Am Bratach Raasay’s Community Newsletter September 2016 A ‘gathering’ Over the sea Message in What’s OOnn of Gillies to Raasay a bottle Raasay? PAGE 333 PAGE 666 PAGE 8 PAGE 202020 Minister chooses Isle of Raasay to announce Islands Strategic Group BY DELLA CHESHIRE Humza Yousaf MSP, Minister for Yousaf clarified that all six Transport and the Islands, councils with responsibility for chose Raasay out of Scotland’s island communities will be 93 inhabited islands to involved in the Islands announce the formation of an Strategic Group, including Islands Strategic Group to Highland Council. shape the forthcoming Islands During the meeting at the Bill. hall, Anne Gillies, chair of RCC, Mr Yousaf made the said that Raasay is “looking announcement on Thursday quite good right now” aside © Della Cheshire August 25 on a whistlestop tour from three main issues: NHS Regarding RET, he said that a of Raasay, during which he met Highland’s removal of 24/7 freight fares review is currently with Raasay Community nursing cover, the absence of underway, while he said he was Council (RCC) and chairs of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) for “delighted” that roads are a other community groups at the commercial vehicles using the matter for Highland Council. hall, toured the site of R & B’s Raasay-Sconser ferry route and Kate Forbes MSP, who Isle of Raasay Distillery and the “unbelievably awful” state accompanied Mr Yousaf and visited Raasay House. of the island’s roads. who insisted he visit Raasay Shetland, Orkney and On 24/7 nursing cover, Mr following her last visit to the Western Isles councils have Yousaf said that healthcare was island on August 10, said been campaigning for one of five key planks in the afterwards: “The Raasay devolvement of power to island Islands Bill, which will help community have been working councils since 2014, but Mr “island-proof” future legislation. tirelessly and innovatively over He said: “I am going the last few years and there’s to ask the health been great progress. officials in the “But none of these success government to have a stories are sustainable without conversation and start adequate healthcare and I to intervene”, adding share the community’s grave that it sounded like concern on this issue.” there was an element Mr Yousaf and Ms Forbes have of NHS Highland agreed to inform RCC of any “being obstructive”. progress made. Am Bratach: Raasay’s Community Newsletter 2 September 2016 Am Bratach: Raasay’s Community Newsletter 3 September 2016 The gathering of Gillies BY ANNA GILLIES & MAIRI MACLEOD On Saturday 2 nd July, descendants of Iain Aonghais Dhomhnaill Ruaidh gathered in the Community Hall on Raasay to commemorate the centenary of the Gillies families leaving Umachan, a now-deserted township on the north-east coast of the island. The family had been cleared there from Back of Castle in the 1840s by Macleod of Raasay as the land they had been living on Just some of the Gillies descend ants © Ann Ford Sandy who moved to Fladda afternoon tea and then a was wanted for sheep with his wife Mary (parents ceilidh at night with the main farming. Oral history in the of 6); and Marion who performers being Kirsty, family only takes us back as married John Macleod Duncan and Rona Macleod of far as Domhnull Ruadh but (parents of 5). Bonar Bridge, Seamus we now understand that he In the course of the event, MacLennan from Skye, Mary (Domhnall Ruadh) may have we connected and re- Jane Ford from Texas and been the son of Calum Mor, connected using a large and Calum Don MacKay of a stonemason from Arisaig, sprawling family tree, Raasay. who came to Raasay to work constructed from the folk Those of you who’ve been on the rebuilding of Raasay memories of the late Chrissie to Umachan will know the House after its burning by and Johnny Nicolson and remoteness of the site, the government forces in the confirmed by entries in the steepness of the path, the aftermath of Culloden. old parish register and then, few small green patches The descendants of after 1855, from the where cultivation must have Domhnall Ruadh and his wife registers of births, deaths been possible, and the ruins Catherine Macdonald who and marriages in the now surrounded by bracken. gathered on Raasay in early Scottish Record Office. We Our family was there for July represented four also had copies of census nearly eighty years; some of generations, ranging in age returns to look up, old their neighbours for