Yes! We have some fantastic new noticeboards, designed and constructed by John Eve, and put in place by John and Alistair Grier.

This follows agreement by members at the last Annual General Meeting that the FVA should fund replacements for the noticeboards on the Brae and at the foot of the Brae.

Those of you who have experienced the thumb-breaking difficulty of pushing drawing pins into the old marine ply boards will appreciate the fact that it is all done by magnets now – the new noticeboards have a magnetic sheet at the back and so it’s simple to add or move notices using the small magnets provided.

There is also a glass front to provide protection from the rain and wind, so no need to laminate notices – in fact, it’s best not to, as the magnets will work better with unlaminated paper. Oh, and pleeeze don’t try to use staples or pins, which will damage the magnetic sheet, to attach notices!

(NB the weak structure mentioned above has nothing to do with the noticeboards!)

Many thanks to John for his generous contribution of time and effort – a really great result!

Saved from Landfill!

Well done and a huge thank you to all those collecting their medicine and vitamin blister packs and delivering them to Clach an Tuirc – what a haul Jenny is taking to Superdrug in Perth! And all this will be recycled instead of adding to landfill!

Jenny says keep them coming – just please remember to check that they’re all empty and that it’s only the blister packs that she recycles – no other packaging please!

Other packaging like card can be recycled via your blue bin and soft plastic can be recycled at all supermarkets, including the Co-op. Thanks again!

Fraser MacLean

We were all saddened to hear of the passing of Fraser Maclean, a long-term resident of Fearnan and friend to many in the community.

Fraser, was a retired flight engineer, having served in the RAF for 38 years including a 6-month term of duty in the Falklands War where he worked with the Hercules fleet. He came to Fearnan in 1995 and purchased Clach an Tuirc from Liz Menzies.

He met Trish in 1997 and, although Trish was initially concerned that they lived too far apart, romance blossomed, and they married in 2001.  Both Fraser and Trish were very involved in village events and were always willing to lend a hand to make sure things ran smoothly.

At that time, there was a well-subscribed country dancing group that met every week in the Hall. Fraser was the backbone of the dancing – he called the dances, made up the programs, saw to the music and everything. He got a lot of fun (and considerable frustration!) out of getting everybody through the dances.

Trish recalls happy times once the dancing was over and the group – including Andy Burt, Liz Menzies, Julia, Hazel and Keith and others – would re-convene in Clach an Tuirc, or in the Pottery or at No1 Dalchiaran where much wine was consumed, and great laughs and discussions were had. Hazel and Keith credit Fraser and Trish with beginning their love of Scottish dance.

Fraser loved Fearnan and the community and put off leaving the village for as long as he could. He and Trish finally left in 2018 for health reasons after over 20 years at Clach an Tuirc.

Moving house after 20 years isn’t easy – particularly for someone like Fraser who hated throwing things out, and despite Trish’s best efforts, he managed to transfer a half-filled coal skuttle (despite the fact there wasn’t an open fire in the new house), a parachute, and an unused bandage dated 1941 to the new house!

Fraser and Trish made a huge contribution to the Fearnan community and were much missed when they left. We send our sincere condolences and very warm wishes to Trish at this time.

Handam Pop-Up Shop

Ros Grant writes:

Ideas for fundraising are always on the Hall Committee’s agenda, particularly as the McLean Hall was not included initially on this year’s Thrift Shop rota.  We need funds for the recently installed window blinds and for development of the Hall’s front exterior.  When we realised that we could rent space in the refill shop Handam Aberfeldy, Linda, a Committee member suggested that we should try a Pop-up Shop and run a trial for three days. 

We needed quality items to sell so donations came from publicity about the Pop-up shop idea on notice board posters and leaflets to Fearnan homes and the surrounding area plus advertising on local Facebook sites.  Donations brought a range of items such as clothes, shoes, bags, pictures and household goods and from Glenlyon an old oak chest of drawers and dresser.  The chest formed part of the Pop-up shop’s window display and resulted in an early sale.

Volunteers helped to sort, pack and transport from the Hall to the shop and back again after the three-day sale.  Our Pop-up Shop was staffed by Hall Committee members and other Fearnan friends and open for the same hours as Handam 10-5 for Thursday and Friday then 10-4 on Saturday, the final day.  We sold a range of items from our eclectic mix to locals and overseas visitors, despite damp weather at times.   Some pictures and the dresser were sold online via local Facebook groups.

A whopping great £1,743 was raised for the maintenance and development of the McLean Hall.

A huge thank you to all who donated items and to our volunteers who worked tirelessly in the sale preparation, in the shop and clearing up afterwards.

Fearnan Book Club

Linda writes:

A recent book read by the group, was No Great Mischief, a 1999 novel by Alistair MacLeod.

The novel mirrors Canadian history, taking its title from James Wolfe’s assertion at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham that Scottish soldiers should be sent into battle because “they are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country and no great mischief if they fall.”

The novel explores MacDonald family relationships and history through flashbacks to their childhood in Cape Breton Island, mines in Northern Ontario, clan history and the extended family in modern day Canada. 

Opinions in the group varied. Some thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it an incredible piece of work. A few were not impressed and felt it was more autobiographical, the narrator of the book being Alexander MacDonald. The repetitive and initially slow-moving style didn’t grab them, and they felt there were no peaks. 

Others liked the descriptions of the wild landscape of Cape Breton and the mining camp. The two grandfathers were popular characters, whose differing personalities were well illustrated. There was a fascination with their stories, experiences and knowledge of the Scottish clan system they left behind when they emigrated. Eventually they became a separate Nova Scotian Clan: red-haired and black-eyed, and with its own history.

The emotional bond of the family through the ages was well portrayed and links were made. The modern character, Alexander, was an orthodontist and the book includes a description was of his ancestor Calum having a tooth pulled by attaching a string to a moving horse.

The strong message throughout was always look after your blood relatives and the very fitting quote “all of us are better when we’re loved” summed up the family interactions through the ages.

Many Scottish readers can relate or compare elements of the story with their own family history.

Our next read is American Dirt, a 2020 novel by Jeanine Cummins.

It is an emotional and thought-provoking story of a Mexican bookseller who has to escape cartel-related violence with her son.