News for April 1999
HTI to become a full-blown college........April 30th 1999
A RELIGIOUS institute in the Highlands of Scotland is changing its name to become the Highland Theological College in May, 1999, and two to three months later will move to a new home in Dingwall, Ross.
On Thursday, April 29, its principal, Dr Andrew McGowan, received the keys to the former Hydro Electric headquarters in Dingwall which it bought after they came on the market late in 1998 for some £175,000.
The new college, which has full-time and part-time students, expects to begin its academic session there on Monday, September 6.
Based at Elgin, Moray, since its inception some five years ago, the HTI, an independent, non-denominational institution, will have have some 30,000 books in its library - among them 10,000 volumes from the former Fort Augustus Abbey, which closed its doors in late 1998.
The former Roman Catholic abbey's theological section is being bought for the HTI by the University of the Highlands and Islands project for £45,000.
The abbey's Gaelic section is bound for the Gaelic College in the Isle of Skye, Sabhal Mor Ostaig.
Sabhal Mor and the HTI are among 13 colleges and institutions from Argyll to Shetland making up the University of the Highlands and Islands project, which is expected to begin full operation in the year 2,001.
UHI's resource co-ordinator, Veronica Adamson, was quoted in morning newspaper the Press and Journal as saying an understanding over gaining the library had been reached with the abbey trust.
The theological books were more valuable in academic than in financial terms and they were extremely pleased to have retained them for scholars in the Highlands. The abbey's valuable texts were likely to remain with the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Dr McGowan said the 5,000-book William Temple Collection in Manchester University's John Rylands Library had already been given to the HTI and would also be available for the new college's students.
In 1998-9, HTI had students aiming for Bachelor of Arts degrees, others on Access Courses, a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) course with the Reformed Theological Seminary in the United States, post-graduate students aiming for masters or doctorates, overseas students, evening classes in Elgin, Inverness and Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, and day and weekend conferences.
It began by leasing space at Moray College but its growth, including that of its library, demanded a home of its own.
The UHI project is based on a hi-tech, dispersed campus uniting colleges of further education and specialist institutions mainly through advanced telecoms.
As there was previously no UHI branch in Ross and Cromarty, the Dingwall move was supported by development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Ross and Cromarty Enterprise, and it is expected that surplus space in the old Hydro offices, at the Inverness end of High Street, will be available for more courses to be delivered personally or by video conferencing, e-mail and other telephonic and electronic technology.
The UHI envisages initially attracting at least 5,000 full-time equivalent higher-education students, plus part-time and mature students, particularly women, mostly from Scotland but also from elsewhere in the UK, Europe and farther afield..
Bust could be by French master........April 29th 1999
THE MARBLE bust of a Highlands of Scotland laird is claimed to be the work of Frenchman Edmund Bouchardon, one of the 18th Century's most fashionable sculptors whose greatest masterpiece is said to be a fountain in the Rue de Grenelle in Paris.
It is reckoned its possible worth could be about £100,000.
The 32in.-high bust is of long-dead Sir John Gordon, of Invergordon, East Ross.
It is thought to have been carved while the sculptor studied in Rome and undertook private commissions for many who visited that city, including friends of the Old Pretender, James Stuart (1688-1776), son of James II of England and VII of Scotland who abdicated.
James, who was called James III by the Jacobites*, took part in the failed Scottish uprising of 1715. A son, Charles Edward Stuart (1720-88), the Young Pretender, led the rebellion of 1745-6 and fled to Europe after the Battle of Culloden.
The bust was discovered by Invergordon historian Charlie Pearson (59), and Colin Harrison, of Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum, was reported as stating he was convinced from photographs and rubbings of a signature on the base that it was a work mentioned in the sculptor's documents for 1728.
The bust in Invergordon may be loaned to interested museums.
*Jacobus is Latin for James.
Council seeks new parking study........April 29th 1999
PRIVATE firms could take control of vehicle parking in the Highlands of Scotland main centre of Inverness as Highland Council has asked a firm of consultants to look into the financial and operational implications.
A final report by the consultants is expected to go before Highland Council in early summer.
Should the findings be positive, and councillors support a change, on-street parking could be run in-house or put out to tender, according to a report in morning newspaper the Press and Journal.
At present, 12 traffic wardens in the town centre and nearby residential areas, plus a supervisor and three seasonal staff, are employed by Northern Constabulary and all fines for illegal parking go to the government.
Since 1990, however, local authorities have been allowed to supervise their own parking where self-financing schemes have been set up to bear all costs and gain the revenue from parking fines.
When local authorities take over, illegal on-street parking is no longer treated as a criminal offence.
Shopman replies to CCTV criticism........April 29th 1999
CRITICISM of businesses in the Highlands of Scotland main centre of Inverness for not supporting the town's closed-circuit television camera network has drawn a reply from one shopkeeper.
He maintained they already had to pay swingeing costs for rates, water, sewage and rubbish collection and, if there was a 35% downturn in crime, insurance companies, the police and local authorities were among the beneficiaries.
He questioned why there should be what many saw as an extra tax.
An appeal to firms to donate £75 each towards the annual maintenance of the security equipment had failed to receive a reply from more than 80%, leading to accusations fromn councillors and others.
Fuel duty 'escalator'causes row........April 28th 1999
A FURIOUS row has broken out in Scotland over the British government's refusal to halt revenue increases on petrol and diesel in the year 2000 despite reports that it might do so.
Use by Chancellor of Exchequer Gordon Brown of a "fuel duty escalator", which adds 6% over inflation each year to petrol and diesel levies, was approved by the House of Commons on Tuesday, April 27, 1999, by 305 votes to 177.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Alan Millburn insisted the projected increases were essential to meet Britain's obligations to cut back on greenhouse gases.
Spokespeople for haulage firms in Scotland, especially in the Highlands and Islands, protested that higher costs would force them out of business or to go abroad and there were forecasts that more militant hauliers might take further action.
More support for CCTV cameras urged........April 28th 1999
WHILE closed-circuit television cameras are appearing in more and more town centres in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, businesses in the area's main town, Inverness, are reported as refusing continued support.
Although the system is credited with cutting crime by more than 36% since being installed in the town five years ago, more than 80% of firms (251 out of 307) have not responded to a plea for donations of £75 towards a £14,000 shortfall in the annual running costs.
Their lack of action is facing growing condemnation.
Northern Constabulary Chief Constable Bill Robertson was reported as indicating disappointment at the limited response and that there was concern because business people appeared reluctant to play their part "in a very positive aspect of combating crime in the town centre".
Another police spokesman said evaluation of CCTV cameras showed that they had reduced crime by 30-45% across the Moray Firth area
Half the funding shortfall is to be met by Highland Council if the business commuinity pays the rest.
Inverness Chamber of Commerce director Simon Cole-Hamilton said the CCTV system was not funded through the rates but required separate support, and he promised that the chamber would do what it could to encourage the business community to give more.
Church plans move to edge of town........April 28th 1999
A CHURCH in the main Highlands of Scotland centre of Inverness is hoping to move from the centre to the edge of the town.
A new building close to Inshes retail park on the south side of the town is planned to replace the handsome Inverness West Church, which dates back to the 1840s and stands in Huntly Street close to the town centre and the River Ness.
Many members of the congregation support the move although others are very unsure.
The Church of Scotland has applied for planning permission to erect a single-storey building with seating for 208 and a 12metre steeple above the chancel at Dell of Inshes near Great Mills superstore.
The site is close to Hilton housing estate, once among the biggest council-housing areas in Scotland. Today, many of the homes are privately owned and are surrounded by new private houses, with many more homes planned.
There are several commercial enterprises nearby, including a public-house, restaurant, funeral parlour, roller-ball arena and golf course.
The site is beside a new bypass on the west side of the town which is intended eventually to cross the River Ness shortly before it runs into Loch Ness and tie up with the main A82 road connecting Inverness with Fort William, Glasgow and the West and South of Scotland.
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M.P. campaigns for diabetes screening........April 28th 1999
HIGHLANDS of Scotland Member of Parliament David Stewart, who represents Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, has been praised for campaigning to introduce diabetes screening.
Scottish Health Minister Sam Galbraith said the National Screening Committee would make recommendations before the end of 1999.
He did not wish to prejudge its views but Mr Stewart "should be congratulated for partly being responsible for pushing this issue for so long".
The M.P. had said diabetes was the main cause of blindness in people under the age of 65, accounted for half of the lower-limb amputations performed and cost £2billion a year in NHS resources throughout the United Kingdom.
He called for screening of higher-risk groups such as overweight over-40s with a family history of the disease as early intervention was vital to stop what had become Scotland's "silent killer".
Fish-farm aid scheme attacked........April 27th 1999
A £9MILLION compensation scheme set up by Britain's government for salmon farms hit by infectious salmon anaemia (ISA), mostly in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, has been described as unworkable by its own consultants, accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
A report by the firm said the industry was not prepared to give matching funding as required under the government's proposals - contributions were reckoned to range from an average of £15,000 per firm annually to a top of £750,000.
It suggested affected farms should have half their losses covered by cash from development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which commissioned the report with the government's Scottish Office.
Aid could also be provided from private sources such as banks and local authorities; through loan-guarantee schemes; by helping with business plans, training and recruiting, and in marketing.
It was also suggested talks be held with the insurance industry - at present businesses cannot get insurance cover against ISA.
The report, which is now out for consultation and will be considered by the new Scottish Parliament once in power, received a mixed response from the industry.
A spokesman for Norwegian firm Hydro Seafood GSP, which is seeking £20million for losses caused by compulsory slaughter of ISA stock, pointed out that in Norway the virus was covered by insurance and there was no reliance on the taxpayer.
The Shetland Salmon Farmers' Association also pointed to an insurance scheme as the way forward.
Interim social work arrangements agreed........April 27th 1999
UNTIL a successor is appointed in the Highlands of Scotland following the retirement of the director of Highland Council's social work service, interim management arrangements have been set up.
The director%92s post will be readvertised to reflect the corporate and partnership approach the council is developing for health, community care
and children%92s services
Sandy Riddell, head of client services with social work, will be appointed to the statutory position of chief social work officer until alternative arrangements are agreed following the appointment of a new director.
