100 Years Ago

Gamrie water famine - The protracted spell of dry weather has had a serious effect on many springs throughout the parish. On a number of farms, where threshing mills are driven by water power, it has been greatly reduced in consequence of the shortage in the supply of water. The result is that the travelling steam threshers are unable to cope with the demands of farmers. Pupils attending Bracoden School are suffering from a scarcity of water, the source of supply there having completely run out. During the week the only water obtainable at the schoolhouse and school was that driven in barrels from the farm of Lichnet, about a quarter of a mile away. Although many springs have almost run dry, the supply in the village of Gardenstown is standing out well.

50 Years Ago

Amazing escapes - Seven people including two children escaped without a scratch when a furniture van from Edinburgh and a Vauxhall Victor were in collision at Enzie crossroads, three miles from Buckie last Monday. In the furniture van, which was driven by James A. Alexander (43), was an Edinburgh family, Mr and Mrs Kenneth Bendelow and their two children, David (14) and Anne (5), who were moving to Buckie along with their furniture and belongings. Mr Bendelow is the new principal teacher of navigation at Buckie High, and the accident occurred two miles from his new home - Arradoul Schoolhouse. The two women in the car, which was wrecked, were the driver, Miss Frances Christie (23), an Aberdeen schoolteacher whose parents live at West Cathcart Street, Buckie, and a friend, Mrs Margaret Hutchison, High Street, Buckie. Both had amazing escapes as the car rolled over before coming to rest upright at the roadside near the junction. They clambered out unhurt, apart from both suffering from shock. The van ended up in a deep ditch at the other side of the road.

25 Years Ago

Shelters face demolition - The graffiti artists may now not continue to have a field day at Banff Links. The shelters at the Links, which have stood for over half a century on the seafront and been of service to countless visitors to the area, are now heavily daubed with graffiti. It is not the only vandalism at the buildings, with the district council having undertaken a succession of repairs to keep the pavilions in service. But the time may have come when a halt will be called, as the shelter repairs are becoming a financial burden. The question now facing the local authority is whether to demolish the buildings, and if so, how to replace them with structures which will withstand the attacks of the vandals. Gil Carling, district director of leisure and recreation, said the matter will have to be looked at closely. "There has been a never-ending succession of repairs to the shelters, and quite frankly, the time may now have been reached when the buildings are getting beyond economical repair," he said. He inspected the buildings this week and saw at first hand the state of disrepair, all caused by vandalism. "We may be faced with a problem on whether to demolish the shelters. This would be a loss to people visiting the Links, and if it is decided to remove the shelters,the council will then be faced with the question of how to replace them. It would appear that any future buildings in that area would have to be as near vandal-proof as possible to ensure that the structures are kept in reasonable condition for use by the public. But this may be a greater problem than the council are able to solve."