ISSUE 15 WINTER 2009 £1 SEASONAL GREETINGS TO ALL OUR READERS A Lesson Learned FOOT HEALTH CLINIC JACQUELINE MORTON You may have noticed a few handwritten posters FOOT HEALTH PRACTITIONER appearing on lampposts and litter bins, obviously MAFHP MCFHP designed and executed by children. These should be taken to heart by us all, child and adult alike, as they implore us 01360 550 374 to conserve energy by switching lights off, not to despoil 07703799112 the environment by dropping litter and to save the planet KILLEARN PHARMACY Saturdays 9am ̶ 1pm by recycling our waste. THE OLD SURGERY, BUCHLYVIE Tuesdays 6pm ̶ 9pm Intrigued, the Courier decided to investigate. The notices brought to our attention that the whole of Killearn Primary School is enthusiastically involved in the Eco- Schools Project (www.ecoschoolsscotland.org), was awarded bronze and silver in 2005 and is now working towards the gold award. It is obviously making an impact on the children. Each class is doing a different aspect of caring for the environment. For example, Primary 5/6 is doing a project on litter, finding out what comprises litter, how effective different styles of notices are, what sort of bins encourage their use and so on. But this is not just classroom theory. If you look over the school hedge at lunchtime, you will see one of the class, complete with protective apron, a litter picker, a plastic sack and a clipboard going around the school grounds picking up each piece of litter and recording it. This survey not only shows what is causing the litter, but how effective the message not to drop litter is getting across. Although the Courier cannot support fly-posting around DRYMEN DENTAL PRACTICE the village, it is encouraging that the teaching has been so effective that at least some of the youngsters have been Providing Dentistry motivated to go out into the community and do what they All new patients welcome! can to make us all understand that it is their future that Second treatment room at the practice now open! we are so carelessly putting at risk. I am sure the children Hours of business: Mon. to Thu. 9am-5pm, Fri. 8am-2pm will be able to persuade the custodians of various village notice boards to display their posters. To arrange an appointment please contact: Drymen Dental Practice, Truly a lesson learned. PW The Square, Drymen, G63 0BJ. Tel: 01360 661 097 Killearn Courier www.drymendentalpractice.co.uk published by: The Sewing Room Anyone wishing to contribute to the Spring edition is reminded that it will be distributed on 13 March 2010. Advertisements and artwork should be handed to one of our Advertising Executives by Friday, 29 January. Contact Gwen Stewart on 550856 or Dressmaking, Sara Hudson on 550806. Alterations, Contributions and letters to the editor should be in the hands of the Curtains, Blinds, editorial team by Friday, 29 January. Send them to: 2 Elder Road, Loose Covers, Killearn or email to [email protected] Soft Furnishings. Please support our advertisers who make the Courier possible. Call Elsie on: 01360 550816 or The Courier is not responsible for the content of advertisments. 07885 171494 2 Editorial Well, here we are almost at the end of another year. By the time you read this issue, 2010 is about six weeks away! NOTICE BOARD Where does the time go? Have you had 20 Nov Strathendrick Country Dance Club Village Hall 7.00-11.30pm a good year? Annual Charity Dance Strathendrick Film Society –Star Trek. Balfron Campus 7.30pm We at the Courier have had a pretty 24 Nov Killearn Parish Hall AGM Village Hall 8.00pm. good year; we won another couple 26 Nov Drymen History Soc. Drymen Village Hall 7.45pm of awards, we had to increase our The Quarriers Story Talk by Anna Magnusson number of pages per issue due to the 27 Nov Killearn PTA. Bag 2 School School Playground 8.45-9.15am contributions from our readers and 28 Nov PTA. Christmas Fayre Village Hall 10.30-1.00pm our advertisers and we continue to be Guild Sale of Work Church Hall 2.00pm well supported by the community. We Get Reel Ceilidh Village Hall 7.30-11.00pm. receive a lot of complimentary remarks 1 Dec FADS Pantomime, Dick Whittington Fintry Village Hall 7.30pm which makes the production of the to 5 Tickets & Information-860078 & Sat Matinee 2.00pm Courier all worthwhile and pleases 4 Dec Friday Night Youth Project Village Hall members of the group no end, so thank 5 Dec Wee Green Market Village Hall 10am - 1.00pm you very much. 11 Dec Strathendrick Singers Carol Concert Killearn Kirk 7.00pm The Kirk Youth Club Village Hall 7.30pm Around the time this issue is being 13 Dec Strathendrick Cycling Club, Woolen Mill Car Park, Aberfoyle 