The Villagers News December 2018

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Looking down on St Fillans by Isobel Howell

Looking up from Strathyre by Barbara Higgins

The Voice of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre & St Fillans • DECEMBER 2018

Local Heroes

Editor’s Bit Just to wish you all a lovely Christmas time - filled with all your best family traditions and a hope that 2019 will be a peaceful and happy one for us all. Well, we can only hope!

Thanks for continuing to support us in our efforts to cover as many events as we can from the four villages. We will be having our AGM in February - the date and venue will be in our next edition. You will all be welcome to attend.

If you are still looking for the ideal Christmas present, remember Andrea Poulter can organise a year’s subscription to The Villagers to anywhere in the world for you. She can send a paper copy - or an electronic one for a very special rate.

Holidays now!

Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy New Year!

JJ

Balquhidder Community Broadband’s founders, Richard Harris and David Johnston, have been honoured with a Special Achievement Award in 2018’s Stirling Provost’s Civic Awards. The presentation took place on 26 October, at a dinner in the historic surroundings of the Great Hall of Stirling Castle.

INCA – the Independent Networks Co-operative Association – is the body representing all independent, community and other alternative network operators in the UK. At their 2018 Awards in London on 5th November, we’re very pleased to say that we took the award for Best Community Project. We regard that as recognition of the huge effort by the community, individuals and our ISP partners, Bogons, that have gone into the founding, planning, fund-raising, design and doing of our network. So all we’ve got to do now is get the ties off, get back out into the fields and keep digging – we’re not finished yet!

Balquhidder Community Broadband has also been named as one of five examples of outstanding rural innovation in Scotland, after winning the Transport and Infrastructure category of the 2018 Scottish Rural Innovators Awards.

Held every two years, the awards are organised and hosted by Scottish Rural Action to highlight excellence in rural innovation in meeting the needs of rural communities. The winning projects

Richard (left) and David.

Awards, from left to right: Stirling Provost’s Civic Award for Special Achievement, Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) award for Best Community Project and the 2018 Scottish Rural Innovators award in the Transport and Infrastructure section.

were showcased at the Scottish Rural Parliament which was held in November.

David went to Stranraer to receive the award on BCB’s behalf and gave a presentation outlining the history and progress so far. it’s good that we’re getting a degree of recognition outside the immediate industry for the dozen years of campaigning and hard work that have got us all to where we are now.

At the Stirling Castle awards ceremony it was great to see Moira Welsh also being recognised for her long-dedicated service to looking after Balquhidder’s post. We hear that she is thoroughly enjoying her retirement!

Remembrance Centenary

Remembrance Sunday at Balquhidder Church. Pauline Perkins heroically rang the church bell along with hundreds of other bell ringers across the country to mark the centenary of the end of WW1. We went to listen and found Pauline struggling trying to jump up to untangle the rope as the minutes to seven ticked by but, with a help and a large pole, all was resolved in time.

H Year’s Day Dance Balquhidder New H

H H

Dance to the Stuart McKeown Ceilidh Band 9pm to 1am

Tickets from Andrew and Fiona Leishman. To reserve, call 01877 384 752 or visit the Balquhidder Hall website £12.50 with family concessions. Raffle, whisky curling, tea and sandwiches.

H

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David and Richard - and Moira (below) - receive their awards from the Provost at Stirling Castle

Strathyre News Fireworks!

The Strathyre sub group of the BLS Community Trust organised a firework display for the second year running. It was a great success. One of our committee members Emma Richards made all the stalls herself! The community comes together on the day to set this up and break down the next day, it is a lot of hard work but definitely worth it!

We put this on as a free event and ask people to make donations. The Comrie butcher donates all the burgers, Mhor Bread donate all the rolls and all the local businesses support the event We pay 21cc to come along and set up the display, so we also fund raise throughout the year to pay for the next year, if we don’t make enough money on the night.

We work hard to put this together and our total raised this year on the night was £1365.10. We are hoping over the next few years we will raise enough money to put back into our community e.g. the upkeep of Strathyre Village Hall, the proposed bike track for the children and various other projects we have on the go!

Sarah Gibson Photos by Archie Scott Images, David Johnston and other excited “locals” on the night.

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Lochearnhead Latest Lochearnhead Remembrance Commemoration Held on Sunday 11th November 2018 at 11.00am, 100 years after the end of WW1, to honour the 28 Fallen, including one Nursing Sister, of that horrendous war. We also remember the three from WW2, 31 names on our War Memorial. Remembering also the severely wounded from both conflicts and subsequently Afghanistan, who returned to the Parish villages of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and Strathyre, some of whom were unable to follow previous employment causing stress to family life, we owe them all a debt of honour and respect for their sacrifice for our freedom.

The short religious service was led by Lt Col (Retd) Rory Gilchrist late of the Black Watch, Major (Retd) Martin Robb late of the 4th Duke of Edinburgh’s Gurkha Rifles, Special Forces and Royal Army of Oman and now farming in a local Glen, assisted by Malcolm White, Piper Roger Sharp who played the Lament “The Flowers of The Forest” on a good Pipe. The Roll Call of the Fallen was read by Tom Gibbons, ex local Police Constable.

Wreaths were laid by Owen McKee, late Royal Army Ordnance Corps, for the National Park, Tom Anderson, late of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, for Stirling Council, Paul Hicks, ex Police Inspector, for Balquhidder Church and Lt Col Rory Gilchrist, late Black Watch, for St Angus Church.

Prior to the Service and to set the tone, the poem “In Flanders Field” written by Lt Col Dr John McCrae, was read very meaningfully by Owen McKee. We are all grateful to our own Community Police Constable, Will Diamond, who erected 3 “Road Closed” signs and laid a wreath on behalf of Police Scotland. We are indebted to Will for creating silence from passing traffic and to those who braved the cold including Brigadier and Mrs Duncan Francis and their son who is a serving Officer in the Royal Horse Artillery. Thanks are also due to Martin Sanders for taking the Photographs.

Malcolm White 4

CLACHAN COTTTAGE HOTEL ONE OF SCOTLAND’S ICONIC SETTINGS ON THE SHORE OF LOCH EARN The Clachan has been here for a long time, tending to travellers and residents alike - and is now the largest hotel in the area, boasting deluxe bedrooms and amazing loch view rooms.

Winter is coming - so when the evenings get chilly, snuggle up in front of our blazing log burner...

Try our ‘smoked venison with grilled wild mushrooms’ accompanied by one of our 20 trendy gins.

Sample our fresh scallops from Loch Broome - and finish off with an old favourite: home made sticky toffee pudding, smothered with butterscotch sauce.

Hotel residents can take advantage of our free bikes or canoes to really explore the surrounding countryside. This gives our overseas visitors the chance to see Cycle Route 7 without the hassle of travelling with bikes.

Weddings and small functions are hosted by the Clachan.

Our stunning setting provides the perfect backdrop for those all important videos or photos.

Clachan Cottage Hotel • Lochside, Lochearnhead • Perthshire FK19 8PU info@clachancottagehotel.co.uk • 01567 830300

BOOK REVIEW This is Going to Hurt Adam Kaye The quote from Adam Kaye (during an interview when this book was published) sets the tone: “I won’t be able to change Jeremy Hunt’s mind... but I can reach members of the public”.

This is Going to Hurt won a public vote for book of the year 2017 and so some of you may already have read it. If not get a copy and find somewhere quiet and read it from start to finish. This is not a book to dip into, it flows from one excruciating episode to another and is written with such dry humour that I defy anyone not to laugh out loud at least once in every chapter, although some of the detail of the conditions he has to deal with might make the reader wince with horror. Written at the time of the junior doctors’ dispute, it outlines episodes Adam encountered whilst training as a junior doctor. At the end of the day or night or 12+ hour shift, he would note particulars of these episodes in his diary. It is in part a cry to the NHS informing them, should they be interested, of the horrendously long hours junior doctors are required to work with very little sleep - but it’s also a very funny account of the more awkward and sometimes bizarre encounters he had with patients during the six years he spent as a doctor.

