Police hunt “animals” for stabbing
A SOLDIER home on leave for a family celebration ended up in hospital after a vicious attack in the early hours of Saturday morning.
27-year old Allan Weir is a native of Dunoon, but no longer lives here. He had returned to the town with his wife Adelle for a family celebration in Alfred Street. He left the party to walk the family dog and was in nearby Edward Street when the attack took place at around 3am. He managed to crawl home, and was taken to Dunoon General Hospital and later transferred to Inverclyde Royal Hospital where he was detained and treated for stab wounds.
He is a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery and is currently living at Catterick in North Yorkshire with Adelle; the couple have known each other since they were fellow pupils at Dunoon Grammar School. It is understood that he was to be posted to Iraq in the next few weeks.
Allan has seen world-wide service in the army, including war zones such as Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Initially he was treated in intensive care, for a number of stab wounds in the back and arms, and although his condition had improved by the time we went to press, it was still being described as ‘serious’ and police are treating the case as attempted murder.
The crime scene was sealed off on Saturday as police searched the surrounding area, while council workers checked the drains looking for the weapon used in the assault.
More police were drafted into Dunoon on Tuesday from the Strathclyde Police Support Unit, and a number of houses were searched.
Detective Inspector David Hardie is in charge of the investigation.
He said: “This was a very serious assault; it certainly put the victim’s life in danger. We believe that there were six to eight people involved, both male and female, and the ages ranged from 16 to 22 years old.
Commenting on the attack, he said: “This was a young man who has seen considerable service in dangerous places, and it’s disgusting that, having risked his life for his country, he should be attacked in such a brutal cowardly fashion on a family visit to his own home town.
“It really is important that we get the animals who did this off the streets.
“We would like to talk to anyone who might have been in the area where the attack took place between 2-3am last Saturday morning, August 19.
“We would value any information from members of the public, even if it is third or fourth hand, that will help us progress our enquiries.
“If you can help us in any way please call Dunoon Police on 76 3000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. All calls will be treated in strictest confidence.”


A smooth ride in Innellan
Residents of an Innellan road are in for a smoother ride after the council agreed to carry out surfacing and repair work. The Bute and Cowal Area Committee have decided to surface South Campbell Road after it was established by local councillor Dick Walsh that the council are the owners and have responsibilities for the safe passage of users.
The state of the road, with its many potholes, has long been a source of complaints from both residents and visitors to the riding club on the Velvet Path. The deteriorating road surface even prompted the council itself to ban its own Community Service minibuses from making the trip to the riding stables.
The sum of £48,000 has been allocated as part of the road reconstruction programme, which should be completed by late autumn. The works will include the installation of speed bumps to control traffic speed on the surfaced road.
The news has delighted Janey Ambajtsheer, who runs the Velvet Path Riding Stable. Janey said: “I am absolutely thrilled that the road is going to be surfaced and the potholes mended. This means that we can get the handicapped riding group back up here once the work is completed, so I couldn’t be more pleased.
“I would especially like to thank Dick Walsh, it was his hard work that has made this possible. I would also like to thank all the people who wrote to the council with letters of support, including local schoolchildren and CLASP.”
Innellan and Auchamore councillor Dick Walsh’s research was instrumental in getting approval for the work after he proved that the council was responsible for maintaining the road. Councillor Walsh said: “I am delighted that at the last meeting of the Bute and Cowal Area Committee it was agreed to spend some £48,000 upgrading the section of South Campbell Road, Innellan known locally as the Velvet Path.
“It is proposed to put a permanent surface on this section of road to the stables with passing places and to fill in the pot holes in the made- up section from Newton Bridge to Innellan Farm.”
He continued: “Some years ago I carried out a detailed research into the ownership of this road and concluded, following the investigation of land titles etc that the road was owned by the local authority.
“This followed a land transaction where, during the time of Argyll County Council and the then Cowal District Council, when the council acquired the recreational area at the Sandy Beach it was also agreed that it should take over all the lanes that were the responsibility of the Campbell Wyndham Long estate.”
Councillor Walsh went on to say that he is now pursuing the Forestry Commission and Scottish Executive Ministers, who own Matheson Lane, for the upgrading of that lane and also for the upgrading of Crochan Road, Dunoon as part of the flood prevention scheme for Kilbride Road.
He added that the Area Committee also supported his proposal to press the Scottish Executive to make available monies to assist with the upgrading of many of the private roads in Cowal.
South Campbell Road actually extends from Newton Bridge to the Velvet Path Riding Centre. The name Velvet Path originated following a local naming process.