Peter Bates, former director of social work with Tayside Regional Council and Dundee City Council, will be engaged two days per week on a consultancy basis to provide interim management support for the social work management team from June to October, 1999.
Meanwhile, Highland Health Board and the council are to commission external advice on some of the practical and organisational arrangements that might be put in place to take forward the principles of partnership working already established in the Highlands.
Fishing skipper tells of fire escape........April 27th 1999
A SCOTS fishing skipper told how he and his crew fought a blaze in their vessel Poseidon 80 miles north of the Butt of Lewis, in the Western Isles, early on Sunday, April 25, 1999, but the boat eventually sank.
The crew of five escaped on liferafts, said skipper Paul Stewart (30), of Macduff, North-east Scotland, and were picked up by a sister fishing boat, the Annandale. They were landed at Scrabster, Caithness.
The 21metre Poseidon was built at Macduff in 1990 and was originally named the Aurelia.
Highland social work director honoured........April 23rd 1999
STRIBUTE has been paid by Highlands of Scotland councillors to director of social work Jim Dick, retiring after 33 years' local government service on May 31, 1999.
At the last full council meeting before he retired, Convener Peter Peacock and social work chairman Jimmy MacDonald thanked Mr Dick for his leadership of the service over the past 14 years and wished him and his wife, Isabel, a happy and healthy retirement.
Mr Dick began his local government career in 1966 as a probation officer with Edinburgh, Lothian and Peebles Probation Service, working in Edinburgh.
Three years later, he was appointed a child-care officer with Moray and Nairn Joint County Council, then an area team leader with Perth and Kinross Joint County Council (1971-73), a principal social worker with Selkirk County Council (1973-78), Banff-Buchan divisional officer with Grampian Regional Council (1978-85) before moving to the Highlands in 1985 as a senior depute director of social work, with responsibility for fieldwork services, administration and support services and training and development.
A year later, he was appointed director of social work with full responsibility for the management and development of social work services in the Highlands.
On reorganisation of local government in 1996, he was confirmed as director of social work for The Highland Council.
He served as president of Directors of Social Work in Scotland and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1997 New Year%92s Honours List.
Gifts were also presented at the final full Highland Council meeting before the elections on May 6, 1999, to 13 councillors who had a combined total of 259 years of local government service.
Convener Peter Peacock, who is aiming to be elected to the new Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, was honoured by vice-convener David Green for his 17 years' service, including four as convener and six as vice-convener of the former Highland Regional Council.
Caithness Provost John Young was the longest-serving of the 13, having completed 38 years' service, including being the only convener of the former Caithness District Council (1974-96).
Tom Wade, Kingussie, served 34 years after joining the former Kingussie Town Council and then being on the former Badenoch and Strathspey District Council.
John Farquhar Munro, former Convener of Skye and Lochalsh District Council and chairman of Highland Council%92s roads and transport committee, who had 33 years' service, is also seeking election to the Scottish Parliament.
David MacRae, Golspie, a former chairman of Sutherland District Council, was standing down after 29 years which began with Sutherland County Council.
Provost of Inverness Allan Sellar bowed out after 27 years, which included three terms as Provost of Inverness.
Nigel Graham, Provost of Nairn and chairman of the Northern Joint Police Committee, had had 19 years' service.
Similarly long-serving Val MacIver, Evanton, was well-known latterly as chairman of Highland Council%92s education committee.
Jamie Stone, Tain, who is also aiming for the Scottish Parliament; Councillor Norman Cameron, Lochcarron, and Iain Glen, Aviemore, had all served 11 years.
George Holden, Ardgay and Bonar, had served seven years.
Bryan Beattie, Black Isle West, Highland Council's cultural and leisure services chairman, had served five years.
Region-wide taxi fares agreed........April 23rd 1999
ALL IS set fair for a Highland-wide fare structure for taxis and hire cars fitted with taxi-meters.
It was approved by 40 votes to 20 at the last meeting of Highland Council before Scotland's local authority elections.
The new system comes into effect on Saturday, May 15, 1999, with a standard rate of £2 per mile to be charged by all operators in the Highland area.
This is the charge currently charged in Badenoch and Strathspey, the area which most recently set charges. The standard charge thereafter is 90p per mile plus extras, such as 10p for each waiting period of 40 seconds or 30p for booking ahead by phone.
The rate will mean increases throughout the Highlands, such as. . .
Caithness, 31p; Inverness, 14p; Lochaber, 30p; Nairn, 20p; Ross and Cromarty, 32p; Skye and Lochalsh, 61p.
Sutherland has no existing tariff rate to compare with.
A higher rate will apply between midnight and 8 a.m., all day on Sunday and when five or more passengers are being carried at any time of any day or night by a London-style taxi or by a people carrier or by a converted minibus. The price will be £2.90 for the first mile plus £1.35 per mile thereafter, plus extras.
A third rate will apply on Christmas Day and New Year%92s Day. The charge per mile will be £3.80 for the first mile, plus £1.75 per mile thereafter, plus extras.
Subject to the appeal mechanisms open to taxi drivers and operators, the new fares will come into effect after they are advertised in local newspapers in mid-May.
Again subject to appeal mechanisms, the council will introduce on May 15 one taxi zone for the Highlands, which will enable the operators of all taxi and private-hire cars in the Highlands to work anywhere in the Highlands.
The strucure had been put forward by the council's protective services committee. Opposers had argued that the decision should be left to area committees after the election.
It was claimed after the meeting that there would be job losses in Inverness taxi trade.
Two heads appointed........April 23rd 1999
TWO remote West Highlands of Scotland primary schools have new head teachers.
Mrs Christine MacDougall has been appointed head of Rum Primary School in the Small Isles, where she has been acting head for two-and-a-half years after previously teaching in Mallaig, Arisaig and Caol primaries.
Miss Fiona MacLellan, a class teacher in Invergarry Primary since August, 1995, and previously at Caol Primary, has been appointed head of Lochaline Primary, Ardnamurchan.
Former swimpool site set for new hotel........April 23rd 1999
THE SITE of a former swimpool in the Highlands of Scotland capital is scheduled to become a six-storey hotel and conference centre if planning permission is obtained.
Members of Highland Council have agreed that the Glebe Street site beside the River Ness in the town centre be sold for £990,000 to builders Upland Tulloch, of Inverness.
The planned £10million hotel would have at least 100 rooms and a conference centre seating 800, with 100 permanent jobs and 150 in the constructiom.
There are worries over the price agreed for the site as it was understood there had been a rival bid of £1.5million but a proposal that the highest bid be accepted was rejected.
The scheme is opposed by many in the Glebe Street area on fears over traffic, noise and overshadowing of their homes.
Inverness Hotels Association also argue that there is not enough demand for another hotel, but those for the deal said Inverness very much needed a conference centre.
New airport terminal's opening date........April 22nd 1999
THE £15million, 70,000sq.ft. terminal at Inverness Airport, Dalcross, is scheduled to open to the public on Wednesday, May 19, 1999.
Regular flights to and from the airport are made by British Regional Airways, which has been operating to Gatwick since November, 1997, under its franchise from British Airways, and easyJet, with one return flight a day to Luton. Both then connect to London by rail.
BA had previously operated the link itself, flying to London Airport, Heathrow, but handed the route on to BRA, which already served Scotland's North and Western Isles with smaller planes, after claiming it was being operated at a loss - and started an outcry from local authority and business leaders in the Highlands and Islands that is still reverberating in the corridors of power in London and Brussels.
The switch from Heathrow was seen as posing a serious threat to the economy of an area depending on direct access to London and the rest of the world for exports and tourists.
Other airlines began to use Dalcross in the nineties, causing Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. to provide improved landing facilities, car parking and the terminal that is now about to open.
The withdrawal of BA and then Air UK, which had become part of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, was a blow to the airport's hopes, but the new terminal is seen as a possible catalyst for new economic development, including tourism.
Tourist flights from Zurich, Switzerland, were established in the summer of 1998, and more are sought from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and Austria.
Water company base hopes on smaller bottles........April 21st 1999
A NEW line of small bottles has been introduced by the Highlands of Scotland mineral water company, originally named Lovat Spring and based near Beauly, by Inverness.
The firm, which started producing in 1992, has struggled to break into the fast-growing soft-drinks market.
It went into receivership in March, 1994, but was rescued three months later by the giant Swiss company, Gerber, renamed Lovat Pride and now employs some 30 full-time staff.
A spokesman said that, although the firm had one of the purest naturally occurring mineral waters in Europe, marketing had been very difficult against companies with millions of pounds to spend. Sales originally had never reached near the production capacity of 100,000 bottles a day.
Now they were considerably better and it was hoped to build on that, especially with the smaller bottle which research had shown as very much favoured.
Village for older people - without children........April 21st 1999
A CONCEPT aimed at people in their late 40s and older which has been successful in the United States of America is to be tried out in the Highlands of Scotland.
A village for some 200 people is to be created on the outskirts of the seaside resort of Nairn if they sign contracts specifying that no children will live there.
The multi-million project for 100 homes will be centred on Firhall House, Cawdor Road, a Victorian mansion in Cawdor road.
Developers Wm and E. Sword, Dundee, and builders Robertson Construction, Elgin, have been given planning permission by Highland Council's Nairn area committee, and work is likely to start in the second quarter of 1999.
The house will be converted into five one-bedroom and two two-bedroom flats, with a central reception area; 15 flats (12 two-bedroom and three one-bedroom) will be built close to the house and the remainder will be detached houses, mainly two-bedroom and three-bedroom, in courtyard groupings.
Residents will have access to a range of services ranging from gardening to cleaning, and leisure facilities will include a bowling green and pitch-and-putt golf course as well as duck ponds.
Nairn is some 15 miles east of Inverness, "capital" of the Highlands.
The village will be aimed primarily at the independent elderly, with houses having living accommodation mainly on the ground floor so that people can stay on in their homes after they become less mobile.
It is expected to be completed in two to three years and to benefit the local economy long-term through about a dozen full-time jobs and other spin-offs as well as with the 30 jobs created during construction.
Teaching all about peatlands........April 21st 1999
PRIMARY schools in the Highlands of Scotland have received a teacher's pack about "The Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland" from the LIFE Peatlands project, which is co-funded by the European Commission.
