

Individual stage winners were Callum Finlayson, Moray Firth Cycle Club, 7:21 for the Stage 1 Time Trial averaging 24mph for the three miles. Incidentally, the Time Trial is known as “The Race of Truth” with each rider starting at minute intervals and the clock is raced, with no assistance from team mates or any such drafting permitted. Motorcycling has its equivalent at the Isle of Man. However here the TT stands for Tourist Trophy.

Stage 2, the Ballater – Dinnet loops, saw the wheel of Francis Webb, Edinburgh RC, break out of the 47-rider bunch sprint to breach the Pannanich Brae line first, 1:45:05 to cover the 38 miles returning a 22mph average.

The classic hilly stage 3 went to Edinburgh’s Jonathan Davey. Overall winner produced a one-two for the local Deeside Thistle Cycle Club in the guise of new champion Davie Reed, with a combined time of 4:13:22, and six seconds behind came Euan Cartlidge. Last year’s winner from Shetland Wheelers, Robin Atkinson, was a mere 12 seconds off from retaining the title. The last stage terrain obviously suited cyclist-cum-hill runner Dan Whitehead as he elevated himself up the rankings from 54th to 8th overall out of the 66 finishers.

As is usual at these stage races, the King of the Mountains, (read “Hard Men”) polka dot jersey was fought for and finally claimed by Matthew Ansell, Edinburgh Velo Club, by a single point.

Further local interest came in the shape of a father and son duel with the young loon finally trumping his dad. Weel done young Billy, yer auld man’s real proud of your achievement but winna spik aboot it.

Thanks must go to Peter Clark, Scottish Cycling hierarchy, for dreaming up the event and bringing such a large entourage to Upper Deeside, Bike Station as sponsor and last but not least the voluntary officials and marshals without whom such events could not function.

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Deeside Calendar Lore

by Sheila Sedgwick

Everywhere, we observe monthly changes, alter the date on our calendars and enjoy various activities. What is their origin?

January was named after the Roman god Janus, who had one head looking back and one looking forward, hence New Year’s Day. In religious circles, Epiphany, 6th January remembers the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. Old residents on Deeside still quote, as did my Granny: “If the grass do grow in January, it grows the worst for all the year.”

February took its name from the Roman goddess Februa. On Candlemas Day, 2nd February, new mothers took their new babies to church, with candles. 14th February, St Valentine’s Day, is a day for romance. “If February bring rain, tis neither good for grass nor grain.”

March was the first month of the year in the calendar in use until 1772, and 25th March was the beginning of the legal year. It was named after the Roman god Maretius, hence March. Two saints were celebrated – David on 1st March and Patrick on 17th. We still say “If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb”.

April comes from the Greek for opening.

On 1st April, All Fools Day, a person can be sent on an errand or made a fool of. On Deeside, “hunting the gowk” was the term used instead of April Fool. The best-known April saying is “April showers Bring May flowers”.

May, the month was named after Maia, the mother of Mercury. On the first day, Spring was welcomed. Shepherds used to say: “Shear your sheep in May, and shear them all away”.

June was the fourth month of the Roman calendar. The summer solstice comes in June, and we can still hear in the area – “June damp and warm, does the farmer no harm.”

July was originally called Quinctilis, but

57

was renamed after Julius Caesar. Anglo-Saxons called the month Moed-monad, because the meadows were in bloom. Farmers were told “In July, shear your rye”.

August was named in honour of the Emperor Augustus. It is, and was usually a holiday time for many. A Deeside saying was “If the 24th August (St. Bartholomew’s Day) be fair and clear, then hope for a prosperous Autumn this year”.

September was the “gerst-monath”, the month of the barley. The important saint was Michael, hence Michaelmas, 25th September.

A common saying was “Fair on September first, Fair for the month”.

October was the Roman calendar’s eighth month, hence the name for this “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. On Deeside, the saying was “In October dung your field, and your land its wealth will yield”.

November, the Roman ninth month, was renamed Blot-monath (blood month) because cattle were slaughtered then. There would have been inadequate fodder for over-wintering, so cattle were slaughtered and carcasses salted.

Our ancestors said “If there’s ice in November that will bear a duck, there’ll nothing after but sludge and muck”.

December was the tenth and last Roman month. On 22nd December, the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn – the winter solstice.

Christmas Day and New Year ’s Eve are celebrated. On a more serious note, our forebears said - “A green Yule makes a fat churchyard.”

58

The following article has been compiled from a book written by William Philips, who was a forestry assistant at Balmoral when the New Church at Crathie was being rebuilt between 1893 and 1895. He also described the Royal Bazaar of 1894 in great detail.

The Old Church had been built in 1804. For many years prior to 1893 it was evident that something would have to be done with regard to the Old Church which was looked on as far from suitable for the particular needs of the Parish. After much discussion a decision was made to build an entirely new structure on the site of the old one.

The money to build the New Church was raised by private subscription and quickly reached £5000.

