NEWS AND EVENTS 1994-1995

If you read the News and Events pages in last year's magazine you will have noted that 1 ended the article with "What will happen next?" Well,I'll answer that, now, by bringing the story up to date...

Once again Coll has provided the venue for a rich tableau of life...

Having lived on Coll for a number of years I still find it hard to appreciate the terrific enthusiasm for sports, of all kinds, on this island. I just don't see the evidence around me of fine athletic specimens. Perhaps the Coll sportsman's motto of "it's not the winning, it's the surviving in one piece that counts", reveals the true nature of sporting efforts.

This cannot be said for John Fraser who took the Superstars title, (Men's), for the second year running! To seal a triumphant weekend for the Fraser family of Bousd, Alison won the Ladies event! As the poet said, "age shall not weary them."

A cricket match was held in Castle Park between a team from Lochbuie in Mull, led by Jim Corbett, and a team organised by Major MacLean Bristol. The visitors made what seemed to be a vulnerable target of 118 runs, but despite a remarkable 69 not out by Charlie Self, the Coll team only reached 110, just 9 runs short of a famous victory.

The victorious Lochbuie team were seen off by Alex Bristol, piping from the top of the 'Pavilion'.

Coll Golf Club again held a number of competitions in the summer, including the prestigious Coll Open. This year it was won by Ian English, bringing a tear to his father's eye. Cath Stevenson won the Ladies Championship while Ian Moore , continuing a great family tradition of golf, won the Junior title.

Angus John Smalley captained Coll in two matches against Tiree. The team visited Tiree for the first leg and, after some delay, the match resulted in a victory for Tiree by 5 - 1. On gaining home advantage, however, the Coll team produced a spirited performance to win by 3 - 0. The trophy was won outright by Tiree, 5 - 4.

Two quiz nights were held in the Hotel for armchair sportsmen and women ... this writer feels justly proud to be one of the very few who knew the name of the Lone Ranger's companion, Tonto's, horse!

As we were all dashing around competing against one another, other things were happening. A concert was held last Easter, in aid of the Church of Scotland. Around £230 was raised. One of the most popular acts was Peter Smalley's recital of 'Albert and the Lion'. Ron Davies caused some of the older ladies to swoon with his romantic crooning. Some interesting musical contrasts were heard, including the Hedderwick duo playing Handel immediately followed by 'My Old Man's a Dustman', sung and played by John Porrelli and accompanied by waifs and strays! Another concert is planned for 1995 by popular demand.

During the winter Kip Poulson ran art classes which proved very popular.A lot of hidden talent blossomed under Kip's expert guidance. Tammie Hedderwick taught ceramics to a number of enthusiastic pupils. Some evidence rests in my house, just now, (actually hidden in a dark cupboard), of which the Joint Householder is very proud. These will make excellent presents for anyone we come to dislike.

On the transport front, Cal Mac continued serving the Island. There was a boat leaving Oban on Tuesday afternoons in the summer which replaced the Sunday sailing of the year before. Perhaps it is a good time to thank the crew of the Lord of the Isles for their persistence in tying up at Coll in all but the very worst weather.

A seaplane landed in Arinagour, one day in the summer, and people had a chance for a short trip to see Coll from the air.

On a more serious note the demise of the Easdale Shipping Company and a reluctance by the Scottish Office to subsidise the running of any seabornc service smaller than Cal Mac, means the regular delivery of coal several times a year has stopped. MacBraynes now collect the freight charges on the island's fuel.

We must congratulate the Argyll Auction Company on the opening of the new mart in Oban and what looks like being a successful year. The Coll farmers were pleased to have a good season to enable clipping and cropping to go ahead well. The spring was very cold and lambing was a worrying time as the grass took a long time in growing. The lambs, especially from the West End, sold at high weights and in good bloom, Ballard and Arileod topping sales.

British Telecom have installed a new digital exchange. This has given us an unfamiliar 6 digit number and a quicker, more efficient service, together with itemised bills, if needed. We won't mention that on the day following the introduction of the new service BT received no fewer than 50 complaints from Coll subscribers due to an excessive interference on the line!

Although a lot more incidents have happened throughout the year, my memory is so bad that I must apologise for omitting these. I might also take up the rest of the magazine...


We wish Joanna Taylor, Julia Payne and Neil Kennedy good luck in their new schools on the mainland. John Allan MacRae and Emily Taylor started at Keil School in Dumbarton in the Autumn, followed almost immediately by the retirement of Angus Kennedy from Strathclyde Police. Is there a connection? I'm sure Angus has faced many difficult situations in his career but perhaps the thought of these two spending their teenage years in the Glasgow area was too much to take!

Mike Taylor