Designed and produced by former LIFE Peatlands project education officer Meg Telfer and Nature Workshop's Trisha Matthews, it is being tried out in schools in the two counties in line with the Environmental Studies 5-14 curriculum guidelines.
Former LIFE Peatlands project manager Patrick Thompson said: "The pack has many ideas to help teachers introduce pupils to the wonder of the peatlands. We hope the children will enjoy learning about this wonderful habitat."
The Caithness and Sutherland peatlands are said to be among the finest and more extensive areas of blanket bog in the world.
Training to help schools deliver environmental education projects has been offered by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which bases 'teacher naturalists' at Forsinard Nature Reserve in summer.
Since 1996, more than 1,200 schoolchildren in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross have visited the reserve.
More supplies for Kosovan refugees........April 21st 1999
THE THIRD consignment sent from the Highlands of Scotland in a week to aid Kosovan refugees in the Balkan war zone - 40 tonnes of foodstuffs, clothing, medical supplies, bedding and household goods - left Inverness by rail for Milan, Northern Italy, to be sent on to camps in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro.
Collected by the Christian charity organisation, Blythswood, from school, individuals and companies, they were being followed almost imediately by another train-load.
Blythswood transport manager Finlay MacKenzie said there had been a tremendous response from people in the Highlands and Islands and they now needed volunteers at their Deephaven depot in Evanton, East Ross, to sort clothes and pack food, as well as donations of money.
The number to phone is 01349 830777 or 01520 722337.
Blythswood has been sending supplies to countries in Eastern Europe for more than 30 years and has increased its work since the start of the Kosovan affair.
Holiday isle quiz in missing woman inquiry........April 21st 1999
POLICE investigating the year-old disappearance of Moray woman Arlene Fraser, who vanished from her Elgin home after waving her two children off to primary school, have flown to the holiday island of Lanzarote, in the Canaries off North-West Africa.
A spokeswoman confirmed that two detectives had flown out to interview witnesses believed to have been in the Elgin area prior to Mrs Fraser's disappearance but stressed that their visit there was part of routine inquiries.
During the last 12 months, Grampian Police inquiries into the disappearance of Mrs Fraser on April 28, 1998, have taken detectives throughout Britain, but produced few leads.
Student four win gold awards........April 20th 1999
FOUR students from the Highlands of Scotland have won top awards in a personal achievement scheme.
Emma Mackay, Lyndsay Munro, Nicola Spark and Michael Whiteford, all from Ross, received Duke of Edinburgh Award gold badges for completing courses on service, expeditions, skills and physical recreation and by undertaking a residential project.
The scheme, open to those aged 14 to 25, gives opportunities for personal achievements, adventure, community and social involvement. There are three awards - bronze for over-14s, silver for over-15s and gold for over-16s, and for everyone who achieves an award, it is estimated that around 40 adults will have helped in some way.
Emma Mackay (20), Clyth, Bridgend Avenue, Dingwall, gained hers through police training, community service and fund-raising. Basketball and aerobics helped towards her physical sections and keyboard and motor cars/roadskills towards her skills requirements, and she carried out her expeditions in Dundonnell, West Ross; the Cairngorm mountains, and Knoydart, West Scotland.
Lyndsay Munro (19), 61 Saltburn, Invergordon, undertook her service with Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade, the Air Training Corps and by assisting with maths tuition. Playing hockey and participating in graphic art, drill and discipline and knitting helped her skills and East and West Ross were chosen for her expeditions.
Nicola Spark (20), Eldonlea, Strathpeffer, whose sister Alison had earlier gained a gold badge, met her requirements through care of the elderly and fund-raising; ski-ing, golf and dancing, motor cars/roadskills and by joining Emma on expeditions to Dundonnell, the Cairngorms and Knoydart.
Michael Whiteford (18), Castlecraig House, Nigg, who moved from bronze to gold in record time, participated in police service instruction; lifesaving training and chanter instruction classes for young people; rugby, swimming and basketball; played with his local pipe band, and undertook 15-, 30- and 50-mile walks through East Ross for his expedition work.
The awards were presented to the four before their families by Highland Council's education committee chairman, Councillor Val MacIver, who said: "The four students deserve the highest praise." Achieving the gold badge was a tremendous personal achievement, which would serve them very well in the future.
Councillor MacIver said the council's community education service was firmly committed to the scheme and placed great value on its wide range of personal development opportunities for young people.
"We currently have approximately 1,000 young people participating in the award, with 650 at bronze level, 250 at silver and 100 at gold. There are 300 alone in Ross and Cromarty.
"This reflects tremendously well on the network of development officers and volunteer leaders who supervise the scheme. We particularly value the partnership with the Highland Award Project and look forward to further development of the award within the Highland area."
Information on participating or helping can be obtained from community education offices or from Brian Lavery, Highland Council's Senior Community Education Worker, on 01955 605423.
Regional air policy hope rise ........April 16th 1999
A BREAKTHROUGH may be in sight on ring-fenced aircraft landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport.
After talks in Brussels with senior transport officials, Highland Council convener Peter Peacock reported that the European Commission, in reviewing regional air policy, was considering accepting that slots can be owned by regional transport authorities as well as airlines, and that slots can be ring-fenced by the national government to protect and develop regional economies.
Councillor Peacock said it might be possible that slots could be held by a new transport authority for the Highlands and Islands.
He said this major change in policy thinking was partly due to the high-profile campaign waged by the Highlands over the past 18 months.
"The European Commission is certainly well aware of the arguments for promoting the regional economy of air-dependent areas by providing access to the hub of international travel at Heathrow.
"Realistically, this is a medium-term goal."
For the present, he said, the commission needed to get convincing evidence of the economic case for reinstatement of the Heathrow slots, and he felt a UK government study on the economic impact of switching flights from Heathrow to Gatwick had helped.
The convener was accompanied in Brussels by Roy Pedersen, head of transport with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and he said they had benefited greatly from the talks by getting to know the type of information the Commission wanted.
"We will be working with a wide range of agencies to ensure we present a compelling case."
Councillor Peacock is also due to meet the UK's Transport Minister, Dr John Reid.
Change of faces in new council........April 16th 1999
MANY known faces will not re-emerge when the new Highland Council takes office after the election on May 6, 1999.
In fact, the figure 13 could be said to be unlucky for sitting members for that is the number not standing again . . . or lucky, depending on the view one takes.
Those not seeking re-election are:
John Young, Central Caithness;
George Holden, Ardgay and Bonar;
David MacRae, Golspie;
John Farquhar Munro, Lochalsh;
Jamie Stone, Tain;
Bryan Beattie, Black Isle West;
Val MacIver, Ferindonald;
Norman Cameron, Lochcarron;
Allan Sellar, Old Edinburgh;
Peter Peacock, Ardersier;
Nigel Graham, Cawdor;
Dr Iain Glen, Aviemore;
Thomas Wade, Kingussie, Kincraig.
A breakdown of the Highland Council election shows that there will be 80 electoral divisions and 172 candidates.
Their political affiliations are: 91 Independent; 27 Labour; 27 SNP; 16 Liberal Democrat; 10 Conservative; 1 Independent Liberal.
There will be 58 contests (31 two-candidate, 20 three-candidate, 7 four-candidate), and 22 candidates returned unopposed (15 Ind; 4 SNP; 2 Lab; 1 Lib Dem).
Among them will be three new members - David Flear, Caithness Central; Andrew Paterson, Dingwall North; Peter Cairns, Knockbain and Killearnan.
The other 19 are: Falconer Waters, Thurso East; Francis Keith, Sutherland NW; David Green, Lochbroom; Andrew Anderson, Alness and Ardross; Jim Paterson, Tain East; Margaret Paterson, Dingwall South; Gavin Scott Moncrieff, Snizort and Trotternish; Allan Beaton, Skye West; Andrew Millar, Portree; Bill Fulton, Kyle and Sleat; Chrissie Cumming, Muirtown; David Munro, Raigmore; Ella MacRae, Loch Ness East; Alexander Park, Auldearn; Stuart Black, Strathspey NE; Charles King, Mallaig and the Small Isles; William MacLachlan, Claggan and Spean; Olwyn Macdonald, Caol; Neil Clark, Fort William South.
The existing council has 72 members, although at present one electoral division (Kilmallie and Invergarry) is vacant, with 50 Independent, 8 Liberal Democrats, 6 Labour, 6 SNP and 1 Conservative.
The new council is guaranteed 23 new members.
The results are expected between 3p.m. and 6p.m. on Friday, May 7, from eight area counts.
Two withdrawals in Highland election........April 16th 1999
THERE are two changes in the Highland Council election on Thursday, May 6, 1999.
Dinah Dowding has withdrawn her candidacy from Thurso East, leaving sitting member Falconer Waters unopposed.
Richard Durham has withdrawn from Rosskeen and Saltburn, leaving a four-way contest between John Boocock, Norman Chisholm, Andrew Currie and Carolyn Wilson, and will contest the Seaboard electoral division in direct opposition to John Mitchell.
There will now be 58 contests, involving 150 candidates, and 22 candidates unopposed - 15 Independent, 4 SNP; 2 Labour and 1 Liberal Democrat.
Council promote first regional shellfish fishery........April 16th 1999
NEW GROUND is to be broken with an application by the Highland Council to the Scottish Office for a regulating order to manage by local control the regional fishery for shellfish.
For three years, the council and the West of Four Fisheries%92 Group have been consulting fishermen and local organisations, and the outcome is support for regulating orders for the Highland coastal waters.
Councillor Michael Foxley, who chairs the council's land and environment select committee, said: "Throughout this century, people have talked of local management of our inshore fishery. Meanwhile, some species can no longer be fished commercially and other stocks have steadily declined.
"Local management, through regulating orders, will safeguard the livelihoods of local fishermen, minimise conflicts, such as exist in Loch Torridon, conserve stocks and all for an improved fishery in the future."
Much had still to be done with local fishermen, however, to prepare more detailed management proposals for further consultation.
Key points put forward for the regulating order are:
*They should cover all species, such as lobsters, crab, clams and scallops, and include nethrops (prawns);
*The area covered will be South-west, North-west, North-east and South-east:
The order, to last for 15 years, will be policed by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency.
