A look back at the year 2000
Compiled by Sigurd Towrie, Ian Johnston and Catherine Edwards

JANUARY

Orcadians proved beyond any doubt that they can party with the best of them as local millennium celebrations rocked the county.

No matter what you were doing or where you were, it seems to have been a night to remember – for most people anyway – with Kirkwall’s street party the main venue for the 2000 countdown.

After months of speculation, doubt, and controversy, Kirkwall’s Millennium Street Party was hailed as a huge success by organisers and revellers alike.

In one of the biggest celebrations in Orkney’s recent history, an estimated 3,000 Orcadians packed Broad Street for an open air concert to party away the end of the 20th century and welcome a new millennium.

As the dawn of a new millennium arrived, around 15 council officials were able to celebrate with a wee dram despite being holed up in an underground bunker when the clock struck midnight.

As Broad Street in Kirkwall rocked with all-night revellers enjoying the street party, members of staff from most council departments, headed by OIC chief executive Mr Alistair Buchan, spent part of Hogmanay in the council’s emergency control centre.

As a precautionary measure the staff were picked for duty on the off-chance that the Millennium Bug struck, bringing IT systems throughout the county to a halt.

In what was described as “a good hard Ba’ players’ game” the Uppies took the honours at the New Year’s Day Ba’ with 33-year-old Uppie Davie Flett emerging as the eventual winner.

Prior to the one o’clock throw-up, veteran Uppie player John Robertson stood at the Mercat Cross where he gave a short but heartfelt address on the significance of the Ba’ and, in an age when traditions are slowly but surely disappearing, the responsibility of the players to keep the tradition of the Ba’ alive.

At 4.25 pm, the ba’ touched the wall and the Uppies’ victory cries filled the air.

Then there was the task of deciding who would be taking the prized trophy home. With shouts of support for Martin Flett and Davie Flett, three and a half hours after the ba’ was thrown from the Mercat Cross, it was Davie Flett who was raised high by fellow Uppies clutching the prized leather trophy.

In a repeat of their Christmas Day performance, the New Year’s Day Boys’ Ba’ was dominated by a strong Doonie side who took the trophy to the basin in just under two and a half hours.

Any thoughts that this, the first Ba’ game of 2000, would be a short game were quickly dispelled as both sides battled valiantly for possession of the ba’. Following his excellent game on Christmas Day and much to the delight of the onlookers, Doonie Stuart Rosie emerged triumphant.

Winds gusting to over 100 miles an hour on January 3 caused widespread disruption to electricity supplies in thousands of homes across the county, scuppering travel plans for festive visitors – and also wrecking at least two caravans.

The deal was finally struck which would see Canadian company Talisman Energy take over from Elf as operator of the Flotta Terminal and assets in the North Sea.

Talisman would now become the operators of Flotta as well as the Piper and Saltire fields which form part of Elf’s Fourth Round assets – following Government approval and formal completion of the deal.

The decision followed the signing of an exchange agreement in early December 1999. It resulted in Talisman holding a 44.33 per cent share in Flotta after taking on Elf’s and ARCO’s interests.

The doors of the new £5.3 million Orkney College in Kirkwall opened to students for the first time on Monday, January 24. Over 200 students and around 40 staff started their first semester in the new complex, the first time all the departments of the college – other than Nautical Studies, which remains in Stromness – have been housed under one roof.

Ferocious hurricane winds – gusting up to 120mph – brought chaos to the county on the final weekend of the month.

Planes were grounded, ferries remained tied up and roads were closed as violent storm force winds raged across the islands.

At the height of the storm 2,500 homes were left without power and countless properties were damaged as roof tiles were ripped off and chimney pots were blown away.

The strong winds also caused one of Orkney’s World War Two wrecks to disappear into the sea.

The Inverlane, part of which was sunk in Burra Sound, between Hoy and Graemsay, as a block ship on May 30, 1944, was now no longer visible to passing ships.