11.00am. delivered, there will be Services of Cycle along old railway line to Buchlyvie Info:- Morag Jervis 660437 Remembrance taking place all over 18 Dec Friday Night Youth Project Village Hall the country. Indeed, the next project 22 Dec Strathendrick Film Soc. Balfron Campus 2.00pm by All Killearn Archives is on the My Neighbour Totoro Annual free matinee Second World War which ties in with 8 Jan Strathendrick Film Soc. Balfron Campus 7.30pm our freshened up War Memorial and I’ve Loved You so Long resulted in a couple of articles about 10 Jan Strathendrick Cycling Club Meet on B822 at juction of Arnprior Rd. 11.00am evacuees. We’ve devoted pages 18 and Cycle to Fintry Info:- M Jervis 660437 15 Jan Old Folks Bingo Village Hall 7.30pm 19 to this subject and if you think you 30 Jan PTA. Burns Coffee Morning Village Hall 10am-12noon can contribute, contact AKA. 3 Feb Horticultural Soc. Gardens of the Riviera Village Hall 7.30pm Once again, we’ve tried to give a Illustrated talk by Louise Bustard of Glasgow Botanic Gardens Christmas feel to this issue and have followed by Annual Business Meeting highlighted where you can shop locally. 6 Feb Wee Green Market Village Hall 10am - 1.00pm It really is quite amazing what can be 12 Feb Strathendrick Film Soc. Easy Virtue Balfron Campus 7.30pm 13 Feb Strathendrick Singers Coffee Morning Village Hall 10.00am sourced on our doorstep. The centre 14 Feb Strathendrick Cycling Club Meet at Drymen Square bus stop 11.00am pages have been given over to many Run on country roads & forest tracks to Balmaha for lunch. of our local businesses and we’ve done 19 Feb Strathendrick Film Soc. Balfron Campus 7.30pm it alphabetically. So, let’s have a bit of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas fun, after all, it’s getting near Christmas. 25 Feb Drymen History Society DrymenVillage Hall 7.45pm You will remember Cliff Richard’s Excavations in the Kilpatrick Hills by Euan Mackie version of the Christmas Alphabet, 27 Feb Jumble Sale for Malawi Village Hall 10.00am you know the one “C is for the candy 5 Mar Strathendrick Film Soc, Balfron Campus 7.30pm trimmed around the Christmas tree, H Revolutionary Road is for the happiness with all the family, 6 Mar Wee Green Market Village Hall 10am - 1.00pm R is for the……” and so on. Well, get 12 Mar Horticultural Soc Whist Drive Village Hall 7.30pm the tune into your head and read our 14 Mar Strathendrick Cycling Club Meet Balloch Park Car Park centre pages, you’ll like it! Cycle along river Leven to Bowling. Info:- M Jervis 660437 19 Mar PTA X-Factor Village Hall 7.00-9.30pm Once again, many thanks to all our 25 Mar Drymen History Soc, Drymen Village Hall 7.45pm readers, contributors, advertisers and Aberfoyle Slate Quarry by Louis Stott. helpers. 26 Mar Strathendrick Film Soc. Balfron Campus 7.30pm Conversations with my Gardener Have a Very Merry Christmas and a 27 Mar Strathendrick Singers Spring Concert Killearn Kirk 7.00pm Happy New Year. 31 Mar Rotary Concert Central Police Band Village Hall 7.00pm If you have any dates for the March 2010 issue of the Diary Ian Dickie, Editor (mid March to mid August), please contact Pat Ryall (550713) 3 Extreme DIY! Donna McKay (nee MacColl) was relaxed as she looked forward to the arrival of her third child. Intermittent contractions on the Tuesday evening didn’t stop the rest of the family going off to school and work as usual the next day. It wasn’t until teatime on Wednesday that the pace started to quicken. With children, Caitlin and Calum in safe hands, husband Ewan ‘Pieman’ McKay packed Donna into the car for the run into The Queen Mother’s. But even by Blanefield it was clear that the baby was arriving somewhat more quickly than expected! Contractions were rapid and things were starting to happen! By the canal at Anniesland, Donna Donna and Ewan McKay with Caitlin, Calum and new baby Ruiaidh screamed to Ewan that the baby was coming and they had to stop. Pieman screeched to a halt in Morrison’s car park at Anniesland Cross – reclining the front seat with one hand, making Donna as comfortable as possible and calling the ambulance service DRYMEN with the other. Unfortunately the switchboard couldn’t direct an DECORATIVE STONE ambulance even to Morrison’s at Anniesland Cross without a road name! But fortunately a somewhat The Old Station Yard, gob-smacked staff member from Croftamie, G63 0EU Curry’s provided the necessary information. 01360 661025 And so it was, at teatime on Wednesday 16 September, that Ruairidh McKay was born in FEATURE STONES · WALLING STONES Morrison’s car park – in the front INDIAN SANDSTONE · TOPSOIL · LOGS seat of his Dad’s pick-up, delivered by his own father.