Funding will be sought from Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage and Europe to minimise costs to local fishermen.
Adjoining authorities - such as the Western Isles and Orkney - will be invited to join as observers.
The select committee's vice-chairman, Councillor Gavin Scott Moncrieff, who has promoted the V-notching of female lobster tails in Highland waters, said: "This is an example of the type of conservation measure which could be used. It retains pregnant female lobsters as brood stock for the future."%A0
Based a Shetland example, the 11 members of the body to manage the fishery will include six fishing industry representatives, including a processor; three from Highland Council; one from SNH, and a scientific officer.
Global Highland Games challenge........April 15th 1999
THE FIRST World Highland Clan Gathering and Games Championships are set to take place in the Highlands of Scotland in the year 2,000.
They have been scheduled for August 20-24 on the Black Isle Farming Society's showground at Mannsfield, near Muir of Ord, Ross-shire.
This millennium double-header is expected to attract some 24,000 visitors and competitors all over the world. It is anticipated £250,000 will be needed to set it up.
A £59,815 grant has been announced from the Lottery Sports Fund of the Scottish Sports Council, whose chairman, Graeme Simmers, said: "This is an exciting and ambitious programme which celebrates the best traditions of Scotland and of Scottish sport, as well as the start of the new millennium." He was sure it would be a tremendous success.
Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise through Ross and Cromarty Enterprise, Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board (HOST) and commercial sponsors are all being asked to help.
There was a big response from tour operators, especially in the USA, when the event was promoted at the Scottish Travel Trade Fair in Glasgow.
Highland Games Association (Scotland) secretary Murray Macleod said it was hoped to build up Highland Games as a world championship sport with a world cup to which Scottish champions could aspire.
It would be great to have the event in Scotland in the first year of the millennium, and there could be a five-year round with it moving to countries like Canada, the USA and Australia.
Association president Charlie Simpson said it could attract descendants of families evicted from the Highlands as well as holidaymakers, and Highland Council culture/leisure services convener Bryan Beattie said it could give the Black Isle a global profile.
Ferry firm loses aid plea........April 15th 1999
RECEIVERS have been called in by a shipping company in the North of Scotland following rejection of its aid plea.
Orcargo sails between Kirkwall, Orkney, and Invergordon, East Ross, mainly with freight and livestock.
Its position was put in doubt when the United Kingdom government's Scottish Office chose P&O Scottish Ferries to get an £11million-a-year franchise to continue serving Orkney and Shetland.
P&O has serviced both groups of islands for many years with passenger and freight links from Aberdeen and from Scrabster, Caithness.
Orcargo, which pioneered the Kirkwall-Invergordon route in the 1980s, had sought some £250,000 support but its pleas were turned down by Orkney Islands Council after members heard of its financial difficulties.
The council, which is a major creditor of Orcargo, decided to try everything possible to save the Kirkwall-Invergordon route, and is discussing possibilities with all involved.
Police survey generally praiseworthy........April 15th 1999
TOUGHER action on drug abuse in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland is pledged by Northern Constabulary Chief Constable Bill Robertson.
A public survey into the effectiveness of the police, which gained a 36% response over the whole of the Highlands and Islands, generally praised the force for its effectiveness, but 66.9% wanted the drug problem dealt with "more effectively".
Most urgent concerns in local areas were given as excessive speeding by motorists, dangerous driving, dog excrement and littering.
Where people had been visited by police after contacting the force during 1998, 65% were "very satisfied" but 11% were not contacted again and thought they should have been.
Mr Robertson said after a meeting of the Northern Joint Police Board in Inverness that clearly the people of the Highlands and Islands liked what they were getting and how they were getting it, and wanted it to continue getting better.
He also said: "Clearly people are not aware of the amount of work Northern Constabulary does on the drugs scene."
He had to show that the drugs problem was being taken seriously and that "the message is heard loud and clear", but the force did not want to create fear by over-publicising and exaggerating it.
*A £3.5million Inverness area command building was officially opened on Wednesday, April 14, 1999, in Burnett Road, Inverness, for Northern Constabulary whose own £7.7million headquarters in Old Perth Road, Inverness, will become operational later that month and be officially opened by Prince Andrew, Earl of Inverness, on Wednesday, August 4. The area command houses 200 uniform and civilian staff, including a CID team, under Inspector Peter Black.
153 vie for council place in Highlands........April 14th 1999
THERE will be contests in 59 of the 80 Highlands of Scotland seats in the local authority elections on Thursday, May 6, 1999, and 21 unopposed seats.
A total of 153 candidates, varying in numbers vieing for individual seats between two and five, are named in the nominations, although council convener Peter Peacock, who is aiming for a Labour Party seat in the new Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, and transport chairman John Farquhar Munro, who is vieing for a Liberal Democrat seat there, are among those not standing.
The convenership vacancy will be the top council prize available.
Also standing down are long-serving Caithness councillor and current provost John Young, and Argyll convener John Wilson, Mull.
The nominations list is:
(*Denotes existing Highland councillor. Political parties are described thus:
Ind - Independent; SNP - Scottish National Party; Scot Labour - Scottish Labour Party; Scot Cons/Cons - Conservative and Unionist Party; Scot Lib Dem/Lib Dem - Scottish Liberal Democratic Party/Liberal
Democratic Party)
CAITHNESS (10)
1. Caithness North West - Alastair I. MacDonald,
Seaview, Hill of Forss, Lib Dem; *John M. Mowat, Castlehill Avenue, Castletown, Ind.%09
2. Thurso West%09- George Bruce, Bryn-Tirion, Castlegreen Road, Thurso; James H. Fry, 19 Heathfield Road, Thurso, KW14 7DT, Thurso, Ind; Eric R. Saxon, 73 Upper Burnside Drive,
Thurso, KW14 7XB, Scot Labour.
3. Thurso Central - Ronald S. Henderson, 7 West Burnside, Thurso, KW14 7LG, Ind; *Elizabeth C. Macdonald, 12 The
Crescent, Glengolly, Thurso; John S. Rosie, 3 Thorsdale View, Thurso, KW14 7, Scot Labour.%09
4. Thurso East - Dinah D.S. Dowding, 1 Mill Cottages, Mount Vernon, Thurso, KW14 8QY; *Donald M F Waters, 5 St Magnus
Road, Thurso, KW14 7LX.%09
5. Caithness Central - David C.M. Flear, Inkerman, Church Street,
Halkirk, KW12 6YD, Scot Lib Dem.%09
6. Caithness North East - *John H. Green, 4 Heatherbell Cottage, John O'Groats; David A. Richard, Holman,
Auckengill, KW1 4XP, Ind.%09
7. Wick - Bill Mowat, Bellquholly, Roadside, John O'Groats, KW1 4YI, Scot Labour; *Anderson Murray, 21 Port Dunbar, Wick, KW1 4JJ, Ind; Graeme M. Smith, 15 Breadalbane Crescent, Wick,
KW1 5AS, Scot Lib Dem.%09
8. Wick West - William N. Fernie, 19 March Road, Wick, KW1 5TY, Ind; Alistair A. Roy, 35 Miller Avenue, Wick, KW1 4DF, Ind; Deirdre J. Steven, 27 Miller Avenue, Wick, Scot Labour.%09
9. Pultneytown - *James William Oag, Corbiegoe, Thrumster; Niall Smith, The Ward, Ulbster, Lybster.
10. Caithness South East - Jeanette M. Calder, Serenus, South End, Lybster, KW3 6AN, Ind; *William A. Mowat, Whiteleen, Ulbster, Lybster, Ind Liberal.%09
SUTHERLAND (6)
11. Sutherland North West - *Francis R. M. Keith, Aarhus, Durness.%09
12. Tongue and Farr - Eirene B.M. Jardine, Achiemore, Forsinard, Scot Lib Dem; *Alexander Mackay, Roslyn, Dalcharn, Bettyhill, KW14 7SG, Ind.
13. Sutherland Central - Alexander Chalmers, Ivy Cottage, Balchraggan, Invershin; *Alison L. Magee, 1 Colaboll, Shinness, Lairg, IV27 4DN, Ind; Russell Eugene Taylor, The Haven, Dornoch Road, Bonar Bridge, Ind.
14. Golspie and Rogart - Helen M. Houston, 3 Backies, Golspie, Ind; William J. Ross, An Craeg, West Drummuie, Golspie, KW10 6TA, Ind; Valerie E.R. Scott, Lonemore, Main Street,Golspie.%09
15. Brora - Margaret W. Finlayson, Anvil House, Strathnaver Street, Helmsdale; *Ronald R. McDonald, 14 Muirfield Road, Brora, Ind.
16. Dornoch Firth - *James Duncan W. Allan, Craigroyston, Castle Street, Dornoch, Ind; Gordon Campbell, The Cottage, Station Road, Embo, IV25 3PR, Ind.
