JUNE 2014

Welcome Readers to the June edition of The Crier.

It is Easter Monday as I begin my article and what a wonderful holiday weekend we have had; the shorts and Tshirts taken out from their winter quarters and gracing parks and beaches around the country and the gardeners busy sowing, planting and cutting.

From an interest point of view I looked up the origin of the actual word Easter and one of the findings is it is derived from the word EOSTRE, the name of a pagan goddess associated with spring but the Festival of Easter as we know it is the Resurrection, The most important date in the Christian Calendar. Just a little bit of information for you to digest.

Anyway as I write it is the last day of the school holidays and by the time you read your Crier thoughts will have turned to the summer holidays and we are all hoping for another summer like last year.

Different organisations will now be at the forefront----- tennis will have taken over from badminton, the Bowling Green will have reopened, the WRI will be thinking about Kinross and Perth Shows, The Hortcultural  are now busy outside, tidying up and planting.

I am looking forward to seeing Nurse Peattie's garden and the Rough Glen. Incidentally from where did the name The Coach Road come? In all the years I lived in Abernethy I never heard that name applied to any road nor track nor did I ever hear my late husband, whose family belonged to Abernethy since time immemorial, speak of a Coach Road. I hope someone will enlighten me on this subject.

It is strange how one thought leads to another-----I never discovered why two places in Abernethy are named after battles in the Crimean War, Alma and Inkerman; both fought against the Russians in1854, by the British and their allies, the French and the Turks. Don't be deluded in thinking I remembered these details from studying history at school, that was too long ago! However modern technology is amazing in reminding us of the past. The situation today in that part of the world is not so different!!

How one's mind wanders. I had better bring it back to present day Abernethy.

Congratulations to all involved in the Parks' Project; The Powrie Park is looking really good now, such a lot of hard work has had to be done, both physically and mentally, raising money, planning and getting down to basics with spades, forks, loppers etc. Well done to all involved.

Looking further forward fingers will be crossed for a lovely sunny day on the 21st June for the fete. It seems no time since last year’s fete. A full programme of events etc appears in this issue.

Don't forget entries for the Short Story Competition must be submitted by the 31st July. I am sure many of you have a story to write.

Also the tickets are now on sale to win a round of  golf at Blairgowrie.

Finally I was sorry to hear of the death of Pamela Cain MBE, a most remarkable lady who contributed so much to Abernethy during the many years she lived here. Her interests were many and varied. as you will read in this edition. She will be sorely missed in the community

Till we meet again in September, have a good summer.                                                  Hilda Clow.

EDITOR’S VIEW

EDITORS VIEW

I spotted the unsung heroes of the village a few weeks ago, George Brown, Brigit McDonald and Sheena McNaughton. George cutting the grass of the common land at the top of Manse road and Sheena and Brigit doing the rounds picking up litter and keeing our streets clean. A big thanks to you guys from the village.

During the Easter break I took the grand kids to the Powrie Park, they love it now there are lots of new playthings to go on. I think a big thanks must also go to the Park ProjecCommittee for their hard work to make our park a great facility.

The Homecoming, Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup are coming to Scotland this summer. Visitors from around the world will be passing through staying in the village. Let’s make sure we give them warm welcome and work hard to keep the villages neat and tidy for these visitors.

You may have noticed that there has been a gradual decline in the number of articles being submitted to the Crier over the last year or so. We would love to hear again from organisations such as the School, Community Council, Perth Councillors and the Church. The Crier is only as good as the people who contribute. Have a great summer.  The Ed