EDITOR’S VIEW

I hope that, by the time you are all reading this, the community will have something in place to acknowledge the contribution Kathleen Baird, Councillor Kathleen Baird, has made to this area over the years. When I was chair of the community council, Kathleen and I had many heated discussions, many differing opinions on Abernethy issues, but she has worked hard for this area, not just as a Councillor, and in my opinion deserves some sort of recognition for her efforts.

Abernethy in Bloom are again busy beautifying Nurse Peattie’s Memorial garden and will shortly have an additional area to maintain, the Heritage Garden. The contractors have made a great job of laying it out and building those beautiful drystane dykes. Alas there are always a few people in the village who will moan about things like this and get their facts wrong about who is financing the project. See the Abernethy In Bloom article for the true story of the funding.

By now the Museum of Abernethy will be open and in full swing with some great new exhibits. The museum has a very small team that does big things. Get along there and support this very valuable village asset.

On Saturday August 6th the village is being visited by Mr and Mrs Davis from the US. Mr and Mrs Davis, descendants of the Roy family, very kindly paid for the upgrading of the Tower floodlights and in recognition of their very kind contribution to the village the Community Council are organising an event at the Tower. A plaque will be unveiled by the couple and invited guests will retire to Jamesfield for afternoon tea.

Have a great summer and try and support as many local events as possible.

Jimmy Swan

FROM THE CHAIR

We are living through very strange times. Who would have imagined that within two years we would have experienced a pandemic, food shortages, climate change, a war and economic problems? Not very happy times, but living in Abernethy and its surrounding area gives us more freedom and relaxation than those dwelling in towns and cities both at home and abroad. We are very fortunate people and any of our worries are trivial in comparison to those who live elsewhere.

So, what is happening in Abernethy and District? Quite a lot as you will discover as you turn over the pages of this edition of the Crier.

First and foremost, on a personal note I would like to thank Mrs Kathleen Baird for her long and dedicated service on Perth and Kinross District Council and especially what she has achieved in promoting the interests of the people of Abernethy. It is always a big advantage having a local person on the Council. Hopefully this will continue.

There is a great deal of interesting reading this quarter both present day and historical; from the new exhibitions in the museum to the progress on the Heritage Garden.

On the historical side, I hope everyone will find out more by visiting the museum,. Details of opening times etc can be found within the Crier or on the website.

Not too many people around today remember the plane crash but I was speaking to someone quite recently (no longer residing in Abernethy) who was there at the time and managed to pick up a few "souvenirs" however these souvenirs were collected by the local policeman   (Yes we used to have our own bobby in Abernethy) and my friend's mother being a highly respected member of the community handed them over.

The Heritage Garden is now surrounded by a beautiful drystane dyke, a real work of art. I am so looking forward to seeing the completion of this project..

I am going to end my contribution here and leave you to read for yourselves the variety of content in this edition from star-gazing to witches, facts and fiction!! Enjoy, what we hope will be a sunny warm summer and an end to many concerns affecting us all world wide.

Hilda Clow