Secretary report for Summer 2019 If you want to place an advert in future editions of the newsletter which is published three times a year then please contact me on 01358 789761 or e mail g_cdouglas@hotmail.com Foveran Community Council looks after the interest of the residents of Newburgh, Foveran, Udny Station and Cultercullen, and everything in between. The newsletter can be now be accessed after publication by anyone on https://foverannews.wordpress.com/electronic-news-letter/

We act as a focal point where you can bring to our attention matters that may concern you. Elected councillors from Aberdeenshire Council normally also attend our meetings which are open to all. A list of community councillors and scheduled meeting dates is included in the newsletter. This newsletter would not be possible without the support of the companies who advertise in it, so please consider them when thinking of making a purchase. To all who have moved into the FCC area, we welcome you all to our community We are still in discussions Aberdeenshire Council regarding the proposed traffic calming in Newburgh, and have also made them aware of the petition for a 20 or 30 MPH limit on Knockhall Road where there is no pavement We managed to get the council to widen the core path at the side of the Ythan, to Waterside Bridge. Both sides of the bridge need similar work done, and this is scheduled for later in 2019 The traffic calming has been installed at Cultercullen School, and is successful. We have requested similar in Udny Station and Foveran. Glen Douglas

Foveran Community Council Members 2019

Chairman William Grant 01651 842791 Secretary & Treasurer Glen Douglas 01358 789761 Karen Präger 01651 842197 Pat Smith 01358 789821 David Hancock 01651 842813 Ron Macdonald 01358 789006 Janet Jones 01358 742304 Niall Findlay 07984131401

Editor’s Note.

Thank you everyone who contributed to this edition. The next newsletter comes out in December so I need your articles etc. by the 7th of November. You can post them to Mrs Janet Jones, South Minnes, Newburgh. Ellon. AB41 6BB or email them to: j.jones110@btinternet.com Any photos should be high resolution. Thank you to Martyn Gorman for the photo on the front page and the photo of the surfer on the Ythan.

Advertisements. Ideally adverts should be set up to the following sizes: Full page: 126mm wide x 184mm high Half page: 126mm wide x 89mm high Quarter page: 60mm wide x 89mm high If you are supplying your own advert, the following formats are print standard: 1. high resolution PDF with images in CMYK format at 300ppi, with fonts outlined. 2. high resolution TIFF file in CMYK format at 300ppi. 3. high resolution JPEG file in CMYK format at 300ppi . If you haven’t a clue what to do, send Glen what you have/want and for a small fee over and above the cost of the advert, your advert will be formatted for you. Once it’s done it’s done and on the system so you won’t have the extra cost again unless of course you want to change it.

Advertising Rates:

Full page inside front cover £90 (booked) Full page inside (portrait) £70 Full page inside back cover £70 ½ page back cover (landscape) (booked) £45 ½ page inside (landscape) £35 ¼ page inside (portrait) £17.50 1/8 page inside £8.75

Newburgh Gala

We hope everyone who attended this year's gala had a fantastic day. This is the first year we had Modo - Circus With Purpose along, giving people of all ages the opportunity to try something different, all for free. Also new this year were zorb balls,

sumo suits and a mechanical sheep. Of course we had the usual bouncy castles and bungee trampolines. For the second time we were joined by Wheelie Fun Aberdeenshire and their ride on cars. Thank you to Kenny for bringing along his vintage tractors. Many thanks to Lisa and her assistants for organising the netball tournament. Congratulations to Anne on winning the 'Burgh Bake Off. Thank you to everyone who entered.

The stage was graced with a wide range of performances. Thank you to Inverurie Concert Band, Studio Fit, Mathieson School of Dance and Yee's Hung Ga. We also appreciate the Robert Gordon's College Pipe Band coming along to kick off the gala. Thank you very much to the Newburgh Inn for supplying the PA system and thank you to Mr Morrison for being our compere. For the first time this year, the fun went on beyond 5pm with our licence extended to 8pm. Plenty of people stayed on despite the

rain and there was a great atmosphere in the beer tent with people catching up with friends, enjoying a drink and music. Thank you to the Corner Cafe for once again running the hot drinks and cakes tent. We were also joined by Flaming Pizza Guys this year in addition to our own volunteers running the barbecue. There was also the option of ice cream from Tricycle Catering and Indian street food from Shree Krishna Sweets. We are again grateful to Newburgh Mathers Primary School for allowing us to use the school grounds and facilities. We really need everyone attending the gala to conduct themselves in a respectful manner so that the school will welcome us back each year. Thank you to the public hall and the church hall for the tables and chairs. We are very appreciative of the Newburgh Scouts for setting up and taking down the gazebos as well as fetching water for the Corner Cafe.

The day could not have gone ahead without the support of our sponsors:

Newburgh Motors M.N. Hamilton and Sons Home Systems Scotland

Studio Fit Romar International

Also thank you very much to the following for donating to the

Grand Raffle: Newburgh Motors

MSIS Romar International

Elite Exterior Cleaning Ltd Lawrence Milne Decorators

The New Inn Hotel Artisan

Costcutter Ellon Butchery Skin Care and Beauty with Naomi

Hazel Dawson Irene Aitken

In the beer tent, you'll also have witnessed the excitement of the Silent Auction. Thank you for donating prizes:

Wilkie Welding and Engineering

Skin Deep Music School Dobbies Garden Centre

Newburgh Golf Club Costcutter, Newburgh

Pro Auto Valet Skin Care and Beauty with Naomi

Aromatherapy Thyme Helen London

Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered on the day. We had locals who spent hours setting up tables, attending the zorbs and sumos, working on the stalls and clearing up at the end. Thank you to Janet for organising the mountains of preloved books. Thank you to everyone who donated books, bottles, chocolates and home bakes. Members of the committee also recruited so many friends and family members to help out and some of our families were represented by three generations. You're never too young to volunteer as the tiny Committee members were there for the day, aged 2 years, 18 months and 9 months.

