Gold Medal Winner — The congratulations of the wider community are extended to local lad Steven MacIver on winning the Men's Gold Medal at the recent National Mod in Oban.

SOME topics from Shieldaig Community Council's recent meeting —

Bealach Cycle Race — All are not agreed about the Bealach Cycle Race. At a meeting of Shieldaig Community Council, Norman Cameron reported back from a meeting held in Lochcarron attended by members of local community councils, police and road services.

UNDER the official auspices of Scotland's Rural Past, there will be a free exhibition preview of the Lonemore Project this evening (Friday) in Gairloch Heritage Museum (Taigh Tasgaidh Ghearrloch) from 7.30-9pm. The full exhibition will be on show from tomorrow, September 5, until the end of October.

AFTER many years of debate and effort, the Gairloch War Memorial has now been moved to a much more accessible location close to the Crask Viewpoint in an elevated position south east of Gairloch Free Church.

The Loop — The 2009 Ride for Romania Cycle Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, September 12. The call goes out to all cyclists, "Now it's time to get on your bike! This is your opportunity to cycle one of Scotland's most scenic routes at a level that suits your fitness."

2009 Challenge — The Great Wilderness Challenge recently announced that, since its inception in 1986, a grand total of over £2 million has been collected for charity – the total having reached £2,115,000. Last year a fantastic new record of £220,000 was established.

IN the recent long service awards for firefighters, there was one recognition of outstanding service — that of 40 years from Kenny 'Leeds' Macrae from Gairloch.

MEMBERS were heartened at the Annual General Meeting of Gairloch Community Car Scheme, when they learned that a grant of £52,143 had been awarded by Highland Council.

WESTER Ross farmer, Scott Renwick, featured among the leading prizewinners at the sale of Luing cattle in Dingwall last week.

GAIRLOCH High School Parent Council has expressed its grave concern about the proposed cut in teaching staff for the next school session.

AT the April meeting of Gairloch Community Council, John Mackenzie and Rodger Macdonald from Gairloch Estate attended to explain the proposal to construct a mini hydroelectric scheme within Flowerdale.

Former Airman in Exhibition — Local Gairloch personality Donald Macintyre features in a video presentation at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Air Station in East Lothian. In the presentation, Donald, son of the late Hector (Heckie) and Isabella (Lalla) Macintyre, Strath, gives an account of his flying experiences which included crash survival.

Road Issues — At a recent meeting of Gairloch Community Council, Highland Councillor Richard Greene reported that Bryan Stout, TECS, had confirmed that resurfacing works from Pier Road end to the cemetery in Gairloch are to be included in next year's budget.

Swimming Pool — Poolewe Swimming Pool re-opened on Monday, March 16 after an extensive refurbishment.

PRESS reports indicate that there are hopes for the continuation of the much valued Gairloch and District Community Car Scheme.

SOME items from Wester Loch Ewe's most recent community council meeting:

CONGRATULATIONS to long-time Gairloch resident, Harold (Harry) Davis, who has entered the Rangers Football Club Hall of Fame.

Well done, Rosie! — Gairloch High School S3 pupil, Rosie Smith, Poolewe, came third in the regional final of Futurechef 2009 held in Inverness College on Wednesday of last week. This was after winning the school heat and then winning the local heat in Inverness before Christmas.

AMONG those who took the plunge into the waters of the Firth of Forth on New Year's Day last week was popular Gairloch girl, Elaine MacKay.

Gairloch High School Staff — A well-known personality hung up his trainers on Friday of last week when Dave Caddell bade farewell to staff, pupils and the community. Dave started in the school in 1985 as a PE teacher, later also becoming assistant PT guidance. As he retired as head of pupil support he was wished all the best for the future and thanked for his many years of service.

Auld Reekie — One of the most interesting aspects of a recent visit to family in Edinburgh was an afternoon spent in The Georgian House in Charlotte Square, a house built on five levels, three of which are open to the public.

In its second year, the DCC/STRC Marshals Championship has outshone any other championship with the quality of its marshals.

Better Health Care — On Tuesday, November 11, Gairloch Community Council hosted a meeting in Gairloch Community Hall on the theme, Better Health, Better Care: Delivering Health in NHS Highland.

Shieldaig — Some items from the community council's last meeting:

Gairloch — At the October community council meeting, items discussed included:

Tops for Tests — In The Times one day last week, under the heading "Life in the slow lane gives Scottish test drivers head start", it was stated that "The quiet roads of Gairloch are credited with helping its learner drivers to become the most proficient in the UK."