A Kirkwall lifeboat crewman was injured during a rescue operation which saw a cargo vessel drifting out of control in Kirkwall Bay.

FEBRUARY

A new development project has been hailed as the potential successor to the oil industry for the Orkney economy.

The OIC’s economic development committee; Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Halifax Port Authority in Nova Scotia, Canada, recommended that a feasibility study should be carried out to assess the economic and technical viability of creating a container trans-shipment terminal in Orkney, making it the hub of a new trading route from the Canadian port of Halifax to destinations in Europe.

The feasibility study of Orkney becoming a large-scale container port would be carried out by the Maritime Research Group of Napier University in Edinburgh. The catalysts for the whole project were two Stromness businessmen, David Laidlow and Mike Craigie.

The dawning of a new millennium signalled a new start for Orkney’s Scapa Distillery as whisky production got under way for the first time in almost seven years.

With investment of quarter of a million pounds owners of the distillery, Allied Distillers Ltd, said that around 150,000 litres of alcohol would be produced over the next three months.

The spirit would be warehoused at Scapa and used in the future for the 12-year-old Scapa single malt.

Burray residents broke down the first barrier in their fight to save their closure-threatened school.

At a meeting of the OIC education committee, February 2, councillors faced the tough choice of either building a new £1.8 million school on the island, or starting the process of closing the Burray School altogether.

Orkney’s chief librarian launched an attack on the council after plans for a new Orkney library fell victim to major cutbacks.

Mr Bobby Leslie hit out at the council’s decision to delay spending £2 million in the coming year on the first phase of a new library on the site of the old mart in Junction Road, Kirkwall.

The council blamed a poor settlement from the Government for the decision, but Mr Leslie said that he fully supported the suggestion made by several councillors including the convener, Councillor Hugh Halcro-Johnston, that there should be an investigation into alternative means of funding the project.

MARCH

Kirkwall’s Junction Road became lined with flashing beacons as the four zebra crossings along its length became active.

Motorists were being warned to take extra care in Kirkwall as work began on painting on the black and white markings on Orkney’s first such crossings.

The public campaign and lobbying to retain a separate primary school in Burray paid off, as councillors voted by ten to nine, for the new community school in the village to keep its place on the council’s capital programme.

In advance of the full council meeting, a group of around 130 parents, children and supporters gathered outside the council offices in School Place with placards telling councillors: “Save My School”, “I Love My School” and “Don’t Kill Our Community”.

Scotland’s First Minister, Mr Donald Dewar, welcomed the £5.3 million Orkney College as “a model of effective partnership and co-operation between all sectors of the community.” He made the remarks as he officially opened the new building, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands Project.

The arrival of the massive crane required to assemble Burgar Hill’s new windmills started what was probably the largest road haulage operation ever seen in Orkney.

The huge crane – with its 300 foot long jib, capable of lifting 400 tonnes – was among the first of the loads to make the trek out to Burgar Hill. There it was erected in readiness for the arrival of further windmill parts over the next few days.

A truly international operation came together with the delivery of new wind turbines for the site.

The huge turbines, which were safely transported along the roads of Mainland Orkney were fully assembled fairly quickly and ready to produce electricity for the county in May.

The task of delivering the mammoth-size parts for the two wind turbines came to an end and by Sunday, April 2, the largest of the machines – a two megawatt turbine – had already been erected.

An unfamiliar sight on Orkney’s roads was two police motorcycles, which escorted the convoy of massive crane and wind turbine parts to Burgar Hill.

A police escort was deemed essential as the sheer scale of the crane and the windmills meant that each of the 14 loads could not turn right at Finstown.

With load sizes varying from ten metres long, four metres high and four metres wide to an incredible 33 metres long, each load had to follow a 28 mile circuitous route via Harray, Birsay and Costa.

To cope with these abnormal loads, the police rode ahead of the convoy to control traffic and ensure minimal disruption to other road users.

APRIL

Arctic weather returned to Orkney when April dawned with a flurry of snow.

OIC snowploughs and gritters rolled into action to clear roads while there were only minor disruptions to services.

