FORTUNATELY the predicted rain held off on Monday night until after play ended at the Wairds Park Committee's 28th annual putting gala, although the early darkness reduced the semi-finals and final of the main event to nine holes.
From an en excellent entry of 30, on a new green layout, the winner of the weekly competition for the Barclay Harvey Shield was Andy Vinten who defeated Dave Miller one up in the final. The losing semi-finalists were Austen Craig and Euan McCallum. A
dam Smith won the consolation competition by defeating Murray Dunbar 2 and 1 in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Kieran Freeman and Ewan Lownie.
In the stroke play section the outstanding competitor and top lady was Sandra Dunbar who recorded the lowest 18 holes (37) shared the lowest inward nine (17) with Findlay McCallum and holed in one four times. Findlay was also the best secondary performer with a round of 38, along with Michael Craig (Jnr) the best over the last five holes (10) and achieved four holes in one while his brother Rhurie was the leading primary school pupil with a round of 48. Austen Craig carded the lowest outward nine (18) and, with David Beedie, the most consecutive twos (7). There was also a special gift for each school pupil who had entered.
The competition produced 33 holes- in- one, a total of £107 was paid out in prize money and, after the dust had settled, committee Vice-Chair, Euan McCallum, thanked Donald and Clark for administering the gala and Fiona for ensuring that the "kettle was always on."
This Monday the competition is for the Wairds Park Trophy (the Cup) and all are welcome to come along at 7 p.m. The 72-hole stroke play competition will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 2 p.m.
Mearns Coastal Parish
In Johnshaven Church on Sunday morning locum minister, Gordon Anderson, preached on the theme of "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" and said that Christians should be prepared to stand by their beliefs even when those were not universally popular.
Earlier he had intimated that, despite the dreadful weather, the Church stall at last Sunday's fun day at the St Cyrus Nature Reserve had raised £97 for Church funds, encouraged the congregation to support Mearns Coastal's stall at tomorrow's Fish Festival and announced that the Kirk Session would next meet for business in Johnshaven Church Hall on Tuesday, August 18 at 7.30 p.m.
The organist was Robin Beattie.
This Sunday's services will be held at the usual times of 10 a.m. in Johnshaven Church and 11.30 a.m. in St Cyrus Church.
Bowling Club
There was an excellent turnout of members on Sunday for the Bowling Club's two bowl pairs competition for the Edna Anderson Trophy and, although the afternoon was fine and warm, at times the participants found a swirling wind difficult to handle.
The early skirmishes over, the nine-end semi-finals were reached and, in one of them, the husband and wife pairing of Fiona and Donald Dundas enjoyed a comprehensive victory over Anne Aitken and Alan Black by 8 shots to 2.
In the other, Meggie Hann and Alan Robbie had a much tougher task against Helen Bartlett and Bryan Duff. Behind 4-5 after five ends, they levelled at the seventh but then finished things off with a closing run of 1,2,3 to reach the final, 11 shots to 5.
Beginning confidently in the eleven-end final Fiona and Donald continued in that vein until they were ahead 7-1 after six ends. Meggie and Alan gave themselves temporary hope with two consecutive doubles but, with a count of three followed by a single, Fiona and Donald lifted the Edna Anderson Trophy with an end to spare by 11 shots to 5.
Despite the constant threat of rain, Friday's bowlers toughed out the ten ends of the hat night which was won by Alan Black and Jack Gillanders by ten shots. Hat nights continue on Tuesday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. and all are welcome.
Now entering a quiet spell with no internal or external distractions members can be expected to make serious progress towards the completion of Club ties.
Harbour Lights
For decades fishing boats were guided into Johnshaven harbour by harbour lights sited in Dock Street and Seaview Terrace, each protected by very distinctive housing and accessed by a short flight of steps. A number of years ago, though, for health and safety reasons, the housings and steps were removed by the local authority. This action met with some disapproval in the village: specifically from local fishermen who considered that the lights had now become less effective and more generally because well-known heritage landmarks had gone. However, determination on the part of a dock-side resident and co-operation from Aberdeenshire Council has seen the situation rectified and, while it was not possible for practical reasons to restore the housings to their original design, the lights now have aesthetically pleasing hoods – unquestionably far superior to the fish box!
Community Council
The next meeting of the Community Council will take place in the Village Hall (main) on Wednesday August 12 at 7 p.m. Items for the agenda should be in the hands of the Chair, Chris Green, Cha-na-Mar, Back Road by Monday, August 10.
Calum MacLeod
Monday was made memorable for 20 year-old Calum MacLeod when he turned out as a substitute fielder for England on the last day of their tense Ashes encounter against Australia.
With a mother from Johnshaven, a Gaelic speaking father and having spent many of his youthful holidays in the village, Calum is as Scottish as they come but having previously been a member of the Drumpellier and Uddingston clubs in the west of Scotland, last year he was awarded a full-time contract with Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Considered to have great potential, the young paceman has already represented his home country at different age levels and played for the full Saltires team and is currently working on a technicality in his bowling action .
Memories
Twenty years ago a heritage sub-committee of the Benholm and Johnshaven Community Council held an extremely successful two-day heritage exhibition in the Village Hall. The group had "tested the water" earlier in the year by holding a display of photographs illustrating aspects of village history. This rather tentative effort had gone down so well, however, that the group were encouraged to hold a much more ambitious venture which included artefacts and memorabilia as well as photographs and, attended by 350, it turned out to be a huge success.
The weekend's presentation had something to fascinate just about every interest be it fishing scenes, education, football, personalities, life-saving, coastal wrecks, water supply , social life or the changing face of the village. There were also imaginative displays of coastguard equipment and reminders of Johnshaven's seafaring past.
Soon the heritage group were to go on to form the nucleus of the present Benholm and Johnshaven Heritage Society who are presently well on to the completion of the conversion of the former Lifeboat House to a heritage centre .