Torridon-Kinlochewe — At the start of the community council's October meeting, local member Tom Forrest was given a warm welcome following his spell in hospital. Among items of business dealt with were:

Loch Maree Day — Following a very successful event last year, another Loch Maree Family Day will be held tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to 4pm, organised by the Wester Ross Fisheries Trust.

Strathburn House on TV — In the last of the current popular series of Beechgrove Garden on BBC1 last week, the new garden of remembrance created at Strathburn House, Gairloch was featured.

SOME two weeks ago saw the formal opening of a new network of footpaths in the spectacular area of Beinn Eighe in Wester Ross. Andrew Thin, the chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage who operates the national nature reserve there, carried out the official opening.

Shieldaig — Some items from the Community Council's recent meetings:

TORRIDON/Kinlochewe — Some items from the most recent Community Council meeting:

WELL done, Ian and Christine — Having noted in the Ross-shire Journal report of the Black Isle Show two weeks ago that Ian Grant, a native of Slattadale, Loch Maree, but now resident in Lonemore, Gairloch, had won several awards in the cattle section, including some firsts, I thought it would be interesting to get a bit more detail.

Lonemore Project — A couple of enthusiastic Lonemore residents have undertaken, and registered, The History and Development of Lonemore Crofting Township, with Scotland's Rural Past. Their aim is to record all the buildings and land use within the township area and to build up a profile of the township's development and social history.

THE 2008 Great Wilderness Challenge, the twenty third, is now just over a week away, and this year's information booklets have been issued to regular participants.

I RECENTLY had occasion to consult Dixon's book of Gairloch (Gairloch and Guide to Loch Maree) for some minor detail, and my eye caught several references to Leabaidh na Ba Bàine (the bed of the white cow), a hollow scooped out, allegedly by Fingal, in what is now Gairloch Golf Course — almost directly opposite Gairloch Church of Scotland. These references made interesting reading.

FINDING a creative route to living a full life following a period of mental illness can be a daunting task – especially for those who live in rural areas.

Welcome Nonagenarian — He's not a stranger to Gairloch, but we give a particular welcome on this occasion to retired banker Roy Burgess, Benbecula, who celebrated his 90th birthday just over a week ago.

Well done, Elaine — A Gairloch girl, who is the captain of the Inverleith ladies hockey team in Edinburgh, had the honour, on behalf of her team, to be presented with a trophy at a presentation dinner and dance in the Hilton Hotel, Dundee, recently. How come? Her team won the Scottish Ladies Hockey Team of the year award.

A BUDDING talent of the future from the southern part of the West of the Glen area did exceptionally well in his studies recently.

Shieldaig: Some items from the Community Council's June meeting —

Torridon/Kinlochewe — At the Annual General Meeting of Torridon and Kinlochewe Community Council the Chairman welcomed Chief Inspector Paul Eddington, who was invited to attend the meeting to discuss a major issue of speeding in Kinlochewe.

FOLLOWING a successful funding application to the British Heart Foundation and additional monies donated by the Rangers Boys Club, a Philips Heart Start FRX Defibrillator has been purchased for use in the Gairloch community.

A PUBLIC and fairly informal meeting, attended by about thirty-five people, was held in Gairloch at the end of last month to discuss details of a proposed housing development at the pier area of Gairloch – on the site of the former seafood factory, which has now been demolished.

Gairloch High School S2 pupils are once again conducting their Back Pack Appeal which is a simple way of helping children in Malawi. A large number of people in Malawi suffer from different health problems and this makes a big impact on children growing up without their parents and homes.

Well done, Allan - Two residents of Wester Ross one from Gairloch and one from Ullapool have scooped travel awards.

WILD and Free — Scottish Natural Heritage has arranged a special event for tomorrow, Saturday, May 24 from 10am to 4pm at their Field Station in Kinlochewe. Called "Wild and Free in the West!" the day is designed to celebrate biodiversity in Wester Ross, and to find out how to spot it and what you can do to help. This promises to be a fun day for all ages!

Gairloch — Among items discussed at the community council's April meeting were the following:

A GROUP of nine prospective young radio presenters skimmed over the seawaves to Skye recently to take over the airwaves there.

End of an era — A few months ago in this column we observed that the Justice of Peace system, as we have known it for many years, had come to an end. As a token of appreciation of work carried out by Justices, some over a long period of years, Highland Council invited all former Justices in the Ross and Cromarty area to a luncheon buffet in the council offices in Dingwall on Monday of this week.

SOME two weeks ago, firefighters from throughout the Highlands and Islands gathered in Fort William to hone and display their skills in dealing with car crashes. The event was held at Fort William's new fire station, which had just been officially opened.

DID you know that there are such things as Scythe Festivals and Scythe Gatherings and that Gairloch features in the 2008 Scythe Calendar? Why? Because at the Gairloch Gathering this year there will be a scything competition!