School children starting their Easter break made the most of the wintry conditions.

Three centimetres of snow was recorded at the Met Office at Kirkwall Airport, however drifting was reported in patches throughout Orkney.

After being sidelined, the new Orkney Library was back in OIC plans, with news that the £4 million project could be funded from council reserves.

An all expenses paid trip to London, a free pass to the Millennium Dome, as many Big Macs as they could eat, plus world-famous pop sensation Steps were all part of a weekend to remember for a group of Orkney youngsters.

Orkney’s Day at the Dome was hailed a huge success thanks to a superb performance by the young Orcadian ambassadors who told the story of where they live to thousands of people on Saturday April 15.

The Our Town Story project was sponsored by fast food chain, McDonalds, which provided funding of £10,000, along with free travel and accommodation to participating groups.

The skies over Orkney were ablaze on April 6, with what has been described as the most magnificent display of the Northern Lights in years.

The first clue the islands were in for a breathtaking show appeared around 9.30pm, when some observers reported seeing a broad band of red light that stretched across the length of the sky from west to east. Within a few hours the skies were alive and by 1am a shimmering curtain of silvery light illuminated the night. The level of the display was so great that the phenomenon, usually restricted to the more northerly latitudes, was clearly visible as far south as England.

The intensity of aurora was due primarily to the fact that the sun was approaching the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity and, according to some, the most active recorded period in history.

The phrase “It could be you” had become a reality for at least one lucky person who has scooped at least £50,000 with a winning National Lottery ticket or scratchcard sold from Kirkwall’s Woolworth store.

Orkney Rugby Club celebrated a double victory after winning the BT National Division Five North championship with a 101-0 victory over Mackie Academy FPs.

The second victory was seen as one for common sense after the Scottish Rugby Union agreed to Orkney’s calls for their decider game against Ellon to be switched to avoid the Orkney Sevens – the biggest social and fund-raising weekend of the year in the club’s calendar.

MAY

The underground chamber of Minehowe in Tankerness was opened to the public earlier than planned – due to public demand – with people able to visit the chamber for the first time on, Friday May 12.

A World War Two maritime mystery was solved by two Orkney men. Ian Trumpess and Kevin Heath, both from Stromness, were the first people in over 55 years to see the wreck of a German U-boat, which sank in water off Orkney in 1944.

Fifty men perished when the vessel, on her first wartime mission, was gunned down in an air attack. Their bodies are believed still to be on board.

For well over a thousand years the bays and harbours around Orkney have sheltered Norwegian seafarers. Last year was no exception and in particular saw what has to be one of the finest of the Norwegian vessels in recent years arrive in the county for the Norwegian Constitution Day celebrations on Wednesday, May 17.

The fully restored, 120-year-old Loyal arrived in Stromness on the evening of Monday 15, for a short stop-over before heading to Kirkwall. There her passengers and crew were due to take part in the annual “tog” through the streets of Kirkwall.

Twin girls who sparked an air drama when their mother started giving birth on the air ambulance flight from Orkney to Aberdeen, arrived back home.

The flight taking Kirkwall woman Jackie Garson to Aberdeen had to divert to Wick as the midwife could see the twins were going to put in an early appearance on the plane if they carried on.

After the pilot declared an emergency they landed safely in Wick and 35-year-old Jackie was taken to Caithness General Hospital where she gave birth to twin sisters, weighing in at 5lb 5oz and 6lb 5oz.

The babies, Lucy and Sophie, who were around three weeks premature when they arrived on Thursday, April 20, were later transferred with their mother to Aberdeen where they were put in the special care unit for premature babies as a precaution.

JUNE

Patients in the new male and female wards at Kirkwall’s Balfour Hospital are now monitored by the most up-to-date equipment.

Nurses are now working from modern computerised stations, which are situated at either end of the wards.

These were just two of the benefits from the opening of the reconfigured male and female wards, according to Orkney Health Board chief executive Mrs Judi Wellden, who stressed that the upgrade was for the patients.