He finally gave up his profession after a particularly upsetting and heart-breaking incident which dented his confidence to become the professional he had originally aspired to be when he started out on his medical career. The humour is irreverent, but one can’t help silently cheering at his exposure of the more ridiculous aspects of the NHS and red tape. Having had some experience of this, I found hilarious the description of the email addresses two of the new recruits were allocated by an IT department - presumably staffed by people who were hard of hearing - or maybe just overworked and underpaid? Just saying!

Hogmanay Dance Lochearnhead Village Hall

Doctors

BRACKLINN & LENY PRACTICES

Drs Strang & Scott and Drs Mathewson & Gibson Community Nurses

Personal Independent Payments We are experiencing increased numbers of patients asking us for supportive documents, reports or copies of historical records to support their Personal Independence Payment claim or Benefits Claim. GP practices are not required to do this as part of the NHS, and the work involved can put a strain on our services. We are asking you not to put our Doctors under more pressure by asking for this work to be done, especially at short notice.

If the Department of Work & Pension or the Benefits Agency require more information, they will write to your GP Surgery directly.

Thank you for your co-operation.

HGV Medicals We appreciate that it is a legal requirement by the DVLA to have an up to date HGV License if you drive a lorry, campervan (over a certain age) or bus etc. These medicals take at least 30 minutes, and cannot be accommodated within normal surgery times. After speaking to the DVLA, it is our understanding that when your license is due for renewal you are sent the necessary paperwork 2 months beforehand, and you need to allow 3 weeks after you have returned the paperwork for your license to come through. Could we ask you to contact the surgery as soon as you get the reminder, and not wait until the last minute. Unfortunately, we have been unable to accommodate some medicals recently due to not being given enough time.

Christmas & New Year Closure Both Leny and Bracklinn Practice will close as follows: • Monday 24th December from lunchtime. A doctor from each practice will answer the telephones until 6pm.

• Tuesday 25th December. Closed all day.

• Wednesday 26th December. Closed all day.

• Monday 31st December from lunchtime. A doctor from each practice will answer the telephones until 6pm.

• Tuesday 1st January. Closed all day.

• Wednesday 2nd January. Closed all day.

If you require urgent medical attention when the surgeries are closed, contact NHS24 on 111.

Make sure you have enough medication to last you over the holiday period, especially if you are going away to visit family or friends.

Both Leny and Bracklinn Practice would like to thank you for your continued support throughout the year, and wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

FLU CLINIC

Both Leny and Bracklinn Practices had a record number of people through the doors at the flu clinic.

Bracklinn gave 456 vaccines on the day.

Leny gave 413 vaccines on the day.

back by popular demand

We would also like to thank you for all the money raised on the day.

Trossachs Search & Rescue were given £20.00 Bracklinn raised £280.75 for the Thursday Club Leny raised £173.72 for Town Break

Last few tickets available!

If you were unable to come along to the flu clinic, there is still plenty of time to get your flu vaccine. Contact your practice and arrange an appointment in one of the catch up clinics.

Raband

contact Helen on 01567 830388

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The

St Fillans Bit The Achray House Hotel hosted a riproaring Halloween evening, and never have we seen so many scary characters together in one room before... The attached photos show everyone’s imaginative efforts to get in the swing of things.

Other news from the Achray House Hotel is that we’ll be closed from Monday 3 December for a short December break, re-opening on Friday 21 December for the festive season. We’re fully booked for Christmas Day and Hogmanay; but everyone is welcome to contact us for dinner bookings on other days over this period. On the 2nd of January we’ll be having our famous end-of-season curry evening, and closing from Thursday 3 January, reopening on Wednesday 13 February.

With best wishes to one and all for a great festive period, and all the best for 2019!

Allan & Jean

Brad

Liam

Paula & Malcolm

Russell

Rico & Ulrika

Richard, John & Hilary

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... and a truly creepy couple

Bonfire Night in St Fillans 2018 St. Fillans decided to celebrate Bonfire Night 2018 on Friday 2 November.

This proved to be a good choice as we managed to avoid the worst of a spell of very poor weather. The event kicked off at 6.30pm in a marquee at the playing field where villagers were presented with, at one end of the tent - a choice of a vegetarian or a Swedish Goulash soup served with crusty bread, and, at the other end - mulled wine or hot blackcurrant juice. Both soups were excellent and much appreciated on a damp night. Needless to say, the mulled wine went down without too much difficulty as well….!

Our Bonfire Night Competition had requested entries for a guy/girl/beastie to decorate the top of the bonfire and ‘Big Guy’ and ‘Little Guy’ appeared in the village shop before the event.

However, the creators of both were bashful and asked for no publicity, so it was impossible to award a prize.

Accordingly, a dead heat was declared!

On the night, both guys were lashed to a wooden frame which was raised on to the top of the bonfire where they had joint pride of place.

The fire was lit at about 7pm and a quite spectacular fireworks display lasting almost 20 minutes commenced shortly thereafter.

As younger villagers arrived, they were given the opportunity to enjoy and construct light-sticks, with some spectacular results.

It was another good event with positive comment all round. Thanks to the Festive Committee for making it happen and all other villagers who assisted in collecting firewood, building the bonfire, and erecting, then removing the marquee.

Bruce

The Four Seasons is coming into winter festivities in December with final celebrations of the year that include our final food and wine pairing evening of the year on Friday 7th December.

Our Christmas highlights include dinner on Christmas Eve and a “Boxing Day Bucks Fizz Brunch” as well as traditional Christmas Day offerings and then we move into New Year celebrations. Knowing that all get a tad tired of turkey, on 30th December we are bringing back our “Tapas in the Tarken” where you can turn your mind to memories and thoughts of sun, sea and sangria.

On 31st we bring back our regular New Year entertainer, Jock The Box, not long back from playing at The Pentagon! He will help us see in the New Year and for those still going strong on New Year’s Day, we are starting off our New Year with our New Year’s Day Bucks Fizz Brunch.

We will then close through until Valentines Day when we will re-open with love. We look forward to seeing you soon.

With Festive Greetings from Susan and the team.

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Pin-Feathers*

*Once in demand by Victorian miniaturists, the tiny pin-feather comes from the leading edge of a woodcock’s wing and only two such feathers occur on each bird (one on each wing). This month, Old Nyati talks about a much loved game from his youth!

It is said that it all began on the Isle of Wight in 1848, the game of Conkers, that is. Perhaps there was a huge crop of conkers that year and someone was having a bit of fun under a Horse Chestnut tree and, with no techy gadgets to play with, the seasonal conker fight might well have begun.

How many people know why a conker tree is called a Horse Chestnut? The reason is that when in the autumn the beautiful leaf falls away from the branch it leaves a perfect horse shoe scar, and so the name came to be.

The first world championship was held in 1965 in England and has been hotly contested each year since then, despite the efforts of you know who!

This year England won.

To their credit, over the years the organisers have raised £420,000 for charity, mainly the RNIB and Guide Dogs.

So now please take a moment to peruse my photos.

That lovely leaf and the conkers!

Who remembers the thrill of finding those prickly shells and the delight of squeezing it open, with the pin pricks on your fingers, to reveal that beautiful chestnut coloured seed inside? Then to select what you think might be a real champion.

You will, I hope, also notice that one of the more senior members of the Scottish competitors was wearing very patriotic head gear, both whilst studying the rules of entry and

showing deep concentration in battle. This thoroughly disgraced those from south of the border who did not sport anything of the kind.

It is sad to report, though, that this time Scotland was defeated, and the coveted trophy went to a family granddaughter at Newcastle University. It is to be hoped that the trophy will survive the depredations of “Rag Week” and other Uni activities so that Scotland can lick its wounds and enter next year`s gathering with renewed strength and even better attire... can anyone lend me a kilt?

Going in fior the kill...

Old Nyati

... and the trophy goes to Newcastle Uni!