We are delighted that our community has helped us raise enough money to fund the 2020 Gala. What’s more, there is enough surplus that we can make the following donations back to the community groups:

Newburgh Mathers School

Newburgh Mathers School Netball Team Newburgh Public Hall

Please do get in touch with any feedback that we can take on board for next year. You can contact us via Facebook or calling 07527131330. The committee always welcomes interest from new members and anyone who would like to volunteer on an occasional basis. Our AGM is set to take place on Tuesday 27 August at 7pm at the Newburgh Public Hall and this is a perfect opportunity to come along and see how you can get involved.

NICER NEWBURGH GARDENING GROUP:

Recently the group has been involved in planting for the village annual summer

display. We obtained 1515 plants from the Council, and we grew 2,600 plants from

seed ourselves. Hopefully this combined total of 4115 plants will provide a colourful

display.

We have cleared a row of rosa rugosa from the 2 beds in front of Merlin Terrace on

Main Street, to provide a larger area for the bedding plant display. We have

amalgamated two beds at the north end of the village alongside the estuary, and

planted a range of perennials including lupins which we grew from seed last year.

The group grow new lupins from seed each year to replace failing plants, mainly at

the north end. The strip under the trees at the south end opposite the Newburgh

Inn, has been lengthened to create additional room for bedding plants right along

from the green box to Beach Road.

A particular emphasis over the last few months has been planting wild flower plants

into the borders either side the new path through the plantation from the bottom of

Knockhall Road, through to the estuary. These have included foxglove, jacob ’s

ladder, snowdrops, primroses, oxslip, soapwort, knapweed, yarrow, and comfry.

These have been additions to the original meadow cranesbill, and red campion

previously planted. Some wild flower seeds have also been sown. This area is

looking very colourful at the moment.

It is the NNGG’s intention to enter the Formartine in Bloom competition again this

year, and looking at the judging criteria, judges also take into account private

gardens and commercial premises, as well as the areas identified by the group, so

everyone can make a difference. We believe judging this year will take place

towards the end of August.

Winning our sized community category in Formartine in Bloom (as Newburgh has

done for the past 4 years) doesn’t just come with a certificate, it also comes with

prize money of £200, which the NNGG uses for further improvements. Currently the

group is adding to the crocus embankment at the school, by planting an additional

2,000 crocus each year, which costs £200.

We have been asked a number of times whether there is a system of making

donations to support the Nicer Newburgh Gardening Group’s ongoing activities.

The NNGG funds are held by the Community Council. Anyone wishing to make a

donation could put it in an envelope (cheques made payable to Foveran Community

Council – Nicer Newburgh Gardening Group Fund), and post it through the door of

either:

Glen Douglas (Community Council Treasurer) at 23 Eider Road

Graham Waters at 4 Mallard Road This edition’s ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos feature the western entrance to the village along School Road. The group can be contacted: Email: mallardrd@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 01358 789024

2012

2017

2012

2019

Hill of Fiddes Community Fund

The Hill of Fiddes Community Fund Committee

meets every quarter to consider grant

applications for projects within the community

or that will benefit the community. At the May

2019 meeting, the following projects were put

forward and provided with funding:

Funding for outdoor resources at Foveran School with lose parts

play including storage/hedging and signage, providing fun games

and activities for the children;

Provision for a trolley to transport outdoor activities and learning

materials to allow for outdoor learning at Newburgh Preschool;

Funding towards the toilet refurbishment at Udny Station

Community Hall to bring the facility up to current standards required

of a community hall.

Funding towards a football kit to allow school children at Foveran

School to start up the club and participate in local football

events/galas.

Funding for a new replacement motor for the safety boat at

Newburgh Windsurf Club, to provide its members with essential

safety cover.

We would welcome applications from Community Groups within the

Foveran and Udny Station areas for projects in the area or that would be

close to the area and benefit the local community. The application

process is very simple - you can apply for small grants of £500 or under

with no matched funding or larger sums with additional funding from

other sources. Get your thinking caps on and give us a shout! If you

need any more advice, are unsure if your project will qualify or would like

an informal discussion about your project please contact us on

email@hilloffiddescommunityfund.co.uk

Or you can contact Susan Watt (Chairperson) on 01651 843666 or Nicky

Strachan (Secretary) on 01651 843703.

Application forms can be found on the Hill of Fiddes Community Fund

website: www.hilloffiddescommunityfund.co.uk

The dates for the 2019 Meetings as follows:

Tuesday 20th August (AGM) and Wednesday 17th November 2019.

The deadline for receiving applications is two weeks before each

meeting on Sunday 4th August and Sunday 3th November 2019.

The meetings are held in Udny Station Community Centre or

Cultercullen Primary at 1900 hrs.

…….

Foveran School thanks The Hill of Fiddes Community Fund.

Foveran School invited the Hill of Fiddes committee to the school on the 28th of June to thank them for the funding received. The pupils had made a power point presentation showing how they were using the equipment they had been able to purchase.

“Thank you so much Hill of Fiddes. You are our heroes!”

“Thank you so much. (for the camera) Without you we wouldn’t have fantastic videos and photos for our plays and twitter.”

“We are very grateful for the green screen. Now we can shoot fantastic videos and photos with really good backgrounds.”

“We have loved the new playground painted games and we all like to play on them. Thank you so much.

“We like to play with our micro:bit and we have discovered new things.”

“We have got a really nice mud kitchen.”

“Thank you Hill of Fiddes. Now we have planted vegetables.”