On Communion Sunday 23rd April 1893 the congregation gathered in the old building to hear the last sermon to be preached within its walls. On Monday 24th April demolition began, leaving the congregation without a church. At the same time however a temporary wooden structure was being built about 100 yards east of the Old Church. Only three Sundays elapsed before the temporary church was ready for occupation, worship being held on two of those Sundays at Balmoral Castle in the Iron Ballroom which was kindly placed at the disposal of the parishioners by Her Majesty the Queen.

On Thursday 6th July the Old Church was so far demolished that building could begin on the New Church and by September the walls were a few feet high.

The laying of the Foundation Stone by Her Majesty the Queen took place on 11th September 1893 and a multitude of people were there to witness it – a considerable number climbing up the slopes of Craig Ghuie to get a better view.

Although the building fund had reached £5000 and, under ordinary circumstances would have been enough for building, the object had been to build a far better church than the original. Another £1000 was deemed necessary and would have to be raised by some other means.

Their Royal Highnesses, Princesses Louise and Beatrice, came forward with a suggestion that a Bazaar should be held on the grounds of Balmoral Estate and this was organised to take place on the 4th and 5th of September 1894.

The promoters suggested that a sum of £2000 should be raised, the extra £1000 to be placed against alterations that would crop up as the work proceeded and this proved to be a wise decision.

The money raised by the Bazaar was £2399 comfortably exceeding the required amount.

Nine months after the Bazaar, rapid progress had been made towards the completion of the New Church. The most severe winter for many years was followed by a good spring, allowing the tradesmen to push on with their work. By the beginning of June the finishing touches were being applied by the carpenters and painters.

The interest in the building, which had all along been considerable, now increased and groups of sightseers could be seen toiling up the hill to get a better view.

The Queen had on numerous occasions (without leaving her carriage) paid a passing visit to the church as it was being built. However on Friday 14th June she made a special visit to see the interior.

On the following day it was opened to the public and hundreds of visitors had the privilege of passing through the building.

On Sunday 16th June the last service was held in the temporary wooden Church. It had served its purpose for two years and had sheltered the congregation through a severe winter. According to the author the site of the wooden church was 100 yards in an Easterly direction from the foundation of the New Church. This would have put it on flat ground possibly a little beyond Kirk Cottage.

Luckily a photograph was taken of it (opposite) so we can see what it looked like and where it was in relation to the hill behind it. Although it was a plain wooden building the windows were shaped

A Tale of Three Churches

by David Houston

Their Royal Highnesses, Princesses Louise and Beatrice, came forward with a suggestion that a Bazaar should be held on the grounds of Balmoral Estate and this was organised to take place on the 4th and 5th of September 1894 like church windows so anyone seeing it could be in no doubt as to its function. Apart from what was written about it in the book, I have found no mention of it anywhere else.

The Dedication of the New Crathie Church took place on 18th June 1895 and has stood now for 119 years as a place of worship and also a tourist attraction and will no doubt be there for many centuries to come – unlike its predecessor and its temporary wooden replacement.

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Contact Brian or Angela Smith (24hrs)

Library News

by Sabine Muir/Faye Swan

Summer Reading Challenge There’s been a record number of participants in the Summer Reading Challenge, with most children passing level two and collecting prizes along the way. More boys took part this year and it was heartening to see more children sitting down and reading in the Junior corner during the summer holidays.

Winners of the Story Writing Competition are: Claire Aiken in the 7-9 age group and Lewis Monk in the 6 and under category. Unfortunately there were no entries in the 10 plus category this year. (Too busy reading, perhaps?) Our Star Reader this year is Haydn Guy from Braemar.

All prize winners were presented with a National Book Token. Well done to all who took part in the challenge. (see photos) Legacy from Mr Stewart Ballater Library was presented with a scarce copy of Under Lochnagar by R. A. Profeit, published by Taylor and Henderson in1894 and bequeathed to the Library by the late Robert Stewart, who passed away earlier this year. We are very grateful for his gesture and will take great care of the book, which will be available for viewing in the Library only.

Bookbug Rhymetimes We have Rhymetime sessions every Tuesday at 11am, for babies and the under threes. Please come along and join in the fun. We have some new puppets and percussion instruments. (So the Library isn’t always quiet between 11and 12. (Sorry folks) Junior Craft Club This term, the children have made hair accessories, Hama beads coasters and some beautiful art work for the library. They also made papier mache piggy banks. With Christmas looming, we are all looking forward to doing Xmas crafts.

We’d like to thank Joan Anderson for donating craft materials. They are very much appreciated.

As ever, we’d like to thank Thelma van Tienen,

61 who has done wonders helping them create some beautiful craft work. Some of it can be seen on the library’s Facebook page.

Knit and Natter Drop-in Sessions Everyone is welcome to join us on Tuesday nights from 7pm-9pm. Bring your knitting, crochet or needlework. Refreshments are provided.

Computer Tuition Basic lessons for beginners can be arranged by request. All are welcome, just call to book your free session.

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