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Balquhidder Church News A Note from St Angus Here we are at St Angus’s still struggling on in an interregnum, still clinging to our old traditions and way of doing things but we are not alone in the struggle, many small churches up and down Britain are facing the same problems, especially in rural areas. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that our worship is “with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven.” At least we now have a new Bishop in place so perhaps it won’t be too long before the vacancy is filled.

For the last ten years Paddy has written this Christmas message, she’s a hard act to follow. With Christmas good wishes from our tiny congregation and with grateful thanks to all of you who support our various funding raising efforts I offer this poem...

The Joy of Christmas She loves the Church and the carols they sing But best of all is the shop till’s ring, She enjoys old Santa and his naughty elves But best of all are the emptying shelves.

There’s nothing quite like the glorious sounds Of crinkling notes and tinkling pounds.

She frowns as she crosses the empty floor, Pulls down the blinds and locks the door.

This year’s takings have already doubled So why in the world is her spirit troubled?

The street outside is cold and dank As she makes her way to the local bank.

Suddenly in a dark and lonely place Appears a child with a tear stained face.

She looks more closely, sees another The exhausted form of the little one’s mother.

“Please can you give us something to eat?”

The accent is strange, but the tone is sweet.

With hand out stretched the little one waits.

She shakes her head then hesitates, She thinks of Mary who had to flee And that Jesus was born as a refugee.

She hails a cab and ushers them in, Directs the driver to the nearest Inn. She pays for a room and orders a meal, Before they can thank her turns on her heel.

Out in the street she makes a call At a Home which helps when troubles befall.

With the rest of her takings she provides for the care Of the mother and child, the refugee pair.

Her bag is empty, but her heart is light As she almost dances into the night.

She had quickly learned that the art of living Is not in money but in loving and giving.

MUSINGS FROM THE MANSE

Christmas Spirit – “I Think I got it Wrong!”

Well the crazy season is upon us again. I saw an advert last night which informed us that one of the things that make Christmas special is having the right trousers to wear when partying or relaxing (and of course we were informed which store we can best find them). What!!!!

Fast approaching is the so-called festive season where we will be stressed some of the time, eat and drink too much unless we have resolute discipline, and generally find a way we can “survive” this time of year. Of course, alongside this, hopefully, we will also have magic moments and special times to make it all worthwhile in the end. Sadly, that will not be the case for everyone.

The other day I was in Edinburgh for a meeting and it was good to be back in a city I love with the biz and the bustle at this time of year. The decorations were up, and the German market had just opened. I arrived early in the morning and on leaving the train station encountered a beggar just outside on the pavement. Years ago I always gave generously both to Big Issue vendors and to those on the street who were begging. I also tried to engage them in conversation and treat them as fellow human beings. Then came the scandals and the controversies - reports of organised criminal gangs behind much of the begging activity in our towns and cities; reports of eastern European infiltration of the Big Issue sales; those known to be in housing and on benefits who were falsely posing as homeless and destitute; those who used any money given to buy drugs; and finally, advice given by various Police Forces and Local authorities not to support these activities but to channel our charity into organisations who were legitimately helping homeless people. Therefore, in recent years I refrained from giving money in these situations. However, being a big softie, I always had to avoid eye contact with those I passed by. However, in Edinburgh I noticed him only briefly. He was pale and gaunt and obviously frozen (as I was myself in the biting cold). As I passed, I heard a woman stop to chat to him and put some money in his small cup. “I wouldn’t give him money, my dear” was the thought in my head. I carried on my way.

Later, on the train journey home, that image kept flashing in my head.

Secularists would call it the voice of conscience, Christians, the prompting of the Spirit. The phrase going around my head was “I think I got it wrong!”

Yes, there is plenty to make us cynical in life and that applies to much that we encounter. Yet that should never make us so hard that we forget how to “feel.”

What I should have done was buy that man a cup of tea and something to eat. There were plenty of cafés open in the nearby vicinity. (In fact, during my last Christmas in Edinburgh I did just that outside the German market; not a brilliant place for a vegetarian like me but certainly a meat-eaters paradise. I bought the largest frankfurter I could find and a cup of tea and gave them to a beggar outside the gate who was sitting in the rain. He grabbed it without even looking at me and started to eat it with obvious delight. I wasn’t thanked by him, in fact there was no conversation at all, but my reward was in the knowledge that I did the right thing.)

Now I can make lots of excuses for myself this time round; in fact, there is a long list of them. However, the main point is I passed him by. I failed to see in that short glance and brief moment, another human being that I could have shown compassion to. But I’ve grown cynical and this was inconvenient. The Biblical message of Christmas is that God came near in Jesus. An event unnoticed by the world at the time. It’s a radical or ridiculous claim depending on where we are coming from but there is no escaping the challenging nature of the life lived by the man from Nazareth and the revolution he initiated amongst the poor and dispossessed.

May this Christmas be a time of blessing for us and may we in turn, be a source of blessing to others.

Russel

Christmas Eve Service at Balquhidder Church will be at 8pm - everyone welcome!

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Local History: The Balquhidder Angling Club

by Owen McKee

Ross McLaren, who is the nephew of Mary Malcolm and Tina Twaddle - two (now deceased) natives of Lochearnhead, has passed to me a hand-written minute book for The Balquhidder Angling Club which was instituted in 1913. It makes interesting reading!

Just as we, gathered round our war memorials

om 11th November, remembered those who lost their lives, so too did the members of the Angling Club 100 years ago, when they recorded their grief at the loss of one of our villagers in action in Palestine in the last entry here.

3rd April 1917 The Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on the above date. Mr Peter McGregor was appointed Chairman. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

The accounts which had been audited by Messrs McNaughton were passed as correct.

The balance in the hands of the Treasurer was £7.17.01/2. All office bearers were re-elected.

It was agreed to hold a competition on Loch Lubnaig on 19th May beginning at 9.30am.

(That’s my kind of AGM!) Loch Lubnaig 19th May 1917 A competition was held on the above date.

There were 19 competitors. The day was rather cold and dull, and the sport was only fair. Prize winners were: 1. John Fergusson, Blaircreich 6 1/2Lbs 2.

P. McGregor, Tigh Na Dalloch 5 1/2lbs. 3. H. McDiarmid, Lochearnhead, 3 1/2lbs ,4. R. Graham Auchtoo 2lbs 13oz. 5. John McGregor, Rusgachan,2lbs10oz. Total catch 29lb 3oz.

It was agreed to hold a competition on Loch Earn on2nd June.

Mr Graham had no boatman and gave his fee to the funds of the Club.

The Killin and District Volunteer Car Scheme The Killin and District Volunteer Car Scheme had its official opening at the end of October. The trustees, drivers and members were joined by a good number of local people, as well as staff from Stirling Council, Councillors Martin Earl and Jeremy McDonald, MSP Bruce Crawford, MP Stephen Kerr and representatives from Town Break - a dementia support service working across the Stirling area and the Community Transport Association.

Don Fraser Chaired the event and spoke about how the scheme developed, its success so far and what may be possible in the future. Other speakers included Anne Ferguson, from Stirling Council who had worked with the Patient Participation Group looking at ways in which transport issues could be improved: Councillor Martin Earl also supported the group and spoke about this, as well as the need to seek out further funding, to try to keep costs to passengers to a minimum: Christine Watt spoke about the work of Town Break and praised the car scheme for being able to support a member of the community by taking her to the day club in Callander on a regular basis: Dickie Lewis, one of the drivers spoke about how much pleasure he gets from driving passengers, how interesting it is to hear people talking about their life experiences and how, as a

Loch Earn 2nd June 1917 A competition was held here on the above date There were twelve competitors and the day was favourable, and the sport was good.

The total catch was 43 lbs 12 oz.

Prize winners: 1. Peter McGregor, 7lbs 5oz, 2, John Todd 5 lbs 5oz, 3 Peter McLaren 5lbs 2oz, 4, Robert Fergusson (Jr) 4lb 14oz. 5. Duncan McIntyre 3lb 4oz, 6Andrew McEwen.3 lb 1/2oz.

Six heaviest trout Peter McGregor.

