Views from the Scord 25.09.09

Gala events

Fund-raising for next year’s 21st birthday of the Scalloway Gala gets under way next weekend with ever-popular band Scaldin Bragg playing in the Scalloway Boating Club from 9pm til late.

The gala committee annual general meeting planned for October as yet has no fixed date, but later in the month there is to be a Hallowe’en party and disco in the hall with a variety of games and activities laid on, such as prizes for costumes and neapy lanterns or pumpkins.

Looking further ahead the committee is planning a variety night in Tingwall hall on 21st November.

Among plans already discussed for next year’s event is the hope to re-instate a firework display as a finale to the day’s events. Until recent years there was a firework display held at midnight on the Saturday of the gala to coincide with the open-air dance. They are also hoping to provide a street entertainer to perform through the day, along with regular events and activities.

Another goal is to involve local businesses in sponsorship of a programme booklet as a special anniversary edition and to also stage other retrospective events.

New fish shop

The final addition to the Anderson Buildings development is set to open this week in the form of a new fish shop in the former post office premises.

The shop will be run by the Hunter family, who have run their fish van business from a factory unit at Blacksness for many years.

The opening ceremony will be on Thursday 1st October at 9.30am. More on this next week.

Community council

Scalloway Community Council met on Monday evening for the September period. This was the first routine meeting after the summer break, although planning applications had prompted two brief meetings during August.

The first item of the session was the introduction of the new police officer for the area, constable Andrew Card.

For his first visit to the community council, PC Card came prepared with an extensive list of the crime statistics for the area and gave an informal presentation of how he intended to address any local crime issues.

In particular he was keen to demonstrate how he had adopted a very community-oriented approach to the post, introducing himself to local groups and particularly the youths, making himself known in both an official and informal capacity.

The subject of comments to be submitted to accompany planning applications once again filled a portion of the time of the meeting with the proposed Utnabrake housing development featuring prominently. The community council will continue to liaise with the SIC’s planning department directly in the ongoing consultation prior to a planning decision.

The issue of lighting the castle drew only a brief discussion as up-to-date quotes for installing new lights were not forthcoming from either of the two contractors invited to tender for the job. During the same period there had been no apparent groundswell of public opinion to indicate that the community had any desire to continue lighting the castle, and because of that it was suggested that the long-running item be dropped from the agenda, pending any further information.

The meeting closed on a summary that the public were to be reminded to contact the community council members or the clerk if they had any matters they would like addressed, and that minutes of previous meetings were available from the community work office in the public hall.

Georgie’s plums

The warm and temperate summer was appreciated by many gardeners this year in Shetland but perhaps few more than Georgie Duthie of Westshore in Scalloway, whose outdoor fruit trees performed like never before.

Both her apple tree and plum tree have produced fruit regularly in her sheltered Scalloway garden, but this year the Victoria plum tree branches were literally bowed near to collapsing under the weight of fruit, with several hundred ripe and sumptuous plums coming from the one, relatively petite, tree.

As Georgie says herself: “It’s just amazing. I’m never seen anything like it.”

Such is the quantity that the ground beneath the tree is littered with windfall and scores of fruit still adorn the branches. Georgie is pondering what to do with the bumper crop.

Her mixed variety apple tree also fared very well, bearing splendid rosy, hand-sized fruit but these were not to be found in quite such profusion, particularly as the family dog had taken a shine to them and has been scrumping any within reach on the lower branches.

Harbour activity

Fish landings neared record levels through the market in the week to Friday with 2,772 boxes sold during the week and 916 boxes on Monday alone.

The majority was attributed to the quantity of haddock found on the Papa Bank west of Shetland and Fair Isle, with speculation that spawning herring may have attracted their presence.

The abundance of haddock was matched with reasonable prices being paid and ample quota on the species at this time. Relatively high landings on the east side, with a Shetland total of over 8,200 boxes for the week, were said to be largely made up of a variety of species in the same period.

