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A
look back at events of 2003
February
- Pentland
Ferries announced their plans to run a second ferry in the summer on
the Pentland Firth route, allowing them to carry thousands more cars
and passengers each day.
Mr Andrew Banks, managing director of the company, said he plans to
utilise his Claymore vessel – which was tied up at dry dock at
the time – alongside the Pentalina B, and have both ferries
running from St Margaret’s Hope to Gills Bay. This meant there
would be a sailing every two hours in the summer months.
- Gale
force winds and blizzards brought chaos to Orkney in February, with
air and ferry services cancelled, schools closed and 11,000 electricity
customers left without power. Temperatures fell to minus 21.7 degrees
– yet Mr Keith Johnson, an amateur meteorologist based in Birsay,
calculated that there had only been 2cm of snow during the month!
- Pentland
Ferries saved the day early in February, as they brought supplies to
the bare shelves of Safeway, after NorthLink cancelled their sailings
because of the adverse weather conditions. Depleted food stocks were
worsened after panic buying commenced, adding to the problem. But when
NorthLink cancelled sailings during the bout of bad weather, Pentland
Ferries stepped in with an Invergordon to St Margaret’s Hope ferry.
- Orkney’s
long-awaited tenpin bowling alley officially opened its doors to the
public this month. The £600,000 Powerbowl complex opened to a
small crowd of eager youngsters, looking for something different to
do with their day off school. The joint venture by George and Margaret
Drever received an £106,000 grant from Orkney Enterprise, and
created 20 full and part time jobs.
- The
Orcadian own reporter, Lorraine Shearer, was awarded the Journalist
of the Year award at the Highlands and Islands Press Ball in February.
Lorraine, who has been with The Orcadian for nearly ten years,
received a £500 prize – £300 of which went to charity
– from Scotland’s First Minister Jack McConnell at the prestigious
annual event, held at the Newton Hotel, Nairn.
- The
body of a man, which could have lain undiscovered for weeks, was found
in a Kirkwall flat this month. Orkney’s assistant director of housing,
Mr John Richards, made the grim discovery after neighbours became concerned
as to the whereabouts of Robert Lorimer Heron. He had not been seen
around town for some time, and was known to have an alcohol abuse problem.
- Orkney
Rugby Club was left seriously out of pocket this month, after their
away fixture against Strathendrick was called off at the last minute.
Frost on the pitch meant the match was postponed on the Saturday afternoon,
after Orkney had arrived at the ground just less than an hour before
the announcement. The total loss for the club was estimated at £1,500
– of which Orkney would have to pay a large amount again to play
the rescheduled fixture.
- Mrs
Dolly Norn, believed to be Orkney’s oldest resident, celebrated
her 103rd birthday this month, at home with her two daughters, who had
travelled up from Invergordon. A small gathering of relatives also attended
the celebration.
- Orkney
and Shetland inter-county trophies were among thousands of pounds worth
of packages lost when thieves in England stole a Royal Mail van in February.
The pool trophies, which were both won by Orkney the previous year,
had been sent for cleaning and polishing to a company in Walsall but
were taken by thieves who ransacked a mail van.
- A
retired crofter from Eday had to be flown to Aberdeen at short notice,
after he “almost cut his hand in half” with a circular saw.
Mr George Hewison cut his hand on the saw while chopping pallets into
firewood, and had to be flown by air ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The incident also delayed a planned knee operation for George.
- Orkney
Islands Council chief executive Mr Alistair Buchan defended a 20 per
cent rise in his salary this month. He dismissed a report on so-called
‘council fat cats’ in the News of the World. The report highlighted
Mr Buchan’s pay rise, along with Orkney’s 9.2 per cent increase
in council tax.
The Stromness resident described the story as “misleading, sensationalist,
and spiteful”.
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