All prize and entry money were handed over to the Red Cross Fund. Three of the boatmen, Messrs Duncan, Henderson and McIntyre contributed 2/- each. Mr Hugh Campbell was unable to be present but sent on entry money and boatmen fees which were added to the fund. Several donations were received, collected

by Messrs John McGregor, R. Graham and J. Mclaren bringing the total amount to £4-1-0 which the secretary was instructed to forward to the Red Cross Society. All boats were given free of charge.

D. McIntyre

in the hands of the treasurer of £7-0-3 ½.

It was unanimously agreed to place on record a sense of deep regret felt by the members of the Club at the death of Mr Robt Fergusson (Jr) Muirlaggan who, as a member of committee, had taken a keen interest in the Club and had been of valued assistance in providing boats at the competitions. Mr John Fergusson, Blaircreich was appointed a member of the committee in place of the late Robert Fergusson (Jr). All other office bearers were re-elected.

On the motion of Mr Hugh McDiarmid it was agreed to add the following to the rules of the Club. “That no member at a competition may use more than two rods, one only to be used for fly fishing and one for trolling.”

It was decided to hold a competition on Loch Lubnaig on 25th May Prize money to be handed over to the Red Cross and YMCA Huts funds.

Kingshouse, Balquhidder 5th April 1918 The Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on the above date. Mr D. McIntyre occupied the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. The accounts were examined and found correct showing a balance

May 25th, 1918 A competition was held on Loch Lubnaig on the above date. There were eight competitors. Sport was only fair. The total catch was 14lb 10oz, 1, H. McDiarmid 2lb 14oz. 2. John Fergusson 2lb 4oz 3.P. McGregor and J McLaren 2lb 2oz There was a sum available of £2 for the Red Cross and

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group of drivers we have all come together, even though we do not all know one another, to develop this essential service.

It was reassuring to hear how impressed the speakers are about what the scheme has achieved so far and that the work that has gone in to making it happen is appreciated.

Stephen Kerr handed Don Fraser a cheque for £50 which was gratefully received, as well as other donations on the day.

Many of the local people joined the scheme as members of the organisation, others registered to receive the service and 7 people came forward offering to be either drivers or escorts.

Since the launch a number of people have come forward asking who can use the service. Our leaflet states: The car scheme offers a safe, reliable and affordable, door to door, voluntary car service to residents of Killin and the surrounding areas, covering villages along the A84 and A85, from Tyndrum to Strathyre, who find it difficult to use public transport to access services which support and maintain their wellbeing. This can be GPs, hospitals, therapies, day centres or other places which support health and wellbeing. If you are not sure whether or not you are entitled to use the scheme please call us.

The car scheme can be contacted on 07988 280743.

YMCA Huts funds. Mr John McGregor collected 16/6 for the competition.

It was agreed to have a competition on Loch Voil on 8th June.

8th June 1918 A competition was held on Loch Voil on the above date. There were twelve competitors.

Weather was favourable, and sport was fairly good. As Mr Graham had received a few prizes in money and goods the committee decided to give small prizes leaving £1-10-0 to the Red Cross and YMCA Huts funds.

Prize winners. 1, Hugh McDiarmid, 6 lb 15oz, 2.R. Graham 6 lb 10oz. 3. R. McGregor 5lbs10oz. 4.

A. McEwen 4lbs 3oz. 5. John Todd 3lbs 6oz. 6.P. McLaren 3lbs 4oz. Consolation John McGregor 2/6. Total catch 42lbs 15oz It was afterwards learned that on the day of the above competition Private Hector Graham, 6th Black Watch had been killed on active service in Palestine. Private Graham was the youngest member of the Club and took a very keen interest in its success. He was a keen angler and a true sportsman The Club mourns his loss and extends its heartfelt sympathies to his sorrowing parents.

Hugh McDiarmid

SEEING STARS

by Keith Wilson

THE STIRLING MEMBERS’ CENTRE The Stirling Members’ Centre numbers about 220 people and membership is £5 per annum for individuals or £8 per annum for a complete household at one address. When joining you will enjoy membership rates immediately but there will be no membership charge until the start of the financial year in October 2019 and you only pay for the talks.

We welcome new members who are also members of the National Trust for Scotland, but anyone who is not a member of the NTS will be welcome to any of our talks subject to places being available. The current rates for winter talks are £5pp for members or £6pp for guests. Please come along – we are a friendly bunch!!

Our programme of talks held in the St Ninian’s church hall from October 2018 to March 2019 is as follows: Monday 10th December 2018 at 2.30 pm Steam Railways in Central Scotland illustrated talk by Jim Summers & Stuart Sellar • Monday 14th January 2019 at 2.30 pm Stirling Royal Infirmary – the first 50 Years illustrated talk by Craig Mair • Monday 18th February 2019 at 2.30 pm Plant Life Scotland illustrated talk by Alistair Whyte

Callander

Ramblers Club

Sponsored by Caledonian Country Wear

The Club consists of a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly throughout the year to participate in a programme of strolls, rambles, hill walks and a Long Distance Path.

Details are published on incallander. co.uk/ramblers.htm in the Ben Ledi View and on posters around Callander.

New members and guests are always welcome. Here are some dates for your diary: DECEMBER • Wed 5th 9:30 Hill: Craigmore (Aberfoyle) (387m) Contact 01877 331834 • Sat 8th 8:30 Ramble: Bar Hill, Croy Hill & the Antonine Wall (61/2 miles) Contact 01786 825877 • Wed 19th 9:30 Stroll: Dunblane Dander (4 miles) Contact 01786 825249 JANUARY 2019 • Wed 2nd 11:00 Stroll: New Town Walk (4 miles) Contact 01877 330444 • Sat 12th 18:00 AGM, Callander Golf Club Contact 01877 330446 • Wed 16th 9:30 Ramble: Tillicoutry & Dollar (7 miles) Contact 07950 046913 • Sat 26th 8:30 Hill: Conic Hill (361m) Contact 01877 330059 We meet in Ancaster Square, unless otherwise indicated. Please bring wet weather clothing, appropriate footwear and a packed lunch. And please let the walk leader know if you plan to join the walk via the contact number given!

Visitors and non-members welcome.

DECEMBER This last month of the year promises an exciting opportunity to observe a comet in our night sky. Comet Wirtanen was discovered in 1958 at Lick Observatory in the USA and has travelled through the inner solar system multiple times but this month will mark its closest and brightest approach to Earth and all going well it should be visible to the naked eye. You will get an even better view with binoculars. You can locate the comet just to the right of the Pleiades (seven sisters) cluster between 16-18 December. By 23 December it will be very close to the star Capella in the constellation Auriga.

Comets are icy bodies which on approach to the Sun begin to warm and release gases which produce a corona around the comet. Sometimes the effects of the solar wind on the comet’s gases produces a tail. The word comet comes originally from the Greek meaning ‘long haired star’.

Let’s hope Comet Wirtanen has a good head of hair. Happy Christmas to you!

Monday 18th March 2019 at 2.30 pm Chinese Imperial Court Costume (1644-1911) illustrated talk by David Rosier

• Contact details: Sandy & Margaret Moreland Joint Secretaries 01259 761700 stirlingnts@gmail.com or see website: www.spanglefish.com/ntsstirling 11

The Duke of Argyll presented newly qualified professional Scottish tourist guide Elaine Black with her official badge at a recent ceremony in Linlithgow.

Elaine, who lives in Balquhidder, completed a rigorous 18-month training course organised by the Scottish Tourist Guides Association to qualify as a Blue Badge guide. Balquhidder now boasts two of these specialist tour guides as the Glen is also home to established Blue Badge guide Charles Hunter.

Elaine has a background in journalism and archaeology and is currently site director of an archaeological field survey on the island of Tiree. She has already enjoyed a busy first season as a driver guide.

“A new career and a lot of fun,” Elaine commented. “Who wouldn’t enjoy the opportunity to share this wonderful country with guests from all over the world.”

A Blue Badge guide is qualified to take visitors on tours anywhere in Scotland.