What’s on in Newburgh Public Hall

Monday: Parent and Toddler Group. 9.30am – 11.30am. Contact: Megan Wilson. 07592871350 Dancing. Rise up and Dance 2pm – 3pm Contact: Gayle McCombie. 07931865950 Yoga. 7pm – 8pm. Contact: Megan Keith. 07789122345 Tuesday: S.W.R.I. 7.30pm – 10pm. First Tuesday of the month. Contact: Sue Edwards. 07746955660 Thursday: Lawrence Dance Academy.3.50pm – 7.20pm Contact: Rhona Lawrence. 07801440098 Badminton. 7.30pm – 10pm. Contact: Louise Lorimer. 01358 789537 To book the Hall, contact Leigh Allan 07876656996

Registered Charity # SC006790 Newburgh Preschool We are a Registered Charity As always it’s been a busy year at Newburgh Preschool. After being inspected at the end of the last academic year we could begin to develop plans for the year ahead. We have had some lovely trips out and about, taking the children to Haddo Country Park and more recently Hazlehead Park which was great fun, even if it was slightly damp! The staff have focussed on personal development and training and we’ve made some exciting changes to the way we track our children’s progress and share it with our parents/carers. We were pleased to secure a grant from the Hill of Fiddes Community fund to purchase outdoor equipment (fire pit, trolley, fire safety kit) and this is an area we would like to explore further in the coming year. There are also plans to improve our kitchen area and make it more accessible to the children and increase the wet flooring area to create a free flow from indoor to outdoor play. As we come to the end of another successful year Miss Wendy, who is now Preschool Manager would like to thank the committee for their support over the year and Miss Sue and Miss Julie for their hard work and commitment to making all these things happen. Thank you to everyone that is continuing to support us this year and we look forward to seeing you all at our future fundraising events in the village. We are pleased to have healthy numbers in all our groups which run as follows: Rising 5’s Group, Monday – Friday from 8.30 am to 12 noon. Playgroup, Mon, Wed, Thu and Friday from 12.30 pm to 5 pm 2’s Group, Tuesday 1pm to 3pm.

If you have a child who does not attend one of these groups at the moment and you would like to make enquiries please do not hesitate to contact the Playgroup staff on Tel: 01358 789461. There may still be places available in some of our groups, and we welcome new applicants. Also, if you shop on-line and do not already support a group or are looking to support another one, please remember that easyfundraising.org.uk is a great way to raise funds and does not cost you anything. Lots of retailers subscribe to this service and offer a percentage donation to your chosen cause. It’s easy to use; just remember to make purchases via the easyfundraising website and enter Newburgh Preschool in the dialogue box. Should you require any further information please telephone the playgroup (01358 789461) or contact us on e-mail (newburgh.preschool@yahoo.com). Many thanks, as always for your continued support. Newburgh Preschool Staff and Committee

NEWBURGH

Hello Everyone

I hope you are all keeping well and making the most of the changeable summer. I expect that you will be looking forward to your summer holidays, or maybe, by the time you read this, you will have enjoyed your break.

April was our business meeting and members of Cultercullen SWI came along to entertain us as well as conducting the business and presenting the trophies. They read us poems, shared a muffin recipe, as well as the muffins with us and a quiz that tapped into the old grey cells. The new committee was as follows: President - Mrs Sue Edwards; Vice President and Press Secretary - Mrs Anne Taylor; Secretary - Mrs Margaret Singer, Treasurer - Mrs Sheila Moir; Raffle - Mrs Violet McConnachie; Magazines - Mrs Amy Miller; Competitions - Mrs Margaret Wilson; Tea Convener - Mrs Kate Duncan.

In May our speaker Mrs Andrea Watt, an Awareness Provider/Fundraiser for the Stroke Association. She started by telling us about her running the Belfast Marathon which she had done the previous week to raise funds for the association. She then told us about the work that is done by the SA, and how strokes affect people all ages, not just the elderly, many young people are also affected. Causes are various, high blood pressure, family history, TIA's and irregular heart beat problems. Andrea also explained what FAST stands for- FACE, ARM, SPEECH, TIME, something I feel we should all be aware of.

At the June meeting we welcomed John and Sheena from Springer Rescue, Scotland. John is the Area co-ordinator for Aberdeenshire and Perthshire and Sheena has been a volunteer for 10 years She helps with home checks, fundraising and transport and has fostered 65 Springers over that time. All types of Spaniel are cared for, all funding is by donation and they have no office or kennels. All dogs are neutered flea treated and micro chipped before going to their forever home. Over the ten years they have been established 975 dogs have been rescued and 2035 home checks carried out. They do a lot of good work helping spaniels, and saving a lot of dogs who otherwise may have to be put down.

We have no meetings now until 3 September when Martin Slessor will come along to talk to us about his work at the mart and his charities, should be an interesting evening. All meetings are on the first Tuesday in the month are advertised on notice boards and shop windows around the village, please come along and enjoy an evening with us.

Also, on the 27 September we will be having a MacMillan Coffee Morning once again. It will be in the Church Hall from 10am until 12noon so please come along and support this very worthwhile cause.

That is all the news from Newburgh SWI for now, enjoy your summer, and let’s hope the sun stays for a while and the only rain is at night, just to water the gardens, and take care of yourselves and each other.

Anne Taylor. Press Secretary

The Windsurf Club

Newburgh Sea Gorillaz T15 at Peterhead

The Windsurf Club in Newburgh continues to grow from strength to strength. We started 7 years ago and have managed to ease our way into the national scene over the years, and are currently one of the most active kids windsurf clubs in Scotland. Our kids section, the Newburgh Sea GorillaZ, is open to anyone aged 6 - 18, and we have a range of members from complete beginners through to advanced windsurfers. We meet approximately every 2nd Sunday at the Ythan Estuary at Inch Road, Newburgh (it's tidal so times/ dates vary to suit) from April through to October, and new for 2019 season we now host a Monday evening open session up at Peterhead for competent windsurfers, to give them access to club equipment and more time on the water. Nationally, we compete in several inter-club windsurfing events each season (RYA Team15 events - T15) alongside other Scottish clubs including the Loch Insh MonstArs, the Clyde Barracudas, the Monikie

Maniacs, and the Port Edgar Pirates. We hosted the first T15 event of the 2019 season up at Peterhead and Inverallochy in June of this year which was a great success. A fun packed weekend of wave sailing, racing, freestyle and including a ridiculous "parents race".