COLLECTION points for the Highland Food Bank are now in place in the Gairloch area. This project, initiated by Blythswood Care, provides emergency food supplies to people in need as a short-term measure, allowing some breathing space for them when things are difficult.

AT THE March meeting of Gairloch Community Council, the chairman, Willie Macrae, welcomed former Highland Councillor Roy Macintyre to the meeting, and thanked him for his 20 years' association with Gairloch Community Council as treasurer, then chairman, before taking on the role of Highland Councillor.

THE recent Bring and Buy Sale organised by Gairloch High School as part of an Enterprise initiative raised an amazing £2,633, breaking the previous record by £300.

CONGRATULATIONS to Poolewe Primary School in Wester Ross which has been awarded the Green Flag of the Eco Schools Initiative — the first school on the north-west coast to achieve this prestigious award.

New Era — The familiarly known and long-established business of "K Gunn, Radio Shop", Gairloch, which was recently taken over by Neil and Judy Brady of Strath Stores, is hosting a grand opening event tomorrow, Saturday from 1-3 pm.

A LONG-AWAITED dream is coming to fruition with work having begun in the past weeks on the start of a footpath from Strath to Lonemore in Gairloch. This project has been on the agenda of Gairloch Community Council for over twenty years and was the particular dream of one member, now sadly not with us.

Shieldaig — The local Community Council had a very full agenda at their February meeting.

Shieldaig — Some items from the Community Council's last meeting:

Coppachy to Patagonia — Last summer Isabel Stewart from Fasaich was on voluntary duty in the Gairloch Heritage Museum, when a couple from Patagonia came in to browse. They were MacLeans whose forefathers had emigrated to Patagonia from Loch Maree after the iron-ore mine closed centuries ago.

CONGRATULATIONS to Gairloch High School pupil, Becky Massey, who is to be presented with a Young Quality Scot Award in March.

Best of Fare — The excellent work of Gairloch High School catering staff, under the leadership of Libby McLean, has been recognised by the school inspectors when they visited the school's canteen under the government's initiative Hungry for Success – A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland.

AN illustrated talk will be given in Poolewe Hall on Friday, February 1 at 7.30pm by Tracy McLachlan, Poolewe, following her trip to the village of Mtitu in Tanzania in November last year.

GAIRLOCH couple Les and Irene Lamb have bought the Southern Soaring Company in Omarama, North Otago, New Zealand.

SOME items from the unapproved minutes of Gairloch Community Council's December meeting:

SHIELDAIG ommunity Council held their last meeting of 2007 on Tuesday, December 4.

Kinlochewe/Torridon — At the Community Council's December meeting, the following were among matters discussed:

AS from December 10, changes have been introduced to the Justices of the Peace system with the coming into force of the lay justice provisions of the criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007.

THE Scottish mainland's first new distillery in 30 years is to be built by Inverness-based Rok Tulloch Construction — the first large contract for the company since the appointment of Gairloch man Thom Macleod as their North Regional Construction Director.

Bealach Beag and Bealach Mor — Two organisers of the Bealach Beag hill race, Linda and Alasdair Lawton, attended an open meeting in Shieldaig Village Hall on October 22. The meeting was chaired by Richard Munday, who at the start of the meeting declared a business interest.

SHIELDAIG — Some items from the Community Council's November meeting:

POOLEWE/INVERASDALE — The following report has been received from Wester Loch Ewe Community Council:

ON Wednesday evening last week, STV broadcast a very interesting Gaelic programme, with English sub-titles, which largely showed footage of the 2007 Great Wilderness Challenge.

SOME items reported from the October meeting of Gairloch Community Council.

A WELL-KNOWN minister whose first pastoral charge was in Wester Ross retired last weekend after 40 years in the ministry.

SOME items from Shieldaig Community Council's October meeting —

GAIRLOCH Community Learning Service have arranged the following evening classes which will take place subject to demand —

AS WILL have been seen in the advertisement in last week's Journal, Two Lochs Radio is interested in recording chats with folk who were in the Loch Ewe area at the time of World War II.

SOME items from Shieldaig Community Council's September meeting —

THE following note of thanks has been received from Willie 'Donjie' MacKenzie, following his visit from Western Canada earlier this year:

Over the Bealach — Some 580 cyclists took part in the Bealach Mòr Cycle Run on the first day of September.

MRS Marjory (May) MacKenzie recently passed away in Buckie at the age of 97. Her death marks the end of a large and notable Gairloch generation.

