April 2002

The complete text of the headlines above follows.

April 26th 2002

WE have already introduced the young people who will reign over Maybole Gala festivities. Now it's time to meet the Royal aides to Fraser Thomson and Gayle Barr, who will be crowned King and Queen of Carrick. Fraser and Gayle are P7 pupils of Gardenrose Primary, and Maybole's other two primary schools will provide the Royal aides. They are: Liam Parker and Chelsea Henderson, P7s at Cairn; and Blair Sloan and Claire Strang, P7s at St Cuthbert's. Maybole Community Association organises the gala day, and groups taking part should go along to the town hall on Wednesday, May 1, to collect £100 to help the cost of floats and costumes. Cash has come through a Queen's Golden Jubilee year award to the association for Maybole Gala Day on Saturday, June 15. Events leading up to the big day include a bowls tournament on Saturday, June 8, and an ecumenical service is planned for Crossraguel Abbey on Sunday, June 9. A quiz is being held on Monday, June 10 (£5 entry for teams of four), and there is a fun pet show on Tuesday, June 11. Local emergency services hold an open day on Sunday, June 16, the day after the gala.

A NEW leaflet, listing all Maybole's voluntary groups, is being compiled by Maybole Community Development Group. And a draft copy has been sent out to different groups to make sure they are happy with it. Peter Walker of MCDG stressed: "Should anyone wish to amend an entry, they must contact us before April 26, as we will be printing and distributing colour copies in May." He added: "If there is any further information a group wants included - subject to space - such as meeting place and time, they should tell us." Peter said MCDG had tried to list every organisation, and he hoped the new leaflet would help people make contact.

MCDG is also looking for articles, photographs and details of events for the next edition of Maybole Community News. The free paper, from the publishers of the Ayrshire Post, is distributed to every house in the town. If you have any information you would like others to know about, please pop into the MCDG office at 48/50 High Street, and tell them.

MAYBOLE Town Hall Indoor Bowling Club members have enjoyed another successful season. All three full-length carpets, plus bowls, were renewed thanks to a Sportscotland lottery grant. Thanks also goes to local sponsors International Packaging Corporation for renewal of the Interpak Shield. Carrick Round Table has also generously contributed a new shield for an annual competition. Trophy winners: League Trophy - C. Donnelly; Gents' Championship - T. J. Lucas, runner-up - D. Harvey; Ladies' Championship - H. Sloan, r-up - K. Cuthbert. Interpak Shield - A. Davidson, r-up - D. Harvey; J. Wallace Cup - T.J. Lucas, r-up - D. Harvey; P. McEwan Cup - A. Davidson, r-up - D. Harvey; D. Knox Trophy - I. Johnstone, r-up - K. Cuthbert. There was a picture of the winners.

MAYBOLE town twinners travel to France next month to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the official signing of their agreement with Crosne, near Paris. There will be a service of commemoration, followed by a dinner, on the Friday evening of the weekend visit. A guided tour of Paris will take place on the Saturday, and in the evening, back in Crosne, there will be a torchlight procession. Crosne's Pentecost Carnival parade is held on the Sunday, with fireworks and a dance in the evening. Twinners will enjoy a family picnic on the Monday before leaving for home. Maybole twinners are looking forward to meeting all the friends they have made over the past two decades. And it should be quite an international weekend. Twinners from Schotten in Germany, Beloeil in Belgium, Arco in Italy, Rymarov in the Czech Republic, are amongst others preparing to descend on the French town. that weekend. All of them have connections either with Crosne or Maybole, so it should be a memorable weekend of entente cordiale.

POSTIE postie do not flag, we know success is in the bag! That's what well-wishers hope, as Maybole postman Alex Gemmell gets ready to tackle the 95-mile West Highland Way. And Alex is looking for all the sponsors he can get, to raise cash for cot death research. Alex (52) only became a postie in January, and previously worked 27 years with British Aerospace at Prestwick. He starts the walk on Sunday, May 12, accompanied by Compaq workers Gordon McMillan and Simon Spencer. Alex said: "If you see me delivering mail, please stop me and sponsor me for a good cause.

HUNDREDS took part in the annual church parade held by the Ayr Battalion of the Boys' Brigade.
Maybole was the venue this year, and the parade was led by the 2nd Prestwick (Kingcase) BB Pipe Band. The parade route was from Cairn Primary School, via Kirkland Street, St Cuthbert's Road and Cassillis Road, to Maybole Old Church. Joining local BBs in the parade were boys from Bo'ness, who were on their annual camp at the Old Church Hall. Colours were brought into the church during the opening hymn - Will Your Anchor Hold? And Rev Dave Whiteman drew breaths when he opened a can of dog food and tucked in! He then invited a young BB to try it. But the can marked `dog food' actually contained fruit salad. And the minister made the point that appearances can be deceptive. In his lesson on the `armour of God', the Geordie minister donned a Newcastle United jersey. And he was happy to attract good-natured boos from Ayr boys who support a team which also play in black and white. The service also featured the presentation of Battalion certificates to boys who have achieved the Queen's Award - the movement's highest honour. They are: 2nd Prestwick (Kingcase) - Andrew Massie, Shahzad Rafiq, Jason Bosworth. 1st Troon - Rhodri Stevenson, Craig Benson, David Moffat, Alastair Kerr, Graham McKinlay, Andrew Benson. 4th Ayr (St Andrew's) - Blair Anderson, David Malakoty, Graeme Jordan. 8th Ayr (St James) - Drew Galloway, Scott Robinson, Gordon Thomson, Blair Dillon. 17th Ayr (Castlehill) - Richard Hardie, Ian McIntyre.