Green Badge guides are qualified to guide in regions and Yellow Badge guides at specific locations. There are now 322 Blue Badge guides in Scotland, 163 Green Badge guides qualified to guide in regions including 78 on Orkney where there are growing numbers of cruise ship visits and 41 Yellow Badge guides.

The Blue Badge qualification is accredited by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and is the only one of its kind in Scotland. Students study a wide range of subjects including art, archaeology, geology, film and TV, and sports. They also complete regional studies and travel around Scotland and learn how to guide on a coach and at historical sites as well as doing walking tours. Once they complete the course the STGA provides a booking service for guides who can also seek work from many other travel and tourist organisations.

Elaine and The Duke

The Duke, who revealed that visitor numbers to his family home Inveraray Castle have grown from 102,000 in 2016 to 125,000 this year, said that Scotland’s tourism industry in Scotland was in wonderful shape.

“It really is so positive, and it is so encouraging to hear the statistics about tourism in Scotland, “he said.

STGA chairman Linda Arthur pointed to a recent Lonely Planet inclusion of the Highlands and Islands in its top 10 Best in Travel destinations.

“The demands of our tourism industry are growing at a rapid speed,” she said.

“Visitors expect high standards and the Blue Badge qualification provides reassurance to tour operators and travel agents that they are getting the best.

STGA Blue Badge course co-director Alison Reid said it was a brilliant time to be a guide.

“We have an increasing amount of business coming in and the season is getting longer as well. There are lots of guides working into November. The main season used to finish in September.”

For more information contact: Elaine Black Noost Scottish Tours +44 (0) 7917898431 elainemsblack@googlemail.com

In the run-up to Christmas our busy groups will be arranging lunches and outings over the festive season and we hope our 47 new members enjoy all the activities.

We only have a short break over New Year and anyone not in U3A and wondering what it is all about is welcome to join us then. You can come to two different groups on a trial visit before deciding to join and the membership subscription after New Year is reduced to £5. All the information about our groups and where they meet is on our website, just Google ‘Callander and West Perthshire U3A’.

A Merry Christmas and a Guid New Year from us all.

Kettle Collective

Elaine Qualifies for Blue Badge

National Park Authority planning project wins prestigious Scottish Government awards The national awards celebrate achievements in planning, right from the detail of processing through to the bigger picture of creating places.

Ripple Retreat (pictured above) on the banks of Loch Venachar was voted the People’s Choice Award and also won an award in the Place category. Built on the shores of Loch Venachar, Ripple Retreat is a place for families of young cancer patients in Scotland to get some respite from the everyday realities of living with cancer and is run by the charity It’s Good 2 Give.

During the planning process, the Park Authority worked closely with the charity highlighting the need for a sensitive and excellent design as the site is in an area of the National Park where development is only supported in very exceptional circumstances. The final, finished building includes a ‘ripple’ roof which was inspired by the waterside setting, the ripples in the loch and the way they sparkle as they catch the sun.

Co-founder, Chair and Director of Fundraising of It’s Good 2 Give, Lynne McNicoll said: “We are delighted that all our efforts were recognised with these awards. It is a lovely and rightful recognition for their contribution to a beautiful building that supports young cancer patients and their families.” laura.dennett@lochlomond-trossachs.org

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UP THE MIGHTY! Do your kids love sport, getting covered in mud and having a great time? Of course, they do, and the answer is to come along to the Mighty McLaren Mini Rugby Club on Saturday mornings.

Primary 4 National Champions 2018 (@Dundee Eagles) From L to R Back Row (Backs): Brodie Horne, Oscar Underwood, Joel The club is open to girls and boys of primary school age and our key Gudgeon, Archie Colquhoun. From L to R Front Row (Forwards): Blane focus is to provide a safe fun-filled outdoor experience for kids as they Forbes-Hayes, Jamie Suttie, Bruce Fowler, Jake Johnston, Calvin McIntyre. learn about rugby. The club is Scottish Rugby Union-affiliated with 60 playing members and has been going since 1990.

This season McLaren Mini Rugby Club has been enjoying one of its most successful seasons ever. It’s a great way to build confidence in kids and to make friends from other local schools. We have players from Tyndrum to Dunblane and everywhere in between, but we’re always looking for new players, especially Primary 1s.

The coaching staff are a dedicated bunch of rugby ‘legends’, both past and past it, who are committed to the club and the kids. For the Primary 1s and 2s, it’s all about running and having fun, with a game of bulldogs the firm favourite at the end of each Saturday morning session.

From Primary 3, the teams play touch rugby games and tournaments that are competitive but focussed on participation for all. These fixtures always end with a hot dog or a burger for the kids - and sometimes even the adults!

If you go past the playing field behind Callander Primary School on a Saturday morning at 9am during the school term, you’ll see kids in their black and yellow training tops having fun and getting Primary 5 National Champions 2018 (@Dundee Eagles) muddy. Sometimes it’s most fun in the rain. Every member gets their Primary 5 Coach – Andrew Fowler. From L to R Back Row (Backs): Kier own ‘team name’ and most have this proudly printed on the back of Mather, Sandy Bateman, Alastair Ruskell, Archie Little, Ruaraidh Fowler. their training kit. It’s a special moment (or a difficult one, depending From L to R Front Row (Forwards): Thomas Picton, AJ MacMillian, Jamie Campbell, JJ McIntyre. on your point of view) for parents to see their little darling transformed into ‘Crusher’, ‘The Missile’ or ‘The Hawk’, and it all adds to the fun and team spirit!

The 2018/19 season started in August with ‘Rugby Force Day’ (https://youtu.be/mdcbfYYOQA0) This is an SRU initiative to get support for grass roots rugby and aims to encourage more girls and boys into rugby. This involved obstacle courses, cross bar challenges, tackle the parent and other fun games, all helping the kids understand MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF OUR PATIENTS the basics of rugby.

The club has played in four tournaments this season so far at Stirling lu FREE NHS EYE EXAMINATIONS FOR ALL UK RESIDENTS County, Tillicoutry (Hillfoots RFC), Dundee & Fintry (Strathendrick 20% OFF ALL RFC). We’ve enjoyed great success - the P4s and P5s have won all four tournaments and focusing on the kids enjoying themselves is certainly paying off, with some great performances from all involved.

The P4s have just started to tackle this season and love getting stuck in. Their defensive strength coupled with some amazing running and free flowing try scoring have hit the spot to beat teams from Crieff to PRESCRIPTION Mackie (Stonehaven) and from Glasgow to Currie in the Borders.

The P5s are getting to grips (literally) with the more physical side of LENSES the game and their commitment, skills and great passing moves have seen them unbeaten this season.

Offers available until 31st OF IRS January 2019. Terms and S These great performances have meant that the club is one of seven E 2 PA L C conditions apply. Please CTA clubs to be selected by the SRU to take part in a Festival of Rugby at SPE ask for further details. £79 M the Oriam Facility in Edinburgh. This festival will be filmed throughout FRO and used as part of the SRU’s development programme internationally.

We hope to keep you up to date with regular reports, so this article 49 Main Street is to introduce you and your kids to the Mighty McLaren Mini Rugby CALLANDER Club if you don’t already know who we are.

Feel free to come along to see what it’s all about or contact Head (01877) 330084 Coach, Richard Underwood on 07824 885218 for more information.

Up the Mighty!!! www.andrewbairdoptometrist.co.uk 13

Kasia’s Co okin’... Piernik PIERNIK is a very, very, very old recipe for a traditional Polish spiced cake. This cake should be made 4-6 weeks before Christmas; however, it is not too late. It will be very tasty if made 2 weeks in advance.

This cake is very aromatic and is made with mixed spice. Don’t be put off by the time required to prepare the cake. Most of the time is just the maturing of the dough, generally there is nothing tricky about this cake, it is very straightforward with a lovely result.

The first step is to make a dough and keep it in a cold place for around a month.

This is the maturing process that will significantly enrich the taste. The baking needs to be done 5-7 days before Christmas. After that Piernik stays fresh for a very long time.