Sam Hawthorn on his 6.8m Techno Rig at Peterhead.

One of the clubs youth members, Sam Hawthorn, was picked for the RYA Scotland Techno Team (youth olympics class) and represented Team Scotland at the Eric Twiname UK National Windsurf Competition down in Rutland Water in May. Team Scotland won the 4.5m race class which was great news, up against the various English zones, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Sam finishing 6th placed boy. We also run adult sessions to suit and are keen to encourage all ages onto the water. Two of our coaches, Rob & Ali, have recently gone through training and qualification as Stand-Up Paddleboard instructors (SUP), and regularly take out groups of adults for taster sessions in both windsurfing and SUP-ing. We continue to fundraise for the club through the year, and helped out with the tea/coffee/cakes at the 10K@10 organised by the Newburgh Dunes running club back in February, and we were also awarded a grant from the Hill of Fiddes Community Fund to assist us in replacing the defunct outboard motor on our safety boat. This was really appreciated! We have a small but dedicated committee who help keep the club moving forward, including Club President & Coach Rob Walker,

Treasurer & Welfare Officer Wendy Walker, Secretary & Coach Danny Hawthorn, and other committee members and coaches/ beach team include Paula Hawthorn, Steve & Isla Van Duivenbode, Ali Hardy and Frank Peet, and we thank all the parents who turn up, week after week to help get the kids onto the water. If you want more info or are keen to join, contact Wendy Walker (wendywalker1205@gmail.com), or website www.thewindsurfclub.co.uk, or Facebook @thewindsurfclub

CULTERCULLEN

At their February meeting, the members of Cultercullen SWI enjoyed a talk by Sue Edwards on tatting (poor man’s lace). She showed the members some of the items she has made and gave a demonstration on how to do it. One of the members even had a go.

A lovely tea was supplied by Helen Thain.

Competition results:

Item made from pom-poms: 1st Eileen Andrew. 2nd Moreen Alexander. 3rd Carol Ritchie.

Custard Creams: 1st Moreen Aexander. 2nd Eileen Andrew. 3rd Carol Ritchie.

Flower of the month: 1st Carol Ritchie. 2nd Moreen Alexander. 3rd Eileen Andrew.

Carol Ritchie.

Cultercullen SWI’s March meeting was a fund-raising quiz night. 12 teams took part in various quiz rounds. The winning team was Pals, followed by Esslemont Beauties in second place and The Young Ones in last place. A lovely spread was supplied by the hostesses.

Competition results:

Flower of the Month: 1st Eileen Andrew. 2nd Helen Thain. 3rd Maureen Alexander.

Carol Ritchie. Press Secretary

On 14th May we were visited by Victor Sutherland from Fraserburgh R.N.L.I. who gave us an excellent and interesting talk enhanced by a wonderful slide-show highlighting various lifeboats and lives saved over the years. Originally, whole families, mainly from fishing communities, got involved in rescues but now Fraserburgh boasts its own R.N.L.I. Station from where official rescues are now carried out. A very interesting talk indeed.

Competition Results:

Book-folding item: 1st Moreen Alexander. 2nd Liz Webster. 3rd Eileen Andrew

Individual Sweet: 1st Eileen Andrew. 2nd Helen Thain. 3rd Moreen Alexander

Flower of the Month: 1st Moreen Alexander. 2nd Eileen Andrew. 3rd Helen Thain.

Sandy Steward. Press Secretary.

On Tuesday 11th June we had a pleasant drive out to Durno to the studio of all round crafter Fiona Chance who taught us how to do silk painting. It was a very interesting and amusing evening. This fascinating, busy and talented Dubliner gave us hands-on tips and help to create the cards that we made (and took home) employing this hitherto unknown craft. We had a chat over a welcome cup of tea and vowed to see Fiona again in the not too distant future.

Competition Results: (judged by Fiona)

Painted Pebble: 1st Eileen Andrew. 2nd Moreen Alexander

Flower of the Month: 1st Moreen Alexander. 2nd Eileen Andrew

Come and join us if you fancy an evening out. We meet every second Tuesday of the month in the Udny Station Community Centre at 7pm. You will be made very welcome.

Sandy Steward. Press Secretary.

Udny Station

The Udny Station Community Association are pleased to announce that

we have secured funding towards the refurbishment and modernisation

of the toilet facilities within the Udny Station Community Centre. In

addition to general modernisation and replacement of the original toilet

facilities, the refurbishment will introduce an accessible toilet, baby

changing facilities, and additional storage. We are also taking the

opportunity to give the Centre a general spruce up while it is closed over

the summer.

The work is well underway and we look forward to the Centre reopening

at the end of August.

We'd like to thank our funding partners for this project: Hill of Fiddes

Community Fund, Udny Community Trust Company, and Aberdeenshire

Council.

This investment in the community facilities comes after other upgrades

this past year including new energy efficient lighting, fire alarm system,

sound system, and outdoor water supply.

The Centre is available for public, community-based, and private

bookings.