Final preparations were under way to open the new separate male and female wards at Kirkwall’s Balfour Hospital to the public on Sunday 11.

Nursing staff completed five months intensive training and updating ready for the move, which saw the medical ward turned into the female ward and the surgical ward becoming the male ward giving greater privacy to patients.

The two wards are linked by corridors and each is staffed by a dedicated team of nurses and under the management of Sister Mary Wylie and Sister Maureen Hamblett.

An Orkney doctor was heralded as “champion of the day” after rushing to the aid of a mother who gave birth outdoors in a hospital car park.

Tracey Laurenson from Finstown was celebrating the birth on Tuesday May 30, of her baby Della, who arrived into the world on the pavement outside the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall.

Orkney’s consultant anaesthetist Dr Colin Borland – who was on a day off at the time – was walking by at the crucial moment and helped to deliver Della before midwives appeared on the scene to take over.

Speaking after the dramatic delivery – from the comfort of a bed in the maternity unit – Tracey said she might have made it to the hospital in time if they hadn’t been hampered by roadworks and traffic on the way.

The Scottish Executive reiterated that they hoped to announce a preferred bidder in July 2000 to operate the new ferry service for Orkney and Shetland from July 2002.

The announcement was due to have been made in March 2000, but suffered a series of setbacks to allow more examination of the technical bids, and latterly the costed bids for the proposed service.

At the outset of the tendering process, eight firms expressed an interest in operating the various routes, but in the final stages, that number dropped to only three – current operators P&O Scottish Ferries; Caledonian McBrayne and Serco/Denholm.

Confirmation that the contract was due to be awarded in July, coincided with the details released by Caledonian MacBrayne who promised to provide an improved service if they won the contract.

People in Orkney had the chance to see how the young traditional music group Hadhirgaan were being received in Canada on their tour, with a showing of their biggest concert to date in the Walker Theatre, Winnipeg on Friday, June 29 in the new Phoenix Cinema at the Pickaquoy Centre.

The concert itself took place on June 28, in Canada in front of members of the Manitoba Government and other dignitaries including the Earl of Orkney. It was shown live on the Internet around 2am on June 29, but it was recorded on video for rebroadcast in Orkney.

A local primary school head teacher and his pupils were taken by surprise on Friday 23, when they took part in an engineering exhibition in Edinburgh.

For when Firth primary school head John Moar and his team of five pupils attended the event, they found themselves in the limelight after winning a national competition.

The pupils had put together a presentation “The Alternative Environment” for the exhibition, but what they and their head teacher didn’t realise was that the event was also a national science and technology contest.

Firth Primary saw off stiff competition from schools from all over Scotland to win the honour of representing Scotland at the Millennium Dome in October.

The pupils, aged between ten and 11 years, travelled with Mr Moar and his daughter Ellie, to The Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh to take part in the young engineers exhibition “British Aerospace Engineering Our Future.”

JULY

The controversy surrounding the council’s cash-strapped Aurrida House for children with special needs was reaching a crisis point with an emergency meeting being called by parents.

In a last ditch attempt to lobby councillors, parents held a public protest outside the council offices on Monday, July 3.

Parent representatives, Mike Stout and Shona Kelday, claimed that although there was to be no job losses on paper, restructuring plans meant that at least two positions within Aurrida House and services for children and families would disappear.

A former Orkney-based scientist put forward a scheme to harness the tidal power of the fast flowing Pentland Firth to generate electricity.

Professor Ian Bryden claimed that within five years a series of underwater tidal turbines on the seabed of the Pentland Firth could be generating enough electricity to power the whole of Scotland.

Oil giants BP Amoco aimed to carry out a seabed survey to the West of Orkney and in part of Scapa Flow, to enable them to come up with options for exporting the oil from the Clair field, which they hoped to take on.

The Royal Navy decided to penetrate the hull of the war grave HMS Royal Oak and pump out the remaining oil before an environmental disaster were to occur in Scapa Flow. The oil was leaking at a rate of about 100 litres per day before the measures were taken.