And this is one of the most wonderful cakes ever!!

Ingredients for dough: 500 g natural honey 1.5 cup of sugar 250 g butter 1 kg plain flour 3 eggs 3 baking soda 125 ml milk half a tsp of salt 80g of mixed spice The rest of the ingredients: 1 kg of plum jam Optional nuts and dried fruit 200g dark chocolate 80g butter Walnuts to decorate Instructions: Place honey, sugar and butter into a pan and warm up on the stove. Boil stirring well, until the sugar dissolves. Cool down.

Add flour, soda, milk, eggs, salt and mixed spice. Mix the dough well. Transfer into a glass or porcelain bowl, cover with kitchen towel and keep in a cold place (e.g. fridge) for 5-6 weeks.

The dough will be quite runny, but during that time it will become harder.

The cake should be baked 5-7 days before Christmas.

We need to start by dividing the dough into 3 parts. Using a rolling pin spread each part evenly, so it is around 0.5cm thick.

Place the first part into the tin (40x26cm), lined with baking paper. Bake at170ºC for 15-20min. Take out, cool down. Repeat with other two parts of the dough.

We will need around 1 kg of plum jam to put in between the layers. Optionally the jam can be mixed with a handful of dried fruit and a handful of nuts. Cover the cake with baking paper and place a heavy object on the top to flatten the cake. I use a big encyclopedia and a few more books. Keep in a cold place for 3-4 days. Cover the cake with chocolate ganache and walnuts cut in pieces.

To make ganache: Melt the butter in a pan, take of the stove, add chocolate broken into pieces, leave for 2 minutes. Mix until the chocolate is melted. Decorate Piernik.

Sprinkle with walnuts.

Enjoy & Smacznego! Have a very Happy Christmas.

Kasia

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An exciting new photography competition, Park Focus, has been launched by Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority open to young people aged 8 to 26 years old.

To celebrate the Year of Young People the National Park Authority wants to find out how young people across the country experience the area and is asking 8 - 26 year olds to share their photographs on social media (or by email) of the National Park with a short description that explains the story behind the picture and what it means to them. This could be experiences of visiting, living, working or learning in the National Park or simply a connection with the area.

There are three age categories for the competition: 8-12 years,13-17 years and 18-26 years - and there are some fantastic prizes on offer within each age category: • First prize: GoPro Action Camera and Columbia outdoor jacket • Second prize: An adventure day at Forest Holidays Strathyre • Third prize: Family pass for four to SEA LIFE Loch Lomond Aquarium (age categories 8-12 and 13-17 years) and a shark feeding experience for two at SEA LIFE Loch Lomond Aquarium (age category 18-26 years) Gordon Watson, Chief Executive of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “We see this photo competition as a great opportunity to celebrate our young people and for them to show what the National Park means to them.

“We look forward to receiving their entries and hearing about the experiences young people have had of this unique and beautiful place.”

To enter the competition all you have to do is share a photograph of the National Park and what it means to you on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and include the hashtags #ParkFocus

AL

R LP

O

D CEE

S GO TO THE AIR AM BU LA NC E !

8th

December

and your age category (#age8to12, #age13to17 or #age18to26) and tag the National Park Authority (@ lomondtrossachs).

For those too young to have a social media account then a parent or guardian can post the image on their behalf or entries can be emailed to digital@lochlomondtrossachs.org.

Entries must be posted on social media (or received by email) by 23.59 on 31st December 2018 and the winning images from each age category will be announced by the 31st January 2019 via the National Park Authority’s social media channels and featured on the competition webpage, and at Balmaha Visitor Centre.

Winners will be chosen for each age category by Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority’s Youth Committee and a National Park representative. The Youth Committee is made up of 14 young people who live in or near to the National Park who are passionate about supporting the work the National Park Authority does.

Further information about the competition and full terms and conditions can be found here – https://www.lochlomond-trossachs. org/parkfocus/ laura.dennett@lochlomondtrossachs.org 01389 722046

2018

Christmas Tree Festival Balquhidder Church and Hall Decorated trees of all shapes and sizes

Carol singing and festive performances Candlelit procession, food and wine, Callander Brass

Come and enjoy a magical evening Programme 5pm The evening starts at Balquhidder Church, with carols and mulled wine, as you take your time to admire the decorations.

6pm The walk down to the Hall, by tree-light! Accompanied by Christmas music from the forest dwellers.

6.15pm The Tree Festival opens its doors and you’ll see which of the fabulous tree creations have won prizes. Christmas carols by Callander Brass and refreshments for all, including fish and chips at 7pm 8pm - 9pm Charity Auction - an unmissable opportunity to bid for some fantastic prizes and experiences! Remember - all the money raised goes to the Air Ambulance

If you are feeling inspired to submit a ‘tree’ you can do this either on the Balquhidder Hall website or by seeing Janet at the Strathyre shop but hurry up! Time is running out!

15

McLaren High School Chilli’s Community Café - Official Opening We were delighted to welcome Deirdre Wood and her son Stewart to officially open Chilli’s Community Café on Friday 26 October. Mollie Craig S5, the café manager, welcomed the guests and thanked everyone for coming along and for their continued support of the café. Special thanks were given to the Steamship Sir Walter Scott at Loch Katrine who sponsored the café uniform. Everyone agreed that the pupils were looking very smart! Guests enjoyed an hour of delicious home baking and hot drinks before a pop-up café was held in the staff room over interval.

Above and top: Chilli’s Café!

McLaren’s Support for Remembrance Thank you and well done to Cameron McLay S6 who organised a Remembrance Ceremony on Friday afternoon (9 November) for all S5 and S6 pupils. Cameron hopes this has raised awareness of the meaning behind Remembrance Day. He thanked guest speaker Sean Scott for his time coming to speak to the pupils and Fiona Cantlay, Jack Mitchell, James Douglas and Ken Milligan for their musical input to the ceremony.

Catriona Norman and Eoin Brennan then joined hundreds of other pipers throughout the country at 6am on 11 November to take part in Battle’s Over - a Nation’s Tribute to play Battle’s O’er on the bagpipes in Ancaster Square, Callander.

Then later in the day Angus Parsons and Natalie Klaes (Head Boy and Girl) gave the Bible readings in the church before the McLaren High School Pipe Band led the parade from Callander Kirk to Ancaster Square for the ceremony at the Cenotaph where Angus and Natalie laid a Poppy Wreath from the school.

Knitted Poppies for Remembrance Day Mrs Hair and pupils were all involved in creating Remembrance Poppies this year: Mr Anderson from Technical cut a ‘100’ board for us, which was then painted black around the sides. The red petals and black centres were knitted and sewn together to form poppies. They were then stapled onto the board to form our special 100 anniversary commemoration figure. The leftover poppies had safety pins attached to the back and were sold to raise funds for Poppy Scotland. All of the above pupils took turns to sell the poppies during registration.

Our fundraising totalled £96.00. Our knitting and crochet group is growing in numbers and we would be happy to accept any spare yarn, needles or crochet hooks that need a new home. We are currently working on small gifts for Christmas. We hope to do some other charitable knitting or crochet in the future.

Success at the Royal National Mod On the 13 October I competed at the Royal National Mod in Dunoon. I competed in the under 15 solo piping competition playing a March Strathspey and Reel. I was very pleased to win 2nd place and, with another year in the under 15 age category, I hope to compete again next year aiming for 1st.

Catriona Norman S3 16

Iceland Trip On 11 October we went to Iceland with the school. The plane landed and we shuffled and shivered out into the Icelandic rain. It was the horizontal stuff, battering against us in the howling wind, lashing through the dark. Although at first bleak it seemed that even this desolation was alive, there was a kind of wildness in the air that buzzed inside of us, like we were breathing in lightning. That energy was manifested in us as we sped, chaotically into the mountains, oohing and aahing at every snow-capped peak, shrieking with joy as the bus rocked ominously in the wind.

