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30th June 2006

Highland Gathering

The Durness Highland Gathering held on the last of Friday of July have recently held their committee meeting to finalise the organisation for the popular event. This years chieftain local man Michael Mather along with all the usual events will preside over a visit from the Hee-Haw Donkies and Mr Boom especially for the children.

Helicopter rides will once again be available with an advanced booking system operating on the day to avoid a long queue and with the usual refreshment tents Capaldi’s Ice cream van will be in the field. Music at the games dance in the evening will be provided by Rhythm ‘n’ Reel.

Fun Run

Monday evening was the time for the annual fun run around the village organised by the Cape Wrath Challenge Committee. The event was started in 1986 by the youth club, lay dormant from 1994 to 2004 before being resurrected by the Cape Wrath Challenge. Times have been kept for every run and after this years performance Daren McGee now features at number 20 on the top of “top 20 runners and times” league having finished three and a half miles in 24 minutes and 40 seconds. Sine Jones form Kinlochbervie goes into third place in the 10 girls (2 miles) with 18 minutes 47 seconds. Katy Lee moves up a place to number 6 on the adults’ two mile table and Janet Roberts although clipping 32 seconds off her 2005 time remains at number four.

Picture Attached

The participants and Organiser Race Director of the Cape Wrath Challenge Lucy Mackay after the presentation of prizes at the Durness Fun run.

Twenty four runners took part and had to estimate their finish times before removing their watches and running. Nathan Kish form Kinlochbervie was just one second outside his estimated time and won a Cape Wrath Challenge sweatshirt, Katy Lee at 11 seconds out was second and received a Cape Wrath Challenge paperweight while Tom Robbins was third, 12 seconds out and also received a s sweatshirt.

Alistair McCowan was first home from the 2 miles and received a cape wrath challenge mini decanter Sine Jones won a tee shirt as first female home, Darren McGee was awarded a Cape Wrath Challenge winner’s medal as first male over three and a half miles while Sarah Kish was first female and won a Cape Wrath Challenge perfume bottle.

All the participants received a “wee prize” for their efforts and allthe marshals and other helpers were warmly thanked for their support.

Smoo Cave

Smoo cave hosted two musicians on a tour to capture and set free the sound of some of the most exciting and incredible locations in Scotland. They were practicing their ability at locations that resonate and echo, have fantastic ambient sounds or dense, near endless reverberations. The tour concert was in relation to giving the audience an experience about the environment around them in a different way. The musicians have a special interest in the sound of a space, and place within it; and the performance was not a normal concert. Tunes would not be the description but an exploration of art in music. The created sounds were captured and amplified around the cave giving a perception of coming and reverberating from all directions. Smoo with its roof punctured by 3 blowholes and the background sound of the waterfall created a great resonance and ever changing ambient sounds. The event attracted about 70 people with a mixed reaction to the performance.

Japanese musician, inventor, instrument builder and shaman Akio Suzuki has been performing, teaching and building instruments for nearly 40 years. His music is described as simple and pure, and beautifully unworried by the rules of modern music. He explores nature and how its atmospheres and sounds can be harnessed and then set free, and how musical creation and beauty exist in all things,

John Butcher is reputed to be by his contemporaries as the most exciting saxophone player in Europe today. Bent to his will, a saxophone can sound like almost anything, far beyond any notion of traditional technique: the reverberation of dub like echo, gulps of breath and animal yelps, the clatter and noise of farm machinery or of skittering daisy wheel printers

Primary School

2 pictures Attached

·        Coastguards Visit senior primary school children on their weekend camping expedition to Arnaboll to instruct them on water safety

·        Owl landed on Harry Hirds head during the falconry display at Dunrobin

There has been a busy time for the pupils and staff of the primary school before the end of the summer term with three outings. Last week the whole school spent a day at the lonely old Shepard’s house at Arnaboll on the Eriboll Estate. They spent the day exploring playing games and preparing lunch around the campfire.

On Wednesday leaving at 7.30 am they took a trip to Timesspan with funds the school received from their success in Dounreay’s 50 anniversary calendar competition when Murray Mackay and Elizabeth Marsham produced winning pictures. Local bus driver Iris Mackay took the children to Lairg railway station where they caught the train to Helmsdale. At Timespan they were given a guided tour of the facility and saw work of many local artists. Lunch was had at the La Mirage.

They then caught the train to Dunrobin where they visited the museum and were given a Falconry display when an own landed on Harry Hird’s head much to the amusement of all present. This was followed by a look around the castle. The party caught the return train to Lairg and were met again by the bus and returned home for around 8pm.

At the weekend primary’s 5 6 and 7 were joined by Scourie Primary6 for the annual weekend of camping at Arnaboll. Eleven children with 4 adults had a weekend of outdoor activities including a visit from the coastguards to enforce and instruct the young people on water safety. On Sunday they returned home and back to school for the last week before the holidays.