FROM THE EDITOR

Sitting here on a damp and dreich October Monday looking out the window, we’re in another partial lockdown, and so it goes on.

I think there was a fear the number of those infected would start to rise during the winter months and the Scottish Government have had to use all in their arsenal to try and slow the infection rate down. I wonder how they coped locally in 1919 with the Spanish flu.

That made me think how very different it must have been more than100 years ago. One thing we would have been doing then was buying locally. Not as far back as that but when I was a bairn in Abernethy many mothers shopped in the village shops, as there were many of them compared to today. The only one left is Brian’s. In the early 1960s there were 2 general merchants, a baker, a Co-op, a Co-op toy shop, a Post Office, a butcher, 2 pubs, a hotel, a bike repair shop, a photographic and general merchant, a library, a bank, a dairy plus all the other tradesmen, builders, joiners etc etc.

With this pandemic we have found, as a country, that we were short of certain essentials because these essentials come from a country atthe other side of the globe, things you would have thought we could make ourselves. Do we not make anything any more? I think this has been a steep learning curve for governments and possibly a lesson learned by ourselves, so let’s do more local shopping, let’s do more for ourselves and let’s not rely on other countries to manufacture every damn thing. Some industries were short of something simple like a nut and bolt, surely we could make our own. We will get through this, but at what cost? When buying from a shop or ordering online try where possible to buy from this country; let’s make Scotland and the UK great again.

Stay Safe

Jimmy

FROM THE CHAIR

I find it hard to believe we are approaching the end of another year. A year to remember or a year to forget  I think it is a year which will not easily be forgotten for a long time to come, a year which has affected the world one way or another as never before. When in living memory were we ever banned from inviting callers into our homes, when were we ever banned from visiting relations and friends either in their own homes or in hospital or care homes, and last December did it ever cross our minds that holidays would be cancelled, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, restaurants, pubs and shops would be closed?  

Looking on the bright side, as each day passes we are heading towards a new year and springtime and we have had a beautiful autumn.

Over the end of summer and early autumn we wondered how many articles we might have for the December issue as no-one seemed to have any news because of the limited life-style forced upon us. However, as usual, Abernethy has come up with the goods and once again we have managed to produce thirty-six pages of colour and interest; quite a change from our first edition in 2008, 1 sheet of A4 paper printed on both sides!. Now we have thirty-six pages, photographs, adverts, colour and a great variety of articles contributed by you, the readers. Without you there would be no Crier. You have a good read ahead, so forget the doom and gloom for a little while. Plenty here to bring a smile to your faces..

One little point of local historical interest, the bench commemorating the Queen's Jubilee was one of the projects of the first Abernethy Community Council. Prior to regionalisation Abernethy was served by a Provost and Town Council.

Christmas and New Year are nearly upon us and I know we will all be hoping and praying for a better time to come, and I am sure it will. For a start we can look forward to seeing the Christmas tree and lights in Nurse Peattie's garden. Thank you to Branston for giving us the tree and to Abernethy in Bloom for lighting our lives over Christmas and New Year.

My warmest and best wishes to you all.

Hilda Clow