CalMac gear up for Cowal Highland Gathering
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne is gearing up for the busiest weekend of the summer season on the Upper Clyde with the Cowal Gathering taking place in Dunoon this weekend.
A number of special arrangements are being put in place at Gourock to facilitate an easy transition from road and rail access to ships. Due to the increased traffic conveyed over the games weekend, parking in the centre car park at Gourock Ferry Terminal will be restricted. The restrictions will be eased around the terminal building over the weekend as pressure on space decreases.
Donna Derrick, Gourock Port Manager said: “There are obviously a number of changes to our schedule and I would advise customers to check with us before hand if they have any doubt about the times of last sailings. I would also like to remind customers that through tickets to Dunoon are obtainable on trains from Glasgow Central and this will help to speed up the traffic”
Timetable information:
On Friday, there will be two vessels operating, with the first sailing from Gourock departing at 0620. The last sailing on Thursday will be leaving Gourock at 2018 and leaving Dunoon at 2045.
On Saturday, three vessels will be in operation, with sailings every 20 minutes operating between Gourock and Dunoon, departing both locations on the hour, at 20 minutes past the hour and 20 minutes to the hour. Services will start at 0620 from Gourock. The last timetabled service will depart Dunoon at 2130.
On Sunday, there will be a two vessel operation, with half hourly sailings operating between Gourock and Dunoon, departing both locations at 20 minutes past the hour and 10 minutes to the hour from 0820 until 1220 therein normal timetable will resume. This will be an extremely busy weekend for CalMac on all the Upper Clyde routes. Customers are advised to arrive as early as possible, and allow for traffic delays and queuing at all locations. Ferries will be busy and CalMac is asking that customers allow extra journey time.
For up-to-date information, customers should contact Gourock on 01475 650226 or Dunoon on 01369 706491.


Local man to star in West End
Robert Archibald, younger son of Brian and Lyn Archibald from Toward, is making a name for himself on the London musical stage. Robert has being playing the role of Feuilly, one of the students in Les Miserables since June 2005 in the Queens Theatre in London’s famous West End.
However, he is poised to play the role of Marius for a limited period later this month while Jon Lee, presently in the role, takes a break. Robert will return to the role of Marius again later in the year.
Fans of one of the most successful musicals ever, will know that Marius is one of the students protesting at the unfairness of the poverty in Paris during the early 19th Century. He appears towards the end of the first act and plays a major role throughout the second act. Marius meets and falls in love with Cosette, adopted daughter of the story’s hero, Jean Valjean.
Well known numbers from the show which are sung by Marius are “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” and the touching duet with Eponine when she is dying at the barricades – “A Little Fall of Rain”.
Robert was a pupil at Innellan Primary School and Dunoon Grammar School where his interest in drama developed. He was an active member of Cowal Youth Theatre during this time and played the leading role of Danny in the Grammar School’s production of “Grease” in June 1994.
Robert trained at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he was the recipient of the Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award. Since finishing his studies, he has appeared in several musical productions throughout the country including “Ragtime”, “Jerry Springer – The Opera” and “Dude! Where’s my Teddy Bear”. Robert was also in the “Riverdance” United States tour and in “Grease” in Cyprus.
Local musical enthusiasts will remember hearing Robert performing songs from popular shows along with another local musical success, Laura Cannon, in St Mun’s Hall several years ago, at the beginning of his career. It was evident to everyone who enjoyed this wonderful musical evening, that Robert was destined to be successful in the musical theatre.
Congratulations to Robert on his achievements so far and we all wish him every success in his role as Marius.