For more information email:

UdnyStationCommunityCentre@yahoo.com

or our Facebook page at facebook.com/UdnyStationCommunityCentre

A Walk on the Wildside

Hello folks, my apologies for beginning with an S.O.S = Sissle Our Sausages! Umm, after such a great start to 2019, May was not the best month and as I write, almost at the Summer Solstice, the flames of June have been extinguished! No matter, there is so much to see and do in the great outdoors around the mid-point of the year that you can dodge the raindrops, keep your old jumper on a little longer, and enjoy. Already some house martins and swallows will have raised a first brood, dodging the showers to catch smallest of insects with which to satisfy gaping baby beaks. Likewise, the standard garden birds such as blackbird and thrush will have followed suit. I hope that you all took notice of my comments regarding bird boxes in your garden, and have stuck one on the garden fence. Most folk will think of nest boxes as something with a hole in it, but there are those known as ‘open-fronted’, ones that instead of a single small hole for birds to get in and out, have the front of the box ‘halved’, leaving a large open gap above. You may be surprised at the number of species that will use such a box, and very proud at the same time. What would you say to having a spotted flycatcher as a lodger on your patch? It is not the most colourful of small birds but a super wee beastie, and like the swallows etc. coming here in the summer months from Africa. I have had them nesting in an open fronted box and they are wonderful to watch as they live up to their name and catch flies. They will sit on a branch and if something tasty flies close – zoom off they go and grab it. Even down to a wasp or a bee and they have ‘specialised beaks’ allowing them to do so without getting stung. Whilst they will also take the odd butterfly, hopefully they will leave enough to delight you as they flit from flower to flower. It is not only birds that come to us across the Mediterranean each summer, delicate winged butterflies do it as well, honest. Only a few days ago on 16th June, I caught a glimpse of a superb painted lady and no she did not have on scarlet lipstick! The painted lady and a related species: the red admiral, both reach us having flown a zillion kilometres, and having bred successfully their offspring will attempt to make the journey back again before our winter sets in!

The painted lady is a very bright butterfly with lots of orange on the wings, black splashes with some white blobs – is that colourful enough for you? Now here is the thing, grow thistles in your garden! It is commonly stated that one should grow certain plants that will ‘help’ butterflies, and most of those plants are aimed at providing a source of nectar, yes, a

great idea. But, ah yes one of Bob’s ‘buts’, but you could simply put out a saucer of water in which you have dissolved lots of sugar, they would love that. Butterflies do not have a mouth only a long hollow ‘tongue’ like a straw, and like a straw they slurp up nectar. Any veggie gardener will be on the lookout for the large white – aka cabbage white, that can make string vests out of cabbage leaves, but it is not the butterfly that does that (well indirectly), it is the caterpillars. They are eating machines and do have mouths. So, the adult – the flying insect, only drinks nectar, hence the move to grow nectar-rich plants, but there is the opportunity to go one step further and grow plants that truly benefit butterflies – their larval foodplant plants. Each species has a preference for one or two species of plant on which to lay its eggs, hence the large white likes brassicas, but the painted lady prefers thistles. Even better, have a patch (large is best!) of nettles, that will really impress the neighbours. The lovely small tortoiseshell, superb red admiral and beautiful peacock butterflies all lay their eggs on nettles, so get out there and grow some. And if your neighbours do complain (shame on them), make some nettle beer and offer them a glass (it really is delicious, honest). Take care of yourselves and our wildlife until the next edition. Byeeee. Bob Davis 18 June 2019

Nomads of the Sky- the Short eared owl

Over the past winter I was an almost daily visitor to Forvie National Nature Reserve to watch one of my favourite birds, the short-eared owl. Definitely five, and possibly up to seven, took up residence since October quartering the coastal heath and dune grasslands. They stayed until March when they returned to their breeding areas in the uplands or western and northern Scottish islands or continental Europe, as far as Russia. The short-eared owl is a beautiful bird, with golden yellow irises and black pupils set against black mascara-like feathers, making their eyes stand out. The effect is a piercing stare that literally stops you in your tracks.

Like most owls, it’s primarily a nocturnal hunter, preying upon small rodents, particularly voles and field mice, but also small birds such as meadow pipits and reed buntings. One of the Gaelic names for an owl is cailleach-oidhche and this literally translates as ‘old woman of the night’. They also hunt during daylight, flying slowly in large or tight arcs as they quarter the ground, with occasional quick beats of their wings and then a slow glide until, on hearing a movement below, they hover, then

pirouette- like, fold their wings and dive talons first into the vegetation to snatch prey.

. Understandably for a bird that hunts primarily by locating its prey by sound, I come across them much more frequently when winds are lighter and it’s dry. Presumably it’s both the sound of the wind and rain and the rustling of the vegetation that is the reason. Anything beyond 15mph or light rain and it’s likely there will be a no show. During inclement weather owls hunker down, often several together in long heather or grass, waiting it out until the wind or rain abates. During one recent hooley, two owls flew up as I stumbled across Forvie’s moor. On dry nights with light winds, they will be feeding for most of the time, and if they’ve fed well, will become elusive during the morning, presumably resting in the long vegetation. They reappear again in the afternoon: early afternoon if the wind and rain have been strong or heavy in the days before and later if night hunting has been good. Like all predators, they only hunt when they have to.

Their success rate is surprisingly low-less than 10% of attacks I observed were successful. Some owls will consume their prey there and then, occasionally mantling it with their wings, before swallowing it whole. Bigger prey, such as birds and larger rodents are plucked before eating. I’ve also seen owls caching small rodents, creating a food store for when the weather or lack of prey makes it difficult to hunt. When the owls reappear together in the afternoon, I’ve seen them fly over, splitting to go to different parts of the reserve. Aerial skirmishes were frequent, owls chasing each other and occasionally locking talons, with grating calls that show their annoyance. These don’t last long, the need to hunt overcoming any initial aggression. Owls will actively chase away kestrels from the area they are hunting over. However, all this changes if a food item is captured with other owls, kestrels and crows quickly zeroing in to try and rob the prey. Kestrels are particularly quick and successful at snatching food.

A short eared owl and kestrel face off as the kestrel robs the owl of its prey. © Darren Dawson Ron Macdonald

Mahomed Akbar Khan

(Charles Catto came across this strange poem in the Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser dated Tuesday 11 July 1911.)