April 19th 2002

MAYBOLE trainers May-Tag have done their own bit of European trail-blazing. And three of their students have just passed the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) test. They are: May-Tag trainer Grace Barrie, May-Tag director William Grant and Maybole resident Margaret-Anne Taylor. All three were keen to update computer skills they use at work, and the ECDL is recognised throughout Europe. May-Tag manager Ellen Hawkes pointed out: "It's a very user-friendly course. And it can be studied from the manual at home, if that is how you learn best." Mrs Hawkes and a dozen others at May-Tag are also well on their way to completing the course. She said: "The course was run using the government's Individual Learning Account scheme, which has been temporarily suspended in Scotland. However, May-Tag hope that evening classes will soon start again at the castle - from very basic courses to the full computer driving licence. We are working with Community Education to ensure that we can put on all the computer courses which people in the town want to have available."

MAYBOLE'S website continues to attract incredible attention from all over the world. Statistics for March show 303,329 `hits' on www.maybole.org And those viewing it spent 1,518 hours checking out matters old and new on Carrick's capital. Site authors Rich Pettit, from Clearwater, Florida, and Maybole Community Council chairman David Kiltie are delighted. And they have paid tribute to everyone who has contributed material to make the site so interesting. Rich has designed pages for new work by Dave Killicoat of Maybole Historical Society, who wrote to Rich saying: "I am stunned. What an example of how information can be presented and preserved, with easy access to all."

MAYBOLE branch of Save the Children needs help with the national fundraising week (Sunday, April 28 to Saturday, May 4). The branch covers all of Carrick, and collectors are needed for door-to-door and street collections. If you can help, please phone 0845 606 4027 or 01563 524341.

TOP horticulture trainer John Wellings has left May-Tag for pastures new at Turnberry Hotel. But the Maybole-based company gave John a musical send-off, with a cheque to buy a CD player. John was more than five years with May-Tag, introducing a host of people to landscaping skills. And he was renowned for his happy knack of being able to fix almost any machinery that wouldn't work! John will be sadly missed, as will the sight of his old Army jeep and pet pooch on May-Tag sites.

PLANS for two musical showcases in Maybole are well under way, with many local organisations and individuals taking part. Maybole Community Council came up with the idea to mark its 25th anniversary. Among those taking part are all four schools, local churches, the Opportunities in Retirement group, Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra, Maybole Pipe Band, Maybole Concert Party and soloists. Programmes will be different for the town hall shows on May 31 and June 1. Rehearsal times have been arranged for May 23 (6.30 to 10pm) and May 30, when there will also be a sound check. The town hall will also be open to schools on the morning of Friday, May 31, for rehearsals and sound checks.

April 12th 2002

FRASER Thomson and Gayle Barr will reign over this year's Maybole Gala.
The Gardenrose P7 pair have been chosen as King and Queen of Carrick for 2002.
And the 12-year-olds will be crowned at the gala on Saturday, June 15. Maybole's annual summer day of fun is organised by the town's community association - and members have been given a major boost this year. They have received a Queen's Golden Jubilee Year award which should help to enhance the parade and activities in the way a similar cash grant did in Millennium year. Money is available for local groups to help meet the cost of decorating floats and providing costumes for Gala Day. Any group interested in applying for funds should get in touch with Derek Walker at the town hall as soon as possible. The Post published pictures of Fraser and Gayle. More about the Kings and Queens of Carrick here.

WE have been loaned a picture of a Kirkoswald Primary School class from 1966, with teacher Miss Kathleen Byers. And it's something of a collector's piece - for the school closed in 1988. The pupils will now be in their early 40s, and hopefully won't mind being branded `history'! In their day, the school had a healthy roll of more than 50 pupils. But that had plummeted to just nine in June, 1988, when the school bell sounded for the last time. Tom Petticrew, who lives in retirement in Alloway, was headmaster from 1969 till the school closed. And he taught these pupils when they reached the P6 and 7 class. Mr Petticrew recalls: "Kirkoswald Primary was closed under Strathclyde Regional Council's `Adapting to Change' programme. "And I believe Assel Primary at Pinmore shut at the same time. "It was a shame, because in the years after closure there were more youngsters in the village again." Miss Byers, who lives in retirement in Girvan, taught at Kirkoswald Primary between 1955 and 1972. She then spent four years teaching at a missionary school in India, before returning home for a spell at Dailly Primary. photo.

