COLL RE-VISITED

As the MV Isle of Mull steamed northbound on the crisp sunny morning of 13th May 1994, the faint shoreline of Coll gradually became visible. Amid great expectations the craggy and ancient coast of the Isle of Coll became a living reality. After an "absence" of 140 years the "lone" son of an ancient family of Coll, together with his family, "returned" to the Isle for what was expected to be a memorable pilgrimage.

A lifetime of dreams and planning came alive on this glorious morning when we drove down the ships' ramp and onto the pier, then suddenly a voice of welcome called our name. It seemed as though the people of Coll had never forgotten their friendliness, an everlasting symbol of Highland culture.

Before long Pat Graham directed us to visit Betty MacRae who absolutely amazed us with so much detail of my ancestors and their way of life. At last the island was about to unfold its fascinating past.

John and Margaret McLean lived and worked somewhere at Arnabosd and earlier at Mibosd. Remnants of very old stone houses were a stark reminder of how deprived the people of Coll must have been two centuries ago compared with standards familiar to us now. They were a resilient people who gathered strength from their religious commitments.

It was nothing short of a revelation to visit the ruins of my ancestors' places of worship: firstly, the Chapel used before the Reformation amidst the resting place of many McLeans and latterly the roofless structure of the Free Church of Scotland.

The family suffered the famine of the 1850's and eventually sailed from Liverpool in 1852 on the ship Flora McDonald. After enduring hardships on board and battling diseases which claimed several passengers' lives, John and Margaret, together with their young family including son Lachlan, arrived at Portland in Victoria, Australia. Work for new arrivals in Australia was not difficult to find. The colony was expanding its agricultural areas rapidly and it was only natural that the family became farmers in their own right.

My wife Jenny and daughter Anne, along with myself are farmers in Queensland and we were impressed with the good soil fertility on Coll. It was a delight to experience the glorious twilight sunset overlooking Skye in the distance and to awake the next morning with great expectations of another day of experience: to see the peat reserves where the only form of fuel for heating was cut, was like turning back the pages of time.

The pilgrimage was all too short, the chance to fraternize with the people of Coll was limited. But as we sailed away from Coll my emotions must have reflected those of my ancestors as they looked back on that familiar coast for the last time, never to see it again.

Ross Lachlan McLean