Education Bill

Like Ben said in Local Hero “there’s a lot of work left on this beach yet” (something like that,)and similarly there is a lot of history to be learnt yet, about Fort William.

I kept hearing mention of Annat village and I just assumed it was from ‘Roger’s’ road back towards town and included the whole industrial estate - Harbros, Sawmill, Ferguson’s, the Boat Yard etc.

But people who knew, meant the Lost Village of Annat. So then I couldn’t work out where that had been. There’s a tiny but very informative and nostalgic exhibit in the West Highland Museum until mid August. I asked Billy if he fancied a visit.

I didn’t ascertain just who it was that has taken the time to gather stories about this unique village of around 200 homes (or people?) but it’s a wonderful collection of stories and photographs - full of names that I recognise as Caol and Fort William names. Mathers, Shearer,Prosser,Confield etc.

Billy remembered the Naval Base at Corpach and the prefabricated homes that were created on the edge of town to house the military from 1942-1944, which became the village of Annat. There was a cinema where the old sawmill was that he used to go to. I’d thought the British Aluminium factory was a big enough target for bombers, but the large naval base was another worthwhile target.

When the base closed, the houses became available to the homeless who were such, because there had been no house building over the war years. We met a woman who’d been relocated to Kinlochleven when the village was bulldozed in the early 1950’s, and now lives in Glasgow and had come up to see the exhibit. The first thing she saw were 3 photographs that she was in. She said that her family had lived in one room rented in a house at Lundavra - her parents and her siblings. When they got a house at Annat it was amazing. 2 rooms, a toilet separate from the bathroom and a solid fuel cooking stove which only worked when you lit the fire in the living room! The countryside, views, friends - life was brilliant there. There was a school, shop and delivery van - driven by Billy’s great Uncle Peter McMillan.

Most folk moved to the village of Caol once the houses there were completed.

It’s a very small part of the museums treasure and is only there for another 6 weeks.

Billy and I had a quick lunch next door at the cinema before taking a sneaky peak at the site of the old village.

The hard standing terraces that were left made the perfect site for a caravan park - with the best sunsets within the town locale.

In the name of Educating Morag, Billy and I were talking about motorbikes and I remembered the bike Spook had (only just barely working) when we first met. It was an MZ. I knew absolutely nothing about that brand and learnt from Billy, all about Ernst Deger and his defection from East Germany with secrets of the MZ make-up and the drama of smuggling his family out in the false boot of a large car. I’d forgotten all about the Stasi - the secret service of East Germany

Another day I managed to educate Billy about a young woman I’d heard about on a podcast. Mary Manning who went on strike from Dublins Dunnes store in 1984 to protest against Apartheid and ultimately resulted in Ireland banning produce from South Africa, although she and her fellow 10 workers were on strike for 2yrs and 9 months on £21 strike pay a week. Desmond Tutu visited them and an African living in Ireland told them that South Africa was like a pint of Guiness - a small amount of white people on top and a lot of black underneath.

Christy Moore wrote a song about it. Called Dunnes Stores, funnily enough.

In between all the educational stuff, Courr continued on his determined path to remove Jane from his life in an effort to create his own apartheid where she does not get to share the same space as him. He carried her bowl to the river thinking she’d pursue him and maybe get washed away. But she didn’t care, and stayed at home with Billy.

Goats came back to live at Inveroy after many years absence. They had to get on a boat on Loch Nevis and travel the high seas to get to their new abode. Just as Courr had thought that Jane was his only problem…..

After a goats chase dog scenario, immediately followed by horses chase goat scenario and dog runs between all animals in a total panic and wishes Jane was there to help him scenario, things quickly settled. Although head butting dogs is still their favourite thing, there’s good eating to be had.

The truce with Jane over the goats didn’t last. Billy, Alison and Tom - all Jane’s favourite people - went to a music festival at Portsoy and left her behind. She had to come and live in Courrs house at Banavie. She became devoted to Spook and followed him everywhere. He spent the whole weekend welding his car and she spent the time sleeping in the drivers seat.

She got very territorial and told Ted the Collie to feck off, which was a shame cos Ted’s been coming round for years and is quite nice. So I put a muzzle on her and she took the huff. Courr was in a permanent huff the whole weekend so it was no odds to him.

Then I took the huff as I had to leave the marital bed and sleep next door with the disgruntled Courr.

Courr and I were both delighted when we delivered her home to Billy’s lap and we could get our lives back in order.

Over the month I managed time to scribble in my sketchbook and entertain myself - I could do this all day everyday but no one would get fed!

Meanwhile, Finn and Courr get more alike every day.

And a wee love note from us to Rua ‘Scoobiedoo’ in Ireland who isn’t well. Wee love you. X

Happy Birthday Spook….. Love from…. Jane. Xx