A wave of shock and devastation was said to have swept through Orkney’s Flotta oil terminal as the full force of swingeing job cuts hit home.

A total of 70 jobs were axed by new operators Talisman whose actions were described as ruthless. Talisman said the changes were necessary to secure the long-term future of the terminal

The master of the chemical carrier Multitank Ascania was criticised for failing to appreciate fully the potential danger his disabled vessel posed to his crew, the environment and those ashore, when it drifted helplessly through the Pentland Firth with a fire on board in March last year. However, it was said that without his presence to run mooring ropes to effect a tow and putting down an anchor, the incident could have ended in disaster.

The controversial decision was made to remove the lighthouse on Eday, despite a petition from the islanders to the Northern Lighthouse Board.

NLB chief executive, Mr James Taylor, said in a letter to The Orcadian that a review they carried out as a result of the petition had only reinforced their decision that a solar-electronic replacement light was the correct solution.

The four week dig at Minehowe ended with the ancient tomb being heralded as a prime discovery of Iron Age Orkney by local archaeologist Julie Gibson.

Orkney’s very own tartan was revealed this month. The tartan, containing shades of green, blue, purple, black and orange to represent the most prominent colours in Orkney, was produced by Ronnie Hek of Coldstream in the Highlands.

AUGUST

The council’s harbours department accused the Royal Navy of underestimating the seriousness of the HMS Royal Oak oil leak situation when the Navy revealed that they only intended to start removing the oil during summer 2001.

Former Orcargo vessel, the Contender sailed back into Kirkwall boasting a new look and under the new operatorship of Streamline Shipping Group and the Orkney Islands Council.

Many pupils in Orkney’s Secondary schools – like their counterparts in the rest of Scotland – faced uncertainty following a nationwide breakdown in the calculation and dissemination of their exam results.

A private venture to set up a ten pin bowling alley in Kirkwall was resurrected by local businessman George Drever who hoped to have the facility up and running by the end of 2001.

Stenness man Billy Johnston and his family narrowly escaped from their burning boat when it burst into flames in Scapa Flow. They were enjoying a day out fishing on the 26 foot wooden pleasure boat at the time and had to be rescued by the crew of the Radiant Queen.

Liquid Petroleum Gas – an answer to the problem of rocketing fuel prices in the Highlands and Islands – was promised to Orcadians by the Inverness-based company Go-Gas.

Archaeologists working on the site of Orkney’s oldest Neolithic settlement at Stonehall in Firth uncovered yet another enigmatic structure unlike anything so far encountered on the islands.

It was revealed that the burgeoning costs of Orkney’s Pickaquoy Centre – funded by millions of pounds of public money – may result in massive cutbacks next year unless financial problems are resolved.

Libraries, museums, swimming pools and St Magnus Cathedral were closed after Unison members working for the council went ahead with strike action following the rejection of a 2.5 per cent pay offer.

An Orkney branch of the Scottish Socialist Party was set up following a visit from party convener Tommy Sheridan.

One of the only two women’s ba’s in existence was handed over to Orkney Museum following the death of women’s Ba’ winner Barbara Yule, who won on Christmas Day 1945.

SEPTEMBER

Fuel supplies in Orkney were not affected by the disruption and blockades at refineries elsewhere in the county as farmers and drivers stepped up their campaign of protest at high fuel prices.

Orkney Islands Council’s cattle cull gasification plant at Chinglebraes finally got the go-ahead to operate at full capacity after failing to pass emission tests since it was built three years ago.

An exciting new chapter in the history of The Orcadian began with the launch of our new website – The Orcadian Online.

The Orcadian reporter Sigurd Towrie, was the man behind the creation of the site. After one week online The Orcadian’s website had already recorded incredible visitor figures, quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular websites in Orkney.

Chairman of the Pickaquoy Centre’s trust fund, Mr Hugh Clyde, claimed that the larger than expected annual deficits of the multi-million pound centre were not soaring losses, but expected running costs. The first year deficit totalled £250,000-£55,000 more than expected.