SOME items form the new Shieldaig Community Council's inaugural meeting:

TWO Lochs Radio in Wester Ross has become the first local radio station in the UK to offer its advertising spots for sale through the online auction site eBay. Station Manager, Alex Gray, says that Two Lochs Radio in the north-west Highlands has always been ready to experiment with new ideas in programmes and is just as ready to consider new ways of doing business.

THE 100-mile sponsored cycle run in aid of the Csemete Nursery in Cluj, Romania takes place again this year – on Saturday, September 15. More cyclists will participate in this year’s event to raise funds for the Nursery and also for the work of the Acts Trust with impoverished teenagers in Romania’s Hunedoara county.

SATURDAY is one of the biggest days of the year in the Wester Ross calendar as young and old take to the hills in the Great Wilderness Challenge.

Shieldaig — Some items from the Community Council’s June meeting:

IAIN Beaton from Mellon Charles, Aultbea, joined the NATO depot in Aultbea when it was first commissioned in 1966, having previously worked on its construction.

SOME 15 years after the launch of the project, a woodland regeneration scheme in part of Gairloch Estate has finally come to fruition.

Well done, Lorna — Among the twenty-four Highland students who graduated as teachers at a ceremony in Inverness Town House recently was Dr Lorna Nelson of Gairloch.

The Gathering - A report on the sixth Gairloch Highland Gathering, which, unfortunately, I missed because of a prior engagement, indicates that it was a great success.

Octogenarian — A family meal was arranged in Poolewe Hotel to celebrate the eightieth birthday of Angus MacKenzie formerly of Seabank, Sand, Laide, now living at Isle View Nursing Home, Aultbea.

Shieldaig: Some further items from the community council's May meeting:

AFTER several months absence to allow for the refurbishment of Strathburn House in Gairloch, the residents returned home there on Thursday of last week.

A FOOTBALL team from Gairloch Primary School Gaelic Medium Department took part in a Gaelic inter-schools competition at the Bught Park, Inverness two weeks ago. It featured teams from all across Scotland, including Glasgow, Skye, Lewis, Inverness, Wester Ross and Newtonmore.

A FORMER dux of Gairloch High School has achieved a remarkable double.

THE question of reintroducing red squirrels to an estate in Wester Ross is under consideration.

A SPOKESMAN for the Met Office recently agreed that reports from Aultbea give a far more representative picture of weather conditions in Wester Ross than reports from Glascarnoch.

MORE than 50 members of the Macaskill clan, including spouses, gathered in Gairloch recently for a reunion.

A WELL-KNOWN and popular local Kinlochewe personality retires today (Friday) after 34 years as head teacher in Kinlochewe Primary School.

Shieldaig — The following is the Chairman's Report at the Annual General Meeting of Shieldaig Community Council (Comhairle Choimhearsnachd Sildeag).

GAIRLOCH Community Hall was the location for a gathering of almost one hundred people on Monday evening of this week to mark the occasion of the retirement of Kenny John Urquhart from the treasurership of the Gairloch and Kinlochewe Free Church congregation after a period of devoted and loyal service stretching to 31 years.

THE following are some items from the Kinlochewe/Torridon Community Council's AGM and regular meeting held on 4 April:

Meur Loch Ewe of An Comunn Gàidhealach will host its 4th Annual Cuirm nan Coisirean (Gathering of Gaelic Choirs) in Poolewe Hall on Friday and Saturday of next week — April 20 and 21.

GAIRLOCH – Some items from the Community Council's March meeting:

THE next Strupag Day will be in Gairloch Community Centre on Friday, March 30 from noon until 2.30pm. 

THE local ATC held an Open Day at their Gairloch HQ last Saturday. It was a sheer pleasure to meet the young folk and other personnel involved, and to get an insight of what they do and what their aims are.

Gairloch Show — The organisers of the Gairloch and District Show state, “It’s that time of year again — the time to sow your seeds, take up your needle work and practise your baking skills for the 2007 Gairloch Show.

IF ANYONE has photographs relating to the days of drovers, such as cattle being driven, or of drovers themselves, the Highland Livestock Heritage Society would welcome them.

THREE weeks ago Catriona and I decided to take a mini-tour of Wester Ross, visiting Torridon, Shieldaig and Lochcarron.

SOME items from Shieldaig Community Council’s January meeting:

THE Wester Ross 2001 contingency fund, set up when Wester Ross man David Green was convener of Highland Council, is to be wound up when ward boundary changes take effect in May.

AN interesting book launch took place in Poolewe Village Hall on Friday of last week.

SOME items from the most recent meeting of Shieldaig Community Council:

THE following report has been issued by the co-ordinator of the very successful Gairloch Community Car Scheme:

AT a recent meeting of Gairloch Community Council, a joint presentation was given by the Highland Small Communities Housing Trust and Albyn Housing.