CARRICK Chess Club defeated Largs 3«-« in their latest fixture. Scores were: Steell MacFadzean 1, Stuart Henderson 0; John Bryden «, G.A. Hilligan «; Athol Macgilchrist 1, Hugh Miller 0; Marie Bryden 1, D.D. O'Donnell 0. Marie and John Bryden played for Carrick club as teenagers. They now live in Kilwinning but still support their old mates.

THERE'S never a dull moment at Cairn Primary School's nursery class in Maybole. Staff keep the youngsters busy with activities designed to educate as well as entertain. There's fun things to build, using a range of materials, as well as loads of hands-on puzzles and shapes. Youngsters have their imaginations stretched in all kinds of fun and `make believe' situations. And good old story-time never goes out of fashion! Four-year-olds attend Cairn's nursery class in the mornings, and three-year-olds go in the afternoons. If your child is aged two or above, you should get in touch with the school as soon as possible.. photos

THERE was no reason for any Maybole youngsters to be bored during the Easter holidays, as they had quite a range of activities to choose from to keep them amused. South Ayrshire Council had organised golf and tennis tuition, and fun sessions at Maybole Pool. Meanwhile, attractions in the Town Hall included a circus workshop, with numerous skills to try, and a children's spectacular. The golf tuition was provided by the professional at Brunston Castle Golf Course, with three lessons each week of the break. At Carrick Academy, there were two session of Fun Tennis in each week, consisting mostly of fun games, but with a little coaching from Gordon Cowell. The Town Hall had Ross and Lexie from the Big Top Circus Workshop teaching the youngsters to juggle, spin plates and other circus skills. Fifi the Clown provided plenty of entertainment also in the Town Hall with songs, stories, puppets, games and dancing. There was a fun session at Maybole Pool with rafts, floats, and shapes, and the final activity was a Pool Disco last Friday evening. photos

April 5th 2002

THE Ayr Battalion of the Boys' Brigade converges on Maybole on Sunday, April 14, for the annual church parade. A marching band and parade leaves Cairn Primary School at 10.30am, in time for the service in Maybole Old Church at 11am. Ayr Battalion will be joined by a company from Bo'ness who are on a joint `camp' with Maybole in the Old Church halls from April 12-14. Bo'ness and Maybole boys will march together to symbolise their growing links.

MAYBOLE is ready to step back in time as part of national History Week 2002. Maybole Historical Society plans several events to promote the history of the town and surrounding parishes. And it is hoped the activities will bring visitors to the town, both in history week (May 4-12) and throughout the summer. Events planned include exhibitions by Ayrshire Archives and South Ayrshire Museums; display of old photos of Maybole; talks on the natural history of Carrick. The culmination of the week will be a history fair in Maybole Town Hall on Saturday, May 11. Maybole Historical Society takes part in a number of projects. And the society is appealing for help with tasks including: indexing of the 1851 census, indexing deaths in Maybole Old Parish records, recording memories of Maybole residents, making digital copies of letters of the Rev Roderick Lawson, and compiling a map showing the old street names alongside the new. More here.

MAYBOLE Amateurs won the Ayrshire Cup for the second time in three years on Saturday. And one of their players immediately gave away his cup medal! But it was a heart-warming gesture by Alan Brownlee, who scored one of Maybole's goals in a 2-0 victory over West Kilbride. And Alan gifted his medal to disabled Michael Waters, a faithful supporter in recent seasons. Maybole's lucky mascot at the cup final, played at Kilmarnock FC's Rugby Park, was none other than a Girvan boy! But three-year-old Andrew Falls is grandson of Maybole AFC committee man John Cuthbert. Click here for a report on Maybole's win.

AN Easter pilgrimage in Maybole reached its climax with a sunrise service at the war memorial on Sunday. The 6.30am service was followed by a warming breakfast in the West Church Hall. The Easter pilgrimage, organised by Maybole Council of Churches, began during Lent, with Lenten in various churches. Then Holy Week began with a moving Stations of the Cross service at St Cuthbert's Church on Wednesday of last week. There were services at both St Oswald's and St Cuthbert's on Thursday evening, and a Good Friday service at the Old Church - and all services were well attended.

MAYBOLE Pipe Band traditionally launches the season at Culzean Castle and Country Park. And the band was there on Easter Sunday, playing to a good turn-out of visitors. It was a first public outing with the band for two young drummers, Sarah Jess (12) and Sarah McDermott (14). And both acquitted themselves well in performances at the Fountain Court, opposite the castle, and at the Country Park Centre. Culzean attracted 7,000 visitors over four days of Easter - 400 up last year. "It's a very good start to the season," said Culzean Castle and Country Park property manager Gordon Riddell.

EASTER bonnet parades proved a big hit with the tots of Cairn nursery class in Maybole. The youngsters went on parade right round the other classes of Cairn Primary. Pupils and teachers of the classes judged the top three among morning nursery tots. The three-year-olds in the nursery's afternoon class had a visit from Cairn teachers. photos.