Aberdeen-based offshore company, Stolt Offshore, expressed an interest in Orkney’s Royal Oak oil leak problem this month. The company had successfully removed oil from a sunken warship in the past.

After that good news, more bad news about the HMS Royal Oak oil leak was released, as it was announced that the rate of oil leaking from the ships hull had dramatically increased.

In July it was estimated at around 100 litres a day, but by September it had risen to between 300 and 500 litres a day.

During an interview with The Orcadian, The Pickaquoy Centre’s manager, Mr Kieran Henderson supported the facility and the services within it after the local press reported financial losses were soaring over the limit again.

Unison members working for Orkney Islands Council went ahead with a second strike this month after a failure to agree a pay offer.

An Orkney-born man was thought to have been the first man in the North of Scotland to die from the CJD brain disease linked to BSE this month.

David Antonio died at his home in Alness, Easter Ross. It was believed that the young labourer had been suffering from suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease for nine months before he passed away.

The Royal Navy were expected to announce their plans to keep the oil leaking from HMS Royal Oak until 2001. A team of Navy divers visited the wreck in September to carry out an up-to-date check on the wreck. “Within the next few weeks we will tell you what the MoD intend to do to remove the risk of a large scale oil release from the Royal Oak,” commented Mr Steve Wilmott, a spokesman for the Royal Navy.

A grandson of the late Georgie Eunson, a woman who went to school on Stronsay as a young girl, won a medal at the Sydney Olympics. 28-year-old Scot Craig MacLean won a silver medal as part of a three man cycling team sprint.

OCTOBER

Local councillor Mike Drever claimed that plans to set up an eight-lane tenpin bowling alley in Kirkwall by local joiner Mr George Drever would heavily disturb similar plans to create an alley in the Pickaquoy Centre, and cause the fragile economics of the council-backed facility to become even more fragile.

Orkney’s MP and MSP, and Deputy First Minister, Mr Jim Wallace, led local tributes following the sudden death of Scotland’s First Minister, Mr Donald Dewar. Mr Wallace said: “Our country has lost a remarkable leader and politics has lost a man of outstanding personal integrity.”

It was decided this month that the outcome of detailed negotiations between Northlink and the Scottish Executive would be announced in November. The decision would reveal if the ferry operating contract for Orkney and Shetland from 2002 had been awarded to the CalMac/Royal Bank partnership.

The new CalMac/Royal Bank shipping partnership, to be known simply as Northlink, promised locals a better service than P&O Scottish Ferries, with ships that would hold livestock and other vehicles, as well as 600 passengers. Some of the luxuries promised included a cinema, bars, restaurants, standard and deluxe cabins to hold over 200 people and sleeper seats for the others passengers.

Mr Alan Long, of Kirkwall accountancy firm Price and Long took legal action against his partner, Mr Neil Price after he arrived at work to discover the locks on the doors had been changed.

It was thought the action had been taken because of a disagreement Mr Long had with Mr Price and the two other partners in the business - Doris Hutchison and Steven Sinclair.

The construction of a third wind turbine on Burgar Hill was completed this month.

A multi-million pound operation to remove the oil from HMS Royal Oak was finally announced by the Royal Navy. The first part of the extraction of the oil was scheduled for January 2001.

The news came as a great relief to local councillors, who had been pushing the Royal Navy to step up their plans to remove the oil for some time.

Claims that police were insisting on stewarding the Christmas and New Year’s Day Ba’ games were dismissed after a meting between the Ba’ committee and Orkney’s Chief Inspector Mike Cowdry.

Flotta oil terminal workers given their notice in the summer following the takeover by Talisman Energy were asked to stay on longer than expected. Talisman claimed it was part of an agreement enabling staff to complete a training programme.

Council services were expected to be disrupted some more following the rejection of another pay offer by Unison members.