It turns out the waterfalls in Iceland are really big. Like really big! The first experience we had of one was Gullfoss: a spectacular tiered cataract, seemingly miles wide and endlessly tranquil it is found in Iceland’s famous “Golden Circle”. Like most of the places we visited, we could have stayed all day. We didn’t and instead visited the Secret Lagoon, an Icelandic hot spring; it was incredibly calming, even if a few of us were dashing round the sides until we turned slightly blue to fully appreciate the warmth on return. Later we visited Iceland’s most famous geezer - Gylfi Sigurdsson. We went to Pingrellir National Park where we walked around the cavern formed behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall, before walking along the plate boundary between North America and Eurasia. Later we saw the spectacular Skogafoss waterfall and climbed up the steps to look down on it from above. We also spent some time at Reynisfjara, one of Iceland’s famous black sand beaches, where a few of us were almost caught off guard by the waves. Later on (how was there time after all that?!) we walked on the Solheimajokull glacier before visiting the Lava centre to learn about Iceland’s volcanic activity.

Everyone had an amazing experience and we have all made memories we will never forget.

Catlin Scott and Innes Manders S5

Scottish Swimmer Ross Murdoch Visits McLaren Huge thank you to Ross Murdoch for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk to our S4 pupils about his career, growth mindset and the benefits of taking part in sport while studying at school. Ross started swimming in Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire when he was six years old and is currently the British record holder for the 200m Breaststroke.

He stormed to stardom by winning two medals at his home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014, with Gold and Bronze. Ross is pictured (right) with PE probationer teacher Emma Walker.

McLaren High School Duke of Edinburgh Fundraising Ceilidh The annual DofE Ceilidh took place on Friday 9 November and was well attended by pupils who enjoyed a great night of ceilidh dancing with the dance floor full all night. The evening made an amazing £1,438.50 for the group. Thanks to everyone who came along, to the DofE committee for organising, the parent volunteers who came along to help, The Ian Milligan Trio for ceilidh music and the S6 girls who stepped in at the last minute to provide interval music.

visit our website: www.mclarenhigh.co.uk 17

Since my last article, the following is a rough resume of incidents: • On the 25th September, a male bus driver was reported to the Procurator Fiscal for Dangerous Driving on the A85 through Glen Ogle as the manner of his driving fell well below what was expected of a professional driver.

• On the 6th October, Police attended to an incident which occurred on South Loch Earn Road at Lochearnhead where a vehicle was in a ditch. As a result of the enquiries, the driver was charged with motoring offences, which included being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and he will appear at court at a later date.

• Between the 7th and the 14th October, items were stolen from a boat on its mooring on Loch Earn. The door of the cabin cruiser was forced open and the items, including fishing equipment and fuel, was stolen.

• On the 2nd November, a theft occurred from within the Balquhidder Parish Church. The donations rotunda was forced open and money from within was believed to have been stolen. There has been another similar incident which happened during the summer but was not reported to Police at the time.

18

• On the 4th November, a vehicle was stopped on the A84 at Kingshouse, Balquhidder. The driver was arrested after being found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. In addition to this, the driver was found to be driving without a licence, insurance or a MOT. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

• On the 5th November, an incident occurred at Edinchip, near to Balquhidder Station, where a dog attacked a sheep, causing catastrophic injuries. The sheep had to be humanely destroyed as a result, and the owner of the dog has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for livestock worrying.

• Between the 7th and 8th November, attempts were made to force entry to two locked site containers at the A85 in Glen Ogle. The two containers were within a layby as part of ongoing roadworks, and the perpetrators did not manage to gain access to the contents.

The same night, a theft occurred at the Suie Lodge Hotel where metal was stolen.

My colleagues and I will be out and about throughout the festive period, and as with every year, will be stopping vehicles. Please do not be tempted to drive after having alcohol. Remember

that the limit has been reduced and even one drink may put you over the limit. If you are going on nights out, then consider booking a taxi or designating a driver for the night.

The festive period is always a popular time for would be thieves who are well -aware of valuables and presents that may be within. If you are heading out, close blinds and curtains and set lights onto timers to make it look like someone is within.

I would like to take the time to wish you all the best for the festive period, and I hope you can all enjoy some quality time with family and friends.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and as this is the last edition this year, all the best for 2019!

As always, I can always be contacted on 101 or for those who prefer email, I can be contacted directly at william. diamond@scotland.pnn.police.uk.

Regards, PC Will Diamond

Scottish Wildlife Trust CALLANDER LOCAL GROUP TALKS PROGRAMME 2018-19 Meetings start at 7:30pm Kirk Hall, Church St, Callander FK17 8BN

Singing in the Air...

My name is Anna and I go to Strathyre Primary School. I go to choir on a Thursday night with my grandmother Maida. I go to choir because I really love singing. The choir is held in Balquhidder Village Hall at 7:30 and the person who teaches us the songs and leads the choir is called Gill.

We sit in a semicircle, going from low voices to high voices. Sometimes we sing different parts of a song, and I sing in the descant. I like the first part of the session because we do humming and it’s quite calm, quiet and shallow music.

We do this to warm up our singing voices. Then, after we warm up we sing actual songs. We are always learning new songs. My favourite calm song is Walking in the Air by Howard David Blake. Most people know the song because it’s in the film The Snowman. I like it because it makes me feel excited about Christmas. I also can’t wait to make a snowman this winter as soon as it snows! My favourite upbeat song which we sing in the other half of the session is called Love and Freedom by Mary Brooksbank.

Sometimes we have a visiting teacher who does fun singing exercises with us.

We also learn quite traditional Scottish songs, even in Scots! One of the old Scots songs we have sung is Braw Sailin’ On The Sea, which is about sailors leaving their sweethearts. Sometimes I find songs like these quite difficult to pronounce, but we all manage it in the end.

Another thing that I love about choir is that, as a treat, in the middle of the session we have a little break where the adults can have tea and coffee and we can all have some yummy scrummy cake and biscuits!

Anna M Choir Occasional meets in Balquhidder Village Hall every Thursday at 7.30pm - 9pm. We sing for fun - all kinds of music! Starting up again in the new year on 17 January. All welcome!

Tuesday 11th December ‘18 Drumardoch Estate – Environmental Stewardship on an Upland Business Neil Cameron, Drumardoch Estate • Tuesday 8th January ‘19 Trossachs Water Vole project: how are they doing?

Steve Willis, FES Project Officer Trossachs Water Vole Project • Tuesday 12th February ’19 Red Kites in Scotland Duncan Orr-Ewing RSPB Scotland’s Head of Species and Land Management • Tuesday 12th March ’19 Management of Healthy River Systems Jonathan Louis River Forth Fisheries Trust Project Officer • Tuesday 9th April ‘19 Gardening with Wildlife + very brief AGM Suzanne Burgess, Buglife Scotland Manager Suggested donations to cover costs: Members £2, non-members £2.50 students free includes tea/coffee & biscuits

Local Contact: Lesley Hawkins 01877 339080 mlhawkins@tiscali.co.uk General information available on swt.org.uk

Ramblings about

Dundurn Parish

The Clachan of Morel in upper Strathearn Contrary to popular belief, the Clachan of Morel was not situated in Glen Tarken; it was in fact a settlement in its own right on the hillside between Tynreoch and Dundurn Mill.

As shown on Pont’s map dated 1590, and Stobie’s map dated 1783.

According to the Dunblane Commissary records for 1663-77 it was being farmed by Alexander Comrie and his wife Janet Drummond, along with William, Alexander’s brother.

An Extract from the reports of the Annexed Estates dated 11th November 1729 tell us there were 8 families living there at a rent of £6 6s 6p. They would appear to have been reasonably well-off, with 4 horses – 16 black cattle – 100 sheep – 24 goats and growing 1-acre flax seed and 4-acre potatoes. The 1755 records show 8 families comprising James Drummond’s heirs and 7 Cotters working there.

