Down Memory Lane

See what made the headlines in the Gazette in past decades.

TEN YEARS AGO

* CLYDESDALE MSP Karen Gillon slated the decision to close Clydesdale’s only psycho-geriatric ward, at Roadmeetings Hospital in Carluke, as being “short-sighted” and urged health officials to think again.

* marion leitch retired from Carluke Health Centre after 22 years as a district nurse there. Her career had started way back in 1957 at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital For Sick Children.

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* the new Carluke Gala Committee had taken its first tentative steps towards organising the 2005 gala, following the postponement of the 2004 event. Chairperson Ruby Mitchell said that the 10-strong committee had agreed on a venue for the event and had received its first cash donation.

* biggar man Bruce Fraser (48) was the proud recipient of a silver Churchill medallion, following his sterling efforts in teaching skiing to a group of disabled or overweight people in America.

* the previous month had seen one of the wettest but warmest Junes in Clydesdale for 50 years. June 2004 had suffered 105mm of rain, making it the third wettest after 114.8mm in 1966 and 105.4mm in 1980.

* five-time British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition by completing the world famous London to Sydney Marathon. The Lanarkian, co-driven by Bruce Lyle, covered 10,000 gruelling miles in a Toyota Corolla, travelling through France, Italy Greece, Turkey, India and Australia. His 30-day journey ended in front of the Sydney Opera House.

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* CARLUKE High School pupil Frankie Murphy had won recent karate events in Holytown, Wishaw and Meadowbank.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

* One of Clydesdale’s most successful companies announced plans to triple its workforce within three years. Data Analysis and Research Ltd launched in New Lanark four years previously and wanted to swell the workforce from 55 to 150 by 1992.

* Carluke residents raised more than £7,000 for the 1989 Christian Aid Appeal. With more money still to come in, the splendid total had already surpassed the previous year’s fundraising effort.

* Clydesdale couple Thomas and Christina McRoberts celebrated their gold wedding anniversary. The couple had created headlines 50 years earlier when they dashed to Gretna Green to tie the knot.

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* Sixteen-year-old Louise Lang was named the Dux of Carluke High School. Louise planned to return to school to continue her studies in S6 before moving onto university.

* Biggar High School pupil Fiona Maxwell emerged as one of the runners-up in the finals of the Young Knitting Designer of the Year competition, held in Brighton. The competition attracted 7,000 entries from across the country.

* Vandals struck at the first of the new ornamental tubs set up by the Biggar organising committee of the Beautiful Scotland in Bloom competition. The damage occurred only a few days after it had been ceremonially inaugurated by local district councillor Tom McAlpine.

* Major renovations started at Lanark Sheriff Court. The work was expected to last 16 months.

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* Occupants of a half dozen council houses in Libberton won their fight to have serious defects in their homes put right. They sent out a petition on March 17 about the poor state of their homes and Clydesdale District Council took action.

* James Scott, of Lanark Army Cadets, was presented with his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at Holyrood Palace. Nineteen-year-old James had been a member of the cadets since he was 13.

* eleventh hour moves by planners and the Secretary of State for Scotland saved the 170 year old disused church in Braehead from being demolished. The church was a second category listed building.

* Local baseball player Colin Lewis was on course to write his name into the history books - by becoming the first Scot to play for Great Britain at his sport.

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