Rugby star Andy Nicol, the captain of Scotland’s Calcutta Cup-winning side against England in April 2000, visited Orkney in October to present Orkney schoolboys with tickets to Scotland’s Autumn test match against Australia at Murrayfield.

Local businessman Neil Stevenson got the go-ahead for a provisional grant of a license for a new night club and music venue this month. The venue for the club was revealed to be the former Orkney Seafoods factory on Ayre Road.

NOVEMBER

The proposal of a causeway to link Westray and Papa Westray got a mixed reception from islanders and councillors this month.

Highlands and Islands Minister Mr Alasdair Morrison, on a visit to Orkney highlighted the main advantage of the causeway as being able to strengthen the two islands as a community.

Mr Ian Cursiter, chairman of Papay Community Council, explained he was against the causeway proposal as it would mean almost certain redundancies as well as the loss of the local school, resident nurse and the shop and guesthouse.

Councillors met in private to receive the audited accounts for the Pickaquoy Centre and later recommended that the facility should be given an extra £30,000 after interest from a special trust fund failed to meet the centre’s annual deficit. Centre manager Kieran Henderson welcomed the news that a more stable method of funding would be looked at.

It was confirmed that 15 local jobs would be lost at the Pentland Maritime Rescue Sub Centre. The announcement came in the same month that 14 more jobs in Orkney could go unless a buyer was found for the Environment and Resource Technology centre on Flotta.

Orkney ale Dark Island clinched the top award at the Aberdeen and Grampian Beer Festival, being crowned the Champion Beer of Scotland.

Orkney’s Rugby team completed a double over the RAF sides in November when they defeated RAF Lossiemouth 42 - 0. They had beaten RAF Kinloss 29 - 8 the previous weekend.

Around 100 jobs were secured in the county as plans to set up a new Orkney creamery were finalised. A £256,000 grant and loan package was agreed by councillors enabling the £5.25 million project to finally go ahead.

OIC development and planning director Mr Jeremy Baster announced that the creamery project would support around 35 jobs in the factory as well as up to 60 jobs in dairy farms throughout Orkney.

The three megawatt prototype wind generator on Burgar Hill in Evie was toppled and destroyed with the help of a controlled explosion. The prototype turbine was at the peak of energy expertise when it was built on behalf of the Government in November 1987. The blast was filmed by the Discovery Channel for a documentary scheduled for screening in July or August 2001.

The Queen made Orkney’s MP, MSP Mr Jim Wallace a Privy Councillor this month along with First Minister Henry McLeish. Mr Wallace said he was both pleased and honoured with his appointment.

Orkney’s first ever Sporting Awards Dinner was held in the Pickaquoy Centre. Rugby players, triathletes and fishermen were among the nominees for the honours with Orkney Rugby Football Club’s First XV scooping the team of the year award.

Eday resident Chris Squires, who runs a manufacturing and mail order business on the island, was whisked off to TV studios in London to take part in the popular ITV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Chris won £16,000 on the show and described her participation in Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as “a wonderful experience.”

Scottish Transport Minister Sarah Boyack announced that Kirkwall Airport was to get £600,000 from the Scottish Executive to help pay for an instrument landing system costing £1.8 million.

The system will cut down on flight problems caused by bad weather enabling planes to land in low cloud.

The contract for the first phase of work on the new £5.25 million creamery at Hatston was awarded to local firm, Casey Construction.

Norwegian company Ewos bought the Aquascot fishing group which operates sites in Orkney, including fish farms in Longhope, Hoxa in South Ronaldsay, Woodwick in Evie as well as farms off Carness and the Bay of Meil in St Ola.

There was a mass disturbance within the Torvhaug Inn in late November as five men were arrested after creating scenes of disorder and violence inside the Bridge Street bar.

Every available police officer from Kirkwall, Stromness and the on-duty CID officers were called to the Torvhaug Inn because of the severity of the incident.

Colin James Low of the Kirkwall Hotel, Ian Spence of Burray and David Sutherland and Jonathan Iain Gatt of South Ronaldsay were all arrested on the night and a fifth man, Tony Steeple of St Margaret’s Hope was arrested the following day.