It was later occupied by a Duncan McNaughton who, according to the old Kirk Session records, was made an Elder, along with William Stewart of Ardvorlich, on the 5th August 1798. Duncan McNaughton was born at Morel in 1747 and farmed Morel until his death in 1799. He may have been one of James Drummond’s heirs. His daughter Catherine married Robert Stewart, who was thought to have been related to the Stewarts of Ardvorlich. Robert died about 1830 and the family gave up the feu.

His son Robert, along with his mother Catherine and other family members, emigrated to Wellington, Ontario.

It would appear that Morel then became part of the Littleport feu and the lands were enclosed by Thomas McWhannell of Port and Morel, with the crofts subsequently cleared to make way for sheep.

The McWhannells had farmed Littleport since 1688. When Duncan (known locally as The Baron) gave up Littleport in 1854, he built Victoria Cottage, which is now the present day Achray House Hotel, and Littleport was taken over by William McIntyre.

William appears to have lived and farmed at Easter Glentarken prior to this, and according to the valuation rolls for 1857, Easter Glentarken, Littleport and Morel were now all part of the same Feu. So please, the next time you take a trip to the old settlements in Glentarken, don’t confuse them with Morel.

One of the ‘Old Crocks’

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A Day in The Life of...

... Dhanakosa

A day in the life of Dhanakosa starts in a variety of ways depending on the person or people involved.

Our essentials such as heating, and water have Leif, our maintenance man, up and checking bright and early.

The wee school bus collects Nayaka and Dharmavasini’s kids, Rosie and Ben at 0800, and their cat, Lola the lounge cat, stretches out on the sofa. Phones and various housekeeping bits and bobs are checked early too and, importantly, Padme the community cat, gets her breakfast.

While Padme heads out for her vertebrate studies the rest of us meditate between 0730 and 0915, depending on our schedules, we are nearly all always there to chant a short set of verses celebrating the qualities of the Buddha at 8.30.

Work officially starts with a meeting at 0930 during which we find out how everyone is doing and discuss any business. And then we scatter to the four corners; although we all have roles, we often step into each other’s as needs be.

Three of us work much of the time in the office, which has a fine view of Creag Mhor. Ben ploughs through the accounts, Chris is the receptionist and Nayaka, the centre director, wades through a plethora of projects and issues and more stuff.

Abi and Dharmavasini immerse themselves in the garden and all things ‘house and grounds’, rain, deer and the occasional adventurous sheep permitting. Lisa, the housekeeper, keeps everything spick and span and in its place and Iain, also part of the house and grounds team, launches himself into an extraordinary range of jobs. Our team manager, Upekshanandi, makes sure we are all where we should be and that we have the right number of volunteers to cover things like cooking and organising on the retreats.

Work usually ends around 1700 unless it is a Friday, when we welcome our new guests to the retreat centre and make sure they have what they need to enjoy their time here. All being well our guests arrive by 1900 for dinner, by trains, planes, buses and cars, sometimes an artful combination of all four.

Apart from Fridays the community eat together at 1800 in the community kitchen. Padme has dinner when she remembers to give someone a meaningful look.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, we meet to study and reflect on something Buddhist and on Tuesday evenings we meet as a community and use the time to get to know each other better.

Tiredness overtakes us all at different times, but the centre is usually the domain of the stars and night beasties by 2300.

Dhanakosa is a Buddhist retreat centre in the Trossachs. We offer retreats emphasising meditation, creativity, health and the appreciation of our beautiful environment, all year round. For more information please visit: www.dhanakosa.com.

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Dhanakosa from Loch Voil

Meditation

Hill Walking Retreat

Padme

Retreat Centre Shrine room

Community Shrine room

The Villagers’ Contacts Jill Johnston Editor Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227

Gill Waugh Production Manager Stronvar Farm Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384203

David Johnston Production Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227

Andrew Poulter Advertising Coire A Chroine Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384784

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Other Contacts...

Lochearnhead Contact:

Ali Ferguson 01567 830 405 St Fillans Contact:

Position Vacant!

Strathyre Contact:

Wullie Dalziel 01877 384 384 Mobile 07768 221661 Mail Order Distribution:

Andrea Poulter 01877 384784

DIARY DATES We e k l y A c t i v i t i e s Tuesday

Keep Fit - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.30 to11.30am Gaelic Playgroup - Balquhidder Hall - 10.30am to 12.30pm St Fillans Music Circle - Sandison Hall - 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Light lunch included.

Contact John Light (01764 685307) / Malcolm Gregory (01764 670493).

Country Dancing - St Fillans

Wednesday Yoga - Balquhidder Hall - 11.00am to 12noon (contact Ann Cobbett 01877 376291) Thursday

Friday

Darts League - The White Stag, Strathyre - 7.00pm Choir Occasional - Choir Occasional. Last session Dec 6th, starting again on January 17th (Contact Gill 07778 702304) Playgroup - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.00am-12 noon (Contact Dani Bird 07812 600301)

DECEMBER 2018

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Christmas Tree Festival - Balquhidder Church and Hall - see page 15 Hogmany Dances: Strathyre see page 3. Lochearnhead see page 5

JANUARY 2019 1

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Balquhidder New Year Dance - see page 2 Choir Occasional - an evening of Kirtan Chant at Balquhidder Hall - 7.30pm - all very welcome! Contact Gill Waugh 01877 384203 - see page 2

Stephen Kerr MP 49 Borestone Crescent, Stirling FK7 9BQ 01786 475034 Luke Graham MP Crieff Constituency Office, 2 Comrie Street, Crieff 01764 680384 luke.graham.mp@parliament.uk Councillor Martin Earl Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET earlm@stirling.gov.uk 01786 233114 Councillor Evelyn Tweed Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET 01786 233101 Councillor Jeremy McDonald Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET 01786 233117

CHURCH SERVICES Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre and St. Fillans CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

Balquhidder Parish Church Registered Charity No. SCO12316

Sundays 11.30am Minister: Rev Dr Russel Moffat The Manse, Main Street, Killin FK21 8TN revmoffat@gmail.com Dundurn Church, St Fillans

Sundays 11.30am Minister: Rev Graham McWilliams Tel: 01764 671 045

ROMAN CATHOLIC Callander, St Joseph the Worker Sundays 11.30am Saturday Vigil Mass 5.30pm from May through to September Killin, in the Episcopal Church Sundays 2.30pm Father Jim McCruden 2 Ancaster Square, Callander Tel: 01877 330 702

SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH St Angus’s Church, Lochearnhead 1st Sunday each month: 11.30am Communion 2nd Sunday 5.30pm Evensong 3rd Sunday 11.30am Communion 4th Sunday 5.30pm Evensong 5th Sunday (if applicable) 5.30pm FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A reflective time to discuss contemporary issues in a spiritual context (Check with Rector for venue: 01764 655389)

Vestry Secretary - Maureen Lipscomb Tel: 01567 830234

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S U P P O RT Y OUR LOCAL S UP P LIERS !

Do you need an affordable home?

Rural Stirling Housing Association aims to support local communities by providing quality homes at affordable rents for families, couples and single people in housing need.

We currently have over 560 rented houses and flats. Around 40 of these become available for rent each year. We are in the process of building a further 23 flats in Callander and 12 flats & houses in Killearn. We currently have properties in the following communities: Aberfoyle • Doune • Kinlochard Stronachlachar • Balfron • Drymen Kippen • Tyndrum • Buchlyvie Gargunnock • Lochearnhead Callander • Gartmore • Strathblane Deanston • Killin • Strathyre We may be able to build in other communities in the future – please let us know if you want to live in a village that is not listed above. Information on local housing need and demand helps us plan for the future.

If you are interested in renting one of our properties when they become available please contact us: Rural Stirling Housing Association Stirling Road, Doune FK16 6AA Telephone: 01786 841101 Email: enquiries@rsha.org.uk Registered as a Scottish Charity No. SC037849

Printed by Graphics and Print Services, University of Stirling Tel: 01786 467209 email: graphicsandprint@stir.ac.uk Published by The BLS Newspaper Association

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Balquhidder Loch Voil by Gill Waugh

Lochearnhead Village Hall by Paul Hicks