%09
ROSS AND CROMARTY (18)
17. Lochbroom - *David R. Green, 257 Achnahaird, Achiltibuie, IV26 2YT, Ind.%09
18. Alness and Ardross - * Andrew Anderson, 3 Teaninich Distillery, Alness, SNP.%09
19. Tain West - Derek W. Louden, Abbian House, Bank Buildings, Tower Street, Tain, IV19 1DY, SNP; Alasdair Rhind, Ardenlee, 18 Knockbreck Avenue, Tain, Ind.%09
20. Tain East - *James W.G. Paterson, Ord House, Ankerville Street, Tain, IV19 1BL.%09
21. Seaboard - Richard W. Durham, Millcroft, Scotsburn, Kildary, IV18 0PE, Ind; John C. Mitchell, 5 Milton Mill, Milton, Scot Labour.%09
22. Invergordon - Morag McCourt, Heathfield Cottage, Delny, IV18 0LN, SNP; Maxine R.A. Smith, Larch Chalet, Kindeace, Invergordon, IV18 0LL; Lou Wilkerson, Old School House, 4
Outram Street, Invergordon, IV18 0EB, Scot
Labour.%09
23. Rosskeen and Saltburn - John K.M. Boocock, Rosslyn Barbaraville, IV18 0NH, Scot Labour; Norman Chisholm, The Glen, Kindeace, IV18 0LL, Ind Nationalist; Andrew Currie, Rowanwood, Lamington, IV18 0PE, SNP; Richard W. Durham, Millcroft, Scotsburn, Kildary, IV18 0PE, Ind; Carolyn A. Wilson, 6 Dalmore Farm, Alness, IV17 0UX, Ind.%09
24 Gairloch - *Hector R. MacIntyre, 28 North Erradale, Gairloch, IV21 2DS, Ind; Kris H.F. Murray Browne, Catavan, 10 Achachork, Portree, Skye, IV51 9HT, SNP.%09
25 Lochcarron - Allan I. MacArthur, Church of Scotland Manse,
Lochcarron, IV54 8YD, Ind; Ewen C. MacKinnon, Coulags Cottage, Coulags, Strathcarron, Ross-shire, IV54 8YU, Ind; Elizabeth F.A. Pritchard, An Tigh Beag, Ardheslaig, IV54 8XH, Ind.%09
26 Ferindonald - Michael Robert Finlayson, Amberlea, Glenskiach, Evanton, IV16 9UU, Ind; Robert M. Gibson, Tir Nan Oran, 8 Culcairn Road, Evanton, IV16 9YT, SNP.%09
27 Strathpeffer and Strathconon - *Douglas W. Briggs, Turakina, Strathpeffer, IV14 9DS, Ind; Bill MacKenzie, Aultgowrie House, Aultgowrie, by Muir of Ord, Ross-shire, IV6 7XA, Scot Cons.%09
28 Dingwall South - *Margaret E. Paterson, Craiglea, Craig Road,
Dingwall, SNP.%09
29. Dingwall North - Andrew Paterson, 22 Kintail Place,
Dingwall, IV15 9RL, Ind Highlander.%09
30. Muir of Ord%09 - John M. MacInnes, 5 Chapelton Place, Muir of Ord, IV6 7TG, SNP; *David Y.R. Philip, The Lindens,
Gairloch Crescent, Cononbridge, IV7 8BQ.%09
31 Conon and Maryburgh - *Sandy MacKenzie, 4 Grove Place, Conon Bridge, IV7 8BA, Independent Scottish Nationalist; Evelyn Vass, 22 Riverford Crescent, Conon Bridge, Ind.%09
32. Knockbain and Killearnan - Peter G. Cairns, 6 Pink Lodge, Easter Suddie, IV8 8PA, SNP.%09
33 Black Isle North - David J. Alston, Buzancy, 51 Church Street, Cromarty, IV11 8XA, Ind; Thomas Anderson, The Bungalow, Poyntzfield, by Dingwall, Ind ; Alistair Dunn, Seabank
House, Shore Street, Cromarty, IV11 8XL, SNP.%09
34 Avoch and Fortrose - Morris MacKenzie Downie, 29 Wester Links, Fortrose, IV10 8RZ; *Duncan J. McPherson, Cromarty Mains, Cromarty; Celia Stewart, Chanonry Point, 22 Ness Road, Fortrose, IV10 8SD, Cons.%09
SKYE AND LOCHALSH (6)
35 Snizort and Trotternish - *Gavin C. Scott Moncrieff, Dun Flodigarry, Flodigarry, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9HZ, SNP.%09
36 Skye West - *Allan M.M. Beaton, Lochbay House, Stein, Waternish, Isle of Skye, IV55 8GA, Ind.%09
37 Portree - *Andrew M. Millar, 6 Carn Dearg Place, Portree.
38 Skye Central - * Farquhar M. MacLennan, Ard Dian, 16 Camuscross, Isle Ornsay, IV43 8QS, SNP; Angus D. Sutherland,
A'Chomraich, 1 Harrapool, Ind.%09
39 Kyle and Sleat - William M. Fulton, Fishery Pier Road, Kyle
of Lochalsh, IV40 8AJ, Ind.%09
40 Kinlochshiel - Isabelle M. Campbell, Shiel House, Glenshiel, Scot Lib Dem; Patricia Shaw, Alltnasugh, Ardelve, Kyle, IV40 8DZ, Scot Labour.
%09
INVERNESS (23)
41Beauly and Strathglass - *Garry J. Coutts, GF Flat, Station Buildings, Beauly Station, IV4 7EG, Ind for Beauly and the Glens; John A. Sellar, Alena, 1 Balmanach Court, Beauly, IV4 7AP
Ind.%09
42 Kirkhill - Molly Doyle, 33 McColl Road, Cannich, Inverness, IV4 7LP, Ind; *Simon J. John Shiels, Northlea, Drumchardine, Kirkhill, IV5 7PX, Ind.
43 Scorguie - *James T. MacDonald, 70 Dochfour Drive, Inverness, IV3 5ED, Scot Labour; Bernard M. Salmon, 4 Scorguie Court, Inverness, IV3 8ST, Scot Lib Dem Scorguie Focus Team.%09
44 Muirtown - * Christina MacNiven Cumming, 72 Kenneth Street,
Inverness, IV3 5PZ, Scot Labour.%09
45 Merkinch - Peter Corbett, 14 Scorguie Court, Inverness, IV3 8ST, Merkincher; Donnie Kerr, 22 Upper Kessock Street, Inverness, IV3 8JQ, SNP; *Alexander D. MacLean, 86 Telford Road, Inverness, IV3 8HN, Scot Labour.%09
46 Inverness Central - James B.D. Alexander, Craigneish, 6 Old Edinburgh Road, Inverness, IV2 3HF, Ind; Eilidh MacDonald, GFR, 37 Innes Street, Inverness, IV1 1NP, Scot Labour; Moray Fenton MacDonald, Spring Cottage, 51 Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3UP, Scot Cons; Joerg Macthearlaich-Wiench, 10 Rangemore Road, Inverness, IV3 5EA, SNP.%09
47 Culloden - * John Chisholm Cole, 81 Loch Lann Road, Culloden, Inverness, IV2 7HJ, Scot Lib Dem; John Anthony Hickman Ford, 12 Moraypark Avenue, Culloden, Inverness, IV2 7LS, Scot Labour; James W. McCreath, 94 Smithton Park, Inverness, IV2 7P, SNP.%09
48 Ardersier, Croy and Petty - Roderick Andrew C.S. Balfour, Torran Gorm,
Cantray, Croy, IV2 5PG, Ind; Derek MacDonald, Kingsteps, Lochloy Road, Nairn, IV12 5LF, SNP ; Glynis E.A. Sinclair, Elrig, Brae of Cantray, Croy, Inverness, IV2 5PN, Scot Lib Dem.%09
49 Loch Ness West - *Margaret C. Davidson, Abriachan Nurseries, Abriachan, Inverness, IV3 8LA, Ind; *Patrick Cottor Paterson, Cartref, Fort William Road, Fort Augustus, PH32 4BH, Ind.%09
50 Inverness West - Debra Lake, Lettoch Cottage, Beauly, Inverness-shire, IV4 7AS, Scot Labour; Ronald James Lyon, 1
Kennedy Drive, Inverness, IV3 8QR, Ind.%09
51 Canal - Mark Grant, 26 Tomnahurich Street, Inverness, IV3 5DS, Scot Labour; *William John Smith, 57 Drumblair Crescent,
Inverness, IV2 4RJ, Ind.%09
52 Ballifeary - Robert Alexander McLennan, 3 Bruce Gardens, Inverness, IV3 5EN, (1)%09SNP; *James W.A. Thomson,
119 Bruce Gardens, Inverness, IV3 5BD, Scot Labour.%09
53 Lochardil - Andrew George Ingram, 21 Ardness Place, Inverness, IV2 4QJ, Scot Labour; *Margaret Agnes MacLennan, 1 Lochardil Road, Inverness, IV2 4LB, Ind.%09
54 Hilton - *Angus John Dick, 2 Morvich Way, Inverness, IV2
4PN, Scot Lib Dem; Stuart Melville Dickson, 26A Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 4AJ, SNP; Alison Helen Watson, 91e Bruce
Gardens, Inverness, IV3 5EZ, Scot Labour.%09
55 Milton - *Clive Lawrence Goodman, 10 Ashton Crescent, Inverness, IV2 3TQ, Scot Labour; John Horne, 14 Drumfield
Road, Inverness, IV2 4XQ, Scot Lib Dem.%09
56 Crown - Patricia Hayden, 4 Muirfield Park, Inverness, IV2 4HA, Ind; Peter D. Saggers, 6 Leanach Court, Westhill, Inverness, IV2 5DE, Scot Con; Dick Simpson, 14 Crown Drive, Inverness, IV2 3NL, Scot Lib Dem; John F. Ward, 43 Muirfield Road, Inverness, IV2 4AY, Scot Labour.%09
57 Raigmore - *David Ross Munro, 25 Cranmore Drive, Smithton,
Inverness, IV1 2FJ, Scot Labour.%09
58 Loch Ness East - *Ella MacRae, Cherry Cottage, Dores,
Inverness, IV1 2TR.%09
59 Culduthel - Norman A. Donald, 3 Strath Gardens, Dores, IV2 6TT, Ind; Kenneth A. Thomson, 21 Lochardil Place,
Inverness, IV2 4LN, Scot Labour.%09
60 Inshes - Ian George Brown, 104 Drakies Avenue, Inverness, SNP; John Holden, 8 Teal Avenue, Inverness, IV2 3TB, Ind; *Janet N. Home, 54 Old Perth Road, Inverness, IV2 3RL, Ind.%09
61 Drumossie - Robert Annand Chalmers, 2 Trentham Court, Westhill, Inverness, IV2 5DF, SNP; *Kathleen G. Matheson, Milton, Aberarder, Inverness, IV2 6UA, Ind.%09
62 Westhill and Smithton - Jermaine Allison, The Bank House, Village Road, Main Street, Lybster, KW3 6BJ, Scot Lib Dem; George Davidson, 42 Cranmore Drive, Smithton, Inverness, IV2 7FG, Local Smithton Candidate; Malcolm Lyall Jack, Lismore, Tower Brae, Westhill, Inverness, Scot Labour; Gillian McCreath, 94 Smithton Park, Smithton, IV2 7PF, SNP.%09
63 Balloch - William Cameron, Moraypark Avenue, Culloden, IV2 7LS, Scot Cons; Walter McGarrity, 18 Balmacraig Road, Inverness, IV3 5LN, Scot Labour; Robert Wynd, 27 Cherry Park, Balloch,
Inverness, IV2 7HE, SNP.