All five men appeared from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court and were released on bail. The case is expected to come to court later this year.

Councillors agreed to plan a new £9.5 million ro-ro freight terminal near Crowness at Hatston Industrial Estate.

The terminal would be to accommodate the new vessels used on the Orkney and Shetland routes by Northlink from 2002, as the vessel used to replace the St Sunniva would have serious difficulties in berthing at the current Stromness terminal.

Orcadian trampolinist Jamie Crisp announced his retirement from major competition after achieving his ambition of winning the Scottish National Championships for the third time in a row.

DECEMBER

There was immediate backlash against plans for the £9.5 million ro-ro service at Hatston. Councillor John Brown claimed it would be stupid to build a new harbour before even commissioning the tests.

Mr Anthony Duncan, who runs a boatyard in Burray, also voiced his opinions on the matter claiming Burray would be a more suitable location for the terminal, adding that Crowness was not only exposed but had several reefs that ships had to negotiate before docking safely.

Northlink, the company taking over the ferry services to Orkney and Shetland from 2002, announced that they aim to run the service with less financial backing from the Government than current operators P&O Scottish Ferries.

Rev Ron Ferguson, minister of St Magnus Cathedral, announced his plans to retire in October 2001. Mr Ferguson, who shall stay in Orkney and move to Orphir, plans to concentrate on his passion for writing.

A deal was struck this month after top level talks between European Union and Norwegian negotiators ended in a decision to cut cod quotas in the North Sea by nearly half in 2001. This news came as a blow to fishermen and fish processors in Orkney as many of their jobs could be at risk as a result of the decision.

A Royal Navy spokesman confirmed that they hoped to finalise the contract for the removal of the oil from HMS Royal Oak by Christmas, with a view to the beginning of the operation in January 2001.

Shipbuilding company Fergusons of Port Glasgow pulled out of the running to build one of three vessels required for Northlink’s ferry service for Orkney and Shetland in 2002.

Design arrangements problems and the timetable for delivery were the apparent reasons for Fergusons withdrawal.

Hundreds of dead and dying seabirds were washed ashore at beaches around Scapa Flow within a week. Experts said that a serious food shortage was to blame for the strange occurrence.

Despite many protests, councillors voted by a narrow margin for the ferry terminal to be constructed at Crowness, despite a claim that work could be done at the Stromness harbour to accommodate Northlink’s ferries for a fraction of the now £10.5 million required to create the Crowness terminal - £1 million more than first announced.

This decision sparked claims that a “secret agenda” was taking place from within the council in which an “inner circle” of councillors and officials existed, enabling pet projects to be rushed through when it suited them.

The Pentland Coastguard Station closed its doors for the last time on Friday, December 15, despite a long and determined battle to keep it running.

OIC vice-convener, Councillor Jim Sinclair, vowed it was time “to go to war” with Historic Scotland over their objection to the Ba' plaque being relocated to the kirkyard wall of the St Magnus Cathedral. Mr Sinclair claimed that the current site for the plaque, resting on the bottom step of the Mercat Cross, was “not a dignified place” because no-one could see it and people kept tripping over it.

It was announced this month that work on Kirkwall Airport’s new terminal is to begin in February 2001. Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited and Orkney Enterprise have all put money into the terminal - expected to cost around £2.5 million.

It was also announced that work on the new Orkney Library, to be built on the former Kirkwall Auction Mart site on Junction Road, would start in late summer of 2001, with an expected opening in July 2003.

The new library will replace the current building in Laing Street which is cramped and lacks facilities, including proper access for disabled people.

The quota deal agreed be European Fisheries Ministers in Brussels was described as “a serious blow” for Orkney’s fishing fleet. Haddock, cod and whiting, the main three species fished for by local boats, were all hit by cuts, sparking a call from Orkney Fisheries Association secretary, Mr Alan Coghill, for compensation for fishermen against the consequences of the measures.

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