The local boats Venture and Venturous notably reaped the benefit, both making two landings during the week with the former totalling 675 boxes and the latter 545. The NAFC Marine Centre’s small vessel, the Atlantia II, also excelled with 62 boxes landed toward the weekend.

Other vessels to land were the Fertile, Radiant Star, Comrades, Quiet Waters, Mizpah, Sharyn Louise and Guardian Angell.

Other vessel activity included the emergency tug Anglian Sovereign which came in on Wednesday and stayed for most of the week, with a two-hour sortie out on Sunday night to perform training exercises with the a local rescue helicopter before returning to her berth on the west commercial quay.

The standby vessel Vos Islay came in on Friday for fuel, water and crew, leaving again the following day. The Norwegian registered, but locally-owned well-boat Viknes came in to undergo scheduled repairs at the quayside, remaining on the east commercial quay at the beginning of this week.

The Lerwick-registered whitefish boat Fidelitas went to the slipway at Moore’s on Friday, remaining there at the time of writing, while the well-boat Ronja Settler continues to operate in the area, delivering salmon to the factory at Blacksness.

Burra and Trondra meeting

The Burra and Trondra Community Council met on Monday, three weeks later than scheduled due to absence of members over that time.

The routine scope of discussions highlighted the need to “chase up” matters addressed to the SIC that have not been fulfilled as yet. The group also noted the start of work on a playpark being built at Toogs in Burra, with initial impressions from local parents being very positive and it has been described as “braaly good” by a source in the area.

The council also noted the “environmental improvements” under way at the North Toogs housing scheme and deem it to be too early to judge how the outcome will appear as yet. The next meeting will be held in October.

Kirk auction

Tingwall Parish Church is holding an auction sale in aid of kirk funds tomorrow at the Whiteness and Weisdale hall.

The Tingwall Parish Church is the title used for the combination of Scalloway, Tingwall and Weisdale kirks and they hold annual fund-raising events in rotation between the three areas.

The sale will be led by auctioneer Robert Johnson with the auction starging at 6.30pm. The hall will be open from 2pm onwards for receipt of donated goods.

500 results

The Scalloway Boating Club 500 players had their summer league prize-giving last weekend.

The summer singles women’s winner was Maisie Burgess, the men’s winner was Kenneth Henry and the hat doubles winners were Hazel Tindall and Kenneth Henry.

The doubles winners were Cissie Garson and Alec John Henry, the Creiffy trophy for highest score went to Helen Robertson, the women’s league winner was Cissie Garson, the men’s winner Jim L Laurenson and the George Nicolson Trophy went to Muriel Cheyne.

The players have now started their winter season.

Inter-county angling

The Shetland anglers were victorious in the recent inter-county competition against Orkney, beating their opponents by a comfortable 705.03 points to 605.2.

The trophy was proudly held aloft by team captain Kenny Laurenson with team mates Mark Laurenson, Laurence Williamson and Barry Ward.

The event was held in conjunction with the Scottish Open Boat Championships which were based in Stromness this year and attracted anglers from throughout Scotland.

Held over three days in conditions considered very poor for two of the days, the championships are a catch and release competition with points awarded. The event was won by 18-year-old Paul Firth from Orkney but anglers from the Scalloway Boating Club angling section did particularly well in the competition, occupying positions throughout much of the top rankings.

In second place was Alan Umphray, third was Mark Duncan, fifth was Jimmy Smith, sixth Alan Davies, 10th Laurence Williamson, 14th Mark Laurenson, 15th Alistair Fullerton, 17th Kenny Laurenson and 18th Barry Ward from a field of 32 anglers in three boats.

Alan Davies also took the honour of heaviest fish caught, with Mark Duncan claiming the second heaviest and Alistair Fullerton received the Johnny Duncan Memorial Trophy for the heaviest basket over three days.

All of the Shetland competitors are regular Scalloway anglers and some are now looking forward to entering the European championships at Dalvik in Iceland next May.

Mark Burgess