At Newburgh upon Ythan, when the tide is on the flow, Large ships from foreign lands come sailing in With cargoes of manure with which to make the country grow The crops on which our daily bread depends. Quite recently a cargo came of bones from India’s strand, And hid up in the corner of the hull Of the vessel was the skeleton of a small human hand And beside it was a whitened human skull. Mahomed Akbar Khan was a burly, bad Pathan ‘Mongst the hills he warred on weaklings, whilst from the strong he ran. He robbed the sacred temple, he slew the pious priests, He spent his days in murder and his nights in bloody feasts. All women young and beautiful he sent into his harem Whilst the old he’d shoot, hang, garotte, or poison, or burn. ‘Mongst Hima’yas mountains, from Thibet to Afgan None was hated more by black or white than Mahomed Akbar Khan. If on the lonely hills at night you heard the jackal’s call, The barking of the pariah dog, or the green parrot’s squall, By those tokens you would know then that for once he was not out. For beast nor bird ne’er spoke nor stirred were Akbar Khan about. With twice a score of fiends one night, he raided “Rangalo.” He plundered, killed and robbed until he reached a bungalow, Where rested Major Simpson with his wife and only child. A little lass of five years old, thro’ petting nearly spoiled.

Quite unaware of danger, they slept full sound, I ween, And dreamed of distant friends at home in bonny Aberdeen. A faithful syco had heard the din of murder done without, And thinking of his master dear, had raised a warning shout. Chalo, Chalo, utho looswali idhar hai* The gallant major heard with awe his servant’s dying cry, And quickly arming forth he ran, his loved ones for to fight, Whilst the red blood ran in a sickening stream and the flames lit up the night. ’Gainst fearful odds he struggled on, he sent six fiends to hell, Ere mortally wounded he vainly fighting fell. With one last long despairing look to his dear child and wife He whispered “Do it now, my darling, don’t be te’en alive.” In the pistol but two rounds were left, her brain was in a whirl, She took a last fond mother’s kiss, then shot her little girl. She took the stiffening hand of her child and held it to her breast, This little hand, now dead and cold, will never, never rest, Till the skull of our murderer Akbar Khan is powdered o’er the ground. Till not one piece of a pin’s head size in one place shall be found. She pronounced the curse, then praying placed the pistol to her head, and when Akbar Khan came to claim his prey, he found all lying dead. But Britain’s vengeance ne’er was baulked and Akbar Khan was ta’en, And he died the death he deserved to die and to expatiate for his crimes. They cut his body into bits and fert and tower and taj. Each showed to the native bandit men, the power of the British Raj.

At Newburgh upon Ythan, when the tide was on the flow, The bone mill roared and opened wide its maw, For bones to ease its appetite, they fast and faster go, And the “feeder” told me this is what he saw: A human skull amongst the heap was thrown upon the mill. The gruesome find from destruction he’d recover, When a wee hand interposed, ere he his purpose could fulfil. Both skull and hand went thro’ the mill together.

A. Clark. Fechil. Ellon. (Buchan’s own Mcgonagall? Ed.)

*Hurry, hurry rise, the great thief is here.

Who was Harry Paul?

Whilst digging for information in the

newspaper archive I on occasion check other

items which may be of interest. As your eyes

stray over the pages other items may attract

your attention, which have nothing to do with

your immediate concern.

And thus “Who was Harry Paul”. The name

came to light in several “In Memoriams” within

the Evening Express, Dundee Courier and

Press & Journal newspapers of the 1940s and 1950s, usually around the

8th or 9th of September.

It explained that Flight Sergeant Harry Paul RAF had died as a result of

an accident on September 9th 1942, and “So sadly missed by his mother,

brother Charlie and his aunts and cousins, Santa Cruz, Newburgh”.

As a Newburgh boy, I knew Santa Cruz as large house between

Holyrood Chapel and the school, set on a bank of ground opposite what

is now known as Timmer Lum Lane. We, my sisters and I, occasionally

delivered eggs to the house. The family names in Santa Cruz being

Wood and Beverly, I was not aware of any one by the name of Paul

having lived there.

So, who was Harry Paul? Firstly, a look at notes on the Foveran War

Memorial, but no Harry Paul there so he was not commemorated in

Foveran Parish. That was rather strange as I had imagined that if he had

lived within the parish, he would be commemorated on the local war

memorial.

To try to gain further information my next source was the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Now the question

was he Harry or was this a diminutive for Harold or even Henry? A check

on CWGC was quickly brought about with the information to hand and in

all fairness there were only eleven people with the surname Paul in

WW1 and WW2 and knowing he served in the RAF eliminated all except

one – Flight Sergeant Harry Paul 996604, a member of the Royal Air

Force Voluntary Reserve (RAFVR), age 28 and buried and

commemorated in Balgay Cemetery, Dundee. Further in the site it gave

his parents as Charles and Janet Paul and also that Harry was the

husband of Jeanie Alexander Paul of Dundee. A commemorative PDF

document also gave detail that he was a wireless operator.

The next point to establish his parents was to the Scotland’s Peoples

site, part of the National Records of Scotland. This confirmed that Harry

Paul had married Jeanie Alexander Stephen, a newspaper copywriter on

October 12th 1940 in Dundee. Harry’s occupation was given as a

journalist and also as Aircraftman 2nd Class. His address was Station

Hotel, Alloa but qualified by “now engaged in war service”. His parents

were Charles Paul (butcher), deceased and Jane Paul afterwards

Ritchie with her maiden surname (ms) as Wood.

Another check now that parentage was established did not produce a

birth registration, not in Scotland nor did it produce the parent’s

marriage. This was rather a blow and a bit of a brick wall.

The Wood name gave a connection to Santa Cruz, Newburgh. Although

not wholly confirmed, it at least was a step in the, hopefully, correct

direction.

