A look back at events of 2003

May

• Cost cutting measures brought about a plan to create a multi purpose patient hotel, possibly spelling the end for the St Ninian Ward in Balfour Hospital, and for Graham House.
  
  A looming cash crisis forced NHS Orkney to look at expenditure in a bid to save money. The idea of housing people in B&B accommodation was also being looked at, the health board announced this month.
• Fury erupted in Stromness, after ferry company NorthLink announced plans to move their Orkney headquarters – including their call centre – from Stromness to a vacant office at Kiln Corner in Kirkwall. Lack of space was cited as the reason for the move.
• It was announced this month that one of Orkney’s most successful fishing ships was to be sold to an Icelandic company in a multimillion-pound deal. The Orcades Viking III, the county’s largest fishing vessel and one of the biggest in the UK, was sold by the owner Angus Sinclair, of Stromness, and was due to fish the waters off West Africa with her new company.
• The Octopush Scottish Club Championships were held in the Kirkwall Swimming Pool this month, with the top four teams in Scotland competing.
  Along with Orkney, the Edinburgh team took part, as well as Aberdeen University, and another team from Aberdeen, the Reef Rats. Edinburgh eventually won, defeating Orkney in the final. Intertwined with this was the invitational tournament, also organised by Orkney.
• OIC this month offered an undisclosed sum to a Burray man injured in an accident on the number two barrier eight years ago. During bad weather, a wave swept over the windscreen of his car, injuring Mr Matt Bain, who has appealed ever since to the council to improve safety measures on the barrier, fearing a fatality would have to occur before they would be changed.
• A number of Orkney fans were flying to Seville this month to watch Celtic face Porto in the UEFA Cup Final. Hugh Markey, aged 73, is thought to have been the oldest Celtic supporter from Orkney, heading to Spain, with his grandsons Jamie and Brian Donaldson.
• A young Orkney man completed an incredible achievement this year when he reached the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro, the 19,340 ft Uhuru Peak. Albert Bruce (21) of Kirkwall was part of a group of 17 that tackled the mountain, raising £3,400 for the Anthony Nolan trust for leukaemia research.
• A team of 17 Orkney Athletics Club athletes travelled to Inverness to take part in the Northern District Championships, where they had a very successful weekend, collecting 26 medals, as well as a championship best, and numerous personal bests.
• An elderly woman sparked an airport emergency, after driving through an open gate onto a runway at Kirkwall airport. A take-off had to be aborted, after the taxiing plane was halted to avoid any risk of a crash. An investigation was due to be launched, as well as improvements to security.
  The first motor show to be held in Orkney for almost a decade took place, and proved to be a huge success.
• The Rotary Club of Orkney presented their Motor Show at the Picky Centre after a gap of nine years, with a wide range of exhibits including the Peugeot 206, the leading rally car in the world.
• Cameron Stout entered the Big Brother house this month, along with 11 other housemates, all vying for the £70,000 prize. Odds immediately began to drop on the fish trader, who escaped nomination on the first week, winning the game show.
• The opening of Fusion proved to be a huge success, as Judge Jules earned rave reviews for his performance at the new club.
  
  He praised the crowd, who clearly enjoyed the new venue, for creating such a good atmosphere. Jules commented that Fusion could rival any club in the country, as the tickets sold out in just three hours, making it Jules’s fastest selling gig ever.