From the Archives of the Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald published on the 7 March 2007
100 YEARS AGO Friday March 8, 1907
THE North Ayrshire Auction Mart which has its headquarters at Kilwinning, has been taken over by Mr Dugald McKinnon, auctioneer, West Kilbride
AT the annual social and dance of Ardrossan Winton Rovers Football Club in the Town Hall on Friday songs were sung by Miss McNay, Miss Jackson, Mr JT Woodburn, Mr Hugh Allison, and humorous readings were given by Miss Jeanie Stewart.
THE meeting of West Kilbride Mutual Improvement Association last Wednesday debated the question: "Would a railway or tramway to the pier at Portencross benefit the locality and the negative was carried by a small majority.
AT the annual social of West Kilbride Mutual Improvement Association, the secretary, Miss Edith Young, reported that the membership was 226. Songs were sung by Miss Adams, and violin solos played by Master Jack G Smart
MR CS Parker, of Fairlie House, has presented a reference library of 22 volumes to Fairlie School
AT Ayrshire Quarter Sessions, Mr Alexander R Wilson, Solicitor, Irvine, was appointed joint Procurator Fiscal for Irvine, along with Mr J Norval Murray.
DR ALLAN, Ardrossan, has been appointed for the first year as medical officer to examine candidates for enrolment as junior students at Ardrossan Academy.
ARDROSSAN United Free Presbytery considered the proposal to unite the congregations of Mansfield, and Erskine Churches, Kilwinning, and agreed to take no action in the matter.
5O YEARS AGO Friday March 8, 1957
Plans for the erection of a new church at the comer site of Dalry Road and Stanley Road, Ardrossan, are now in the hands of the Church Extension Committee in Edinburgh, and it is hoped that work will begin in the very near future. This new church is in the area of Park Church Parish, and the present membership will be transported when the building has been completed. An invitation will be given to everyone in the area who may have no Church connection of who may wish to transfer, to come and worship at the new church.
THE unofficial strike of shipwrights at Ardrossan Dockyard Limited has now entered its third week, with no settlement in sight. The men-32 shipwrights, 14 apprentices and two boys - were employed on piecework and the dispute arose over a claim by the men for "a fairer distribution of piecework in the department and an increase in their rate of pay when not on "priced" jobs.
On the second day of the strike, Thursday February 21, they were offered an increase which brought their "Lieu" rate up to 5/- per hour, but the men turned it down on the grounds that corresponding rates in other departments in the yard were higher. On Thursday, Mr John Coleman, managing director of the yard, said that there were no further developments in the strike
ON the pavement side of the bridge dividing New Street and Shore Road, Stevenston, a handrail has been erected to keep children and pedestrians of the road at that dangerous point. MR Alex Duff, who represented the Stevenson Old Age Pensioners at London recently in connection with the request for an increase in pensions, was delighted with the arrangements made for them in London by their association.
POPULAR stationmaster at Largs for the past eight years, Mr George Manson will be retiring in almost a week's time having completed almost 50 years of railway service. He is a native of the Black Isle but will be spending his retirement in Largs, where he has many happy Associations.
25 YEARS AGO Friday March 5, 1982
ICI announced a £1m expansion project at their Ardeer Organics Division this week and although the cash injection will not create new permanent jobs, it will secure the future of 34 people working on the production of a unique chemical, Acorga. In the short term this investment will also bring work to Ayrshire contractors, who will benefit from the spin off of the £1m investment. The chemical has been pioneered at Stevenson and is now in great demand throughout the world's copper mining countries
The Acorga separates copper from other materials and is very useful in mines where the copper content in the ore is very low. The ore is broken down and then dissolved and Acorga added. The chemical acts like a "magnet the copper, enabling it to be extracted efficiently and cheaply compared with the traditional method of using electricity. Other similar chemicals had been used in the past for the mining industry but the unique quality of the Ardeer product is its sensitivity. An ICI spokesman said there was a possibility of further expansion in the markets for this product. perhaps for use in other mines. He also confirmed that ICI had no plans to produce Acorga many other of their plants.
A HURRICANE ravaged the Ayrshire coast this week...causing havoc and leaving chaos in its path. Buildings were damaged on Tuesday night, when winds of up to 100 miles per hour battered the West of Scotland. The former swimming pool in Saltcoats was described by onlooker as being like a bomb site as blocks of concrete were washed from the sea wall through the boating pond and onto the adjoining area.
A general storage shed, owned by Ardrossan Harbour Company, had part of its glass panelled roof blown into the building and at Mason's Furniture Shop in Dockhead Street, Saltcoats, part of the roof was ripped off in the gale. Tuesday night's gales reached Force 11 - hurricane level - and by Wednesday morning. Saltcoats police had already begun to receive complaints from tenants about damaged roofs.
In the Montfode Estate, Ardrossan, two garages were completely blown off their foundations. One garage was completely wrecked by the force of its fall and the other had a badly damaged roof. Wooden fencing in the estate was dragged from the ground as gusts raged through the streets.
Thanks to Tom McGrattan
for the original