All was not lost. Like many others with an interest in genealogy, I use

Ancestry.com to build my own family tree. It is a large site with fingers in

most parts of the World where Scots/English have immigrated.

Information here has to be treated with some caution. Although most

family trees are accessible, they are only as good as the accuracy of the

person logging in the information. Some are wildly wrong as people try

to build a picture of their family from a period maybe more than a

hundred years ago and beyond.

In this case I was also helped by a family connection. My grandfather’s

brother Francis (Frank) immigrated to South Africa around 1898. Shortly

after this, about 1903, some members of the Wood family immigrated to

South Africa as well. One was Maxwellina Wood, a schoolteacher and

she married Frank Catto, who became a secretary at the Consolidated

Reef gold mine near Johannesburg. Maxwellina was the daughter of

John Wood and Elizabeth Grant. It was John and Elizabeth Wood that

had Santa Cruz built.

Census records were checked to establish a life pattern, albeit in ten

yearly intervals, but it did establish that John and Elizabeth had a family

of eleven with nine surviving as noted in the 1911 census. One of their

children was Janet Henderson Wood aged 23 in 1911 and a typist by

occupation.

Returning to Ancestry and logging in Janet Wood brought about a

variety of detail

1. Janet H Wood, typist aged 25 arrived on SS Scandinavian at

Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 6th 1913. The passenger list noted

that she was to marry a butcher.

2. Her future husband had gone to Canada the previous year.

3. Some three days later Janet H Wood married Charles Smith Paul,

butcher formerly of the town of Keith in Banffshire.

Further information on the Affidavit of Marriage gave details of parents

and places of birth. The marriage took place in Woodstock Ontario on

April 9th 1913. This would have given Janet an extremely tight schedule,

but it seems a smooth Atlantic crossing must have taken place and also

passage by train from Halifax or ship up the St. Lawrence River to at

least Montreal before her onward journey to Woodstock.

Charles and Janet had two sons born, Harry in 1914 and Charlie 1916.

World War 1 commenced and Charles Smith Paul enlisted in the

Canadian Army in January 1916. After training he was deployed to

France via England. While there he suffered from the effects of gas

inhalation. He was demobilised in 1919 to return to Canada. His transfer

to Canada was from Rhyl, Wales about 11th May, 1919.

Whether Janet had a premonition of what the future held, she and the

two boys returned to Newburgh via the SS Melitia sailing from Quebec to

Liverpool in July 1919. Some three months later, she and the boys

returned to Canada by SS Saturnia from Glasgow to Montreal.

The following year Charles Smith Paul died of cardiac decompensation

at the age of 36 years. He was buried in Woodstock Presbyterian

Cemetery, Woodstock, Ontario.

Charles Catto

THE MULTI-COLOURED IRIS.

This is the time of year to be splitting Iris,

especially the tall beaded Germanica types.

The rhizomes of this species like to bake in

the sun on the top of the soil, and, over the

years, they can become congested clumps

of dead rhizomes with only the fresh outer

‘roots’ flowering. The sun can struggle to

reach these also so, every few years, they

do benefit from being lifted and split up.

In my case it has turned into a bit of a mission!

When I moved to this house, I decided to create a bed especially for my

beloved Iris. They have been wonderful over the years, but were in

desperate need of some TLC. The bed has been harbouring some nasty

weeds caught up between the rhizomes and some of the colours have

done particularly well – so much so, that they have been smothering out

some others. Time for the drastic measures I had been putting off.

As Iris should be split as soon as they finish flowering, and whilst the

flowers were fading – so I knew what colours they were – I started lifting.

The plan was to dig out and store in trays of a specific colour for

replanting when I had rejuvenated the soil in the bed. I don’t know how

they have all fitted in the bed – as there seem to be vast numbers of

them – and, of course not all have flowered. I now, several days later,

have six large bread baskets full of labelled colours, and a very large

one of unknown colours!!

The first thing to do when they come out of the ground is to shake the

soil off and discard any squishy non- productive rhizomes, keeping the

firm ones that have leaves growing. These leaves are then cut to about

an inch above the rhizome – remembering to label the colour! Ideally,

they should then be replanted immediately in their new position with the

rhizomes on the top of the soil and facing the sun, so they can bake.

They like a well -drained soil, so first, grit or fine gravel can be added to

improve the drainage if needs be.

I have to say I could do with my garage back, as I have trays of ‘naked’

Iris laying in wait for the bed to be weeded thoroughly and improved.

Meanwhile they have to be spayed with water every day!! I have planted

my most treasure ones into smaller trays or pots, to keep them happier,

and the gardening club members have been offered the excess for their

gardens. The rest, we are hoping to get potted up for sale for gardening

club funds, but I have run out of compost and pots and I don’t really want

to see another Iris at the moment.

Come next early summer though, all will be forgotten as I marvel at their

beauty in their new home, in a HOPEFULLY weed free bed!

Happy Iris lifting!

Lesley Barnett

Sunday Post. November 12. 1950

Burned Their Caps as SOS

Two fishermen, Robert Warrender and James Forbes of Newburgh, Aberdeenshire were

stranded a mile off-shore yesterday when their yawl broke down. A wave flooded the engine and the boat drifted for about three hours until darkness fell. A woman walking along the shore saw a distress signal and told the coastguard. The lifeboat stood by, but by this time the yawl had drifted inshore and both men jumped onto a small island. A small boat took them ashore. The men burned their caps as distress signals.

Aberdeen Press and Journal. Friday, October 12, 1934

Man Advised to Stick to Fishing

Decreased Rabbit Population of Newburgh Links

Amusement was caused in Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday when Gustav Sjoberg, welder, 114

Causewayend, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to having trespassed in pursuit of rabbits on the Newburgh golf links on September 20.

“I thought I did no harm,” said Sjoberg, “because the players on the golf course complain about the rabbits making much damage. I am not a poacher.”