even from 11 to 91 and from first photos and maps to pore longer. We gathered this to fifth cousins. We were over and stories to share. summer to remember the meeting some of our Rebecca MacKay sang “ Mo forces that put them there; relations for the very first chridhe, mo chridhe, Mo we celebrated their survival time. All of us there were chridhe do’n uasal … ”, a in such a hostile place and descended from three of Iain song composed by Iain re-established our Gillies’s six children: Gillies’s daughter Marion. connection to this wee part Alexander who moved to The Raasay hall was an ideal of northwest Scotland. Clachan with his wife Ann setting for an informal Macleod (parents of 10); Am Bratach: Raasay’s Community Newsletter 4 September 2016 Rentokil Olympic Games JEN BURNET wrote this poem to Rentokil after the London Olympics in 2012. They didn’t invent a trap for Hebridean mice, but they did send her a complimentary standard one. Each year I spend six months on a Hebridean Isle And let me inform you the mice there have reason to smile… They are not like their city dwelling cousins, pallid and thin. No, they are robust and strong, unlike their pampered southern kin. So when I hear in my loft the trap shut with a click, When I rush upstairs, I find the mouse with one hefty kick Has escaped from the trap pushing open the lid And stuffing cheese in his mouth, down the drainpipe he’s slid… Now, I didn’t want any destruction to bring to this peaceful life, Nor did I want to add to the wee mouse’s trouble and strife. But I have to say my patience is now growing thin And though I know too much cheddar cheese is no sin… What I do consider is that you are somewhat to blame For the fun these mice are having, they consider a most excellent game. For miles they are coming just to show off their power. (I know you’ll tell me ‘mainland mice’ in your traps remain inside and cower) But I insist you need to invent a stronger trap to catch these mice. They might look quite cute but they’re just full of vice, And there’s just no knowing what evil tricks they’ll come up with next And each day I am increasingly vexed… The word has gone round that in the trap they are putting papers on which are printed their names Getting ready to compete in the next “Rentokil Olympic Games”. They’d be most grateful if more traps I could order from you So the competitors can proudly show just what they can do. To see which of them can escape with the most speed And downstairs run to see which on the most cheese he can feed. So, dear Rentokil, I feel of Hebridean nous you’re out of touch. So do get on and invent a trap which is much Much more strong that won’t let the beasts have ‘Freedom to Roam’ For soon it may be the case of it either being them or me who can continue to live in this, MY home. So I would beg you to no longer delay Because to feed all these beasts I can no longer pay. And of course, for the sake of your public relations I must add That your name is growing in disrepute on these isles… Now that’s gotta be bad… Am Bratach: Raasay’s Community Newsletter advertising rates, per year: 15% discount for 12 issues paid upfront, i.e. 12 issues for the price of 10! Am Bratach: Raasay’s Community Newsletter 5 September 2016 A glimpse of ‘recent’ past BY VAL COREY In summer 1969 two eighteen-year-old students 24/7 and in complete control of healthcare on from Southampton College for Girls came to the the island. She visited the elderly every day to island as a result of receiving a Ford Foundation ensure their well-being and was responsible for Trust Travel Scholarship. It is both pleasing and all care from cradle to grave! surprising that they chose Raasay as their Although very wisely they desisted from all destination for their ‘Sociological and Economic criticism of affairs on Raasay it is clear that they Survey’. did not view Dr Green’s regime as ideal and in In just three weeks they gathered together a the section on Raasay’s future they suggest remarkable account of data on every aspect of several improvements which have since come to island life at that time and as the 50 th pass! It would be good to ask them back and anniversary of their visit looms close, they have show them what has been achieved in the last sent us a copy of their work in the hope that it 50 years. will be of interest and provoke memories. This is a remarkably mature work for two such The survey is broken up into well-defined young women to have compiled.