A look back at events of 2004

March

• March began with the sad news that little Zoe Stanger - the eight-month-old twin whose tragic story touched the nation - passed away in the arms of her parents. After their anxious wait for a heart transplant, Zoe's parents were forced to make the decision that they could no longer prolong their child's agony.
  
  The previous month, The Orcadian launched a campaign to encourage people to carry donor cards and register on the internet. The campaign was met with a good response, as many Orcadians did what they could.
• Extra finances were awarded to Orkney in an attempt to stamp out binge drinking and drug abuse. The Orkney Drug Alcohol and Smoking Action Team (DASAT) were promised a sum of £178,000 from the Scottish Executive's £8m cash boost.
  
  Figures showed that there had been a dramatic rise in alcohol abuse throughout the county, especially among women and youngsters. DASAT revealed that their main objective would be to cut the number of underage drinkers.
• A housing development specifically designated to accommodate people with drink and drug problems was officially opened in March. The property, at Gunn's Close, Kirkwall, has three rented flats on the site and four units of office space.
  
  John Richards, manager of Orkney Islands Property Development, said: "Some derelict property that was blighting the area of Kirkwall has been cleaned up and in its place new housing, suitable for the 21st century. has been provided."
• An anti-vandalism campaign was launched in March, with the help of publishers D.C Thomson. The campaign concentrated on various aspects of vandalism, with the first targeting damage to vehicles.
  The posters tried to demonstrate that youngsters had various choices in life and hoped to encourage children to cut down on the increasing amount of vandalism in Orkney.
• Orkney Ferries ruled out using one of the Pentland Ferries' boats as a replacement for the Earl Sigurd which was out of action. When the vessel broke down in November, it left Sanday, Stronsay and Westray with only two boats.
• A whitefish skipper claimed that he was being forced to go fishing in horrendous weather conditions to make a living.
  
  John Drever, who has a part share in a fishing boat, Arkh Angell, arrived back in Stromness in March, with the stern of his boat damaged, after fishing for haddock off Rockall.
  
  Two gigantic waves swamped the 87-foot boat, creating a dent in the doors of the stern when they were fishing in the area during a force ten storm. Mr Drever stressed that he was disappointed at having to put his crew's lives in danger and blamed the increasing amount of European regulations restricting where the Scottish whitefish fleet can fish.
  
  He said: "At the end of the day I was forced out there because there was nowhere else to go."
• Vandals damaged a salmon boat that had been tied up at the new marina in Kirkwall, since September. The thugs threw stones at the wheelhouse window and navigation lights .
  
  Police highlighted that the incident was just one case in a worrying crime spree.
• Members of the Scottish Socialist Party visited Orkney, to talk about abolishing council tax. Party campaigners from the SSP visited during a drive to step up their campaign in support of the then leader Tommy Sheridan's bill calling for the abolition of the tax.
• Orcadian soccer star Martin Wishart, of Stromness, was selected for the Scotland under-15 team in March.
  
  He was selected from a pool of around 100, following a series of training sessions in Norway, where he was named player of the tournament.