Sheriff Dallas – No, but you are in a fair way to it.

Sjoberg – My hobby is fishing, not rabbit catching. I am unemployed and have four children. It is always handy to get a rabbit. I thought I did a good turn when they complained about rabbits.

Sheriff Dallas – You do not suggest that you are a philanthropist doing work in order to preserve Newburgh golf course.

Sheriff Dallas ordered him to pay the expenses amounting to £1 5s.

Sjoberg – Can I have time to pay – until I get my co-op dividend?

Sheriff Dallas – I will allow you three weeks. You keep to the fishing.

Foveran Parish Church: FROM THE MINISTER

In Acts chapter 8, we find the account of Philip and the Ethiopian

eunuch.

We are told that the Ethiopian man was a high official in his own land, in

fact, he was in charge of the queen’s treasury. He had been up to

Jerusalem to worship and was riding back home in his chariot. Would

you agree that this shows that he was a man of intelligence to have such

a responsible job, and a man of wealth to have his own chariot? He had

purchased a copy of the book of Isaiah and was reading this as he was

travelling.

Philip approached him and asked him if he understood what he was

reading. His answer was interesting. He said, ‘How can I, unless

someone explains it to me? Philip explained it to him, and he believed

and his life was changed from that moment onward.

The Bible describes itself as a message from God, as a book about life

and of life. It’s not an easy book to understand, that is one reason why

there is Church, to explain and teach it.

Life is complicated, life is difficult, and it’s hard to find a path that does

not either disappoint or come to a dead end. There are difficult questions

that come our way, and the Bible describes itself as a light to our path

and a compass for the dark days.

Church is one of the places we can go to have the Bible explained and

applied so that our path of life can be illuminated.

Ricky

SOCIAL COMMITTEE We are delighted to announce that the very popular local duo Jim and

Marisha Addison will be paying us a return visit on the afternoon of

Saturday 14th September. The concert will take place in the Church Hall,

Newburgh between 2.30pm and 4.30pm, and will include refreshments.

Further details will be included on posters and in the local press nearer

the time. Everyone will be made welcome as Jim and Marisha sing and

play many of the well-loved familiar songs – we are sure to leave with a

spring in our step!

Later in the year we hope that some of our younger very talented

musicians may be able to come back and entertain us – something to

really look forward to in the darker months ahead.

Mary Smith

Registered Charity No.SC011701

CHURCH NEWS

Seaside Rock

It’s that exciting time of year again when the Church is preparing to hold

its annual Holiday Club. Seaside Rock is this year’s action-packed

holiday programme for children from 3 years to those who have just

completed P7.

The children will sing and dance on the beach, go in for a swim, hear

from ‘Trevor on the Weather’, join ’Jim the Bin’ with jokes and introduce

children to Jesus through the stories and experiences of Peter. All from

the safety of the Church Hall!

Seaside Rock will be held in the Church Hall, Main Street, Newburgh,

during the last week of the school holidays - Monday, 12 August—

Friday, 16 August from 10am-12noon. On Friday 16 August, parents,

grandparents, friends, neighbours and childminders are invited to join in

at 11.30am to see highlights of the week and enjoy a light lunch. Pre-

booking for the holiday club is advisable. Please contact Pamela Sloan

to book and/or ask any questions - prsloan@btinternet.com or 07940

319960.

Peter was an amazing man and the New Testament is full of stories

about him. He was one of Jesus’ disciples and the one Jesus said He

would use to start building His Church. This use of the word Church

refers to the community of Christians world-wide and not to a specific

building. During the week we’ll follow the highs and lows of Peter’s

friendship with Jesus. Each story points to Jesus as the Saviour and the

source of Peter’s hope and joy. The programme will challenge the

children to follow Jesus, just as Peter did, two thousand years ago.

The hall will be decorated with a ‘seaside’ theme and so shorts and t-

shirts would be entirely appropriate clothing to wear – please nothing

‘best’ as we are likely to be doing some potentially messy crafts too and

we would hate to spoil non-washable clothing!! In addition to Bible

stories and craft, there will be songs and snack, so please remember to

advise if there are any food intolerances or allergies we should be aware

of.

The Holiday Club is FREE and is for all children in the parish and

surrounding area. Whether you live in Newburgh, Udny Station,

Cultercullen, Foveran or further afield, all children are invited and are

very welcome.

Church Open

The church (Holyrood Chapel) in Newburgh will also continue to be open

as usual during the holidays. This is Mondays, Tuesdays and

Wednesdays from approximately 10am to around 3pm. So if you feel

you need some quiet time out, please feel free to pop in and have some

peace.

Soul Food Sunday

A reminder that our monthly Soul Food Sunday, held on the last Sunday

in the month, is for everyone in the community and is a ‘drop in’ – for

people to come and go as they wish. It’s a café style church with

different themes and speakers and tasty food! It’s held in the Church

Hall, Newburgh from 6pm-8pm. The next few dates for your diary are:

Sunday, 28 July, 25 August and 29 September. Come along and give it

a try. It would be great to see you there.

Sunday Services

Our Sunday services continue each Sunday morning at 11am and all are

welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you at a Sunday service

and your children at the Holiday club.

Pamela Sloan, Clerk to the Board

Sue Edwards, Session Clerk

Foveran Community Council Dates for your Diary

All meetings start at 7.30pm and are on the 4th Wednesday of the month. There are no meetings in July or December.

2019 28 August Foveran School 25 September Newburgh Mathers School 23 October Udny Station Community Hall 27 November Foveran School 2020 22 January Newburgh Mathers School 26 February Udny Station Community Hall 25 march Foveran School 22 April Newburgh Mathers School 27 May Udny Station Community Hall 24 June AGM Newburgh Inn Everyone is welcome to attend. If you have a specific issue you would like to bring to the attention of the councillors, you can do so at the beginning of the meeting.