%09
NAIRN (4)
64 Nairn Alltan - Andrew Gardiner, 1 Chattan Drive, Nairn, IV12, Ind.; Tony Lister, 8 Simpson Street, Nairn, IV12 4NT, Scot Cons; *John Matheson, 16 Newton Gate, Nairn, IV12 4TS, Ind.%09
65 Nairn Ninian - Mark Conway, 5 Colin Young Place, Gordon Street, Nairn, Scot Cons; Duncan McDonald, 6 Monitory Place, Harbour Street, Nairn, IV12 4PU, Ind and putting Nairnshire First; Liz MacDonald, Kingsteps, Lochloy Road, Nairn, IV12 5LF, SNP; *William Shand, 15 Newton Gate, Nairn, IV12 4T, Ind.%09
66 Nairn Cawdor - Jonathan Graham Alford, Firth Cottage, Meikle Urchany, Nairn, IV12 5SF, Scot Cons; *David Fraser, 1
Woodside Crescent, Achareidh, Nairn, IV12 4SX, Ind; Laurie R. Fraser, Fallowdene Marine Road, Nairn, IV12 4EA, Ind and putting
Nairnshire first; John William MacKenzie, Altandonn House, Altonburn Road, Nairn, IV12 5N, Ind.%09
67Nairn Auldearn - *Alexander Smith Park, Parkview, Lethen Road,
Auldearn.
BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY (5)
68 Badenoch West _ *Alexander J. Russell, Cairndearg,
Craigmhor Road, Newtonmore, PH20 1 BL, Scot Lib Dem; David William Spry, Arden House, Newtonmore Road, Kingussie, PH21 1HE, Scot Cons.%09
69 Badenoch East - George I. Gibson, Tigh Vonie, West
Terrace, Kingussie, Ind; Susan Paton, Dell of Killiehuntly, PH21 1NS, Ind; Gregor F. Rimell, Ardvonie, Old Distillery Road, Kingussie, PH21 1BZ, Scot Lib Dem; Robert Severn, Milton, 16
Morlich Place, Aviemore, PH22 1TH, SNP.
70 Strathspey South - *Angus Gordon, Bruach, Achnahannet, Dulnain Bridge, Ind; Karen E. Lawrie, Cala-na-Sonais,
Craig-na-Gower Avenue, Aviemore, PH22 1RW, SNP.%09
71 Strathspey North East - *Francis Duncan Stuart Black,
Laintachan, Nethy Bridge, PH25 3EE, Scot Lib Dem.%09
72 Grantown on Spey - *Basil M.S. Dunlop, Ben A'an Lynemacgregor, Grantown-on-Spey, Ind; Arthur
Leslie Durance, Cairngorm, Skye of Curr, nr Grantown on Spey, PH26 3PA, Ind.
%09
LOCHABER (8)
73 Mallaig and Small Isles - *Charles King, Seaview, Mallaig, PH41 4QS, Ind.%09
74 Kilmallie and Invergarry - George Murdoch Bruce, Holburn, Albyn Drive, Corpach, Fort William, PH33 7LW, Ind ; Susan Carstairs, Cross Cottages, Low Street, Arisaig, PH39 4NJ, Scot Labour; Douglas Lawrie, The Annie Cameron Home, Lochview, Kinlocheil, Fort William, PH33 7NP, Ind.%09
75 Claggan and Glen Spean - *William MacLachlan, Woodside, Roy
Bridge Road, Spean Bridge, PH34 4EU, Ind.%09
76 Ardnamurchan and Morvern - *Michael E.M. Foxley, 2 Achaphubuil, Treslaig, Fort William, PH33 7AL, Scot Lib Dem;
Jonathan Slater, Druimbeg House, Acharacle, Salen, PH36
4JL, Scot Cons; Iain Thornber, Knock House, Lochaline, PA34 5UU, Ind.%09
77 Caol - *Olwyn J. Macdonald, 38 Alma Road, Fort William, PH33 6HB, Rep of the People.%09
78 Fort William North - *Iain J. Macdonald, 38 Alma Road, Fort William, PH33 6HB, SNP; Brian J. Murphy, Orchy Villa,
Alma Road, Fort William, PH33 6HA, Scot Labour.%09
79 Fort William South - *Neil MacKinnon Clark, 14 Perth Place, Fort William, PH33 6UL.
80 Glencoe - David C. Ingham, 17 Garbhein Crescent, Kinlochleven, PA40 4SD, SNP; *Andrew R. McFarlane Slack, Seaview, Glenachulish, PA39 4JX, Ind; William Spence, 4 Gordon Square, Kinlochleven, Scot Labour.%09
Making a business of history........April 12th 1999
A FORMER public servant in the Highlands of Scotland is turning his lifelong interest in history into a business venture.
Ray Owens (50), Culloden, head of personnel and training at Highlands and Islands Enterprise until he took early retirement in 1996, has set up a story-telling business and intends to give presentations based on the 1745 Jacobite uprising to groups of tourists and children in hotels and schools throughout the Highlands while wearing full Jacobite regalia.
Having a keen interest in space exploration, he also offers a series of interactive talks on planetary science and human and robotic space exploration.
He said he had always been interested in history and space exploration but never thought he would get a chance to make a living from his interests.
"Last summer, I noticed an advert in a local newspaper for a storyteller at the Inverness Castle Garrison (The Living History Project). I did over 2,000 shows in front of 20,000 tourists and I now feel I have the confidence and skills needed to expand my storytelling to a wider audience.
"I have written my own scripts for 'The Highlander's Jacobite and Space Experiences' and hope to diversify the range of stories over the coming season."
Bill Sylvester, chief executive of Inverness and Nairn Enterprise, part of the HIE network, which is supporting the venture with £7,500 through its Business Start-up scheme, said: "Ray has clearly identified that tourists are now looking for a better understanding of the culture and history of the places they visit. Given his storytelling skills and enthusiasm, I am sure he will be extremely successful."
Creating better breakfasts........April 12th 1999
CREATION of a better Scottish breakfast, using top-quality local ingredients, is being studied in the Highlands of Scotland.
A pilot project in Caithness and Sutherland has seen natural cooking breakfast courses at Rhiconich Hotel and the Portland Arms Hotel, Lybster, attended by 30 people.
They received guidance from Natural Cooking of Scotland trainer Chris Bentley, Coul House Hotel, Contin, Ross, who said: "There is a wealth of outstanding local ingredients in the Caithness and Sutherland area. The course will help chefs explore and savour local ingredients to create imaginative breakfasts that will be more satisfying to visitors."
Edna Rekhy, from Brora, East Sutherland, said: "The whole day was very beneficial. The demonstrations gave me ideas on how to vary breakfasts as well as some good kitchen tips."
Simon Moodie, development manager of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise, which co-ordinated the project, said it encouraged local producers to sell in local markets and hotels and restaurants to use local produce. "The workshops are also a good forum for people from across the region to meet to discuss ideas and exchange information on suppliers."
It was the first time the natural-cooking programme, a major success for main meals, had been applied to breakfasts and a high demand was anticipated for future courses.
Decanter prize for eatery........April 12th 1999
VOTED best eatery by readers of the Ross and Cromarty Food Trail Guide, the Oystercatcher, at Portmahomack, East Ross, in the Highlands of Scotland, has won a decanter from Dalmore Distillery, Alness, East Ross, which sponsored the contest.
Produced by Ross and Cromarty Enterprise, the guide surveys the cream of the area's food producers and outlets and is widely circulated in tourist offices, hotels and food-related establishments.
RACE plans to develop the county's gastronomic sector further by supporting cookery demonstrations for professional and amateur chefs in Achiltibuie, Applecross, Gairloch, Invergordon, Lochcarron, Torridon and Ullapool.
Numbers will be strictly limited. Advance tickets cost £2.50 and can be obtained, with a list of dates, from Catherine Brady on 01808 511259.
Erosion hits famed glen........April 12th 1999
AN APPEAL for £250,000 for footpath restoration in historic Glencoe - known as the Glen of Weeping from the 1602 deaths of many of its Macdonald inhabitants - is being made by the National Trust for Scotland.
The area's awesome peaks and lowering landscape have made the glen famous worldwide but also make it appear dark and forbidding at times.
Glencoe Estate, stretching to 14,000 acres, is one of the trust's oldest possessions, bought some 60 years ago with money bequeathed by mountaineering enthusiast Percy Unna.
Its popularity has in recent years seen up to four million climbers, walkers and sightseers clamber over it - so much so that the Glencoe Millennium Appeal is part of a £2.5million project to improve visitor management.
Serious erosion is causing problems.
Trust plans to close a visitor centre in the glen and replace it with a themed group of buildings called Glencoe Clachan have been approved, and it is hoped removal of the visitor centre and and landscaping will see the site return to its previous wild state.
*A total of 38 MacDonalds were massacred by soldiers led by Campbell of Glen Lyon, supposedly on the orders of William III of England, after going to the glen under friendly guise and being received hospitably.
Young canoeist dies........April 12th 1999
JUST three weeks after a family moved into a Highlands of Scotland house, a 23-year-old canoeist was found dead by his father in an accident on an inland loch.
Andrew Iain Gunn, an experienced canoeist, had gone from the family home at Resallach, Elphin, West Sutherland, to try his craft on the three-mile-long Cam Loch not far away.
After several hours, his father went to look for him, to find the canoe lying at the water's edge and his son's body nearby. Medical help was unavailing. Police could not say if the canoeist had hit his head when the craft overturned.
The Gunn family run a crafts shop in Ullapool, West Ross, some 17 miles away.
More win IiP awards........April 12th 1999
TWO Highlands of Scotland museums - the Highland Museum of Childhood, Strathpeffer, and Tain Museum, both in Ross - have won Investors in People awards for developing and training their staffs.
The Childhood Museum , run by Jennifer Maxwell, tells the story of childhood in the Highlands over the last century using videos, displays and collections of toys and dolls.
