Another Gairloch! Shortly after the recent, extremely interesting lecture in Gairloch from Dr Neil MacGillivray, son of the late headmaster of Achtercairn Public School in Gairloch, on the Changing Face of Gairloch 1845-1855, a gentleman called at our home seeking information for a book he is writing in connection with crofting from the date of the Clearances up to the present time. The subject of Neil's lecture fired his enthusiasm, and he was immediately given details as to how to contact Neil.
Some ten days later, an e-mail was received as follows, "You probably knew this already, but I have discovered, on reading Lucille Campey's book After the Hector, that there is a Gairloch in Nova Scotia, founded by emigrants from your Gairloch, who went out there in 1823, which was before the efforts of Sir Francis and Dr John Mackenzie to improve life for crofters on the Gairloch Estate.
"My hope is to find someone in Nova Scotia who is descended from those original Gairloch emigrants and I am in touch by e-mail with family history societies out there in the hope that they can help trace people.
"Meanwhile, if you know of anyone who knows of people who live in Gairloch, Nova Scotia, I'd be delighted to hear about them. Someone may have come over for a holiday in Gairloch to see their old homeland. I believe the Nova Scotia Gairloch is very small place which was once populated by subsistence farmers who also worked at lumberjacking.
"It's probable that most of the descendants of the original settlers moved on to work in industries in mainland Canada or America, but you never know..."
A subsequent e-mail reads, "Regarding Gairloch, Nova Scotia: The emigrants from Gairloch and Torridon went out there originally to Cape Breton and Quebec in 1823, sailing from Tobermory on the ship Charles Hamerton of Liverpool. The people from Gairloch ended up on land west of Middle River, Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 1828 and named their settlement after their old home back in Ross-shire."
So - The gentleman, Peter Crookston, living "down south" but with Scottish blood, would be delighted to get any information, however basic.
He would also be interested to hear from any person "out there" connected to natives of Gruinard in Wester Ross. His e-mail address is peter.crookston@officegarden.demon.co.uk
An Appreciation The late Iain Bain The community of Gairloch mourns the passing of one of the parish's octogenarians, Iain Bain, who died at his home in North Erradale earlier this year. Iain was the elder son of "Johnnie Osgood" and Jessie Bain, the Post Office, North Erradale.
He and his brother Normie took over the highly respected "John Bain & Sons" garage business in North Erradale when their father died in 1954, and ran it until Normie's death in 1998.
The business was established back in 1923 when their father first started out as one of the earliest motor hirers in the parish, at a time when there were very few vehicles in the Gairloch area.
Their vehicles were hired out for weddings, funerals, football matches and for taking goods from the steam ships to local businesses.
From the 1930s the Bain family also had the postal mail contract for taking the mail from Gairloch Post Office, to the other post offices on the Melvaig route.
Iain and his brother Normie are credited with being the first to drive to Rubha Reidh Lighthouse, before a proper road was built to it. This seems rather fitting - as it was at this lighthouse that he was to meet his future wife, Kathleen, where her father was head lighthouse keeper!
Iain had a passion for anything with wheels, and will be remembered locally for his excellent driving skills - post bus, school bus, and latterly his beloved maroon Morris Minor which he proudly entered annually in the Gairloch Show.
Iain Bain was a Deacon in the Gairloch Free Church, where in September of last year he was presented with a bible and DVD by the church congregation in appreciation of 70 continuous years of precenting in the Free Church, in Gairloch, and in many other Free Church congregations as well.
Iain is sadly missed by his family, friends and residents of North Erradale, and in the whole Gairloch area.
He was the last of the Bain family in North Erradale where they have resided for 160 years.
He is survived by his wife Kathleen, and daughters Julia and Maureen.