Tain Museum, managed by Estelle Quick, displays a collection of rare silverware with domestic artefacts and old photographs charting the area's history.
IiP awards have also gone to 17 organisations in Argyll and the Islands, including Achleven Primary, the first school in the Argyll area to receive it.
Head teacher Fay Black said: "This is an award which acknowledges the work not only of the teaching staff and the pupils but also the non-teaching staff, who are vital to the success of the school. It lets all the staff see that although we are a small rural school we can meet the same standards as any successful company."
Another winner was the Olympian Cafe Bar, Dunoon, whose owner, Iain Fleming, said: "We strive to achieve and maintain the highest standard of service through an ongoing process of training and development. We believe that IiP recognition demonstrates publicly our commitment to quality."
Others to get awards were:
Oban: Crerar and Partners, architects; The Anglers Corner; Outside Edge; Taychreggan Hotel.
Dunoon: Royal Marine Hoptel; Kilmuyn HOuse Hotel; Cot House JHotel; Adski Land Maintenance; Highland Magnetics Ltd.
Lochgoilhead: Ardcrioy Outdoor Education Centre.
Tarbvert: Linda Reeves; Lochfyne Seafwrms Ltd.; Lakeland Marine Ltd.; Highland Heathers.
Campbeltown: Homstart - Kintyre.
Mull complex is a hit........April 12th 1999
A NEW business complex in the West Highlands of Scotland is being heralded a major success nine months after completion.
Work on the £950,000 project at Tobermory, on the Island of Mull, started in September, 1997, for new and expanding indigenous businesses in what was considered one of the most fragile economies in the Highlands and Islands.
It was the largest project undertaken on the island by the area's local enterprise company, Argyll and the Islands Enterprise.
On April 1, 1999, the last of seven units was leased to Mull Pottery, and the development now houses businesses ranging from fish processing to pottery.
Mull Pottery managing director Peter Walker said the move represented a homecoming and a wealth of business opportunities. "We originally operated from small premises at Baliscate but moved out when AIE undertook the remodelling of the factory. Now we are moving back to an area far greater than before, allowing us room to expand production and set up a small retail business and coffee shop."
AIE chief executive Ken Abernethy said: "Baliscate has proved very popular with those companies which have taken up leases and it is gratifying to see just how quickly the site has filled up.
"With the environmental improvements and small retail outlets set up by some of the firms, Baliscate is quickly becoming a real asset to the local community."
Sanctuary emergency for refugees........April 8th 1999
THE PLIGHT of refugees from the Yugoslavian state of Kosovo is touching the hearts of people in Scotland, whose first planeload of clothes, bedding and other goods left Edinburgh Airport on Thursday, April 8, 1999, and where possibilities of emergency accommodation as in disused military premises are being looked into by local authorities, including Highland Council.
An emergency team has been set up in Inverness and the council, which has housed 12 refugees from the region over the last 18 months, is working with other agencies to see what it can do to help.
The council has previously taken war refugees from such as Vietnam and Uganda.
Highlands orienteers set to host two big events........April 8th 1999
TWO prestigious orienteering events, including the world championships, are scheduled for the Highlands of Scotland in August, 1999, when they are expected to attract some 10,000 people to the area and add some £5million to the economy.
The 1999 World Championships, over eight days from Sunday, August 1, will be combined with Highland 99, which begins on Monday, August 2, and runs over six days.
The world championships have an entry of 500 people from 40 countries.
International controller Lars Ake Larsson has surveyed the Highland terrain over which they will be run - locations are secret but are expected to be in a radius of some 30 miles of Inverness - and has been quoted as stating they are different and demanding but should provide worthy championships.
Highland 99, open to people of all ages and abilities, has attracted 5,000 entrants.
Short time at newly-opened wool mill........April 8th 1999
WORKERS who met the Prince of Wales in the Highlands of
Scotland when he declared their factory officially open were told 24 hours later they were being reduced to a three-day week.
Some 50 employees at the Hunters of Brora, Sutherland, wool mill were reported as involved in the 'short time' working, which was announced "with great sadness" by chairman Robert Gibbons.
He said the textile industry was suffering its worst depression for two generations, but orders were expected shortly from America and a new venture supplying fabrics for interior designers was being publicised on the Internet.
Robert Beattie, who had specialist knowledge of the interior design market, had been appointed chief executive and Maurice Cantlay, Kinlochbervie, recently retired marketing director of development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise, had joined the board.
Hunter's, world renowned for its tweeds, invested £2.5million
in a £8.5million project for a new mill to replace 19th-century buildings in the town centre.
Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise, part of the HIE network, built the £4.5million, 113,000sq.ft. mill and visitor centre on a green-field site at Brora's outskirts and leased them to Hunter's, as well as providing £1.5million for plant, equipment and training.
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Bid to save a small mountain........April 8th 1999
A CAMPAIGN has been started to raise £30,000 so that one of the most distinctive mountains in the Highlands of Scotland - Stac Pollaidh, a little north of Ullapool, in West Ross - can be saved from erosion.
Just 613 metres high, it is famed for its silhoutte, rugged and pinnacled summit and spectacular views over the Minches to the Western Isles and the Atlantic.
It is at the heart of the Inverpolly National Nature Reserve, which is of international significance in tracing Scotland's geological development.
Its popularity, however - in recent years it has attracted some 30,000 walkers and climbers a year - has been its downfall as it is recognised as one of the five most eroded mountains in Scotland, with its south face particularly affected.
The appeal has been set up by writer Cameron McNeish and The Footpath Trust, and the money raised will be added to £120,000 the trust already has to create a footpath around the eastern side of Stac Pollaidh by the end of the year 2,001.
Thereafter, the trust expects to get £150,000 in Lottery and European funding to build a return footpath loop around the mountain's western buttress.
Tust chief executive Jo Hunt said £30,000 worked out a £1 from each visitor to Stac Polaidh this year.
Firm's sole boat is upgraded........April 7th 1999
THE FAMILY boat-building and holiday business of Doune Marine, on the Knoydart peninsula in the West Highlands of Scotland, which is accessible only by sea, is spending £31,000 on its lone boat, including re-engining it.
This will allow the boat, the Mary Doune, to operate more reliably, farther afield and for a longer period.
The firm was set up 17 years ago by Alan and Mary Robinson, who moved to the deserted peninsula from Cornwall, Southern England, with sons Toby and Jamie.
Starting in a derelict cottage, they have built two family homes, a boatbuilding workshop, a bunkhouse, self-catering accommodation and a restaurant.
Partners Elizabeth and Andy Tibbetts joined in 1992, the staff numbers 10 and the business specialises in providing holidays with an outdoor slant.
Mr Robinson said: "We rely on the Mary Doune to provide a day-trip and collection service for our guests and this project is vital to ensure that do that as quickly and safely as possible. The upgrade will also allow us to provide a more speedy service when we ferry guests to the Small Isles and Skye on day trips."
The investment is being supported by a £7,000 funding package from Lochaber Limited, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, which has invested in the enterprise over the years, said development manager Helen Cameron, and has been gratified by its expansion and the revival of a community.
"The number of people living at Doune has gone from no-one to eight adults and two children in just 17 years. In a part of the Highlands where communities have been in decline for many years, it is heartening to see one growing again."
Prince opens new wool mill ........April 7th 1999
A NEW wool mill in Sutherland has been officially opened by the Prince of Wales, who had previously visited Hunters of Brora, which is world-renowned for its wool and tweed material, in 1993 and seen workers operating under 'satanic' conditions in a 100-year-old building.
Touring the £7million plant on its new site, the prince spoke to the workers, met the management and was presented with gifts of a fishing bag, salmon and trout fishing flies and Brora tweed shooting jackets for his sons, Princes William and Harry.
Two of the flies, which are called Gold Hunters, were in the company's colours of green and gold, and were made by one of the workers, John Murray (42), of Brora, who said he made flies as a hobby.
The presentation was watched by workers, buyers and the management.
The firm's chairman, Robert Gibbons, praised the local enterprise company for its help in keeping production going but said present trading conditions were difficult.
New Scottish contracting company set up........April 6th 1999
A NEW company, Hydro Contracting, has been set up by Scottish Hydro Electric, with 200 staff recruited in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Perth areas, following its merger with England's Southern Electric to form Scottish and Southern Energy.
Run from Hydro-Electric's base in Perth, but separately from other contracting business, the new business is intended to carry out contracts for street work like excavation, cabling and pipe-laying and for electrical and/or instrumentation, and it plans to move into data communication and high-voltage and highway lighting.
Its business development manager, Bob Bell, said it wanted to grow, which meant developing career prospects, and it needed skilled staff like project managers, supervisors, electricians, instrument technicians and overhead linesmen for in-house work and outside clients like the petrochemical and water industries.
It also hoped to set up apprenticeship and trainee schemes and put something back into the local economies.
The new company follows from the success that Southern Electric had in setting up businesses in electrical contracting, pipe and cable laying and designing and installing environmental control systems.
Remote areas linked via Internet........April 6th 1999
SOME of the most remote communities in the West Highlands of Scotland are to use the latest technology, including the Internet and video phones, e-mail and personal computers, to connect to organisations in the area and beyond.
Computers and all necessary access are being made available in the villages of Kilchoan, Kinlochleven and Acharacle in Phase One of a telecommunications initiative through a partnership of local agencies and voluntary groups which has won Scottish Office funding worth £350,000.
It is hoped that Phase Two, whereby more communities will have similar systems, will be running by the year 2002.
Instead of journeys of several hours on single-track roads, the computers allow people and communities to link together for ideas and projects.
Behind the idea is former Lochaber general practitioner Dr Su Sen, a founding director of the Lochaber Communications Network.
He said: "The system is being set up with custom-written software to ensure the facilities are as simple and straightforward to use as possible."
Information and coming events are being put on the system by the partner organisations - Highland Council, Highland Communities NHS Trust, Lochaber Limited, Voluntary Action Lochaber, Lochaber Action on Disability and the University of the Highlands and Islands Lochaber College.
The council's Lochaber area manager, John Hutchinson, said: "This project has been planned for the last three years and we are delighted that we can now turn that work into action. It is tremendous to see that the importance of the network has been recognised by government, which has provided 100% funding for Phase One."
The project was co-ordinated by Lochaber Limited's Charlotte Wright, who said it would keep people up-to-date with what was going on in the area and provide access to the Internet, e-mail and computer facilities for personal and business use.
Scotland rallies to help........April 6th 1999
AID agencies thoughout Scotland, including the Highlands and North-east, were inundated with pledges of support as the humanitarian crisis worsened around the Yugoslavian state of Kosovo, with thousands upon thousands of refugees pouring into surrounding countries, particularly Macedonia and Albania.
As all kinds of action was undertaken by countries in Europe and beyond to try to help, international aid organisations warned that time was limited and for many was probably already too late.
In Scotland, aid agencies already involved in collecting food, blankets, clothes, toiletries, bedding and money for Eastern Europe, where many countries have their own problems of poverty and malnutrition, stepped up their efforts through a Scottish Charities Kosovo Appeal.
These included. . .
*Credit card lines taking donations on 0345-451-873;
*Churches asking congregations and others to help;
*Tyre and exhaust fitters Kwik-Fit arranging for its depots throughout Britain to accept items such as clothing and canned goods for storage and consignment to needy areas;
*The government giving £30 for every £100 donated through the Millennium Gift Aid Scheme.
Twelve leading agencies in the United Kingdom also joined together in a nationwide appeal for aid to the thousands affected in the Balkans - the British Red Cross, Cafod and Christian Aid, CARE, Children's Aid Direct, Help the Aged, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tear Fund and World Vision.
Donations were invited to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal by credit or debit card on phoning 0870 60 60 900.
Three Scots entrants in World Bloom contest........April 6th 1999
THREE communities in Scotland are looking forward to July 25, 1999, and appearance in a World in Bloom contest - Aberdeen, Alness and Perth.
Aberdeen, which was at one time banned from the Britain in Bloom contest for winning so many times, has returned to its winning ways after being allowed back in recent years, taking the top Scots city title in 1997, with Perth as runner-up, and the British title in 1998, with Perth as best large town.
The Highlands of Scotland centre of Alness, Ross, took the overall Scots title in 1997, to the astonishment of a great number, and in 1998, then followed that with the British small-town title in 1998. In February, 1999, it was named as a most improved town worlwide in a Nations in Bloom contest.
For the 7,000-strong East Ross community on the shores of the Cromarty Firth it was a huge, but delightful, turnaround, attributed totally to the community's own efforts. It placed Alness on a par with major names across the world with up to 10,000 population, and the voluntary effort which achieved such fame is being strengthened for even greater effort over a larger area for the world title in July, 1999.
HIE chief executive reappointed........April 1st 1999
THE CHIEF executive of the development agency for the northern half of Scotland since its inception in April, 1991, Iain Robertson, is to continue at the helm of Highlands and Islands Enterprise for a third four-year term.
Born and brought up in Perthshire, the son of a Gaelic-speaking minister, the 49-year-old law graduate lives in Inverness.
He said: "This is a very exciting time to be working in the development of the Highlands and Islands and I am pleased to continue in this role where I am fortunate to be surrounded by excellent board members and staff in HIE and in each of our 10 local enterprise companies.
"The fortunes of the area are on the turn and we are now beginning to see our investment bear fruit. This January saw the lowest unemployment figure this decade for the Highlands and Islands, and the overall population is increasing as people either stay in the area or move in to find work.
"However, there are still areas where depopulation and unemployment remain serious issues. New relations need to be forged between this area and the incoming Scottish Parliament, and we need to redouble our efforts to empower communities and enable them to play a greater role in developing the area."
HIE chairman Dr James Hunter said: "During the past eight years, HIE has created more than 23,500 jobs across the Highlands and Islands.
"In addition to our training, environmental and social roles, the agency assists almost 1,000 new, indigenous and inward investing companies a year, ranging from large international players such as BT and Cap Gemini to local firms such as Aquascot in Alness and Ola Gorie in Orkney.
"Iain's knowledge and passion for the area, coupled to his experience in industry, have been true assets to the development agency and the area itself. His personal intervention has frequently ensured that the HIE network has secured the best possible deal for the HIE area.
"The HIE board is delighted that he has accepted an offer to remain at the helm of the organisation. We look forward to the new millennium with confidence that he has a very strong staff team in the network."
Educated at Perth Academy, Mr Robertson graduated at Aberdeen University and qualified as a solicitor in 1973. He joined British Petroleum in 1975 and was BP's director of acquisitions and divestitures in the United States before returning to Scotland in September, 1990, as chief executive of the Highlands and Islands Development Board.
When the HIDB became Highlands and Islands Enterprise in April, 1991, he took over as the first chief executive.
He was made a CBE in June, 1995.
Music teacher wins award........April 1st 1999
MUSIC teacher Kevin Milne (24), who recently opened the only Yamaha-approved keyboard school in the North of Scotland and offers a wide range of formal musical teaching from his studio at 23 Harbour Road, Inverness, has been named Highland Shell Livewire Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
He won the £1,500 first prize in the Highland final of Shell's 1999 Young Business Start Up Awards, which are supported locally by Highland
Opportunity Limited, the Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Kevin, who lives in Contin and is assisted in the business by his wife, Susan, goes on to the Scottish final in Edinburgh on Tuesday, April 27.
The judging panel scrutinised each finalist's business plan, as well as conducting interviews to assess individual business acumen, potential
and long-term business viability.
Second-placed Janis MacLean, of Inverasdale, Wester Ross, won £750 for her Highland Wedding Belles business, which provides a complete wedding organisation package.
Anthea Mackay won £450 for Scizzor Edge, Church Street, Inverness, whose hairdressing services include a hi-tech facility for clients to view their new hairstyles before "taking the plunge".
Joint fourth, each winning £150, were Madeline Fraser and her Inner Beauty salon in the Golf View Hotel, Nairn, and Richard Long and Donna MacDonald of the Portree Riding Centre on the Island of Skye.
All 1999 Livewire finalists have been supported
by The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust.
Judges were Jillian Munro, of Frame, Kennedy and
Forrest, Inverness; Stuart Bell, of North of Scotland Marquees, Nairn; Douglas MacDougall, of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Gordon
Ireland, of the Highland Council.
Mr Bill Fraser, chairman of The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust, presented the awards.
PSYBT manager and Shell Livewire co-ordinator David Knight, of Highland Opportunity Limited, said: "Kevin's business has a real potential. His enthusiasm and ability make him a real Livewire."
*If you are 16-30 and would like to know more about turning your business idea into reality, call Shell Livewire on 0345-573252, for the price of a local call.
*Further information can be obtained from David Knight, PSYBT manager and Livewire co-ordinator on 01463-7022559.
Inquiry into fuel prices agreed........April 1st 1999
CONFIRMATION that the Office of Fair Trading will look into North Scotland fuel prices has been welcomed by the pressure group campaigning for a fairer fuel deal for Highlands and Islands motorists.
The OFT is to establish if the group's concerns should be investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
The confirmation came after two days of meetings in Stornoway and Inverness between OFT officials and representatives of the Highlands and Islands
Action Group on Hydrocarbons, who presented a dossier of information highlighting what the group described as an increasingly unfair burden met by motorists in the most car-dependent area of the United Kingdom.
The belief is that the major oil companies - BP, Esso and Shell - see the Highlands and Islands as a soft market to maximise profit margins because of lack of competition.
It is estimated that the price differential in the Inner Moray Firth can be as much as 16p per litre or 73p per gallon. The differences are even
more pronounced when 58p of every litre of fuel sold is duty.
Particular anomalies are that petrol in Elgin is 4p cheaper than in Inverness - a fuel supply base only 40 miles away - and 16p cheaper than
in one outlet in Dornoch. Petrol in Thurso can be 7p per litre cheaper than in Wick, 21 miles away.
The percentage differential between the Highlands and Islands and UK average prices has progressively widened from less than 5% in 1989 to
12.6% in 1997.
HIAG presented several reports assessing problems in the Inner Moray Firth, Caithness and Orkney and a critical analysis of an OFT report in 1998 claiming that "overall we found that the market is operating competitively and does not warrant
any intervention now".
Chairman Highland Councillor Alison Magee, Lairg, said: "We are very pleased with the positive response we received from the OFT and it is
very encouraging indeed that they have agreed to undertake an enquiry to determine whether or not the issues we raised should be investigated
fully by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
"We believe that the price differential has grown to such a significant extent that it justifies a fresh look by OFT at the issues. Hopefully we
have provided enough information to allow them to draw out conclusions consistent with the position seen daily by motorists in the North."
Derek Louden, a member of HIAG who works at Inverness College as an economist, has conducted a major survey of fuel prices in the Highlands
and Islands and is in no doubt that market conditions do not work in the public interest and are grossly unfair.
His analysis of price movements shows that the net price paid by the Highlands and Islands consumer for unleaded petrol now averages 88% above the UK price and that the price for diesel has been as high as 91% above the average UK price.
Highland help wanted for Romania ........April 1st 1999
PEOPLE in the Highlands of Scotland are giving money and goods to help the poor and destitute in Eastern Europe through the Christian inter-denominational charity Blythswood - and one of the countries involved is Romania.
Lorry driver John MacInnes, of Alness, Ross, is featured in morning newspaper the Press and Journal telling how he became personally involved after taking a lorry-load of aid there for Blythswood and being overwhelmed by the awfulness of the poverty and destitution he saw.
He told of 33-year-old robotics engineer Rimona Goiti becoming an interpreter for Blythswood after meeting another volunteer, Ken MacLeod, from Lewis, then giving up her full-time job to be an unpaid social worker.
He told how she had started a Christian charity, the Excelsior Foundation, to help her countrypeople and that she badly needed aid, so he had been helping for a couple of years.
Her team had grown to nine, he said, and the situation in Romania was improving slowly with the government there now training social workers.
Two years hence, he said, most of the charity's costs could be taken over by the Romanian government, but until then he hoped to help keep it going - and he wanted support to do just that.
He had appealed to the wider church in Scotland for aid but, for whatever reason, he said, had received little.
This time, he hoped, it would be different.